Hey everyone, thanks for continuing to read my story! I also noticed that everyone has been marking my story onto their favorite list and for that I appreciate it. Some of you even requested that this story never ends! I can't keep going and going forever but I will say that its far from over! Sooo much more to go before I even think about an ending. So here's the next chapter sort of an up beat one rather than the dark depressing ones that I have been writing. Enjoy and don't forget that I love what ever opinions or suggestions you have!

The next morning, Erik awoke beside Christine and didn't bother getting up. He was so drained from the events that took place over the past couple of days. Petri was the latest issue that was on his mind. He had promised him that he would find a home for him today and he wasn't breaking that. By nightfall he was going to make sure that Petri was placed in the best home he could find for him. Petri was a good boy and deserved nothing but the best. It was so easy for Erik to place him with another gypsy camp or a freak show but he couldn't do that. Besides Petri, he had to talk to Clorinda because he knew that Christine still had her being punished. What she did was very wrong but not bad enough to be punished for a few days. He couldn't help but agree to what she said to him because in some sorts he was a monster when it came to his temper. Sometimes Christine just didn't realize that Clorinda was HIS child and that she inherited HIS features and HIS temper. Christine was still fast asleep beside him and after pressing a kiss to her thick chocolate curls she stirred and opened her eyes. Her smile always melted his heart and it seemed that she always made that the first thing to do when awaking with him. Erik thought that it was a miracle to see her smile at him when he didn't have his mask over his face and he knew that it was real because she never once looked away in fear.

The fear had long since passed because he had never seen her shutter since that horrible night after Don Juan Triumphant. It was as if she trained herself on how to look at him without looking away or rather visioning someone else. No his Christine would never do that to him, not anymore. Christine placed her hand on Erik's clammy distorted flesh and shifted her hand when she heard him groan in pain. She knew that it was because his flesh was irritated again and wished that he would get rid of his mask for good. Not only would his flesh never get irritated again but the sunlight would bring some color into it.

"You shouldn't wear your mask when your skin is as irritated as it is." said Christine softly as her hands traces his lips softly.

"You know I couldn't go on without it."

Christine pressed her lips up against his, and looked up into his eyes. One as blue as the sky on a bright summer day and the other one as dark as a cloudy stormy night. She knew that he hated when she looked into them but she didn't care. Something was bothering her, summer was coming and she knew that his birthday would be here soon but he always refused to let her treat it like something special. He had always surprised her on her birthday ever since the day she arrived at the opera house but when it came to his special day he wanted nothing to do with it. Sometimes Christine thought that he didn't even know when he was born because of the way his parents treated him. Not this year, she was going to find out when it was and do something special for him for all the years he had done the same for her. He birthday of course wasn't until the fall but that wasn't important at the moment. It was only the beginning of summer and close to Erik's birthday. He had only mentioned to her once that he was born on the hottest day of the year which had to be sometime in the summer but of course she also had to remember that he was born in Persia, someplace that's always hot.

"Erik, tell me about your birth." replied Christine ever so softly as she easily lied her head against his chest.

Erik looked down at her in confusion. Why on earth was she asking about the most humiliating day of his life? What on earth could she possibly want to know? How the midwife screamed in fear when she got the first glance of him? How he should have been smothered before taking his first breath? What could his Christine possible want to know about that day? Erik found that it was easier to put that day in his past and forget about it rather than remembering it one day out of the year.

"Christine, you know how I feel about discussing such a topic." replied Erik as he dug his fingers into her curly locks.

"Please my love, that is the only thing I don't know about you. You have talked about everything with me, everything but that day. Your birthday should be something special, something that we can celebrate just like mine or Clorinda's."

"Christine that day was the worst day of my life and celebrating it would hurt me. I would hear the screams of the midwife and my father. My mother died from giving birth to me and before my father sold me to the gypsies all I ever heard was him blaming me for her death. I don't want to relive that once a year Christine and I hope you respect my wish."

"It's not your fault Erik, a lot of women died back then from giving birth. My own mother died giving birth to me and I was raised by my father. I used to think that my mother's death was my fault as well but my father always got mad at me for doing such a thing. He said that it wasn't my fault and that he was glad that he didn't loose both of us. Your mother's death was in God's hands, not yours."

Erik closed his eyes and tried not to cry. His mother's death was his fault, he just knew it. Christine just couldn't realize that the way his face looked wasn't an accident. He was bound to kill what ever he touched since birth, the first being his mother.

