AN: Sorry for the wait for this chapter, but to make up for it, it's super long! There just wasn't a good place to cut it off, and I needed to do some stuff in Christine's POV, so this is basically two chapters in one, big 6500 word chapter Extra reviews for the extra-long chapter please? Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter… It means a lot. I apologise for any errors in this chapter, I wanted to update it before I get really busy again so it was edited in a hurry.
Later in this chapter, there's a song playing called The Second Waltz, and here's the youtube link if you want to listen to it (I think it's pretty great) watch?v=mmCnQDUSO4I
Also, the pictures of Christine and Meg's masquerade dresses will be up on my profile in the next couple days if you care to look.
Enjoy!
Raoul helped me out of his car, wrapping his arms protectively around me and leading me into Meg and I's apartment building. I clutched his muscular frame as tightly as I could, afraid my legs would collapse out from under me if I let go.
"It's okay Christine," He whispered soothingly, "I'm here."
I nodded as I shakily stepped up the stairs. I started to sob again, my entire body feeling shaky and my head beginning to throb where I had hit it on Erik's chair.
"Oh Christine," Raoul sighed, scooping me up into his arms without another word. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clutching to him like life itself.
Raoul must have been even stronger than I gave him credit for, since he managed to take the key I gave him, unlock and open the door and take me inside all without putting me down. As soon as we walked in the door, Meg ran to my side.
"What the Hell happened?" She cried, touching my shoulder gently.
"Christine is about to tell us." Raoul said calmly, his time as a paramedic giving him the ability to remain much calmer than Meg.
Carefully, Raoul sat down on the couch, keeping me on his lap. Despite the fact that we were sitting now, I clung to his shirt, terrified that he would disappear just like everything else good in my life.
"You can relax Christine," Raoul whispered soothingly in my ear, sounding more like a paramedic at the scene of an emergency than my boyfriend. "I'm not going anywhere. You're safe."
"I don't even know where to start." I admitted, struggling to control my sobs.
"How about the beginning?" Meg prompted softly, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I told them everything.
I started by telling them how I had met Erik, and continued to tell them about my voice lessons and all the other instances that I had gone to visit him. As soon as I began to talk, I realized how much I had wanted to tell Meg and Raoul about this, and the words cascaded out of my mouth like I had broken a damn. I told them how I had discovered that he was secretly the infamous phantom of the opera, and how I had gone to see him after Raoul and I had fought outside Daniel.
Raoul tensed as I said this, but I pretended not to notice. I told them every little detail about our encounters, only omitting the personal information Erik or I had shared that I didn't feel they needed to know.
Then I came to last night's and today's events, taking a deep breath before continuing to plough through the story.
"So he met me in my dressing room after you left Raoul, and we sang together, and went to his home." For a reason that I couldn't distinguish, I felt like I shouldn't tell Meg and Raoul of Erik's secret home beneath the opera house.
I continued, telling them about Erik's magnificent song, and how I had unintentionally fallen asleep.
As I approached the part where I would have to retell why I was such a mess, I began to cry harder, not just small sobs, but full-blown bawling.
I told them of my curiosity, and how I had ventured into Erik's room…
Then of his fury, and how he had thrown me to the ground and how I had hit my head on his chair, and tried to run away. I amended the part about me jumping into the lake, instead saying that I had nearly run out into traffic. I then concluded by telling them how Erik had stopped me, and how I had insisted on being dropped off at the opera house.
I turned my head, continuing to cry into Erik's shirt as he gently rubbed circles into my back. I could tell that he and Meg were looking at each other with concern, but at this moment I couldn't bring myself to care.
"Christine," Raoul spoke softly after a couple seconds. "We should maybe take you to the hospital to get checked out, especially if you hit your head."
"No!" I exclaimed, "Can't you just check me out here? I really don't want to go anywhere."
"I can give you a quick look-over but I don't have any equipment…" He started to protest.
"That's fine." I said adamantly.
