I do not own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, although I do rather enjoy borrowing them from time to time.

A/N I had to do it, and I'm afraid to say it but I'm still not finished. So get your chocolate, ice cream or whatever you need in the way of comfort and read on. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! (Maybe enjoy isn't the right word for this chapter)

B/N Prepare you handkerchiefs. You'll need many with this chapter. It'll be a crying jag chapter.

Author – ToryD

Beta – MJMod

Choices

Chapter 28

Christine stood frozen in horror as she took in the sordid scene before her. "No," she whispered in a tortured plea not wanting to believe the cruel, undeniable truth of Erik's betrayal.

Erik's heart sank as he heard her anguished voice. "Christine" he called frantically as he shoved Cara roughly of off him. Getting quickly to his feet, he felt the blood in his veins freeze at the look of absolute devastation in his beautiful Christine's face.

Christine, unable to bear the painful sight a second longer turned and fled in the direction of the elevators. Pushing the button with a repeated jabbing motion, she was relieved to see that the doors slid open almost immediately. Hearing Erik calling her name, she quickly entered and pushed several buttons in hopes of blocking out the unbearable pain.

Erik ran towards the elevator at breakneck speed in an attempt to halt Christine's flight. "Christine, wait. It's not what it seems." He called as the doors began to slide shut; cutting off the sight of Christine's sobbing form. "NO! Christine!" He yelled as the doors closed just as his hand reached out and touched the cool metal. Feeling an overwhelming frustration fill him, he turned and ran back towards the apartment. "Nadir," he shouted as he reentered the room.

"Erik!" Nadir called in an incredulous voice as he tried to comprehend the surreal scene unfolding before him. "Where's Christine?" he asked as dread began to fill him at the look of anguish on Erik's face.

"She's gone," he whispered in a bleak tone as he sank down onto the suede sofa with his head in his hands.

Knowing that Erik wasn't able to think clearly Nadir took the lead. "Reggie!" he called out as he turned to face the younger man. "Call down to the security office. Make sure that they cover all exits. Inform them that they are not to let Mrs. Desmond leave the building. Also alert Steve, he should be somewhere close by if she just arrived."

"I'm on it." He said firmly as he withdrew his cell phone to perform the task.

Cara had taken the brief time while everyone's attention was elsewhere to zip up her dress. "Erik! What is going on?" She demanded in a high-pitched screech.

Nadir gave her a look of distain. "Cara, perhaps it would be best if you left." He advised firmly.

"I'm not going anywhere until someone explains what is happening!" She spat in Nadir's direction.

A massive wave of rage washed over Nadir as he stared at the woman who had systematically destroyed his friend's long awaited happiness. Striding towards her with a purposeful gleam in his dark eyes, he grabbed hold of her upper arm and forcibly dragged her towards the apartment door. "Listen to me, Ms. Johnson," He hissed through his clenched teeth. "If you ever dare to approach Erik or Christine Desmond again, I swear that I will make it my mission in life to destroy you."

Cara felt the blood drain from her face at the immense hatred she read on Nadir's face. How dare he talk to her like that! Didn't he realize that she held a special place in Erik's life, she thought in anger. Seeing Erik seated on the sofa she called to him for his assistance. "Erik! Please inform your employee that he is not to talk to me like that!"

Erik was pulled from his self-loathing at the sound of Cara's piercing voice. Looking up into her angry gaze, he felt as if he could actually kill another human being for the first time in his life. For there she stood, invoking her self-appointed right to have him do her bidding as she saw fit. "Nadir, get her the hell out of my sight!" He sneered as he tried to reign in the rage that threatened to erupt into a physical manifestation at any moment.

Cara saw the hate in Erik's green eyes as the stared coldly at her. "Erik, what are you saying? You wanted me to come back to you." She cried in confusion

Erik looked at her as though she were the vilest of all God's creatures. "Want you Cara; I can't bear the sight of you." He stood up slowly and made his way towards the door with slow measured steps. "Do you want to know why I called you here tonight?"

Cara blinked at the tears that were filling her eyes, "You wanted to resume our relationship" she replied in a soft hesitant voice.

"No, that is what I wanted you to think." He said as he walked up to stand over her with the hallway light reflecting off the smooth black leather of his mask with a menacing glare. "The real reason for your invitation was so I could uncover your deeds of the last seven months." He said as he pinned her with his heated gaze.

Cara felt a nervous tension fill her at Erik's words. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Erik tightened his hands into fists in an effort to control his rage. "I had you investigated Cara. I know each and every one of your little moves. All of your little prearranged meetings with Christine. All of your nasty little comments aimed to drive a wedge between us. Your vicious lies about my trip to London." Erik leaned his face to mere inches from hers. "I know it all Cara, and now its time for you to pay."

