It was hours before the girl had exhausted herself, before she had collapsed against him, her nerves burnt out. Erik had not been able to say anything as Christine had rattled off a list of names and random, half-finished thoughts in a fit of sobbing. She had held fast to the lapels of his suit, murmuring her confession into his chest.

When it had all become too much, Christine had boiled over, her nerves too frazzled to continue. Erik had felt her thundering heartbeat against his own chest and had cradled her shaking body as she'd told him only a part of the world's weight that she'd been carrying on her shoulders. Her voice had quieted, and he had smoothed his hands up and down her back, desperate to comfort her. He had no idea of what he could say, he just continued to soothe her. Erik moved back just enough so that he could look at her face, not at all surprised to find that within moments of the end of her tirade, she had fallen asleep.

Erik smoothed the hair back from her face and cupped her cheek. The skin around her eyes was still red and swollen, the salted remains of her tears clung to her cheeks. Erik kept the girl cradled against his chest for several minutes as she slept. He was unsure of what to do with her, but decided that she would remain there as his guest, nevermind what she had said before.

Erik was careful not to move too quickly or make a sound as he lifted Christine and moved to carry her down the hall, towards the guest bedroom. She felt too light in his arms, she had not been eating well. With all care, Erik laid Christine down on the spare bed, and he kneeled down at her bedside.

I do not understand everything that has happened to you, Christine, but I give you my promise that I will save you, no matter what the cost.

The only liberty Erik took with her body was to plant a kiss both on the inside of her wrist and over her palm, sealing his word.

He left the room after covering her with a blanket, and then went into his own bedroom. Erik locked his door in case Christine might wonder in, and then finally removed his mask, setting it on the top of his dresser.

It was late, and he was very tired, but for the sake of the girl sharing his home, Erik struggled to recall the names that she had sobbed to him.

Rebecca, Raoul, Michael, Francesca, Meghan…I couldn't understand her, she was hysterical. Oh, Christine, if you cannot tell me what is hurting you, then you leave me no choice but to find out for myself. I only pray that I can save you…

Christine awoke several times that night, breaking free from one nightmare only to be pulled down into another, each more horrible than the last. She could take no more, and so refused to succumb to sleep again. Exhausted, haunted eyes took in the room around her as she lay in bed.

In the darkness there was no light to guide her, she came to understand where she was by the scent of this unfamiliar room. It smelt of musk, water, earth and man; the clean, safe scent of Erik's home. Christine rose to sit on the edge of the bed. She brought a hand to her throbbing temples and grimaced; her cheeks were dry from the salt of hours of tears shed, her lips and eyes were still swollen.

How long had it been since Erik had carried her away and put her to bed? Christine had no memory of him carrying her in, but she knew that he had for she had no memory of coming into this room by her own volition.

What did I tell him last night…? She wondered.

It was useless; the blurred memories of the night before were returning quickly. It had been a moment of intensity that had led to her breakdown. Now that she was calm and her mind was clear, Christine knew that it had been coming for months. That her fury and true despair had erupted upon Erik…

I told him everything…God, Erik, what you must think of me…

Shame, strong and painful lanced through her chest. She was mortified, humiliated. Christine felt that if Erik were to come to her then, and if his eyes should light upon her with concern, or worse, pity, she could very well die.

It would be a blessing, a release from it all, but Christine did not have the right to renege on the promise she made to herself.

She stood from the bed and shifted her weight from one leg to the other as a wave of dizziness swept over her. How long had it been since she'd eaten? How long had it been since she'd truly slept? Christine took several deep breaths and searched for a way to tell the time. Her room was pitched in darkness, with only a bit of light coming in from under the door to the hallway. There was no clock in the room, she would have to leave the privacy and darkness to gain her bearings, but Christine could not find the courage in herself to face Erik.

Erik, who now knew the truth of the woman under his roof…

She could not see him, she was disgusted with herself, just as he undoubtedly was. She had to get away from him, to escape from his gentle embraces, his soothing voice of comfort. She had to get away, she could not presume on the man's kindness any longer.

Christine didn't deserve him.

Carefully, Christine slunk out of the spare bedroom and padded down the hallway. Erik had not stripped her of her shoes as he had the night before when she had fallen asleep; the only items she needed to recover were her purse and also her coat. The idea had come to her to leave it, just as she was leaving Erik, but the snow flurries she could see in the window made her think twice.

It was freezing outside, it would be suicide to leave dressed as she was in her simple sweater and jeans.

