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

Summary: ErikRaoul slash (finally). Story continuation of A Mask for All Occasions. Inspiration has its price.

Warning(s): cursing (I usually only put cursing here because I in an A/N might just accidentally curse… I don't think there's any cursing in the story though), violence (there is definitely violence though)

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

Story note:

A/N: LOL… hmm, I don't know why I thought that w/e would be something else. Thanks for responding though.

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Unmasking the Chains

Chapter 12

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By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

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Erik's POV

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Last time:

The week passed pitifully the same. I would wander restlessly around the opera house letting my mind similarly wander. I had not seen the Comte. He was quite elusive. I was certain he was avoiding me, but how would he even begin to know how to. It was frustrating, so I decided that patience was my only recourse. I did not want to leave my opera house to go their estate. It seemed unnecessary to me even though the thought recurred often as I wandered the hallways. I avoided my organ again. Something was wrong with me. Something was bothering me, but whatever it was, I had to ignore it. Tonight was the night.

Tonight was the final day in my ultimatum to Raoul. Tonight would be the night that determined everything that occurred from here on. Tonight was the masquerade. I left my costume out and headed upstairs to watch the guests enter. I could change into Red Death later. For now, I wanted to see if Raoul would finally make an appearance.

o.o.o

I quickly straightened my suit and adjusted the full mask I was wearing. I had decided that I wanted to be able to mingle. I did not actually want to, but I wanted the option. Moreover, if I wanted to talk to Raoul, I could not just kidnap him so would have to be unrecognizable to everyone else lest someone recognize me. I would not want to ruin the masquerade too early.

Thinking about it, maybe I could just kidnap Raoul. A masquerade was filled with people and had much activity. Surely, the managers would not miss the Vicomte for a short period of time. I considered it as I made my way up.

Of course, the first place I headed towards was Christine's room. I wanted to see what she was doing. I visited her now to remember what my goal was. She was my goal. I could not lose sight of that. I already knew that I would for at least once this night, especially since the Vicomte was here. I would forget my goal was Christine and focus on the Vicomte. Tonight's attention to him was necessary though. I had to make sure he would break his engagement so that I had an easier path to Christine. It was all for her.

When I arrived, she was standing in front of the full-length mirror, my passageway, looking at herself and fiddling with her hair. She looked beautiful in her dress, but then again, she looked beautiful in almost anything. I had to admit that Christine had always been pretty. It was one constant about her. It was what lay behind her beauty that was mercurial.

She made a face as though something had just occurred to her. She left the mirror only to return with a necklace. I wondered why she had to put it on in front of this mirror. She usually only used this one to look at herself in a dress. There was a mirror where her jewelry was held; it only made sense to put it on there. She finally clasped the necklace and I realized why she had come here to put on it.

It was the ring. It was her engagement ring. It was the ring that determined what the future held. As long as it was in her hands, she would forever make both the Vicomte and me unsure of our future. She would use us as she saw fit because she knew what it meant to both of us. She had already been playing the Vicomte. The boy had thought that he loved her. At least he redeemed himself. He had come to his senses after seeing his folly. She had been playing me as well. I had thought I loved her once. I was no longer sure, but what I felt for her was as strong as love. If it was not love, then I could learn to love her, just as she could learn to love me. There would be no redemption for me.

She was mocking me. She could not be sure I was behind the mirror, but there was no other reason to put on her jewelry here. It was as though she wanted to make me mad. It was as though she was baiting me. I would not rise to the bait, but I wondered what she was planning. Did she think that her engagement to the Vicomte was unchangeable? She would get a surprise.

Still I could not help but feel angry with her. I left to go look for Raoul. I would make certain he was going to break the engagement and remind him that there were consequences if he did not. If he managed to hurt her in the process, then it was simply an added bonus.

I waited by the entrance watching as people entered.

These people were annoying and insipid creatures. Laughing and drinking in excessive amounts, they were too ignorant to fully understand how blessed they actually were. I watched as a spectator as everyone celebrated. A spectator was all that I ever could be. Tonight of all nights I could walk among them undisturbed, but it was not the same. I would still be a spectator. I would never truly be a part of them.

