Hi everybody,

I am sorry there was no update last week. I had hoped I'd be able to write a new chapter, but jet-lag got in the way. Anyway, thank you to all of you who have been reading, who have added this story to favorites or put it on alert, and most of all, to all my loyal reviewers! You certainly keep me motivated!

Today's chapter may look more like a filler, but it is necessary for the plot, I assure you, you will see later! Now on to the story, and please keep in mind that I do not own those characters...

Also, don't let yourself be turned away from this chapter because of the title. I know that particular song is not an E/C-fan's favorite, but it is two different people talking here and the context is a different one. Enjoy!

Chapter 5 – All I Ask Of You

Erik had had a bad night. After he had watched Christine and Mme. Giry leave with the Vicomte, he had returned to his home. He had sat down in front of his organ, hoping that music would calm him and make him forget his worries. But no matter how hard he tried to focus on music and music alone, he could not shake the thought of Christine with the Vicomte.

"Christine is a virtuous girl," he kept telling himself, "and the Vicomte is a known lecher. She will not enjoy his advances, she will not fall for him." But then he remembered the Vicomte's good looks, his wealth, his position in society, his influence at the theater as the new patron, and he began to worry again. After all, Christine was a young woman, too, and one with romantic ideas in her pretty head. What if she saw the Vicomte as her Prince Charming, who would give her her fairy-tale happy ending one day?

He also remembered that Christine and the Vicomte had known each other as children, had played together and had even been something like childhood sweethearts. Was it so inconceivable that Christine still harbored some feelings for the pretty boy? That in her innocent naivety she still saw him as an ideal being, the friend from the past, from a time when her father had still been alive and life had been good for her? That she was incapable of noticing the signs of debauchery and deceit until it would be too late?

Erik groaned. He loved Christine with all his heart, and while he was convinced that he was not good enough for her in more ways than one, he had secretly hoped that she might one day learn to love him. The fact that she had not discontinued their lessons after she had found out that he was not an angel, but a hideously disfigured man with a bad temper to boot, and the infamous Opera Ghost, had given him some hope that she might care for him at least a bit. But there was no way he could compete with a rival like the Vicomte.

The Vicomte was everything Erik was not: young, handsome, respected. How could Christine not fall for that man? And yet, deep down Erik knew that if the Vicomte were an honorable man, that thought would not hurt half as much. If Christine did find love with somebody other than him, he knew he would be happy for her, even though his own heart would break. But the Vicomte... a man that only saw her as yet another prey, as a new challenge, and who would most likely throw her away like a used rag once he had reached his goal and dishonored her ...

Erik suddenly bolted upright. He had heard something. A pebble rolling... footsteps. Somebody was approaching his home. It could only be one of two persons, for nobody other than his two most trusted friends knew the way to this tomb that he called home.

He quietly approached the tunnel from which the sound of footsteps had come and found himself face to face with Mme. Giry.

"Antoinette!" he greeted her, then added nervously, "how did last night's supper go? What do you have to tell me? Christine and the Vicomte...?"

Mme. Giry smiled. "I'll tell you everything, Erik, but wouldn't it be better if we had a seat?"

"Of course," he admitted, leading her to a small sitting area. "Have a seat, Antoinette, and tell me all!"

Erik did not sit down, though, but kept pacing up and down. Of course he needed to learn what Antoinette had to say, but did he truly want to hear it? The fact that she was here was explanation enough already, or was it not? Surely, Christine had sent her to tell him that she had a suitor now and therefore did not want to continue her friendship with him any longer, so as not to make her boy jealous and thus jeopardize her chance at happiness with her perfect knight in shining armor.

"Erik!" Mme. Giry called out to him. "Sit down, and listen. There are a few things we need to discuss. Just relax. I have no idea why you are so tense." She smiled at him. "Because of Christine?" she asked.

Erik let himself fall into a chair, and nodded. "Yes," he admitted. "She went out with the Vicomte yesterday, didn't she? Did she... I mean, he is so handsome, and close in age to her ..."

"And a debauched lecher," Mme. Giry finished for him. "Oh, Erik, did you really fear she might fall for somebody like Raoul de Chagny?"

Erik nodded. "He can offer her so much, a life in the sunshine, an envied position in society,..."

"And shame and disgrace," Mme. Giry once again reminded him. "He as much as told me that he would want to make her his mistress."

"He dared saying that?" Erik screamed, jumping to his feet again.

"Well, not exactly," Mme. Giry admitted. "But he informed me that he had heard a man's voice – yours – from Christine's locked dressing room the night of her debut, and that he would be more discreet than that." She sighed. "Apparently he thought she was already a fallen woman," she continued.

Erik seethed. "How does he dare insulting her with such a thought!" he screamed. "Christine is innocence and virtue personified!"

