Let's start with this as I keep on forgeting to put it: Nope, still don't own the original characters though the plot is MINE -:places story in laser-guarded vault:- (I hope no one would steal it but hey, lasers are kinda cool if nothing else). Kudos to Leroux and Webber.

Hey everyone! I suppose quite a few of you have heard rumors about the impending "no more shout-outs to reviewers" rule so I guess I'll quit that until I've had confirmation one way or the other. Though I will say I love you all! Welcome new people, welcome back ol' buddies. You rock my world! And that encouragement really keeps me going! Thanks a million! -:hug:-

Okie dokie, there's a lot going on in this chunky. Sorry it took me a bit to get it out; all my friends are going off to college (Knox doesn't start till Sept. 3) so I've been trying to cram in time with them before they go. That and (for those of you who were dying for some E/C interaction) I've been trying to get it right... we'll see how it goes... hope you like it... :)

Christine's eyes widened slightly as she drew closer to the mirror's glossy surface. When she was near enough, Erik reached around her reflection and allowed his hand to emerge from the mirror just enough to grasp her hand. Erik pulled himself further from the face of the mirror and laid a gentle kiss on the back of her hand and her bruised fingers before releasing her to return to the safety of the mirror. He tried to gauge her reaction but shock had claimed her senses. Erik leapt from the mirror just as Christine's eyes started to roll back in her head and she wilted to the floor.

"Christine!" Erik took her crumpled form and set her gently on the bed, glancing around sharply for an answer to his predicament and furious with himself for scaring her as he did. His gaze met a pitcher on the bedside table and Erik lightly flecked droplets of water onto Christine's unconscious face. After a few moments, her eyelids flickered and she moaned softly before opening her eyes fully.

"Erik…" she breathed as she sat up sharply.

Hushing her gently, Erik tenderly pushed Christine back to the bed: "It's alright, Christine."

"I thought you were dead, Erik. I thought you were dead," she whispered brokenly. Christine groped about lightly with her hand until it met his and she squeezed it gently to reassure herself of his presence. "Why did you not come to me?"

"I did not know how I would be received. You left me once, Christine; I could not bear such a loss again."

"And the mirror? How did you do that?"

"That's not important now," Erik evaded quickly. "You need to rest."

"I'll be fine in just a moment," Christine murmured as she sat up and this time Erik made no move to stop her. He sat on the edge of the bed arguing internally with his emotions for several minutes while Christine studied him.

Finally she broke the silence with a small trickle of the flood of questions saturating her thoughts: "How did you escape the fire?"

"There is more than one secret passage built into those walls and I know each of them, some I believe are known only to me. The Phantom was only seen when he wished to be seen."

"And the man they claimed was you?"

Erik shrugged, "I don't know who he was."

Instinctively, Christine crossed herself before continuing, "Why did you pretend it was you?"

"They stopped searching for me, did they not?"

Christine thought for a brief moment before nodding, understanding some of this logic. "So…so what have you been doing since then?"

"Much of the same routine as I had perfected before, save for the most rewarding part of my day. The Opera Populaire is empty, despite all those carpenters and masons, without your song and your laughter to make the gold glint with hidden glory, to make the chandelier shimmer with earned pride, and all those with working ears stop in awe."

She blushed at his flattery, scarcely noticing that Erik now held both of her hands in her own. Averting her gaze, she took in the sight and relished at how neatly his long elegant fingers gently encompassed her hands.

"I still can't believe you are here, sitting next to me. I've dreamed it, I've prayed for it…" Christine's already hushed voice broke off as she looked again into the piercing eyes she had searched for so fervently for weeks after she had forsaken him and the same eyes that she thought could only be seen in her dreams.

Erik didn't need to say anything as he pulled her close and she relished in the comfort of his arms and his own intoxicating scent as she snuggled closer to his chest, heaving a contented sigh. Christine did not know how long she stayed in the arms of a man other than her fiancée, but she sent a silent prayer of thanks that it was real. Erik absently stroked through her curls, more relaxed than she had thought possible. Then she felt something fall into her hair; the first two tears she shook off as a figment of her imagination but the sudden pressure of the third drop caused her to look up.

