Hey everyone thanks a lot for the reviews…anyway here is the new chapter hope you enjoy..it's still pg rated for now and there is some reference to the "Phantom of Manhattan" in this chapter. For those of you who haven't read it there is a sequel to the Phantom of the Opera called "The Phantom of Manhattan." one of my favorite books those who haven't read it should High tail it to your local library and get it.. In that book the Phantom finds out that there was more to the song "Music of the Night" when he finds out he knocked Christine up… yea it's weird, after wards it turns into an evil 1900 custody battle to get his 12 year old son back..it's good though.

Christine had to do something fast. She couldn't move far away to England and without music in her life. Without thinking she opened her window and climbed out onto the icy, snowy roof. She then walked down the streets knowing that she was never going to go back to the opera house ever again. As she approached and ally, she was grabbed and thrown up against the wall of a abandoned building. She looked the dirty man who had her by the throat and wondered if her life was really over. "what do you want?" Cried Christine as she looked the man in the eyes. The man did not speak to her, and touched her dress with his disgusting hands. Just as Christine thought everything was over she surprisingly saw a lasso come out of no where and choke the man around the neck, causing him to let go of her. Christine watched a man in a black cloak swoosh by her and pull the lasso tightly around the man's neck. Before she could see who was killing the man she passed out onto the cold snowy streets.

When Christine awoke, the first thing she noticed was that she was lying in a bed. But not just any bed, a swan bed, Erik's bed. As she tried to sit up and move herself from the bed a hand gently pushed her back down into the soft pillows that surrounded her. When she looked up she saw Erik standing over the bed watching her with his half masked face. "stay put." he softly said as Christine made herself comfortable again. She wanted to speak to him so badly but she physically couldn't because he neck was so swollen from her attack in the alley hours ago. "don't talk." said Erik as he took a damp cloth and dabbed it on the open sores around her neck. Christine closed her eyes and took in the feeling of his gentle touch. How badly she wanted Erik to touch every spot of her entire body with his soft hands. She saw that he had re- bandaged his hands so that his fingers could move a little, in this case so they could touch her. "sadly enough Christine I must leave you for a while so I can find some assistance in helping you." said Erik as he sat the damp cloth down on the night stand. Christine nodded, and watched him get to his feet and leave. She wanted to tell him how stupid she was to have been out alone at three am but couldn't. the sound of his voice had calmed her, and for now kept her away from Raoul who was more concerned about moving to England than about what she wanted out of life..

The sounds of knocking caused Madam Giry to jump out of her bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she made her way over to the door. She was worried about answering it to find Raoul or a police officer there to tell her that Erik was dead. She had told Erik many years ago that Christine would never see him for who he really was but Erik's mind seemed to wander away from that fact ignoring all her warnings. When Madam Giry opened the door, she was surprised to see Erik standing there. Yes he was beaten pretty bad and she could tell that his hands were broken but he was still standing there alive and not in a hole somewhere. "Erik? What are you doing here?" she asked as he barged in to protect himself from being seen. "Madam, I'm sorry but I'm in need of your assistance." said Erik cautiously looking out the window making sure that no one was around. "What's wrong Erik?" asked Madam Giry as she began to put on her cloak. "it's Christine." said Erik still looking out the window. "Erik, my poor poor man…she is with the Vicount at this very hour. I told you years ago that she was no good for you and now you must forget her." said Madam Giry. "no, she is in my lair right now with a swollen neck. I have found her in an alley with a man attacking her." said Erik. "is she ok?" asked Madam Giry. "I need your help." said Erik. "I must tell Raoul, he will be worried about her." she replied as she began to get something's together to take to Christine's aid. "No you must leave him out of this Madam. Promise me that you will leave him out of this mess." said Erik grabbing her wrist. "Erik you can't do this, Christine is engaged to Raoul. You can't steal her from Raoul Erik, she belongs to him." said Madam Giry. "don't worry, I no longer love her. She broke my heart and I respect her choice for the Vicount. You have my word that she will be sent right back to him as soon as she is better." said Erik.