Mme. Giry put a steadying hand on Erik's shoulder. "You know that, and I know that, Erik. But this is one of the problems I want to discuss with you. If the Vicomte overheard you and Christine, somebody else might, too. I know that you will not take advantage of Christine in any way, and that you will always treat her with the utmost respect, even if the two of you are alone together behind locked doors, but..." She paused for effect. "Others will not see things that way," she finally added, stressing every single word.

Erik stared at her. "Are you trying to tell me, I should not see Christine any more?" he asked.

"No, not at all!" Mme. Giry reassured him. "On the contrary, but you must use more caution. I understand why you cannot risk anybody walking in on your lessons, and that that's the reason why you locked the door. But if you cannot teach her in her dressing room, take her down here, where nobody can overhear you. Lock the door, before you take her down, if you must, but make sure that nobody will hear the two of you talk when the doors are locked. This is Christine's reputation, we are speaking about, Erik. It is bad enough that the Vicomte already thinks she has a lover. We cannot risk anybody else jumping to that same conclusion!"

Erik was crestfallen. He had not thought about that. He himself had jeopardized Christine's reputation! Of course nothing untoward had happened between them, they had not even shared a kiss, but the theater was a large community, and there was gossip everywhere. How long would it take for Christine to be labeled a loose woman?

"I … I am deeply sorry," he whispered. "I know you are right, I should have made sure that nobody could hear us, should have taken her through the mirror, before I uttered the first word, or maybe just whispered low enough that I could not be heard from outside. Oh, Antoinette, how can you still allow me to see Christine, after I have harmed her so badly!"

"Because I do not want to sadden Christine," Mme. Giry said bluntly.

"Sadden?" Erik asked, his eyes wide. "You mean, you will not tell her, that I compromised her in the worst possible way?"

Mme. Giry shook her head. "No, I mean, I will not forbid her to see you, since that would hurt her even worse than a bit of gossip about her morals."

Erik looked at her. "You mean...?" he asked, incredulous.

Mme. Giry nodded. "Yes, Erik. I am fairly certain that Christine is about to open her heart to you. I always suspected she had feelings for her Angel that she did not dare admit even to herself, and now that she has met you..."

She looked him straight into the eyes. "And that is another problem that I need to discuss with you, Erik. Tell me, what are your feelings for her, your intentions towards her?"

"I worship the ground she walks on," Erik replied. "She is all I have ever dreamed of, kind and understanding, with a love and a talent for music, in one word, the most desirable woman I can imagine. But,..." he sighed. "I know that it would be preposterous to expect her to fall for a freak of nature like me. No woman will want a man with a face like mine, especially not a woman like her, who is the adored new diva, who can choose among all the young men of Paris..."

Mme. Giry shook her head. "You are too hard on yourself, Erik," she told him. "You do have a lot to offer. A heart full of love, for one thing, but you are also a very intelligent man, and you do have the means to support a wife..."

"Wife!" Erik groaned. "You do not think Christine would want to..." He pointed towards his mask-covered face. "Have you forgotten about that abomination?" he asked.

"No, Erik," Mme. Giry calmly interrupted him. "And while I know that she has not clearly seen your face yet, I also know that she understands now why you wear that mask. It has not changed her opinion of you. Nor has the fact that you gave her a taste of your temper a few nights ago. Of course I must insist that you must show her your face before you propose to her, but I do not think that it will change a thing between the two of you. Erik, she does care about you deeply, and you know how loyal she is. If she has opened her heart to someone, it will be forever."

There was a glimmer of hope at the bottom of Erik's eyes, when he turned to face Mme. Giry again. "Propose?" he asked huskily. "You think I should propose to Christine? That she would not run screaming if I did so?"

Mme. Giry smiled. "Well, I am not saying you should propose today or tomorrow. Give her a bit more time to adjust to the new situation, to get to know you a bit better as a man as opposed to a disembodied angelic voice, but yes, Erik, I think that after a suitable time of courtship you should propose to her – for both your sakes."

"You truly think Christine might accept?" Erik asked, still unconvinced.

"I do," Mme. Giry confirmed. "But, Erik, there is yet another point we have to discuss, namely: what happens, once the two of you will be engaged?"

"When... if... Christine and I become engaged," Erik said, "then we will plan our wedding."

Mme. Giry nodded. "Of course. But, Erik, have you thought about it? Where will the two of you live?"

Erik gave her a surprised look. "Well, here, of course," he said. "In my home. Isn't it customary that a woman follows her husband?"

Mme. Giry sighed. "Erik, please think about it. If you and Christine get married – and I have no doubt that this will happen in the foreseeable future - you cannot continue to hide and you cannot continue to live here. Christine needs a husband that can go places with her, that people can actually meet. If she wears a wedding band, but nobody ever sees the man in question, what will people think of her? Especially in case she would get pregnant... Think about it, Erik! And she definitely needs a normal home, a place with a mailing address, where friends, colleagues, etc. can actually reach her. She cannot live at some secret place, where it is difficult to get in touch with her if need be."

