Erik's POV

"Again, Christine."

It was the night before Christine's performance, and I had wanted to run through one last rehearsal. Tomorrow's show was already sold out, and I knew that this was just the start of what would soon be my life. If tomorrow's show was sold out, every show come summer would be the same.

"You're not breathing, Christine."

I stopped playing the piano and looked up at the woman.

"You were doing great these past few days. This isn't the time for making mistakes."

"I know," she pouted. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow night."

"And why would you be nervous? Oh, Christine, your voice sounds like one of an angel. And that compliment coming from the likes of me means something."

Christine liked my little joke, for she smiled and giggled a small giggle.

"You're right."

I stood from my piano and pressed my lips up against her hands.

"I believe our lesson is over, Christine. You're perfect. Now, off to bed with you. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Christine looked at the time, and then back at me, a small, yet seductive smile stretching across her lips.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Erik…"

I turned my head and stared at the clock, noticing that it was indeed midnight.

"Um…same to you, Christine. Goodnight."

When I closed the door to my bedroom, I sighed and walked to my bed. Tomorrow night, after Christines performance, I had a wonderful surprise for her. Over the past few weeks my feelings had returned, the same feelings I had once felt for the girl. Therefore, I wanted to confess those feelings to her over dinner, in hopes of trying for a real relationship. If I was nervous about anything, it was about how she would react…If she ever rejected me again, I surely wouldn't be able to go on living… But this was something worth risking. All throughout the night, I found sleeping most difficult, for I was more excited about what was to come. It had been years since I last heard Christine sing on stage, and now that she was going to be doing just that, I anticipated it more than anything. The following morning, I was up before the sun rose, my heart fleeting with joy as I showered and dressed myself in my best attire. It had been years since I last cared about my appearance, but today was important. Today would seal my fate forever more… As I stared into the mirror of my room, I pressed my eyes closed and fumbled for my mask. I hated my appearance, for my face was something utterly unbearable to gaze at. I had always wanted to be handsome and flawless, but endless nights of wishing upon a star had gotten me nowhere. After dressing, I wandered out to the kitchen to find Christine making breakfast. She smiled at me, her curls pinned up, and the skirts of her dress flowing gracefully behind her. Tonight, she would become the rising star of Paris once again.

"Christine, are you ready to go?" I questioned.

She raised a curious brow and gazed my way. "Ready? Where are we going?"

"Well, the concert is tonight," I began, placing my hands behind my back. "And I have to show you something."

Once again, Christine smiled and placed a cup of tea down in front of me.

"I'll be ready to go as soon as Gustave gets up."

I took a sip of my tea and stood to my feet.

"I'll get him up, Christine."

"All right, Erik."

There weren't many times when I had entered Gustave's room, but this morning, I did so. The boy was snuggled comfortably beneath his blankets and I approached his side to shake him. The child lightly groaned and stirred, opening his eyes to gaze upon me. As soon as he saw me at his bedside, he immediately sat up and smiled.

"Good morning, Mr. Erik…"

"Good morning, Gustave. It's time to get up. Your mother has a very long day ahead of her. It's best that we get going."

"All right, Mr. Erik…"

A little while later, all three of us were off to my new opera house. It had been constructed to resemble the one in Paris, and oh, how it looked exactly like it.

"Erik, this is absolutely amazing," Christine gasped as we entered through the front doors.

"Indeed, Christine. I wanted to show you something."

I lifted Gustave up onto my shoulders and clasped my gloved hand around Christine's. I led her down a dark hallway that was decorated to resemble the one at the Paris opera house. If there was one thing that brightened my day, it was when Christine's eyes wandered from wall to wall. I knew she missed the opera house, and I knew she would come to love this one just as much as the one back in Paris.

"This is what I wanted to show you…"

I was about to open the door, when Gustave interrupted.

"Mama, could I go see the stage?"

I lifted the child up and placed him back on his feet. It was better that he was asking this, for it would give Christine and I some time alone to reminess on old memories.

