A/N: Back again, this time with an E & C chapter (just what you were waiting for I hope, BleedingHeartConservative, & don't worry I'm the same I always wait for the Erik chapters in stories too (",) )

Oh, and about that misspelling of vicompte...darn, see there I go again...sorry it's a bit of a bad habit I seem to have but if ya like it then it won't be too much trouble to keep it in every now & then, White dragon lady (",)!

Thank you all so much for your reviews, they are all so important to me!

I'm overjoyed with the wonderful response this story has received so far. One day I will get around to PM'ing my thanks to you all but for now know that each chapter I write is for you guys!

Now on with the show. We begin in Erik's POV, then switch to Christine's. This chapter is pretty angst-ridden and has a fair bit of dialogue but it's all necessary.

Plus we end with a journal entry from Erik.

Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 7

A Tangled Web

My Erik was such a paradox.

Light and dark, love and hate, corruption and innocence…

They all came together to form the contradiction that was the man I loved.

A man I had not been sure I would ever understand. A man who had not understood.

But we are all contradictions, are we not?…In our own ways.

I had once been a girl that longed to be a woman, yet was afraid to grow up…

Erik had once been a man that longed for love, yet could not accept it…

If there was ever one thing Erik feared, it was the thing he wanted most…Love.

- Extract from Christine's Diary

There was so much confusion in my mind, more than there had ever been. I had in my possession the one person I had ever truly wanted…ever truly loved. So why could I not accept it? Was I truly beyond hope? How much more could my tenuous sanity take?

My heart wished to burst from the intensity of joy and love her presence gave me, but it could not make sense of her presence. I could not.

And every time she tried to explain I would not listen. My ears were too full of her words to her precious boy.

I wanted to listen but I could not be sure I would believe. She had made such pretty declarations to her youthful knight. If she had not meant them with him how could I be sure that she meant them with me?

Oh, I did not want to doubt her. It made me want to punish myself for thinking such things of my Angel. But she had destroyed that illusion had she not? She was not always an Angel; she was capable of the worst cruelty.

Yet I had hurt her too. I had nearly crushed my beautiful child beneath the weight of my own cruelty! What a wretched mess! Oh, what a tangled web this was!

Hmm, a tangled web…what shame it would bring a poor spider…

The spider weaves a tangled web and knows he'll never weave again…

The spider…NO!

I would not lose my mind to nonsense and insanity now.

I did not want to be this creature anymore! I was tired of being a Ghost, a thing.

I wanted to be a man.

I wanted to be a better man for her…For my deceitful little Angel.

Perhaps she was better suited to the role of a Siren, so easily could she lead men to their doom.

Ah, but I hated these thoughts! Hated feeling this way about her at times! It was only because I loved her so unbearably. I could never really hate her; only love her in so many different ways!

I had been full of joy, even hope, not so long ago, why couldn't I hold on to that feeling? Why did my mind have to destroy every chance I had at being truly happy?...Truly happy with my Christine.

There was a part of me that believed in her, in the things she had said and had yet to say. That part of me knew that I was capable of forgiving her. That part of me was content.

But it was not always easy to find that obscure part of myself. It needed to grow stronger; I needed to make it grow stronger.

Christine was here, was she not? She slept innocently beneath my tortured gaze, holding my hand firmly. She looked so young. But there was fire in my beloved girl's spirit. She was not as delicate as she seemed. I was beginning to finally see that, at least.

She was fighting for me. Though I could not accept it, I could not ignore it either.

Every word, every little thing she did now was for me, to prove to me that she was here.

But why was she here? She had tried to tell me but I…I…why was she here? She had chosen me, she had...But why? Oh, why didn't I know?!

What could she mean by her words and actions? She had seemed so beautiful and caring as she lay in her bed. Back at the Opera she had kissed me. Oh Lord, she had kissed me! What was I to do with this strange new Christine?

Was it misguided guilt or pity that drove her now. Fear or fascination?

I wanted the truth. I was so weary of lies.

I was so confused! Every time I understood, I recoiled. It is difficult to trust.

For Erik it is dangerous.

But this was Christine. Perhaps she was not truly an Angel but she was my Angel. My very human Angel. Deep down she was not cruel, she was beautiful. She did not mean to be cruel, and surely not to her Erik!

I had always believed that I would do anything for her, so could I not let her in? Could I not allow her to prove herself without constantly drawing back again for each step we took forward? I had to try for her…everything was for her!

Would she welcome my efforts?

Could she possibly be willing and… (Dare I even think it), loving?

