A/N: I'm so, so sorry for the long hiatus, but my computer is havign trouble with the power jack. I think it's happening because the good folks at Future Shop made the area around it very loose and it could've slipped out. Anyway, my laptop is dead right now and I'm using my sister's right now. I hopw it's fixed soon, but it coudl take a while.

Anyway, this chapter is fluffy, as I'm biding my time until the Masquerade chapter, but it is pivotal, as you all finally get your wish! I'll say no more, but do read on!

Chapter Twenty-Five: No Air

"Erik, today is a very special day." I said out of the blue. It was only three more weeks until the Bal de Masque, and Erik and I had been growing closer.

I no longer had to tiptoe around him,in case I set him off, as I'd come to know his triggers, which were far more complex than I'd ever imagine. Knowing these things about him also helped me to grow more used to the Opera Ghost; such as if you so much as mentioned Raoul he'd fly into a passion and destroy the whole lair, which I'd later clean up. This was an extreme reaction that was good to know, but Erik, I'd found, could be quite normal, given that the circumstances were right.

I'd found that Erik quite enjoyed looking at the stars, as he so rarely got to see them, at times like this, he would wake me from my sleep on my chair, and take my hand. He'd lead me up the stairs of some foreign passageway, and lift a trap door to the roof, where we would spend hours just looking at the beautiful, twinkling diamonds.

Erik never did take his mask off in front of me after I'd forcibly removed it, and it's seems a thought I've gotten carried away because it just so happens that what I'm about to document does in fact, have something to do with that.

"And why is it special, my dear?" He asked, gazing over his shoulder to me. He was sitting at his magnificent organ, sheet music piled around him and ink stains on his fingers. For the last twenty minutes, I realized that I'd been staring at him, and found myself in need of a distraction.

"Today is special because today is..." I paused for dramatic effect. "No mask friday!" I exclaimed and Erik sighed.

"Annika, today is Thursday, and no, I won't do that to you again." I rolled my eyes and jumped off the sofa, walking towards him.

"Erik. Please give me a chance." I said in a pleading voice and he shook his head.

"Give you a chance to what? Change your mind and run screaming? No, Annika, I won't do it." It felt like a stab wound to the heart.

"I am supposed to be your friend!" I exclaimed and Erik slammed his fingers down on the keys and whipped around to face me.

"I do not have friends." That was a low blow. Too low for me, at that point anyway. I set my mouth in a firm line and tried to keep myself from crying.

"If that's true, then what am I?" I asked and he gazed down at his lap.

"It is true. I don't have friends," I couldn't help but wince; who knew words could hurt so much? "But I do have a friend, and it is you." I looked back to him and allowed a small smile to escape onto my lips. I never was one to play hard to get.

"Please?" I asked one more time and he nodded. I knelt down beside him and cupped the mask side of his cheek, getting a good grip so that I wouldn't break the porcelain. Carefully, I worked my fingernails underneath the piece of glass and gently pried it away, setting it down on the organ.

He was difficult to look at, but that didn't stop me from looking as I promised myself I would get used to him. He was still beautiful to me though, despite his ugliness, and while it was hard to ignore, I focused on all that grace and wonder hidden beneath a layer of twisted, rotten-looking flesh.

Gently, very gently, and not to mention slowly, I raised my hand and placed it on his scarred cheek. I couldn't help but notice him wince a little bit, and I so pulled away instantly.

"Oh, did I hurt you?" I asked in a panicked, voice. I squeaked when I saw a few tears slide down his unmarked cheek, thinking for sure that I'd put him through some pain, but instead on screaming in agony, Erik gave a throaty, humorless laugh as an answer to my question.

"No, and I don't believe you ever could. You are so kind, Annika, to hold in your scream." I almost gasped at his words.

"I'm not holding in anything." I told him truthfully, as I didn't feel dizzy, sick or scared in the least for that matter.

"Oh Annika." He whispered. Erik then reached down to where my hand was, and he lifted it back to his face. He kept his eyes on me, as if tryign to see the amount of disgust that he could find there, any indication that I was lying, but he wouldn't find any, I knew that, because there was none to be found.

"You're beautiful." I said after a little while, which had him looking at me like I was madder than any hatter.

"No."He spoke softly and I shook my head, running my thumb slowly over a particularly mangled piece of flesh near his mouth.

"Yes, you are." I replied and he shook his head.

"No, I am deformed, and I am ugly." He said and I couldn't help it, I smirked.

