Erik's POV

I might have been drunk, but I followed Christine, chasing after the woman in hopes that she would stop. When I managed to finally stop her, I pulled Christine aside, only to have her push me away.

"It's not true, Christine," I assured. "I would never do such a thing. Your voice can never be replaced by anyone else's."

Christine's eyes were full of tears and she wasn't listening to me. I knew I had hurt her feelings, but she had hurt mine as well.

"Christine, please listen to me…"

"Why? Why should I listen to you?! You kissed Meg…What was that? Do you go around kissing other women now? You've never allowed me to kiss you because I wanted to, and yet, you let Meg kiss you. Am I nothing to you, Erik?!"

"You never showed up tonight!" I growled. "You never showed up…What was I to think?"

Christine motioned to her dress. "I'm here now, aren't I? Erik, I had to tuck Gustave into bed."

"I gave you a time! I waited for nearly a half an hour…"

"Perhaps I was in the wrong for not telling you that I would be running late, Erik, but I did plan on coming. I got your dress, and I saw your note… I have a child."

"I gave you a time, and yet, you allowed me to sit there like an ass, waiting for you to show up!"

"Erik, when you're a mother, there is no such thing as a time schedule. Your life turns to your child… I had to tuck him in bed. I'm sorry, all right… But what you did with Meg was unacceptable. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"I don't care how it makes you feel," I cried. "Because now you know how I feel all the time. Now you know how I felt every time you kissed Raoul. It hurt me deep inside… More than anything in the world."

"She doesn't love you, Erik. She's using you to get what she wants. She used to do it to the boys at the opera house all the time. She's only wanting to spend time with you because you're going to be the owner of a park. You'll have money… That's what she's looking for."

"You know nothing!"

"You've lived with her for five years. Did she ever once bother with you when you were working in Luna Park? She doesn't like you, Erik… She only wants you for your money."

"And don't you?" I cried. "Isn't that what you want too? It's all anyone wants from me. You can't even be on time. I did that for you, Christine… I did all of this for you. But not anymore. I refuse to let myself get hurt! I've spent the last five years trying to get over you, and I won't let it happen again."

"You are the most selfish man I have ever known, Erik… I'm trying to help you, I'm trying to be kind and treat you like any other man. I don't care about your money… If you were poor, I would still like you. You've changed… You're not the Erik I remember back at the opera house."

"That's because I'm not!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm not the same man! I've grown stronger… I've grown tougher at heart."

"You've grown cold. That's all you've done. Why is it so hard for you to understand that there are people who do like you, Erik? I like you…"

"And I hate you, Christine. From now on, our relationship will be strictly business…"

"But…"

"No buts!"

Trying to avoid Christine was like trying to avoid a plague. For weeks, I worked in my office in Phantasma, working on paper work while the snow blew in like wildfire. I shoveled most of the time, always keeping my distance from the woman. During the evenings, we would rehearse with one another, but besides the occasional "hello," nothing more was spoken besides business talk. One afternoon, I was sitting in my Phantasma office filling out paperwork, when I heard someone knocking at my door. When I looked up, Christine was entering, wearing her winter cloak and scarf, her shoulders covered in freshly fallen snow. After struggling to close the door due to the high winds, she faced me and pulled off her hat, her curls dancing upon her shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" I curiously questioned. "You're going to catch your death being out in this cold weather."

"Perhaps, but I will argue with you on that one. It is quite cold in here too, Erik. Don't you have any heat?"

I shook my head. "It's still in the woodwork, Christine. This is merely a shell of what will soon become my real office."

I gazed down at my papers again before placing my pen aside. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well, I haven't seen you these past few weeks. Once in a while I would be able to say hello, but we haven't practiced in a long time."

"I've been busy," I scoffed. "Our lessons will resume after the holidays."

"That's actually what I came to speak with you about, Erik…"

"It is?" I questioned, raising a brow.

Christine nodded. "As you probably know, Christmas is in two days. I was wondering if you had anywhere to go?"

"And why would I have anywhere to go?"

"For dinner, I mean…" she replied. "Christmas dinner is a very delicious meal, Erik. I'm making a turkey and potatoes for Gustave and I…And it would surely be too much for the two of us. I was hoping that you would consider having dinner with us?"

"No thank you," I kindly replied. "I prefer to spend the holidays in solitude."

"What about when you lived with Madame Giry and Meg? Surely you ate at their table?"

I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. I was never invited to their table during the holidays, Christine. I spent them locked away in the attic bedroom… Music helped me get through the loneliness."

"I'm inviting you to dinner, Erik. Please say that you'll join us. Gustave would really love it if you did."

"I said no, Christine," I growled, looking up at the woman. "Now please, leave me to my work. I shall not be home tomorrow evening, Christine. I will be working late."

I thought Christine would have left, but instead, she took a seat across from my desk.

"Do you remember the Christmases we spent with one another, Erik? You used to always invite me to your table. I remember when you used to cook for me because I had no place else to go. I remember one year when I bought you a gift. Do you remember that gift?"

I stopped writing, for I did remember that gift. "It was parchment," I said. "With my name engraved into it."

"I remember how you got all emotional because no one had ever given you a gift before. Whatever became of that parchment?"

"I used every piece," I said. "On Don Juan Triumphant."

Christine smiled. "I'm glad it didn't go to waste. But why is it that you prefer to condemn yourself to your work on days when you're supposed to be spending time with those who love you?"

"Nobody loves me, Christine," I barked. "That's why I'm sitting here…"

"Erik, you and I haven't been intimate with one another in months. Is it something I said? Is it something I did? I understood where our relationship stood, so why is it that you refuse to sleep with me again?"

