Hey everyone thanks for the reviews here's the next chapter so enjoy! And don't forget to R&R! I don't own any of the characters created by GL or ALW so enjoy!

The next morning Erik rose from his bed extra early. He hadn't sleep all night because of his argument with Christine. It was better if the Countess saw him as less rested than well rested anyway. After dressing himself and reapplying the makeup to his face, Erik walked down the hall to the dining room to meet with the Countess and to eat breakfast. Once he entered and sat down across from her, the Countess smiled at him.

"You look tired my young prince."

"Yes Madam Countess I am."

"How was it?"

Erik paused for a moment before looking up to face the Countess with his lie. He wasn't really lying, because being with Christine was pleasurable but he needed to say it as if it were nothing or else the Countess would start to suspect something between him and Christine.

"It was alright I guess. That little song bird wasn't as great as other women probably are."

This had made the Countess very angry, Erik could tell just by the way she was sitting.

"She did do all that you asked of her right? My guards did find blood on the sheets this morning."

"Yes she did all I asked of her but some women are just better in bed than others I guess."

"I promise to make it up to you."

Erik ate his breakfast trying not to make contact with the Countess. He knew that she suspected that something wasn't right and he didn't want to look at her to insinuate it even more.

"My love I would like to be your queen."

Erik looked up at her and then looked back down at his plate.

"I know you would but you can't be my queen."

Erik saw the Countess jump to her feet in anger and approach him grab his shirt in anger.

"Why? Is it because I'm too old for you? Or is it that you like that little song bird Christine? I think you enjoyed her company last night! I think it's because you've begun to fall in love with her instead of me! Tell me Erik do you love her? I love you! I loved you enough to let you go sleep with her first so you wouldn't be too embarrassed to sleep with me! I had 3 sons and a monster, a horrible disfigured monster took them away from me. I want to start over and have more children I want you and the world!"

Erik was speechless against what the Countess had just said. There was no way he was getting out of this one but maybe by getting closer to her was the best way to get him and his family free.

"It's not that I don't like you Madam Countess, it's just that I don't really know you. Maybe if we spent more time with each other…."

The Countess let go of Erik and sat back down in her chair. She looked at him for what seemed like hours before speaking to him once more.

"You want to get to know each other?"

"Yes I just have one request."

"Which is?"

"Let the song bird and child go. They haven't done any harm to you so why don't you just let them go free and continue to live their lives?"

The Countess quickly came across the table and grabbed hold of Erik's shirt once more pulling him closer to her.

"Is that what you want? Them to be free? Well here's your answer "No" the song bird will serve me and the child is going to be countess because she is the only thing I have left to remind me of my son Raoul."

"The song bird has told me that the child isn't his but of her husbands."

"It doesn't matter she married my son and now the child will belong to me!"

Hearing that broke Erik's heart. He was probably never going to be with his family ever again and now his daughter was being handed over to someone who wasn't even a relative of hers. How could the Countess even look at Clorinda and see Raoul? She was his blood and there was no taking that away from her. After the Countess let go of him, she let Erik go and join Christine for another one of his lessons while she left to tend to her other Countess duties. Usually this meant that he and Christine would be left in the music room with a guard standing at the door making sure that Christine wouldn't escape. As Erik sat at the piano playing the score to his once infamous Don Juan Triumphant, Christine watched from beside him in silence. He wanted to talk with Christine about escaping so badly but couldn't, not with the guard standing watch. He had to do something for the guard to leave them alone for five minutes so he could explain to Christine what he wanted her to do. Erik quickly ended his song, and grabbed Christine violently by the waist and began to pin her up against the wall as she looked at him with such confusion and began to kick and scream. The guard came walking over to them, but Erik shouted at him.

"No! she is mine and I shall have my way with her where ever and when ever I please! hasn't the Countess told you?"

The guard stopped in place and watched as Erik kept her pinned to the wall. This made Erik very angry causing him to bring out his temper.

"Do you enjoy watching me do this to her?"

"No Monsieur."

"Then give me some privacy for five minutes and don't come back in until I say so! Keep watch at the door!"

