:Warning: Rating may go up in this chapter for violence. And the only characters I own are Nadir's aunt Kiara, Dr. Ricardo, his brother Septim, and Diana Toulouse:

Chapter 9

For the longest time, Christine stared at Erik, who was being beaten by the horrid gypsy, but when he started bleeding she ran up to the gypsy before Meg could stop her.

The gypsy raised his arm to lash Erik again, but he stopped when Christine covered his half clothed body with her trembling form.

"Stupid girl! Get off of my freak!" the gypsy snarled.

Christine just continued laying over him, and Erik was in so much pain he did not care who was protecting him; he was just grateful God had sent him this angel.

The gypsy smirked and said, "Fine. It looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson, little girl."

Meg, in a blind panic for Christine and Erik's, safety came up with a genius plan: she took some garbage from the ground and threw it at the gypsy!

When he looked at her in anger, she started shouting, "BOOO! YOU STINK! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Meg prayed the audience would be just as sympathetic to this tragic love story.

Suddenly the audience was laughing at Meg, all because she was trying to do something nice for a freak and his love. Then the gypsy shouted to the audience, "I am sorry for the inconvenience, ladies and gentlemen. If you would gladly step outside, we will give you a full refund." The audience grumbled, but left.

Then the gypsy dragged Christine off of Erik, and started pulling her and Meg off to another smaller tent. Meg struggled endlessly, and when Christine shouted Erik's name, his eyes shot open.

"Oh, God, no! CHRISTINE!" Erik struggled to move, but found he was once again chained to the cage!

Meanwhile, Christine was crying as the gypsy knocked Meg unconscious, in order to make her stop moving, and they were thrown at the feet of none other than Doctor Ricardo!

Christine put the pieces together as she realized the man who had tended to her sick father must have been the one to take Erik to the freak show.

"Hello, Christine," Ricardo purred. "My, you've grown scrumptious. Well, I guess that's a ballerina's best trait, am I right?"

Ricardo looked at his brother and said, "Good job, Septim. I'll take it from here."

As soon as Septim left, Ricardo started tying Christine up and removing her clothes. Christine cried silently in the hopes that someone would save her.

Ricardo muttered to Christine, "I have no clue what a sweet little morsel like you could see in that devil's spawn."

Christine managed to say, "What I see in Erik is everything good and everything you'll never be!" before he shoved a cloth in her mouth.

All the while, Erik was silently weeping, because he could feel it in his bones that Christine was in trouble.

Erik knew Septim would most likely bring Christine and her blonde friend to Ricardo, because Septim, to put it lightly, liked guys better than girls.

Suddenly, Diana was there, jimmying the lock of the cage with her claw.

"I know where the girls are," Diana whispered, finishing up on the cage and starting on Erik's shackles. Erik stood up on shaky legs as soon as Diana said, "Follow me."

Both of them ran to Ricardo's tent and found a half-naked Christine trembling in the corner as Ricardo took a step towards her, removing his clothes!

All Erik could see was red as he tackled Ricardo to the ground, shouting, "YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN!"

Diana quietly helped Christine pick up her clothes, and they tried to wake up Meg, until they noticed her head was bleeding where Septim had struck her.

Erik got one good punch, and Ricardo went flying across the tent. He looked at Christine and asked, "Are you and your friend all right, Christine?"

Before she could respond, Diana yelled, "ERIK, CHRISTINE, LOOK OUT!"

Ricardo was charging, with his sword drawn, but Diana clawed his face, and Ricardo, in blind shock and panic, stabbed Diana through the stomach.

"DIANA, NO!" Erik cried out.

Diana just smiled at the couple, and whispered, "Go. Leave." Then she collapsed next to her bleeding father.

Erik heard voices approaching, and he picked up a still-unconscious Meg, and Christine grabbed his arm, and urged, "Quickly! To the opera house!"