Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash.

Warning(s): homosexuality (that's what slash is people, but in later chapters though)

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

Story Note: I had initially planned to write out every scene, but I'm going to assume a certain familiarity (to put it lightly) with the actual POTO plot, so I'll just jump to scenes that differ and make notes of when the plot actually changes. Hopefully, you'll see what I mean in this chapter and hopefully you don't get lost – if you do, just email me and I can just rewrite the beginning of the chapter.

Anyway, I'm pushing Erik's and Raoul's meeting up because I figure why keep them apart (and I didn't quite understand why a locked door would stop Raoul)? Whatever will Erik do?

o.o.o.o

Imaginary Friends

Chapter 07 – Memory Clues

o.o.o.o

By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

o.o.o.o

Last time:

Raoul's planning to be a little more assertive in his position as patron. Erik finally accepts that the Vicomte is the same Raoul from his past, but he decides to leave him alone and focus on Christine.

o.o.o

Raoul could not believe it. Christine was a singer at the opera house of which he was the patron. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. While it was nice to see her again, he was more ecstatic about the fact that there was indeed someone to replace La Carlotta. Not only was there someone to replace her, but Christine had proven to be loved by the audience. Raoul just knew that she would be able to not only keep the current opera goers, but she would bring in many more individuals. It was perfect. It was almost as though things were falling into place for him.

He had not known what had happened to Christine after that one shared summer. His life had become hectic and he actually had not thought about her in all that time, and when he first saw her onstage, his first thought had been if her father had been in the audience. Raoul knew that Msr Daae would have been proud of his daughter. Then he found out that her father was dead, and to make matters worse, he had been so excited with her singing that he had not given his condolences. Msr Daae had been the only father figure he could fully remember. His hospitality had made that summer memorable.

It had been two, no three years after his parents died when Philippe took the whole family (at least what was left of it) to the beach house. Raoul had been left to his own devices, and he could never deny the lure of the ocean. He would be out on the beach every day searching for shells or swimming in the ocean. There were servants around to watch him to ensure he did not do anything dangerous, but there had been no one with whom to play. By that time, Raoul no longer cared. He had Erik. Though he knew to keep quiet about Erik's existence, because the waves' constant crashing drowned out any other sound, Raoul had been free to quietly talk to Erik aloud about the weather, the sand, the water, and anything he felt needed mention. Though he loved it when Philippe or his sisters managed to find some free time to spend days out on the beach with him, Raoul was just as comfortable if not more so with just Erik.

Then, one day he saw a scarf blown into the ocean. It was odd to say the least since Raoul had thought it odd that anyone would need a scarf when the main activity at the beach was swimming, and he commented as much to Erik. A scarf seemed bothersome. Erik agreed. However, he could not ignore the girl who stood at the water's edge staring forlornly out into the ocean, and he had already been in the water.

Retrieving it had not been difficult, and after returning it, Raoul scampered off to build sand castles with Erik. The girl, Christine, followed him, and both he and Erik were annoyed. Raoul had learned from being around his sisters that girls were not fun. After a while, Erik was still grumbling, but Raoul found that she was not too horrible to be around. He did not think anything spectacular about her though. When her father came and scolded her for running off, Raoul watched the exchange in fascination. Philippe rarely scolded Raoul in fear that whatever bound was between them would be shattered. He did not want to be Raoul's father figure, so when Msr Daae offered to provide lunch and stories, Raoul felt a little ashamed that he really wanted to go. He was not ashamed enough not to go though.

The summer passed as Raoul listened to Christine's father play the violin, Christine singing along, and stories they told to each other. It was one of the best summers Raoul had ever had. It was great to see her again.

One nagging factor lingered in his mind. Christine's voice had sounded incredible onstage. He could not believe that it had come from her. He knew it was not intelligent to compare every voice he had ever heard to Erik's voice, but he had for as long as he could remember. When he had been younger and heard Christine singing, he had to remember not to frown. It was not as though she were terrible. She was also one year younger than him, so her voice was not that developed yet, but she had not even sounded like she would ever reach Erik's level of singing.

