Disclamer: No I dont own any of the Phantom characters... sadly... but the other stuff is mine.

Sorry it took so long to update, I've been so freaking busy, not getting home untill 9ish for the past 2 weeks, and thats ifI was even in town. Softball is coming to an end, so posts will be more frequent crosses fingers i hope, atleast. I have had this chapter writen for 2 weeks, but was unable to type it untill last night. The next chapter is started, so it should be very soon.

hope you enjoy!

Chapter 8

Many thoughts passed through Erik's mind. There was Christine singing with Erik on the grand stage of the opera house. His angle had returned to him. She still remembered him.

It came to the part in the song where Don Juan joined Aminta in singing. Erik's angelic voice joined Aslynn's as they both sang:

Past the point
of no return
the final threshold -
the bridge
is crossed, so stand
and watch it burn . . .
We've passed the point
of no return . . .

In the back of her mind Aslynn heard Erik's voice join her', but she didn't pay attention to it. She was addicted to the music, addicted to its power. Suddenly Aslynn stopped playing, coming to her senses that she was singing in front of Erik, again.

Erik was still singing his voice was raw and full of power. He stopped at the end of the song and said, " Why did you stop Christine?"

"Who's Christine?' She asked.

Erik blinked a couple of times then saw Aslynn instead of Christine. She was wearing the same white shirt and black pants he let her borrow. Her shirt was unbuttoned at the top, reveling the top of her breasts. The reflection of the candle light on her face seemed to make her glow.

"No one," he replied, "What are you doing, going though my stuff?"

"I found it and wanted to try playing it…"she started, but was interrupted by Erik saying,

"If your going to play it, at least play it right."

He stalked over to the organ, and Aslynn got up as he approached. Erik sat on the bench and played.

"It should be played like this, and the part you were singing is to high for you."
Erik told the young woman.

Aslynn didn't respond, she just listened to him playing and singing his part.

You have come here
in pursuit of
your deepest urge,
in pursuit of
that wish,
which till now
has been silent,
silent . . .

I have brought you,
that our passions
may fuse and merge -
in your mind
you've already
succumbed to me
dropped all defences
completely succumbed to me -
now you are here with me:
no second thoughts,
you've decided,
decided . . .

Past the point
of no return -
no backward glances:
the games we've played
till now are at
an end . . .
Past all thought
of "if" or "when" -
no use resisting:
abandon thought,
and let the dream
descend . . .

What raging fire
shall flood the soul?
What rich desire
unlocks its door?
What sweet seduction
lies before
us . . .?

When he was done he turned and looked at Aslynn who was standing nest to the organ. Her eyes were glazed over as if she was in a trance. Realizing that the music had stopped, Aslynn closed her eyes and then reopened them.

"Did you write that?" She asked, still dazed.

"Yes."

"Wow, that was… amazing. It was so powerful… and you voice," Aslynn started.

"What about my voice?" Erik asked sharply.

"It was amazing. I've never heard such a beautiful voice before." She truthfully replied.

Erik said nothing but looked into Aslynn's deep blue eyes. They were full of amazement. He let a small smile slide across his face.

During the night, Erik stayed mostly at his organ. Unable to come up with anything new and un-wanting to play something old, Erik left his canvas. As he looked over the black lake, he thought of Aslynn and the last several days.

This woman has never directly asked why I wear my mask. Only though her eyes, and then only twice. She doesn't seem to judge me, though maybe that's because she doesn't know the stories. She came here frightened and broken. Those ex-stagehands handled her harshly, but her words were harsh in return. She uses some of the most billingsgate I've ever heard from a woman.

Why does she think she's from 2005? Such an odd year, but what if she's serious? That music she played, was unlike anything I've heard.

As Erik was thinking of the past days, he walked down to the side room where Aslynn spent most of her time. He reached the desk and pulled up a chair.

His eyes caught the model stage and the wax figure of Christine. Carefully picking it up, he asked himself, "Why did I see Aslynn as Christine? Why did I see that strange woman as my angel? Was it because I heard her playing my Don Juan Triumphant?"

"Oh Christine," he whispered, fingering the wax model, "Why did you leave me? Am I that much of a monster?"

Closing his eyes, Erik pictured his angel. "Why," he asked himself again, his voice shaking. He set down the figure and put his head in his hands.

Erik ran his fingers though his black hair. His frustration turned his thoughts back to Aslynn. Tomorrow is the fifth day, and last, day she has to stay. Then I'll be alone again.

"Damn it! Why do I have to have such a cursed life?" he growled, slamming a fist onto the desk.

"Even if this woman means nothing to me, she's still company. When she leaves, she'll probably never come back."

