Hey everyone thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that everyone is still reading…here's the next chapter and a bit happier. Please enjoy and send in your thoughts! Thanks!
The next morning Christine awoke and reached her arms over to wrap them around the body of her warm angel when she felt nothing but the softness of the sheets and linens. When she opened her eyes she noticed that she was lying in an empty bed and that her beloved husband was no where in sight. She was used to waking up alone because Erik only needed a few hours of sleep each night but never had she woken up to an empty bed in complete darkness. Usually she would wake up to her room lit by sunlight and an empty bed rather than waking up to an empty bed and a dark room. For once she wanted to wake up in a beautifully sunlit room with the love of her life still lying next to her so that she could wrap her arms around him and whisper how much she loved him into his ear. After standing up on her feet, she left the room dressed in nothing but a white robe that Erik had bought her a long time ago. As she walked down the dark hallways, the rising sun began to shine in through the stained glass windows causing the bright reds and blues to shadow off onto the floor. She first checked the infirmary to see if he was possibly sitting by Clorinda's bedside but only saw her lying by herself. Her daughter was still fast asleep it was no wonder why Erik wasn't sitting beside her. There was only one more place that he could possibly be and that's exactly where she headed. After walking past a few doors down the hall, Christine came to the familiar oak door and opened it to find her angel of music sitting at the piano. He was hunched over, writing down the ideas of his operas on a piece of parchment with his infamous feather quill.
Christine quietly approached him, and gently placed her hand over his. Erik stopped everything that he was doing and kept his eyes on the piano as he felt her hand touch his.
"Are you mad at me?" she replied.
"No, I'm more disappointed than angry."
"What was I supposed to do Erik? Abandon my place as Countess just because Raoul came back?"
Erik began to write again as Christine stood over him waiting for him to continue the conversation.
"Look Christine, I'm not angry with you so just go do what ever a Countess does and leave me to my music."
Christine wrapped her arms around Erik's shoulders and kissed his mask. She knew that he didn't feel it because he didn't turn or make any kind of motion.
"I'm going to breakfast and would like it if you would join me."
"No, just leave me to my music."
Christine turned away and walked down the hall to the dining room where she spotted Raoul waiting for her.
"Christine, come to have breakfast with me?"
"Why else would I be here? Surely not to see you."
Christine sat down and Raoul pushed in her chair. Christine ignored him afterwards and picked up her glass to take a sip of the water that was inside it.
"Erik isn't coming?"
"No he's occupied with his music this morning."
Raoul sat down beside Christine and she moved aside as she began to eat.
"Something wrong?"
"Raoul, I promised my husband that I would stay away from you. I'm here to be Countess, not your friend. You hurt my family years ago and I'm still angry over it and I know that you've changed but something's I just cant forgive you for. Now I will stay and be Countess but I will keep my promise to my husband."
"I completely understand Christine, some of the things that I have done I wouldn't have forgiven myself for either."
"Good, I'm glad that you understand." Christine put her head down and continued to eat and kept quiet for the rest of the breakfast.
As Erik sat at his piano he kept writing his music down onto the parchment. He couldn't think of an ending for the opera that he has been working on for years. Christine's opera was incomplete and an ending was so far away. Clorinda was no help to him either because all she could think about was kings and queens which had nothing to do with the opera what so ever. Just as he banged down onto the keys in anger he heard the door behind him open and thinking it was Christine he turned around only to see Raoul approaching him. Erik immediately pressed his hands down onto the keys of the piano and stood up in anger.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of here? wasn't that part of the deal?"
Raoul didn't listen to and kept coming closer and closer to him.
"Were you not hungry today? The dining room was pretty lonely this morning with just Christine and I." said Raoul in the friendliest tone Erik had ever heard.
"I refuse to dine with the likes of you De Changy." replied Erik as he began to gather up his music from off of the piano.
"I have had the chance to re introduce myself to almost everyone in the palace, that is everyone but you. I know that I have promised to stay out of this particular room but I couldn't do it without having an understanding with you Monsieur." the friendliness in Raoul's voice wasn't enough to stop Erik from continuing to be angry with him, and found himself storming over to the book shelf to organize some of the misplaced novels.