Now, though her voice was still quite a distance from what he heard in his head, there was something more. She sounded as though she could one day become as good. Raoul scoffed at the idea thinking that maybe time had loosened his standards though he could not deny that every night before he slept it felt as though he were being sung a lullaby. Whoever her singing teacher was had done a marvelous job. Perhaps the Angel of Music that her father had told stories about had indeed visited her.

He stopped in his rush to get the carriage. There had been so many things that had been running through his mind that the fact Christine had been trying to stop him only registered when he was at the entrance of the opera house. Christine had not wanted to go out because of the Angel of Music. Raoul turned around and looked back the way he had come. The opera house was empty and dark, almost eerily so. She did not mean an actual angel, did she? Raoul did not know why he thought of it, but the opera ghost came to mind. The words angel and opera ghost clicked together in his mind, and Raoul rushed back to Christine's room.

Finding the door was locked, he yelled for her. He quieted suddenly when he heard a voice, but not just any voice, it sounded like Erik's. Calling out to Christine once more, he waited hoping to hear the voice once more. When only silence answered him, he racked his brain for a way in. He could force his way, but that would be destructive. He realized that the managers had to have a key.

He raced to the office hoping that luck was on his side. While on the way there, he convinced himself that he had just been hearing things. It could not have been Erik's voice he heard. The wall had muffled the sound, and either way the voice had been entirely too deep. It could not have been him.

o.o.o

Erik had been a little more than annoyed when he found out that Raoul knew Christine. Childhood sweethearts? What exactly did that mean? He had watched them talking to each other. Christine looked overjoyed that Raoul was there. As he watched, he grew angry, angrier than he had been in a while. Here he was trying to move on with his life and let Raoul move on with his, but Raoul was not cooperating.

Christine had finally had some success and he should be happy. They were one step closer to their goal, but the mere thought of Christine knowing Raoul when they were young, if he were honest with himself, made him want to kill someone. He hated to admit that he was more angry with Christine than Raoul. It was not fair that she had been able to do what Erik had only allowed himself to think about. She had been a part of his life for longer than Erik had been, and it probably did not mean as much to her as it would have to him.

He could not stay mad at her for very long though. She had given him eleven years of her life. She had talked to him. She had allowed him to feel human again. She had kept him sane. Raoul had abandoned him.

Erik felt he was giving Christine too much credit. She had only done things that if had he allowed, Raoul would have given him threefold. Erik once again questioned how one day had affected his whole life. He thought too highly of Raoul, but whenever he tried to convince himself that Raoul would have grown up to despise him, he could only think of Raoul as he cried and apologized when he thought he had been responsible for his face. He had tried to kiss the pain away. Raoul may not be so innocent anymore, but he could not have lost his compassion. It was no good remembering those thoughts though so Erik forced them down. It did not matter that Raoul technically did not abandon him since Erik had been the one to decide not to pursue him when he had been free. They had been separated. They would stay separated.

Erik tried to be mad at Raoul, and though he doubted he could actually stay mad or harm Raoul, he could not allow himself to forget that he had Christine. She was his only hope now. He would give her everything she wanted if she just stayed with him.

He had detested seeing Raoul so animated, sharing memories that he could never be a part of. Erik had made a decision then that he could not let Raoul and Christine get any closer. It would ruin his plan. He had taken her so that she did not destroy their plans, but as he sang to her, he was glad that she was entranced by his voice. He felt more at ease with her so compliant. He however did not feel the joy he had once imagined feeling when he finally decided to reveal himself to her. He had always remained her angel, but now she would know he was a man. He had been anticipating this moment for a long time, but that too was tainted by Raoul.

Erik tried not to notice the intense satisfaction he felt when she finally fainted. He lifted her easily and carried her to the swan bed that had been waiting for her for quite a while now.

He stood watching her, and he hated himself for comparing her to Raoul. He did not know what he was going to do with her now. He could keep her down here with him for as long as he wanted, but how would she become the prima donna and sing with the voice he had given her to crowds that wanted nothing else but to hear her voice? That did not matter. Christine should stay with him during this time. His opera house would not suffer terribly so. His opera house did not matter as long as he had Christine.

