So, i made you wait slightly longer than you are accustomed to for this chapter. Not intentional, i promise. It's quite long but i just felt like it all needed to be in one chapter so i kept you waiting while i added to it... sorry!

Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber.

OH! Also, i wrote a one shot based on Susan Kay's Erik, Check it out! I'm so happy with how it turned out!

s/10963627/1/My-Legacy

Anyway, here it is! Glad you are enjoying it and thank you to all the new readers! :)


Raoul stood in the doorway to the small room pointing a gun at Erik's captor, Christine behind him.

"Stop." He said.

The Vicomte?!

Christine? What is she doing here?

It isn't safe.

Erik's eyes darted from Raoul to Christine, searching her face for answers. She was holding onto Raoul's arm.

Was she with him? Had she changed her mind?

I want to die.

Thoughts raced through Erik's delirious mind as he struggled to focus on the two new faces in the room. Christine had seemed another world away to what had been happening to him and now that she was here, in front of him he couldn't quite put the pieces together.

Christine looked at him and she gasped at what she saw. Part of her had not expected it to be this bad; her eyes went from the crowd of wild and angry men surrounding him, to the large man standing behind him with a bloody whip in his hand. She was outraged when her eyes were finally met with the sight that was Erik. The state of his body made her eyes well up with tears but it was look in his eyes that tugged viciously at her heart. It was as if he could not comprehend that she could be here; that she had come back. As if being treated like this by these people had caused him to regress in some way and all the progress she had made with him had been demolished. She wanted to weep; weep for him, for what he had gone through for her, for what he had gone through his entire life.

Erik couldn't quite place the Vicomte's presence. Why was he here? He had hoped that with any luck he would not have to see him again. How had he found his way in the darkness? Was he with the Gendarmerie? Perhaps Christine had changed her mind? Perhaps their plan was to lock him away and run off together... but why would they be here? Why would she be here? It wasn't safe for her. He had told her not to come.

"I... you should not be here... I told you to stay..." He managed.

At these words, she cried.

After all he had gone through- gone through for her, he still cared about her safety above his own.

"Shut up!" The leader yelled down at Erik, receiving a scowl in return. He turned to Raoul. "Now who in God's name are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself..." Raoul began. "I am Raoul de Chagny. I do not think that you would do well to cause me trouble. Drop the whip." He ordered, the pistol pointed at the leaders head.

The man ignored him. "And... who is that behind you?" He said, directing a fiendish grin at Christine.

Raoul cocked his pistol. The man looked at him.

"Drop it." He repeated. This time, he obeyed. Stepping away from Erik, the grin still on his face, he dropped the whip. His men dropped the ropes that were holding Erik in place and he immediately collapsed to the ground. Christine pushed past the men who were now just taking turns at glancing between Raoul and their leader, waiting for further instruction. She ran to Erik and knelt down beside him. She wanted nothing more than to hold him but he looked so sore...

Raoul kept both his pistol and his gaze steadily on his target but he allowed himself an intermittent glance at the small reunion playing out before him.

"Erik..." she cried "I'm so sorry that this happened to you..."

Erik...?

She ran her fingers over his wrists which were red from the friction of the rope. "Your poor face...Your back! You must be in so much pain..."

"Christine... I told you to stay... where you were." He scolded weakly, ignoring her fussing.

"I know, I know but... I just couldn't..." She began to weep.

Couldn'twait to get back to him I suppose...

Raoul scolded himself for his jealousy. The man had clearly suffered.

"Shhh, Christine. Do not weep." He sat up a little. "It is worse than it looks... honestly."

"Is it?" She sniffed

"No." A slight smile on his lips. Christine laughed and wiped her eyes. At least he was well enough for humor...Even if it was Erik humor...

"I am so sorry Christine..." He said. "I said that I would protect you... I didn't." She noticed that he was beginning to shake.

"No! Don't be sorry! I'm fine." She said, rubbing his arm.

"No... anything could have happened... And..."

"Its alright." She said, holding his hand. Pulling with all her might, she helped him stand up. He cringed as each injury seemed to protest to the movement.

"Christine..."he began. With a pained expression on his face he looked to Raoul, then back to her. "Is he..."

He. Me.

Christine looked into his searching eyes and hastily reassured him of where she stood. He did not need to suffer any more on her account. "He came to help us." She responded, knowing exactly what he was going to ask her. How could he still doubt her after everything?

After how you treated him...?

"I haven't changed my mind. I'll explain everything... I will." She said, a response which earned a crooked smile from Erik... a rare gift. Without warning she slipped her small hand into his and to this his small grin widened. He couldn't seem to contain or mask his happiness when she did things like this, regardless of the setting. How could he ever get used to her touching him? Each time her skin made contact with his own he forgot everything; where he was... who he was... At that moment there was no one else in the room and any pain or ill ease had entirely left his body and mind. He was with Christine, what else did he need?

He was about to speak when Raoul's assertive voice brought them both back to the present.

