Chapter 12-Reunion

The next morning Christine woke up to the bumpiness of the train and blinked her eyes for a few seconds until she could see clearly. She looked over to where the couch was in their cabin and saw that it was empty. Raoul fell asleep there last night, she remembered them having a conversation in the dark before she fell asleep. Maybe he went to get breakfast. She thought sitting up all the way; in the meantime she could change out of her nightgown and into her dress and hat. She did just that, but when Raoul did not return within the hour, she began to worry about him.

Her mind raced about all sorts of things that could have happened to him and her heart began pounding very rapidly. She decided to look for him, it would make her feel better when she found him and yelled at him for worrying her. The thought of her scolding him calmed her a down a little and she opened the door. She locked the door and as she turned around Erik was there to greet her. She let out a startled scream but he grabbed her arm tightly and said darkly, "Unlock the door and get back in your cabin." Christine stared into his angry dark eyes and did exactly as he said.

As soon as she stepped into the room and he followed her, he closed the door quietly behind him locking it and turned back to see her standing by the small couch.

"Erik! What are you doing here?" She asked angrily, "And what have you done with Raoul." He stared at her surprised that he wasn't the one doing the yelling, but he kept his cool, knowing that Raoul was a safe distance away from them and Erik kept his promise about not killing the boy.

"I'm sorry to have ruined your plans of escape, my darling, but this little trip of yours should prove that you are mine now. As for your little lover, he is locked away with the authorities on the account of kidnapping my wife." She stared at him with her mouth open in disbelief and finally began shaking her head.

"You are truly unbelievable. I actually began to feel something for you and then you turned crazy as soon as your rival entered my life again. Did you know that before you were acting like a crazy lunatic I actually told him that I was choosing to stay with you! Then you found out about him and went off like some maniac animal. Sometimes I think you are the most amazing person that ever walked this planet, and other times I think you are the most selfish person whose only happiness for you to fulfill is your own. You never think about anyone else but yourself! What about me? If you loved me as much as you say you do, then you would make me happy also! Don't you ever think of how wonderful things would be if both of us were happy? There is no possible way that you are happy in this marriage because I'm not happy!"

"Are you finished now?" Erik asked sitting down on the couch. She just glared at him.

"Well, in all actuality I am quite surprised to hear these words from you. It almost sounds like you are giving me a second chance at this marriage thing." Erik said proudly leaning back with his hands behind his head.

"I never gave you a first chance; you took any choice I had away from me." Christine said looking away from him with disgust.

"Well it looks as if you don't have a choice this time either. You will come back home with me where we will play perfect husband and wife if we have to." Christine turned her back on him hugging herself around her chest. She really hated him; right now there wasn't a single ounce of love coming from her body. She felt as if nothing but hate was oozing out of every pore and opening in her body for this man. She spun around to see him standing now right in front of her. She kept her distance and moved around behind him as he spun around to keep looking at her.

"But that's not fair!" She yelled like a child throwing a tantrum. Erik pushed her backwards and she landed ungracefully on the couch.

"Oh shut up would you? One thing I hate about women is they always talk too much and too loud." He sat down next to her while she crossed her arms and looked away from him staring out the window as the tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Erik in the meantime went through his pockets and found that pack of cigars he bought the day before.

"Guess I won't need these anymore." He said tossing them across the room and into a small wastepaper basket.

Later that afternoon sometime between lunch and dinner, the train came into Paris. Erik grabbed Christine who grabbed her small bag and led her off the train. Christine and Erik stood by a cab as Erik spoke with the cabdriver about how much it would cost to take them to the best hotel in Paris while Christine stared at the crowd of people that came off the train and watched as the train crew came off. She finally saw two security guards lead Raoul off in handcuffs over to the police carriage. By this time the driver was getting up in the front of his carriage and Erik put Christine's small bag in the back when she screamed,

"Raoul!" He saw her as he was pushed and yelled back to her. She reached her arms out to him but Erik quickly grabbed her and pulled her into the carriage. They began to move and she pounded her fists against the small back window.

"Oh Erik! I hate you!" He gave her a cynical laugh,

"No you don't." She sat back down silently and cried. After a little while of this Erik couldn't stand it anymore. He attempted to turn her towards him, but she struggled.

"Listen to me." He said gently. She continued to stare down as he continued,

"Just give me a chance, I promise I can be a good husband." He said in almost a pleading tone. She finally did look back at him,

"I did give you a chance and you went crazy."

"Give me a chance without that boy. Please don't ever see him again, give me the chance that you want to give him."

"I can't. I can't look at you the same way I look at him. He's sweet and loving, you're dark and dangerous. Even if we stay together, I will never be able to get into your thoughts. You will never learn how to love correctly. You're forty years old and you haven't learned a thing yet, you never will!"

"Since you're such an expert, teach me! I haven't learned anything about love from you either!" Erik said feeling the anger rising back up into his throat. Christine sat speechless staring at him and sunk back into the seat.

"What's the point?" She asked under her breath.

A/N: I apologize that this chapter is really short, but I have the next one all planned out, just have to get it on paper.