Looking down at the papers under his fist he saw a drawing on the back His ungloved fingers carefully turned them over and placed them in front of him. On the top was a sketch of a wave. His eyes scanned the paper with slight interest and he saw how much detail and time was put into it. In the left hand corner, he saw were Aslynn had signed her name. In the waves were words, the one that caught Erik's eye the most was, "This is my Bali' Hi."

"Why would she draw a wave? What does Aslynn mean by 'this is my Bali' Hi'?" The man asked the sketch.

After a few more minuets of looking at the top drawing, he went to the one underneath it.

On the parchment Erik saw a face of a young man looking at him. The man was handsome with wavy hair. His expression was that of someone in love.

"Who is this?" Erik asked, wondering whom the handsome man was. Just after he asked he heard Aslynn scream. "More nightmares." He said shaking his head.

The Phantom then heard Aslynn scream 'Chris'.

"Are you Chris?" Erik asked the face, " Are you her lover?"

Soon Erik could no longer take looking at this handsome man Aslynn had delecalitly drawn and threw the paper down. In doing so, he failed to notice another piece of parchment behind it. The other piece of parchment drifted softly to the floor.

Erik was growing angry with himself inside, for starting to care for this woman, whose heart was already taken. He knew better than that. He knew better to care for a stranger. After giving his full heart to Christine and having her rip it in two, he could bare no more. Because of that, he was almost certain never to care for anyone again.

In his anger and frustration, Erik rubbed his head and glanced down to the floor. Near his feet was another sketch that he missed. Bending down, he gently lifted the paper up into better light.

As he did so, he saw the outline of a man sitting at an organ adorned in candles. He studied it more and saw that the man sitting at the organ had only one side of his face showing. It was handsome with medium length hair. In the blackness surrounding the organ he saw phrases, the most interesting one being, "Who is this man?"

This is me, he realized, shaking his head in shock. No, it cant be, how could anyone make such a wonderful drawing of me?

As he thought he realized that there was a lot more about Aslynn that he didn't think possible. She put a bit of her into these sketches.

But I will never find out more about her, he told himself, Tomorrow is her last day. She will leave and never come back.

This thought, for some strange reason, made Erik heated. He set the sketch down and could feel his blood rising in him. He could feel his anger build up. He needed to leave.

Aslynn violently tossed and turned in her bed. Her dreams had been getting worse, more graphic.

It was a dim street that Aslynn turned the corner to. Shadows surrounded her. In the distance some hard rock music was playing. The building curved in like a balcony of Elm trees. 'I don't want to go down this street,' Aslynn thought. 'I'm going to turn around and find another path.'

The young woman turned around and found that there was a wall. She couldn't go back!

Stretching out her hand she felt the cold stone. Shivering, she pulled back and realized that she must push onwards. When she turned back around to the street, the buildings began to fade. As she slowly walked they faded into Elm trees. All around her were shadows. The shadows whispered and followed her.

Aslynn tried hard to ignore the shadows but in the back of her mind she could feel more and more following her. As he pulse grew, she whirled around. Behind her it was pitch black. So dark, you couldn't even see the shadows. She turned back around and picked up her pace. She was briskly walking down an eerie tree lined lane with more and more shadows appearing on her side.

In the sky above her the half-moon slide out from the clouds, giving a little bit lighter. A light, cool breeze blew, shaking the leaves of the elms. A few green leaves floated to the ground and as Aslynn walked over them, they broke like glass. The breeze created a howling sound in the trees and caused Aslynn to jump.

On the ground, small puddles started to appear. Aslynn felt her pulse grow, as he looked down the lane and couldn't see the end. The puddles grew larger and Aslynn tried hard not to step in them. The shadows following her were catching up. The puddles were now everywhere.

One of the shadows caught up with Aslynn and thrust her into blackness. She quickly reopened her eyes.

In front of her, she saw a wrecked car with the front windows broken. He body started to shake with fear; her pulse beating in her head like a bass drum. Her knees were locked and she couldn't feel her feet. She looked down and saw she was standing in a puddle. For the first time, Aslynn noticed that the puddle and all the puddles surrounding her had a red tint. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what she was standing in.

She was standing in blood! She let out an ear-piercing scream. Determined to get out of the puddle, she slowly lifted her feet and tried to walk forward. When she was out of the puddle she noticed a body lying next to the car with blood surrounding it. She ran over to it, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw whom it was. She fell to her knees and landed in the warm blood.

"CHRIS!" she screamed.

Aslynn woke with a start and her pulse beating in her ears. Kicking off the covers, she expected to see blood on her knees. To her relief, there was none.

Just a dream, she told herself, it's just a dream.

