I'm back again. I bring good tidings from the land of...

Oops, wrong setting. Anyways, I give you another chapter to my story. Please R&R after you view this chapter or I will hunt you down and send the rabid pink flamingos after you!

Forgetting Heartbreak

A week went by since what happened. Everyone in the opera house was starting to get worried about Sophia being down in the vaults and Christine is still contemplaiting whether or not she should go. As for Sophia and Erik, they've been working on his new opera. It was difficult because it was hard to find the right music. Marco was going insane knowing that his fiance was with another man.

"I can't wait any longer!" He shouted. "We have to get her out of there."

"You must calm down." Madame Giry said. "We'll find a way to bring her back without giving up Christine." Marco banged his fist against the wall and created a giant whole.

"I want her back now!" Raoul went over to him and took his fist out of the wall.

"Please, we'll get her back. Just be patient." He sat down and sighed.

"You don't know what could happen." He said. "If her father were to find out that his daughter has been kidnapped, he might not allow spring to come at all. Which could cause the other seasons to become confused and Earth will plumit into chaos."

"How do you know this?"

"I've seen it done before when the king of the North had lost his son in battle. He ordered that there would be no winter. That was over a hundred years ago." Andre choked on his drink and Firmin felt like having a heart attack.

"A hundred years?" He looked at Marco and saw how young he looked.

"Yes, you see, time in our world doesn't go as slow down here." He explained. "Time only slows when our season arrives. Until then, months go by faster than you could ever expect."

"I see." Raoul looked over at Christine who was watching the snow melt on the buildings outside.

"Christine." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way."

"There isn't a way." A tear slid down her face.

"She'll be fine."

Sophia looked into the murky water and placed a feather lightly on the surface.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked looking over her shoulder.

"I'm going to see if my mother is alright." Something was appearing in the water. She started to hear a woman laughing.

"This is the most fun I've had in years!" She saw her mother appear.

"Mother?"

"Hana, you desearved better than you did when you lived in the East kingdom." She recognized this man from the night her mother left. Her eyes started to become sad. "I personally am glad that you decided to come to the South kingdom."

"The South!?" Sophia shouted in astonishment.

"But I do regret leaving my daughter behind." She said. Sophia kept her eyes fixed on the water. "I just wish I could have taken her with me."

"Don't worry Hana, you'll see her again. Maybe she's doing just fine."

"I guess you're right. For some time, I've been getting this warm feeling in my heart where Sophie is. I hope she's found 'him'." She blinked a couple times. "I sent a feather to the world of humans to find her true love. it was a white one, but if I used a gray one it probably would fail to leave this realm."

"I'm sure your daughter must have found him."

"I'm sure of it too." A tear slid down Sophia's face and hit the surface of the water causing the illusion to disappear. She burried her face in her hands.

"Mother." She started crying. "You were right all along. I followed my heart and was able to find the one I love. But why did you leave me all alone?" Her tears began to soak her face. "It was hard for me to grow up in that place all by myself. Father would barely talk to me, he'd make every disicion for me, I'd be locked away in my room for most of my life, and I have to get married to some idiotic fiance that I don't even like!"

"Then don't marry him." Erik held her in a warm embrace. "Stay here on Earth. Don't go back to that world. I'll protect you." He wiped the last of her tears from her face.

"It's not as easy as you think." She said. "It's not an easy thing for angels to be torn from their kingdoms. I'd have to be banished from my home. Only then will I be free to chose where to live." He started to squeeze her a little tighter.

"Then I'll keep you from going back." He whispered. "I won't let you go back." She could feel his feelings raging inside his heart. He wanted her with him. She wanted to be with him.

"I won't go back without a fight."

That night, Christine just lied in bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to go. She wrote a note saying that she had gone to him to bring Sophia back and placed it on her pillow. She went to the mirror and moved the glass (yeah, she still stays at the opera house). She followed the torches that lit up the dark path to the shadows below. As she approached the lake, she looked back thinking it wasn't to late to go back. But she had to do this for Sophia's freedom. She stepped into the water and felt chills go down her spine. When she finally reached the gate, she could see Sophia asleep next to the organ, but the Phantom was nowhere to be found.

"Sophia!" She calld out. Her eyes slowly began to open and could see Christine on the other side of the lake. She quickly stood up.