The dream came to mind. I had not felt a part of society in that dream as well, and I had not even been deformed. It did not give me much hope. But if I thought about it, I might as well have been just a random person of society. The only thing that had held me back was the memory of my deformity. I should have been able to fit right in, but I had not wanted to. Those people had no interest in who I really was. Why would I want to be associated with them? That train of thought should apply to the present, but I still felt envy upon looking at these people.

It occurred to me that also similar to the dream, I was searching for someone. Right now, though I was only searching for Raoul because I had important business with him pertaining to Christine. Though I was certain that Christine had not been the one for whom I was searching.

I perused the room. The managers were making their circuit around the opera house greeting people and dragging scantily clad women to grope along the way. Piangi and Carlotta were trying to find her fans. In Carlotta's mind, everyone was her fan, so she was fully enjoying herself. Madame Giry was keeping an eye on everyone, but she was beginning to relax as well. Music and alcohol will do that to a person. Everyone was lost in their drunkenness and joy.

I wondered why I could not have just a piece of their happiness. Was it so horrible of me to expect that much? It must be.

I looked at the people laughing and acting like fools behind their masks. Those masks for them were an escape. They had less restraint when they wore those masks. Would they ever realize that a mask was more of a chain than any physical manacle? I doubted it. It was something that one realizes all too late. It was something one learns when a mask is the first piece of clothing given to them. I wore a mask everyday and felt no freer for it. Today, the mask was different, but it was still a necessity.

I watched the fireworks distractedly through the window.

The anger I had felt was so fleeting. It had already passed. I could not stay mad at Christine because it would only consume for no purpose. I could not have anyone else. I could not stay mad at her because she was my goal. Without her, I might as well be stuck in that dark oblivion of my dreams.

I could not stay mad at Raoul because… because… I did not know why. I just could not keep my anger towards him. Not since that morning a month ago. Not since I realized he had fooled me. He had never truly done anything horrible to me. We had just both desired the same thing at the same time. It was unfortunate at best.

Oddly enough, the object of my musings finally entered the building. I paused in my thoughts as I observed him.

Had he been on vacation? He looked quite pale actually. Maybe he had put powder on his face. I doubted it though. Something seemed off about him. On the surface, he looked perfect. Any indication that something was different would be unseen by anyone else. From me though, he could not hide so easily. It was difficult though. I had barely only started to develop the ability to read him when he disappeared for a month. He disappeared suspiciously for a month. Now, he came back and once again, something suspicious is occurring with him. Why was everything surrounding the boy lately questionable?

I looked towards the entrance again expecting another person, but he appeared to have come alone. Such a shame, I had hoped that the Comte had come as well. I had wanted to see him since I first heard of his presence. There was something odd occurring with the Comte as well. I had not seen him in a whole week. I would know everything about any other person who stayed a week in my opera house, but not him. Honestly, I had been more than a little distracted by the dream the past week, but still, that did not explain why I had not even caught a glimpse of him.

Did Raoul just flinch when someone bumped into him?

I wanted to move closer to really see his expression, but I was fairly certain that he was scared. From so far away, I could only see his neutral expression. I could only see the face he wanted to show. I could only see his mask. For a split second though, he flinched.

Who was he scared of? Me?

He could not be that terrified of me. He had not been when we last spoke. In fact, I had been taken aback with how much he was not afraid of me. He had approached me.

I watched him, transfixed with his behaviour. Something must have happened. But what? Sure, he smiled and walked very much like the old Vicomte but while everything seemed in place, I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Watching him, I just felt uneasy as though something was right before my eyes, but I could not see it. I knew I was staring but could not help it. I feared that the moment I looked away, I would lose sight of what was bothering me. I would lose the ability to see it.

I moved closer to him as I followed his movements into the building. Having a bird's eye view was not beneficial for what I had planned. I needed to be certain of what I had seen. To test my observations, I moved close enough to bump into him. Surely enough, the mask fell for just a moment and he flinched. Had I not been looking so intently, I would have missed the reaction. He had flinched though. He laughed uneasily and walked quickly away.

I trailed him and watched as he kept a fair amount of distance between himself and everyone near him. It should have been conspicuous when everyone was so drunk they draped themselves over anyone available, but he somehow moved confidently enough for it to seem normal. He was… I lost whatever thought it was when I realized a part of what had been bothering me. He was not walking normally.

This was truly interesting. Raoul was full of mysteries tonight. Actually, this person who walked through my halls was neither the Raoul nor the Vicomte roles I had seen. The question rose again. What had happened to him?