Christine took her coat and slung her purse over her shoulder. She made not a sound as she slinked out the front door and closed it softly behind her. She was clever, sly, stealthy.

Erik nodded his approval from the shadows as he watched her depart. He listened and then heard the ding of the elevator. It was only after he was certain that she had left that Erik poured himself a glass of scotch, and toasted to the empty apartment.

"To Christine Daae, soon to be the woman in my life."

"Seems to me that your girl has had it pretty rough the last few years,"

Erik sat, motionless on his sofa. The man across from him was someone that he trusted, a rarity in Erik's life. Charles Maddrox, once known as 'Mad Maddrox' in his former precinct, was an older man; retired now at 73, he had a stern face and a gently receding hairline, his youth had been sapped by a career in the New York police department. Erik trusted him in a way honed from years of companionship.

Maddrox had been the officer on duty when the call was made, perhaps thirty years ago, to take Erik into protective services. They had maintained a steady friendship since that time, though Erik was loathe to recall his past.

"Tell me everything," he implored.

Maddrox sipped the coffee that Erik had provided. "I don't have to tell you a thing, boy."

Erik's eyes flashed. "I'm not a boy. In case you haven't noticed, I've been a man for a few decades already." He said dryly. "I didn't ask you over to argue over ages."

Maddrox raised his gray eyebrows. "No, Erik, you called me last night at two in the morning and demanded that I get back in touch with my contacts in the precinct. You didn't ask too nicely, I might add."

"The girl, Maddrox. Tell me,"

He sighed, "All right, all right. Look, I went through my usual contacts through the P.I. network and from there this wild goose chase put me in with national CPS and then into SVU. Your girl has a lot of history,"

"I'm sorry, I'm a little behind on this season of Law & Order. Enough with the initials, just tell me what you've found." Erik demanded, true anger coloring his voice. He had no time for games; he needed all of Christine's story so that he could help her.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, kid. I did you the favor, try to remember that. Now look, I was trying to tell you. This girl has been in trouble since she was about thirteen, I have a buddy who works in SVU- that's Special Victims Unit- and he was able to pull her record." Maddrox informed him, pulling out his briefcase and removing a manila file folder.

"Now, it's not strictly regulation to do this, in fact it's illegal. I had to tell him that I was acting as a private dick for some broad uptown. You can have that file for one day, just one, but I think for you that should be plenty." Maddrox winked as he stood up to leave.

Erik rose as well and walked him out. "Maddrox, thank you for this. I just want to help her,"

Charles nodded and put on his coat, secured the scarf around his collar. "I know you do, Erik. I had a look at the file on the way over here from the precinct. Hell, if anyone could use a friend, it's your girl."

Erik nodded as Charles left his apartment, and he took a deep breath as he eyed the file resting on his coffee table. Could he do this? To invade Christine's privacy…it was wrong, if she should find out…

But perhaps Maddrox had been exaggerating? No. The man was not prone to embellishment. Erik brought his fingertips to his temple in a slight massage. The night before had been troubling to him- after putting Christine to bed he had called Charles and more or less demanded that he find out everything he could about her past to better explain to him what she had been through.

It was wrong, it wasn't fair to her…but she had left. Erik was no fool. If Christine had been willing to explain to him, she would have stayed through into the morning. She had left to avoid him; Christine had no intention of explaining herself. Erik had watched as she'd slunk from his home like a thief in the night.

What other choice do I have?

Erik strode over to the sofa and removed his mask. He was home, he was alone- he didn't care about his face except when in the company of others. Steeling himself, Erik opened the file and began to read Christine's past.

One Week Later

Diamond stalked backstage into the dressing room, naked and energized from the vigorous moves that she'd used onstage. To better avoid Erik, she had taken the day shifts and usually she arrived home by 5 o'clock rather than close to two in the morning every night. She was already sleeping better because of the schedule change, though nightmares continued to visit her.

It had been several days since that awful scene she'd made in his home, she still cringed whenever she thought about it. It had been shameful to become so upset and vulnerable to him, to release all of her fury and pain to him. It wasn't fair to Erik, he had only shown her kindness since the moment that they'd met. He only wanted to cook for her, to have her in his home so that he wouldn't be so lonely.

Diamond looked at herself in the mirror. Was that all he'd wanted?

Christine shook her head, unsure of how to answer the question. Erik might have wanted more than the friendship they'd come to share, but he'd never advanced on her, he'd not even mentioned his intentions to her.