"Christine? You came?" She was sort of surprised.

"I've come to take your place." She said. "Where is-"

"He left some time ago." She explained. "He told me to wait here."

"You have to hurry." Christine said. "I can get you out before he comes back." Sophia said nothing. "Please, come with me." She shook her head.

"It wouldn't be fair to him." She said. "I can't just leave without a word." Sophia was always too good of a person. She couldn't deny anything kindness.

"What are you saying?"

"It wouldn't be right." She said in a saddened tone.

"So, you came?" Christine whipped around and Erik was standing right in back of her. "You've finally come to me."

"Set her free." Christine said coldly. "That is the only reason why I came here. That if I come you'd let her go."

"So it was." The gate rose and they entered. "Well, you're free to go mademoiselle." He motioned towards the opening.

"Why?" She asked.

"That was the deal. I get Christine in exchange for your freedom." A tear slowly roled down her cheek. She felt her heart being stabbed by a thousand burning swords.

"Very well." she slowly walked into the water. She went up to Christine and hugged her. "Be safe." She whispered. As she walked past Erik, she glared at him, her icy blue eyes freezing his heart and soul with her gaze, yet burning it with anger and passion. "You betrayed me." She whispered so that he couldn't hear her. She removed the ring from her finger and dropped it into the water. He heard the plop and turned his head.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked in an angered tone. She kept on going out past the gate and to the opposite shore. He kept his gaze fixed on her even though she disappeared from his sight. Christine looked at him and began to wonder what happened between them.

"Now then." He turned back towards Christine.

Meg found Christine's note and showed it to Raoul.

"Why would she do that?!" He shouted. "We could have found a way to get her back without sacrificing her!"

"She must have thought it was the right thing." Meg said. They heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" As the door opened, Madame Giry and Sophia entered.

"Sophia." Raoul stared at the rescued girl.

"Are you alright?" Meg asked. Sophia's wings started fluttering.

"I'm fine." She spoke very softly.

"She wanted you all to know that she came back." Madame Giry explained.

"I might go get some rest." She said. "It's been a rough day." She turned away and walked off. She went to her room and fell face first on her pillow. She felt her eyes well up with tears and she started to scream. She was crying so hard that it hurt so much. "You betrayed me!"

"Princess?" She turned her head and saw Marco standing in the doorway. "Is everything alright?"

"Leave me alone." She cried. "I want to be to myself."

"Just come to me if you need me." He closed the door and she was alone.

"Now I think I understand why there's no such thing as love in our world." She said to herself. "Because with love, there comes heart break." She fell down on the bed once more then went to sleep.

Three days went by and Sophia remained locked up in her room. She wouldn't take one step out the door and wouldn't let anyone inside. Her wings started to turn white and black. Her chest was hurting her. All she could think about was Erik. Inside she could feel herself being torn apart. The door opened and Marco walked inside.

"You haven't been out of your room for days Princess." She couldn't see the smile on his face. "Did something happen to you? Are you hurting inside? Maybe I can help." He put his hand on her cheek and turned her to face him. "I'll make you forget him." Without another word, he kissed her fully. Her eyes began to close and she fell over. "The next time you wake, you will have forgotten who he was and will belong to me." He walked out of the room with a triumphant look on his face.

Erik sat at his organ and stared at the music that he worked on with Sophia. Though he finally had Christine with him now, he felt very empty inside without her at his side. He looked at the comb he received years ago.

"I'm a fool for letting her go."

"Did she love you?" He turned his head and Christine was standing next to him. "Did you love her?"

"Don't be rediculous." He said. "She was just to lure you here." She placed her hands on his.

"You're lying." He pulled away. "When I came here three days ago, Sophia told me that she couldn't leave without you knowing she was going. Her eyes had a look of sadness. She wanted to be here with you." Christine looked at the water and saw a small object in the center of the lake. She walked towards it and pulled it up. "What is this?" Erik looked at the object and noticed it was the ring he gave Sophia.

No. Could she have...

"Aw, you don't look so good Monsieur." A voice said from behind the gate.

"Marco." Christine looked at the Noble and smiled. "How did you get down here?"

"I just had to look into Sophia's memory before I erased them." Erik shot up and ran to the gate.

"What did you do to her!?"

"You've lost sir." He said. "I've made her forget all about you. I won't let you win." He started walking in the opposite direction.