"Understanding?" Erik's hands clawed at the shelf as he slightly turned his head to spat out the words. "We Monsieur will NEVER have and understanding! And you're lucky that I don't kill you where you stand. Christine means more to me than life itself and when someone tries to hurt her I get angry like a mother bear gets angry when someone tries to hurt her cubs. I don't believe that you've changed one bit and are only being nice to me to try to befriend me to get closer to Christine and my daughter."
"You can't be serious Erik." Raoul chuckled at the nonsense that came from Erik's mouth.
"That's Monsieur Kire to you Viscount!" Erik's anger filled the room as Raoul continued to stand there.
"Alls I'm saying is that what happened years ago is in the past and that today is a new day. You don't have to be such a monster about this Monsieur."
This had made Erik very angry, so angry that he turned towards Raoul and began to back him into the corner.
"What did you mean by that? Monster? That Viscount is how you've always pictured me!"
"No Monsieur, the monster that I'm thinking of is someone who acts out on vicious behavior just like you're doing."
Erik got so close into Raoul's face that their foreheads literally brushed up together. Out of all the events that have taken place over the years never had Erik been so angry than he was now. His fists turned white as he squeezed them together as tight as he could.
"The monster you're thinking of is the offensive term for someone like me who is half formed! Just admit it Raoul! Admit that you're so disgusted at the fact that Christine is with someone like me instead of the likes of you that you can't sleep at night, so disgusted that she and I conceived a child and married into the same life that you wanted! So when you call me a monster Raoul, use the right term!"
Not being able to take anymore of Erik's abuse, Raoul pushed him away and stormed over to the door.
"Think what you want Monsieur, but you will see that I have changed and don't care about what happened years ago. Think of me what you want but you will soon learn that I am nothing more than a man just as you are, perhaps a better one." Raoul then opened the door and stormed out slamming it behind him. Erik stood there for a few moments before stomping his foot down and yelling to the heavens.
"AND STAY OUT!"
Christine sat at her desk writing thank you letters to the opera performers who came and performed the night before. Because of what happened between her and Raoul after the show she didn't have the chance to personally thank each and everyone of them for the great show let alone apologize for her rudeness. Just as she was beginning to place them in the envelopes she heard the door open and watched Raoul enter the room. He stormed over to his throne and had a seat, pondering afterwards as Christine glanced over at him.
"Something wrong Raoul?"
"Your husband is the problem, I innocently walked into the music room to apologize for my actions years ago and he merely went ballistic on me."
"Raoul, Erik has asked you to stay out of that room and I suggest that you keep your promise. He gets upset when I disturb him let alone you."
"Why do you love him Christine? Why?"
Christine couldn't believe that Raoul was asking her this question. She had promised Erik that she would keep her distance from Raoul and there was no way in the world that she could answer something as personal as this.
"Raoul, please I appreciate your concern but I prefer to keep my life with Erik private."
"I understand Christine, and I would really appreciate it if you and Erik would have dinner with me tonight? Just a burry the hatchet sort of thing, please."
Christine couldn't say no to the kindness in Raoul's voice so nodded at his request. Afterwards, Raoul left the room leaving Christine to her letters. After a few seconds, Christine got back on track and began to put her letters into the envelopes once again. As she put the last letter into it's envelope she began to search the desk for the impression so she could seal the envelopes shut. After rummaging through every drawer without success Christine knew that Erik probably had it and immediately stacked all the envelopes together and walked down the hallway. She knew that this was a good opportunity to bring up the invitation to dinner without just bringing it up unexpectedly. As she entered the music room, she spotted Erik sitting at his desk with the flame of a candle heating the bottom of a spoon full of red wax. She approached him, and lightly cleared her throat to let him know that she was behind him. He neither turned nor glanced behind to notice her and kept himself in the same position that he was before she walked in.
"Are the daily jobs of being Countess over?" he replied in a friendly but serious tone of voice.
"Actually," began Christine as she lied the envelopes down onto the desk. "I wanted to know if I could borrow your impression to seal my thank you letters to the performers of last nights show? Unless you're using it of course."
Erik stood to his feet and pulled out the chair for her and motioned her to take a seat with opening arms.
"No of course not, what's mine is yours."
Christine took a seat and Erik pushed her in before walking over to his piano to take a seat. Christine removed the spoon from off of the flame and poured some of the hot wax onto the back on an envelope. She then took Erik's skull impression and pressed it down into the wax with all her strength before trying to pull it back up. When she tried to pull it up off of the envelope she couldn't and didn't want to force it because she would surly rip the letter. As she placed her finger down by the impression accidentally the hot wax oozing out from under the impression burnt her finger causing her to yell OUCH really loud. Faster than light, Erik shot up from his seat and ran over to Christine to see what was the matter.
