Disclaimer: (see chapter 1)

"Erik, just relax would ya?" Andrew rolled his eyes at the pacing man.

The arranged lunch hour had finally arrived. Erik hadn't been nervous until standing outside of the Chancellor's grand office door. It wasn't that Erik feared that Araphim would deny the engagement; it was more of other things Erik might be told. Andrew and the others had given him glimpses of Angel's history, but there was still so much more to tell. And then there were things that Araphim might question—such as his mask.

"Sorry." At the moment Erik apologized, the door opened.

Andrew was instantly to his feet, "Good afternoon, Your Grace!"

Erik turned. So this is the Chancellor. I expected someone much taller than me. Araphim waved both men into his office.

Andrew sat down in a chair, with Erik taking the other. Araphim began the conversation, "So you're Erik Duran. Andrew has told me quite a bit about you, young man."

Young man? Erik hasn't heard himself associated with such a term before. He hoped his flinch wasn't noticeable. "He has?"

Araphim nodded, "But I'm more concerned about this engagement." Erik tensed then. "Andrew tells me that you've known Angel for four years, yet have only recently learned of her true nature."

"I've tried to question her childhood before…in my attempts to get to know her better in our early stages of dating…but she's always clammed up then."

"When Angel was a resident here, we've been strict about any outside relationship." Araphim admitted. "Her first attempt to kindle a relationship with a boy resulted in such a mess. Most of it was my doing, though."

"Wasn't his name Christian Kerby?" Andrew chirped in.

Erik flinched again. Christine, Christian…much too similar for my taste. "What happened to him?"

"That doesn't matter, Erik." Araphim took the conversation again. "Where Angel is concerned…we are only interested in someone who has the temperament to handle her complete situation—all aspects of her."

"I can rest assure you, Chancellor, that I'm more than up to the task. Angel is my life. And I'll be damned to have a nuisance such as Reece disrupt my intended future with her."

"That's what we want to hear!" Araphim lit up into a broad smile. "So when have you two set a date?"

Erik pursed his lips together. "Well, currently she is in the midst of filming a new movie. We've decided to wait until after then to deal with wedding details."

At that moment, their food arrived. "Ah yes, lunch is served." Araphim stood up and motioned to the carts being wheeled in.

Toby was clearly amazed that despite how the day started off with a hot and steamy scene, Angel was able to push it aside and focus perfectly on the remaining mundane scenes. She strolled over to him, obviously smirking at the look on his face, "Still bothered by the seduction scene?"

He had no resistance to avoid blushing, "Yeah…damn Angel…no wonder you're one of Hollywood's Most Wanted."

"Actually, I'm number one." She flashed him a million dollar smile. "But that's not why I act."

He nodded, "I know…the needed release. The public just literally falls under your spell for the two hour movie duration." He escorted her to the food tent where caterer's had their tables set up. The selection was an array of choices. In an ironic twist, as they sat down at an empty table, Tobias pointed to her plate, "Seems we have similar food tastes."

She looked to his plate, "Only similar?" They had picked out the exact same foods. As the realization settled between them, she broke into laughter, pulling him into joining her.

They ate in silence for a bit, until an extremely heated argument from the extras table erupted. Angel tried to ignore it, but soon it had grown much too loud to ignore.

"Angel, don't." Tobias glanced to her as she squeezed the napkin within her hand, causing her fist to tremble slightly. "Look, security is coming to settle the argument now." But the argument was resisting being silenced.

"Sorry, Father…" She abruptly was on her feet. He knew exactly what she was about to do.

Angel calmly strolled toward the argument—or more specifically, toward the two men that had started it. "Silence!" She called out, immediately capturing the attention of all present in the area. She narrowed her eyes angrily at the faces around her. Angel gave a small nod to the men that started the argument, "They can argue all they want…until they're blue in the face… it changes nothing." She shifted her gaze to one of the two men, "But it is just words…useless words…that solve nothing." She studied the other man. "You two are brothers, are you not?" Their eyes widened in surprise, as she had just mentioned something that was unknown.

Tobias watched in half horror, half wonderment as she continued her tirade. By the time she had finished, she had them all eating out of her hands—and just a bit short from bowing at her feet and groveling. He noticed that she could have brought them to that, yet she had withheld some of her power. To do that, she would have exhausted herself.

Pierre had watched the whole scene unfold from a distance. As Angel returned to her table with Tobias, Pierre knew he was madly in love with the woman. "I must have her." He muttered under his breath.

"Are you ok, Angel?" He leaned in to whisper to her. She gave a small nod as a reply. Tobias glanced back to the crowd she had just spoken to, they all looked either half lost without further guidance from her or half ashamed for their outburst.

Just then an announcement came for all cast associated with the club scene to report to set. Angel glanced over to a group leaving the tent. "That's my cue."

"How many scenes are you shooting this afternoon?" Tobias asked.

Angel reached for her schedule. "Three scenes and then we're nearly back on Pierre's intended schedule."

"No more steamy scenes, I hope." Tobias replied nervously.

She shook her head, knowing what he meant, "The seduction scene is the steamiest one in the whole movie. This club scene involves a bit of some erotic dancing, but since it's a scene early on in the movie…it's supposed to be lighthearted yet a hint of things to come." Tobias nodded and followed her to the set.

Erik sauntered up to his room late in the afternoon. The whole ordeal with Chancellor Cheyvon had left him exhausted. He kicked off his shoes and replayed a part of the conversation with the man.

"I wish to not ask you about the mask, but I sense it is to hide something you are not keen to discuss."

"It's a disfigurement." Erik offered to Araphim's subliminal curiosity.