The sound of an alarm alerted him that someone was trespassing in his tunnels. He was surprised when Christine moaned a bit in her sleep. Erik did not need her to be awake just yet. Grabbing a vial of laudanum out of drawer, he gently sat her up. She moaned again, and when he placed the vial on her lips and poured the liquid down, she swallowed it obediently.

She moaned pathetically as he lowered her back down on the bed. She would be asleep for quite a while so he could take his leisure in dealing with the intruder. He desperately needed an outlet for his anger and confusion. This would be the perfect opportunity. It would also be the needed distraction to remove Raoul from his mind.

He grabbed a lasso and headed out.

o.o.o

Raoul had moments of rash action, but he was not stupid.

The perfect example of that was the fact that he was currently in a tunnel in almost complete darkness looking for Christine. He was certain this was not one of the greatest ideas he had had. Entering a secret passage behind a mirror in Christine's room seemed too good of an opportunity in his opinion though. He wished he had brought a candle of some sort. There had been some torches along the way, but he had taken a turn where the lights diminished quite greatly.

He was not lost though. As far as he could tell, he was not. He kept a mental map of the tunnels and turns. Keeping his right hand against the wall, he slowly made his way through the labyrinthine tunnels. It was exciting to think that there was a whole other world behind and below the walls of the opera house. He could not get distracted by that excitement though. He was on a mission to find Christine. The passageway behind the mirror had been the only other exit from her room. She had to have come through it.

Raoul had been wandering the tunnels for what felt like hours now. He was tired, cold, and in the dark. He had the option of turning back and going home. He could always return in the morning not only with warmer clothes but also with a torch and maybe some help. Philippe would absolutely love the idea that there were tunnels that still looked relatively used. It would only encourage his current opera ghost obsession though.

Christine was missing. Raoul reminded himself. He could not let a little fatigue and darkness frighten him away. He had never been afraid of the dark, but he had to admit that he could not see much of anything. He was considering just turning back – for the sake of not getting lost of course. It was not because a little part of him was still scared of monsters, and that he knew monsters thrived in dark places where they could attack a person when they least expected.

No, he firmly told himself. He stopped his already slow progress to lean against the wall. It was cold, but Raoul needed to clear his head. The cold helped somewhat. He slid onto the floor to sit down. The floor was not very clean but at least it was dry. His feet hurt too much to care. Raoul decided to rest a bit and mentally regroup. He needed to decide what his next step would be.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that there were no such things as monsters, and Erik's voice sounded in his head, "I'll protect you from them anyway."

Erik's reassurance was short lived as his mind reasoned that there was no such thing as imaginary friends so what would he be able to do?

Raoul tried to push thoughts of monsters as far from his mind as possible. He was almost twenty years old. How could he let himself be frightened by figments of his imagination? He was also an accomplished swordsman though he was not carrying a sword at the moment. All he knew was that he was no longer the little child who hid under the blankets and let Erik's words offer him false comfort.

He pulled his knees up to his chest to conserve some heat. All that mattered now was to decide what he would do. He could go back and hope that he would be able to get back into the tunnels later, but whoever had taken Christine would probably realize a passageway had been left ajar. He wanted to keep moving forward because he could not give up. What if this was the only chance he had to save Christine from whoever had taken her? He could not be so weak as to give up so soon. Going forward had two outcomes though: finding Christine or getting lost. Who knew how long these tunnels traveled? He could memorize only so much. There was a third option of just letting the managers handle this. Surely, someone better qualified would be the better rescuer.

Raoul did not know why he was so driven to do this on his own. He wondered if he would have gone into the tunnels if it had been anyone else. He was ashamed by the fact that he was not so certain of the answer to that hypothetical situation.

He did know that he wanted to hear her sing again. He wanted to find out about her Angel of Music and now about the ghost who he assumed to be the same angel. He mostly wanted to figure out the mystery of the voice he had heard. Both Christine's and the man's voices seemed to stir up some memories he apparently had no access to currently. A part of him always wondered about Erik's origins. The voice had been there before the imaginary friend, so Raoul did not doubt that it had to be connected to his past somehow. He wanted to know.