"You're going to have get off my lap for a minute." He smiled, and began tenderly touching my head, and feeling my bruised shoulder.
"Christine," Meg started talking cautiously. "I think that we should maybe go to the police about this."
"No!" I shook my head sharply, earning myself more pain. She looked at me with a confused expression on her face.
"No Meg," I said more calmly, "If we involve the police then I'm going to be stuck reliving it for months. I just want to move on."
"Okay," She said warily, smiling faintly. "If you're sure."
"I am," I sound with finality.
"Well," Raoul stood up from where he had been kneeling and feeling my arm and shoulder. "From what I can tell, you most likely don't have a concussion and no bones are broken. You'll probably have some nasty bruising in the morning though."
"Thanks Raoul," I said gratefully.
"You should eat something." Meg said quickly. "I'm going to go out and get you some food… What do you want?"
"Doesn't matter," I smiled half-heartedly. "As long as it's food I'll eat it."
"Okay," She smiled softly, grabbing her coat as she hurried out the door.
"What do you want to do?" Raoul asked gently, sitting next to me and draping his arm across my shoulders.
"It really doesn't matter," I said again, "Anything except talking."
"How about a movie?" He said cheerfully.
"Sure."
He started sifting through Meg and I's DVD collection. "All you have down here is musicals!" He chuckled.
"That's the best kind of movie." I retorted, causing him to smile at me.
"Isn't there any musicals that aren't fluffy romances?" He wrinkled his nose.
"Very few," I smiled, for once not really wanting to watch a corny romance. "Try Sweeney Todd if you want action violence instead of just watching romance. The lead lady bakes people into pies."
"Sweeney Todd it is!" He exclaimed, popping it into the DVD player and sitting next to me so I could cuddle into his side. Meg came back about twenty minutes later, sitting down with us to let Sondheim's music and Tim Burton's love of gore take our minds off everything.
Once the movie ended Meg immediately left to go to bed, claiming that she was simply exhausted. I was content to stay in Raoul's arms, scared of what nightmares might await me if I fell asleep.
"Well that was a good musical." He whispered in my ear. "I especially liked the part where everybody died."
"Ha ha ha," I mocked, turning around so I could playfully smack his shoulder. "You are such a guy."
"Of course I am!" He exclaimed loudly, and I giggled, pressing a finger to his lips to try and quiet him down.
"Shut up," I whispered, putting my hands on my hips. "Meg is trying to sleep."
"Okay," He whispered, and his lips were on mine.
At first I was hesitant, sitting there still as a rock as his lips tenderly coaxed me to respond. What if he wanted more? What was I prepared to do? Thoughts of Erik's warnings shot through my mind… He had warned me to stay away from Raoul…
I mentally chastised myself. I was overthinking just like I usually did, and for once I wanted my mind not to think at all… I forced all thoughts of Erik out of my mind and simply allowed my body to feel.
I threw my arms around his neck and responded hungrily, pulling my body to his and not caring about the pain I was getting from my head. Instantly he eagerly complied, his tender kiss turning deep and passionate. His arms wrapped around my back, pulling my small body even tighter to his chiseled chest. All the pain disappeared.
My fingers laced themselves into his blonde hair, then began trailing down to his shoulders and arms. I kissed him harder, just letting my body feel for once.
"You are so sexy." He whispered, placing a kiss on my neck. I tried not to cringe at his use of the word "Sexy."
Don't think Christine, don't think…
Instead I let out a little groan as he lowered himself onto the sofa, my petite body resting on top of his. I ran my hands along his sides and he let out a groan of pleasure, his fingers gently feeling my stomach underneath my lose, disheveled shirt.
Soon his hands trailed down, cupping my backside.
My brain immediately put on the brakes. This is going too quickly…
His fingers started playing with the waistband of my jeans, as he kissed my neck again.
I'm not ready for this! My brain finally caught up with me and I jumped off him, running my hands through my messy, disheveled hair.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking at the hurt in his eyes. "I just… I'm not ready and… I just need a minute."