Araphim nodded. "I'm sure Angel knows of it?"

"She…" Erik stopped. Having to explain what Angel thinks of him made him hesitant in wonderment to her reactions to his disfigurement.

"She'll marry you despite her fear of it?" Araphim misread his hesitance.

Erik shook his head, "No, it's not that…" He sighed and set himself to explain. "For Angel and only for Angel…do I willingly remove my mask. The first time I did so, she gasped, wept and then…" He couldn't bring himself to tell how that night ended. "But since then…when a situation puts her into duress, the sight of my deformity puts her at ease. Quite the opposite of everyone else's reactions."

Erik knew full well that Araphim's curiosity to set his eyes on what the mask hid was just beneath the surface. "No one but her shall ever see the monster…not while I live." His eyes were captured by his violin. Suddenly he was filled with an unsupressable urge to compose a melody inspired by Angel—and for her alone.

By the time rehearsals had ended that day, Meg felt as if she wanted her legs to just fall off on the spot. But yet she was proud of herself. She was now able to perform her part in the first two acts flawlessly. The amount of confidence she held at the moment allowed her to believe that by opening night, all three acts would be like second nature to her.

"Meg, you were awesome!"

"Yeah, but my feet AND legs ache like the dickens!" Meg replied to Claire.

Claire softly giggled. "Am I giving you a ride home?"

"I would like to invite you to dinner." Meg offered. During lunch she had called home seeking permission from everyone to do so.

"Oh I would love to. Hanging out with you outside of…ya know…would just be so much fun!" Claire avoided talking about Angel. Meg smiled.

"Well let's go!" The drive home was short and once they arrived, Meg spent the first ten minutes introducing Claire to Andrew, Finn, and her mother. "Angel isn't home yet?"

"No dear." Marie replied.

"Oh, where's Erik?" Meg looked around.

"Been locked up in his room all afternoon…composing." Marie revealed.

Meg's jaw hit the floor, "No way!" Marie simply nodded.

"Even with the starting and stopping and the repetitiveness, it has sounded so incredible." Andrew added.

"Well, let's go up to my room, Claire. Mum, call us when dinner is ready!" Meg had already bounded for the stairs and didn't see her mother nod.

Erik's music completely filled the house by the time Tobias and Angel arrived home. She strolled into the living room behind Tobias caught in the midst of laughing at a joke from him. Andrew looked up from the couch in time to see her touch Tobias's arm just a little too personally. "Angel?"

She turned at the sound of her name, still caught up in the liveliness of the situation. "Father…oh you have got to hear the joke that Father Bennett just made up." She turned back to Tobias, "Go ahead; you just have to tell him."

Tobias sighed, but obliged. Within moments he had Andrew and Finn in stitches. That's when the music penetrated into Angel's mind. She instantly recognized the sounds of the violin. Marie had entered the room then to see what the laughter was about.

"Marie! Is he…?" She was suddenly breathless.

"Since this afternoon, Angel." Andrew had answered instead. Angel spun on her heel and was immediately ascending the stairs.

"She must miss him terribly." Finn commented.

Tobias still had his jacket on, "Well. I won't be joining you for dinner tonight. I shall be going out to dinner with an old acquaintance of mine." Tobias said his goodbye and left.

Angel reached her room—the room she shared with Erik. Quietly she opened and shut the door behind her. Erik was completely lost in composing, only to stop and write something in fury—yet he would easily pick up the music where he left off. Angel stood leaning against the door as she watched him—entranced by what he created.

Incredible. She vaguely thought. Soon she felt the heat within her, the same heat that was spawned from the erotic scene she had filmed that morning. Before too long, she found herself taking cautious steps toward him. "Erik…" She let her power into her voice, letting it wrap around the sound of music that he was lost to. "…look at me…" After she spoke again, his eyes slowly opened. Normally he'd be startled or upset at being disrupted—but Angel was using her power against him. She took the moment to eye him up and down like eye candy. "…come to me, Erik…" Slowly she held out her hand to him.

The moment her voice first drifted to him, overcoming the music, he fell victim to her power. He shifted from the sensation of the music to the sensation of her. Before she spoke the third time, he had set his violin upon his desk and was already drawing closer to her—not bothering to see if he had set his instrument down carefully. That voice. It was such a pull on him, he could not resist. She wanted him and he couldn't deny her. To deny the celestial beauty reaching out to me would allow others to see that I am disobedient. As an obvious display of role status, Erik stepped fully to her, and then allowed her to lead them to the bed. "Angel?"

"You're Angel…" She spoke giving him permission to verbally speak of possession of her.

"My Angel…" He began.

"Make love to me, Erik." She pulled back the power from her voice, allowing him to take the lead again. He reached up and removed the mask, clearly aware that her eyes closed instantly. He knew however, that she trembled as his one hand removed the mask and his other hand soared over her flesh.

The power laced within her voice was no longer needed. Erik made a mental note to talk with her about using him that way, but at the moment he was controlled by lust. In moments he had her topless and his lips crushed her lips before scattering amongst her mounds of flesh.

Suddenly, things became very steamy between them. He peeled her free from her remaining clothes and allowed her to do the same to him. They had been apart all day, and though they have done it before, the reunion at the end of the day resulted in the same passion that they endured now.

When Angel cried out for him, he eagerly answered her—with actions only. In moments, with her as the instrument, Erik hungrily created music of a different kind. He made love to her many times before, but that night, the sensation of her body joined with his ignited passion more explosive than he assumed anyone could achieve. Their union seemed to last for eternity, yet sometime during the late evening, they had fallen asleep.

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