Chapter 9 –

"What have you done to her?" Raoul de Changy demanded, looking at Erik is disbelief. "She's only a child, you monster!"

"Erik what happened?" Elizabeth cried as she ran to the limp little girl. "What did you do?"

Christine sat in silence, holding onto her son as if she was scared of what the man in front of her would do to him. The little boy looked confused out of his mind. He had no idea who the man in the mask was, and why his mother and father were acting so differently then they usually did.

"I did not do anything!" He yelled. He expected that reaction from Christine and the boy, but not from Elizabeth. "If anything, this is your fault! You told the kids I would not be playing with them. You fired me. You caused them to refuse to sing, so I assure you it is not my fault that she tried to walk home in the freezing cold, Miss Bennet!"

"She tried to walk home?" Elizabeth asked, completely shocked. "Is she okay? She's going to be okay—right Erik?" She began to tremble.

"She is still breathing and she's out of the cold now so I think she will be alright. Are you done blaming me now? Can I please take Caroline to a room where the fireplace is going?"

"Yes, yes. Madam, Sir, enjoy the show, I shall see you later."

The Vicomte and his wife stood in disbelief. How could a respectable woman like Elizabeth Bennet be involved with the Phantom?

"I think we should leave Christine." Raoul said to his wife.

"I want to know what is going on here." Christine replied.

"And what, give him the chance to take you again? Christine, he would not do what he did for you last time."

"He does not seem to want me anymore, Raoul."

"I do not care. Christine we have no reason to want to be here anymore. My son is not going to be taught by that… that monster." Raoul was astonished at the way his wife was acting. She looked at him angrily. Raoul looked from his wife to their son, who looked very confused. He came close to her ears and whispered to his wife. "Christine, he wanted to kill me and take you forever. How can you possibly want to stay here—and let our child stay here?"

"What is going on here?" The stubborn little boy in front of them screamed.

"Andrew this is none of your business, we need to go though."

"NO! I want to stay here. I talked to all the other vocal kids this afternoon. They said that they love—Mr. Erik, I think his name was. I want a good teacher too. You promised me that if there was a good teacher here, I could be taught by them!"

"He is not a good teacher Andrew, and you will not be taught by him." The Vicomte yelled at his son. The little boy stepped back as close to the wall as he could.

"Raoul!" Christine screamed and went to her son's side. "You're scaring him."

"Good, cause this whole situation is scaring me." Raoul yelled back at his wife.

"Let me speak to him. He won't do anything, I can promise you that! He is at a school, one he does not know every secret about, and he saved that little girl. He seems different."

"Men like that don't change."

"Let me speak to him Raoul… alone. Please."

He looked at her, and he knew that she needed this assurance. It scared him what could happen, but she needed this. He nodded. She nodded back, and she walked down the hall toward the vocal classroom. Raoul moved closer to his son, hugged the child and kept him close.

Christine went to Erik's classroom and couldn't find him. She headed farther down the hallway and found Elizabeth pacing outside. Christine approached her slowly. Tears ran down Elizabeth's face freely. "Is the girl all right?" she asked.

"I don't know, Erik told me to wait outside."

"May I go in?" Christine asked. Elizabeth nodded and let the girl in.

She saw Erik sitting next to the girl, who was curled up in his cloak and a few other blankets. He heard her. "Elizabeth, I told you that you were getting too worked up, she will be all right, just go sit outside."

Christine stayed quiet. She couldn't speak to this man; he had such a power over her, and she was still terrified of it.

He turned around and his mouth dropped open. He began to laugh. "Your precious husband let you leave him for two minutes?"

"I needed to speak to you."

"I have spent the last six years trying to get that thought out of my mind; all I've wanted is to get past the things that happened that night. I found that here, I found something that I've wanted. I loved being your teacher. I've always wanted to pass my gift on to other people. You and your husband made that impossible for me. I love you, Christine, and I always will, but I can't talk to you now. You have taken both chances of happiness away from me. I let you go, and I'll live with that, but you will have to live with the fact that you've made me miserable twice. You've taken away everything I've had, in both Paris and here. Now, is that what you wanted to hear?" He looked at her with venom in his eyes, but also with a hint of sadness, after everything, he still loved her with everything in his heart.

"You know I did not want to take everything away from you, but you were going to take everything away from me. You would have killed Raoul, Erik, I love him, and you were going to kill him. You would have taken it all from me."

"But I didn't. I let you go. Now that's all I want. I want you to go. I will never touch you or your husband ever again, but I want you to go. Leave my life and leave me alone. I want happiness. I let you have that, Christine; will you do the same for me?"