The guard immediately ran out of the door, and Erik took Christine and pushed her down on the couch that was across the room and lied on her, pinning her arms up above her head.

"What are you doing!"

Erik kept being rough on her, and lowered his head to her neck as if he were going to kiss it, but instead whispered to her.

"Scream like I'm hurting you."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"You're hurting me Erik."

"I'll loosen my grip on you as soon as you do as I say."

Christine screamed in pain, and Erik yelled out as well.

"That's right you wench! Roll over now!"

Afterwards, Erik loosened his grip, and whispered in her ear.

"Ok Christine I got a plan on how we're going to escape."

"How?"

"Tonight before I go have dinner with the Countess I'm going to put you and Clorinda in the same room but I'm not going to lock it. On the inside of the room I'm going to leave a window open for you and her to escape out of. Tonight at dinner I'm going to attack the Countess causing all the guards to come running to the dining room giving you and Clorinda the chance to escape."

"What about you Erik?"

"Don't worry about me Christine. Just go run out into the woods and wait there for me and if I don't come within an hour leave and don't look back. Your lives are more important than mine, just promise me that you'll do this."

"No Erik I can't leave you behind they'll kill you."

"Exactly and then you and Clorinda can escape."

Christine began to passionately kiss him, causing Erik to become weak and apply all his weight onto her as if it were to be the last time he was going to lie up against her ever again. Once he got up, Christine nodded and Erik walked to the door to let the guard back inside. It was best that Erik stayed quiet the rest of the day while being with Christine so that no one suspected anything. When it began to get dark outside, Erik walked Christine to her room with the guard following behind them. Once he got to Clorinda's room, Erik opened the door and let Christine enter letting the plan begin. Afterwards, Erik made his way to the dining room to meet up with the Countess. She was sitting in her throne like she always was waiting for him to take his seat. Once he sat down, Erik was expecting his dinner to be placed down in front of him like always, but when it didn't happen he began to get nervous. Just then the Countess snapped her fingers, and two guards immediately ran to Erik's side and began to tie his arms and legs to the chair so that he couldn't move. It was as if the Countess had been planning this all day long, but for what reason he wasn't sure.

"What is going on? I demand that you untie me at once or else my father is going to get very upset."

When the Countess snapped her fingers again, all the guards left the room, shutting the door behind them leaving her and Erik all alone.

"What are you doing? I demand to know the meaning of this!"

At that moment the Countess walked over to Erik and ran her fingers down the lining of his shirt sexually.

"You my prince will make love to me."

At that moment Erik realized that his plan was getting shattered and would soon be forced to sleep with the Countess. Erik couldn't move his legs or hands becoming absolutely helpless against the Countess. He then felt her begin to unbutton his shirt making him even more nervous than he was before. He had always had a hard enough time making love to Christine unembarrassed let alone making love to another woman. His beloved Christine had been raped by this woman's son and now she was raping him. He had to think of something to get the guards to come to her aid. If he didn't get the guards away then his daughter and wife would be stuck in that room for God knows how long. He was originally going to attack the Countess but now he couldn't even move his hands. He knew if he tried anything the guards were going to kill him but he had to sacrifice himself to save his family. Once he felt the Countess unbuttoning his trousers the sweat began to pour down his forehead causing the makeup to begin to drip off his face. When he felt her beginning to touch his manhood with her disgusting hands all Erik could think about was "Why?" why had God let his father conceive the likes of him, why had he let him live past being born? Why had he let him walk through life in such misery? And why did he let his most beautiful creation fall in love with him and to conceive such beauty only to be taken advantage of by a cruel man? Why had God held back giving him the joys of the flesh until being able to lie with his beauty only to be raped now by this evil woman? As Erik began to sweat even more because of how nervous he was to be being touched the makeup began to drip onto the Countess's hands causing her to look at him in confusion. Erik made direct eye contact with her no matter how nervous he was. There was only a small bit of the makeup still covering his flesh causing most of his deformity to stick out. The Countess released his erected manhood from her grasp and used her hand to wipe away the remainder of the make up. Once it was off she stared in horror at the face that was behind it.

