Hello there,

So, suffice to say, it has been quite some time since I published the last chapter. A thousand apologies. For all of you who do not know, this is actually my final semester of college. I've been burdened down with over 21 credits, an internship, job applying and Beta-ing. This has been a pretty grueling semester so far, and unfortunately there isn't much I can do about it. For those who have noticed that I put this story on hiatus, I have only done so because I honestly did not want to turn this into something that I have to post to every week. This story was supposed to remain a creative outlet for me, and I'm currently struggling in order to maintain that feel. Hopefully I will be able to post a follow-up chapter very soon.

Thank you to all of my loyal readers-I am so honored that each one of you are still keeping tags on my story.

Ever yours,

Soprano in Shadow


With a low groan, Erik woke to find himself no longer chained to the wall, but instead to the floor; at least his limbs were not required to hold him up. Feeling as though he were Prometheus, and Antoinette his Zeus, Erik couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear pass through his body. He had no idea how long he was to remain trapped below the New York subway system, but he wanted no part in it.

It had been one hundred and sixty-eight hours since he had last seen the light of day. One hundred and sixty-eight hours since he had last held onto one shred of sanity. One hundred and sixty-eight hours since he had last seen his beloved Christine. And it had been one hundred and sixty-eight hours ago when Erik Destler had first realized that Luciana was alive…now it was one hundred and sixty-eight hours…and forty-two seconds.

Erik knew that the only way he had been able to keep track of time had been because of his particular skills—he wasn't a prodigy without reason. Slowly memories from this past week began to filter back to his mind. They had injected him with drugs! What was he, a science project? Gritting his teeth, Erik knew that Antoinette owed him some answers… and a decent meal. Erik recoiled as he moved his head and was suddenly met with hard ground. Feeling the ground to the left, Erik snorted in realization. A pillow? Antoinette was getting soft.

Footsteps echoed the passageway interrupting his thoughts, and soon the two women were within Erik's limited area of sight. A thought of dread reached his mind, and anxiously, he reached up and was relieved to find his mask had survived the storm of interrogations.

As flashes of the emotional torture that Antoinette had delivered flitted through his mind, Erik let out a warning growl while trying to inch away from the pair of females as much as possible. Antoinette shook her head slowly, as if disappointed with what Erik was slowly becoming.

"Oh Erik," Antoinette sighed. "Why couldn't you have just listened to Christine? Why fight us this past week? Do you have no human dignity left?"

Erik opened his mouth as though to deliver a particular snide response, but found that he had no voice. His throat was completely worn from use—it seemed as though the monster in his mind had decided to make good use of his body. Sighing, the other woman freed his hands from the floor chains in order to give him a vat of cold water to drink from.

The water was like a kiss from heaven: cool and crisp. He closed his eyes in appreciation—he would never take a drink of water for granted again. Quickly it began to ease the discomfort of his throat, as if washing away whatever actions this past week. Shakily, Erik hurried to rejuvenate his tired voice muscles, while trying to keep from choking at the same time.

"Take it easy, Erik," She murmured soothingly, as her hand seemed to hesitate before finally landing on Erik's shoulder. Eyes narrowed, Erik scrambled away from her as much as the chains would allow him, his eyes studying both women intently as he continued to drink. Focusing in on Luciana's cheek, he noticed a long scratch running from her cheekbone to chin, before relevant memories sprang into his mind. Her cry of alarm, when the monster had attacked in anger, echoed throughout his mind as his beloved Christine's face flashed through his mind, her eyes disapproving. Erik winced in pain from the aftereffects that the drugs delivered—he had never been on the receiving end of this drug before, although he had heard of its severity.

"My… fault?" Erik asked and hesitantly, after a solemn nod from Antoinette, the woman shakily nodded. "I'm…sorry." Erik struggled through the dust and other dirt, which had made it to his throat, in order to say those four simple words.

"You were not in control, Erik. You have nothing to apologize for," was all he received in the form of a quiet response. Erik nodded quietly in acceptance before focusing in on Antoinette, as he finished up the vat of water.

"More… please," Erik requested. Antoinette nodded her consent, and the Doctor moved forward slowly as if afraid this was a trap. Alarmed, Erik searched his mind for the other presence, but surprisingly found none. "He is… gone," Erik said steadily. The woman quickly moved forward and gently took the empty pitcher from his grasp.

