OK, I might be getting a little sloppy in my work for the most part. But I am trying the best I can so please cut me some slack. It's not easy since I have a mental block and I'm thinking of a sequal to one of my previous stories too. It's kind of a self crisis in plain english. I finally get a vacation and I have no idea what I'm going to do. Don't you hate that?

I Love You

The next morning, Sophia woke up once more in his lair. This time she wasn't tied up. She looked to the side and saw Erik asleep on the floor.

Was he there all night? She looked at his hands and noticed the comb. Is that...!

She recognized that comb as her own. She looked at his sleeping face.

I don't believe it. She thought. She remembered that she had given her comb to an angel of music, but she never remembered who it was. And here it was, in the hands of her captor. A tear fell from her eye and hit his hand. As his eyes started to open, she jumped back intothe bed and pretended to sleep. By the time he woke up, she was asleep again. She started feeling nervous.

"I can tell you're awake." She turned her head.

"How could you tell?" She asked.

"Nothing could have dripped this on my hand." He wiped the tear off and walked away. She sighed.

I guess it's no wonder I started falling in love with him. Sophia thought. If he's the one. She got out of bed and walked out of the small chamber to find him at his organ. She didn't have the courage to aproach him at all, so she just stayed on the opposite way from him. She took out her ocarina and just stared at it for a moment. Erik turned around for a moment and saw her stare at her instrument. He picked up the violin and started to play. Sophia suddenly felt all her muscles react and she was frozen in place. It was her folksong. She soon got the hint and started playing too. Their music began to fill the room and blended so beautifully.

"You shouldn't try and feel confused." He said as he stopped playing. "Your confusion will just lead you in the wrong direction."

"Have you been confused about something before?" She asked. He turned away. "I'm sorry. It's just that... I just don't know what my heart is usually saying at all." She looked at her wings and plucked one of the feathers. She looked at it and noticed it had a white spot on it. Her eyes filled up with tears.

"Never rely on just your heart." He said. "Even love can lead you in the wrong direction." She started playing another song on her instrument.

"This song always seems to help me remember things I've forgotten. Even if they were from long ago."

"Can you sing it?" She stopped in shock.

He wants me to sing for him? She relaxed a bit and smiled.

"Of course."

(Once Upon a December)

Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December

Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory

She started moving towards the lake and dropped the feather in the water. The whole room was soon surounded my a vision from the Ball years ago. Her hair was braided into one bun i the back of her head and she had flowers decorating it and on the sides of her face. She was wearing the dress that her mother gave her, but she was her same age as she was now.

Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart use to know
Once upon a December

Erik's wings had appeared on his back. He stared at the young princess and began to realize who she was. She reached out her hand and he slowly grabbed it. They started dancing along with the many people around them.

Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance in a silver storm
Figured dancing gracefully
Across my memory

Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart use to know
Things it yearns to remember

And a song someone sings
Once upon a December

The illusion shattered around them. Sophia fainted and fell into the water. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back up. Her clothes returned to normal and the flowers had disappeared. She started coughing and water came out of her mouth.

"What happened?" She asked, being unaware of what had just happened.

"It was you." He said. "You're the angel I met." She felt her heart almost skip a beat. She was discovered. She was released from his grip and she ran behind a row of candles. She was hoping that he wouldn't figure it out so soon. But she couldn't remember what happened just now. She only remembered singing a song but that was it.

"What would give you that idea?" She asked.

"I also heard you recite some words from a song she sang on her birthday." Her body started trembling. "Her wings were also charcoal gray." He walked over to her and held out the comb. "You also gave me this."

"I do remember." She said. "The Great Tree was right. I was going to meet you again."

"I was having my suspicions about you." He told her. "When I heard yousing to Christine, I recognized your voice." She looked away.

"Time does seem to bring unexpected surprises." She said. For a few moments, they were silent. She didn't know what to say or if he was going to say something.

"I'm going out." Erik finally said. "I'll be right back." She didn't bother to turn her head to see him leave. She was just too embarassed to even look at him. When she expected to hear the gate close, there was no sound. She looked out fro behind the candles and the gate was open.

Is this my chanse to escape? She started thinking it was a trap. He usually closes the gate. Leaving it wide open is suspicious at best. She walked out and just stood at the water front for a moment. She took a step into the water then meade her way to the opening. She looked around for a moment then a determind look appeared on her face. She took her ocarina then removed a small object. it looked like a mirror the size of a small rock. She put it in the water and consentrated. She saw him appear in the mirror.

"Maybe I should go back." She could hear everything he was saying. "Leaving the gate open like that, she could escape. But, I don't want to keep her locked up here any longer. If she wishes to stay, she's welcome to." Tears started filling her eyes.

"He's letting me go?" She never felt so sorry in her life. She took the mirror out of the water and placed it back on the instrument. "I can't leave him like this. I just can't. I... I..." I love him!

In the opera house, Christine is still thinking about gong down. Raoul however keeps telling her that they'll find another way.

"We'll figure out a way to bring her back." He told her. "She's a strong girl. She'll be fine."

"But what if there isn't a way?" She asked desprately. "I can't justlet her stay there in the darkness. I've been down there long enough to resist the dark, but she's not able to do such a thing."

"Christine, I assure you that we'll save her." Raoul put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise that we'll get her back."

"Wonderful news!" Marco shouted bursting through the doors. "I just received a message from Sophia's father."

"What is it?" Christine asked.

"The war is starting to settle down. They might be finished by early spring if that's possible. We'll be married in no time!"

"If you can get her back." Raoul said. "We still need to find a way to get her out of the Phantom's grasp." Marco's smile disappeared.

"I know that. I want my fiance back in one piece. Or there will be hell to pay on that man." He walked out of the room then slammed the door.

