Author note: Yay I updated sooner then the last time. With all that has been going on it was hard. So I consider this chapter to go out to all of you who are already back in school.

MUAHAHAHAH -cough- ahem. . . now, my thanks this time go out to PrimaDonnaKate who continues to be a supporter of the story, and also to Mademoiselle Christine Daae who also added a review to my last chapter. So a beastly thank you goes out to the two of them.

Now I will be quiet and read on people! And I will be waiting again at the end of the chapter.

TheDragonEye

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Two-Faced and Deception

Erik and Christine

"You are right of course, Erik." she spoke once more, her voice nearly dripping venom as she looked down at the man who could hardly move at all with his binds or without them in the first place. "I have no intentions of letting you go, besides Raoul has no idea anymore. You are mine, and will continue to be so until I loose interest and decide to hand you over to the gendarmes myself." her voice a sneer as though everything was going according to her own plans. "Unless you find me selling you to the gypsies a better plan?"

Erik turned his broken gaze upwards to his captor and he shook his head weakly. "I-I thought you loved me Christine. . . why now? Why save me and then kill me?" he asked quietly.

Christine let out a laugh that held no joy, it almost mirrored Erik's himself, one he used to use in a cruel form of mock so many years ago. "Love you? Erik, I love you more then my single heart can hold! But you fail to see it! You hate me! You hate me because I choose Raoul and left you. Well, you have seen the ring on my finger, an engagement ring. I have not married the man yet. I thought things could change between us Erik, but perhaps all you need is a shove in the right direction. I love Raoul, but perhaps it is more of a friendship or a brotherly love. Somehow I do believe that I love you, even with how you have been treating me, after all Erik someone has to be able to withstand you. All men have weaknesses, and I am certain I know yours." she spoke, her hands curling into fists as she spoke all of that to her bound captive.

"No. . Christine please. You are right, I did treat you like that, but only to keep the emotions away. I didn't want you to love me again because I thought you were married! Please, understand." Erik spoke, he was never one to beg but being bound with a woman on the verge of doing God knows what it was worth a try.

However that did not seem to be the case with Christine. "I know I am right, Erik. And I know the situation both of us are in. Now here is your choice, will you choose to love and marry me? You owe me so much. Or will you go against it and risk your life now that I worked so hard to save it? You owe me your life Erik Destler, I will be repaid sooner or later. You are better off being it your own choice."

"Christine. .I-"

"See? Choosing is more difficult then you think Erik. What goes around comes around. Now make your choice!"

"I can't do this, Christine. I was better off dead."

"That can be arraigned, Erik, though I don't want to have to do that. Open your eyes and wake up to what could happen! We can have a life together! Doesn't that sound nice?"

"It does, Christine. But with how you are acting, how can I trust you?"

Christine slapped him hard across the cheek before he could do anything else. It burned for a few seconds before it turned into a sharp stinging. He turned around to look up at her, who seemed so show no remorse.

"Did you open your eyes now? Do you understand? Something must have happened to you that night. You want this Erik! You need me! Now wake up!"

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Erik's eyes opened as he became aware of a painstakingly careful hand on his forehead. The golden-green eyes he had once been able to count on for his problems in the dark were now dilated and out of focus. When he allowed them to close he tried to recollect his jumbled thoughts but he gave up and opened them once more. His eyes found hers and the locked immediately. Christine was above him, smiling and he could not recall the last time he had ever seen that.

"That's it Erik. You broke your fever at long last." she whispered as she ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair almost lovingly which clung to his face and neck.

His fever? He thought he had already broken it. But apparently not after seeing the behavior change in Christine. It had been another dream, another foolish to believe dream. His mouth parted to speak with her but he only managed a dry cough. In an instant a cup of cold water was pressed to his lips and he drank of it gratefully. Christine had done so much for him, he was foolish to believe that Christine wanted so much more from him.

"Thank you." he croaked out, earning a bigger smile in return from the brunette.

"Of course, you'd do the same thing for me, Erik." she replied, smoothing back his hair before laying him against the bed. She had wondered what had happened to him. Naught a few minutes earlier he was writhing about his bed as if he was in terrible pain.

As Christine went to get Erik some more water she watched out of the corner of his eye as the weakened Phantom tried to sit up on his own accord. She shook her head, even though his fever was breaking up she knew he would be in no possible condition to do anything. She went back to him and when he tried to speak she put a finger to his drying lips to silence him.

"Shush, Erik." she whispered. "I'll be right back, and we'll see if you can stomach anything alright?" she let her hand trail down his cheek and she looked into his eyes to try and read any emotions as to how he was feeling.

When she didn't see much besides utter exhaustion and non-spoken words she removed her hand from his face. Before she stood up she kissed his forehead and administered a slight pressure to his shoulders to make him lie down.

"Just rest, that's all you can do for now."

Christine turned and once more began walking away, when she looked back she saw Erik had closed his eyes and was taking her words of rest to heart and reasoning. She gave a weak smile as she headed out of the room she had scarcely left for four days.

When she entered the kitchen she set a pot of water to boil, having figured out how to work so much of the kitchen and things about his house. Most she could tell were his own contraptions, and they worked better then anything that could be purchased instead.

After a few minutes of musing over to herself of what sort of nightmare Erik could have had to completely scare him like that she added a few things to the pot, working on something light for Erik's stomach.

She loved him, she knew she could deny it no longer. Perhaps, in the end he would learn to trust her again and return the feelings he had almost five weeks ago. Christine smiled at the thought, perhaps a home out in the country side would be nice. She wasn't sure if she could ever adapt to living underground like this. Christine missed the sunlight and everything natural she could think of. From trees to flowers, from birds to mice, the wind and the rain.

A pang of guilt coursed through her body and settled uneasily in her gut at the thought of it. Erik had been deprived of all those things his entire life, it just didn't seem fair. Christine thought about it more and more as she worked on her own and Erik's dinner for the evening. At least she was certain it was dark outside.

What if, she could manage a way to get Erik to open up? There had to be a way, and then after all of that they could live their life as it could have been folding out already had she chose him that night of the fire.

As for Raoul, she loved him but not so much as a lover. He was young and he was a Viscount, surely he could have anyone he wanted. When the time came to tell him Christine would have to make certain he was sober.

Christine nodded to herself as she turned the fire off from underneath the pot of the soup. She spooned some into a bowl and made sure to water it down to a broth for Erik.

She loved him. That was a fact.

He would come to love her, she was certain of it.

"Christine?"

She looked up nearly missing his faint call, "I'm here Erik." she called as she turned and walked back to him. She sighed as she noticed him half upright on the bed.

"Erik, will you ever just relax?"

"I thought you had left me." he whispered, almost fearfully.

Christine smiled weakly, so he did feel something after all. Maybe not love, but there was something. Even a small flame could spark and spread into a raging fire.

"You need not to worry about me leaving, just eat." she spoke as she pushed the bowl into his hands. With an amused look she watched as Erik even tried to find an easy way to keep some of the food on the spoon.

Erik looked up at her and then back down at the food, but he would not ask for help. "I can do this." he spoke when he saw Christine open her mouth to speak. He could keep an air around him and he would not succumb to needing her help for everything anymore.

"But. . . don't leave." he murmured as he saw her turn to leave once more. To his surprise, she stayed. Taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

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Ending note:

I was not happy with how this chapter turn out, so I promise you now that this was just a transition before anything else happened. So it needed to take place no matter how off it seemed.

Reviews are welcomed.

TheDragonEye