"Take your time, Doctor. Erik and I have much we need to speak about." Luciana nodded slowly, not walking away before sending one last look of unsure pity towards the chained man.

Antoinette moved closer towards her fallen protégé, taking in the lines of anger and resentment that were drawn on his face.

"I had no choice, Erik. You were out of control. You need to understand that once you attacked me, I could no longer leave the decision to Christine. She loves you too much to ever hurt you." The anger that was boiling beneath his skin settled as Erik nodded in understanding; he knew that this was nothing personal. If one of Antoinette's best agents went down, the woman would do anything in her power to help them unless there was no better option but to execute. Being on several of those assignments in the past, Erik had remembered exactly how the men and women had looked: crazed throughout the chase, but then in that last second before the blade hit skin their humanity and fears returned, begging for mercy. They seemed to only have a moment or two of sanity, but by then death was imminent and swift.

"Thank you," Erik said hoarsely. "What has Christine been told?" Erik asked, curiosity forcing him to ask.

Antoinette shrugged. "I have had no contact with Christine since this…incident has occurred—nor do I plan to do so until this problem is resolved," Antoinette said steadily. Nodding again, Erik tried to focus on the flashes of moments from this past week, before pinpointing a certain one.

"You had me drugged."

"Yes I did, Erik. I see you're ready to speak with me rationally now. It was necessary in order to subdue your sanity, and instead work with… the other you," Antoinette explained shortly.

"What information have you gathered?" Erik asked slowly, still processing everything that had been happening.

"It seems as though the best plan will be to keep you here until Joseph Bouquet has been found, then send you out to deliver justice. From what I can tell, that should solve your specific case."

"And then? What happens after?" Erik asked cautiously, his hope slowly beginning to rise and piece back together.

"That, Erik, is completely up to you. However, if you love Christine has fiercely as you claim, then you better pray that my theory is correct." Footsteps once more resounded in the damp area and, both figures tensed until finally seeing whom it was. "I think I will leave you the two of you to your own devices—I'm sure the both of you have unresolved matters to speak about."

The Doctor moved forward in order to offer him more water, and eagerly, Erik snatched the refilled pitcher from her and began to guzzle it down greedily. As he glanced up, he caught the woman's eye, and images from the past began to swarm his mind. Slowly he lowered the pitcher down to study the woman before her.

She was exactly like he had remembered: dark brown hair, bewitching violet eyes and dark lips. Her skin was lighter than he remembered, but Erik was sure that it must have had something to do with the necessary restructuring of her body.

"How?" The woman sighed as she sat down on the cold floor in front of him, legs to the side. "How are you still alive?" Erik asked weakly as feelings from the past began to rise up.

"Erik," the woman before him seemed to hesitate, as though unsure of what to say. In all honesty, the Doctor wasn't sure what there was to tell him. "The past is irrelevant, Erik. There is nothing left in life if you're continuously hanging back, caught up in the shadows of the past. I made that mistake once before, I held so much anger… I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to be near you. Yet, so much love still. After all that you have put me through…" the Doctor murmured quietly, as though in wonder of her own words.

"How long did the surgeries last?"

"Surgeries? There were none." The response was simple yet left so many answers. No one could survive a drop from a five-story building. On top of that, no one could just get up and walk away from that kind of fall. As he began to piece together the puzzle, his eyes lit up in realization.

"Chiara." Slowly the woman nodded in confirmation. Suddenly Erik wondered how it was that he could have mistaken Chiara for her twin sister. Although identical twins, each held their own beauty: Luciana had never been seen without makeup, whereas Chiara, whom Erik had met briefly, stayed natural—a look that Erik realized he preferred. Luciana had exaggerated her beauty, while Chiara had allowed her natural beauty to blossom and flower. She held within her the same beauty that his beloved Christine had.

"I was wondering how long recognition would take. Although for the past week, you have been projecting my dead sister onto me, and that in itself is probably because of your initial thought upon first seeing me. I just needed to wait and let time take its course. However, now… that it has, I almost prefer when you thought I was Luciana."

"How was the…" Erik almost felt guilty for asking.

