Erik's POV

After taking a shower, the rain began to pour and soon, thunder started. Like Christine said she would, she let me borrow one of Raoul's white shirts. Yes, the shirt was a little big on me, but it was a clean garment, and that's all that mattered.

"There you are," Christine said, eying me up and down after I left the bathroom. "You look dashing."

"A little big, but thank you."

Christine smiled. "You always were extremely thin."

"Still am…"

I entered the family room and took a seat on the sofa, only to have Gustave come and plop himself down beside me.

"Mr. Erik, could we play now?"

"Gustave, Mr. Erik isn't feeling so well at the moment. I believe it's best that he sits idle for a while."

Christine checked the time on the grandfather clock in the hallway.

"How long do you have until you have to go to work?"

"An hour or so."

"Gustave and I will walk you to work. No one should have to walk in this dreadful weather."

"Oh, it's all right, Erik. I can walk myself…"

"Nonsense, Christine. I will not hear a word out of you. I will be walking you to work, like it or not. This is dreadful weather…"

"Does this mean you and I are going to have an adventure?" Gustave asked, whispering into my ear.

"Perhaps, Gustave."

Christine smiled at the sight of us sitting there with one another. I wasn't sure what she was up to, but I didn't ask. When it was time for Christine to go to work, Gustave and I walked side by side with an umbrella in hand. I held it over Christine as we headed towards her job. The rain had not slowed down a single second and it made the wind worse. Our walk was silent, except when we arrived.

"Christine, if the weather is still horrible when it's time for you to come home, then I will be here to walk you there."

"Oh, Erik, you don't have to do such a thing."

"I know, but it's the gentlemanly thing to do. Have a nice evening, Christine."

And with that, Gustave and I began our walk back to Christine's apartment.

"I believe the weather is too terrible to have an adventure today, Gustave. I say you and I head back and I'll read you a story. How does that sound?"

"All right, Mr. Erik."

We were almost there, when Gustave ran and jumped up onto my back. The agony of feeling his hands against my back caused me to push the child away and grab him by the arm. I didn't mean to be so violent with him, but the pain had made me a different person, if only for a few moments.

"I apologize, Gustave," I said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

I knew I had frightened the child, for there were tears welling up into his eyes. Though, once we entered the apartment, he wiped his eyes and stood before me.

"Why did you act that way when I tried to jump on you?"

I took a seat on the couch and shrugged my shoulders.

"Natural reaction, I guess."

"But that's a lie, Mr. Erik. You never did that before…" The child plopped down beside me and looked up at my masked face. He stared at me for a few moments, before pulling the garment away. "No secrets, remember? You promised."

I sighed, knowing the child was right. He had looked into my face without fear, so how was I to lie to him now?

"Gustave, something happened at work today…Something that hurt my back."

"What happened, Mr. Erik?"

"My boss approached me and wanted me to…to show my body off to paying crowds. I refused and he hurt me."

"He wants you to sit naked at the show?"

I nodded and pressed my eyes closed. "It's terrible. I know once tomorrow comes I'll have to do it. He wants more money, and I'm his prize…"

"You shouldn't do it…" the boy replied. "It's not right. Why does he want you to do that anyway?"

I rolled up my sleeve and showed him my scars.

"What are they?" the boy asked, running his finger along my lumpy scars.

"It's called a scar. You get them when you receive harsh beatings. I've been getting them my entire life, so, these things are covered all over my body. He wants me to sit around and show them off to paying crowds. I do sit shirtless, but that's no longer enough. If I don't do something to make him more money by tomorrow, I'm going to be forced to show my body to paying crowds."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Mr. Erik…"

"I highly doubt it, Gustave. People don't wish to see magic and music, they wish to see ugly things, and sadly, I'm just that."

"No you're not, Mr. Erik…You're not ugly, you're beautiful. Mother always told me to look with my heart. I never really knew what that meant, until I met you. You couldn't help it that you were born like that. No one has control over what they look like."