Sighing deeply, Raoul decided that he should go back. He would get some help. As he was now, defenseless and vulnerable, he would not help Christine if she were indeed in dire need. Christine would have to be fine until the morning, which did not seem to be very far away. It was not as though he had heard her screaming in fear. There had not even been a sign of struggle in her room, just the slightly ajar mirror.

He was just about to stand when a voice echoed through the tunnels.

"You!" Erik had not meant to scream. He had not meant to say anything at all, as he approached the figure that was huddled on the floor. He had already almost given himself away by wanting to laugh at the intruder's predicament, but when he realized who it was, Erik was so shocked he dropped the lasso. It was not even the fact that it was Raoul. Okay, it was because of Raoul, but a large reason for the shock was due to the way Raoul had been sitting. Erik's mind had decided to be cruel to him, and he flashed back to the time in the carriage when the young Raoul used to sit like that as he waited for Erik's return. Erik had half expected the Vicomte to look up at him joyfully before running into his arms. It was an absurd visual image. They were both too old for that act to be as innocent as it once was. He could not help but wonder if he would feel the same comfort he had once felt.

Erik hated his imagination and good memory at times like this. He pulled further back watching Raoul's reaction. He had wanted to avoid Raoul and forget about him. The brat was not making it easy; first Christine and now this.

Raoul stood up quickly and winced as the word echoed in the tunnels. He wished there was more light. He pressed against the wall and tried to peer into the darkness to find the source of the voice. He could see nothing. For all he knew, the source of the voice could be two or twenty meters away. He held his breath hoping to hear something: a shoe scuff, another breath, anything. There was no sound other than his own heartbeat, which sounded much too loud in the silence.

He nervously moved towards the direction that would lead him back to Christine's room. Still, he could not ignore the fact that someone was there. His mind supplied an individual, the opera ghost. Raoul wondered what he could do. He was unarmed. Surely, if the ghost had meant harm, he would be dead by now. He still could not see anything and he did not want to run in the darkness or else he could lose his way.

Facing the direction he thought the voice had come from, Raoul stood his ground and took a deep breath. "Is anyone there?" He hated the way his voice shook slightly.

Erik watched him in silence. He knew that Raoul would not be able to see in this darkness. Erik had no problems of the sort. He could leave and continue his plan to avoid the Vicomte, but a small part of him that he had buried fifteen years ago, the small part that had promised to protect Raoul, protested leaving him lost in the tunnels. Erik only stayed because he did not want to have to deal with the Vicomte's death and the loss of his opera house's patronage.

He would only show him the way out and threaten him. Erik would not do anything else. Walking past Raoul, Erik made certain to pass close enough that he would realize it. As he passed, he replied tersely, "No one but us monsters."

Raoul jumped back as the mysterious man walked close enough to brush his shoulder, but it was the voice that startled him the most. He had been correct in noticing that it was deeper than Erik's voice, but the way the sound washed through him was with the familiarity of Erik's voice. It felt as though he should know the man attached to the voice. Then there was the fact of what the man had actually said. Raoul shivered at the thought of monsters. He mentally chastised himself.

He could hear the man walking away though. Raoul's indecision kept him stationary. He did not know if he should follow the strange man. What if he was going to kill him but wanted to prolong the moment? Raoul waited to see what the man would do if he did not follow. It was obvious though that he knew more about the tunnels than Raoul did. If Raoul wanted to run, surely the man would find him. Man or monster? He could not help but believe that he had stumbled upon the opera ghost, but would there be a way to get confirmation? It was too dark to see anything.

Erik realized a few steps past Raoul that he was not following. Surely, Raoul would realize if he wanted him dead, he would have done so already. His benevolence would not last very long – though Erik felt reluctant to put that to the test. A part of him knew that when it came to Raoul, he would be patient, and Erik did not want to think about that weakness. He just wanted Raoul out of his life. It could not be that difficult to accomplish. Thoughts of killing him came, but he knew he would not be able to actually do so. He scoffed when he thought of the reason why. He had given a pinky swear to not betray him. The notorious opera ghost was held at bay by a pinky swear.

