Disclaimer: I am a humble servant to Gaston Leroux.

~Chapter sixteen~

Christine woke up with a strange taste in her mouth. She had no idea how she got to her bed. The last thing she remembered was sitting in the couch and waiting for Erik to prepare some food for her. She couldn't remember his return. She turned around and to her side she saw him, he was asleep and even had his arm around her! He was still wearing the mask though and looking at it she thought he looked so ordinary and relaxed that it brought a smile to her face. She knew about the coffin that was his regular sleeping place and she was curious as to what had happened to make him fall asleep so close to her. She could tell that he had undressed her and she saw her clothes on the stool next to the bed. She was surprised that he had done it without waking her, but she was also surprised that he hadn't tried to do anything more than that. After all she had been heavily asleep and still he had respected her. The only thing he had done was to fall asleep holding his arm around her waist in a kind of protective way. She couldn't help but to yawn and when she did he woke up with a startle. During a few heartbeats they just looked at each other and then all of a sudden Erik ran up and made sure the mask was in its right position before he spoke to her.

"Christine! I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I must have fallen asleep…" he seemed to be unsure of what to say to her.

"It's alright Erik…" Christine didn't know why but his embarrassment made her blush as well.
" I was very tired last night too."

"I shall let you freshen up and prepare for the day. I will play something so you know where I am Christine."

"Thank you."

He turned, left the room and closed the door behind him and suddenly she heard notes from Liszt Liebesraum play all around her. She knew he must be playing it from his piano, he had one just near his organ, but it sounded like the music came out from the walls.

Christine got dressed quickly and went out just to hear the music even clearer when she got out of her room. It was almost intoxicating, and without thinking she found herself walking towards its source.

At the piano she found Erik completely focused in the Liszt piece with his eyes closed. If he had heard her come in, he didn't move a muscle to show it. She stopped behind his back, closed her eyes also and felt the kind of chill run up her spine that she only felt when she heard something played to perfection. She put her hands on Erik's shoulders and felt his tense muscles work as his arms and hands worked the piano, he only stiffened for a split-second when he felt her touch on his back. Maybe he had heard her enter the room after all?

To make him relax more she started massaging him gently. When the last note of Liebesraum died out there was a moment of silence. But it was almost as if Erik read her mind and also didn't want the moment to end because he continued playing, still keeping his eyes closed. This time he started with the notes to Liszt's Consolations No. 3. The notes seemed to flow through her body and left a tingling sensation everywhere they went. She started to feel hot all over and Erik's cool body under her hands attracted her in a way she couldn´t even begin to describe.

She fell down to her knees and leaned her head against his back, letting her hands rest against his waist. She could feel him breathe under her head and hear his heartbeat. She sat like that for a moment and she didn't know what came over her but she rose again and placed a light kiss on Erik's neck. When she did, she at first thought she would be appalled by it, but his cool skin under her hot lips felt so good that she felt more brave and she gave him another kiss in the same place, this one being more normal, and then Erik stopped playing.