"All I want is for you to be happy, Erik. If this makes you truly happy I will leave and never take that away from you, but I can't believe you."

"Why not?" He snapped back at her. "Why do you not believe I can be happy here?"

"I just have a feeling. Erik, I know you. You won't be happy here."

"Well I'm sorry, my dear, but you are already wrong, I am happy here. Now I'll ask you to leave. The concert should begin within a few minutes, so you, your husband, and your son should either find your seats or leave."

"Erik…"

"Go! Christine go! You don't understand, you never will. As much as I might feel like there isn't, there is life after you, and it is here."

She looked a little shocked, but when Erik turned back to the little girl, Christine left. She was confused. This man still loved her, and for this reason, she could not believe that he would be forever happy here. At the same time, she longed to have her son receive the amazing teaching she had received. As much as Raoul tried to deny it, she did owe her talent to Erik. He gave her the voice she now possessed.

Erik felt tears in his eyes. He had done what he had hoped he could do all day. He was able to give her up again. He could let her go.

"Who is she?" asked a quiet whisper in front of him.

Erik looked down to Caroline, she had regained some of her usual colour, and she was looking to better. "Someone I thought was gone from my life a long time ago." Erik replied. "How are you feeling?"

"She hurt you, didn't she? You love her too." He just nodded. "And I feel better, thank you, sir, for saving me." He nodded again. Caroline Henson was the last person he thought he'd be saying these things to. "So you aren't in love with Miss Bennett?"

"No, Elizabeth and I can barely stand to be around each other for longer than a few minutes. We fight too much."

"Then you shouldn't live together." Erik laughed a bit. The tears Christine had left him with still stung his eyes, but this girl he had instantly hated seemed to calm him and make him want to laugh.

There was a knock at the door Erik opened it and found his vocal class standing there with Elizabeth. All of them had been crying. "She's all right, don't worry."

Caroline sat up and smiled at her classmates. "Mr. Erik saved me."

The students crowded around her and she told them what had happened. Erik stepped over to Elizabeth. "Do her parents know?" He asked.

"They aren't here. They said they'd be here, but I can't find them." She didn't know what else to say. "The de Chagnys didn't leave. The Victomess convinced her husband to stay." Erik just nodded. They stood in silence and listened to the kids talk near the fire. Finally, Elizabeth looked to Erik and said what had been on her mind since he had turned up almost a half an hour ago. "Erik, thank you." He just smiled. "You don't understand how much I owe you now. If I lost another child that I cared for as much as I care for my students, I don't know what I'd do."

"Another?" Erik wondered aloud. She just nodded. Erik took a deep breath and turned toward the students. "Okay, I came here tonight to see you sing. Now get yourselves down to the theatre, and get prepared. I expect your best."

"But we can't do our best without you," Emily said with a frown.

"You won't have to. Erik, if you wish to stay, this job is still yours." Elizabeth added. She had seen how everyone reacted to him. They needed Erik as much as he needed them.

"Then it seems we have a show to put on. Caroline, you may have my ticket, and watch us, but I am sorry, dear, you are not well enough to sing. Next time, I promise." The girl nodded, knowing he was right.

Erik led his students down the hall and he knew this was right. As much as he had been tempted by Christine's appearance here, he could not have her, and he would not leave these kids. They gave him a chance at life he had always wanted. They did not judge him for his mask; they did not see him as a monster. They trusted him, cared for him, and he cared for them the way he used to care for Christine when she was a child. He did not know what it was exactly that made him need to be around them, but these children gave him a reason for life.

When they reached backstage, little Emily gave him a big hug. "I'm glad you're back, Mr. Erik. We need you."

He bent down to her eye level "You do not need me; you are amazing, talented, young children without me. I am just here to keep you on the right track. The rest is all you." She smiled and kissed him on his unmasked cheek, smiled again, then joined her classmates. Erik did not move for a few seconds. This was one of the few signs of affection he had ever been shown. The little girl gave him something he had always desired; and now when he was not looking for it, he was given it without a second thought.

Elizabeth saw his moment of thought and wondered back to what she did not know of this man. He seemed to show no emotion most of the time, but for some odd reason, this day had brought out many emotional sides of him.

After one of the most eventful days the school had seen, it was time for the concert to start. Elizabeth checked to see that she looked presentable. She took one last glance at the performers back stage. Her eyes lingered on Erik for a spilt second longer than anyone else. She knew that everything would be okay. She put on a smile, and walked out to greet the audience.