Taking a frightened step back, Cara shook her head from side to side. "No Erik! It's Christine! She is the one who is lying! I never did anything to her."

Grabbing her roughly by her upper arms, he pinned her against the wall, his eyes ablaze with his fury. "Don't you dare say her name!" he shouted at her in an incensed tone.

Nadir watched in shock as Erik's control snapped at Cara's foolish lies. "Reggie!" he yelled into the room as he tried to pull Erik away from the sobbing Cara. "Erik!" He called to his boss in an urgent voice.

Reggie quickly assessed the situation and rushed to aid Nadir in separating Erik from Cara.

Erik's breath was coming out in short rasps as he looked at the woman who had destroyed his whole world. Shaking Nadir and Reggie's restraining hands off him; he turned and walked back towards the apartment.

Cara sank to the floor as she watched with tear-filled eyes as the love of her life disappeared from her sight. "Noooo" she cried as the realization that Erik would never love her as long as Christine held his heart.

Nadir seeing that Cara was reduced to an inconsolable state leaned over to speak quietly to Reggie. "Call one of the friend's you spoke with and have them meet you at her apartment. Take her home and leave her in their care, then get back here as soon as you can. We need to find Christine before something happens to her or the baby."

"Ok, I called downstairs to the security office to have them watch all of the exits, but as this is the night shift they only have three guards on duty. So if Mrs. Desmond takes one of the side exits, they will be unable to detain her." Reggie informed Nadir of his conversation with the Security Supervisor.

'Damn!" Nadir cursed as he considered the possibility that Christine could easily slip through their fingers. "When you take her down," he said as he indicated the softly crying Cara, "make sure that one of the guards is watching the monitors closely."

Nodding, Reggie leaned down to assist Cara to her feet. As he placed his thick arm around her waist, he began to walk with her towards the elevator. The guilt of his part in this was weighing heavily upon him as he escorted the sobbing woman onto the elevator.

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Christine leaned heavily against the bathroom stall as the intense pain ripped through her heart. Putting her hand to her mouth, she tired to hold in the sobs that threatened to escape her trembling lips. Why Erik? Her mind cried out. Why did you have to throw it all away? Her tortured questions pulsated throughout her consciousness. How long she stood there in the quiet deserted bathroom she did not know. When she became aware of her surroundings, she felt a bizarre sense of fear fill her. An all-encompassing fear of being found, a terrifying fear of discovery by the one person who had shattered all that she once believed. As she unlocked the metal door, she cautiously exited the room, looking in both directions as she passed. Making her way towards the stairwell, she stopped short as she felt a sharp cramp pierce her side. Grasping her stomach, she leaned heavily against the wall as she gasped in pain. NO! Her mind cried out in fear. NO! I will not lose my baby! She repeated in her mind until the pain began to subside. Taking several deep breaths, she stood to gain her balance and slowly opened the stairwell door to begin her descent down the fourteen floors to the street level exit.

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Pacing the expertly decorated living room for the last six hours, Erik was beyond frantic at the disappearance of his wife. "Have you called the hospitals? Do they have any patient's fitting Christine's description?" He fired his questions at Nadir.

"Yes Erik, she has not been seen at any of the city's hospitals. Marie is on alert as well as all of the staff. Meg has not heard from her but assures me that she will contact me if she does." Nadir said as he tried to cover every avenue available.

"Oh God Nadir, I know something has happened." He said in voice that was filled with an overwhelming fear for his wife. "The doctor said that she couldn't have any stress. And look what I have put her through." He said as he sank onto the chair in defeat.

Nadir walked over to the small bar to pour his boss and himself a strong whiskey. He didn't think Erik could hold it together for very much longer. Christine, where in hell are you? He questioned himself silently. "Here, drink this." He instructed Erik as he took a drink from his own glass.

Erik looked into the amber liquid hoping to find some form of absolution for the pain he had caused Christine. "You tried to warn me from the start Nadir," he said in a flat voice that testified to the abject sense of hopelessness he felt. "You said that this would all end in disaster, and now it surely has." Erik said sadly, as he drank the whiskey in one burning swallow.

Nadir felt Erik's pain as though it were a tangible entity within the room. "I was wrong Erik; at the time I said that, I didn't think that you loved Christine. I thought you only wanted to possess her as though she were a priceless work of art. No Erik, I was wrong. What you and Christine share is more than most people are lucky enough to achieve in one lifetime. We will find her and when we do, you will explain to her all that has happened and the incredible lengths that you have gone to in order to protect her. Then you will tell her that you love her with everything you are."

Erik looked up with unshed tears shining brightly in his eyes. "Nadir, I need to find her. We must find her." He whispered in a desperate plea.