I fled to my room, closing the door tightly behind me. As soon as the door closed I collapsed onto the bed and began to sob.
What was I doing? Throwing myself at Raoul like that, knowing fully that I wasn't ready to take things that far? I saw the look of hurt in his eyes as I fled away from him. Why couldn't I avoid hurting the ones I loved?
I saw Erik's face, and his kind eyes and empathetic voice and pictured the disapproval he would feel if he knew how I had thrown myself at someone.
Memories of Buquet's attack violently assaulted my mind; the disgusting feeling of his lips where Raoul's had been only moments before, his greasy fingers trailing down my side where Raoul's had…
Raoul's different than Buquet! I screamed in my mind. Raoul would never hurt you.
But he would probably leave after the way I had just played with him like that. Allowing things to go that far, then jumping away from him.
I began to cry even harder, curling up into a ball to try and contain all the emotions I was feeling.
I was crying so hard that I barely even noticed the door quietly creaking open.
"Shhh," Raoul's voice was behind me, his fingers gently stroking my hair. "It's okay Christine, everything is going to be okay."
"I'm so sorry!" I cried, sitting up and trying to rub the tears out of my eyes. "I'm just so confused, and I swear it's not you…"
"Christine," He cut me off gently. "I know you've been through a lot today and I shouldn't have pushed you like that. You shouldn't be sorry that you weren't ready."
"B-but…"
"Shhh," He whispered again, rubbing my back. After my crying eventually stopped he stood up, heading toward the door. "I should probably leave now… Goodnight Christine."
"Wait!" I croaked as he neared the door, my voice raw from crying. As confused and sad as I was, I didn't think I could bear to be alone. "Please stay."
"Of course," He whispered, coming over to the bed and wrapping his arms around me. I nestled into his arms, picturing Erik's protective embrace the day Buquet attacked me. It was the haunting bars of Erik's melody replaying in my head that eventually lulled me to sleep.
Weeks passed without any type of contact from Erik. Although I thought I saw him once in the café, right after I had confirmed to Raoul that I chose him, but I wasn't completely sure.
Something had died in me that day, a little piece of music in my heart, as I fully realized that Erik and I would never truly be together. A part of me had been hoping since the very beginning that things would turn out that way, but it took truly losing Erik for me to actually realize it.
Of course, he really deserved the blame. As much as I wanted my fantasy to come true, I had seen a darker side of Erik that day in the cavern; one that was horrible, angry and downright terrifying. How could I choose to be with a man when a piece of him was like that, dwelling directly underneath the surface?
I seemed to have settled into a kind of routine; Go to rehearsals (I had been cast in a larger role than simply a chorus girl, even though Carlotta returned after the "Phantom" disappeared), hang out with Meg and a couple of her friends after rehearsals, and go out with Raoul in the evening.
As Christmas drew nearer, I ended up going to more and more of Raoul's society events; stuffing myself into fancy dresses and pinching my feet into high heels so I could go make useless small talk with his friends and his parent's friends.
Out of everything, the only event I was actually looking forward to was the masquerade ball on December 21. I couldn't completely understand why, but there seemed to be an appeal in tglamour and mystery that accompanied a masquerade.
"Christine!" Meg called from across the dressing room, startling me out of my thoughts. "Don't forget that you and I are going dress shopping for our masquerade gowns tonight!"
"Ugh!" I groaned. No matter how many times I went dress shopping, which was becoming more and more as Raoul drew me into his society, I still couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. "Can't you just pick me something out for me?"
"You are not allowed to cancel Christine!" She stormed over to me, waving her finger in my face. "If you make me buy something for you by myself I am going to make you look like a cow!"
"Okay, okay!" I threw up my hands in protest. "I'll go!"
"Yes you will." She huffed, turning around and grabbing her stuff as I slung my bag over my shoulder.
"How are we getting there?" I questioned as Meg quickly led me out the door. I had looked up the place Raoul had told us to go last night, and it was quite a ways from the theatre.
