The Angel, the Songbird, and the Monster

Summary-

Madame Giry never got the chance to help Erik, but he never needed her help, for when the Gypsy Clan that held him captive came upon a small village in Sweden, Erik made his escape. As he was hiding in the woods, nursing his wounds, a small girl found him and helped him. The young girl, Christine, convinced her father to let Erik stay with them and Erik found himself drawn to the young girl. After helping the girl's father get a job at the Opera Populaire in France, the girl's father took ill, and as the man laid on his deathbed, Erik vowed to help his little songbird take flight. But when an old face comes to the Opera Populaire, will Erik be able to help his songbird stay a flight, or will his songbird be caged forever?

Chapter Four-

Erik silently stood in the shadow of a tree as he watched the funeral in front of him. His heart clenched at the sight of his Christine crying. It had been two years since she and Gustave had returned to him, everything had been as it use to be. Gustave and Christine had accepted him as both their Erik and the 'Opera Ghost', though Gustave had made him stop blackmailing the manager, even so the manager still paid him twenty thousand francs a month out of fear and respect.

Throughout the days Erik would watch over Christine and make sure everyone was treating her the way she should be treated. She had made friends with Meg Giry, even though Erik didn't like the fact that she had another friend he did not stop her. And during the nights, Erik would visit them in their rooms and they would sit down together for dinner before either creating music together or listening to stories of the North like they used to.

But a few months ago Gustave had caught a fever. And Erik nor Christine had left his side throughout his fever. Even when the doctor had come to see him, Erik had never left his side only stepped into the shadows near him and Christine. The week before Gustave died everyone had thought he would pull through, he had seemed to be doing much better.

The night he had passed, Gustave had beckoned Erik to him while Christine slept in her bed a few feet away. Erik had moved to kneel beside Gustave's bed as he gently took the man's hand in his.

"Erik, my boy," He had started with a small smile, "when I am gone, I want you to look after our dear Christine."

"Do not speak like that, my friend. You will not be leaving us anytime soon." Erik had softly chided him with tears in his eyes, he had not wished to even think about his friend leaving him. Gustave's smile saddened before he gently began to pat Erik's hand.

"I feel my time is coming to an end, I feel God calling me home." At this point Erik remembered making a strangled sobbing sound, "So please, my friend, say you will watch over our precious Little Lotte. Say that you will be her Angel of Music."

"I will." Erik had whispered.

"And, my friend, I want you to know, that I already see you as a son." Gustave said softly. Movement behind Erik had alerted him to the fact that Christine had woken up.

Erik was snapped back to the present when the small body of Christine collided with him, nearly knocking him over. His arm automatically wrapped around Christine to keep her to him. He looked up and locked eyes with the shocked and slightly afraid Madame Giry, noticing that she and her daughter were the only ones with him and Christine. "Leave us." He ordered, his voice soft but still demanded.

"But-" Madame Giry said with fear in her voice, and Erik instantly knew that she was not afraid for her and her daughter, she was afraid for the child that was clinging to him. She was afraid that he would harm the Angel that was in his arms. His eyes narrowed at that, Christine was his angel, the only remaining light in his life, he would not, could not, harm her.

"I said leave us." He snapped causing Madame Giry to flinch before she took Meg's hand and lead her away from them.

"But, Maman-" He had heard the young girl start before she was silenced by Madame Giry. Once he was sure they would not be able to hear them, Erik gently pulled Christine from him before kneeling in front of her. His heart clinched once again at the site of her tears, he tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming down. And even though, to him, she still looked beautiful when she was crying, he did not like it when she was crying.

"He's gone." She whispered, her hands gripping his shirt, "Papa's gone and I'm all alone."

"Oh Christine." Erik whispered before pulling her into a tight hug, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "You are not alone, my Angel, I am here. Your Angel of Music is here, and I am not going anywhere." He said to her softly as he ran his fingers through her hair as her tears came down faster and harder than before.

"But they're going to kick me out of the opera house and onto the streets!" Christine cried and Erik held her tighter as he glared out in front of him, like hell he would let them kicked her out onto the streets.

"I will never let that happen." Erik growled.

"But, but the manager-" Christine started before Erik pulled away so that he could look into her eyes.

"You forget, my dear, that though I am your Angel of Music, I am also the Phantom of the Opera. What I say goes, and I say that you will not be thrown onto the streets. I will order the managers to place you into the Chorus and then next week we will begin your tutoring." Erik said and smiled at the confused look on his Christine's face.

"Tutoring? In what?" Christine asked and Erik smoothed back her hair from her face.