Madam Giry nodded, and said "I just wish that you could have found yourself someone to love you the way that a man your age is supposed to be loved." "creatures like me aren't meant to be loved. They are meant to be looked upon as side show freaks and nothing more, no matter how smart a hideous man like me might be." said Erik following Madam Giry out the door. "Erik just think about what your life could have been like? I saved you those many years ago out of pity and so that you could live a normal life." she replied. "normal life? Being condemned in the cellar of an opera house isn't what you would call normal living. Normal living would be being able to write and perform my music around people without having to hide. Living a normal life would be having a woman who loves you never wanting to leave your side and bare your children. I am not living a normal life Madam, I am but in my thirties and haven't kissed a woman until tonight and have yet to experience the joys of the flesh." said Erik. "but Erik this is normal, this is a normal life. Without this life you could still be getting beat in a cage in that freak show. What more could you want from me Erik?" asked Madam Giry. "to be loved, to lie with a woman who wants to be with me. To have a woman who sees more than what's behind my mask and to have that woman make love to me knowing that she's doing it because she loves me and not because of pity." said Erik. "Erik, sometimes life is learned to be lived alone." said Madam Giry.

Erik made no attempt to carry on the conversation, and just continued to make his way with her down to his lair. When they arrived, Erik sat down at his broken organ and watched Madam Giry approach Christine who was passed out in his chambers. "you should have gotten me sooner, these wounds are serious and she's running a fever." she replied as she rubbed ointment on her neck wounds. "will she live?" asked Erik. "hard to say, she needs a lot of rest." said Madam Giry. "then do me a favor and take her back to her dear Vicount." said Erik as he pressed on the broken keys of his organ in anger. "no, moving her in this condition could cause her death." said Madam Giry. "then what am I supposed to do with her?" asked Erik. "take care of her." said Madam Giry approaching him and having a seat next to him at his organ. "no, I can't take care of her." said Erik turning away from Madam Giry. "that is her only chance of survival Erik and you have to do it because if I start coming down here the mob is going to know that you are still alive and come head hunting for you." said Madam Giry. "then you must do me a favor." said Erik. "what?" asked Madam Giry. Erik faced his beloved friend who had taken care of him for many years and said "if the Vicount comes looking for her you tell him that you don't know anything about her whereabouts and that the mob had killed me. If you tell the Vicount that Christine is with me I might never come out of here alive." "but you have to promise me to keep the peace Erik, no more fighting over someone who cannot love you back." said Madam Giry. "you don't have to worry about that." said Erik.

Madam Giry handed Erik the damp cloth and said "keep her body cool and you should do the same as well. You're burning up from a fever too, I suggest that you stay by her side and rest before you both catch your deaths." "take the boat and hide it when you return to shore." said Erik. Madam Giry smiled, and did as she was told. Once she was gone Erik walked back over to his bed and began to dab the damp cloth over Christine's fore head trying to keep her cool.

Christine opened her eyes, and looked at her angel of music who was dabbing her fore head with a cold wet cloth. It actually felt refreshing to have some coolness applied to her hot sweaty body. After she had passed out she wasn't sure what he did to her but her neck felt ten times better and she could finally talk without pain stopping her. "Erik." she mewed as she lied still. "shh.. You have a fever and must rest." said Erik as he kept dabbing her head. "I can't sleep, please sing to me Erik." said Christine deliriously. At this point, Erik's back was aching and he couldn't think straight because unlike her he was tired and his body was sweating. "not tonight Christine, I am sick just like you." said Erik covering her up in his blankets. "stay with me angel." said Christine as she closed her eyes.

Erik sat down on the edge of his bed, and made no attempt to touch her brown curly locks. She belonged to Raoul and there was no changing that fact no matter how much he wanted it not to be true. She had wanted him to sing to her, and he knew that the sooner she felt better the sooner she would leave so he decided to do as he was asked.

"My sweet Angel of music your lips

Are soft as roses and taste like heaven.

My lips are cold and distorted

like the melting Wax in a burning candle

but you're here with me…

You're untouchable, unlovable, and

You're here with me…but you belong to someone else, someone else

Who took you away, away from myself.

He's not here with you now but he loves you.

I stand in his place wishing I could have that face,

That face which condemns you to see

beauty and not this distorted disgrace..

That face..that horrible face….

