A/N To all my readers, this is just a filler chapter, but the end is soon upon us and I know exactly how its going to happen. I am very excited because it finally came to me. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and please review and tell me what you think.

Love,

Stephanie Lynn

Ch. 24

It had been a month to the day and Erik still had not heard a thing from Christine. She would show up for rehearsals and shows and then after that she would disappear. She had made it a point to not spend anymore time than was absolutely necessary at the opera. She had even moved out of the Giry's town house.

Christine had literally made it impossible for Erik to find her.

Her dismissal of everything that had happened between them had started to seriously affect Erik. The truth of the matter was that he had started to go a bit mad and people had begun to notice. Everything set him off into raging fits where he would scream at anyone who crossed his path. His rants ranged from someone at rehearsal not hitting the right note or dance step to a passerby breathing too loud for his liking. It was beginning to make the members of the opera a bit nervous about coming to work. Nadir had become exceptionally worried for his friend's health, not to mention the health of many others.

Erik was a blistering inferno of ill feelings deep within himself. His emotions for Christine and their current situation were practically tearing him apart. He was slowly dying of love for her, love which she would not return. All the guilt for dragging things on as long as he had was starting to eat away at him. His eyes were bloodshot and the visible side of his face revealed a dark bag underneath that people assumed had a matching twin beneath the mask. His hair, which was always slicked back, was now always messy and greasy looking. His attire was still the same, but not put together with the elegance that normally accompanied Erik's persona.

He was a mess.

Nadir only hoped that no one would set off his temper enough to drive Erik to murder. He prayed to Allah for everyone's safety, especially Erik's. At this point he was not completely sure that Erik was above suicide. Not knowing what Erik was going to do actually scared him. He could not lose his best friend.

"Why must you always be here waiting for me?" Erik's tension filled voice rang out as he entered his office. He felt as if he was being watched like a small child and he did not like that one bit.

Nadir watched his friends take a seat at his desk before he started. "Erik, why must you be so angry with me. All I want to do is help you right now. I know that you are hurting."

Erik shot him a look of pure venom. Even though his eyes looked incredibly tired, Nadir did not miss the sinister glare that they conveyed. Erik was in a foul mood. "Do not spend your time pitying me. I don't need or want it. I am absolutely fine. Even though Christine won't talk to me let alone stay in the same room with me, well…it doesn't mean a thing to me. I am great." Erik retorted incredibly convincingly. If Nadir had not known Erik for as long as he had, he probably would have thought the man to be speaking the truth.

But Nadir knew better.

He couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's words. Erik's face grew red with anger, not to mention embarrassment, as he stared at Nadir. Had someone else been in the room, they would have more than likely been scared stupid by the look that Erik gave, but Nadir was past fearing for his life where Erik was concerned. He had never been able to harm him and even with the current misery Erik was stuck in, he knew Erik would never have the heart to murder his best friend.

"You are full of shit!" Nadir exclaimed. "Pardon my language, but you know that I know that that is not true. You are miserable and I know it. Erik, everybody knows it."

Erik cocked his head up at Nadir and studied him intently. Nadir smiled at his friend's intimidation tactic.

"You really should stop wasting your energy, Erik. You know that you don't scare me. You have had many times over the years to discard me if you really wanted me gone. You need me and you know it. You, my dear boy, are not above friendship." Nadir said reasoning with his friend. He wanted to help Erik make sense of everything by trying to get him to open up about what he was feeling. "Please Erik. Just talk to me."

It surprised Nadir when Erik let himself go and started bawling into his hands. His whole body shook with the weight of his burdens bearing down on him. He needed her now more than ever and it was now when she was the furthest away from him. He would do anything to get her back.

"I love her so much, Nadir. I can't go on without her and its killing me. I feel my heart break every day, more and more. I don't know what to do." Erik said though his tear stained eyes. "I feel like I am slowly dying."

Nadir shook his head at him in sorrow. He wouldn't say anything, but hearing Erik say the actual words scared him. Erik was the type who dove head first into his emotions. He had truly been surprised when Erik had not died in Paris after Christine left him those few years ago.

In the present, it seemed that Erik had really made a mess of things with Christine. The girl had made it abundantly clear that this time she was not going to be pushed around. She was doing an excellent job by proving it.

