He sighed and lost his smile for a moment and looked around for the mask which he had dropped in low of previous situations, "You told the truth. For knowing me as you claim to, you underestimate my abilities to know when someone is lying and whether they have ill intentions. I admit I was suspicious at first and do not think I do not have more questions to which I expect answers but…" he picked up his mask and looked up at Amelia, "you did not turn from me when I took a chance. I do not know whether that entitles you to more of my trust or less. But at the moment my instincts tell me more trust. For now."

She glanced at the mask jealously, "It must be easy to hide your true feelings," Amelia said trying to hide her own bitterness. She knew she was overreacting considered the length of time she knew this man but somehow she felt there was more to the story then Leroux could have ever imagined.

There was one question she had to know before they proceeded, "Erik—I must ask you something. Won't your spending time with me interfere with your time spent with other women?"

He tensed, "I do not appreciate your joking."

"No, I mean Christine," she blurted out before he could stop herself.

He narrowed his eyes and then responded, "Who is Christine?"

Amelia closed her eyes in defeat and realized the magnitude of what she could have done. She never considered the possibility that her meeting Erik would alter the normal flow of events. This was a story that had never been written. Perhaps her invasion of Erik's lair had prevented him from hearing Christine and Meg joking around on the stage of the opera house so that Erik would never hear her and thus, not ruin his status quo. God—what if after this whole thing he did hear her and then become mesmerized and forget Amelia? Should she tell him the truth or did fate rule any hope for her?

Her internalization did not translate to Erik so he continued to stare at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. She took a deep breath and tried to visualize what she might say to alleviate this situation. Could she take it back without encouraging him to ask more unnecessary questions?

"She's… no one… just, forget I mentioned it ok." She knew this tactic wouldn't work but she couldn't admit it. She couldn't lead him down this road and she prayed his curiosity would not take over.

"No one?" Erik was not buying it, "Again I feel that you are withholding something from me."

She shifted in uncomfortably, "Look, I'm sorry I mentioned it just…" suddenly she had an idea; she could make this work, "Ok, I'll tell you but you're going to think I'm silly. One of the ballet girls, her name is Christine, told this myth about an Angel of Music that her father used to tell her when she was young and she said one day that she thought that the Angel of Music was giving her voice lessons in her dressing room and…" she paused briefly to see if he reacted at all, "and, I suppose it sounded like something… you might…do." She smiled as coyly as she could. If he did not think was crazy yet, he sure would now.

He looked almost offended, "And why would you think I would do something like that?"

She almost laughed out loud but managed to control herself and tried to sound casual, "Oh I don't know, just, the way she described the beautiful voice and the way it seemed to come from nowhere…" she tried to put this carefully, "well after I met you, and heard you sing, the thought just crossed my mind that the voice might have been you."

To her surprise, he laughed, "You do have some strange notions, Amelia." She did not know whether what he just said sounded stranger than being called her formal name. The irony was so thick she almost felt the need to brush it away from her eyes to see clearly. She hoped this issue would never come up again, but he continued joking about it, "I hardly think I would waste my time teaching silly girls anything about music." She smiled, concealing her amusement and then playfully nudged him.

"Do you think me one of those silly girls?"

He folded his arms across his chest, "You… surprise me. Few people in this world elude me and you are one of the few. I should be suspicious of that, but for now, my curiosity compels me to find out more."

Amelia laughed and hoped he could not hear the nervous edge to her laugh, what would he say if he should ever find out the whole truth? Would he even believe something like that? He continued, "For one, the fact that you are not the least bit disgusted with my face; that eludes me."

She put her hand on his shoulder, "Your face does not make you who you are," she put her hand on his chest, "This does. People are afraid of things that are different or that they don't understand. People have trouble seeing behind appearance. What you look like does not make you a monster. There are plenty of beautiful people in the world who are more monstrous than you." He walked away from her and spoke with his back to her,

"My actions do not make me any less of a monster, I have done many terrible things in my life, many of which, if I told you would shock you. You make me feel more honorable than I deserve."

"What you deserve is to live in the sunlight," she cried walking over to him, "How people treated you throughout your life has effected who you are today! If people had shown you more love, respect, and compassion I know you would not have done some of those things you regret."

"You cannot know what I have done," he whispered, "You must never know for if I told you… you would not wish my company any longer and I cannot…I do not want that from you."

"I'm not going anywhere; I came here to be with you," she paused, "I want to stay."

He turned to look at her as if waiting for a punch line, and when that did not come, she walked towards him and put her arms around his neck. His body felt warm against hers as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder. She felt his arms pressed against her back and hold her tightly. It was as if he had never hugged another human being in his life. As she hugged him, she prayed that nothing would change, that fate would not intervene and thrust her out of a world in which she did not belong.