Hello friends! Sorry for the HUGE gap in between updates. Uni has been crazy. I've had this whole campaign to create and I got a design internship! So yay! Also I have had recording for a new EP my band is releasing and I have to design the cover for that soon and MUSIC AND DESIGN ARE TAKING UP ALL MY TIME, which isn't the worst way to spend your time but it has been stressful nonetheless. Anyway it feels good just to spend some time writing. I hope you like this chapter. It's very much just setting the back ground for stuff but it needed to be done.

Thank you for all the support! I have been getting some great reviews lately and they have been really helpful. Many thanks. I will try to find more time to write but my life is crazy at the moment. :0

Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber.


"Would you like some tea?" Nadir offered as he escorted his visitors inside. Christine accepted, purely for the sake of propriety and Raoul was genuinely grateful for the offer. Christine glanced briefly at her surroundings before sitting down near the fire. Undoubtedly she was relieved to be in the warmth, but all that this comfort served to do was remind her of where Erik was; how little time he had.

"Monsieur, exactly how close were you with Erik?" Christine asked Nadir cautiously. She needed to know how much she could tell him before this went any further. Yes, usually she trusted Erik's judgement but some of his recent decisions had taught her that even his could be flawed. No one could be trusted. "You mentioned that he spoke of me?"

Raoul removed his coat and sat down on a chair across from her before shooting her an anxious smile. He knew how uncomfortable this meeting was going to be. He was in a room with most likely the two people who cared most for Erik, and while he would do whatever it took to keep him out of harm's way for Christine's sake, he could not help but find the man relentlessly unpleasant and therefore could have nothing to contribute to the conversation.

"At one time... I like to believe that we were close. He and I shared somewhat of a friendship. Perhaps Erik would deny such an accusation but that is in his nature."

Christine smiled as she wrapped her cold hands around the cup of tea she was holding and ventured a small sip. This man must have known Erik... at least to some degree. He spoke of him with the same warm familiarity she had heard in Madame Giry's voice at the cottage.

"...And he did speak of you..." Nadir continued. "At least... there were ramblings of a Christine at the Opera House but I never even conceived that it could have been you; The Christine Daae." He looked down at his own cup of tea pensively. "I did not see him much at all after he began to mention you. Yes..." He said thoughtfully. "The last time I saw him was before your debut, come to that and he seemed terribly distracted; Not himself at all."

That was the beginning. The very beginning of their story... This could not be the end, not yet. She thought it strange that Erik had not mentioned Nadir, not at any point during their time together over the years. But they had never really shared a conversation up until that night... and after that there hadn't really been time for anything at all. The thought of Erik sharing such a friendship with someone both perplexed her and filled her with warmth. It was a strange image and she could not help but concoct laughably domestic and very much normal scenarios in her head involving the two. She looked down at her cup of tea, now cooling in her hands and smiled for a brief moment as thoughts of Erik filled her head.

"Christine..." Raoul began. She looked up and followed his concerned gaze to her hand...

Her finger...

She was brought back to reality by Raoul's voice and the sudden realization that he had been staring at her hand for some time now...

"...The ring." She mused. "Raoul..."

"I thought that it was Mademoiselle?" Nadir spoke, looking confusedly at the ring.

"It is..." She confirmed. She had forgotten that she had been wearing it. She had promised herself to Erik in the basement but it was the very same ring that Raoul had once given her. She cursed her thoughtlessness. What must he think? She had not even thought to explain it to him. "I... I am not married. I'm..." She glanced at Raoul before quickly looking down once more. She could not meet his gaze. His cloudy eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and hope; a look she had seen in Erik's eyes under the Opera not a week ago. "I am... engaged."

"Engaged..?" Raoul questioned. What was she saying? Hadn't they broken off their engagement?

Surely she could not mean..?

Nadir turned to him.

"Well... surely you must know whether you are engaged to the lady..? Unless..."

Christine looked at Nadir and nodded slightly.

"Erik and I... are engaged."

"Christine..." Raoul whispered in disbelief. Nadir looked between both of them; his brow wrinkled in confusion; seemingly stupefied by the fact that his friend could have achieved such a thing.

