A/N Thanks to all my reviewers, but I really need more people to review. It kind of stinks when I know a lot of people are reading, but no one is telling me if I am doing well with the story. This is an important one to me so please REVIEW. Here you go; I have to give myself some props because I got this chapter out faster than the last few.

Ch. 13

Erik couldn't help but feel sick. He knew that Antoinette was right. He had been ignoring Christine on purpose and he had been flaunting his new relationship in front of her for no particular reason other than to hurt her.

He was not a good man.

"Erik?" Bella's voice called from the door way.

"You can come in Bella." Erik replied somberly.

"Are you okay?" She asked kneeling down next to him.

"I just do not feel well right now. Things are not going exactly like I had imagined them." Erik told her as he began to rub his temples.

"Can I do anything that would make it better for you?" Bella asked sweetly.

"No, this is just something that will have to work itself out when the time is right." Erik told her.

"Erik! Madam Giry said you wanted to see m-" Christine's voice cried out cheerfully then dulled. "Oh, excuse me. I will just see you later." Christine said; her eyes were shooting daggers at Bella.

Erik jumped up from the couch to chase after her. "No, Christine wait!" He cried.

"It's fine. I'll talk to you later." She called.

He grabbed her by her arm and swung her around. "I was waiting for you, Christine. Bella just stopped by. I needed to ask you something." Erik said.

She looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Our last lesson didn't go over so well. I apologize for not continuing with you." Erik began. "I would like to know if you wanted to have lunch tomorrow. I think we need to catch up with each other."

Christine couldn't help but smile. In truth, she actually felt like crying. "Tomorrow." She agreed before turning and walking away.

"I thought we were having lunch together tomorrow." Bella's voice asked behind him.

Erik winced as he turned around to face his beloved. He had completely forgotten about that. All he wanted was to do was make Christine happy again.

"I am sorry, but I really do need to meet with Christine. We have something things relating to work to talk about." Erik told her as he began to walk past her.

"Well then I should be there. After all, I am a patron of the opera." Bella said.

Erik stopped instantly when he heard her say those words. Her tone gave her away also, she was jealous and he knew it. He slowly turned around to face her. His expression was one she had never seen before and she was now regretting what she had just said.

"Yes, you are the patron of this opera house, but I am the owner and manager therefore I override you and I say that you are not invited." Erik replied harshly, furious that she would use her status as patron to butt into something that wasn't her business.

Without waiting for her to reply, Erik walked past her into his office and slammed the door. He walked over to his piano and took a seat. He had slowly begun a new opera and he believed that this was going to be more special that Don Juan Triumphant ever was.

As his hands moved over the keys, he could feel the fire that burned within him begin to flow. It was a feeling of absolute nirvana. He smiled when a familiar melody popped in his head.

"Help me make the music of the night." He sang.

OOOO

Christine couldn't help but feel so conflicted. She did love Erik, she wouldn't hide the fact, but at the same time, she hated him. She hated him for not loving her anymore and moving on. As selfish as it was, she knew it was true. She also knew she had never been much of a selfless person in her past.

Christine had thought that just spending time with Erik would be enough. Now she knew that that wasn't so. Every time she looked at Erik she saw Bella and every time she saw Bella, she was reminded of her mistakes. She could feel the tears come to her eyes when she saw them together, smiling. He was so beautiful to her and the sad fact was…

She had always seen his beauty.

Even when she thought of the uneven, deformed side of his cheek, she still saw beauty. Christine smiled for a moment. Had he, in all actuality, been born with a whole face he could have been quite the ladies man. Had he given himself the chance now, that reality could have still been his.

Sitting in the carriage on the way to lunch in silence was now beginning to annoy her.

"Erik?"

Erik looked over at the young girl in front of him. She had grown up yes, but Antoinette was right, she was still a child, her eyes gave her away. Big and beautiful, but still nagging to know so much more. They were the eyes of a child.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I was just wondering why you asked me to lunch." Christine asked.

"Does there have to be a reason?" Erik asked.

"There is always a reason as to why we do and say certain things Erik, which is especially true with you. You always have a reason or motive when you do the things you do." Christine said bluntly.

"I miss hearing your voice. Not everyone can sing as brilliantly as you do." He told her.

"I don't believe you." Christine replied.

"Believe it." Erik told her, nervous that she was so easily calling his bluff.

"Have you been composing any?" She asked him, changing the subject.

"I just started writing a new opera." He replied.

"That is wonderful. I am sure you have created so many different things in the last five years." Christine said, a tiny smiled formed on her face.

"This is the first actual thing I have created in the last five years." Erik told her.

"Why?" Christine asked.

"I guess I just lost my will to play." He said sadly.

Christine nodded her head. It hurt knowing she was the cause of his pain and now the tables had turned and he was the cause of her pain. At the time, she never really understood her influence or hold, for that matter, on him, but she knew that she did have a hold on him. A powerful one at that.

"Because of me." Christine said.

"Christine, please don't do this." Erik asked, his eyes were pleading with her, but she didn't care.

"No, I have to know!" She cried.

His eyes showed so much sadness, sadness she hadn't seen in such a long time. Sadness she had created. "Yes, after you left Christine, I lost my passion, my inspiration. You had always been my muse."

"And I knew it too." She told him. "Maybe I didn't know to what extent it was, but on some level, I knew that I inspired you somewhat."

"Yes, you may have been a naïve girl, but you did know the power you held over me." He told her. "I only play once a year. The day that you left."

"I dream about that night all the time." Christine told him. "I can still hear the words we said to each other. I can feel the cool breeze on my skin and the tears flowing down my cheeks. I can see you so… so clearly."

"Christine."

"I remember what I said, what I called you. A Pitiful creature of darkness. I called you that Erik. Those words play over and over each time in my mind when I look at you. They remind me of every regret I have about us." Christine cried, tears were now rolling down her cheeks.

Erik stood there looking at her breathless. Her confession defiantly took his breath away. His mind was racing, her regrets about them? This was too much.

"Please Christine, don't do this. Don't hurt yourself." Erik said.

"What if I told you I love you? What would you do?" She asked him. "What if I said I wanted to be your wife and bear your children with pride? Would you let me? Would you leave Bella and be with me?"

"What?" Erik whispered, not believing what he was hearing.

"I do love you Erik. I always have, but I know that it is too late now." Christine told him. "You have found someone. Someone who is a better person than I ever was."

Erik sat there, not really knowing what to do. The carriage came to a stop before he could say anything. She loved him and now he knew that she always had. He finally knew that she regretted ever leaving him.

He looked up at her and now knew that he too loved Christine, he always had. The only question was could he love her like he had before? Furthermore, did he want to? He stepped off from the carriage and turned back to Christine and slowly… he extended his hand.