I ruffled the boy's locks. "You're a good boy, Gustave. I never really liked anyone the way I like you."

"It's strange. I've always wanted a papa of my own. I never knew my papa…Mama says that he died a long time ago. But now that I have you, I feel as though you're my papa…Is that all right to say?"

"Gustave…" I didn't know what to say to the boy. Papa? No, I couldn't be that. I wasn't the child's papa and I knew I never would be. Though, at the same time, I knew I would always be there for him. "Your mother is going to meet someone someday, Gustave. And when she does, and they marry, he will be your papa."

"But I want you… Don't you like my mama?"

"Gustave, not in the way that one should. Now, enough about this."

I reached over on the table for Gustave's book and opened it.

"You wanted a story, and so, I will read you one. Afterwards, it's time to eat something for dinner and bed."

Like promised, I read the boy a few stories and then fed him. Christine didn't have as much food in the apartment as I had hoped, and knew that sooner or later I would have to purchase some. After bathing him, I tucked the boy into bed and waited in the family room for Christine to be finished work. The rain had not stopped, and therefore, I knew that I would walk to her job and escort her home. At eleven, I was standing at the front door to the club with an umbrella. When the woman emerged, she seemed surprised to see me, even though I had promised to meet her here if the weather was still horrible.

"You came…"

"Yes, I said I would."

"Where's Gustave?"

"Home," I said. "In bed…"

Christine was silent for a few moments and then, she said the words I had been waiting for.

"It was strange tonight."

I raised my brow. "How so?"

"Because the man that attacked me last night, came in and apologized. He looked as though he had been attacked…Either way, he came in about an hour ago and seemed sincere in his apology…As if he had been frightened into it."

"That doesn't seem strange at all."

"It doesn't to you?"

I shook my head. "No. If he was attacked, then he deserved it. What right does he have to go around attacking innocent women who are only trying to make themselves a living? People are despicable, Christine."

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I had nothing to do with what happened to him. Besides, Christine, how would I know who to look for? You have a wild imagination, always have."

I was walking with the umbrella over us both, when I felt Christine grab hold of my arm.

"It was you, wasn't it?…I know you don't want to tell the truth, and I'm not quite certain why. I mean, perhaps it is because you don't wish to seem weak over me, but in my heart, I know you did something to frighten the man."

"Weak?" I chuckled. "Oh, Christine, I am no such thing. Sometimes, you amuse me with your imagination. Sometimes, things are just peculiar, wouldn't you say?"

"And in my heart, I know it was you. Please, Erik…I won't bring it up again if you just tell me the truth."

"And I am, Christine…I am telling you the truth. I had nothing to do with why the man apologized. Why do you even believe me to care for you? After what you did to me, I can feel nothing but hatred towards you."

"Then why is it that you're standing here now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're here, with an umbrella to walk me home. No one has ever done that for me before. And today, you came to me when you were hurt…"

"We're even then…"

"I didn't know that we were playing this game."

"Christine, I told you before that I don't want to get involved with you in any way. Now, I'm taking care of your son out of a kindness for you, but that's it."

"And yet, you did a kindness for me in taking care of that man. It means a lot to me…"

"Well don't take it that way, Christine."

When we arrived at Christine's apartment, I walked her to the door and waited until she was inside. After she pushed open the door, she turned around and smiled.

"You're soaked to the bone, Erik. I was going to make tea…Come inside for a few moments."

"I really wish to get home," I argued. "I feel as though I haven't been there in days."

"You can go home, Erik, but wait it out for a while…Just until the rain stops pouring."

Deciding not to argue, I stepped inside and took a seat in the kitchen.

"Just let me change out of my work attire and I'll be right back."

"I'll start the tea."

When Christine disappeared, I put a kettle of water over the stove and waited for her to return. When she came back, she was dressed in her night attire, that being a white robe. It reminded me of the one she was dressed in on the night she first came to my lair. Her curls were down now as well, making her appear just as angelic as she had been on that faithful night in my lair.