"You….you're not a prince." she replied in horror. Within a few seconds, the Countess realized that it was the Phantom and immediately screamed at his hideousness. Within seconds all the guards had come rushing into see the Countess backing away from Erik who was tied to the chair and had his trousers down at his knees.

From down the hall, Christine waited in the room with Clorinda waiting to hear the Countess's scream so they could climb out the window and be free from her evil grasp. As time pressed on and she never heard the scream that Erik promised she began to wonder if everything was ok. Never had Erik ever broken a promise to her and now that the scream wasn't occurring she began to think horrible thoughts. Then finally the scream occurred giving Christine a sigh of relief. She quickly grabbed her daughter and lifted her up to the open windowsill to let her jump down. As she was about to climb up with her a voice from outside of the door stopped Christine from going any further. It was of two guards speaking to each other. With such curiosity, Christine walked to the door and listened.

"Monsieur come quickly!"

"What is it now? Can't you see that I'm guarding the whore and her daughter!"

"It's the Countess! She's in trouble! She's being raped by a horrible monster! He's raped her!"

Once the two guards were away Christine knew that Erik's plan had gone horribly wrong and that she couldn't leave him, not now. She knew that Clorinda would be safe now and had to let her go. After climbing up onto the windowsill with her, she pointed to a tree that was a few yards away and at the beginning of the woods.

"Do you see that tree sweetheart?"

"Yes mother."

"I want you to go there and hide. I have to save your father and then I promise to be there but until I return I want you to promise me that you'll stay there and wait for me."

"Yes mother I promise."

Christine then watched as Clorinda jumped out of the window and began to run towards the tree. Once she was there and she knew she was safe Christine exited the room and journeyed down the long empty hallway to find Erik.

In the dining room, Erik sat tied in the chair with his trousers still down for all the guards to see. The Countess stood in front of him filled with such anger as she thought of what to do.

"Why have you done this to me Erik? You hideous beast!"

"So does this mean that you don't want to make love to me?" asked Erik in such a nervous tone of voice.

"Make love to you? My hands are now tainted for even touching you. Why would anyone want to make love to such a hideous creature such as yourself!"

"Hideous? You're the hideous one and your sons were just as hideous as you if not worse!"

The Countess slapped Erik so hard across the face that it drew blood from the distorted side of his face. He looked back up at her after the pain had faded and snarled.

"You may not want to make love to me but there is one woman who has and loved it. She loves me for who I am and we conceived a daughter together and she loves me too. Raoul couldn't give Christine the sort of love she deserved and neither could Philippe or Colum. They were all nothing but a pack of monsters who needed to be destroyed and that's exactly what I did to them. They died and soon you will join them as well in hell where you all belong."

"I'm going to make sure that you're sent back to the freak show you came from my love and that way you can never conceive again!"

The Countess turned to her guards and pointed back at Erik.

"Hang him in the gallows!"

One of the guards approached Erik and began to untie him. When his hands were free Erik jumped up in the chair causing his legs to break loose giving him a chance to pull up his pants and to charge at the guards. After jumping over a few of them he reached the Countess and wrapped his arm around her neck as if he were going to snap it. The guards withdrew their swords and aimed them at Erik but he held the Countess in front of him.

"Move and I'll kill her with one snap of her neck."

The guards didn't move even when Erik began to drag the Countess out of the dining room and into the hallway. He was going to make sure he got free before he let her go. Once he go to the stair case of the hallway Erik tried to pull her up the steps but she refused to go willingly.

"You better get climbing or else I'll kill you right here!"

After hearing this the Countess climbed the stairs and opened the door that led to the roof. Below was the palace swamp and no other way to escape.

"Face it you monster! You're done for!" replied the Countess.

At that moment the guards were right there blocking all points of exit causing Erik to grab hold of the Countess once more. One of the guards had a bow an arrow ready to shoot it at Erik at any second.

"Let her go or I'll shoot!" he shouted.