"Surprise!" Raoul exclaimed, holding his arms out as I opened the doors.
"Raoul!" I exclaimed, planting a quick kiss on his mouth. "I thought you were working today!"
"I got the day off," He shrugged. "I need a new suit, and so does Seth."
I finally noticed the man standing behind Raoul, his arms awkwardly in his pockets. He had curly brown hair and deep brown eyes with a cute, boyish smile. Personally I didn't find him to be as attractive as Raoul, but a quick glance in Meg's direction told me she thought otherwise.
"Meg, Christine, this is Seth." Raoul introduced us, stepping to the side so his friend could step forward to meet us.
"Nice to meet you." He smiled directly at Meg.
"Nice to meet you too." She smiled flirtatiously.
"Well, shall we go?" Raoul held open the passenger door for me, and Seth held open the back door for Meg, letting her climb in first.
Meg and Seth chatted animatedly in the backseat, literally launching into conversation as soon as they sat down. Surprisingly, they seemed to have a lot in common and there was never a gap in their constant stream of chatter.
"You sly fox." I muttered under my breath, poking Raoul in the shoulder. When he looked at me innocently I giggled. "You're trying to set up Meg and Seth aren't you?"
"Yes," He said bluntly, unashamed of this fact. "I noticed how similar they were and Seth doesn't have a date to the masquerade."
"You're actually pretty clever." I admitted, and he glanced at me, trying to look offended.
"Why do you sound so surprised?!"
We both chuckled, talking easily until Raoul parked in a parkade near the dress-shop. Meg and I started walking toward the dress-shop, both the guys following us.
"Oh know you don't!" She rounded on them as they tried to follow us into the dress-shop. "You aren't coming in here with us… I want our dresses to be a surprise."
"Well what colour are you going with Christine?" Raoul sighed. "I want to make sure I match."
"Well I was thinking…" I started thoughtfully, but Meg cut me off.
"Red." She said with finality. "Christine will be wearing red, and I'll be wearing blue and green."
"Remember that this is ridiculously formal, so nothing is too much…" Raoul started, but Meg cut him off too, pushing me through the door as she yelled over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I know! I'll get Christine to call you when we need you to pay!" I blushed at this comment, but my eyes were immediately assaulted with the most splendid gowns I had ever seen.
"Oh my gosh," I muttered, taking in all of the lavish fabrics around me.
"Stop gawking and follow me." She grabbed my hand and walked directly to one of the salesladies. "Excuse me, but my friend and I are going to an incredibly formal masquerade, and we were wondering if you could help us find some gowns."
"Of course," She smiled warmly at us, much better than the lady at the other dress-shop. "If you don't mind me asking, which masquerade are you going to?"
"The one at the de Chagny mansion." I answered before Meg could jump in.
"Oh my goodness!" The lady practically squealed. "That's only the most incredible party of the year… Everybody tried to throw a part as wonderful as the de Chagny's, but everyone knows that nothing they do will even compare. How did you even manage to get invited!"
"Raoul de Chagny is my boyfriend." I smiled as a huge grin spread across the lady's face.
"You are one lucky girl!" She smiled.
"So about our dresses…" Meg started.
"Of course!" She exclaimed with a clap of her hands. "What did you two have in mind?"
"Well I want something peacock inspired," Meg answered thoughtfully. "Something funky, but still classy. And for Christine I was thinking a rose; an elegant red gown with just enough sex-appeal and some rose detailing."
"Sounds stunning!" She said excitedly. "I know exactly what to pull for your peacock dress."
She strode purposefully toward one of the rack, stopping for a moment and turning around to look at us. "Oh, and my name is Lisa just so you know."
Meg and I took a seat outside one of the dressing rooms as Lisa came back with a stunning peacock gown in her arms.
Meg practically squealed as Lisa motioned her in the dressing room to try it on.
Needless to say, it was stunning on her. It was as I the dress had been made for Meg, and aside from a couple minor alterations it fit her perfectly.