"Do you wish to die in these tunnels?" Erik questioned. Expecting Raoul to follow him, he began to walk again.

Raoul did not follow still. He knew he was tempting fate, but Raoul could not let the other man take complete control. There had to be some reason he was still alive. "Who says that I will die in these tunnels?"

Erik glared at Raoul, and he became more annoyed that Raoul did not even realize he was being glared at. He could just imagine those blue eyes looking uselessly into the darkness. He stomped towards him to make sure the Vicomte knew he was approaching. Raoul cringed back, but Erik's hand shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt. Pulling Raoul onto his toes, Erik jerked them face to face. He spoke deathly calm, "You will die by my hand or by the traps in these tunnels."

Releasing Raoul, he walked away once more. He was rewarded by an echo of Raoul's footsteps. Erik had lost him temper, but pulling Raoul that close had not been a good idea. His heart was racing. Raoul had always been so far away in his memories. He had been someone he could not touch. Even as he could not touch Christine, Raoul was worse. Even when Raoul had come into his opera house, Erik's mind had still labeled him as untouchable. Now that he had touched him though, it felt that much more real that it was his Raoul that was here. What was he going to do? That was an easy answer. He was stay away from him.

Raoul followed the man closely, close enough to see the figure against the darkness. He had not encountered any traps so far, but he did not doubt that there were traps now that it had been brought to his attention. He had been lucky. He stared at the stranger's back. That voice was distracting. He always felt a memory at the fringes of his mind whenever he heard it. More and more he felt Erik's voice transforming to this stranger's. It wasn't difficult either, but who could this man possibly be that he sounded like his imaginary friend?

Paying attention to the direction they were heading, Raoul was glad to note that they were retracing his steps. He summoned up his courage to ask, "Who are you?"

Erik ignored the question. They would be arriving to a portion of the tunnels that was better lit. Raoul would realize then who he was. "What is the Vicomte doing in my tunnels?"

Raoul frowned at the evasion. He was fairly certain that it had to be the opera ghost by now. Either that or a rat exterminator, but he doubted a rat exterminator would grab him like that. Raoul considered not answering, but remembering the last outburst, he replied, "Mlle Daae is missing."

It was not as though Erik had not known the reason, but it annoyed him nonetheless to hear it spoken. "And you came alone to find her?"

"Yes," Raoul replied defensively.

Erik wanted to look over his shoulder to see the expression on the brat's face but focused on walking the Vicomte out of his life. They had come to a portion of the passageways that had better lighting. If he turned around now, Raoul would definitely see his mask. Though he believed Raoul to be intelligent enough to figure out that he was the opera ghost, he wanted to delay the actual visual proof.

Erik did not know why he was even talking to him, but he could not help teasing the Vicomte, "And you thought the best way to search would be sitting on the floor?"

It took a moment for the words to sink in since Raoul had been distracted by his voice. When he realized he was being mocked, Raoul sputtered indignantly, "Well, no. But… wait what are you doing in the tunnels?"

"Heh," Erik knew he was being too bold, but could find no reason to hide this from Raoul, "I kidnapped Mlle Daae."

Raoul stopped walking, and Erik turned around in annoyance forgetting that there was light. Raoul's voice died in his throat and he stood staring at the masked man with his mouth open for a moment before yelling, "You what?"

Raoul mentally stored the image of the white porcelain mask covering the right side of the man's face. The other half was so perfect with skin so smooth that Raoul wondered why a mask was needed at all. The rumours he had heard filled in the details though. He was horribly deformed on that side of his face. He tried not to stare at the mask and found himself staring at green eyes instead. His mind ran through these thoughts quickly and he hoped the opera ghost did not realize he had been shocked. He had suspected it had been the ghost, so he did not know why he had been shocked.

