Hello again! See, sooner than last time, like I promised!

To phangirl2017, (And thank you for the review, phangirl2017! and the compliment.)

Leroux technically didn't give an age, and I'm ashamed to say that I've never read the Kay version. I am going to buy it though, soon. So Unless Kay gave Erik an age, then it would be older, probably in his late forties or fifties or so. I know you said you don't want to hear that, but we can assume that he is much older than Christine, who should be around age twenty or so, particularly because of this sentence in the original book at the end when Erik is letting Christine look into his torture chamber: "Oh, my love! You're so sweet! How kind of you to spare me the effort at my age!" Implying that he was much older than her. I know it sounds sort of creepy, but at the time, it was normal. Women didn't often have a husband their age- most were in their forties or so.

So I know that's exactly what you didn't want to hear, but he would be around his forty to fifty age in the Leroux book, from what I've heard and found, so that's around where he is in this story, and Christine is around her late teens early twenties. Unless Kay gave them ages that I'm unaware of, seeing my lack of having read that book just yet, that's how it is, I suppose.

I do love my reviews.

Also thanks to The Phantomess99, newbornphanatic, and PhantomFan01.

Slowly, the door creaked open revealing Erik's face, hidden by his bony yellowish hands, obviously trying to shield her from his ugliness, having removed his mask so that he could cry freely. Christine sighed and gently pushed past him into his room, not bothering to shut the door behind her before sitting at the edge of his coffin bed and looking at him expectantly, as if expecting him to do something. Inside Erik's mind, he was in a frenzy, unsure of what to make of this and what to do, and what, if anything, to say to her.

He quickly turned and blindly reached for his mask, only to wince as Christine's warm skin came into contact with his chilled hands, swiping the offending object from his fingers before he could react.
"Christine, no-" he started to protest, but was cut off by a slightly impatient Christine smacking his shoulder gently. He fell silent and gazed at her, only his amber eyes were visible behind his long, thin fingers, darting around as if afraid to look at Christine and see what she thought of him written on her face.

Erik, I don't care about your face. I care about you. She said simply through hand motions, expressions, and mouthing the words as she tried to communicate with him. She cringed slightly as his hands seemed ready to drop, cursing internally.
It'll take me time to get used to it, but Erik, I must have married you for a reason. I must have loved you. So I don't care about your face, and I surely didn't care about it before I lost my memory. She tried again, relief flowing through her as she realized that Erik didn't notice her try to back away as he finally allowed his hands to drop, hesitantly showing her his face once more. Christine gazed at him.

His yellowed skin seemed stretched to cover the bone, giving his head the appearance of a skull whose flesh and hair had rotted away over time. A few black strands of limp hair were pasted against Erik's head in all directions, his wig having slipped off when Christine removed his mask, sweat plastering it to his head. His deep set eyes were merely yellow spots near his absence of a nose. Where his nostrils would have been was nothing but two vast and dark cavities. It was the face that haunted the nightmares of children.
How did I ever learn to see past this? Christine shuddered internally, but managed a smile and wrapped her arms around Erik in a gentle hug that left him breathless, and too stunned to return the embrace. He let loose a soft cry of happiness, closed his eyes, trying to savour the moment.

But it was over all too soon. Christine released her hold around his thin waist and mimed I'm leaving. I'll be in my room if you need me and slipped out the door. Erik stared after her, frozen to the spot.

Could losing her memory have changed her personality? Is she going blind? Or...is my angel lying to me to preserve my feelings? At the last possibility, Erik's heart sank to his shoes. That must be it. No one could stand him- the only reason that no one tried to be cruel to him anymore was because most were wise enough to know that you do not anger the Phantom of the Opera. And even without her memory, perhaps Christine knew that she shouldn't? Or was the reality of life before the grasshopper starting to bleed back into her mind?

How much longer could his lie last before Christine realized that life was not so simple?

Hello again! Again, this chapter isn't too long. But then, are any of them? I don't mean to make them this short, really, but I end the chapters where I think it reaches a natural stopping point with some suspense added in for good measure.

I'm sad to say that this story is almost at an end- maybe one or two more chapters and then the finale. HOWEVER! I have also decided that since I wasn't entirely sure if this would have a happy ending or not (I don't tend to write happy endings) that I will do two endings. One happy, one unhappy. You can read both, or pick which you want to read. Be warned- unhappy is, well, very unhappy.

Bye!