"We will Erik. We will." Nadir offered his solemn promise as the sun began to rise up over the awakening city.

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Christine sat in silence as the subway car slowed to a stop to allow a multitude of early morning commuters onboard. She garnered a few strange looks from her fellow passengers as they passed her. Smiling slightly to herself, she tried to imagine how she must look. Seven and a half months pregnant in a Carolina Herrera cream knee-length cocktail dress, paired with a modest heeled Jimmy Choo shoes in pale green to match the Peridot pendant that hung around her slim neck. At the thought of Erik's gift, her heart gave a painful twist. Reaching up she pulled at the offending reminder with a vicious tug. As she looked at the broken gold chain that was threaded through the glittering pale green stone within her hand, she thought of the lost love that she had thought would never die. Oh what a stupid blind fool I've been, she admonished herself without any leniency. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the picture that had replayed in unrelenting precision in her mind throughout the last eight hours. She bit her lower lip to still her cry as she once again saw Erik with his hand gently caressing Cara's bare breast. NO! She thought to herself in an attempt to block out the painful sight. She needed to think of her baby. The baby was all that mattered. I'm so tired, she thought as tears of hopelessness began to well within her eyes. I need to find someplace to rest. She thought with steely determination. Knowing that she needed to get off the train she racked her brain for a safe place to go. Where could she go to that Erik would not follow? She asked herself as she tried to shove off the overwhelming drowsiness that had plagued her for the last few hours. Looking in her purse, she saw that she had very little cash on hand. Frowning at her credit cards, she knew that if she used them to check into a hotel, Erik would be there faster than she could even make it up to her room. No, I need to think of someplace where he would never think to follow. Raoul! She thought with an immense feeling of relief. Sweet Raoul, her childhood friend would offer her a safe place to stay. Pulling her cell phone, she quickly dialed the number to connect her with her old friend. Looking at the 'no signal' message flashing on her phone she snapped it shut with a look of irritation. Seeing that the upcoming stop was only five blocks from Raoul's trendy brownstone, she gathered up her purse and stood as the train pulled to a gentle stop. As she exited the subway car, she was relieved that the familiar cramping pain had all but disappeared in the last hour. Her legs felt as though they were made of lead as she dragged herself up onto the busy New York street. Five blocks until she was safe, only five blocks.

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"How do you want your eggs?" Colleen called up the stairs to her fiancé.

Straightening the Windsor knot on his tie, Raoul smiled at the little domestic scene being played out. "Scrambled," he called back. Turning, he quickly exited the bedroom to go in search the woman who had turned his life around. Seeing her at the stove with a fork vigorously beating at the eggs within the frying pan, he snuck up behind her to surprise her with a seductive kiss on the back of her neck.

"I'm cooking here," she said in a firm voice as she leaned back into his strong frame, completely betraying her words.

Threading his arms around her trim waist, he nuzzled the side of her neck. "I can see that, but I think I found something else to feast on besides eggs." He said as he began a slow exploration down the line of her neck.

"Hmm, well as much as I'd like to oblige you, I have a meeting in less than an hour." She said as she ducked away from him with an apologetic smile.

"So that's how it's going to be, work before your future husband." He complained in an amused tone. He turned to take his seat at the dining table when the doorbell peeled to announce a visitor. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asked Colleen as he began to walk towards the door.

"No," she called back as she reached for two plates.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Christine. "Christine?" he asked with a quizzical look on his handsome face.

"Raoul….I'm sooo sorry…to have to…" she slurred in a raspy voice.

"Christine!" Raoul cried out in alarm as he reached for her falling form. Lifting her up into his arms, he turned and crossed the foyer towards the living room sofa calling out to his fiancé as he went. "Colleen! I need your help!" He yelled in an anxious tone.

Colleen came rushing in from the kitchen as she heard Raoul's frantic voice. "What is it?" she asked as she saw him lay Christine down gently upon the sofa. "Oh my God!" she cried out when she saw the pale, unconscious Christine. "Call an ambulance!" she ordered Raoul. "Christine…Christine!" she called to Christine urgently in an attempt to awaken her. Seeing that one of Christine's arms was tucked awkwardly beneath her, Colleen reached down to free her pinned arm from under her lower back. As she drew her hand back she felt a thick sticky wetness on her hand. Looking down in horror she saw that her own hand was covered in Christine's blood. "Oh no," she said as the realization of what was happening began to dawn on her. "Raoul! Tell them to hurry, she's losing the baby!"

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A/N Ok let me have it! I know that we are heading into a very dark part of the story, but be assured that I am and will always be in Christine and Erik's corner. Let me know what you think in the reviews.