"Look at my face Christine. Look at how the devil left his mark! The devil kills what ever it touches and so do I. I couldn't even be born with out killing my own mother. Your mother died giving birth to God's most beautiful creature and my mother died giving birth to the devil's child. To make matters worse I was born on the hottest day of the year making my mother's labor worse than it already was. Please Christine could we just stop talking about this?" Christine could see the tears forming in Erik's eyes and knew that she needed to stop the conversation before things got any worse than they already were. She was going to celebrate his birthday no matter what, as soon as she found out the date. She knew that he kept his birth certificate hidden away so that no one could ever find it and while he was out finding Petri a family she was going to find it. After watching Erik rise to his feet and begin to dress Christine did the same and hated the silence. She had hurt Erik once more resulting in their sudden silence.

After watching Erik leave the room, Christine locked the door and walked over to the desk and began to rummage through the drawers. His belonging were all over the it and his birth certificate was bound to be there. After going through an endless supply of ink and parchment Christine realized that it wasn't there. As she was placing everything on the desk back in order she accidentally hit one of the containers of ink causing it to fall on the floor. She had to hurry and place everything back in order before Erik noticed that she was touching his belongings. There wasn't too much that made Erik angry but one thing was when she touched things that belonged to him. As she knelt down to pick up the fallen ink container she noticed that one of the floor boards were loose. Finding it strange, she knelt down and lifted it up to notice a box lying inside the floor. After glancing around to make sure that no one was around, Christine cautiously picked up the box and sat it down on the floor beside her. The box was handmade out of pinewood and had carvings of musical notes all over it's surface. Figuring that Erik probably made it she stared at it's beauty and was about to open it when she noticed that it had a gold padlock on the front of it. She knew that Erik wasn't as dumb as he looked when it came to just about anything. After taking a hair pin out of one of her curls she began to pick at the lock to get it to open. Once she heard a click and saw the lock come loose, she removed the lock from the box and opened it.

The inside of the box was lined in red velvet and was filled to the brim with objects some old as he was maybe even older. The first thing she removed from the box was a gold pin in the shape of a rose. Christine held it up to the light that was coming into the room and watched it glisten before her eyes. She had never seen something so beautiful and wondered where he had gotten it from. The next object she took out was a stack of pictures. They were worn and old and Christine looked at everyone. The first photo was of a young couple, the woman as beautiful as an angel with the elegant wedding dress she was wearing to the beautiful smile upon her face. The man however was dashingly handsome and Christine could have sworn it was Erik until she realized that the man didn't have a distorted face. Everything about the man was perfect and un touched by the devil and then it hit her, it was Erik's parents that she was looking at, their wedding picture. Christine had to admit that Erik resembled his father in almost every way except for his distorted flesh of course. How his father could have ever given him up was beyond her, but wanted to curse him for doing such a thing. The next photo was of Erik as a small boy taken in the opera house most likely by Madam Giry. He was sitting at his organ wearing his infamous white mask and giving the camera a sly expression. When she flipped over the picture to her surprise there was writing on the back of it.

"Dearest Erik,

I want you to have the first photo taken from my first camera given to me by my

First friend, you.

Antoinette Giry

March 10th 1867"

Christine smiled at the picture and couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. After placing the photo back down she picked up the last one that was of herself. She was probably only 7 years old probably taken the first year she came to the opera house.

"Oh Erik, you really were in love with me."

Christine touched the picture and ran her hands over it before putting it down. After reaching back into the box she took the next object which was a stack of letters tied in a black ribbon. She untied the ribbon and unfolded one of the letters to read it.

"Dearest Angel,

Tonight I watched as you prayed to your father in the basement known to you as your sanctuary. Little and beautiful you looked as your hands felt the heat of the candle at which you lit. Your features like an angel from heaven one sent down to save me from my solitude. Your father promised you the angel of music and I have been granted to you within that promise. Someday when you're older perhaps you shall understand how the cruelty towards me has forced me to kill a man. But realize my angel that I only kill for you, kill to get you where you deserve to be. Your voice is like heaven and with my training it will make my spirit soar and for it to make mine fly it will certainly make the world's as well. I hear you each night asking me to show my true self and oh how badly I would love to but your are too young to see such sights. Always know that just because you can't see me doesn't mean that I'm not there. I am there singing to you in sleep, there with my voice filling your sweet head with a father's love, there calling to you and speaking your name. So do not fear me my angel for I am not the angel of death but of your father's promised angel of music and just as he promised you myself I shall promise you fame and a ranking in this theater that no one but you can ever take in vain. Just remember to never stop loving me for one moment my dear angel because just as an angel gives his love to you he needs to be loved in return.