Erik was surprised that he did not get a bigger reaction. He did appreciate the look of open-mouthed shock though. He could not decipher what the minimal reaction meant. Raoul must have heard the rumours, and yet his bigger reaction was to the fact that he had confessed to kidnapping Christine. He could not help but feel a little annoyed again. Was he being ignored? What was worse than being ignored was the fact that there was absolutely no recognition in Raoul's face. The brat did not remember him. Honestly, he had not thought Raoul would, but having an actual confirmation to the fact made it worse.

Erik stormed away quickly. Raoul was caught off guard and had to jog to catch up to him. He tried to lengthen his strides to keep up, but found that Erik's pace required him to do a little hop-skip if he did not want to jog. Raoul wondered at the change of demeanor, but just tried to keep up.

He reviewed the information he had just learned. The opera ghost was real. Said opera ghost kidnapped Christine and was now currently leading him through hidden tunnels behind the opera house walls. He had not harmed him yet, but… Raoul paused at an intersection in the tunnels. Erik stopped and glared at him. Raoul had the decency to look sheepish.

"What?" Erik ground out. He just wanted Raoul out of his sight. Even though that one day had changed Erik's life, it obviously meant nothing to Raoul. He did not see the point of torturing himself further.

Raoul pointed down a tunnel that Erik had passed. "We're supposed to turn here."

Erik's anger vanished momentarily. That tunnel lead to Christine's room. Had Raoul not been lost? Had he wasted his time worrying about Raoul's safety? He became angry once more by the fact that he had been worried about his safety at all. He blatantly ignored Raoul's comment and walked down the tunnel he had originally begun to. He was pleased to hear Raoul follow him.

Raoul frowned. He would have a hard time remembering a new path, but he could try. The ghost had not done anything violent except maybe grabbing his shirt so Raoul found himself wanting to believe that nothing would go badly in this journey. He also wanted to ask more questions about the kidnapping. He wanted to know why the ghost would kidnap Christine in the first place. Raoul still could not help but wonder why he was being shown another route in the tunnel. It would probably be best to return him the way he came since it would be harder for him to find more secret entrances.

"We cannot return to Mlle Daae's room. Surely, by now, the others will have realized that she's missing as well. What will you say suddenly appearing in her room?" Erik did not know why he explained, but it was recompense for underestimating the Vicomte. Erik had forgotten that this was not the brat who had once needed his help. It had been nice to have someone so dependent on him, but this was a grown man who was searching for a loved one. If the last part of the thought was bitter, Erik ignored it.

He had not considered that. In fact, Raoul had not even alerted anyone when he realized Christine had been missing. He said as much to the ghost who scoffed in reply. As they continued walking, he added, "What do you want with Christine? Are you going to…?" Raoul vaguely gestured. He knew what he was implying but did not know why he actually voiced the thought of sexual relations. He was just curious. Maybe the reason Christine had not struggled was because this was not that abnormal. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions.

Erik's steps faltered at Raoul's question. He had fleeting thoughts of having sex with Christine, but there were more important considerations when he thought of Christine. He worried more about her reaction to his face than anything further. When he had taken her, it had not been in the forefront of his mind. But this meant that Raoul just wanted to make sure her virtue would remain intact. Erik angrily replied, "I intend to continue teaching her."

Raoul heard the anger in his voice. He sounded affronted. He briefly wondered what the ghost would teach her. When he realized an area where Christine would need to be taught, he unintentionally gasped aloud in disbelief, "You sing?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Erik looked at Raoul. The Vicomte looked shocked at the mere thought.

"Can ghosts not sing?" He replied in renewed annoyance.

Apparently, Raoul could do nothing right at the moment, but he hardly noticed. All Raoul could think of at the moment was the fact that for some strange reason, the ghost sounded like Erik now and he also sings. Raoul needed to hear him sing, but he knew he could not just ask for a song. There had to be another way. Raoul calmed himself down. He was getting too excited. He felt so close to solving the mystery about his memories though. He tried to think clearly.

"You must know that she has done spectacularly well in Hannibal. Why would you take her from that?"

Erik was surprised at how calm Raoul suddenly sounded. He could mask his emotions well. Erik could easily mask his own turmoil. He replied in a businesslike manner, "I mean my opera house no harm. In fact, I want to improve it."

