HEY EVERYONE!

I BET YOU'RE ALL SURPRISED TO SEE IVE UPDATED SO FAST. THOUGH IT IS TUE THAT MY POOR LAPTOP IS DEAD (MAY IT REST IN PEASE, IT REALLY WAS A GOOD LAPTOP, AN ACER) MY MOM SO KINDLY ALLOWED ME THE USE OF HER COMPUTER WHEN SHE WASENT USING IT FOR WORK BECAUSE SHE FELT SORRY FOR ME AS I MOPED AND SIGHED EVERYMOMENT I THOGUHT ABOUT ALL THE WONDERFUL REVEIWS I RECIE AND HOW I COLULDENT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THEM, LIKE GIVE THE REVEIWERS A NEW CHAPTER.

BUT WE'VE REACHED AN AGREEMENT, I CAN WRITE AS LONG AS I MAKLE SURE I ALWAYS WRITE DURING FOORBALL MATCHES (MY MOM IS A SERIOUS FOOTBALL FAN, NO I MENA IT, A REALLY SERIOUS FAN!) BECAUSE DUING ONE MATCH, THE TEAM SHE LIKED WAS LOOSING AND THEN THE SECOND I CAME TO START WRITING THE TEAM STARTS WINNIGN. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT ITS NO SACRAFICE ON MY PART AND ITS CERTINY BETTER THEN SITTING IN THE KITCHED (WHICH IS WHAT SHE USED TO HAVE ME DO)

SO WHILE THEY CAN BE AS RECENT AS THEY WERE WHEN I HAD A LAPTOP, THEY CAN STILL BE PRETTY RECENT.

THIS IS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER TOO, I DO NOT OWN PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AND SOMETIMES I FEEL AS THOUGH I DON'T EVEN OWN ELIZABETH.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Erik held Elizabeth for some time after that.

He felt too exposed out in the open so he brought her back through the pipes somehow and into the music room. When they got there he had not the single clue of what to do with her. And then it seemed that it didn't matter anymore, for she seemed content to just hold onto him and cry.

Erik recollected many chorus girls did this after a surprise of shock in the Opera Populair and so assumed that this was just typical female behavior.

But even this surprised him. Elizabeth was still trembling in his arms, her body convulsed with each sob that was wrenched out from her chest. Elizabeth had not even cried this much that time when he almost killed her. This had truly terrified her and Erik for some reason tightened his grip on her shoulders.

In the weirdest of ways, he had started seeing Elizabeth as his responsibility. She was his student and his companion. The first he had had after so many years and that strange childlike trust she had in him, trust no one had ever given him before, only made him more protective than usual.

He had been here, perfecting the song he wrote for Elizabeth, making sure it suited her perfectly when something had distracted him from his music. The sound of Elizabeth's screams.

At first he had thought it in his head. But then he heard her cry of "NOOO"

And his heard had jumped.

Erik protected what was his, and Elizabeth was his in a way.

Not to mention this was Elizabeth he was talking about. Frightened, timid Elizabeth who gasped at herself when ever she spoke her mind. Elizabeth who hid her smiles and practically oozed kindness. Elizabeth who would do anything for her sisters (as Erik had guessed from the rare times she spoke of them she spoke with such kindness in her eyes it had shocked him). Innocent Elizabeth who acted as if her had never seen a bad thing in her life.

How dare someone put such fear in her voice!

Without thinking he had grabbed his noose and ran up the pipes as Elizabeth's screams got louder. When he arrived he saw some great oaf straddling her waist as half her dress was pulled down, her arm bleeding out and him trying to force himself on her while Elizabeth sobbed.

Erik didn't think, he just acted.

Killing that man was so easy. He didn't think anyone would hear her screams since they were so far from the town and that's why he attacked her. He properly saw her riding to her lesson with him and followed her.

Erik just pulled on the noose until the man went limp and when it was over Erik felt no pity or repulse from killing him. To him the man was less than the dirt on his feet, not even human in his eyes.