Erik paled. "A husband that can go places with her?" he asked. "Antoinette, you know that I cannot do that! I could rent a place for her, where she could live comfortably, and I'd probably find a way to get there unseen, in order to be with her, but you certainly cannot expect me to leave this place and face humanity for her sake!"

Mme. Giry was adamant. "Erik, I must ask this of you," she insisted. "If you just rented a home for Christine, where it would seem that she was staying alone, even with a wedding band, people would think she was some rich man's mistress. I know this is hard for you, and, considering your current role as the Opera Ghost, it may not even be possible here in Paris. But there are other cities, other theaters, where Christine could sing. Make inquiries, find a place that would suit you both. And, Erik,..." she hesitated. "You would also need a normal, regular job."

"Find a job, Erik," he parroted her. "Live above, in a normal home, Erik! Do you realize how impossible that is? How do you think I could do that, Antoinette? Do you think I just have to walk into somebody's office, saying, 'Hi, I am Erik, would you please hire me? I need a job, so that I can marry the woman I love!' Do you honestly believe anybody in this world would give me a job? And how about a home? Who would sell a house to the likes of me, a monster, a freak?"

"I know this won't be easy," Antoinette admitted. "But if you truly love Christine,..."

"I would give her the moon and the stars, if they were mine to give!" Erik exclaimed. "How can you doubt my love for her?"

"I do not doubt your love, Erik," Mme. Giry tried to soothe him. "Nor do I doubt her feelings for you, but please, Erik, understand, that I cannot give my consent to a wedding, if it will place Christine into an ambiguous position. Once Christine is married, there can be no doubts and questions about the validity of her claim of having a husband. The husband needs to be seen, the husband needs to have a profession, and the couple needs to live in an environment, where a child, should there be one, will be able to flourish. Those are my conditions. This is what I have to ask of you."

Erik slumped in his seat. "Why tell me to propose to Christine, then?" he inquired defeatedly. "Why did you give me hope that there might be a chance at a future with Christine? You know that I can never do any of those things that you ask me to do. I see your point, Antoinette, do not misunderstand me, and I know that you are right, but those are insurmountable barriers!"

"Erik, you are a genius, and I do have faith in you," Mme. Giry said. "Think about it, I know you will find a way, and as I said before, it need not be here in Paris, or even in France. Maybe a clean start, a fresh beginning, would be the best solution for both of you anyway. Make inquiries, check out various options, I know there will be a solution. And remember, you do not have to find it today or tomorrow. You will have to give Christine a few more weeks before you can propose, and then, you cannot marry her the next day anyway. You therefore have at least a few months to work on this. I am confident, that you will find a way to offer Christine the life she deserves – that you both deserve."

Erik closed his eyes. What she was asking of him was impossible. He knew from experience that nobody would trust him, that nobody would want to hire somebody like him, even though he had lots of expertise in many areas. He would for instance be able to work either as an architect or a musician and he knew how to run a theater. He could also work on a construction site, he had learned from a master mason in Italy years ago, or he would be able to do all sorts of translations, since he was fluent in several languages. But the question remained: who would want a masked freak to work for them?

Mme. Giry squeezed Erik's shoulder. "I know there is a way, Erik," she said. "We just have not found it yet. I will think about it, and maybe you will want to consult that friend of yours as well, the Persian gentleman."

"Nadir?" Erik looked up. "How can he help me? He cannot give me a job either!"

"But he might be able to help you in some other way," Mme. Giry insisted. "He could go places for you and test the waters, so to speak, check out possible opportunities. I mean, there must be places that do employ people that are different, people that have lost an arm or a leg, for instance. Those must work for their living as well. Maybe such a company would be willing to hire you. Or maybe your friend comes up with an idea that the two of us have not considered yet. It never hurts to hear as many opinions on any given question as possible."

Erik sighed. "It is pointless," he mumbled. "I do not fit into society. I am not part of it. I can never have a normal job like normal men, I can never live in a normal home like others do, and therefore,..." He was choking on the last words. "Therefore, Christine and I... it can never be!"

"Well, if you think that way, then you are probably right," Mme. Giry replied coldly. "I guess I have misjudged you then, Erik. I always thought of you as a genius, who could solve any problem, but apparently I was wrong. Maybe I should go back and tell Christine, that you do not care about her in the least." She stood and began to make her way towards the tunnel through which she had arrived.

"No, Antoinette, wait!" Erik yelled. "Don't tell her that! I... I will try! I promise! I just need time. I … right now I have no idea how I could achieve all that you have asked of me, but you are right, there must be a way. There simply has to!"