"I know that you are hurting, but there is nothing more you can do. You told her how you felt and I am not saying that she is through with things for good, but she obviously doesn't want to talk to you. At least right now she doesn't." He told Erik comfortingly. He knew it would be pointless to lie, so why even attempt to make one up? As bad off as he was, Erik needed to hear someone be truthful to him.

The silence that followed was thick with emotion. Erik's mind raced back and forth between everything that he had been thinking about the last month. The separation was killing him; that he was certain of, but if Christine needed space then he would give it to her. Although he knew that if too much more time passed between them that he would eventually seek his sought after bride out and finally settle their dispute. He would make her love him.

OOOO

Christine stared out her flat's window as she took in the wet, gloomy day that New York had to offer. It had literally rained everyday for the last…month! It was fitting that the weather fit her mood perfectly. Every day when she woke, it literally took all the strength in her tiny body to not run away from him. He was just so angry now and she knew that it was her fault. He was hurting beyond belief and he was making it painfully obvious to everyone, but she still couldn't make herself forget. Christine could not and would not forget the things he had done to her. Erik's emotions were freighting and she only hoped that though he was drowning in his pain that he would not harm anyone. She just prayed to God that he would not harm himself. There had been many times in the past month when she dreamt of going back to Paris, where everything was familiar. It had proved to be an even bigger challenge for her just to go to work.

Having to see Erik had defiantly proved to be excruciatingly hard.

Every morning before leaving, she would suddenly get sick to her stomach. Some days were worse than others, but she always felt the same nauseating whirl in the pit of her stomach. The stress of her pain was truly taking a toll on her body. At night she would dream about him. They were the worse kind of dreams; at least that was what Christine had thought. They were they type that felt so real that you actually believed them to be real only to be woken up and reminded of your true reality.

It was those dreams that made her feel the most sick. They were happy, that much she could tell. Erik would smile at her, his eyes displaying how much he cared for her and how happy he felt that she was finally back in his arms, and she would smile back at him. The feeling of completeness that he made her feel was so utterly exhilarating that it was hard for her to breathe. They would take each other in their warm embraces and suddenly a calm came over them both. It was in those dreams when Christine felt like she could truly forgive him for all he had done. Then she would wake up and remember…

She had not forgiven him yet. That was the real problem.

Her heart was just too bruised to let him back in. There was nothing she could tell herself that made the pain ease. Erik had pulled her along, not really thinking about what it was going to do to her. Christine hung her head low in shame; she knew that at one point in time that she had done the same thing to Erik. It was something she had never really forgiven herself for. Then when she found him again she had promised herself that she would not be afraid of loving him.

And she hadn't.

Christine had given her whole self to him and it had felt wonderful, not having to lie to him anymore. She thought that with being honest and open about her feelings for him that he would want her just as much as she wanted him, but instead it seemed that he was more content with stringing her along. Christine wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks as she tried her best to keep what was left of her composure.

"Christine? Its time that you were off to work now." Raoul's voice called over to her from across the room.

She turned to look at him and gave him a tiny smile and nod. "Okay, I will be out in just a few minuets." She replied back softly.

Christine never bothered to hade her pain from Raoul. Not anymore. It just proved to be useless anyways for he could always tell when she was upset. Over their time together, Christine had come to realize just how much she appreciated him, mainly because he never held anything against her.

She had allowed him to save her. Time and time again. The damsel in distress; that was the part she always played. Helpless and needy, it was what everyone knew her to be.

Then he had chosen to marry her, to love her for the rest of his days, only for her later to realize her mistake. She changed her mind and ran off, only getting her self into more trouble than she could have ever dreamed possible. Even through all of those struggles and helpless hours, Raoul had never judged her. Not for loving Erik or passing her days in the bordello or being raped and ending up pregnant out of wedlock, never once. He had stepped up as a man by wanting to claim Chloe-Ange. He claimed her without wanting anything but their tiny baby's love in return. He had never expected her to marry him.

He had hoped, but never expected.

It was knowing this that made Christine feel horrible about her self.

She is off to work now! Sorry if I left the chapter off in a weird spot, but it just felt like it was done right there. They next one shall be full of excitement!

Now…You know you want to review!!!