What had worried him was the look in Elizabeth's eyes after he had killed the man. Her eyes kept flicking from the body to him with shock and disgust every second that ticked past. The fear in her eyes both angered him and worried him. Angered because she had no right to fear him after he had just saved her. And worried because . . . because he didn't want to loose the trust she had in him. He hadn't realized what her trust and devotion had meant to him. And at that moment, he somewhat realized how important Elizabeth had become to him. And that worried him.

He reached out his hand and when she flinched it had stung, a little.

Then he had whispered her name so softly he hadn't realized he had whispered until after the words were out of his mouth. But at that, the look of fear disappeared in her eyes and was replaced with something else, something he didn't recognize as she flung herself into his arms sobbing.

And that's how they ended up at this point. Although now she seemed to have fallen asleep. He pulled her back and carried her to the mattress he reserved for those times he needed rest and couldn't go back to his lair at the Sunset Theater. He gentle laid her down, making sure to lay her face on her hair as he had seen her do once before.

Her eyes were swollen from crying and her cheeks were soaked with her tears. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her cheeks, drying and cleaning them. Then he realized her dress was still pulled down and giving a rather revealing display of her undergarments, he supposed she was luckily the bastard hadn't gotten any further.

A year ago Erik would have just left her like this; even cleaning her cheeks would have been rare for him. But not now. Back then Elizabeth was only a student, sort of faceless in a way. Not she had a face and she meant something. She was important.

So with an unusual gentleness he began to pull up the dress to her shoulders. Most of the ridiculous buttons were broken and he didn't have a button hook for them so he did the two that were still there up the best he could. There was nothing he could do for her ripped sleeve but her arm had a shallow cut along it.

Standing he went to retrieve a bottle of brandy that he kept on his shelf to help clean the arm. He only hoped she didn't wake from the sting it would bring.

Wetting his handkerchief with it he pressed against the cut. At the sudden touch her body jerked and a whispered voice spoke "W-what are you doing?"

He looked at her to see her eyes half open "I'm cleaning your cut" he said as he wiped away more of her blood. She whimpered at the pain and shook her head wildly "No, never mind. Just leave it. I can tell my mother I fell of my horse when she asks about my dress and the blood can even further support my argument."

He raised one eyebrow "And how will that explain the cut and the devastation of the dress?"

"Oh alright then, I fell off my horse and into a bramble bush, but that's as far as I'm stretching it" she smiled.

It was strange that her personality should come out at a time like this, but he supposed that she didn't know how else to react to her almost-rape.

It showed how distressed she was.

After a few minutes of silence she whispered in a soft child like voice Thank you" it was so quiet he didn't hear it.

"What?"

"Thank you, for saving me, if you hadn't done that that man would have . . ." she trailed of, unable to continue. "He's really dead isn't he?" she asked.

Erik nodded "He is"

And to that she said nothing more on the subject.

At her silence Erik was unnerved. Elizabeth was usually silent, but for same reason he felt that she should be distracted now. He didn't know why he was suddenly so concerned over her well being, all he knew was that he was.

"Elizabeth how goes your preparations for the masquerade ball?" he asked suddenly.

She looked up and blinked "Fine, thank you, I have already picked out my dress."

"And how goes your practice, you having been keeping up?"

"Oh yes" she exclaimed. Erik was happy to finally hear some emotion in her voice "I've been practicing almost every day, whenever I get a moment to myself"

"Does your family know of your singing?"

She blushed "Uh, no I'm afraid. I don't want to surprise my mother, she uh . . . doesn't expect much from me"

From the look on her face Erik suspected she meant that a bit more than she had implied. Good, then this would gain Elizabeth something as well.

That surprised him; Erik didn't know where that thought came from or when he had started worrying about her happiness.

"Why do you ask?" she said.

Erik shook his head and stood, holding a hand out to her "Come" he said "I have something to show you."

Elizabeth took his hand and he led her out to the organ.

He sat at the organ and began to play, as he sang his new song for her and watched from the corner of his eyes as his voice enchanted her once more. Elizabeth so was so easy to deal with, his voice would calm her instantly. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it in the first place.

When he was finished she sighed and gave her first real smile. "That was beautiful" she gasped "You wrote it?"

"Yes" he replied "For you, to sing at the masquerade ball."

