Erik's POV

I was sitting in my room that evening, contemplating about how I was going to end one man's life, that man being the one who had raped my angel.

"Erik?"

I heard a knock at my door, but I ignored Christine.

"Erik, please answer me…"

But I couldn't… How could I face her after she had angered me so.

When I heard footsteps heading downstairs, I sighed and threw on my cloak. Tonight would be no joke…No, tonight would be for revenge. Like Tilyou had told me, I headed to Bar Eleven. The room was crowded and smelled of sour liquor. It was places like this that gave Coney Island a horrible name. Tilyou had mentioned that this McPhee person was a regular, and indeed he was. Once I heard his name being called by the bartender, I looked in that direction, taking notice to the tall and muscular man that was sitting there and answering to that name. Oh why? Why did he have to be made of muscle? I knew taking this man down wasn't going to be simple, but he would pay for his sins.

"I'll be heading out early tonight…" he mentioned in a thick, yet gurgled tone of voice. "Got to be up early…"

The large man stumbled out of the bar and I followed him…Oh, how I followed him. I was already reaching inside of my coat for the lasso and its tattered surface. My blood ran red as I thought about everything this man had done to the people I dearly loved. He would pay tonight…pay for it all. I squeezed the lasso tight as I sprung myself forward like a leopard, landing on his broad back and wrapping the lasso around his thick neck. I squeezed…Oh, how I squeezed, but the man reacted quickly and threw me off of him as if I were nothing more than a meek mouse. I landed a few feet away in a pile of neatly stacked trash cans, their hard surface meeting with the back of my neck…It hurt, dearly, but I didn't let my guard down, for now, I had thrown myself into the lion's den, and the lion was alert…

Before I could even stand on my own two feet again, I was lifted up by my neck, the man's one hand holding me up as if I weighed no more than a loaf of bread. His hand was monstrous, sort of like one of a giant. He slammed me against the nearest wall, my windpipe being crushed like a twig.

"You…" he slurred. "How dare you attack me! Now, you will pay for what you have done."

I tried kicking the man, but it was no use, for my legs were dangling in thin air. When I was released, I gasped for breath and tried to crawl away… But as I was doing so, I felt my lasso clamp around my own neck, the man dragging me by the line. To think…beaten by my own weapon. Around and around in that alley, the monsterous giant dragged me around as the lasso became tighter and tighter around my neck. I tried to place my fingers beneath its tattered surface, but the rope was so tight against my flesh, that it was nearly impossible to do so.

"I'm going to hang you out to dry…"

"Stop…" I pleaded. "Please…"

"What? You have something to say?"

The rope was loosened around my neck, my body flipping over to my backside to gasp for air. I felt as though I were a fish out of water, gasping for the breath that I so desired.

"You had something to say?"

"Y…You beat and raped my…my friend."

Silence filled the alley, but a few moments later, the man was laughing. Next thing I knew, my body was up in the air again, being held by his one hand.

"Oh, so you're the infamous Mister E? Ah, your fun house went up like a beautiful firework…And as for your little friend…Well, she was a wonderful piece of ass."

I had been weak, but the moment he spoke about Christine in such a way, my strength came back to me. Oh, how my blood ran red. I wanted to kill this scum, this horrible piece of dirt, but I had to find his weakness. I knew strangling him wouldn't do me any good. No, he needed to be outsmarted… Plus, he seemed clumsy enough. Finally, an idea came into mind. Yes! It was perfect! Faster than lightning, I gave a swift kick to the man's groin, causing him to drop me. Once he did so, I grabbed my lasso and started running. I was bleeding and yes, my neck was in agony, but I didn't stop running.

"I'm going to get you, ugly man!" he shouted. "And when I find you, I will murder you!"

My pace quickened, heading all the way down to the marina. The area was deserted and I looked around, hoping to find what I needed in order to end the man's life. And then, I saw it! An anchor, just lying on the side of the dock. With my lasso in hand, I tied it to the heavy object, making sure that the knot was tight.