When it came my turn, I entered the room nervously, seeing only the humongous skirt of the red gown. Lisa helped me pull it over my head, lacing up the corset back for me.
"This fits you absolutely perfectly," she said with surprise. "It doesn't even need to be hemmed!"
As soon as she was done, I turned around slowly, looking at myself in the full size mirror.
My hand flew to my mouth as a grin spread across my face.
The gown was stunning.
I was stunning.
"Meg!" I squealed, practically running out of the change room to show her.
"Oh my goodness." She said, her jaw dropping. "You look absolutely magnificent Chris!"
"I know," I grinned, turning to look at the back of the gown.
"Done," Meg said simply. "That's your dress Christine."
"Yes it is." I nodded, returning to the change room to get changed.
The saleslady told Meg and I that we could pick up our dresses the next week, since Meg's needed alterations, and that all we had to leave was a deposit for them.
When I walked out of the fitting room, feeling plain in jeans and a shirt after wearing the extravagant gown, Raoul and Seth were already at the counter.
"I hope you don't mind, I called him on your phone." She smiled at me as we walked toward the two guys.
"Whatever," I said dismissively with a wave of my hand, walking up to the boys. "Did you find what you needed."
"Yes," Raoul smiled charmingly. "I'm going to look quite dashing."
"Of course you will." I grinned, pushing him playfully.
"Couples," Meg rolled her eyes.
"Tell me about it." Seth sighed, grinning at Meg flirtatiously. Raoul had certainly done well with these two.
"Well, we should probably go." Raoul sighed, glancing at the time on his iPhone. "Mom and dad want me there for some meeting with one of the party planners and I have to drive all you home."
"Okay," I smiled as the four of us left the building and made our way to Raoul's car.
I couldn't stop smiling as Raoul and I sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the buzz of Meg and Seth's endless talking. For the first time since I had turned away from Erik, I felt genuinely happy.
Finally, the day of the masquerade had arrived.
Meg and I were giddy with excitement as we walked to a nearby salon to get our hair and make-up professionally done. We had picked up the dresses last week, and had both managed to find beautiful masks and shoes that matched them perfectly.
Needless to say, we were both giddy with excitement.
The girls doing my hair worked relentlessly, doing everything in their power to work with my untameable curls instead of against them.
"Your hair is simply gorgeous!" Both of them chimed over and over again, but the frustrated looks on their faces told me otherwise.
Meg was done getting her hair and makeup done an hour before I was even done getting my hair. Luckily, she waited patiently until I was finished before we both left to walk home.
"You look so beautiful Chris!" Meg exclaimed as we both walked through the door to our home, thankful that it wasn't windy or snowing outside.
"You look even better," I blushed. "Seth is lucky to be going with you."
Not at all to my surprise, Seth had asked Meg to accompany him to the masquerade when we had left to pick up the guys' suits and our dresses. Obviously, Meg had said yes; she was already head over heels for the guy.
We took our time putting our dresses on, and making sure the masks sat perfectly over our hair. When I was completely ready, I walked over to stand in front of the full length mirror that Meg had bought specifically for this occasion.
I didn't even recognize myself.
My black heels were completely covered by the voluminous skirt of the dress, the bottom of the skirt just sweeping the floor. The skirt had small pick-ups somewhat-diagonally down the skirt, a small rose in the center of each pick-up. Three large roses sat at my hip where the skirt pulled tightly in, becoming smooth across my torso all the way up to the faint sweetheart neckline.
The black I had chosen looked like delicate lace across my face, the swirls and twists of the pattern dancing across it like a beautiful melody. Bright red lips and my bright green eyes popped against my pale skin. Finally, my usually unruly curls were piled delicately on top of my head, one single ringlet let down to frame my face.
"You look beautiful Chris." I turned around to see Meg smiling at me, looking every bit as gorgeous as I did.
"You are stunning Meg." I said in response.