Or would she leave her poor, unhappy Erik again…leave him to die as he surely would?

She had not run away yet, but Christine was always running. Why would she stop?

Unless this was all just a dream. A beautiful fantasy that I had created to allow me to escape reality's bleakness. Perhaps I had already lost the battle for my sanity…

Perhaps Christine was not sleeping before me…

Oh, but her hand felt so warm in mine, so real! Surely, I could not imagine that so well…?

I wanted to be better; I wanted to try for her! I loved her! I loved her and she was real, she was here! There had to be a reason! She had to be trying to tell me the truth!

This had to be real; things were too difficult for it to be a dream!

Oh, Christine, I am so confused!

Christine's POV

I was falling but I wasn't afraid. This fall was necessary. I did not struggle, I merely fell. Down, down, down. There was darkness around me but it was becoming more beautiful by the second.

I was nearly there now, nearly where I longed to be. There was music now, there was always music…

But suddenly, I felt something wet fall upon my skin. That wasn't right. There was nothing here but the darkness and the music. Where was the water coming from?

The little droplets continued to fall…

Another fell softly onto my hand and pulled me from my dream.

Slowly I began to awaken…

I opened my eyes to locate the source of the little droplets and gasped. I had almost forgotten Erik was there. In fact, I had not expected him to still be there holding my hand.

It was then that I noticed that he was crying. He was the water's source. My Erik was crying over me. Such agony in his eyes I could scarcely breathe! What had I done?

Had I said something in my sleep to upset him so? Surely he couldn't hold something like that against me.

I hated to see him cry, never was there a more sorrowful sight.

I reached up to brush some of his tears away. He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his cheek.

"Tell me you are real, Christine! Say that there is hope for us!" He whispered fervently.

What was this about? Where had this sudden desperation come from? What madness had claimed him now?

"Of course I am real Erik! How could you think I am not? And yes, there is always hope for us. We are here together, are we not? I am here Erik…with you."

I had meant to reassure him. My tone had been gentle and sure. Yet, his face still tightened in suspicion.

"Why?" He all but hissed. "Why are you here?"

I didn't understand. Where had my gentle Erik disappeared to? We had made some progress last night, I know we had. So why did he seem so intent on destroying it…destroying me?

It seemed that I was to, once again, be tossed into the violent sea of Erik's inner turmoil. I was a little frightened that I may drown in it one of these times.

I was never a very strong swimmer you see.

"Erik, I have tried to tell you, you cannot deny that."

He seemed to soften a little at that. I had to believe that he did not mean to lash out at me. I had done nothing to make him so hostile. But then again that was not entirely true…

There had been no real time for us to regain the trust between us. We had both wounded each other terribly. Try as I did to ignore it, I knew that we would bear the scars for a long time yet. Unless of course the wounds never healed. There were some that remained unbearably raw…there were some that still bled…

But I had hope. I was clinging to hope for the good of my own sanity. If I gave in we were lost. Erik was not yet strong enough to pull us both from our doubts. We had to work together. Though I must admit it was feeling rather one-sided at the moment.

Still, bravely I continued, "You must know why I'm here, you must. Think back over our time together…Even if you don't really wish to, you must know…"

Once more I was surprised by Erik's reaction to my words. To be honest I had expected no reaction. I had thought that he would withdraw into himself and choose to ignore what I had said entirely. It would hit too close to home for him.

When would I learn to never assume, not in this new life of mine.

He became angry but his expression was tinged with pain. What meaning had he taken from what I had spoken?

"Ah, yes, how could Erik have been so foolish? Why didn't he see it straight away? Why Christine followed him was a simple question with a simple answer. It is what I have that no one else has…no one can make Christine follow better than I! She simply did not wish to lose her guilty little pleasure!"

I no longer knew if he spoke to me or to himself. Was he still with me or had I lost him to some tortured corner of his mind? Either way his words troubled me.

"Erik…" I began pleadingly, but he cut me off with an imperiously raised hand.

There was a dangerous majesty in his stance now. Gone were the hints of pain and vulnerability. He stood before me now as a proud emperor would before his lowly subjects. Or perhaps emperor was too low a status for him to be associated with; perhaps an ancient god was more fitting to him now.

I couldn't help the fear that lanced through my silent and unmoving form. I tried not to dwell on it but I could rarely forget that Erik was a dangerous being when he so wished to be. However, the danger that I felt in this moment was not clear to me. I did not fear that he would harm me physically. But there are many ways a person can hurt you, especially a loved one.