I followed him fascinated with his behaviour. I waited eagerly to see what I would discover next. When I realized that I had begun to clear the space behind him unconsciously, I had to exert some effort to stop myself since I was helping him. He did not notice though, but I wondered why I felt that it was my duty to somehow protect him. I let the distance between us grow. I was becoming distracted. He could deal with his own problems. I only had to watch him to ascertain if he would really break the engagement.

I watched his back as the distance between us grew larger. I began to feel restless. I wanted to follow him. The urge was almost unbearable. I was so focused on him that I did not even see anyone else. I did not notice when people accidentally nudged my shoulder. It would usually annoy me, but I noticed none of it. Raoul stopped walking and looked around the room. I caught sight of the look on his face, and my feet moved of their own accord. He looked lost and frightened. I moved closer to him. I realized faintly that I knew that expression from the conversation we had once shared. He looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

I was getting closer, but he seemed to compose himself long enough to move over to an empty alcove. I moved in the shadows near the alcove so that I could watch him unnoticed. I was thankful that the darkness in the opera house was often enough to hide a person. I doubted he would have noticed me anyway. He was busy focusing on his breathing. Deep breathes.

"Breathe slower. Deeply."

The words I had spoken to him that day echoed in my mind. I had also felt the need to protect him then too. I could have simply watched him hyperventilate. Instead, the words reached him and he responded. Now, I had at least controlled the words. He did not know I was following him. It would have only served to make him panic more. A part of me doubted that reaction, but I did not want to test that. This person was not Raoul. He was someone else.

It seemed so long ago that we had talked. We had not seen each other in a month and it felt as though everything had changed. He seemed changed. I could not explain it, but even though he looked the same, there were facets about him that I could not rightfully name that seemed different. It was unnerving. I had not known what to expect from the Raoul I had discovered a month ago. What could I possibly expect from this person in front of me right now? Would he keep the promise made a month ago to break the engagement or is this person like the Vicomte? I wondered if this person was a friend or foe.

I scoffed at the wording my mind provided. He would be a foe no matter what. The better question would have been is he a rival for Christine's affection or will he leave her be. I hoped it was the latter. I was tired of fighting. I would do it if necessary, but the struggle was becoming so tedious. It was forcing me to be someone I did not want to be. Once the Vicomte stepped aside, I could stop being the monster. I could stop playing these roles. I hoped I could.

I watched him as he watched the others almost wistfully. Thinking he was alone, I noticed that he let down his guard again. It was good that all masks were difficult to maintain all the time. I appreciated the opportunity to gauge his reaction. He watched the others sadly. He was nothing like the arrogant Vicomte. That was comforting. I decided that it would be best if I just approached my problem directly. I would simply speak with him, threaten him, and hope he followed orders. There was no reason to kidnap him.

I was about to step out when Christine walked up to Raoul. I pulled back into the shadows.

He jumped slightly when Christine grasped his bicep. He was so nervous. Did he think I would assault him during the masquerade? I had given him until the masquerade, so I would not harm him until the night was through. I had some honour in my current state.

"Raoul," Christine smiled at him.

I rolled my eyes. That was a fake smile. I could tell nowadays. She smiled honestly with Meg sometimes, but with me and Raoul, she only gave the conditioned response she had developed. She would smile for him because he was supposed to be her fiancé, so that was the way she was supposed to react in his presence. Given the people and the surroundings, she would smile, frown, cry, or sing in my presence because I was all things evil and mysterious, so that was the way she was supposed to react to my presence.

I used to find the least bit of solace in her attention and was jealous every time she looked at someone else. Nowadays, I could only find a remnant of the anger or jealousy I had. It took too much effort, and I could never fully tell what Christine was thinking when she was with others especially with the Vicomte. I knew that she was opportunist. I knew that she would likely betray me given the right opportunity as she had before. If she could do so with me, I was certain she could do so to anyone else.

Now, I watched them and could only feel pity not only for the Vicomte, but for myself as well. It was a pity that we had placed our lots on a girl such as her. It was a pity that I only had her. At least the Vicomte would be able to find someone else. I hoped he would do the right thing. I hoped he would just move on because Christine was my last chance. He had others. He could find others, probably even better. I could kill him and put my fears aside, but my chances with Christine would be lowered. I convinced myself that that was the only reason I could not kill him.

