Sorry for the shocking lack of any author's note on that last chapter. I usually write them after the actual chapter, and to be honest I completely forgot about that when I typed it up, so thats what happened. Sorry for that confusion...anyhow thanks for reviewing, all of you wonderous people. So I went through a time where I was unable to write for a while and sorry for the long wait. Hopefully school will fix things up. Funny how summer didnt help my writing at all like I thought it would... Anyhow, my apologies. I would like to thank my friend Albert for his help on this chapter and there would be no chapter without the support of my indirect brother and sister. Thanks for all the support you guys, you seriously keep me going. Thanks to all of you reviwers again and I hope you enjoy and review!

I do not own POTO

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Erik opened the hidden door that led to the dark passages that would take them below to his home. He was nearly ecstatic from their meeting with the Viscount. Christine had been given the opportunity of going away with the boy again, and still she had stayed by his own side. Did that mean that she was finally his? Erik knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he loved Christine, but could she ever come to love him as well? His mind told him that nothing could come to love a monstrosity such as himself, but his heart clung to the tiny thread of hope that had formed. He was aware of Christine moving closer to him in the darkness and he shuddered at the feeling. The darkness that cloaked them heightened Erik's senses and he closed his eyes to better enjoy the feeling of her soft hand in his dry and dead one. He had no right to touch such perfection, but it felt so good and he refused to be the one to break off the contact.

Erik shut the door behind them and neither of them moved for a moment. Erik felt completely at peace. Christine had chosen him over the rich, handsome, charming Viscount. Erik had to admit that the boy had everything a woman would desire, and yet Christine was beside him. He felt his hand tighten slightly over her's as a strange sense of possesiveness overcame him. She was his. She would never leave him now. He would not allow it to happen. No, he did not deserve her. No, she did not deserve to be shut away from the world with a monster. But that was the way things were going to be. He would never leave her. He could never live without her now. Erik moved closer to her and stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger. He heard her sigh and his lips twitched beneath his mask. Yes, he would stay by her side always.

Christine sighed as she felt Erik trail his finger down her cheek. Her hand slightly ached from his strong grip on it. It was like a physical representation of the two psycological sides of Erik. His hard, strong side, then his soft and gentle side. She felt her heart beat faster. He was choosing to be gentle with her, where he could have chosen to be forceful and make her stay with him. It made her more certain of her feelings for him. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the outline of his mask, and his golden eyes shone ever brighter in the blackness surrounding them. They captiveted her as they usually did, revealing all of his emotions to and conveying his love and adoration. She tried to do the same with her own eyes, but she knew they would not have the same effect. So she decided to try a different approach.

Erik saw Christine perfectly even in the darkness. Her eyes were turned up to meet his. She had the most lovely eyes of any human being in existance. Erik was so entranced by the brilliant beauty of Christines eyes that he was almost unaware of her fingers curling aroung the edge of his mask. Almost. He immediately released her and moved backwards about three feet to press himself to the wall of his secret passage. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to take in enough oxygen to support the rate at which his heart was now pumping blood. Emotions swirled within him. Anger, betrayal, but mostly confusion. Why would she want to remove his mask again? She was obviously quite horrified by his face. He pressed his eyelids together and tried to steady his breathing. No matter how he felt now, he would regret any action he took at the moment. He merely flattened himself even more against the wall, as if he could merge into it.

Erik flinched as he felt Christine's hand on his chest. He moved to the side and turned his back to her, his body trembling and his nerves frayed. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and ground his teeth.

"Why?" he whispered sharply, still not facing her. "Why, Christine?"

"I..." Christine faltered. Her intentions had been far different than the actual outcome. "I didn't mean to...won't you turn around, Erik?"

Christine watched eagerly as Erik remained perfectly still for a moment, then cautiously turned around, keeping a short distance from her. His eyes were a storm of emotion and it nearly caused Christine physical pain to see that she had caused such turmoil within him. She took a step toward him but he backed away from her.

"Erik please," Christine's voice shook and she reached out to him with one hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I only..."