His gaze pierced through me but I could not move. I was frozen in place awaiting his next move. It was a most unexpected one.

"Christine…" There was almost mocking in his tone but I barely noticed.

That voice. That delicious voice! I couldn't stifle the gasp it elicited.

It moved over me like it was a living being. It caressed…it possessed!

Within that voice there was all the beauty in the world, and…dare I say it…all the pleasure… Hearing my name spoken in such a way was almost too much!

Erik had never used this voice with me before. I knew he was capable of great vocal feats; his voice surpassed even the angels themselves, but this…

It was not the voice of my teacher for it was not sternly gentle…

It was not the voice of my Angel for it was not divine...and it certainly was not pure…

No, this was the voice of Erik at its most potent…at its most seductive…

"Come, little one, follow what you have been following all along."

Oh yes, I would follow that voice anywhere. I rose up without a second thought and followed as Erik glided backwards from the room, beckoning me with his outstretched hand.

Under normal circumstances I would like to think that I would have figured out the meaning of all this, but you see, at the time I could barely breathe, let alone think!

"I understand now what you want and who am I to deny you? Oh, you have shown your true colours now dear…if only I did not love you so much. If only I did not wish to do anything for you, even if it is only this that you want from me. Silly Erik…"

I shuddered beneath the glory of his voice but something was beginning to reach through my blissful haze. I was beginning to feel that something was not quite right.

All the while I continued to follow him.

"Shall I sing for you, darling? It seems I am to be the nightingale in this tale. I am the one who is caged, isn't that funny? I am caged again!"

His voice broke on the words and suddenly I could break free of my dazed state.

He was crying again. I had made him cry again and I didn't know how!

Shaking free of the lingering effects of his voice, I realised he had led me to the music room at the front of the house. "Erik, what is the meaning of this?"

I felt a little shaken…a little used. I would never say that he had violated me but he had used the full power of his voice on me in a way that I feared. It had felt too good to be decent!

He seemed surprised to hear me speak.

"Hush now my dear, I…"

"No!" I covered my ears firmly albeit reluctantly. "You will not speak to me that way! You will explain yourself."

Suddenly he was livid again.

"You dare very much indeed, my dear. Don't try to pretend that this is not what you sought! That this is not what you are here for! Oh, I see it all very clearly now!

This was what it was always about! This is what you love!"

He had returned to his normal voice and so I uncovered my ears, but I still didn't understand, and I told him so quite fiercely.

"Viper of a woman, do not play coy now! I know! You do not wish to be with me, it is my voice you are here for. Think back, you said! Well Erik did and now he knows!

It is his voice, it has always been so. There is nothing else it could be; only Erik's voice has ever reached you! Not Erik! Erik is ugly but his voice is not…

You can bear the monster for the sake of the voice which can move you as no one else can!" He began to laugh then but it was not at all pleasant.

He was laughing and crying. Drowning in madness and grief before my eyes.

I could see how he had come to this assumption. Thinking back over our time together it often revolved around his voice. In the beginning that had been all he was to me; a voice. And I had loved that voice as much as one could love only a voice.

Then he revealed himself as a man and I had been both thrilled and terrified. It had been his voice then too that had allowed me to make the transition between seeing him as incorporeal and seeing him as flesh and blood. When raised in song or merely pitched just so, it could move me in a thousand different ways.

But I was not here for just a voice. Though I would never forget his voice for as long as I lived, and there was no denying that I did crave the sound of it, I could not build my future upon a voice. I did not love Erik for his voice alone, despite what he thought.

If that was all there was I would have been able to leave with Raoul the moment he had offered the escape. But I hadn't, I couldn't have.

It was Erik himself, every perfect and imperfect part of him, that bound me to his side.

His voice could move me but Erik could make me truly feel!

How could he be so dense as to not see it!

I was tired of his games and I was furious. He had manipulated me and then made me feel like the one at fault. Did he really think so little of me?

"How dare you accuse me of such utter cruelty! It is not your voice that keeps me here, you foolish man! Can you really not see how I feel about you?! It is you that I followed; you did not use your voice to bring me here! I am here of my own free will.

Why are you punishing me?"

Tears ran unheeded down my face as I poured every bit of emotion in me into my words. He had hurt me terribly this day.

"You say you love me but I do not feel loved now. Do you hate me so much now!

I am so sorry for all the pain I have ever caused you, Erik but I am trying to make it right. You could stay silent for the rest of your life and I would still wish to be with you! How dare you make me out to be such a monster as to only want you for your voice.