Raoul nodded. He did not like the way that the ghost kept referring to the opera house as his, but that possessive attitude also relieved some worries that he would harm it. He held some doubt that the ghost had the best intentions for the opera house, but rumours would not sway his current impression. Nothing besides the kidnapping had been as the rumours indicated. Even with the rumours, it only sounded like petty accidents had occurred so far.

Erik continued when he heard no protest from Raoul, "Now that Mlle Daae is ready for the stage, I want to replace La Carlotta." He waited to gauge Raoul's response.

"I can understand the sentiment," Raoul replied. He had been relieved to hear Christine sing as well.

Surprised, Erik stopped walking so suddenly Raoul almost ran into him. Stepping back, Raoul looked questioningly at him. Erik asked, "You know music Vicomte?"

Raoul shrugged. He realized belatedly that the ghost was taller than he was. He felt uncomfortable with the calculating gaze he saw. He had momentarily forgotten that this was the actual opera ghost. This was supposed to be bad. The ghost was supposed to be a terror. He had kidnapped the prima donna. Raoul knew he should be more attentive to his surroundings and that this could all still be a trap. He had to trust his instincts though. They told him this man was dangerous, but he was currently not in a dangerous situation. Raoul realized that the ghost was waiting for a response, "Enough to know she cannot sing and Mlle Daae can, but what does this have to do with her kidnapping?"

Erik continued to walk mostly so that he did not have to look at Raoul. It was distracting.

"I don't want unnecessary distractions for her at this time," he pointedly glared at Raoul.

Raoul could not believe that it was his fault. The ghost had kidnapped Christine to keep him away from her. Had he not been so forceful with Christine and listened to her protests, if only he had not been so excited, if she had not sung like she did, this would not have happened at all. He blushed and Erik had glanced over his shoulder to see the expression.

Taking a deep breath, Erik knew he had to stay away from Raoul. There was no way this would end well. Raoul was having an odd effect on him, and he knew the confusion and anger he felt would leave him unsettled for quite a while. Erik felt restless. He wanted to get away from Raoul.

"I apologize," Raoul even looked apologetic. Erik could not believe he had managed to kidnap Christine and still get Raoul to apologize. Raoul continued, "I will not pursue her. She… Her voice reminded me of someone else's."

The last part of his apology caught Erik's attention. Someone else's? Christine's voice was not her own. It was his as well. Could it be possible that Raoul remembered that much? Erik could not forget Raoul telling him to sing so that he could be remembered. He suddenly needed to know what Raoul remembered. Erik knew that he should just show Raoul out and be done with this last encounter, but the urge to know overpowered him.

"Whose voice?" Erik tried to sound uninterested.

Raoul looked away embarrassed. He had let that part slip out accidentally. He did not want to reply but did not want to offend the ghost. Raoul considered the possible outcomes and tried to evade the question as tactfully as he could. "You'll think me mad."

Erik scoffed, "You're speaking to an opera ghost. How mad can you be?"

Raoul could not stop the burst of laughter. He was too tired to play these mind games. He was still reluctant to share the information but if the ghost wanted to know, Raoul was certain he would find a way to make him talk. At least if he offered the information, perhaps a bridge of trust would be built between them. If Raoul managed to be on the ghost's good side, then perhaps the incidents of the past would not be repeated. If he did tell the ghost though, it might be used against him. The information was not too damaging though. Raoul had been young and he could just say as much.

Erik was not a very patient individual, but he wanted Raoul to tell him willingly. He forgot about his promise to leave Raoul alone. The only thing that mattered right now was whether or not Raoul remembered him. Actually, since it was obvious Raoul did not remember him, he wanted to know how much Raoul did remember. Seeing Raoul so hesitant, he decided to make the first move. He stopped walking and faced Raoul. Holding out a pinky finger in front of Raoul's face, Erik asked, "Would you have me pinky swear?"

The words struck Raoul like a blow to the face. He had a mental image of a scrawny teenage boy in a carriage. As quickly as it had come, it left. He did not know what to make of the image. He stored it away for later consideration. The frown that had been firmly in place when Raoul had been thinking disappeared. He smiled brightly and grabbed the pinky with his own, "I don't see why not."