"The funeral? It went well. Papa died from grief shortly afterward, but she always was his favorite. Everyone's favorite, it seemed," Chiara added after glancing at him.

"And after? How did you become…this?"

"How did I become the good Doctor, you mean? Well, Madame approached me after attending the funeral. She explained to me that what had occurred was no one's fault, and that you and my beloved sister were not meant to be. She also explained to me your history with a Mr. Bouquet."

Erik growled, "That is highly classified information!" the chained man snapped causing Luciana to slide away from him slowly.

"Erik." Still, Erik growled lowly, his eyes narrowing in anger. "You need to calm down, Mr. Destler, before your bloodlust takes over. Remember who you are."

"No!" Erik struggled against his chains in anger, as Chiara backed away once more.

"Erik, please. Remember your fiancé." Imagining his beautiful angel before him, Erik began to settle down after her quiet request, trying to remember that any sudden bouts of agitation on his end would most likely result in a lengthier time away from Christine. "As I was saying," Chiara once more began, "I was already studying the human mind, and when Madame offered this opportunity, I couldn't say no. Thanks to the funding given to me by the Organization, I have collected enough research that would have originally taken five years or even more. I've been developing a medication that will hopefully save more agents rather than kill them, however it's still in the works.

"There is so much that I can do with this power—so much that I can change in order for less people to be harmed by the side effects of this career. I also knew that in due time, this job would lead me back to you. We were meant to see each other again, for the circle to finish its course and return back to us. I was sent here to help you in order for you to complete your own goals."

Erik studied her, amazed. He barely remembered Luciana's twin sister; she had always been so shy, always feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable with her accomplishments when compared to Luciana. Chiara had always stayed hidden in Luciana's shadow, but now that her sister was gone, Chiara had blossomed and learned how to be proud of her success. He wasn't suggesting that it was a blessing for Luciana to be gone, however it had not only led to his future nuptials with Christine, but it had given Chiara her freedom.

"I truly am sorry for the pain I caused you and your father, Chiara. I had never meant to hurt her. I tried to stop her from looking but…" Erik trailed off, looking down as though embarrassed. He tried again. "I'm not proud of my past with and before Luciana, however, I can tell you now that I am becoming a different man because of Christine Daae."

A moment of pure sadness washed through Chiara's face, before she smiled once more. There was nothing more to be said between them, she told herself bitterly. Now she knew that her pitiful attempts at catching the handsome masked man's attentions, when he had been working with her sister, had been futile. She could now see that he had always been destined for this Christine Daae, and unfortunately she and her sister had gotten caught up on Erik's journey from Point A to Point B.

"I cannot lie and say that I didn't hold bitter feelings towards you, however throughout the years, as I have spent time studying the human mind, I've realized that her death was bound to happen. If not be accident, then at an enemy's hands. I'm only grateful that she had never been tortured or seen the horrors that I have seen," Chiara said, shuddering. "Luciana was never meant to see the evils of the world, only the purity of it."

Erik nodded slowly in agreement, as he studied the young woman before him. "So what happens now, Chiara? Antoinette mentioned that I would be kept here. What about Christine? I have plans of settling down with her once Bouquet has been taken care of. What will I be doing while waiting?"

Chiara paused for a moment, considering his questions. "Well from what Madame has told me, you become restless very quickly. However, we cannot just let you leave here—no matter how much you love your fiancé, you are still a danger to her. We need to run more tests to gain a clearer picture on what affects your bloodlust, so the next few day will most likely be rather uncomfortable for you. That's the best I can tell you at the moment, Erik."

She turned to leave before Erik's voice reached her ears. "Chiara, if possible I would like a favor."

"It depends on what this favor is, Erik. Your rights are very limited at the moment," Chiara said slowly, as she studied the man before her.

"At least allow me to speak with Christine, and ease her mind. Knowing her, Christine is most likely running her contacts mad trying to find me. And I don't think she will take the news well from Antoinette."

Chiara hesitated for a moment, uncertainty flashing across her face, before shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you any access to outside communication without the approval of Madame."

Silently Erik nodded, understanding the position that Chiara had been placed in. As she left the assassin to his thoughts, Erik looked out into the dark tunnel of the abandoned subway station with only one simple plea in mind.

Christine, please forgive me.