"I lost her." He fell to his knees and water splashed all over. "She thought I abandoned her? Why didn't I see it?"

"It might not be too late." Christine said. "You can't just give up like this. You didn't give up on me a year ago."

"But how am I supposed to tell her I didn't betray her?"

"You can start with this." She held out the ring. "You can't let it end here." He nodded andtook the ring from her hands.

"Thank you Christine." He said feeling reassured. "I have to go find her. I'll take you back up as well."

Hours later, Sophia woke up with an awful headache. She rubbed her head and looked around the room. She looked outside and watched as the rain came down from the clouds.

"What happened to me?" She looked down at her hands. "That was a strange dream." She walked over to her dresser and picked out a white dress with a purple ribbon around the middle.

"Princess?" Marco poked his head through the doorway.

"Marco?" She turned her head. "Hello. I was just picking out a dress to wear."

"Well, I think you look wonderful in anything." Her cheeks turned pink.

"Thank you." She didn't know why she was acting like this. Somewhere in her heart she knew this had to be wrong.

"Well, everyone is very worried about you. You've been in here for days."

"I have?" She asked.

"Yes. After escaping the Phantom you collapsed." He lied.

"I've been asleep for days?"

"You have." He said. "It must be because you escaped the darkness and returned to the light." She smiled.

"I guess so."

"I'll give you a moment to change." He closed the door. As she cut out two holes in the back to make room for her wings, she found a black feather fall to the floor.

"What is this?" She looked at her wings and noticed they were turning black and white. Not the usual charcoal gray. She screamed.

"What is it?" Marco came back through the door.

"The feathers." He looked at her wings and noticed the different colors.

"What happened to you?" He rushed over to her. Damn, could she still feel something for that man?

"Why are my wings this way?" She started crying.

"I'm not sure." He said. "This shouldn't happen unless an angel's soul is being torn apart. But how could this be?" He held her in his arms and started cursing to himself.

"I'm scared." He couldn't predict what would still be in her heart. She still loved Erik deep in her heart and soul. He only made her think she didn't love him and never did. He let go of her and started for the door.

"Get changed then we'll go out for a while." He said before leaving the room. She slipped the dress over her figure and tied the ribbon. She looked at her wings.

"What am I going to do?" She placed her hand on her heart. She could feel pain though she didn't know why. "Could it be separation from home? I can't go back since the war is still going on." She opened the door and noticed that Marco wasn't there. The hallway was dark and cold. Though it was day time, it felt like the night. As she walked down the eerie halls, she felt the pain in her chest get stronger. She collapsed. "This pain, why won't it go away?" She suddenly heard a violin.

"Sophia." She heard a voice.

"Who are you?" She asked. The violin suddenly started to play her lullaby.

"Sing dear angel." She felt her voice reacted, but when she tried, her voice was gone.

"No, I can't." She put her hands on her throat. "Why can't I sing?"

"Sophia!" The hallway was surrounded by light as Marco came toward her. "You weren't in your room so I came looking for you."

"What happened?" She noticed she was still on the floor. "Was that a dream?"

"What was a dream?" Marco asked.

"Nothing." She stood up. "Well, you said we were going out?"

"Yes." He took her hand.

Later that evening, Sophia started checking her throat to see if she was sick. She tried to sing but it was no use. Her voice was gone! What was she going to do. She lied down in her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes slowly began to close. She could hear the sound of the violin in her mind playing her lullaby once again.

"You haven't forgotten me, have you?" She heard the eerie voice speak to her.

"Please, who are you?" She begged. "How come you seem to know who I am?"

"We loved each other." He said. She saw a ring apear before her eyes. "You believed that I had betrayed you. But I would never do such a thing to you."

"But I don't remember..."

"Sophia."

Her eyes opened and she found herself in her bed again.

"A dream?" She sat up and rubbed her forehead. "But it seemed so..." As she placed her hand next to her side, she felt something. She looked down and found the ring. "Someone was there." She took out a chain and placed the ring on it. "Who ever gave this to me must be important to me in some way. I must find out how." She looked at her wings and noticed that some of the feathers were turning gray again.

There you have it. Things aren't done just yet. It's going to be war between Erik and Marco from here on in. So be prepared. There might even be an epic battle too. Wouldn't that be something? I digress. I better get going. byebye!