"Now... Perhaps I should clarify. I am Raoul de Chagny..." Raoul began, his pistol still pointed steadily at the leaders face. "Raoul le Vicomte de Changy. Now, drop your weapons and get out."

They could have done that they liked with someone like Erik, but the murder of a Vicomte was more trouble than they were ready for. The leader slowly removed his pistol from his belt and dropped it on the floor beside him. He then gestured for the rest of the mob to do the same. They obeyed.

He stared at Raoul through hateful, bloodshot eyes.

"This isn't over." He spoke, glancing at Erik who, while still shaking had regained the sense of where he was and what was happening. He shot the man an icy glare, his eyes narrowed. He was standing next to Christine and holding his injured side with one hand and although he was not yet standing at full height, he looked as menacing as ever. Christine stared straight at the man who had hurt Erik so terribly. All her fear had dissipated after seeing him in such a state.

"Come on then." He said to the rest of the men. Slowly, they walked out of the room, back to where they had presumably come from. The leader paused behind his men and turned to Erik.

"I'll see you again, monster." He spat, and turned to walk away.

"Monster." Christine repeated to herself.

How dare he?

"Monster. He's the monster. These people... All of these people are the monsters..."She said, her voice rising both in volume and anger as she spoke.

"Christine... leave it." Said Erik quietly. "It's nothing."

"It's something."She said and without thinking she left Erik's side and ran at the man who had insulted him. Managing to catch him by surprise she jumped on his back and in her anger had not considered the consequences. He turned around and carelessly threw her off. She screamed and fell to the ground...

Within seconds Erik was upon the man, momentarily regaining his strength his hands found their way around his throat.

Erik couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiar comfort in this. It was like being welcomed by an old friend... murder; a friend who knew him better than anyone else could hope to, a friend who did not judge him for his actions, a friend who kept secrets... Perhaps this was a jealous friend, perhaps this friend would not let go so easily. Erik did not enjoy the act of killing as such, he simply took pleasure in the experience of seeing the end of certain unsavory characters... he took pleasure in being that end...

Some ends he enjoyed more than others... this was one of them.

A few of the men rushed back at the sound of the commotion and they could not believe what they saw; their victim was on their leader like a lion on his prey. A few of them made for Erik in an attempt to aid their leader but were soon discouraged by the presence of Raoul's pistol.

"Think again." He warned. He would never be an admirer of this Erik but he was not about to rob him of his vengeance. It had been well earned...

After a moment Christine looked up and screamed at the sight before her.

"Erik!" She screamed. She didn't quite know why she had yelled; was she worried for Erik? Did she want his victim to be saved? Of course not... Was it the violence of it all? Never before had she seen something like this. She had known that her Angel had been the cause of Buquet's death but she had not seen it this closely, nor did she want to. What was playing out before her was too confronting and she didn't know whether to try to stop him or cry.

He was protecting you.

She looked at his back which, due to his sudden attack was facing her. Blood... and all his.

No. She didn't want to stop him. It was something that she had never wished to witness but she could not feel remorse for Erik's victim... not after all he had done.

Erik's vice-like grip did not once falter, nor did his gaze. He stared at the man before him; looked into his eyes, into his soul and with each passing second he seemed to feel lighter; as if he were transferring his pain, his angst, his hate; pouring his pain into his victim, cleansing himself with the tightening of his grip. This was how it always felt...

The man stared back at Erik, hands clawing at his assassin as the breath left his lungs and struggled to re-enter. Knowing that his face, his face would be the last thing this sorry excuse for a man would ever see filled him with utter satisfaction. He smiled, an unsettling action which prompted his victim to struggle all the more. Every muscle in his body was tense and he did not loosen his grip until his victim's eyes had closed. Only then did he let go, the man collapsing to the floor; lifeless.

He stepped back from his prize and at that moment it was clear who the real victim was.

Christine stared at Erik, beguiled by what had just happened; it had all played out in mere seconds. Never had she seen that look in his eyes before; his gaze had been determined, unwavering... cold... He had stared into the man with eyes that had been both intense and yet somehow glazed over...

Finally able to let his guard down he allowed the presence of his injuries and exhaustion to be felt. Placing one hand on the wall for support and the other on his injured rib he exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. He turned to look at her and his shoulders dropped. He was covered in sweat and blood and his blue eyes told her that which was not spoken;

This was for you.

The thought scared her. Once more she doubted whether or not she had made the correct choice. Could she marry someone like Erik? A murderer? She kept telling herself that he had done it to protect her but that did not make it easier to stomach. She looked between Erik and Raoul who, once again both stood before her expectantly and she could not help but note the steep contrast between the two. Raoul was the epitome of virtue and purity, whereas Erik stood before her covered in murder. But he loved her...and he would do anything for her. He had gone through tonight for her.

Through his cuts and bruises he smiled at her as if following her thought process and it made her heart swell. His smile was truly something to behold, perhaps because it was an act she so seldom got to witness. She returned the smile.

She ran to him and forgetting his injuries embraced him tightly.