It is beautiful Erik, but it is not your only beauty!"

"Erik is a monster, Christine! His face is a nightmare from which you can never awaken. You have said many similar things about it behind Erik's back if he recalls."

Such blind rage and pain fuelled us now. Neither of us could explain ourselves properly and so we resorted to lashing out. I no longer felt secure in his love and he had never felt secure in mine.

It is said that there is a fine line between love and hate.

The line was blurred in that moment.

"Oh, must you forever throw that back in my face! I am here with you! I will not tell you the depth of my feelings for you now, not with you insulting me so carelessly. But I will tell you this…I left behind everything for you! My life, my career, my friends…Everything! But still you doubt me…

I left behind my oldest friend without even saying goodbye!"

I buried my face in my hands. This was not how I wanted to talk to him but I didn't know how to stop it. I loved him so much that it hurt and I was so angry.

We had always been terribly good at hurting one another. Some things never changed.

"Ah, yes, poor Raoul. With his handsome face and pretty title, there is much to pity him for. Such a lonely existence he must lead." The sarcasm that dripped from Erik's words was acidic.

"Then again his heroic words were enough to win you over; why I am sure even now he has found some beautiful young thing willing to let him weep on her shoulder. Does that make you jealous? That you can be so easily replaced by him?"

The force of my palm striking his cheek almost dislodged his mask.

The sharp sound seemed to echo before silence descended.

His look was thunderous but I was beyond caring. I could not believe that he would be so uncaring. I wanted to hurt him for destroying me so.

"Perhaps I made the wrong choice." I whispered coldly. "Perhaps I was mistaken to think that I could feel so strongly for you…that you were more than just a voice. Oh, if I had never heard your voice, never known you...

Maybe I would've been happier without you…"

Even as I said it I knew I did not mean it. Erik completed me. I was nothing without him. But I was so hurt that I didn't see the danger in my vicious lies. For while I knew that I couldn't really live without Erik, Erik didn't.

He recoiled instantly. His agonised expression hardened in a matter of seconds.

The room suddenly felt as cold as ice.

I realised that I had made a dreadful mistake and reached for him in supplication.

But it was too late.

"Is that so?" His voice tore painfully through me.

"Erik, no, I didn't…" But he was not listening.

"It is clear then what must be done."

I waited breathlessly as he paused.

"I will leave. Christine can forget she ever knew Erik. If Christine would be happier without me then I will not stay. I will not be caged.

Erik would do anything for Christine."

His voice broke with emotion.

My world was spinning dangerously out of control. He couldn't leave me! I'd die!

"Erik, NO!" I choked out, barely able to speak.

But he was too far gone in his despair to notice my panic.

With one final haunting look, he turned on his heel and was gone.

Gone too quickly for me to follow.

He was gone. My Erik had left me, and it was my fault. I had all but told him to go!

But he couldn't have truly gone, could he? No, how could he have left me for good?…We were meant to be together…couldn't survive without each other…He couldn't have left me forever…

I was frozen. I had not moved an inch and yet I couldn't catch my breath. The room was beginning to spin a little. I was alone in this house in the woods…I had made my Erik go away. What could I do? What had I done?

Numbly, I sank down in the chair by the window and fought to find some semblance of calm. No, he couldn't have gone for good…I would just wait here until he returned, then I would apologise and he would love me again and we could be happy.

Yes, that's what would happen. I would wait here and he would come back for me. He promised he would never leave. Erik never broke his promises.

He would come back because I had never gotten the chance to tell him that I loved him.

I turned my gaze to the window and settled down to wait, ignoring the choking sobs that wrenched free from my throat.

At the topmost corner of the window I happened to notice a spider darting around his web. They had always frightened me a little but I was beyond caring about insignificant fears like that at this point.

I was waiting…

Yet, I couldn't help but notice that his web seemed a little odd.

"Your web looks a little tangled, spider…" I rasped out, "You should start over…"

All the best and worst kinds of love are painful.

It took me quite some time to figure out if our love was the most exquisite or the most destructive…or a little of both…

All I knew for certain was that it was not easy… But love never is…

- Extract from Erik's journal

I know, I'm sorry! But there was no way things could suddenly be easy for them, however, have faith in E & C. Bear with them (as I'm sure you will). Baby steps, right?

And sorry, I know it's a bit of a cliffie but the next chapter will be up soon, I promise. It was just better to break it up.

As always I encourage you to review, you know I love hearing those thoughts of your's! (",)

x Restless And Tempted x