As he and I walked through the tunnels not a word was spoken. He led me deeper and deeper down into the tunnels. Then we stopped at the underground lake. He released my hand to untie and prepare the boat for our departure. I stood there looking around and taking in the underground wonders that no one ever dared to enter into. We then got into the boat and went across the lake. The ceiling and walls miles high. Not as fancy or as well constructed as those up above, but in a dark kind of way they were perfect. Every little detail breathtaking, illuminated by the small lantern's flame that hung at the front of the boat. It was this sort of environment that Erik and I thrived off of. The unseen and darkened beauty of this underground world is what many feared, but no not me. It is a place like this I long for and with Erik by my side it only made it better. This was the one place I truly felt free. With so many different twists and turns it would seem the lake and the walls continued till the ends of the earth. One wrong turn and you just might end up falling off the ends of the earth. But I never have anything to fear with Erik as my guide. This being his home there is a small possibility that he knows them better than I do, but like I said a small possibility. If you take the correct turn though you should end up to a part of the lake that narrows out and leads into an open area with an underground waterfall. Highlighted by candles from inside Erik's house and off to the side nearest to the waterfall stood a small cottage I stayed at when I came to visit. At the edge of the lake there is a small dock where Erik got out and tied the boat back up. He reached out his hand, helped me out of the boat and into the house.

We walked through the curtained door, "Welcome home Daae." I smiled at him as we walked into the den where he had a fire going in the fireplace that looked like a work of art. Carvings of lion heads and angels went across the top then down the sides of the fireplace. Collections of books and music scores big and small on both sides of the fireplace. Just above it on the mantle there was a small music box Erik made when we were small. It was a box with all kinds of designs, each side was different. Then attached on top was a little monkey dressed up in Persian robes. Besides his opera that music box was his most prized position. He walked over to the corner to hang up his suit jacket and put away his gloves. Meanwhile I explored his book collection seeing if there was anything I hadn't already read which was not likely.

"You know I think it's very safe to say that your collection really needs to be updated." I said as he returned to my side. I looked over my shoulder and there he was. The light from the fire highlighting every small detail of his face and mask. He looked at the shelves then to me and began to smile at me.

"I think you just might be right about that Christine." He let out a small laugh and went to the couch to the left side of the fireplace. I ran my fingers through the collection and picked out my favorite one that I had read over a thousand times now 'Romeo and Juliette' I then went over and sat by Erik. He glanced down at the book and asked me how many times I was going to read that book.

I answered and said "Until a better story comes along." We both laughed and I opened the book to the ending because that was where I left off I looked at him as I started to read "But it could have a better ending."

He looked at me with a slight smile and said "Not everything can have a happy ending Christine."

"True. Very, very true. But you and I will have a happy ending I'm determined to make sure of that Erik." He looked at me and stroked back my hair then laid his hand on my shoulder.

"We will have one I promise." He said. As I read 'Romeo and Juliette' my eye grew heaver with each word I read. Then I fell asleep. I fell into his lap he picked me up and carried me to my bedroom. He ever so gently placed me in my bed doing his best not to wake me. I couldn't help but think of Raoul and Sophia as I dreamed. My mind wandered off to the little house by the sea where I lived with them and my father. I remembered the caves down on the beach the three of us would explore.

The one day specific I dreamed of right then we were eight. All of us found down on the beach looking for shells and the wind began to pick up. Raoul, Sophia, and myself all in our best clothes for my father's concert later that night. Little Raoul wore his usual suit. Sophia wore a purple dress with white lace on the tips of the sleeves. Then I wore a simple white dress with a red scarf my father had given me for my birthday. As the wind picked up my new red scarf flew off my neck and down the beach. We all chased after it then without warning the wind changed direction and the scarf flew out to sea. "Oh no! Now I'll never get it back!" I called out.

Raoul began run towards the water he called back to Sophia and I "Don't worry Christine!" Little Raoul plunged into the water and swam out until he was met by my scarf. He tightly wrapped it around his arm and swam back. Soaked to the skin in his best clothes he returned with my scarf. Sophia not having much faith in her brother had run up to the house to get help then returned with my father and their parents as Little Raoul came out of the ocean. He slowly made his way to me and handed me my scarf just like him soaking wet.

As I took it from his hand I smiled at him and said "You do know you're crazy right?" Out of breath he laughed and nodded to me. Frantic his mother ran to him and wrapped him in a few blankets. She asked him over and over again if he was alright. When he would answer that he was perfectly fine she would question that and ask again. Our fathers just stood there laughing at the whole situation.

I ran up to my father "Look Papa! Look what Raoul saved!" I said proudly. I held the soaked red scarf up in the air like a trophy. I flashed forward to when we were nine just before I left after my father died.