She sighed and began to take off the stage makeup that made her Diamond to the world. Christine had had more time on her hands since she had changed her work schedule and stopped seeing Erik, but it was time ill spent. To stop herself from spending money, she rarely did anything productive or particularly fun.

The night before she had taken a walk down 5th Avenue, just to see the world-famous boutiques, but she hadn't touched a thing or even set foot inside any of the shops. She feared being treated like trash by the saleswomen.

Erik had fed her, warmed her, given her gifts and allowed her to stay overnight not once, but twice, and how had she reacted? By accusing him, by ranting at him and ultimately leaving him. Her own actions upset her, she hated the person that she had allowed herself to become, but it was far too late by now. She hadn't heard a word from May, and Erik hadn't sought her out on his own yet, so she could only assume that it was all over. Erik might have even moved on to another girl by now.

Christine didn't want to think about why the idea hurt her so much.

"So, Diamond, tonight's the big night, huh?"

She turned to see Summer at the other end of the counter, she herself was removing her makeup.

"Sorry, what do you mean?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten all about your big date! Tawny said that a client was taking you out to see Cats or something like that. What's up? I mean, you're still going, right?"

Christine removed the last traces of her makeup and sighed. "Um…well, I was going to, but things haven't really been working out all that well…"

Summer nodded and pulled her hair into a quick, messy ponytail and then moved to pull on a sweater. "Say no more, I get it. He's married, right?"

Christine shrugged absently, "I don't know. As wonderful as he is, yes, he probably is."

Summer frowned. "Hey, come on Diamond, chin up. We got into this business for the money, remember that. This is all for money, not to meet Prince Charming. You and I both know that there's no such thing, just guys with enough money to pay your rent."

Christine nodded and moved to her locker to pull on some clothes.

"Yo, Blondie,"

Christine had just pulled on her jeans and fastened her bra, she turned around to find May standing in the doorway. Cigarette smoke was wafting about in the air around her, creating a strange sensual mystique, undeserving of such a coarse subject. The older woman stepped further into the room and took a final drag before tossing the butt onto the tile floor. Her hair was a different shade, this time around it was darker, almost burgundy, and she seemed much thinner than the last time Christine had seen her.

May was the manager but she preferred as little contact as possible with the dancers- she was rarely seen outside of the office and almost never came out to the club floor, much less the strippers' private dressing room.

Christine narrowed her eyes. "Me?"

May rolled her eyes in return, "Shit yeah, I'm talkin' to you. You're seeing Erik tonight, he called and said he hasn't seen you around lately. Now why is that? You find another John to take care of you? Some wrinkly old bastard whose dick is too shriveled to use you?"

Christine's mouth fell open at her questions. "What are you-? No, I didn't find someone else or anything, I just-"

"Good, then you'll see Erik tonight." May declared as she turned to leave.

"Wait, no, May you don't understand. I can't see him," Christine tried.

May whirled on her. "Oh, yes you will see him, Diamond. I already asked if he wanted another girl, but he said no. 'I only want to see Christine', that's what he just told me on the phone. He invited you out, and you're going. You're going, or you're out on your ass. The bouncer won't even let you clean off your counter space, you understand me? I'll make it so the closest club you can work will be in Jersey!"

Christine faltered. "You know I need this job,"

May regarded her steadily. "Then you know where you'll be tonight."

May handed her a slip of paper with an address written on it. Christine took it, helpless and once again, trapped by May's ultimatum.

"I thought so. Erik said that was the address of some fancy place. Why he would take you there, I have no idea, but I promise that if you embarrass him at all and I hear about it, you'll be gone. You understand me?"

Beaten, and close to tears, Christine nodded.

"Good, now get going," May barked. Christine shuffled out of the dressing room, and May turned to Summer, who was still in her seat before the mirrored counter. The golden blonde was a little shocked at the exchange between them; Christine had obviously had no choice in meeting this friend of May's, but why was she allowing herself to be forced into this type of situation?

May gingerly touched her overdyed waves and put a hand to her temple for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked at Summer for a few moments. "Hey there Katherine. Listen, I need you to do a favor for me tonight, all right?"

Why am I doing this? How did things come to this? I had a home once, parents, friends, a life!

Christine fought against her tears as the emotion closed her throat. She shook her head and took several deep breaths; in an effort to distract herself, she looked out the window of the taxi and watched as people and places passed by.