"Of course, darling…Um, Erik should know the way."

I nodded. "Gustave, it's right down the hall. Go there and wait for us to come back. No wandering off, all right?"

"I promise, Mr. Erik."

When Gustave was gone, I opened the door and led Christine inside the room. Her eyes widened the moment she stepped through the door. I had made this room to look exactly like her old dressing room, mirror and all. Christine must have known that this was to become her personal dressing room, for she approached the mirror and placed her hand upon the chilled glass.

"Do you like it, Christine?"

Christine spun around to face me, her hand never leaving the glass of the mirror.

"I do, Erik. It's already home to me."

There was a long pause, and then, Christine's voice again.

"Erik, I really am sorry about what I did to you in the past…"

"Don't apologize, Christine…"

"Is there a lair behind this mirror? And a gondola that will take me there?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Sadly, there isn't the kind of property to build a lair beneath this opera house, Christine. If I had done so, my lair would be beneath a mound of sand from the beach. No, the opera house will have to do for now."

"I was really looking forward to a ride in your gondola, Erik… You disappoint me."

I loved it when Christine jested with me. There weren't many people who ever had… Switching the subject, I approached the wardrobe that was on the other side of the room and opened it, pulling out a beautiful green and blue sparkling dress.

"This, Christine, is what you shall wear during tonight's performance."

"Oh, Erik," Christine gasped. "It's beautiful."

"And you will look just the same with it on."

I placed the dress aside and moved towards the door.

"I have a few things to go over with the stage director, but I will be back a bit later to see you."

I hated having to deal with others, but the show needed to go on. A few weeks ago, I had hired a director for the opera house and agreed to allow Mr. Squelch to help out until summer came. As for all of the other applications, they were still being looked over. I had plenty of time to contact people for interviews, which was why I stuck to hiring just a few people until further notice. After a few hours of setting up the backdrop and preparing for the evening's show, I made my way back to Christine's dressing room just as the doors to the opera house opened for the night's crowd. To give Christine the confidence she needed, I purchased her a dozen red roses and carried them to her dressing room. After knocking, she allowed me to enter and I did so with the flowers hidden behind my back. Christine was sitting at her vanity, placing on the last finishing touches of her makeup.

"Nervous?" I asked.

Christine smiled a nervous smile. "I'm trying to stay calm, but it seems nearly impossible."

"Nonsense, you'll do great."

"I guess I'm afraid that I'll forget my lines or something."

It was then, that I produced the flowers, causing Christine to gasp in delight.

"Erik, they're beautiful."

"Good luck, Christine."

My angel took the roses from my hand and inhaled their wonderful scent.

"Have you seen Gustave, lately?"

"He's in my personal box waiting for me, Christine. I will go to him as soon as you're due on stage."

I knew Christine was nervous, but to put the edge off, I caressed her shoulders and handed her the earrings that she was supposed to wear.

"Christine, after tonight's show I will treat you to dinner, all right?"

"Really? Oh, you don't have to do that, Erik."

"No, perhaps I don't, but it is Valentine's Day and since you and I don't have spouses to go out with, why not go out with each other?"

"That sounds lovely, Erik."

"There will be reporters coming to you at the end of the first half of the show. Don't let them intimidate you, Christine. Just keep calm. All they want is to snoop around in your business. Lie to them if you must, but never tell them something that you're not comfortable speaking about."

I was nervous about what I wanted to do next, but I did it quickly. I bent down and placed a quick peck to her cheek. I wasn't even sure if she reacted, for I hurried out of her room and towards my private box.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of people here tonight," Gustave replied as I took my seat beside him. "And they're all holding hands with the ladies…Gross... kissing."

I chuckled when the boy stuck out his tongue. "Gustave, it's Valentine's Day…That's a day to be with the one you love."

"And who are you with tonight, Mr. Erik?"

"Well, there is the exception of being alone sometimes, Gustave. But, for the time being, I'm with you."