Raoul tried to pull his finger back but found that the ghost held onto it firmly. Thinking the swear not complete until he spoke, Raoul explained as their fingers were held suspended in air, "When I was younger, I used to hear this voice in my head that sang me to sleep. It's been the standard of comparison for all the voices I'd ever heard in my life." Raoul did not know if he should mention the fact that the ghost sounded awfully much like the voice. He knew he definitely could not say that he had made up an imaginary friend by the name of Erik. That would be too awkward.

Erik felt a little downcast hearing his explanation. It was good that Raoul still remembered his voice, but was that really all that remained of that day? "Whose voice is it?" Erik pressed.

Raoul felt a little uncomfortable since his pinky was still very trapped. He shrugged, "I can't seem to remember much before my parents' deaths."

Erik's grip on his pinky tightened. Raoul glanced down at their hands wondering what that had been. It was not painful, but there had been a reaction.

Although he had realized his father would have died, Erik was still disappointed. Raoul's parents should not have died yet, but moreover, the way that Raoul talked about it made it seem like they had died a long time ago. That was not part of Erik's subconscious fantasy for Raoul's life.

"When did they die?" Erik asked.

Raoul frowned. "I don't believe it's any of your business." He had shared as much as he would for tonight. Anything more would be building more than a bridge.

Erik glared, and Raoul glared back. Neither backed down for a long moment.

Raoul decided to be the bigger man and tried to calmly speak, "I promise to not pursue Christine, but she is a friend and I ask that you allow us some time together." The grip on his pinky tightened almost painfully so and Raoul responded by gripping the ghost's finger tighter. He continued, "I'd also like to request you return her as soon as possible unharmed for the sake of the opera house."

Still glaring, Erik tried to bite down on his anger. He did not know why Raoul had riled him up so much. He ripped his hand away. Raoul looked at him in confusion. "You will hear my demands when Christine returns."

Pointing down the tunnel, Erik instructed, "When this tunnel ends, press against the wall and slide it right. Close it when you're out. Make sure no one sees you or else I will make you very sorry for ever finding your way into my opera house."

Raoul nodded a little disconcerted with how their meeting had ended and watched as the opera ghost turned and left. He wondered if he was doing the right thing making a deal with the opera ghost. How was he to know whether the opera ghost kept something as juvenile as a pinky swear? He had to try though. If the ghost were indeed Christine's tutor, he would hopefully do no harm upon her. He had other things to think about anyway. He had to deal with the managers and now that he knew Christine could sing, he needed to deal with La Carlotta.

Erik did not bother to see if Raoul followed his instructions. He was too annoyed and currently he did not want to have any company. He stormed down his tunnels and could not wait to reach his home for some peace and quiet. He cursed loudly when he realized that he had kidnapped Christine. He did not want to return her just yet, but he did not want her around him. He had to figure out what to do with her.

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End Chapter

Word count: 7,052

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A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!

Chapter review: Quite the tenuous bridge between them.
Can Raoul be more dense? He finds someone who sounds like his imaginary friend, and he can't figure out Erik's not imaginary. Just think how great it would have been if Erik just told Raoul his name. OO Oh, and Erik drugging Christine is just great! Drug her, drug her (I'm never nice to her. Sorry for bashing – well not that sorry.)! Erik's dropping hints like crazy (either that or he's just being mean since he remembers Raoul's weaknesses). Oh, and I don't know what the color of Erik's eyes are (they're green here, why? I just felt like it!).

LOL, they're so childish! What do you expect though? Erik can't actually physically harm Raoul (he pinky swore!).

Thanks to you awesome reviewers!
Thanks to the newbies who have reviewed. It's great to see new faces (screen names?)! It's also great to see old favorites! Thanks to: Akaiba, whatevergirl, Fibonacci1123, mari, Sakurafox666, PuppetofDreams and chapter 5 reviewers not mentioned HeadPhoneAngel, xdark.flowerx!