Personally, I thought Meg looked much more like herself. The blues and greens of her funky peacock gown highlighted her bright blue eyes perfectly. So as not to overpower the gown, her hair stylist had expertly teased her blonde hair into a simple up-do.
We were still gushing over how we both looked when there was a knock on the door. Looking at each other excitedly, Meg opened the door to reveal two very sharply dressed men.
Raoul had chosen a simply black suit, but had added a red tie and red mask to match me. Seth had obviously done the same thing, choosing to add a blue vest under her black suit jacket with a green mask.
"Are you two too cool for costumes?" Meg teased as Seth came to stand beside her.
"Just wanted to look classy." He smiled back. "You look gorgeous Meg."
"Thank you," She grinned, "You don't look too bad yourself."
Raoul came and stood in front of me resting his hands gently on my waist. "You look beautiful."
"And you look very dashing." I smiled, and he leaned down to kiss me.
It was a quick, passionate kiss, him pulling me tightly against him, trailing his hands down my back. It was me who had to pull away, even though I didn't want to.
"Be good," I said breathlessly, "You are going to mess up my hair! And you're lucky the make-up lady used lip stain, or you would have lipstick all over you now."
"Fine then," He whispered, lowering his face close to mine. "Just for tonight, I'll be good."
"Thank you." I whispered back.
"Well," Meg said loudly. "I don't know about you two lovebirds, but I kind of want to go to the masquerade that we are all dressed up to go to."
"Of course," Raoul smiled without breaking eye contact with me. He and Seth both held out their arms for Meg and I, which we eagerly took. "Our limo awaits."
He wasn't kidding. A sleek, black limousine waited at the curb, a chauffeur holding the door open for Meg and I. Inside, Raoul sat as close as he could without sitting on the skirt of my dress.
We rode in silence all the way to the de Chagny mansion, the excitement tangible as everyone eagerly awaited the most talked-about night of the year.
As we began to pull into their large, circular driveway, I pressed my face to the window, eager to take in every detail.
It was like a page from a story book.
Elegantly dressed men helped women with spectacular gowns out of limousines, leading them up the front staircase of the mansion.
As we stopped at the curb, Raoul and Seth climbed out of the limo first, turning to help Meg and I.
"So when we get inside they are going to announce us." Raoul whispered under his breath as we reached the door.
"Why?" I whispered back.
He shrugged lightly, "My mom likes to think she's some type of royalty, I think it makes her feel important when everybody is announced."
"Kind of ironic isn't it? Introducing people at a masquerade?" I whispered, earning a small chuckle from Raoul.
When the time came to enter the ballroom, Meg and Seth went in first.
"Seth Prescott and Meg Giry!" I heard a man yell loudly as they walked through the doors.
"Our turn." Raoul whispered with a smile.
We walked through the doors, both smiling as the man called our names.
"Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daae!" He called, and everybody turned around eager to see who Raoul de Chagny had brought with him to his parents' party.
I smiled widely, holding my head high as Raoul and I walked into the room. Luckily there were very few stairs to go down, giving me less of an opportunity to trip.
As soon as we reached the ground people crowded around us, not even bothering to see who came in next.
"I'm Dania Wood." I white-gloved lady smiled a wide, fake grin at me.
"Christine Daae."
I introduced myself to everybody that came to talk to us, listening and adding to the conversation when I necessary.
"You're quite popular." I whispered to Raoul, once the group of people had thinned.
"No you are." He smiled at me. "Everybody wants to meet you, not me."
"Well it makes me feel kind of awkward." I giggled.
"You're doing brilliantly." He gave me a quick peck on the lips, then held out his arm. "Do you want to dance?"
"Of course."
We twirled effortlessly across the floor, the live orchestra playing a lively waltz. I was pleasantly surprised at how light my skirt actually was, making dancing surprisingly easy.
Everybody danced magnificently, and I felt like Cinderella, finally finding her Prince Charming at a magnificent ball.
"Christine, will you do me a favour?" He spoke into my ear, drawing me closer as we danced.
"Of course, what do you need?" I responded immediately.
