The following day was the same as usual. Nadir opened the door to be greeted once again by his panting, but satisfied, master.
"Been having a nice night, sir?"
"Not as nice as I hoped it would be. More than five women tonight and yet all I see is her face in front of me! She's all I bloody think about, dream about!" Erik said and drew his hands through his hair as he walked in and discarded most of his clothes on the floor.
"Really, sir? With your working hours being so late at night I never thought you would have any chance in dreaming."
"Now is not the time for jokes, Nadir! She's in my gut, in my throat, she's everywhere! And when I don't see her I hear her voice in my head" Without noticing it, Erik mask had fallen off, but he was to busy imagining Christine's angelic face that he didn't care. And neither did Nadir.
"Well I dare say, sir, that you are definitely in love. And for the first time I might add."
Erik sank down in his tub once more, cleansing of the stress from the morning.
"God! I barley made it this morning."
"You mean the guards, sir?" Erik only nodded.
"What am I supposed to do? I have one idea in mind but I very much doubt it would work."
"And what is that, sir?" Nadir asked as he prepared some tea for his master.
"Well, if I write them a letter saying that for some special amount of money I will leave them alone, what do you think they'll say about that? I mean, what would you have said?"
Nadir considered for a while.
"I would have said I can leave you alone for free, sir." Erik sighed and leaned back, letting the water enclose him.
'Hopeless' he thought.
"But speaking of money, sir, I fear we have some problems."
"Are you talking about the debts?"
"Yes, the butcher and the tailor have been here again."
"And how much do we owe?" Erik said as he climbed out of the tub.
"1000 francs, sir."
"Oh, that will be a problem" he sighed and started drying his face, noticing that the mask was missing, he smiled as he recalled that Nadir's behaviour hadn't been different from when he had it on.
"And I've spoken with a few people by the dock and they believe that the vicomte will be arriving via Seine this afternoon."
Suddenly the most brightest idea came to Erik's mind.
"Nadir, a thought just flew through my head."
"That must have been a long journey, sir."
"However, before we get on with it, I'm going out. I'll see if I can catch up with Mademoiselle Daáe once more." He started to dress and grabbed his mask, hat, cane and cloak and went for the door. Hand on the handle he turned around to face his friend.
"Tidy this place up and make it look acceptable, we are going to have some sleepovers."
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Christine was walking through the park behind Notre Dame, her heart was heavy. In a few hours her fiancée would be arriving and her freedom would be gone forever. She wished she could stand up and give the society a good piece of her mind about marrying off women to complete strangers. But she knew she couldn't upset Madame Giry like that, she was her foster-mother and everything and how many people were so kind-hearted that they took care of others children these days as she had for the past ten years. Christine felt that she owed her at least this. She had been roused from her sleep earlier than usual this morning, with the guards running after that hideous Phantom no one was able to sleep after seven o'clock.
Christine was so absorbed in her thoughts hat she didn't see when she walked right into another person. She stumbled backwards but saved from falling as she felt a strong arm enclose around her waist. Her body made contact with another one, taller and solid as a rock.
"Mademoiselle Daáe!" Christine looked up at the sound of the tender voice.
"Oh, Monsieur Gautier" she said and stood up, fixing her dress. "Forgive me" she said quite embarrassed.
"No worries, after all this isn't the first time like this" he said and released his hold around her waist reluctantly, the feeling of her body against his was embedded deep within his mind.
"No, I suppose it isn't. If you'll excuse me I have to get home."
"Are you expecting company or such?"
'I wish I wasn't' she thought. "Yes, and I have to get back now while the ballet is rehearsing, then I won't have to hear everybody chattering about the Phantom."
"Really?"
"Yes, just the thought of that ghastly thing, abusing women, makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs."
Erik frowned and followed her down the park as she started walking.
"Have you ever thought, dear Mademoiselle, that this Phantom maybe doesn't entertain these women against their will. That they are able to say no if they don't want to."
Christine sighed. "That maybe, but still women doesn't have very much freedom when it comes to men."
"I highly think that's improper, women and men should be treated as equals, then maybe the society would work much better. And people would be happier"
Christine turned her head and looked at him.
"Do you really think so?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonderment.
"I do, however it would be difficult, for men, but trying wouldn't do any harm. Even I know that women have minds of their own. I know your kind mademoiselle, you're one of those who wants women to be treated with more respect, and I happen to agree with you. And if I'm right, you long for a man who would love you and you alone. However, with that Phantom, that seems to be impossible these days."
Christine stared at him, she had only met him once and the man already seemed to know everything about her. Erik understood that he had her were he wanted her to be.
"However, now I fear that I have been dominating the conversation long enough, what are your thought's on the matter?"
Christine was suddenly jerked out from her thought's, she blinked a few times.
"W-what did you say?"
"What?" he asked with a pretended misunderstanding look.
"I must leave" she said and ran away from him. Erik smiled for himself. Oh yes, she was exactly were he wanted her to be.