"Oh, I'm so exhausted," she said, entering the kitchen.

"You have a right to be. You work hard…"

Christine rummaged through her cabinets and pulled out her tin of tea.

"I'm hopefully going to be able to do a little grocery shopping in town tomorrow after I get paid. Though, after I pay my rent, I hardly have enough for anything."

I went into my wallet, and brought out a few dollars, sliding them across the table to her end.

"Here, Christine."

"Erik, no…I can't accept your money. It's not right…"

"The child needs to eat, Christine. He's hungry all the time. Go to the store and purchase him some food. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Thank you," Christine placed her hand over my own, but I moved out of the way.

"Don't thank me, Christine. If anything, do me a favor and try to better yourself."

"And what makes working at the club so terrible? It pays the bills."

"Perhaps, but wouldn't you like to have more out of life?"

"More?"

I nodded. "You used to be Paris' diva, and now, you're a waitress. Haven't you ever wanted to sing again? Think of it, Christine…Coney Island would be at your feet."

Christine smiled just thinking about it.

"I do miss it, you know. I miss everything…I miss our lessons, your home, your bed…"

I looked up at her. "It was your bed, Christine. That room was yours, and you know it. Don't bring up the past. What's done is done. That chapter of our life has ended and now, we're living a new one. This chapter of our life isn't so bad…Though, I had hoped it to be better."

"What about you, Erik?" Christine asked, placing my cup of tea down in front of me. "What about what you want. You're not in your lair any longer, therefore, you have a chance at doing whatever you wish. You're free…What is it that you want to do? I know working at that freak show isn't what you want out of life."

"I had wanted to write music for a living, but it seems as though that won't be happening. No one wishes to hire a man with a deformed face. Then again, I would love to be the owner of something great. It's funny, just the other day Gustave and I were playing by the beach and he mentioned something about owning my own park. Silly, don't you think?"

Christine smiled. "I don't think that's such a silly thing at all."

I took a sip of my tea. "Perhaps, but it's still impossible. Not only would it be too expensive, but I need to purchase land and…Oh, what am I going on about? Silly…"

"I don't think it's very silly, Erik," Christine reached across the table and embraced my gloved hand. "Why do you always wear these horrible things? Are your wrists truly that grotesque to look at?"

"I don't know, Christine," I sarcastically replied. "You got a glance at them a few weeks back. Why don't you tell me what you think?"

Christine pulled one of the gloves from off of my hand and brushed her finger over my scarred wrist.

"Perhaps I was afraid of you before, but I'm not…not any longer. You can trust me, Erik. Really, you can…I'm not the same woman I was before."

I gently pulled away my hand and shook my head.

"Christine, I can't…Could you just leave our relationship as it is? Why must you torment me in such a way? I don't even like calling you my friend, but over the past few days it has come to that. But this is as far as I dare go…The past can never be the present."

I stood to my feet and headed to the door. Yes, the rain was still pouring but I didn't care. The longer I spent around Christine, the more my heart hurt.

"Erik, please…"

The woman came running over to me just as I was making my way out the door.

"Please what, Christine?"

The woman grasped the lining of my trousers and pulled me closer to her. I reacted and grabbed her wrists where they were placed.

"Christine…"

"Spend the night with me…"

"What?!" I cried, pulling her hands from off of my trousers. "You're mad."

"No…I'm being serious, Erik," she gasped. "Spend the night with me and if your feelings are still the same afterwards, I will bother you no longer."

Once again, I tried to pull away, but her hands were tight against my trousers.

"I hate you Christine!" I faltered. "I hate you more than anything in the world for what you have done to me…"

"Then hate me in bed…"

As much as I wanted to pull away from this woman, I couldn't…No one had ever begged me take them to bed, and I wasn't about to back down, hatred or not. For the past forty years, I had wanted someone to say those exact words to me, and tonight I had finally heard them …And in the morning, I would pretend that it never happened.

DUN DUN DUN... Please reivew everyone. I shall post the next anticipated chapter in a few days. Enjoy!