"Should this be a dream, I would drive a silver stake through my own heart."

Though she thought his choice of masochism odd, she made to instantly reassure him stating, "Erik, I'm here," as she placed her hand on the exposed cheek. With a slightly trembling hand, he reached up and set his hand over hers, eyes still twinkling brilliantly in the candlelight but now with the added luster of unshed tears that were growing still more difficult to hold at bay.

Further ignoring his better reason, Erik leaned forward and captured her willing lips with his own desperate need. His free arm snaked around her waist as hers stretched around his neck, pulling each other closer and effectively sealing the distance between them. Months of ache and longing erased in moments as the couple sought to satiate the murderous hunger for the other's touch. Erik hardly noticed as his mask fell askew until it was bumped again by the force of a ferocious kiss; he withdrew his arm from Christine's side in order to straighten it…only to have his hand stopped by Christine. She drew away slightly as Erik met her gaze with a questioning glance, her lips swollen slightly and her cheeks flushed a sweet rose pink. He made to adjust his mask again only to have Christine gently pull his arm down. Reaching with her own hand, Erik watched silently as she removed the mask and placed it aside. Christine then returned his gaze with a shy coquettish grin that seemed to say "it was in the way, anyway" before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him thoroughly. Erik recovered from his shock and responded with equal frenzy.

"Do you love me, Christine?" he asked, still savoring her taste.

She rested her head against his chest. "Yes, Erik. I love you. I'm yours."

Erik closed his eyes as another wave of emotions—relief, joy, desire, and several others he didn't care to decipher now—drowned out all rational thought again as Christine raised her head and laid a soft kiss on his marred cheek.

"I have always loved you, Christine," he whispered before meeting her eyes with a gaze that spoke more than what Erik felt he could ever give justice to. Then he pulled her close to kiss her again.

Erik broke away from exploring Christine's mouth and trailed light kisses down her jaw as she sighed contentedly. Her skin quivered under his touch, enthralling him more each moment of contact. He continued feverishly down her neck and nipped lightly on her skin. She moaned lightly and ran her fingers through his hair and down his back, encouraging him further. He bit down harder and her taste, her conscious raced through his mind…he didn't fully realize his actions until Christine cried out.

He jolted away from her as she fell back heavily to sit on the bed, eyes wide and accusing. Christine raised a hand to her neck, applying pressure to the bleeding wound.

"Erik! Why did you do that?" she demanded in a shaking voice.

Erik unconsciously licked his lips, picking up the last few droplets of blood, but made no explanations. He took a few steps forward, stretching out his hand. Christine shrank away slightly but Erik merely laid a hand over her own. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he backed away against the wall.

Christine lifted her hand to examine the wound…only to find that it had sealed itself. Erik grimaced at the look of dawning realization that sprung to Christine's face, slowly draining of color.

"It was you!" she screeched. "You were the thing in the alley that night!"

Erik sighed and nodded.

"What the hell are you?"

He was spared the trouble of answering as their attention was drawn toward a series of sounds from the hallway.

Outside the door, a familiar voice spoke, "Thank you for showing me the room Madame Ella. I'll call you if we need anything more." The door handle shook ominously as Erik reached for his mask and Christine's face took a different sort of panic. Raoul stepped through the doorway with a large bouquet of assorted flowers.

"Raoul! What a surprise," Christine managed after a moment, all too aware that she was caught with another man in the room and guilt threatened to choke her from within. How did I allow this to happen? How could I just…forget…Raoul? Hundreds of self-damning questions raced through her mind as she tried to put on a smile that would satisfy her fiancée.

"I thought about what you said after you left. You were right Christine; Philippe wouldn't want me to mope around the house. I've got to get out and live my life…with you." He grinned sweetly at the thought then turned back to Christine, finally noticing her discomfort: "I thought you'd be happy. Is something wrong, Christine?" His smile faltered slightly when she didn't answer immediately and instead shifted where she sat.