He smiled at her and I wanted to beat some sense in him. If he could not even smile truthfully at her, he should never have tried to ask for her hand in marriage. His smile was painful to look at. I had forgotten that he could look like that. He could smile and look confident on the surface, but on the inside, it was the complete opposite. Something must have happened to him because there was something in his eyes that had not been there a month ago.

"You've been away for so long, love." Christine pouted.

I gritted my teeth at the endearment. I saw his jaw tense. I was suddenly relieved by that little indication. I was somehow now certain that he would break the engagement. He looked conflicted though.

He opened his mouth, and I thought that it would be over finally. I would be able to claim Christine as my own.

Christine saw he was about to open his mouth as well though, and she pulled him towards the crowd. He grimaced in what looked like pain and I trailed behind wondering what was wrong with him. Christine could not be holding his arm too tightly so that meant that some other part of him was injured. It would also explain why he was walking abnormally, but I could not be absolutely certain. It made sense though.

Maybe he was in a fight and had to be hospitalized. His absence and the lack of news could be explained by it. It could have been a disreputable sort of fight that his family would not want publicized. They kept it from the opera house as well because they knew Firmin knew any scandal would help the opera house.

As he choked out Christine's name painfully, I knew that the story was not true. I did not believe Raoul could do anything disreputable. Maybe it was not Raoul, but the Vicomte that seemed unable to do anything out of the norm. He seemed like the perfect Vicomte: his attitude, his look, his confidence. He would easily fit into the elitists that visited the opera house often. In fact, I had been surprised that he asked Christine to marry him. That had seemed completely out of character.

She slowed her pace and finally stopped to turn around and face him. He looked relieved. I quickly blended into the crowd, hoping not to be noticed. I did not know why I was so nervous when no one should be able to tell who I was. I moved a little closer to a distance where I could hear their conversation.

"Look," she held out the ring from her necklace.

He looked at it frowning slightly.

"Think of it. A secret engagement." She sounded honestly enthusiastic, but it still seemed false to me. I wondered if he would be affected. If he were, I would have to get to him. I would have to find a way to instill some fear of me in him. He was still frowning though. He must be annoyed still that their engagement was a secret. Had it been me in his place, I would have wanted to spread the word about an engagement, but it was not. As it was, I was glad she had not wanted to tell others. She could only cry to me when he broke it off.

She continued, "Look, your future bride. Just think of it."

"Christine," he said urgently trying to get her attention. He had cut off her statements, "Stop."

She looked at me oddly. She had not been expecting this. When she tried to drag him towards the dance floor though, I thought otherwise. She must have known. It was the reason why she was so adamant in keeping him from saying a complete sentence to her. How had she known though?

"Let's dance," she suggested.

She was so focused that she could not see him grimacing. She was hurting him again and I found myself wanting to make her stop no matter what happened. I considered just pushing her away, but Raoul seemed to grit his teeth and ignore the pain.

I watched as he stood his ground resolutely. He did not need to be encouraged by me. He seemed intent on keeping his promise. It was almost as though it was the only thing he had on his mind. He had not been distracted. I realized that he must have been looking through the opera house for Christine when he first entered. If he was so resolved now, I wondered what had kept him away in the first place. He could have broken off the engagement earlier. He could have had privacy, but instead he chose to do it now when Christine could distract him. Well, she could potentially distract him. Looking at his expression, I doubted it was possible.

"I need to talk to you," he said seriously.

Christine looked resigned. She finally released his arm. I could not understand it. I knew that Raoul kept his promise and kept the engagement a secret. If he had not, I was certain that the press would have heard news of it. There was no way then that Christine could have heard that he had been planning to break the engagement. I watched Raoul as he glanced towards the entrance of the opera house. There was a familiarity of the motion that made me realize that he was expecting someone, too.

The Comte. It had to be the Comte. If Raoul were going to tell someone about the engagement, he would tell someone he trusted. He would tell his family. He probably also told the Comte that he was going to break off the engagement. It would explain why the Comte was talking to Christine so much. There were some major gaps in what was actually happening with that family and Christine, but there was one thing I was certain of. Christine knew Raoul was going to break off the engagement.

Raoul seemed to be having problems finding the words, but after glancing at the door, he quickly spoke, "The engagement is off. I can't marry you. I don't want to."