"Not so fast!"

I was knocked upside the head, only to roll over and take notice that McPhee was standing behind me.

"I was going to strangle you, but I think I shall drown you instead…I HATE FREAKS!"

My sight was blurry due to the knock upside the head I had received, but when I saw the man's foot caught up in the pile of left over rope, I smiled.

"First, I'm going to glue your mask to your face, and then, I'm going to rip it off…"

His hand was once again on my throat, his grip crushing my neck…It took all the strength I had within me to do so, but I kicked him one last time in the groin. When I was dropped, I hit the dock with sickening thud…Though, I kept my plan in place and pushed him into the water.

"Oh, no you don't!"

I was crawling away, only to be grabbed by my foot and brought into the bay with him. He pushed my face under water, the taste of saltwater choking me…I wasn't sure how long the torture lasted, but when the anchor came crashing into the bay, McPhee went under as well and his grip finally came off of my leg. I struggled to the dock, but once I was there, I watched the air bubbles float to the surface until they were no more…I coughed up the horrible tasting water, lying there until I had enough strength to stand. Killing someone had never been this hard, but it had not been impossible. As weak as I was after the fight, I managed to not only sneak back home without being seen, but I was also able to undress and crawl into bed. I was utterly exhausted and in agony. Not only was the back of my neck in pain, but my back was also on fire. Deciding to stay home and rest the following morning, I made no attempt to move from my bed. The night before, I hadn't looked at my appearance, but after rising from my bed and walking into my personal bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror, taking notice that I looked like a complete train wreck. Not only was my neck covered in black and purple bruises, but my flawless cheek was covered in scabs and scrapes.

"Erik?"

A light knock occurred at my door, followed by Christine's voice. When I attempted to turn my head to the side, I found that I couldn't…Oh, how it hurt. I cringed in agony and soaked a cloth in hot water before wringing it out and placing it on the back of my sore neck. Yes, I should have crawled back into bed, but I knew the woman wouldn't let me be until I showed my face. When she knocked once more, I pulled the door open just enough to see her.

"What?" I cringed, my voice being nothing more than a low, and groggy croak.

"Erik…" she gasped, attempting to push open the door. "You sound horrible."

I kept pressure on the door, being sure that she couldn't push it open any more than what it was.

"Christine, I don't wish to be disturbed today…I'm…I'm under the weather."

"Erik…"

Christine used all of her strength and pushed open the door. When she saw me, her eyes filled with tears as she reached out and caressed my cheek.

"Erik…w…what happened to you? What's wrong with your face? And why are you so pale?"

"I'm all right."

"No, you're not…Look at you. You look as though you were beaten up. Angel…"

"Stop!" I cried as she attempted to touch me. "Just stop… Nothing happened to me, Christine. I went to do some work in my park last night and fell down the stairs of the rollercoaster platform."

Yes, it was a lie, but I couldn't tell Christine that I had gotten injured while killing her rapist. No, for her, I would lie.

"Are you all right? Why didn't you tell me this last night?"

"It wasn't necessary…"

"Wasn't necessary? Erik, you can't even stand up."

"No, I can't…oww…"

With that last cringe, I stumbled my way back into bed.

"Here, Erik…"

Christine removed my shirt and had me lay on my stomach.

"Your neck…"

"I landed on every stair…" I lied. "And every one hurt worse than the last."

"Erik, I'm going to go into town and get you some pain medication. While I'm gone, why don't you rest here?"

"You don't have to do that, Christine… Really, I'm all right."

"Nonsense, Gustave and I were going to go into town for ice cream anyway. You just rest here…"

And that's exactly what I did. For the next several hours, I lied still and barely moved at times. When Christine returned a while later, she gave me a few pain killers and left me to rest. Though, later that evening, she returned and offered to massage my sore neck and back. Oh, what a wonderful gesture it was.

