Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last few chapters, they do mean a lot to me! Thanks to all who have favourited and followed. I hope you're finding the story enjoyable, and although I know not everyone is a fan of Raoul (I'm certainly not), it will end up as E/C eventually. You just have to wait! Anyway, without further ado, here I present chapter four!

Chapter Four:

Plans

Antoinette Giry was laid in bed on her side, facing the wall and trying to sleep. Each time she looked at the clock on her bedside cabinet, the hands seemed only to have moved a few seconds, although she felt as if she had been tossing and turning restlessly for hours. She couldn't stop worrying about Erik…about Christine…about Raoul, and it had kept her awake all night. She felt herself torn in two: part of her wanted Raoul to go and sort out Erik once and for all, rescue Christine and to marry her; the other half didn't want any harm to come to Erik. She knew she shouldn't, but she did still care about him as the son she never had. Ever since he had come to the opera, fifteen years or so ago now, she had always felt a strange attachment to him. Nothing romantic, of course…she was old enough to be his mother! But she had always felt an obligation to look after him and look out for him, and if the mob were to hurt him in any way…or kill him…she could never forgive herself for not being there to help him.

But Christine had done nothing to deserve this hideous turn of events. She felt herself inflicting the blame on herself again: she should have been there to protect Christine; she should have noticed Erik's growing affection for her; she should have…she should have done so many things, but she hadn't. She'd let Erik down, she'd let Christine down… She wasn't sure about Raoul. The young Vicomte seemed to have no boundaries in his love for Christine, and it turned him into a fearless man. Antoinette couldn't quite decide whether she admired him for heading down to Erik's lair, or whether she thought he was a complete and utter fool. Perhaps a mix of the two.

She sighed again and turned over, and was so terrified by what she saw that she swore her heart stopped beating for five seconds.

"Ah, Madame…" Antoinette's breathing was heavy with fear as she beheld Erik stood before her. As per usual, she hadn't heard or seen him enter; he would have used one of his secret passages in the wall to reach her. He was dressed in his usual attire: his black suit and long black coat, complete with a black fedora. Unsurprisingly, his white mask taunted her from beneath the brim of his hat. It was cold and merciless, and made her shiver. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and sat up, suddenly feeling oddly vulnerable in her nightgown with her hair braided down her back. She stood up to face him, taking a deep breath.

"I thought I'd seen the last of you," she said quietly. "That mob looked very…fierce." It sounded pathetic even to her. Erik just laughed hollowly.

"Madame, after all these years, do you think I can be overpowered so easily by a group of children? They were very easy to distract. Smash three mirrors and you've got them all confused. By the time they've explored all three passages, I was already making my way up the path on the other side of the lake. Or, at least…" He trailed off. Antoinette could see he was trying to appear indifferent, but fifteen years had taught her all his little idiosyncrasies.

"Erik?" she prompted him. "What happened?" His golden eyes looked at her sadly, and she gasped. "Christine…?"

"Yes, Christine," he said, feigning impatience. "She was there. With her…with her boy. They…they…" He could hardly bring himself to say it. "She kissed him," he said simply. Antoinette felt her heart sink. Christine had clearly broken Erik's heart.

"But why did you come here?" she asked. Erik brushed away her question with a wave of his hand.

"There is no time now," he said. "Christine and…that fop are coming here now, with Meg. They're engaged and they want to tell you…" He mumbled quickly and slipped back into the shadows, while Antoinette tried to erase the fear and shock from her face and get ready to greet the happy couple. Just a couple of seconds after Erik disappeared, there was a gentle knock at the door, and she opened it barely before the tap was finished.

Before her stood her daughter, Raoul and Christine. She noted immediately how one of Christine's arms was threaded through Meg's, which was not unusual, but that her other one was gripping tight hold of Raoul's. She also saw a slight flash of a jewel on Christine's ring finger, which she deduced to be an engagement ring. She wasn't quite sure what to make of all of it – it certainly seemed very sudden. But she forced a smile and held Christine by the shoulders lovingly.

"My dear, what wonderful news!" she cried. "Do come in, all of you! Raoul…you must consider yourself the luckiest man in the world, to have such a girl on your arm!"

"I do, Madame," he said fervently. "I do, believe me. To think she is mine after all…after all that is happened…is quite a wonderful thought!" Antoinette heard Erik growl slightly from the shadows, and tried not to show any trace of fear on her face.

"But, Madame…" Christine looked confused. "How did you know about our engagement? We have barely said a word to you, and yet you said about it the moment you opened the door. How…?" Antoinette laughed.

"Oh Christine!" she said, tucking an unruly curl back behind Christine's ear, where it adamantly refused to stay. "Being married to a detective for twenty five years does have its advantages, you know! The powers of observation…they teach you a lot." Christine smiled. "But of course, my dear, it's your engagement. Tell me all about it!" Christine took a deep breath, and then began to recount the tale of what happened in Erik's lair…

Erik was fuming with rage. To think that fop had called her 'mine' made his blood boil and his fists clench. His breathing rate increased and he stormed through his passages, trying to walk off his rage. Of course, his rage didn't end at Raoul. He wanted to be angry with Christine too. She had looked so happy, with her hand in her boy's; she couldn't stop smiling. Erik had never been more jealous of anyone in his entire life. What did Raoul give her that he could not? Of course, he knew the answer to that. Raoul kissed her, and showered her in gifts that reminded her of light and summer, not music and darkness like Erik's presents did. He had noticed that his titanium ring was long banished from her finger, replaced by a delicate band, not dissimilar to the one that Erik had picked out for Christine. The box was still in his pocket, and he stopped to take it out and look at it. A crimson ruby sat in the middle of a gold band, framed by two jet black onyx stones. It summed up Christine: it was delicate yet beautiful and dark at the same time. The boy knew nothing about her. He probably didn't even know what her favourite colour was. Erik knew, of course he did. Red. That was why his ring for her had a ruby in its centre. He considered throwing the ring away, getting as far away as possible from her, from Raoul…and from him damned self. But he looked at it and couldn't see past its beauty, so he put it back in its box and replaced it in his coat pocket. He couldn't let her go that easily. That ring would stay in his pocket until the day he died, if it had to. There would only ever be one wearer of that ring, and he was determined to watch over her and protect her even now, even if she believed he was dead. A life without Christine…Erik didn't like to think about it.

Yes, he had always been her Angel. Why should he stop now? Erik stopped in front of a mirror, although he could barely see his reflection in the dark. Two golden orbs stared out at him, his favourite feature. Yes, he would continue to watch over her. He would always be her golden-eyed angel…

So Erik is back! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think of the characters, the description, etc. I don't care how short it is, I just want to hear from you guys – you make all the hard work worthwhile! Thanks again, and I should be updating in a couple of days! I love you all!