I stared at him in shock. That was callous. That was not how I expected him to break it off at all. It was done though. They were words that were said in a way to hurt. Raoul had not only wanted to break off the engagement, he wanted to hurt her in doing so.

Three little sentences. I was grinning because she actually looked genuinely surprised. She had known, but I doubted she had prepared for an end to the engagement in that manner. I was almost proud of him.

He did not look relieved or anything though. If anything, he looked more anxious.

Christine turned around ready to storm away. When he realized she was leaving, he grabbed her arm. I wondered what more he could say. He could not want to hurt her more. That would be very cruel. Grabbing her arm though, he looked about ready to topple over. Whatever had been hurting him earlier was beginning to take its toll on him. Lucky for him she stopped. She looked angrily at him and there were tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. I could not quite discern if they were real or fake. I knew that they were not tears of sadness. They were either fake or tears of anger. She was furious with him, and I knew that whatever he stopped her for, better be something very important.

"What?" she spat.

I was surprised that he did not flinch. There was a resoluteness in him again that seemed to overpower any other emotion.

He held out his hand, "I would like the ring back please."

I stared at him in awe. I could not believe that he had actually asked for it back. I could understand why he wanted it, but he had money. He could easily buy his next fiancé a brand new ring. I wondered what sentimental value this particular ring held for him. It must be great in value for him to ask it from her directly after breaking off the engagement.

She reached up to hold the ring and for a moment, I actually thought she would return it without argument. Instead, she slapped him with all the strength she had. His head whipped to the right and she stormed away from him. He stumbled and this time I could not stop the reflex from reaching out. I subtly supported him as he finally caught himself. I quickly moved back out of the way. I wondered if he realized, but he looked disoriented. I doubted he even knew what had hit him. He flexed my jaw and his cheek reddened. He looked embarrassedly around finally conscious that there were other people around him. No one had really been paying attention, and I made certain I looked absorbed in some action as his gaze swept over me.

He belatedly realized that Christine had left. He searched the crowd desperately for any sign of Christine and I searched along with him, but she had disappeared. He looked about ready to fall, but somehow he found the energy to move forward. I found myself following him. What was it about the ring that he wanted it so badly? It was obvious that he was in no condition to be moving around so much.

He was so focused that he even stopped flinching when people bumped into him. I was glad that he was so focused. It made helping him easier. I followed him, but I had to stop looking for Christine in the process. I could only watch him. Though Raoul smiled and strode with some normalcy, there were moments when he would sway unsteadily, when he would misstep, when he would almost fall from being bumped too hard. They were all actions that could be explained with alcohol, but I knew he had not touched a single drop. I had to steady him every time. He was making a valiant effort himself so I had not needed anything more than a slight nudge or support, but it was needed all the same.

He literally ran into the managers one time though. They smiled and laughed as they welcomed him. I watched as he schooled his expression. He smiled and they did not suspect a thing. I thought that Firmin might be able to catch it, especially when Andre hit Raoul on the back. The Vicomte could not suppress the wince. The managers simply continued the conversation then moved on to the next guest.

It could not be any more obvious to me though. He looked tired, smile or no smile. He looked like it took sheer force to move his legs forward. Something was forcing him to search for the ring and I wondered what was driving him. He kept glancing towards the entrance, so I knew it had something to do with the Comte. What role the Comte played in all this was a mystery to me still though. Had I not been so worried, I would have been frustrated by the whole situation.

He finally stopped moving and I watched him. He looked like he was in so much pain. I wanted to do something. Then I realized I had been doing something. I had been helping him again without realizing it. I shook my head at my own actions. I should have left him alone the moment he broke the engagement. I did not care about the small details. I did not care that he wanted the ring so badly that he would push his own body to its limits. I only cared that he broke it off. That was where my dealings with him ended.

I had to force myself to look away from him. This was absurd. I had already predicted that I would become distracted by him at least once tonight, but I had not realized it would be this involved. I had been helping him.

I walked away resolutely. It was almost time for me to make my entrance. I was grateful I realized what I was doing soon enough. I would have been furious at myself if I let my distraction ruin my re-introduction to the opera house.

I quickly raced downstairs, my thoughts still focused on Raoul. Upon reaching my home though, I forced myself to forget about it. My purpose, my goal was within reach now. Whatever happened with the Vicomte would be none of my concern. I dressed in my costume and grabbed Don Juan Triumphant before making my way to the top of the stair well.