Erik tried desperately to understand what she was saying. She was making no sense to him...or maybe she was making perfect sense and he was simply too shaken to understand. She appeared to be genuine, so whatever she was saying was certainly the truth. Still, he kept his distance for the purpose of safety.

"I only wanted to show you..." Christine fumbled for words that wouldnt be awkward, but it seemed as though she had already failed at that attempt.

Erik started at her words. What did she want to show him that required the removal of his mask?

"Show me what?" Erik ventured.

"If you'd only trust me..." Christine shuffled her feet in Erik's direction.

"I trust you, Christine," Erik stepped forward to stand directly in front of her. He delved into her eyes once more and tried his best to act on his trust.

Erik inhaled sharply as he felt her hand on his mask again.

"Erik," she said softly, moving her hand down to his exposed neck, which she gently stroked. "Do you want to know something?"

"Yes," he replied, enjoying the feeling of her fingers petting his skin.

"I cannot see you," she laughed. "Only your eyes."

Erik blinked. He had forgotten that other, normal people could not see so clearly in the dark.

"Ah," was his only remark.

She proceeded to gently remove his mask. Erik felt the moist air on his face and shuddered at the strange feeling. He shifted uncomfortably. He did not like the fact that he was so exposed, especially with Christine's eyes upon him. True enough, she could not see his excuse for a face, but that did little to put him at ease. He searched her features for any trace of shock or fear, but there was none. Instead, she wore an expression which he could not read. He watched as Christine placed the mask on the floor of the passage. She then stood back up and stood on tiptoe so that her hands could cup his cheeks. He blinked once more and his eyes widened as he opened them. She was gently pulling his face down to where their noses were mere inches apart. Erik was certain his heart had stopped beating.

Christine was shocked by her own confidence. Her hands were not trembling the slightest bit as she put one on each side of Erik's face. She searched his eyes and watched his emotions flicker through them. Initially there had been shock, but that was slowly replaced by what she could only relate to pure terror. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she tilted her head up and planted a soft kiss on Erik's lips.

"I love you, Erik," she whispered, then kissed him a second time. She pulled her hands back quickly and clasped them behind her back, casting her eyes to the ground.

Erik stood bolt upright. He was very glad that Christine could not see him, for his mouth was in the proper position to catch flies. His mind was shouting at him to do something romantic and charming in response to her confession of love. However, his body was in a state of shock and he could do absolutely nothing for a few moments. Fortunately, the shock wore off quickly and he shook his head to regain his senses. His eyes found Christine immediately, her hands behind her back and her eyes seemed to study the ground under her feet. He came to full realization of what she had just said and done. She loved him! He had seen the truth of it in her eyes! His angel was no liar!

"You...I...me...love...Christine!" Erik found himself incapable of forming a complete sentence.

Christine looked up and into his eyes, which were wild with excitement. It brought a smile to her face and joy to her heart and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Erik," she laughed. "I love you!"

Erik couldn't contain himself. He scooped Christine into his arms and gazed lovingly into her eyes before softly kissing her forehead. He saw her cheeks darken and couldn't keep a smile from spreading across his lips. He put Christine back on her feet and proceeded to watch her tuck her hair behind one ear and avert her eyes, a tiny smile on her face. He looked to where his mask was on the ground and leaned over to pick it up. He placed it over his face and tied the strings behind his head.

Christine was exhilerated. She had to force herself not to not to jump up and down and spin around in circles. She felt like a little girl again! Her head seemed to float above her body and she blushed madly. Her heart seemed to be trying to escape her chest and she suddenly felt completely off balance. She staggered backwards and started to fall, but Erik was already there and swept her into his arms.

"Christine!" Erik exclaimed, his eyes frantic. "What happened? Are you alright? Was it because of what I did? I am so terribly sorry, I shall never be so bold again!"

"Don't be absurd!" Christine chuckled, feeling very lightheaded. "I don't know what's gotten into me..."

"When was the last time you ate?" Erik's eyes shone with concern.

"I..." Christine tried to recall the last meal she had eaten. "I don't remember."

"Then we must return at once!" Erik cried, turning a quick cirlcle and making Christine rather dizzy. "You need to eat something."