Erik wasn't letting go of the old bag no matter what. He promised to protect Christine and that is what he was going to do no matter if he had to die or not. The arrow was shot, and Erik waited for the pain that never came. When he opened his eyes he felt the Countess grow lifeless in his arms. The arrow was not penetrated in himself but in the chest of the countess just barley missing his. Erik dropped the lifeless woman and looked at the guards in such confusion. Had they really been that bad of a shot to kill the Countess instead of him? The guard placed another arrow inside his bow and pointed it at Erik.

"You have five seconds to jump before I shoot this one into you." replied the guard.

Erik put up his arms in truce and gave all the guards a look of confusion.

"Why not have killed me first? Are you really that bad of a shot? Why not have killed me as well?"

"No, we've wanted that wench dead for years. Just took someone like you to come along and give us a reason to shoot. Let's just say that she got in the way by accident. Now if you don't want to be next I suggest you jump. What she did to you was wrong and now we pity you so go!"

"Thank you." replied Erik as he got onto the ledge and jumped into the swamp below them. Seconds later, Christine appeared at the doorway of the roof immediately making her way passed the guards to find the Countess lying lifeless in a puddle of her own blood.

"Where's Erik!" yelled Christine hysterically.

"dead, he killed the Countess and then himself before we could shoot him."

Christine ran to the edge looking down into the swamp waiting for him to come up but he never did. Seconds later she turned around full of tears and began to sob at her loss. The Countess was dead but so was her loving husband. A guard knelt before Christine and then the rest of them followed.

"What's going on?" asked Christine full of tears.

"The Countess is dead and you are the only woman known to have been with her sons. You must take her place as Countess." replied one of the guards.

"No, I can't." cried Christine.

"You must Madam, the city depends on it."

Christine didn't know what else to do besides accept the order of becoming countess and knelt before the guards in agreement. In applause the guards rose to their feet and chanted with such excitement.

"Hail to the Countess Ms. Daae!"

That night Christine lied in bed after tucking Clorinda in for the night. The moon's light was shining in through her window as she lied there wide awake. She wondered if killing the Countess had been apart of Erik's plan. Had he also planned on killing himself so that she could finally live in peace and of royalty? Tears had stained her eyes since the first one that dripped out of them earlier that day. Since that moment of being named Countess she couldn't stop crying, not even to tuck her daughter in. Erik had poisoned her mind and all she could think about was having him beside her once more. He didn't have to kill the Countess and he didn't have to kill himself. Christine rose to her feet and approached the mirror that was in the room and touched it's glass wanting Erik's hand to touch hers from the other side like he used to from the mirror in her old dressing room. As she stared into the mirror, she spotted Erik's shadow climbing in from the open windowsill. She gasped at the sight of it and knew that it had to be his ghost that was until she smelled the awful stench that was coming from him. He had been dead but not long enough to smell that bad. She immediately turned to face him and there from behind her he stood there soaking wet and full of moss and mud.

"Erik…..?" gasped Christine as she reached out and touched his wet shirt.

"Y…yes it it's me." replied Erik in such pain.

Christine wanted to kiss him so badly but before she could he almost collapsed in her arms from how tired he was. She stood him back onto his feet and tore the dirty shirt away from his flesh along with his dirty trousers. After filling up the silver tub with hot water she sat Erik's aching body into it and began to wash him as he lied there trying to relax. After gently cleaning his flesh and then his face Christine dried him off and slipped him into some of Raoul's old clothes that she found in the wardrobe. Her love needed sleep and being with him was how he was going to get it. After lying him down on her bed she lied beside him holding him close to her never wanting to let him go ever again. His head had a healing gash in it along with some scrapes and bruises but he would live even with the infection that was getting worse on the distorted half of his face.

"Erik?"

"Wh…what my angel?"

"What happened today? Why did you kill the countess?"

"I…I didn't. the Guards did and let me go…..I jumped into the swamp and waited for nightfall to come back to you. They….they pitied me…."

"For what?"

"For what she…..she did to me……"

"What my angel? What did she do to you?"

Christine didn't even get a reply, instead she got sobs and a wet chest. Sitting there silence holding Erik close to her had hushed his sobs and after a while he had fallen asleep. It was going to be the beginning of a harder life with her angel but she was ready for anything now that he was with her once more……..

More to come soon! Please R&R