I gave the scarf to Raoul to remember me by. "I won't need the scarf to remember you Christine. I already know I can never forget you." He responded as we said our goodbyes. He told me he would guard it with his life. I wondered if he still had it. As little nine year old Christine rides off in a carriage waving goodbye to the De Chaney's, I woke up.

I slowly sat up and tried to figure out how I came to be in my room. I softly laughed and whispered to myself "Erik." I got up from the bed, wrapped myself in a small blanket and went over to the two doors on the other side of the room. I opened them and stepped out onto a balcony next to an absolutely breathtaking waterfall. As I leaned on the railing and listened to the water hit the lake I began to hear music. I turned back into the cottage and went into Erik's house. I walked through the house until I reached his room. He sat at his piano working on his beloved 'Don Juan Triumphant' I stood just outside the door watching, listening to him pour out his heart and soul through his music. I didn't step in the room; everyone knew not to bother him while he was working unless it was really important. He stopped not long after I arrived to add on a little more to his piece. I stood and watched him quietly.

"If I can't sneak up on you what makes you so sure you can sneak up on me?" he said turning around.

I smiled at him and said "I didn't mean to disturbed you." He looked at me and waved his hand.

"Don't worry about it. You didn't." I walked in the room and stopped when I was behind him. I started to read the music.

"It's coming along. I hope to hear all of it soon." I said. I sat down next to him on the piano bench and he looked at me. "What?" I asked.

"Christine can I ask you something?"

I put my hand on his shoulder "You know you can ask me anything. We have no secrets Erik."

He looked back to his music and asked almost like he would regret it "Was that Raoul you were talking to yesterday before the performance, and that was in my box?" My mood once again saddened. My eyes left him and I tried to think of what to say. I wanted so badly to say it wasn't Raoul it was someone else but I couldn't lie to him.

I closed my eyes and dreading the confection I was about to make. "Yes. Yes it is the same Raoul that was by my side when my father died." Erik let out a deep sigh and I regretted saying what I did. Not just for Erik's sake but for Raoul's as well. I knew I could trust Erik but at times he could be very unpredictable especially when it came to me. He stood up and walked across the room leaving me sitting there both of us silent. You could feel the rising tension in the air I turned around Erik's back still to me.

"If I had not asked would you have told me?" He questioned.

"Yes, eventually I would have." I answered. I knew that answer wasn't good enough for him. He sighed as he turned to me. I could tell he was upset with my answer; you could see it in his eyes. I knew he was even more upset with the fact that the new managers and Raoul were not listening to his demands more than anything. I knew I had to protect Raoul. "Your warnings must have not reached him." I said praying Erik would believe me. I wasn't lying because I honestly had no idea if they had reached him or not. But when I told Sophia about everything it seemed that was the first time she had heard anything of it, and that included the warnings. Erik looked at me then began to pace. It annoyed me when he started to pace that means he's nervous and doesn't know what his next move is going to be. When he doesn't know what his next move is going to be he normally does something really stupid.

"I don't get it." He began "The warnings should have reached everyone upon Carlotta's departure. It makes no since at all that the managers wouldn't have told him about me. Even if they do think me a joke." I shook my head and tried to think what I could do to help in a way that would keep both Erik and the De Chaney's safe. He sat down on the bed "I don't understand why Gerard couldn't have handed the opera house over to you or I like we always planned."

"Erik you know as well as I do that he couldn't have chosen a successor. As much as we want it to be like that it's not. And now that Gerard's gone I can't keep delivering your warnings forever; half of the opera house is already suspicious."

Erik groaned as he fell back onto his bed and repeated the phrase "What to do, what to do?"

I walked over to the bed "I'll tell you what you're going to do." He sat up and looked at me strangely. "You are going to lay low and let the Giry girls and I handle this."

He laughed at me "You see this is why I like you Christine because you think I can do the impossible." He said.

"I'm not asking you to do the impossible. Besides all I ask is for a few days."

"Christine have you even met me? Gerard was lucky to get me to lay low for twenty minutes. And with these new managers, plus the Viscount waltzing around ignoring my every command, what makes you think I'm going to sit back and let you handle all the fun things." I never understood how he was able to call this fun. We both soon realized that the only way to get Andrea and Firmin to cooperate was to scare them straight, but we weren't exactly sure of how we were to accomplish that. Erik got up and started to think again while pacing which was still really annoying me.

He did it for about two minutes then I yelled "Will you please stop that!" then he stopped and got a look on his face as his eyes lit up. He had a plan.

"Oh no. I know that look. You have plan don't you?" I said already knowing the answer. He looked at me and nodded his head with a devious little smile across his face.

"Come on hurry they'll be missing you upstairs. I'll explain on the way."