Always yours

Your Angel of music"

Christine smelled the letter and inhaled Erik's scent of rich cologne that smelled of roses and herbs. She wondered why she had never been given the letter? Why had he taken time to write something so beautiful if he was never intending to give it to her? She knew that it was probably because if he gave her the letter she wouldn't think of him as an angel anymore but of a man. Angels don't give hand written notes and for him to give her such a thing would be like slapping her father in the face. The letter was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen from him and wanted to keep it so badly but knew that she had to put it back. She then removed a key from the box and looked at it. The key was silver and the top of it was heart shaped with a red diamond placed in the center of it. It had to be one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. She wondered where it went to and where he had gotten it from but decided to put it down before she got too obsessed with it. The last thing in the box was a folded document and sighed in relief when she unfolded it and realized that it was his birth certificate. All she needed was the date and there it was written down at the bottom of the page.

"June 13th 1857"

Just then a knock occurred at the door and the sound of the door knob jiggling seconds after.

"Christine? Why is the door locked?"

Christine immediately began to scoop up everything to put back in the box as fast as she could. As she was placing the last few things back into it the key with the diamond in it fell through the floor boards. Christine's world was literally shattered when she saw the key disappear before her eyes but only hesitated for a second as the knocking continued.

"I'm getting dressed Erik, give me a second."

That stalled her for a few more seconds and she immediately closed the box, locked it and placed it back under the floor board before placing the board back in place. Afterwards, she stood up and walked over to the door and opened it to see Erik standing there with his arms crossed.

"Sorry Erik, I was getting dressed."

"You were doing that when I was getting dressed. Don't lie to me Christine."

Christine watched as Erik eyed her down smelling her lie from a mile away. She had to think of something else before he would suspect any kind of mischief."

"Yes but I didn't like the way my dress looked so I changed it."

"Oh, ok my angel."

Christine got quiet, and Erik smiled.

"May I come in? I need to get a quill."

Christine moved aside and let him walk over to his desk to get a quill hoping that he wouldn't notice that she touched his things. She sighed after he picked one up without hesitating what so ever. Afterwards, Erik began to walk out but turned to face her before leaving the room.

"You look like the cat who swallowed the canary, is everything alright?"

"Yes fine, why?"

"Oh just wondering is all. I'm off to narrow down the families for Petri I'll be in the music room if you need me."

After Erik walked out, Christine got back down to her knees to try to find the key but couldn't see it anywhere. It was as good as gone and now she only wished that she could turn back time. Figuring that she wasn't changing anything, she walked over to the calendar and looked at the date. She hoped that June 13th was a long time away but as she looked at the date to her surprise it was the 13th. How badly she wanted to slam her head up against the wall because of the day she was having but figured that she was going to have Erik's birthday one way or another. Figuring that if she could surprise him with dinner serving all his favorites that would be as good as a birthday that could ever be celebrated and he wouldn't even suspect that she knew. As quick as possible she walked down to the kitchen and met up with her cook to ask him to make the food.

"Monsieur Kordem?"

The cook Monsieur Kordem was standing over by the ice box pulling old food out it to replace it with new ones.

"yes Madam Countess?"

"I was wondering if you could make me dinner tonight?"

"Don't I make it every night?" he questioned laughing at such a comment.

"I mean I have a special request."

Monsieur Kordem took out a note pad and was ready with his quill to write down her request.

"Ok, I want to eat dinner with Monsieur Kire alone in the dining room tonight. I would like a bottle of the finest wine you can get your hands on for starters. Then for an appetizer I would like some garlic and herb cream cheese served with saltine crackers. Then for the main course I would like Choucroute garnie."

"What is that Madam?"

"You're a cook, you're supposed to know what that is."

"Sorry Madam I'm not French."

"It's Sauerkraut, garlic and sautéed in a crock pot with Sausage."

Monsieur Kordem wrote it down as Christine continued.

"Then for desert Ile flottante which is frozen custard with chocolate crème ontop but I have one request with that."

"Yes?"

"Sprinkle some vanilla cake on top of it."

"As you wish madam."

Christine smiled and left the room to go find Erik. Tonight was going to be special and Erik was never going to know that she was celebrating his birthday. Once she made it to the music room, she spotted him sitting at his piano looking upset as his hands were running frantically through his hair.

"Something wrong Erik?"