"Well," He started, for once sounding unsure of himself. "I was wondering if you would dance once with Phillip."
I groaned, "Why?"
"Um," He said carefully, forming his words slowly. "He kind of told my mom that you were being rude after dinner and I want to show her that isn't true."
"What?" I said in shock, missing a step and stumbling a little into Raoul's arms before I regained the rhythm of the dance. I looked up to where his mom was sitting, shooting glances at the two of us.
"He's an ass," Raoul said, pleading with me. "Please?"
"Fine," I sighed, "But I'm not going to put up with him being an asshole."
"I know you won't," He grinned at me. "That's one of the things I love about you."
I giggled, just as someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"
"Of course not Phillip," Raoul sighed, sending one last apologetic look in my direction before he turned and walked away.
I turned and took Phillip's hand as he calmly rested his hand on my hip, much too close to my butt for my liking. I gave him a look, and moved his hand up to my waist.
Slowly, we began to dance.
"You look stunning," Phillip said lazily, looking me up and down a couple times. "Much better than the other women in this room."
"Thanks," I said shortly, stiffening as his eyes stopped at my chest. "Do you have a date tonight?"
"No," He grinned cheekily at me. "I decided to come by myself and see what happened."
"Mmm hmm," I raised my eyebrows, refusing to play his game. "Of course you know I came with a date."
"Yes, my baby brother." He laughed. "It's a real shame."
"Raoul is an amazing man." I said passionately, looking Phillip straight in the eyes. "I'm happy that I came here with him."
"Raoul isn't that bad," He said sincerely surprising me. He took advantage of my surprise to pull me closer, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
"The only thing that sucks about you coming here with Raoul is that it makes you temporarily unavailable to me." He said sensually, breathing down my neck as I tried to step back.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" A voice spoke behind my shoulder, and I nearly screamed with relief.
"Of course," Phillip said shortly, leaning close to me to whisper in my ear again before he released my waist. "Until we meet again."
I wrinkled my nose at him as he walked away.
"Thank you so much," I started, turning to face my savior. "For rescuing me from that awkward…"
My words stopped dead in my throat. I would recognize those golden eyes anywhere.
"No…" I whispered as Erik wordlessly took my hand and my waist and began to dance me around the floor, just as Dmitri Shostakovich's Second Waltz began to play.
"What are you doing here?" I spat, glaring at him as we twirled across the room. I knew I should storm away from him right now, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to.
"Dancing." He said simply.
"You know what I mean Erik." I said with frustration as he twirled me out, then pulled me back into the waltz.
"I enjoy masquerades." He smiled through his usual white mask, wearing the black suit that he had worn every time I had seen him. "No one looks at you peculiarly for wearing a mask."
"Why?" I whispered. "Why did you have to interrupt my life again?"
"Your voice cannot be allowed to lay dormant," He said coldly. "And your pride was apparently too great to allow you to return as my student."
"My pride?" I said in shock. "You think it was my pride keeping me away from you?!" My voice had escalated and a nearby couple turned and looked at us. I struggled to keep my voice and emotions under control.
"Pride and fear are very different feelings Erik," I said as coldly as I could manage. A flash of hurt crossed his eyes so quickly that I might have imagined it, but his cold mask returned immediately.
"I apologised already Christine." He said sharply. "What more would you have me do?"
"This isn't about you." I said as softly as I could. A single tear slid down my cheek. "Don't you see Erik? I was happy! I'm happy with Raoul."
"Ah," He said, twirling me again, but this time pulling closer when he pulled me back in. He rested his hand firmly on the small of my back, our bodies almost touching. A shiver travelled down my spine as he leaned his face down to look at me, and I looked up at him, our noses almost touching. "So you go crawling back to the fop."
"I didn't go 'crawling back' to Raoul." I protested fiercely. "I chose him Erik. It's not like you ever expressed any romantic feelings toward me, and Raoul cares for me."