It was a full house, my angel coming out on stage with the crowd roaring for her. Like we rehearsed, she sang the song that made her famous back in Paris, that song being "Think of Me." Hearing her sing that was just as heavenly as the first time I heard it in Paris. And when she was finished singing, the crowd went wild.

"Gustave, stay here," I said, gathering to my feet.

"Where are you going?"

"To see your mother for a minute. I'll be back before her last song."

I walked through the crowded hallways, until I was right at her dressing room door that was surrounded by reporters. Not wanting to be in their spotlight, I hid behind a nearby curtain and listened to them.

"Ms. Daae, is it true that you will be working for Mister E come spring?"

"Yes," Christine replied. "I am to be his starring role each night."

"And what about this Mister E? No one's ever seen him. What does he look like?"

"Well…um…"

"And what about the rumor of the mask that he wears? Is it true that he is hideously deformed?"

"Yes," Christine answered. "He is…Not everyone is born flawless."

"The two of you were spotted walking to the theater tonight with one another. Are you seeing him?"

My heart paused within my chest the moment I heard this. Oh, I didn't want Christine lying, but at the same time, I desperately wanted to know the truth.

"Mister E and I are just friends. We work beside one another and help when help is needed."

"Is it his deformity that scares you away?"

"He may not be the most handsome man around, but Mister E is a smart man…Brains are important when it comes to business."

"And just how did you learn to sing?"

"I taught myself…"

Brains? I had brains? That was all I ever had. It angered me greatly when she said those exact words, but what could I have expected from her? I knew she would never tell anyone about my good heart or how she had been nothing until I came across her. Deciding not to listen a moment longer, I headed back to my box to await the final song, that song being the one I had written for Christine. When she came back out upon the stage, the crowd went wild once again and when it silenced, her voice filled my heart with joy.

"Who knows when love begins, who knows what makes it start.

One day, it's simply there, alive inside your heart…it…it…"

I had thought Christine to have forgotten the words, but when she grabbed her throat, I knew otherwise. The crowd, being the despicable people that they all were, laughed and pointed at my angel.

"Mr. Erik, what's wrong with mama?"

"Stay here," I shot to my feet and darted out into the hall, hurrying to her side. My angel thankfully stumbled behind the stage and that's where I caught her.

"Christine's what's wrong?"

My angel coughed and tried to speak, but she couldn't.

"I…I can't sing…"

Her voice was raspy and low, making it obvious that something had happened in her dressing room.

"Christine," I grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "What happened in your dressing room?"

"The reporters…."

"Besides them," I demanded. "Did anything else happen there?"

"M…M…Madame Giry was there. She…she brought me…a…a d…drink."

When Christine collapsed to the ground, I hurried to her dressing room and went through her vanity like a bat out of hell. There was an empty glass sitting upon its surface, and being the smart man that I was, I lifted it to my nose, only to smell the distasteful odor of red pepper. Oh, I would kill that woman! After tossing the glass down on the floor, I had other things to deal with, those things being the angry crowds and reporters wanting to stick their nose where it didn't belong. Though, I lied and said that Christine had gotten ill and that she would return to the stage come spring. But now, I had a bigger issue to deal with, I had Madame Giry and her no good daughter, Meg. They would both pay for what they had done, friend or no friend. The woman had over stepped her bounds, and tonight, they would both pay. No one messed with the Phantom and got away with it. Of course, I would never kill the woman, but after tonight, she would never dare threaten me again. Sometimes, the present seems to make others forget about the past, that past being that I was once Paris' most wanted.

I'm so sorry about not updating in a few days...I'm late because of Sandy...And for those of you who don't know who Sandy is, she was a hurricane. Wiped out most of the beaches and our beloved boardwalks are gone. For me, however, our power just got knocked out for 5 days. So, no internet, no update. Coney Island made out all right too, but forget about the Atlantic City boardwalk and Seaside...They are completely gone. Please review, and if you haven't bought a copy of my book "The Escapades of Augie Atwell," Head on over to amazon and snag yourself a copy...Thanks everyone!