"I'm just frustrated is all. What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you would join me for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know Christine I'm swamped with having to keep my promise to Petri. No one wants him and now it's all my fault if I don't find him a family. I'd love to but I can't, not until I find him a family my love."

Christine approached him, and placed her hands on his shoulders before leaning down and kissing him on the neck.

"Don't worry my love everything is going to work out I promise. Just please have dinner with me tonight?"

"Ok, I just have something that I want to do first. I'll meet you in the dining room as soon as I can."

With that being said Erik rose to his feet and walked down the hallway. Once he got to Clorinda's room he walked in to see her and Petri playing a game on the floor. Erik took a seat on the side of her bed and watched them for a few seconds before interrupting them.

"So what are you two up to?"

Clorinda gave Erik a dirty look before continuing to play with Petri.

"Go tell mother now that I'm playing so she can ground me for the rest of my life."

"Clorinda, please I'm not here to argue I'm here to tell you that after tonight I think your punishment has gone on long enough. I know that what you said was wrong but not wrong enough to be grounded for over 3 days."

"You mean that Monsieur Kire?"

"Yes I do so tonight I will let you free to do as you please once more."

"Thanks." Clorinda didn't sound grateful at all and Erik realized that she still seemed mad at him. His concern however was of Petri.

"Petri I wanted to speak to you about something."

"You found me a family?" the boy's voice was full of excitement and Erik paused not knowing how to go on.

"No, I haven't found one for you yet but I'm really trying hard. It's hard to find a good family."

"Why Monsieur Kire?"

Erik paused not knowing what to say to him, the room was spinning before his eyes and he was destined to tell him another lie.

"Because….well because..you're a boy."

"that makes no sense Monsieur Kire! Why are you having a hard time finding me a family? Tell me I demand it!"

Erik couldn't take the pressure and made the most horrible mistake of the day.

"because you're a gypsy that's why! No one wants a gypsy you ungrateful child! I've been working my ass off to find you one and it takes more than a day!"

The room got silent and it wasn't until Erik took a deep breath that he realized what he said. Petri was the most heartbroken over what Erik had just said and had tears emerging from his eyes.

"So you came in here to tell me that you're sending me to the orphanage? Is that it Monsieur Kire? You promised me! I won't go do you hear me! I won't go!"

Before Erik could even say another word Petri stormed out of the room leaving Erik there alone with Clorinda. Erik was about to speak to Clorinda when she got to her feet and gave him a dirty look as well.

"Send him there and you might as well send me there too! I hate you!"

Clorinda then stormed out of the room as well calling Petri to wait up for her. Figuring that they were probably wandering about the palace Erik sighed and walked to the dining room to meet up with Christine. As he entered he took a seat across from her and watched as the cook poured him a glass of wine. Christine seemed happy and he couldn't help but be the complete opposite.

"Something wrong Erik?"

"No, I'm fine."

As the cook set the main course down in front of them Christine smiled at Erik who didn't smile back. She knew that something had to be wrong because never had turned down his favorite dish.

"Erik, is it alright?"

"Yes, fine." replied Erik without a facial expression of gratitude what so ever. Christine tasted her plate of food and couldn't understand why he wasn't eating any of it and playing with it on his fork instead. every time that she had this dish prepared for him she couldn't help but wonder why he devoured it so fast but tonight was the complete opposite. He wasn't hardly eating a thing which kind of made her upset. For a moment she began to think that maybe he knew that it was his birthday and knew that she had gone through his box of belongings.

"Would you like dessert?"

"No, I'm not hungry tonight." he replied pushing his hardly touched plate away from him. It was then that something wasn't right never had Erik refused dessert and it wasn't like him to not touch his meal. His motto had always been waste not want not but tonight was the complete opposite.

"I love you Erik."

Erik looked up from his seat and stood up.

"Thank you Christine, but tonight I'm not feeling like myself. May I be excused from the table?"

Christine nodded and stood up as well.

"Let me join you."

Down the dark hallway they descended to their room where Erik had a seat on the bed and Christine had a seat next to him. Out of all of Erik's sorrow Christine found some comfort sitting beside him waiting for him to start the conversation that never came.

"Erik, please tell me what's wrong my angel. I love you with all my heart, you know that."

"Let's forget about that and talk about something else. I want to tell you a story my angel." Replied Erik his voice calm and soothing.

"Go on my angel."

"Madam Giry used to tell me this rhyme when I was a child. Tell me if it means anything to you.