"You have so many knots, Erik…"

"A life's worth, I guess," I mewed, as Christine continued to massage away my aches.

"Erik?"

"Yes, Christine?"

"I'm sorry the way things went yesterday morning…I…I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't mean what I said."

"Of course you did," I began. "You, Christine try to be the world's peace keeper. I know that you want everyone to like everyone and the whole world to live in peace. I know that's why you said what you did."

"I've never been this close to your back before in broad day light, Erik. I knew you had scars, for I felt them many times before when we made love…But, I've never actually sat here like I am now and stared at your back…"

"Hideous, right? I try not to look at myself in the mirror, but I feel hideous, Christine. One may think that it's easy to live with so many scars as long as they're on your back, but it's not easy at all. Everything agitates them…Clothing is the biggest problem. Oh, how my cotton shirts cause them rashes…Itchy ones in the summer from sweating, and sore ones in the winter from the coldness. I never have a moment's peace…But then again, there is the second biggest problem, that being blankets and bed sheets. I toss and turn, and the friction causes my scars to bleed."

"Erik, I'm sorry…"

"I will bet you that you can't find a smooth patch of perfect flesh upon my back. Try all you want, but each scar crisscrosses into another, and another…I know, Christine, for I've stared at my back before a mirror for several hours trying to do just that. It's a maze, a maze that never ends…One time, I even stood before a mirror in the nude, just to see if there was any possibility of finding a patch of smooth flesh…But no, Christine, some of those scars even lead down beneath my trousers and across my buttocks and continue down to my legs and inner thighs…Hideous, I know…"

There was a long pause of silence, before I heard Christine's voice again.

"Erik, what's happened to you? How is it that one can be born so…so…scarred?"

"Born scarred? Oh, no, Christine. There was once a time when the only thing that was scarred was my face. Yes, I was born hideous, but my body was a flawless, yet beautiful human being. That was, until I came into contact with my mother…She gave me a few of the ones I have on my chest…Then, I came into contact with the gypsies…Oh, how they ruined me. Most of my entire backside is to blame…That and the other scars I had come to receive…The emotional ones are from them raping me…The Shah of Persia is another factor in my scars as well…And then, of course, Mr. Tilyou. So, Christine, you see…It's not from just one person, it's from the world."

I felt Christine's hands release themselves from my grotesque back. She then crawled into bed with me and covered our bodies with my blankets.

"Christine?"

Christine placed her head against my chest and sighed deeply…

"I love you, Erik…"

"I…I love you too, Christine."

"Your scars don't matter to me, Erik…I have seen your heart, and I know your soul. You're not a bad person, you're just ill tempered at times. I know you love me, and I know that you love Gustave…I know that you would do anything for the both of us."

"Is this a proposal, Christine?" I jested. "Because, you know that the man is the one who is supposed to propose."

"That's another thing I love about you, Erik…Even when you're ill and not feeling well, you still know how to keep a sense of humor."

"I never really thought I had a sense of humor, Christine, especially yesterday when I found out that my park will be expanding over Luna Park…"

Christine's eyes widened in excitement, but I shushed her.

"It's not like that…Terrible really. Mr. Tilyou will be the boss beneath me. Besides the pay increase, there is nothing good about it."

Christine snuggled closer into my chest and pressed her eyes closed.

"As long as you're around, Erik, I know that you won't let anything bad happen to the employees of Phantasma."

"No, I won't…Not while I'm around."

"Erik, will you come to my performance tomorrow night?"

"Of course, Christine. I wouldn't miss it for the world." I yawned, my eyes becoming heavy. "Why would I ever miss one of your wonderful performances?"

And when Christine didn't say another word, I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her body.

"Goodnight, mon ange…I love you."

Awwww adorable chapter...Please review everyone, and I promise that Love Is Not Always Beautiful will be updated tomorrow...