At this she froze "WHAT!" She exclaimed in a most unladylike fashion that he knew she would berate herself later.

"Exactly what I said" he replied.

"B-but at the masquerade ball! Why I could never . . . it's unthinkable . . . positively ridiculous and it would be most improper! I haven't even been invited to do so, everyone will be shocked!"

"That's the point, although they won't know it's you" he said smirking, enjoying the look of disbelief and astonishment on her face. She was so easy to tease. "You will remain masked throughout your song and then when you are finished unmask yourself" he explained, enormously enjoying as her expression grew more and more aghast at each word.

"You must be joking, as if I could ever have the nerve to do something utterly audacious" her face was completely red at the very idea now.

Sighing Erik stood and crossed the floor in two quick steps and he stood before her and took her chin in his hands, forcing her face upwards "You can and you will Elizabeth. This will be your crowing moment, the moment you reveal yourself as the prodigy you are and gather the all important publicity every young singer needs."

"Publicity?" she whispered.

He nodded "Elizabeth, this is essential. Or have I made a mistake in teaching you for all these years?"

"No!" she cried and coughed in embarrassment "No" she said in a softer voice "I-I will sing, or I will try to. But I just . . ." she looked down and covered her mouth with her fingertips in embarrassment. The very idea mortified her. It was almost pitying how afraid she was. She really needed to become braver or she would never go anywhere. Perhaps this was all too fast?

No! Erik was being sentimental, this had to happen now, it was a perfect opportunity, especially since she was completely unknown. He ignored the fearful expression on her face and turned "Come, or do you not want to learn to sing this song" he asked with a almost playful smirk as he watched her perk up instantly, like a little puppy, as she cried out "Yes!" all fear gone from her eyes.

She really was an interesting student to teach.

Having finished her lesson, Elizabeth was about to reach the end of the pipe to leave when suddenly an arm extended out and pulled her back. "Wait" she heard Erik say "Stay here and don't move till I tell you so" and with that he made his way though the pipes.

At first Elizabeth couldn't figure out why he would so. But then suddenly she realized. He was trying to hide the body from her.

The body of the man he killed to save her.

The thought immediately dampened her good mood as she leant against the pipe wall, suddenly a little dizzy. She had had so much fun learning that song and listening to Erik sing that she had completely forgotten what had previously taken place.

Erik had killed someone and straight after doing so she had thrown herself into his arms. Had she no shame?

The man had been a scoundrel but he had still been alive, and now he was very much dead. But if he had lived, Elizabeth might have been the one to die. Oh, this whole murder thing was very confusing.

"Elizabeth" Erik's voice broke her out of her thoughts "Come"

And she certainly followed but without thought. When they reached the edge of the pipes she couldn't help but look around for the body, but Erik had hidden it well.

"Where is it" she surprised herself by asking.

"Gone" he replied as he untied Moonlight from her tree. Then he looked Elizabeth in the eyes "Elizabeth, do not allow it to hinder your mind, concentrate on singing. He was a drunk and would have annoyed someone else eventually if not caught and hung by the magistrate for rape and murder. I only sped up the process. You had nothing to do with it."

Was this his way of telling her not to worry? Elizabeth smiled, that was such an 'Erik' response she almost laughed and nodded "Alright, I shall try"

He reached foreword and Elizabeth's heart stopped had his hand cupped her cheek. "Sing when your heart can't take it, it brings the best sound" he said in his low sully tone of voice. Elizabeth almost shivered but she held herself firm. She had humiliated herself enough for one day as she nodded and mounted Moonlight.

"I will" she said softly and urged Moonlight foreword, ignoring the strange sense of disappointment in her chest when his hand left her cheek.

I THINK I WILL LEAVE IT THERE

PLEASE REVIEW, I HAVE A REALLY GOOD CHAPTER PLANNED FOR NEXT TIME THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OF (OR SO IM HOPING AND EXCUSE THE WEIRD TERMINOLOGY, ITS MIDNIGHT AND IM SLEEPY, MY BRAINS NOT WARKING PROPERLY NOW)

PLEASE REVIEW!