"I'm sorry!" She said, noting his steep inhalation.

"Never be sorry, Christine." He grimaced. "An embrace from you is worth ten nights like this."

She pulled away slightly and gently touched his face. How had she doubted her choice? Doubted him?

"I was so worried for you." She said.

"I told you that everything would be alright, did I not?" He smiled. There it was again.

Remembering why he as now standing Erik looked to Raoul who had been watching them for some time. Erik suddenly felt quite anxious, this man had seen him at his absolute worst; mad with jealousy and want and now he would have to speak to him. He had hated Raoul; envied him above all others, spent hours upon hours loathing him for being the one Christine chose, for being the one who had what he wanted... what he yearned for. Only hours ago he had made an attempt on this man's life for that reason and that alone. That night... last night he had never felt so vulnerable, so utterly out of control. All of a sudden he was overcome with crippling self-loathing. This man, the boy... Raoul was strong enough to put something of that magnitude well and truly behind him for the good of Christine. Surely a man who cared so much about his Christine could not be beyond redemption?

Erik walked up to Raoul wearing an expression he could not read.

"I apologize." He began. Raoul remained silent, stupefied by the words which had uttered from The Phantom's mouth.

"For everything... There is nothing I can do to properly make amends for what I have done; the grief I have caused you. You did not deserve it and I am utterly ashamed of my behavior. I was quite out of my mind with grief... you see...with jealousy."

Raoul's eyes narrowed but he continued to listen.

"I now see that you are not quite the man I made you out to be. You do care for Christine, I see that now... and I have told her that she is welcome to leave at any time. You have saved my life when I had tried to end yours and you have let Christine make her own choice...Which is more than I can say for myself when the situation was in reverse..."

Thank you for being such a gentleman when I behaved like an animal...

Still shaking from the shock and the cold, Erik took a deep breath and put out his right hand.

Christine had been dreading the moment when these two would actually have to speak with one another. Imagery of the cemetery flashed in and out of her mind as their eyes met. The sound of their swords violently meeting seemed to echo in the back of her head as if it had happened a moment ago and her ears had not yet stopped ringing. As Erik walked towards Raoul it was all she could do not to throw herself between them in a peace offering. The portcullis... the lair... the noose... it was all too fresh in her mind. Then Erik stuck out his hand...

Please shake it.

She knew that Erik had a lot of pride; that he probably had not apologized more than once in his entire life. She knew that for him to have offered this truce... this apology, even after all that had transpired was quite out of character. She only hoped that Raoul accepted... Erik was volatile at the best of times and she did now know how he would react to a refusal...

Yes... she did... and so did Raoul...

The tension was palpable, the atmosphere; visible. Raoul stared at Erik, eyes still narrow and after quite an extended silence, he spoke.

"I did it for Christine. I want her to be happy. If spending time with you rather than me constitutes happiness for her... fine. I accept your apology."

Thank god.

He took Erik's hand in his and shook it slowly. Erik did not speak and they did not break eye contact.

"Do not thank me for what I have done. Just keep her safe. Look after her at all costs; her life above your own."

"Of course." Erik replied. Not yet allowing Raoul to draw his hand back. He was not going to live his life according to this man's conditions. Of course he would look after Christine! Did Raoul think that he had some sort of misguided responsibility to him now? Perhaps he did. Perhaps it was time to accept that Raoul had helped him and that without him he would likely be dead or worse. As hard as it was going to be he owed him cordiality at the very least. The boy had earned that much.

"Come." Erik spoke, releasing Raoul's hand at last. "If you follow us you will find your way out of these caverns; alone it is near impossible... even with your light." He gestured smugly to the torch Raoul had absentmindedly discarded in the excitement. He still found a small amount of pleasure in insulting the boy... the opportunity of insulting Raoul to his face was a new pleasure entirely.

"Thank you." He said politely, obviously not picking up on Erik's sarcasm.

"You know... the darkness will allow for better vision, Vicomte." He said, walking back to Christine.

"I don't see how that could be possible."

"Of course you don't."

"Erik!" Christine scolded quietly. She looked at him. "You're shaking."

"Yes. The shock, I expect."

"And the cold...?"

"I told you, Christine, I have grown accustomed to it."

"Yes, but you are cold... aren't you?"

She pulled the cape from her shoulders and with great difficulty draped it over Erik's. He winced at the pain of the fabric on his open wounds but accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you." He said, smiling at her gesture as he carefully pulled it around himself. Christine held onto his arm.

He took a deep breath and then, clearly exhausted, he spoke. "Let's go." He glanced at Raoul who nodded.

Every step sent waves of pain through his body and he could not stop shaking. It took all of his strength just to walk out of that room but he was the only one who knew the treacherous way out of these tunnels and onto the street. He had to get Christine to safety and he had to stay alert. These tunnels would take them to a small street in the direction of Le Jardin des Tuileries; a few streets away from Rue Scribe. He had used this passageway to access street level before but that was a long time ago... and tonight was different...

Who knew what would await them once they emerged?