"What? What happened?" asked Erik in his worried tone of voice.
"Nothing, I just burnt my finger on the wax is all."
Erik took her hand and looked at the finger that she burnt. It was her index finger on her right hand and he knew because it had a few dribbles of wax stuck to it.
"You need to be more careful Christine." he replied peeling the wax from off of her finger. Afterwards, Erik gently kissed it and pulled the impression from off of the envelope.
"When you pull." Said Erik showing Christine the impression. "You hold one hand down onto the envelope and the other hand firmly on the handle of the impression so that it won't stick."
Once Christine was handed the impression again, she watched as Erik walked back over to the piano and had a seat. She loved when he was in a good mood and knew that it would be the perfect time to get on the subject of dinner.
"Erik, could I ask you to join me for dinner tonight?"
"Of course I'll join you for dinner as long as that bastard Viscount won't be present."
"Erik, he actually asked me to ask you to come with me to dinner. Please Erik, come with me tonight?"
She watched as Erik put his head down onto the base of his piano in such anger. She knew that all he wanted to do was be alone with her and not with Raoul.
"Christine, please don't argue with me on this one. All I want is to be alone with you, I married you Christine not Raoul. If you're going to be Countess then you must be with me and not that boy. Three is a crowd in my book especially with that bastard present."
Christine rose to her feet and approached Erik at the piano. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his ear.
"Please Erik, I never ask much of you. Please go to dinner with me, please. Even you have to eat once in a while so why not eat with me knowing that I'll be leaving with you."
Erik sighed, and turned to kiss Christine on the lips.
"If you must then I guess I shall join you. Would you join me in a walk to our room to get ready then?"
"Only if you ride with me to deliver the letters to the post office tomorrow."
"That seems fair."
After walking with Christine back to their room, Erik stood in front of the mirror adjusting his mask as Christine was getting dressed in the wardrobe. When Christine came out she was dressed in the most beautiful black evening gown he had ever seen. She ran her hand down his arm and fixed his blonde hair for him.
"You look handsome Erik."
"As do you my love."
Erik walked with Christine down to the dining room and entered hand in hand to spot Raoul standing at the end of the table waiting for them. Once he saw them enter, he approached them and have Christine a hug.
"I'm so glad that you came tonight. I invited Nadir, Alex and Madam Giry but they completely insisted on watching over the boy and your daughter."
When Raoul turned to give Erik a hand shake, Erik didn't accept and just motioned Christine to sit down beside him.
"I can see Monsieur that you still prefer to stay mad at me." said Raoul taking his seat across from Erik.
"I am only here because Christine has asked me to come and not because I wish to be here dining with the likes of you Viscount." replied Erik helping Christine into her seat. Once one of the servants began to pour everyone a glass of wine, Raoul handed a glass to Erik who completely refused.
"No thanks you Viscount, I don't wish to have any tonight. Water will be fine if you don't mind."
"My mother always said that a man who doesn't have a drink with dinner isn't merely a man at all." replied Raoul taking a sip of his wine.
"That Viscount is why your mother isn't here anymore. Sometimes I prefer to enjoy my dinner sober." replied Erik handing his glass to one of the servants to get him a glass of water. Christine squeezed Erik's hand from under the table to get him to stop arguing with Raoul but it was no use because Erik was surly giving worse than what Raoul was dishing out to him. As the first course of orderves was served, Erik sat quietly with Christine and enjoyed them as Raoul sat across the table glaring at Erik with such anger.
"So tell me Christine, how does a monster make love? You would surly be the right person to ask."
Erik glared up at Raoul who sat inches away with a smile on his face, trying to make him angry no doubt because of what he had said about his mother moments ago. Christine slammed her hands down on the table, causing Erik's glass of water to spill and to catch Raoul's attention.
"I will not sit here and argue! If we cannot eat dinner like civilized human beings then I will not be present at this table."
Erik began to eat again and once the arguing had stopped, Christine began to eat as well. Once the main meal was set on the table, Erik began to eat in silence and only glanced up to make sure that Raoul was behaving.