Erik hurried along his secret corridors, taking the shortest possible route to his house on the lake. He cursed himself for not entering through the gates of the Rue Scribe, which was generally a shorter path to take, but he was nearly to the lake now, and there would be no point in turning back. He took, long quick strides and soon enough he was at the small dock where his boat was tied. The carefully placed Christine into the boat and proceeded to step into it. He untied the boat and began rowing as fast as he could to get to the opposite shore. Christine was conscious, but Erik knew that she needed to consume something, and in short order. He berated himself for not being aware of her needs. How could he have forgotten something as simple as providing her with food?

The boat came to a halt as it rammed into ground. Erik Leapt out and pulled the boat onto land. It wasn't much heavier than it usually was despite the fact that Christine was still inside of it. When he was sure the boat was fully out of the water, Erik lifted Christine and carried her to the entrance of his house. Shifting her weight into one arm, he unlocked the door and entered his home. He hurried to the sofa and laid Christine out on it. He looked at her for a moment before rushing to the kitchen to prepare a quick meal for her. He cursed audibly. There was very little in his kitchen, which had likely contributed to Christine not being fed. He eventually settled on a small loaf of bread and some butter. It wasn't much and it certainly was not the meal his Christine deserved, but hopefully it would satisfy her until he could provide her with something decent.

Christine gratefully accepted the bread and butter that Erik presented her with. She had been unaware of just how hungry she was, but now her stomach churned and growled like a wild beast. She made an attempt at politeness, but ended up ravenously wolfing the whole loaf down in very little time. She was a bit embarrased, but her hunger was satisfied. Erik took her plate from her and quickly washed it in the kitchen. He then returned to his chair by the side of the sofa and took her hand in both of his, stroking her wrist with his thumbs.

"Forgive me Christine," he started softly, his eyes downcast. "I had forgotten that you need to eat more often than myself."

"There is nothing to forgive," Christine replied. "The fault is mine. I cannot have expected you to completely alter your lifestyle for the sake of my eating habits."

"You are too kind, sweet Christine," his eyes met with her's for a moment before he looked back down. "You shall receive a proper meal in due time, but I must do some shopping in order for that to occur. My kitchen seems to be low in stock."

Christine nodded drowsily, her full stomach making her sleepy. It did not escape Erik's notice.

"You have had a long and trying day," Erik ran a hand through Christine's hair. "You should rest."

Christine nodded and made a move to get off of the sofa, but found herself in Erik's arms, pressed into his chest. She relaxed and felt his strength as he supported har as if she weighed nothing at all. She craned her neck and kissed his exposed jaw. She could scarce beleive that she had found the man she was meant to be with, but she fully beleived that Erik was that man. She nuzzled her head into his chest and sighed contentedly. Yes. This was where she belonged.

Erik felt the wonderful and dangerous sensation building in his chest once more and travelling throughout his body. He was holding his angel to his chest and she had just kissed his jaw without warning or hesitation. Her head was now buried in his chest and he struggled to keep moving as he was overcome by emotion. But he eventually reached the Louis Philippe room and put her in her bed. She looked up at him with tired, but contented eyes.

"Goodnight, Erik," she said softly. "I love you."

"Goodnight, my angel," Erik stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "I love you."

Erik pulled the blankets to Christine's chin and propped her head up on her pillows as she drifted off into sleep, a tiny smile playing upon her face. With one last look at his sleeping angel, Erik extinguished the lamp and exited the room, closing the door behind him. He went into the living area and took a seat in his usual chair. It was only then did he feel the stinging and throbbing in his ankle.

He bent over and lifted his pant leg to get a better look. There was a long cut just above his left ankle, likely inflicted by a nail or a peice of glass as he was racing to get Christine some food. It was no longer bleeding, but the cut looked deep. Erik hastened to the water closet and washed out the wound with cold water. He had survived worse than this. Come tomorrow, he would think nothing of this little scratch.

Eh, it's a bit shorter than the usual but at least it's an update right? Please review, feedback is very appreciated on my part and I know some people just love to rant about all the things we writers did wrong. Either way, positive or negative, please review, I'd love to hear from you!