She pulled the covers back up and curled up into a ball.

Just a bad dream, She kept saying, until she was asleep again.

When she awoke the next day she remembered the terrible nightmare she'd had, the same one she'd been having for a while now.

"Why am I having these dreams?" She softly asked the ceiling.

She climbed out of bed and looked for new clothes. The ones she was wearing were drenched in sweat. Unsuccessful in finding anything, she left the room.

Erik was tieing the boat up when he saw Aslynn enter the room. He briefly glanced at her, but soon turned away.

No point in getting used to seeing her, she'll be gone tomorrow.

When he was done he walked up the stairs and went over to the organ. The visible half of his face was emotionless. When he reached the organ, he stood and pretended to be looking for a paper. Aslynn was still standing in the doorway, watching him.

She wanted to talk to him, but she couldn't. She didn't know what to say to her silent host.

Finally, after what seemed to be hours, Erik spoke.

"I went and checked the passages. The men who brought you down here are guarding most of them. It should be safe for you to leave tomorrow." His voice was gruff and he kept his back to the woman.

The young woman didn't respond and just looked at him in shock. She didn't realize that she was free to go so soon. Even though the days dragged on here, she didn't think it was already the fifth day. She barely knew Erik, and now she was free to go. But where would she go? There was only one person she knew, and that was Erik.

Erik turned around and said, "Did you not hear me? I said you will be free to go." His voice was powerful and full of anger. Even though his face was emotionless, his voice gave his emotions away.

"I heard you, I just…" she started, looking down from Erik's cold eyes, "I just didn't think that is was the fifth day already." Her light brown hair fell in her face.

"I'm sure your lover will be missing you," Erik told the young woman, his eyes watching her every move.

Aslynn looked up, and Erik could read confusion on her face.

"Chris," He stated, menace in his voice.

Hearing Erik say Chris's name, the young woman's eyes grew wide.

"How…how do you know about Chris?" she nervously asked Erik.

"You've only been screaming his name every night." He replied gruffly, turning away. "Anyways, tomorrow you will be with him again."

"No, I wont, you know nothing about Chris," Aslynn replied, getting the feeling that Erik had come to certain conclusions.

"What did he leave you or something? That's why you scream his name while you sleep?" Erik fiercely replied, his voice growing loud.

"Shut the hell up. You know NOTHING about him!" Aslynn screamed, her voice matching his in volume.

"Yeah, is that so? Well I do know my share about…" Erik yelled, but was interrupted by Aslynn.

"Shut the hell up. You do NOT know what it is like to lose someone you love!" She yelled, turning away and falling to the ground.

Erik turned around and walked over to where the woman was on her knees. He was less than and foot away, and towered over her.

His eyes filled with fire as he replied, "Really? I don't know what its like to lose someone? So you know what I've been though, you have figured me out." His voice was overwhelming, but that didn't stop Aslynn.

"You don't know what it is like to spend the last bloody minuets with the person you love, and not even know that they were the last." She fiercely said, looking up into Erik's eyes.

"But I do have…" he stared, but was again stopped.

"You haven't seen your fiancé's body covered in blood. Have you? You've never watched them take their last painful breath? Have you? When the person who you love's lungs were collapsing and filling with blood. I don't think so."

Erik was speechless.

"Yeah, that's right, don't say anything."

Erik could see that she was trembling from head to toe. Tears were running fiercely down her face.

"Chris was my fiancé, we were to get married in two moths, that was… until the accident." She started.

Seeing her cry, Erik took a step back and waited for her to continue.

"We were driving back from a banquet. Well, Chris was driving. Out of nowhere a car came speeding and ran into us head on. The other driver was drunk...yet he lived." She stopped when she realized that Erik wouldn't know what a car was. "A car is like a carriage but runs on a motor, like a train, but smaller, fits about four people. Anyways, from the impact of the hit, Chris and I both jerked. He hit his head on the dashboard. The car flipped around several times and it landed upside down. A car that was behind us stopped and called for help. The driver then came and got Chris and I out of the car. Both of my legs were broken, but I didn't care, 'cause Chris was having problems breathing. By the time the medics came, it was too late. Chris's lungs had collapsed and were full of blood. He was the only one to die."

Erik stood silently, unsure of what to do. That's why she's so sad all the time. The man she loved died before her very eyes.

Still not knowing how to react, Erik walked beside Aslynn and put his hand on her shoulder.

Aslynn no longer even attempted to hold back the tears. The sparkling drops of water fell down her face silently. "It's been just about a year. Why didn't I die? Why did he have to die?" she softly asked.

Note: I had a lot of fun writing this... i really hope you liked it. Please Review and tell me what you think! Muchas Gracis!