"Mademoiselle..." Nadir began. "Erik spoke of you... and... when you came here I could see that you cared for him but... I must say that this is quite unexpected."

"Yes." Raoul agreed, his voice; soft and distant.

"I know. It happened when I went to see him. And..."

When she went to see him...

All of a sudden the harsh reality of Erik's situation once more pervaded her thoughts; how he had looked, how they had both cried... how he had proposed to her in his own eccentric way. At that moment she felt an overwhelming need to see him, to hold him... to know that he was safe.

But he was not safe.

And that was why she was here. She could not spare one more second on anything that did not directly lead to Erik's rescue.

She turned to Raoul. "I am sorry, Raoul. I did not do any of this to hurt you. And I want to explain myself; to give you the reasoning, the apology that you deserve but... I cannot think clearly now." She looked at Nadir. "We are wasting time here. We have to go, Monsieur! I cannot simply sit here and drink tea when I know that his life is in danger!"

Nadir sighed and stood up.

"You are right." He said, moving behind his chair and leaning on the back of it. "You said that he was in trouble. Tell me of his situation."

Christine placed her cup on the small, glass table before her.

"He... he has been captured."

Nadir's face fell. He dropped his head and closed his eyes before speaking.

"What do we know about them?"

"Well... they... Erik told me that he knew them, one of them from when he was a child."

"Gypsies." Nadir stated.

"Yes... how did you? Did Erik tell you?"

"Not so much... what I know I have pieced together from the vague details he allowed me when his tongue had been loosened by alcohol." Christine smiled. She could not help but smirk at the thought of Erik intoxicated. "That and the cryptic mutterings I used to hear when he was sleeping."

Nadir's answer had put her at ease and she was relieved by the fact that Erik's judgement had indeed been correct; she could confide in this man. Whoever he was, at one time or another he had been well acquainted with Erik. He had to have been. And that was enough.

"Then you know. You know at least some of what he went through."

"I know more than most." He nodded.

"Please tell me that you will help me..." She looked at Raoul who did not look up. "Help... us."

"Us?" Raoul finally spoke as he looked up slowly. "I said that I would help you, Christine. And I will. I do not break my word." He stood up and turned toward the fire. "But please do not pretend that you and I are in some way connected as we once were, and please do not infer that we are working to rescue Erik. I want nothing to do with that man. What I do will be for you."

"Raoul..." She began, walking to him. "You know how I feel about you. You told me that you understood..."

"I understand..." He turned to face her; his face now fittingly dramatically lit due to the fire. "But part of me... just a small part still hoped for... for you."

Christine sighed.

"I... I am sorry. You know that I am but I cannot do this right now, Raoul. Time is short."

"...I know." He said, peering into the flames pensively. "But you can say it. You can tell me. Just take a few more seconds... a few more seconds of your time and be honest with me."

Nadir watched this awkward, yet mildly entertaining scene unfold from a few feet away. Time was short but if the only way for them to move on and formulate a plan was to resolve this... then it had to be done.

"Raoul... please I..."

"Tell me. I think that you... Owe me that much. Do you love me?"

"Why are you making me do this now?!"

"Do you love me?" He repeated.

Christine exhaled and averted his gaze. She would have to tell him. She would have to make her choice, once and for all. Of course, she had made it days ago... but saying it aloud was admitting it to herself and everyone else. Her time with Erik had seemed like something out of a dream; a dream which consisted of none but the two of them. Now, she was awake and her worlds had to collide. He had to come to terms with the fact that she had chosen Erik and she would have to come to terms with the fact that what Erik was in danger... But Raoul was right. After all he had done for her he deserved a plain and honest answer. Truly, she hadn't had time to think on him over the past few days, but her heart had made the decision before she could even comprehend it. She had accepted Erik's proposal without as much as a thought to her previous engagement; without so much as a thought for Raoul...

"I... I love Erik. I do not love you." She said quietly. Immediately she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but that feeling of elation was soon cut short as she was met with the sight of her childhood friend at her words. He paled and his eyes filled with tears. He staggered backward slightly, holding onto the hearth for support.

"I am sorry..." Christine offered, her eyes clouding with tears as well.

"Do not apologize for telling the truth..." Raoul managed, his voice choked with emotion. "It is alright." He turned to Nadir who was watching them both with his mouth agape. "Monsieur, might I lie down somewhere?"