Erik had put May up to forcing her to meet with him, but why should Christine be surprised? He'd done it once before, of course he could do it again. She swallowed and allowed herself a few moments to let the tension ebb from her mind.

If Erik wanted to play out his fantasy of taking her on a real date, she had no choice but to let him. Crystal had mentioned that men often did that- bring escorts and strippers to upper echelon affairs simply to bolster their own confidence. Somehow, Christine hadn't thought that Erik would be so weak. She had thought he was different.

I'm nothing like those other men!

He had claimed to be so different, so noble, but she could see the truth now. Erik was only a man. Christine could not hate him for simply being what he was, but her own disappointment was crushing. Still, she had not been forced into the stripping business to find Prince Charming, it had been for the money, just as Summer had said.

I just wish...God, why couldn't you have been real?

Christine swallowed her tears and pulled a compact from her purse and looked herself over. The makeup that she'd applied at home appeared to be intact, hopefully it would stay that way for the rest of the night. Tawny's little black dress had fit her perfectly; she would have to make sure that Erik didn't rip it when the time came for him to-

"Here we are, miss,"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. The cab was stopped before 21, a landmark of New York City in and of itself. Christine stared at the beautiful townhouse for a moment before blinking and then paying the driver. Quickly, she stepped out onto the sidewalk, careful not to step into any puddles. She pulled her coat more tightly to stave off the biting chill, and suddenly felt thankful that she'd arranged her hair into a twist rather than let it loose in the wind.

Christine hurriedly stepped inside and was greeted by a chic hostess. "I heard it would start snowing later tonight,"

Christine nodded at the young woman, feeling at least comfortable enough to speak to her as an equal. She was not a stripper there in the foyer of the elegant brownstone; she was chic herself, a refined young woman to meet a man for dinner. Thinking of Erik calmed her nerves somehow, though she had no idea what she could possibly say to him to explain her abhorrent behavior from the past week.

She wondered if he would care to hear anything she said, or if he would rather just hurry on to the main event of the night.

"It hasn't started yet, but you know it's on it's way," Christine replied, happy that her voice remained free of trembling.

The hostess nodded, "Well I just hope it doesn't start until my shift is over, I have a long drive back home. What about you?"

I have a long cab ride back to Chinatown, she thought dismally, but she only said, "Same here."

Small talk taken care of, the hostess got down to business, "All right then, I'll bet you're ready to eat and be back before the flurries start. Are you alone or are you expecting a party?"

Christine swallowed. "I…I'm meeting Erik Latour, but I don't know if he's here or not."

The hostess nodded and looked through a reservation log. She looked up again, smiling, "We have him right here, confirmed a 7 o'clock reservation for two, and he arrived at 6:50. He's a regular here, and he's usually early. Right now, he's in the lounge, probably drinking a Latour- he has a drink named after him, did he ever tell you?" The hostess asked as she led Christine through a hallway and into a fine, elegant room that screamed of wealth and history.

Signed photographs of celebrities lined the walls, as did little articles of memorabilia. Plush leather chairs were scattered about the room, paired or placed into a group of three. There were men and women of all ages, everyone bright and chatting happily with each other. Envy came over her- the people there in the lounge all seemed so far removed from what she had been through in the past half of her life, it didn't seem fair at all.

No one took much notice as the hostess led her across the room, toward the authentic fireplace where a man stood facing the flames, his back showing to the room. Christine didn't need the hostess to direct her, she knew the shape of Erik. It was easy, perhaps far too easy for her to recognize the lines that his lean figure cut in his finely tailored black suit.

As they approached from the side, Christine set her eyes on the exposed half of his face. He was staring at the fire within the grate, the flames bronzing his skin and gilding his eyes. He appeared so normal standing there, just another man in the lounge, simply enjoying a drink as he awaited his dinner guest.

The hostess spoke, "Mr. Latour?"

Erik turned at the sound of his name, his stark white mask swiveling into view. His golden eyes widened slightly at the sight of Christine. She felt her heartbeat speed up in reaction to the expression that his exposed face held for her. His eyes softened, his mouth quirked into a sad, slightly awkward smile. Obviously, he hadn't expected her to come back, though he had to have known she had no choice. Christine felt her stomach clench in strange anxiety.

Erik moved toward her and held out his hand. She swallowed and forced a slight smile to her face as she placed her hand into his. "I'm so glad that you've come," he said quietly.

She inclined her head. "You knew I would."

Erik didn't say anything, though his eyes flashed at her. The hostess led them to their table.