Somehow I wish you could see past this face, this face

That no longer has fate in loving you Christine I loath you…"

Erik couldn't even get another sentence in because he had began to cry. How he hated her sleeping in his bed knowing that she would never be able to lie with her or be in it making love to her beautiful normal undistorted body. Why had god created an ugly creature and make him a genius if no woman was ever going to love him? He loved women, but most of all he loved Christine. She had been the only woman he ever thought about kissing or making love to. There had been nights he spent awake in his bed dreaming of the day he would be able to lie with Christine Daee and talk to her and hold her in his sleep. She was lying in his bed but not for the same reason he wanted her to and it didn't matter anyway because she broke his heart causing him to hate her.

After so many years of loving her, the shock of finding out that she couldn't return the love made his heart break in two. He hadn't wished to sing to her either but if it would get he out of his sight any faster then that's what he had to do. "Erik I'm so cold." moaned Christine Deliriously. Erik reached over her to cover her with more blankets when her cold pale arm came and touched his sleeve. "stay with me..hold me Erik." she mewed. Erik knew that she had no clue on what she was saying but knew that she needed to be much warmer than she was now so sat beside her and held her in his arms as he covered the both of them up. He looked down at Christine who was lying against his body and felt his broken palms begin to sweat. He had never been this close to her before and no matter the hatred feeling he felt towards her he still enjoyed the feeling of warmth from another human being.

She was so cold and the warmth coming from his body made the whole situation a little bit better. Christine cuddled up against his chest, and couldn't help herself from softly and quietly singing..

"say you'll share with me one love one

Lifetime…lead me save me from my solitude..

Say you'll want me with you here beside you

Anywhere you go let me go to…love me that's all

I ask you.."

Erik couldn't help but shed tears as her voice filled his heart with pain once more. He knew that she was singing to Raoul and not him, "hell if she wasn't so delirious she wouldn't even be lying on me." Thought Erik as he placed her down on the blankets. He couldn't bear to lie with her any longer and got up and decided to sit at his organ for a while.

When Christine awoke, she looked across the room and saw Erik slumped over his broken organ. She realized that he had slept there all night, which made her feel bad. She then saw his arm slid off the top of the organ onto some broken keys making a loud high pitched noise occur. Christine then watched as the loud noise caused Erik to immediately wake up and jump to his feet in fright. Seeing Christine awake had changed the subject of what had happened and she watched as he approached the bed.

"feeling better?" he asked. "not really, I'm really cold." said Christine as she looked him. His hair was a mess, his mask was coming loose and his clothes were filthy. "Erik you don't look so good." she replied. "no, I feel terrible." said Erik adjusting his mask. "before you say anything Erik I just wanted to tell you how sorry and stupid it was of me to go off into the night like that. If it wasn't for you I'd be dead." said Christine. "you were stupid, how could you run off into the night alone? Where was your precious Vicount?" asked Erik. "I don't want to talk about him Erik. I was running away from everything." said Christine. "what? Why? What happened?" asked Erik. "Raoul is making me move to England with him. He wants me to quit my music and become his bride and nothing more. The truth is that I can't live without music and music can't go on with out me. I was running away so I would never have to give it up." cried Christine. "no, that's not all you were running from." said Erik turning away from her. "you're right, I thought that if I was free then I wouldn't feel guilty about not being able to ever return to the opera house. I would be able to come and go as I please and not be miserable in England." said Christine. "I want you to leave me Christine, go to you true love and leave me be." said Erik. "Erik, please I know that I deceived you but you must believe me when I tell you that I care about you." said Christine. "just admit it that you only wanted the Vicount because in reality you couldn't possibly stomach the thought of looking in the eyes of this face and making love to the body attached to it. You had have the handsome Vicount's body, a body that every woman would want to pleasure them." said Erik. "Erik I can't believe you would say something like that. It's beyond the truth and couldn't be true." said Christine. "and how is that?" asked Erik coldly. "because years ago he got shot trying to save a woman from being raped in an alley. The bullet emasculated him, Raoul is incapable of making love to me Erik, you are a wicked wicked man." cried Christine. Erik couldn't believe what she was telling him, she was actually with a man, a handsome man who could not love her in a physical dimension. "Was she really that disgusted with my face that Christine had actually picked to be with a man who couldn't pleasure her sexually when she could have been with me, a man who has the ability to pleasure her but is denied because of his face?" thought Erik. Tears had formed in his eyes and he had to turn himself away from Christine who was just making his heart hurt more than life itself..

More to come

R&R