"Yes!" Nadir spoke, a little louder than was his intention. "...Of course. Follow me."

Raoul walked past Christine without meeting her gaze and followed Nadir upstairs. A small while later Nadir returned alone.

"He will be alright."

"I do not know that he will." Christine replied.

"You did the right thing, my dear."

Christine smiled.

"Erik calls me that." She mused, the smile fading from her face.

Nadir took her hand.

"Tell me where he was when you visited him."

"I think I would be able to find it but... Raoul knows where it is. Originally we were both captured, but Raoul paid them for my release. He... tried to offer them money for Erik but they weren't interested..."

"No. I don't imagine they would be. Erik is far too valuable to them. What did the place look like, Christine? Can you remember?"

"Yes. It was a small house with... A basement..."

Nadir nodded in understanding. "And that was where he was?"

"Yes..." Christine wiped a stray tear that had begun to trail down her cheek. "There was a lock on the door and I think that only Emile had the key?"

"Emile?"

"Yes. That was his name. He was the man Erik had recognized from his childhood and he seemed to be the leader... so to speak."

"I see. I have never heard him mention this name, I must say." Nadir looked down once more. "And this basement... it seemed quite secure?"

"There is no way to get him out of there. That much I know."

"Well, I could pay them a visit. Perhaps I could blackmail them... inform them that I used to be a policeman and that I have acquaintances within the high ranks of the Gendarmerie and warn them that if they do not release Erik, I would be forced to... take action."

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Know anyone within the law enforcement?"

"No. Not anymore. But they do not know that. No doubt they are breaking a number of rules as we speak. It would not take much."

Christine looked into the fire, crestfallen.

"That won't work, Monsieur. They know that we would never get the police involved. Not with... what Erik has done. Who he is."

"And just what has he done now?" He peered at her sternly over his glasses.

She looked back at him.

"Nothing that warrants what he is going through."

"I know much of Erik's past, Christine. I know that he has committed many sins but... I know that somehow he is remorseful for each and every one of them. I know that he is a good person... Despite what he may want others to believe." He took her hand. "Please believe me when I say that I will do everything I can to help him."

"Thank you." She said, squeezing his hand in return. "Raoul thinks that they will be moving him soon. I think that you are right. There isn't any point in trying to free him where he is. As... hard as it is, I think that we should wait."

"Yes. And they very well could be expecting you to return. We should bide our time and wait for them to leave... follow them and try to free him when they next settle down and make camp. We can formulate a plan then, but for now we are one step ahead of them."

"Alright..." She said, another stray tear falling down her cheek. "It is a good plan it's just that... I don't want him to have to spend one second more than he has to with those vile people."

"I know. I know that you don't. But it will be for the best. If we rush in we run the risk of spoiling everything and we may never get another chance. Having said that..." Christine looked up at him. "We haven't any time to waste. I think we should leave right away."

"Yes." Christine wiped her eyes and straightened her clothes. "I'll... go and get Raoul."

Not that he will want to see me.

"Alright. I will prepare for our journey."

Christine walked past Nadir and hurried up the steps towards the door she had seen Raoul enter. Once there she tentatively knocked.

"Raoul?" She called. "Can I come in?"

No response.

"Raoul? Are you alright?" She leaned her head on the door. Of course he wasn't alright. She knew that. She cringed as she recalled the last expression she had seen on his face. She had done that...

"Raoul... I am sorry. I am. But... we have to leave. Can I come in?" She asked once more.

No response.

After a few more seconds of silence she took it upon herself to open the door and enter the room.

It was empty.

She looked past the pristine bed sheets to the open window on the far wall; the soft fabric of the drapes billowing slightly in the breeze. She entered the room and panic set in as she was able to confirm that there was in fact no one there. Not behind the door, nor behind the drapes, nor sitting on the rocking chair in the far corner of the room.

"Monsieur!?" She called behind her, panic stricken. "Nadir!?" What had happened? Irrational ideas began to enter her mind; had he been taken? Had they found them? Were they still here?! It took a few moments of staring blankly at the open window to realize the simple truth of it all.

He had gone.

He had left her.