"Is something wrong with him?" Raoul asked. Christine said nothing. As Marco walked down the dark hallway, he had no idea he was being watched. Erik was right above him.

"So you want the girl as well?" Marco stopped and looked up. He saw nothing.

"What have you done with Sophia?" He asked.

"She's fine." He answered. "She will not return unless Christine comes to me. Be prepared if she never returns."

"Give her back!" But he had already gone. He stomped his foot on the ground.

Sophia sat at the water front waiting for his return. She decided to stay after a long internal battle in her mind. She also decided to tell him how she felt. But she had to find out what he was hiding behind the mask. All this time she's been wondering what he was hiding. She was so deep in thought until something snapped her out.

"How long have you been there?" She looked up and saw Erik towering over her. She jumped onto her feet.

"I was... well..." She started stumbling over her words.

"You could have left." He said.

"Did you want me to leave?" She asked. he didn't expect her to ask this.

"I don't know."

"Because I did want to at first. But then I stopped." She was gripping onto the ring in her hands. "What I mean to say is..." She knew the words to say, she just couldn't say them.

"Well?" Her curiosity was getting a hold of her. She looked at his face then reached for his mask. He saw what she was trying to do and reacted. However, it was too late. Her hand was on the mask and she took it off his face. She just stared at the uncovered face before her. All muscles in her body were frozen. She couldn't take her eyes off his disfigured face. He put his hand over the uncovered half and turned away. "Why?"

"I... I was curious." She said. "That's the problem with me. I'm always curious."

"Why do you think I live down here?" He asked. "It's because of my face." Sophia smiled. She walked over to him and hugged him.

"You may think your face is what it seems." She said. "Normal people might too. But to me, it's different." He turned her head and saw her smiling face.

"Why aren't you afraid?"

"I have no reason to be." She answered. She moved his hand from his face to see the covered part. "I'm not afraid. Because..." She stood on her toes and kissed him. He couldn't believe what she was doing.

The snow in the air
To sing me a lullaby
My winter come hither
To me

The dark night's to come
So kiss me for goodbye
The grace of the Godland
Is near to you

Show me the flowers invisible
Sing me the hymns inaudible
The wind is my voice, the moon is my heart
Come find me, I'm on every hills and fields

I'm here... Ever you're near...

The snow in the air
To sing me a lullaby
The angel of rebirth
Is here

So let all your pain
Sleep within the hushaby
The grace of the Godland
Grace of the Godland
Grace of the Godland is near...
So close to you

She had sung her lullaby to someone. Not just anyone either. Someone she loved. Erik was just standing in shock.

"Maybe you need some time to yourself." She walked past him and in back of the row of candles as she did before. She looked at the ring in her hands. I didn't give it to him yet. A tear fell from his eye that shined brightly in the dark space they were in. As it fell to the ground, it began changing shape. It became a ring. He picked up the tiny piece of metal.

"How did this happen?" On it, there was a pink heart surrounded by a pair of wings and flowers. The wings were charcoal gray and the flowers happened to be irises. It was too small for him and possibly too small for Christine. He looked over at Sophia. He sw a small glimmer of something then noticed the ring in her hands. "What is that?" She looked over at him and held out the tiny metal band.

"It's a ring."

"I know that. Who is it for?"

"Well..." She looked at the ring in his hands. "It's supposed to be for you." Her cheeks turned red. "But if you don't want it, I'd understand."

"Maybe, we were destined for one another."

"Maybe?" She walked over to him. "But how can that be?" He took her hand and slipped the ring on. It was a perfect fit. She did the same. Hers fit him too. "I just noticed something. These rings seem to resemble us in a way. On this ring, the heart is an opal. In my kingdom, the opal represents lonelyness and sadness. The rose is a symbol of love. The diamonds are suppose to mean love is to come. Since there's seven..." She counted the days she's been in Paris. "I've been here for seven days, so that means that these diamonds represented the days we had to fall in love."

"What does this one mean?" He pointed to the one on her finger.

"Let's see." She looked at the ring. "The wings are a charcoal gray like the ones I have, so the heart must be my heart. The color is pink which means how much I love this one person. The iris in my home is a symbol of joy and eternal happiness. So it means that I will find eternal joy with the man I fall in love with."

"You seem to know so much about these items." He said sounding amazed. "How do you know these things?"

"When I was eight I use to spend time with the royal jeweler. He taught me about every gem and its meaning in our country. About every precious metal and why it's used in certain jewelry. Plus how the design of the band is represented depending on the person. I also spent most of my freetime with the flourist in my town too. She taught me everything about flowers. I grew up like this you could say."

"I can understand." He said. "I grew up in this opera house when Madame Giry rescued me. I've learned everything about music. But when I met Christine, I wanted her to learn all that I knew. But when she figured out who I was..." His voice trailed off.

"She didn't love you?"

"Yes. She was in love with another. I tried all I could to make her mine, but in the end I only lost her."

"You can't force someone to do something they can't do." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's best to just gradually become close. Just take it one step at a time." Her words struck a nerve inside his heart. He wrapped his arms around her and trapped her in a warm embrace.

"But when I met you, I felt myself change. I never met anyone like you before. But that day, I thought I would never see you again. When you came here, I thought it was just a dream. But here you are."

He wanted to see me? She closed her eyes and tried to picture what it was like for him since they parted. He must have been so lonely.

"Maybe, we should pick up where we left off." He looked at her with a confused look. "The way we think it might have gone if we weren't separated."

OK, chapter is done and ready. Could someone take it out of the oven before it burns?
Sorry boss! We're busy!
Oh, for the love of-! I'll do it!
just kidding. Anyways, you get the basic idea I hope. The story might become a little shorter than I expected, but I'll try my best. OK? OK. Well, I'm tuning out now. byebye!