A/N: Okay, so I lied. No, not really, I just realized how short the last chapter was and thought I'd give you all another chapter so you aren't too ticked off at me! PLEASE send me reviews!


Chapter Sixteen

Christine gasped and spun around. "Angel?" She narrowed her eyes, still unable to see anything in the darkness. She stepped forward, her right arm outstretched before her, feeling for him in the night.

Suddenly, she felt a hand in hers and she was pulled up onto a dark horse. Startled and completely out of breath, she whispered, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," came his voice in her ear, dark and slightly menacing.

"I…I am here b-because…because Raoul is gone on business, and…" she trailed off, feeling his warm body tense behind her.

"I see," he replied flatly. "Well, Mademoiselle Daae, perhaps I should escort you back to the house before you catch a chill out here." His voice was not at all friendly.

"I…I don't want to go back yet," she replied softly, blushing even as she spoke. She felt his breath on her hair, and she thought she might faint from the closeness of their contact. His hand rested on her waist, and her body felt feverish. Why do I feel this way whenever he is with me? she cried inwardly.

"Do NOT play games with me, child!" Erik bellowed in her ear, startling Christine nearly to tears. "Do not pretend," he then hissed, "that everything is fine between us. You made your choice, and you left me." He gripped her waist with his fingers, digging into her garments.

Christine was trembling with fear. "Angel, I…I…"

"I am not your angel, Christine. I am no one's angel. Please stop calling me that," he interrupted. His fingers loosened their grip.

"I am sorry…Erik," she said, turning slightly in the saddle to look at him. As she turned, she felt his breath on her cheek and she closed her eyes. She suddenly realized that she no longer felt ill or tired, but invigorated and alive. "Erik, I…I have wanted…to talk to you…to tell you everything." A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away…but not before Erik noticed it.

He could feel himself weakening in her presence. "Come," he said in a softer tone. "We will return Baptême du Feu to her stables." Christine looked down at the dark horse…she was as black as the night. "Baptism by fire?" she asked curiously.

"Yes," Erik replied as he turned the mare toward the stables. "She is beautiful…but she can certainly test one's resolve."

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Christine stood by the stable doors as Erik led the mare back in for the night. She watched him closely as he spoke to the horse, though she could not hear what he was saying. His tenderness with the animal was evident to her, and she felt her stomach flutter when he turned and met her gaze.

"I will walk you back to the house…and you can do your talking along the way…" he tensed his jaw and looked away, "…if that suits you."

Christine nodded. She was a bit sad when he did not offer her his arm. She swallowed hard and began, "This…this is very awkward for me."

Erik stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Really?" he said sarcastically. "I can't imagine why."

She frowned, and her lower lip began to tremble. "Erik, please, I…I haven't been well since…since that night. I haven't been sleeping well, or eating, and I have cried until I've made myself sick." She looked at him with tears brimming in her eyes. "I…I want to ask you to forgive me."

Erik's eyes blazed. "Forgive you?" he hissed. "Forgive you for leaving me there to die, to be killed by that mob or by the gendarmes? Oh, certainly. Well, that is that, then. You are forgiven. Is that all?" He was babbling like an idiot, and he knew it. He was furious and hurt at the same time, and it came out as sheer insanity.

Christine's mouth gaped open. She had clearly said the wrong thing. "Erik, I'm so, so sorry for what I did…it…it was not my intention to expose you and leave you there to… die." She bowed her head and let out a sob.

Erik tried to contain his anger. "But Christine, that is exactly what you did, whether you intended to or not. You blindly followed the pathetic plan of a foolish boy! You chose him, after all I did for you--after all I did was…love…you." He choked on the words as they escaped his throat.

She raised her head to look at him, suddenly realizing something. "You are wrong, Erik," she whispered.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at her.

"You are wrong. I did notchoose him. You forced me."

Now it was Erik's turn to be stunned, mouth agape. "How…what…have you lost your mind? Did I not see you leave with him in my boat? Were you not singing words of love to each other when you left me there ALONE?" He raised his voice to a loud crescendo.

"Yes, those things are true, but…"

"But WHAT?"

"But you are the one who made me leave."

Erik stepped closer to her and gripped her shoulders. "I sent you away because you wanted him! You only pretended to choose me to save his life!" he growled.

"No! First…first you told me to choose, and then when I had chosen…you sent me away, and I…" she shook her head. "I did not know what to feel. I came back to give you the ring, because I…I wanted you to know that you would always hold a place within my heart. But, Erik…I didn't know then how much of my heart you already…"

"Do not speak these lies to me, Christine," he interrupted her, his countenance darkening. "I do not wish to hear them." He held her at arms length, beginning to push her away from him. "My life…my life is beginning to get better now, and I…I do not need this!"

Christine grabbed onto his hands. "No, Erik! Please, please listen to me! I am trying to be honest with you now…I…I felt as though you pushed me away that night. I was terrified! You gave me no choice! You have murdered people, and you were going to kill Raoul! What was I supposed to do? Did you think that you would make me return your love by threatening the life of my childhood friend? How could I?"

"Christine…" Erik looked as if he had been stabbed in the heart. "I…I didn't know what else to do! Nothing went the way I planned it! Nothing! If that boy hadn't come to the lake, none of this would have happened!"

Christine spoke in a low tone. "It did happen. And no one can change that. Your mistake was that your actions were frightening and wrong, though you say you loved me. But I also made a mistake. I foolishly thought…I thought that I could somehow…hold on to both of you." She hung her head in shame. "But when you made me choose, I knew that I was going to lose, no matter what. If I stayed with you, Raoul would have lived but he would have been gone from my life. And if I had chosen Raoul, you would have killed him, and I would have hated you! I would have ended my own life rather than stay with you!" She met his eyes and watched as the arrows of her words hit their target.

Erik was visibly shaken. She would have killed herself rather than live with me. Dear God, I truly am a monster! He shook his head to clear his mind. No, he thought, no, I am no longer that monster. I am different now. He sighed. "I am…sorry…that I caused you to hate me, Christine. It was not my intention to…"

"No, Erik," she interrupted. "I never said that I hated you…I said that had you taken Raoul's life, I would have hated you. But you set him…and both of us…free."

"I don't understand," Erik said, puzzled. "You…you don't hate me?"

Christine stepped closer to him. "No. I do not hate you. I…care very much for you."

Erik could smell her hair as she stepped closer. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent. "Christine," he whispered. "Christine, after you kissed me that night, I…I knew I had to let you go because…I suddenly couldn't bear the thought of your light being drowned…in my darkness."

"Oh, Erik," she said, placing her hand upon his unmarred cheek. "Erik, can you ever forgive me?"

He flinched slightly at first, but after the initial shock he placed his hand over hers and looked intently into her eyes. "Christine…I can only promise…that I will try."

Her eyes glistened with tears as she laid her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry…and I want you to know…that I forgive you," she wept.

"Oh…Christine," Erik fought the pain in his heart and tenderly embraced her.