"Erik would you pass me the wine?" asked Christine.
Erik reached over for the bottle of wine when Raoul grabbed it first and tried to hand it to Christine when Erik grabbed it.
"I believe that she asked me Viscount!."
"Yes but I got it first."
Erik jumped to his feet and pushed in his chair.
"I'm sick and tired of this! You think he has changed Christine? He isn't anymore changed than the last day we seen him years ago!"
Erik walked to the door and opened it before turning back to Christine.
"Just so you know Viscount the meat is over cooked!" the door then slammed shut, and Christine was left alone with Raoul once more. Christine kept quiet as she ate and she knew that Raoul was looking at her but didn't say a word.
"So Christine, tell me where Erik gets his anger from?"
"Raoul please don't do this to me. You know that I love Erik with all my heart and I cant bear to talk about him when he isn't present."
"I understand Christine and I won't force you to talk about him but I will say that you could do better."
Christine immediately wiped her mouth with her napkin and rose to her feet.
"Thank you for dinner Raoul but now I must saw goodnight. I shall see you in the morning, but not too early because Erik and I are going into town."
"Town? What ever for?" asked Raoul with such curiosity.
"To deliver a few letters to the post office. I'll be back afterwards though."
"You know that you could just give the letters to the messenger boy and he would take them there."
"Yes but then I wouldn't get to ride with the love of my life."
Christine then walked out of the room leaving Raoul all alone. Once Christine made it to their bedroom, she spotted Erik lying in bed holding Clorinda in his arms. She approached him and sat down at the end of the bed and touched his legs.
"Did you take her from the infirmary?" asked Christine
"No, Nadir gave her to me when I was coming back to the room. He said that she woke up today and got scared because she didn't know where she was." said Erik ever so softly.
"Did she wake up for you yet?" asked Christine as she ran her fingers through Clorinda's hair.
"No." said Erik as he got to his feet and carried Clorinda across the room. He then lied her down on a pile of pillows and covered her up before kissing her goodnight. Once Erik re approached the bed he crawled under the covers and felt Christine doing the same. He felt her arms wrap around his body, causing him to turn towards her and touch her face.
"Promise me Christine that you and I won't do this ever again."
"Do what?"
"Have dinner with that monster."
Christine removed the mask from off of his face, and touched his distorted flesh with her hand.
"Erik I love you, Raoul has changed but sometimes he says the wrong thing."
"That's all the time Christine, just lets stay away from him for the time being. Please could you just promise me this."
Christine kissed him passionately and listened to him softly moan at the feeling of it.
"Oh Christine I love you so much."
"Yes me too my angel."
"Promise me something Erik."
"Anything."
"Tomorrow will be a day to you and I and just you and I alone."
Erik smiled, and began to kiss Christine passionately once more and lied on her with his arm still in his sling. After kissing Christine for a while, she noticed that his moans got deeper and began to sound more painful.
"Something wrong?" asked Christine.
"The sling is hurting me." replied Erik.
Christine removed the sling from off of Erik's arm and gently placed his arm on her chest to where it wouldn't hurt him. As they continued kissing, Christine removed his shirt and began to kiss his neck.
"Oh Christine I love you."
Just then the door opened, and they both stopped kissing and looked to see Raoul standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry am I interrupting something?" asked Raoul.
"Raoul why are you in here?" asked Christine.
"To apologize to Erik but I see that you two are a little busy in my mother's bed."
Christine got to her feet and escorted Raoul out the door holding back her anger.
"Raoul, a gentleman knocks when wanting to enter a lady's room."
"Indeed but I see no lady just a mere monster and his hostage."
Christine pushed Raoul up against the wall and turned from him.
"Raoul! You said that you have changed! is that a lie? Because if you have changed then why are you still calling my husband a monster?"
"Because you've seen the way he reacted at dinner didn't you? He went crazy Christine. I know that you love him but why? I have no clue. I love you Christine and I just want you to know it. I respect your love for Erik and I will keep it at that but I just hope you're doing the right thing."
"Goodnight Raoul, I shall see you in the morning."
With that Christine walked back into her bedroom leaving Raoul out in the hallway.
"I hope you're right Christine, I hope you're right." Raoul then walked down the hallway, leaving her with Erik until she would return the following morning……..
More to come soon! Please send in your thoughts! A bit happier I think? wouldn't you say?