Then Raoul noticed the other presence in the room: "You!" He stood gaping like a breathless cod for a few moments until anger twisted his face. "I thought we were rid of you! What are you doing in my fiancé's room?" He glared at Erik only to have it returned by a piercing gaze. Raoul sneered, furious at Erik's lack of response, and snatched Christine's arm, yanking her behind him. "Leave now," he ordered through gritted teeth, all with much more bravery than he felt once he met those savage blue eyes again.

Erik took a few steps forward, the nonchalance of his gait betrayed by his emotion-bearing eyes all the same, as Raoul forced Christine further back to retain the distance. "Stay w-where you are!" Raoul ordered; though he felt cowardly for mentally shrinking under Erik's gaze, he tried to make the appearance of standing his ground while Christine shot worried looks between both men, at a complete loss.

BAM!

The trio momentarily forgot their current situation, all focus drawn to the broken window that now rested on the floor, still in its frame.

"Blasted thing," muttered Philippe as he dusted himself off and stepped into the room. His ubiquitous smirk reappeared and he asked Erik, "Why didn't you do that before? Maybe you wouldn't have gotten stuck here the first time."

Erik gave a barely discernable shrug.

Philippe glanced around the room and caught sight of his brother. Raoul's eyes seemed close to bursting from his skull as his face turned a sickly shade. Christine merely stared over his shoulder, another shock added to one of the strangest nights of her life.

"Ah, little brother. Been staying out of trouble, have we? Or have you been off terrorizing the poor cook again? You know she's awfully superstitious," Philippe drawled as Raoul made another fantastic impression of a breathless cod. "And dear Christine, how nice to see you again." Philippe grinned in a mildly malevolent manner or rather, in other words, smiled so as to reveal his fangs.

Christine had had enough; she fell to the floor with a small THUD. Raoul didn't seem to notice as, though he had closed his mouth, he was breathing in a rather panicked manner. Erik was immediately at her side and took her limp form over to the bed once more. Raoul's eyes followed his brother as Philippe walked over to Erik.

"I suppose it's been a stressful night for her, judging by what I saw when I came in," he stated seriously as Erik flecked small droplets of water on to Christine's face in an effort to revive her. She stirred moments later, though she looked as though she wished she hadn't.

"Philippe?" Raoul questioned in a small voice.

"Yes, Raoul," Philippe said in an exasperated tone. "Mind working a bit slower than usual today? Or do you need your eyes checked again?"

"I thought you were dead."

"Well that was what you were supposed to think. But really all in all it is somewhat true, so don't worry too much; you're not absolutely crazy at least."

"But…" Raoul seemed unable to form his question, still registering what he was actually seeing, and trailed off, sitting heavily on the floor as if his knees could no longer support him.

"Did you need something?" Erik inquired coldly, still seated next to the bed as Christine looked around warily.

"Yes actually. We need to leave. The Circle calls," Philippe related tonelessly.

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"Where the Circle always meets."

He didn't bother asking Philippe for more clarification, as rushed as he seemed. Erik's eyes fell back to Christine.

"There's no time for that, Erik! We have to get as far as we can before sunrise."

Regretfully, Erik rose from Christine's side and leaned down to kiss her forehead before joining Philippe.

"Oh, one more thing before we go," Philippe said lightly, then shifted into a malevolent tone as he turned to Raoul and Christine: "Tell no one what you saw or heard this evening." Philippe didn't have to finish with a threat; a different dark anger that Erik had never seen on his friend before crossed his features, effectively terrifying the two mortals more than any threat. He turned again to Erik, back to his jovial self. "So, shall we go?"

Erik nodded as both men elegantly shifted into glossy-coated bats and, with one last look back, flew off into the night sky, leaving Raoul and Christine stunned in their wake.

∞†∞

Authoress ramblings: How's that for an evening? Yikes. Everyone place your bets: which character is going to need the most therapy?. :)

I've thought of several clichéd places for the Circle to meet so we'll get to see what they want relatively soon (I hope); stay tuned!

Free Membership to the Erik & Philippe Fan Club to reviewers! Glow-in-the-dark vampire fangs at the door. This week is "Free shot at the Fop week" for all current and new members. :)

Take care, all. :)