"You are not a child Christine." Erik spoke softly, pulling me in to him so that our bodies were locked against each other. People were watching now, but I didn't care anymore. "You know that you need more than 'care,' you need a partner."
Fury and desire flooded into me at once, a terrifying mix of emotions. I was not supposed to feel desire for Erik, plain and simple. Raoul was my boyfriend, and when he kissed me, it was wonderful, and sexy…
But being held against Erik was different. It was sensually musical, not only delighting my body, but my mind and heart as well…
I couldn't go there. I buried the desire as best I could, instead confronting the rage that filled me.
"How dare you." I spat at him, my voice rising. "How dare you come here, after weeks of silence, and tell me how to live my life?! You could have been there, but you chose not to be by treating me that way Erik, so don't you dare pretend this is my fault."
He stared at me openly, for once speechless.
"I made my choice Erik." I said firmly, despite all the doubts that were rising up in me at that moment. "So don't you dare come waltzing into my life again."
Rage quelled in my heart, curiosity burning through me, before Erik could even utter a word, I reached up and ripped the mask off his face.
Someone screamed. I realized a second later it was me. The orchestra abruptly stopped playing as everybody turned to look at Erik.
The other side of Erik's was horribly deformed, the skin twisted and marred in unnatural ways. There were places where it looked like I was seeing bone.
What had I done? Why had I brought this humiliation on my angel?
His face contorted into a look of pain, as he looked at me. People around us began screaming and running. Seconds later, pure rage replaced the look of pain on Erik's face.
"NOOOO!" He screamed, running toward me. Terrified, I turned and tried to run from him, but Erik would have been faster than me even if I hadn't been wearing the humongous gown.
He caught my wrist tightly, not breaking pace as he pulled me along with him. I struggled, trying to pry his fingers from my wrist, but at the pace he was going I had to either run or be dragged along the floor.
"Raoul!" I screamed, as he fought through people to get to me.
"Christine!" He looked horrified and scared, throwing people out of the way. "Damn it, move!"
Meg and Seth were at his side, fighting through people as well, although he was moving the quickest.
Luckily for me, my heels didn't allow me to run very quickly, and Raoul was gaining on us.
Erik growled, stopping abruptly at the base of the staircase, and expertly twisting so that my back was pressed against his chest, his arm wrapped around my neck. Immediately my hands came up to his arm, trying desperately to pull it away from my throat.
"I'm so sorry Christine, but you've forced my hand." He whispered so quietly that I could barely hear it, I wasn't even sure if he meant me to. Soon something cold and metal was pressed to my skull; I didn't even have to see it to know it was a gun.
Raoul came to an abrupt halt about ten feet away from us, looking at me with terror in his eyes. He held his hands up in front of him, a signal of surrender.
"Stay back," Erik warned menacingly, practically pulling me backwards up the stairs. I stumbled at every step, my shoes and dress making it difficult to step up, as well as my trembling legs. Tears streamed down my face, pure fear seeping into my very bones.
"Erik, please…" I whimpered, but his hold didn't lessen.
Slowly we backed up the stairs, until we finally reached the landing at the top.
"Nobody follow us." Erik warned in his terrifying voice, staring directly at Raoul. "If you do, you'll be sorry."
All of a sudden he swept me up into his arms and ran faster than anybody should have been able to with the weight of me and the gown.
"No!" I shrieked, struggling to get out of his grasp, but the beautiful red dress weighed me down too much for me to struggle very much.
He finally stopped outside of a black Mercedes, practically stuffing me into the passenger seat. I struggled to unlock the door and flung it open just as Erik sat in the driver's seat, trying to get out of the car.
"Christine," Erik grunted, grabbing my waist and pulling me back onto the seat. I screamed again and he sighed, pulling something out of his pocket and holding it over my mouth and nose.
I slowly stopped struggling slumping into the seat as whatever was on the cloth tried to drag me into unconsciousness.
"Don't worry darling," I heard Erik whisper through the haze. "You'll be home soon."
Then I blacked out completely.