Entering, I realized it was much too easy to impress these people. Walking down the stairs, I looked at all their expressions. They all watched me in awe. I could have been a god among men; instead, I was the devil.

My eye was drawn away from the managers and Christine when someone moved. It was Raoul. He looked as though he had been trying to creep forward. He was headed towards Christine. I felt a little bad for having disrupted him. He finally found her only to be interrupted.

I cleared my throat to refocus myself. He turned to leave the room, and I briefly wondered where he was going.

I did not care about what happened with the Vicomte. I did not.

I threw my opera down the stairs and flinched. I had worked very hard on that opera and throwing it down the stairs like a petulant child was reckless. I moved forward though. Seeing the managers, Carlotta, Piangi, and Christine all in a row, I wondered if I could have planned this any better. I gave my instructions to the four and walked towards to Christine.

She looked at me not in fear. She was challenging me. Her eyes held no sign that she had been crying, and from the corner of my eye, I saw that she had been with some other man. She knew something. Christine already had another plan, one that she was confident in. She held my gaze evenly… very confident in.

I noticed the moment that Raoul returned to the room. I glanced at his direction, but he held his place. Though he had returned with a rapier, he stayed away. It was his indication that they were no longer attached. I was secretly relieved that he was still on his feet.

Then I realized that I was paying too much attention to him again.

In my annoyance, I acted before thinking. I leaned forward, annoyed with both Christine and myself, and whispered, "Your chains are still mine. You belong to me." I grabbed the ring and escaped the way I had planned.

I was lucky that I had already moved or else Raoul would have fallen on me. I was surprised that he was even able to move that fast. The trap door above him closed almost immediately. He somehow managed to stay on his feet upon falling, and I watched. What was I to do with him? I wanted to leave him alone, but he followed me. I knew I was making excuses. For some reason, I could not leave him alone, so I took the ring so that he would follow me. I had not thought about it, but I had also not expected him to be able to follow me.

He held his sword at ready, and I almost laughed. He could barely stand. I doubted he could handle it if we fought. So instead, I watched.

"Phantom," he called a little uncertainly.

I answered by moving to a place where he would notice me.

He turned but I had already moved.

"I need to talk to you," he spoke with a little more authority this time.

Everything I had been feeling about him since I first laid eyes on him started to rise within me. I was jealous about his good looks and station in life. I was envious of his relationship with Christine as a child. I was annoyed that I could not concentrate when he was near. I was angry that he had disappeared. I was disappointed that he had waited to the last day to keep his word. I was uncertain about why I reacted the way I did whenever he was around. The most prominent of those emotions however was confusion. I was confused about the way he acted, the reason he was giving up on Christine, the reason he disappeared, the reason he came back changed. I was confused about myself. There were so many questions left unanswered that it bothered me. It was consuming me.

I started to take out my frustration on him as I played with his mind. I allowed myself to be seen just barely. He turned each time to try to catch me, but I would not let him. It was a losing battle. He was in my territory and in my trap. I was the predator and he was the prey. It would be easy to kill him. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Madame Giry approaching. Raoul must have heard it as well for he turned toward her voice.

I quickly intercepted him and hurt him in the place where I assumed hurt the most. I kneed him in the abdomen. His mouth opened in a silent scream. It would seem that my assumption was correct. I only felt a slight pang of guilt for doing so, but I was still frustrated. He doubled over in pain and I used my elbow to hit him on the back of the head. He dropped to the floor grabbing his head.

He tried to curl up into a ball but not having any energy, he simply laid on the floor unmoving. He squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled something that sounded like 'Not again' before losing consciousness.

I had been planning on leaving him, but upon hearing those words, I picked him up. I managed to leave right at the moment that Madame Giry opened the door.

It was empty by the time she stepped in. She would know I had taken him and would inform the managers.

I had other things to worry about, the first of which was the blood that was now staining both Raoul's and my clothing.

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End ch12

word count: 6,003

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

That was a good/evil cliff hanger if you ask me!

Oh, I have a surprise for you in the next chapter. I'm not sure if it's a good surprise or not, but it'll explain a few things. :oP

Additionally, I have a holiday crackfic that I'm going to post. It's a short one that was only edited for grammatical errors and not bad storytelling, so don't expect too much. It'll only be 2 chapters.