"A man was asked what he used to make his complexion so handsome and his whole being so attractive and handsome answered

I use for my lips, truth

I use for my voice, kindness

I use for my ears, compassion

I use for my hands, charity

I use for my figure, uprightness

I use for my, heart love

I use for any who do not like me, prayer "

Christine smiled at him, gently kissed him on the lips.

"My angel that means exactly what it means looks aren't everything and that the beauty in one comes from values and not from any kind of makeup."

"That is not true Christine, there is another version of that rhyme that I know.

A man was asked what he used to make his complexion so hideous and his whole being so dark and disgusting answered

I use for my lips, lies

I use for my voice, deceit

I use for my ears, coldness

I use for my hands, greed

I use for my figure, hunch

I use for my heart, hate

I use for anyone who do not like me, a lasso"

Christine began to passion the kiss and couldn't help but begin to cry.

"No Erik, you're not like that."

"I have something for you my angel. It's the key to my heart and I want you to have it because you always do have my heart in your hands so you should have the key as well. I actually think that you might enjoy it."

It was at that moment Erik got down onto the floor and Christine knew what he meant by the "Key to his heart" it was the one she lost that day. How badly she wanted to stop Erik from going into the box but couldn't do it. Instead she watched as he opened the box and began to rummage through it taking out all the letters and pictures that she had touched earlier that day waiting for him to realize that the key was gone. Once the box was empty, he shook it several times waiting for the key to fall out of it.

"What are you looking for Erik?" asked Christine trying to act as if she didn't know what he was looking for.

"The key? It was here last night I don't understand it? I looked at it last night, shut the box, locked it and put in back under the floor. Oh that key is worth one hundred thousand franks, I've had it since I was a baby."

Christine could see the sorrow in his eyes and couldn't hold back her lie any longer. She knew that his anger was going to come out but it was for the best.

"Erik I know what happened to the key."

"What? What do you mean Christine?"

"Is is a silver key with a red diamond in the top of it?"

Erik got to his feet and gave her the most angered look Christine had ever seen him give.

"So Christine, tell me what you were doing in my box? And when did you go in it?" Erik was a few feet away from her, and she could feel his breath on her neck.

"I…I only wanted to find your birth certificate so I could know the date of your birth. I emptied the box and looked at the pictures and read the letters….please Erik I'm sorry….I.."

"YOU WHAT? WENT INTO MY PRIVATE BOX? READ MY LETTERS! GAZED AT MY PHOTOGRAPHAS!"

Christine knew that he was so angry but she couldn't stop, not now.

"I was only looking for your birth certificate Erik I swear. When you knocked today on the door I got scared so through everything back into the box and the key….the key slid under the floor and disappeared….I'm sorry."

"So tonight's dinner, being that it was made up of all my favorite things was to celebrate my birthday? Something that I had deliberately told you NOT to do! It was my wish Christine! My wish to never EVER celebrate it! Not only do you not abide by my wishes but you also rummage through my PERSONAL belongings without asking me! What happened to TRUST? TRUST in our relationship! Why be with you if I can't trust you? I trusted you Christine! I always come to you before doing something personal!"

Christine wanted to hug him so badly but knew he would push her away.

"I just….I just wanted you to be like everyone else Erik. Everyone has a birthday and I thought that by having dinner with you tonight would be like one without you knowing. It makes me look like a bad wife when I don't do the things you do for me." Christine was literally crying and watched as Erik stood in silence still upset about his key and what she did.

Just then the door barged open and one of the guards came rushing in.

"Madam Countess! Come quick there's an emergency!"

Erik turned to the guard and brought out his temper

"Can't you see that we're busy! What ever it is can wait!"

"It's serious Monsieur, there has been a terrible accident down by the woods! Two children were involved!"

"Children?" questioned Christine in horror.

"Yes Madam, a small boy and girl."

Erik and Christine both looked at each other and gasped.

"Clorinda's in her room grounded and Petri is with her." replied Christine.

Erik shook his head and wiped his eyes.

"No….they….they got mad at me and run off. I thought for sure they wouldn't leave the palace……Oh my God what have I done!"

Christine looked at Erik shaking her head in disbelief before the both of them ran out the door with the guard hoping that what ever happened wasn't as bad as it sounded and most of all hoping that they weren't too late!

More to come soon!!! Sorry about the cliffy! Please send me some reviews so I can keep it going! Let me know if you all want dark chapters or Bright and happy! Your reviews will determine the fate of a few characters in the next chapters..Thanks!