Could she blame him?

"Yes?" He asked, out of breath from his sprint up the stairs. "What is it, Christine? What has happened?"

"He has gone." She said plainly.

Nadir looked beyond her to the open window and what had taken Christine several moments to process, took Nadir only a second. Raoul had left. Christine had admitted her feelings and he had left her. He supposed that he could not blame the man. But he knew that regardless of where her heart lay, Erik would never have left her in such a way. Not when she needed him...

"It... it is alright, Christine. We will get by without him."

"I know we will." She said. Although she was hurt terribly by Raoul's actions, she understood them. He could not handle the pain of being around someone he could not have. He would help to reunite her with her real love... and for what? As hurtful as it was, she understood. Erik's situation was her burden and hers alone. She could not expect anyone else to share it. She would figure out how to get back to Erik without Raoul's help. She would have to. She turned around to face Nadir. "Let's go."


"Wake up!" a harsh voice called from within the darkness.

Erik had not been sleeping, no. If he had, it had not been like any sleep he had every experience before. Surely, in this state of discomfort one was not capable of sleep, merely rest; a reprieve from suffering. He had merely closed his eyes and allowed Christine to pervade his thoughts and he hadn't the faintest clue how long he had been lost in this dream. All the same, he was awoken from his slumber at the sound of an unfamiliar, brutish voice in front of him. As soon as he was awake he was reminded of the many aspects of his discomfort and could not help but wonder how he had rested at all.

He squinted at the lit torch that was approaching from where he recalled the doorway to be.

"Time to go." The same voice sounded as it drew nearer.

Go?

Finally the owner of the voice came into view, a face Erik was not familiar with; bald, bloated and much like his cohorts; dirty. Although he himself had not caught sight of his own reflection in what seemed like weeks; this man's appearance probably matched his own.

Immediately the man moved to the wall and began working at the locks, two others stood behind him silently.

This is it.

Erik would seize this opportunity to escape. He would wait until his arms were free and he would rid the world of all three of the men in this room. He would start with the man at his right, and end with Emile. Surely they did not know what they were doing but unchaining him... Yes, he was weak but he would give it his all and he would be rid of these people once and for all.

The man unchained his right arm and it fell to his side. He did the same with his left and to Erik's surprise, he fell to the ground. He hadn't a single ounce of energy that he could use. Again, he was shaking; completely aware of how cold, hungry and injured he had been and still was. Just as he was able to scramble to his knees, he was picked up by two men and pulled towards the door. He tried to resist as he got to his feet but it was of no use. Ordinarily he would have overpowered these men but his futile attempts at resistance almost went unnoticed by the two men holding him.

"Wh... Where are you t...taking me?" He managed through gritted teeth. His joints were reluctant to move; frozen with cold and pain.

"Time to move on." One of the men replied, followed by a snicker from another.

"Let me go..." Erik demanded, pulling away with as much force as he could.

"Don't make this harder for yourself." The man warned with a swift punch to his body. Erik doubled over in pain. No, they couldn't take him. They couldn't move him. If they did, he might never see Christine again... It will all have been for nothing.

"No..." He resisted once more and pulled away from the men with all of his strength. He managed to free one of his arms and stand up. But his triumph was short-lived. Just as he was about to deliver a strike upon one of the men restraining him, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head.

He knew he had been hit; hit by something hard enough for him to lose consciousness. But he could not. If he could not find his way back... he could not find Christine. He would wake up in a gypsy caravan; in a cage just as he had done as a boy, without knowledge of where he was or how to find his way home. As much as he struggled to stay awake, he could feel himself falling, falling to the ground and into the blackness. His world was spinning and the voices of the men around him were getting further and further away. It would come soon; the blackness. He knew it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He would wake up and it would all be lost.

The complete and utter helplessness of knowing that was worse than anything he had ever experienced.

And then...

It came; blackness once more...


So, let me know if I am keeping everyone in character and writing a cohesive plot line because I am always doubting myself on that. Thanks to the reviewers again! Let me know what you think!

Do you ever think that like, in between chapters, or even if you pause a movie or something... the characters are just chilling, waiting around, in limbo kind of thing for you to continue the story? If that is the case, sorry Erik. I feel like a terrible person.