"Why, in Singing of course. Was it not your dream to one day be a famous Prima Donna? I shall help you make your dream come true." Erik said before kissing a shocked Christine on her forehead before he stood up, "Now, go and return to the opera house with Madame Giry, I shall meet you in your rooms tonight, I have much to prepare." Christine nodded and turned to leave, "Oh, and Christine," He called to her, stopping her, "do not let anyone find out that I am training you to be the Prima Donna. Let us keep this our little secret until you are the Prima Donna."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone about this." Christine said before she turned and ran over to Madame Giry who was waiting for her at the entrance of the cemetery. Erik watched her leave with the Giry family before turning to the mausoleum that belonged to Gustave.

"I swear that I will watch over her and make sure that all of her dreams come true. I will make sure that she is happy and wants for nothing." Erik vowed before he too left the cemetery.

\'~'/

Erik growled angrily as he watched Christine flinch away from an enraged Carlotta. The Manager had not given Christine a spot in the chorus as Erik had ordered because the Manager had felt that Christine was still too young to sing with them. Christine was twelve years old, only one year younger than the youngest Chorus member, Erik did not see what the problem of letting her sing now instead of waiting a year. No, instead of letting her sing with them now, the Manager had made Christine Carlotta's errand girl.

Erik glared at the woman who was yelling at Christine for getting her the 'wrong hat' even though Erik heard Carlotta order Christine to get the hat that was now on the floor next to Christine. "But you told me to get this hat." Erik heard Christine say.

"You DARE call ME a liar!?" Carlotta screeched as she slapped Christine. Erik's anger flared as he ran from his spot and into the secret tunnels and ran towards Carlotta's room. That was it, that was the last straw. Carlotta would regret the day she dared to harm his Angel. In his rage he flew from his tunnels and ran into Carlotta's room, not caring that people had seen him. Let them tell that they had see him, let them know that he had done this!

Erik growled an almost demonic growl as he picked up Carlotta's vanity chair and tossed it into the vanity mirror, causing it to shatter. He then ran over to the armoire and with inhuman strength, knocked it over before quickly moving to the little settee and, pulling out his knife, began to carve 'O.G.' into it. Once he was done, Erik stood back and observed the damage he had caused with dark smirk as he panted from anger before he turned and vanished into his tunnel again.

He made his way to his home under the opera house to write the Manager. He would make the man regret the day he decided to disobey him, the Phantom of the Opera!

\'~'/

Christine sat on her bed, in her room that she shared with the other girls that lived in the Populaire. She brushed her hair behind her ear as she pulled her knees to her chest while listening to the others gossip about the resent activity of the 'Opera Ghost'. Christine sighed as she rested her forehead on her knees, it seemed that she was not the only one to notice Erik's change, though she was the only one who had an idea why.

Ever since her father had died six months ago, everything had changed. The new Prima Donna, La Carlotta, had forced her out of the rooms her and her father had once shared. And it seemed that no matter what Erik did to the woman, she would not bend to his rules.

Christine lifted her head off her knees to watch the other girls, the ballet rats as Erik would call them. After she had lost her rooms she had been forced to stay with them. Christine winced at a high pitch squeal that came from her friend, Meg, and sighed. Erik had been furious when the Manager had refused to lat her be in the Chorus.

After another painfully high squeal, this time from a ballet rat that Christine didn't know the name of, Christine sighed and scooted off her bed. She needed to get out of here, needed to be with Erik. That was another thing that had changed. After the death of Gustave, Christine and Erik never seemed to be apart for long.

"Where do you think you're going Christine?" Christine heard the voice of Meg call to her as her hand hit the door handle. "It is way past curfew."

"I just need some time alone." Christine told her.

"You mean some time alone with Jason." A ballet rat that was a few years older than her called causing the other ballet rat to squeal in excitement.

"Who's Jason?" Christine asked and Meg gave her a strange look.

"Don't play dumb, Christine, we all saw you flirting with him today during break." Meg told her confusing Christine.

"What do you mean, Meg, I wasn't flirting with anyone." Christine said causing the ballet rats to giggle.

"Alright, fine, play innocent. We don't care. But just know we're not covering for you when Madame Giry comes in to check on us tonight." An older ballet rat told her with a smirk. Christine rolled her eyes as she turned back to the door, finally getting to open it. Ballet rats never covered for anyone that was not one of them.

Christine took a deep breath and let herself wander the dark hallways knowing that Erik would join her in her wandering. And sure enough, not even two minutes into her wandering, she felt the familiar presence of Erik. "Who is Jason?" Was the first thing said between them.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Christine told Erik.

"You do not know? You were apparently flirting with him." Erik said, and the tone of his voice caused Christine to look over at him. He was not looking at her, but his eyes were narrowed in a dangerous way. Christine looked back in front of her trying to remember the person she had supposedly been flirting with that day.

"You won't leave again, will you?" Christine asked quietly as she remembered what happened when she thought she liked Raoul? From the corner of her eye, Christine saw Erik look at her.

"I promised you I would not." Erik told her. Silence fell over them for a minute as they walked through the maze of hallways in the opera house. "So, who is Jason?"