I slammed my pen down on the desk and ran my fingers through my wig.

"Why must you bother me with such things, Christine? Why is it that you want to sleep with me once again? I don't love you, all right? Is that what you're waiting to hear from my lips? I was wrong for ever sleeping with you in the first place. It was a mistake, do you hear me? A mistake… I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry that it ever happened."

"You're sorry?" she pouted. "But why? What do I have to do in order to get you to accept me, Erik? Isn't sorry enough? I've apologized to you on more occasions than I can think of. I would never do anything to hurt you like I did ever again. You know, when I was with Raoul, I always used to daydream and my heart would flutter every time I was around him. Ever since his death, I haven't been happy. But when I'm with you, my heart soars and I daydream… I know what I feel, Erik, and maybe it took me a little too long to realize it, but I really do like you… I may even love you. All that I know is that when we slept with one another, I've wanted to do it again."

I picked up my pen once again and began writing. "Christine, this friendship between you and I will not be going any further than this. I don't know what goes on in that mind of yours, but one thing is certain, you and I will not be seeing one another."

"You're afraid," Christine intervened. "I know that's why you reject me, Erik…I know you're afraid of falling in love with me again, and you have every right to feel that way. But believe me when I tell you that you won't ever be heartbroken again. I'm not the same person that I was before, I've changed."

"You haven't changed," I assured. "Inside, you're still the same horrible person you were five years ago, and I hated that person, I still do…"

Silent tears streamed down Christine's cheeks as she rose to her feet and headed towards the door, turning to face me one last time as if she were waiting for me to say something, but I never did. If there was one thing I hated, it was being cruel, and I had done just that. Outside, the snow had turned to rain, leaving the streets as nothing more than a sheet of ice. I sighed, knowing that I had done wrong by treating Christine so cruelly, when in reality she had only come to invite me to dinner.

After throwing on my cloak and hat, I locked up the office and headed towards the streets, spotting Christine walking towards my home. I followed her, the rain and wind making it harder to see. I knew Christine was still crying, even in the darkness of the evening, I could tell when she was upset. The streetlamps lit her path as I followed her. A steady-headed person would have known to look both ways before crossing the street, but Christine wasn't calm… No, she was upset, therefore, she stepped out into the middle of the road before looking both ways. As soon as I saw the car turning the corner and headed straight towards Christine, I ran, the ice causing me to slip and stumble my entire journey to her. I didn't care that I jumped out into the middle of the road… No, I lunged towards her, pushing us both out of the way and just in the nick of time. Christine gasped in fear as her back hit the wall of the building that was across the street. Though, when she looked up at me as her savior, her tears fell harder down her already wet cheeks.

"Christine," I sighed, running my finger over her cheeks to wipe away her tears. "You could have been killed."

But Christine didn't say a word, she simply wrapped her arms around my waste and squeezed my body close to her own.

"Christine, you're all right…"

But in my heart, I knew that Christine was anything but all right. Knowing that she had been frightened, I scooped her body up into my arms and carried her home. She hung onto my neck the entire time, her head nestled comfortably in my shirt. Once she and I were home, I was relieved to find that Gustave was already asleep. After taking Christine to her room, I laid her down in her bed and covered her up, leaving the woman to turn in for the evening. After walking upstairs, I hung up my wet cloak, the winter chill and dampness from the rain causing my body to shiver. After my drenched shirt was off, I placed it aside, only to hear the opening of my door. When I turned, Christine was standing there in her night attire, her face still soaked with tears.

"Erik?" she mewed.

I didn't even say word when she ran to my side, jumping into my arms and sobbing into my bare chest, her hot tears seeping beneath my scarred flesh.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you…"

"Whatever for?"

"You saved my life tonight," she cried. "I was foolish… I could have died, I could have…"

"Shhh…" I cooed, running my fingers through her soft curls. "We all make mistakes, Christine…"

Something was strange… Having this woman here, and so close to me reminded me of the past, but not of the past that hurt. This was like the good memories of those nights beneath the opera house when Christine would come running to me because she had a nightmare. During those nights, I wished deeply to kiss her, to make love to her, to have her confess her love for me… I wished it more than anything in the world. And maybe then it never happened, but having Christine this close to me now was as close to heaven as I had ever been all those years ago. I was wearing my mask, but Christine slowly moved her fingers up to its surface and gently tore it away, her fingers brushing over my scarred flesh. The candles that were lit cast our eerie shadows amongst the wall. Her green eyes hypnotized me as she stared at my face, looking upon it as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world. And then, like a hungry animal, sinking its teeth into its prey, she hungrily kissed me. Once this occurred, I became weak, for I was always weak around Christine. Our tongues battled with one another, our saliva meshed…Heaven! Pure heaven…

"Don't stop," Christine huskily begged.

Oh, that voice! It was heaven to hear someone beg for me! I tore away Christine's nightdress and she fumbled with my trousers, our bodies hitting my bed as I thrust my hardened member against her. Oh, it was so easy for me to want her, for I had spent years yearning for her and only her. Her hand stroked me, causing me to groan…She begged me not to stop, and I begged the same of her and when I joined the both of us, I allowed myself to reach heaven once again. I was like an animal, thrusting into her body with an urgent need as she begged for me over and over again. Just hearing her sing for me was enough to push me over the edge of pleasure… We nearly broke my makeshift bed frame, but every bit of it had been worth it, for no matter how much I hated the woman for what she had done to me in the past, Christine Daae would always be my heaven and my salvation.

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