"Who's to say what's ugly?!"" I half exclaimed, half asked. "If you were told that I was ugly, would you still want to be around me?" I asked and his eyes widened.

"But you're not ugly, Annika, you are indeed quite lovely." I blushed furiously, and ducked my head for a moment before regaining my composure.

"But if society labeled me as hideous, yet you knew what I was like on the inside, would you stay?" I asked with a bit more force.

"Of course I would." Erik replied, making my heart flutter.

"Why?" It was a simple enough question, and it took Erik less than half a second to give me an answer to it.

"Because you are good. You are kind and you are lovely, on the inside and out."He replied, and by then, I was tearing up as well.

"You see?" I asked. "That's what I mean. I know your heart Erik, and even if the people upstairs said you were the ugliest thing on earth, your heart would not change. That's why I stay, because I can see the good in you, and I never want to be without it." I gave him a sad little smile and bit my lip as he just shook his head.

He was so warped, so twisted into thinking he was hideous, and a little part of me wondered if it was even worth my time to try and change that. Needless to say, that little part was trampled immediately by the other part of me. This part was larger, with much more dominance over my psyche, and it was called my reasonable judgement.

Erik would never be a waste of time to me. No matter how much he made me cry or hurt, I knew that he would always be worth it, no matter what.

Let's try this again, shall we? Shock asked rhetorically in brain and before I could stop myself from doing it, she gave my mind a strong push that had me physically closing the distance between me and Erik.

I tried to stop, I really did, as I had swum these murky waters before, as you may know, with nothing less than heart-exploding results. Despite my efforts, nothing could stop Shock as she hurdled me towards the man I loved. I was ready for it this time, everything seemed to go in slow motion, which gave me enough time to prepare. I closed my eyes and allowed my lips to collide with his.

This wouldn't be a repeat of last time, I promised myself this as I let go and allowed the walls I'd built with fear of being rejected again to crumble to the ground. There was no pain, no fear, and no doubt as I kissed him. I wasn't scared of being rebuffed anymore, I wasn't afraid of anything and if Erik didn't love me, so be it. Nothing mattered anymore as I kissed him slowly, letting my lips explore his.

Just like his face, half of Erik's mouth was beautiful and perfect, and they almost tasted like... music. I didn't know, everything was swimming and I couldn't see if I opened my eyes, my vision was blocked by exploding colors. The other half was rough and slightly mangled, but the sweetness that occupied the rest of his mouth was only intensified, even if it did feel like I was kissing leather a little bit. I was too busy thinking about how amazing it felt to kiss him with confidence, that I didn't feel his lips moving against mine until a little bit later.

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks; he was kissing me back.

I felt like I was going into cardiac arrest, he was kissing me back and he didn't seem like he would stop! I felt my tears of happiness slide down my face and mingle with his and while I felt like my arms should be laced around his neck or something to complete the cheesy picture I'm sure I just painted you, they were fixed at my sides like my body was stone.

Eventually, my lungs began to hurt from my lack of air, and I had to pull away. I sat back on my heels and opened my eyes slowly to see Erik staring at me, panting as heavily as I was. I forced myself to breathe slowly as I got oxygen back to my severely damaged brain and tried to think clearly.

In the end, that was pointless.

When my normal breathing patterns returned, and I no longer felt my heart hammering, I just sat there and stared at Erik for what felt like a long time, and he did the same. Five minutes later, he lunged at me. I winced, expecting him to attack, but never have I been so wrong. He grabbed me around the waist and before I could react, he pulled me closer to him and kissed me hard on the mouth again.

This time, I found I couldn't keep my hands to myself, instead my arms wound around him neck in a strangling grasp that threatened to cut off his minimal air supply. He kissed me forcefully, almost angrily, like he was mad about something, but I didn't care, it felt as though I would never care about anything again, because everything was perfect.

Erik was an utter gentleman, keeping his hands just at my mid-back, venturing no lower or higher. He was respectful, and that only heightened my happiness as I kissed him back with as much confidence and passion as before, if not more so.

It was he who broke away for air this time, although he still kept his arms around me. Erik looked angry, and surprised, and confused and so many other emotions were written on his face to even begin to read, but I saw no regret there, no wishing that he didn't just do that, and it gave me the hope I needed to dare that he had feelings for me too.

Some of the emotions were stronger than others, like bewilderment and shock, but I prayed that would pass, I selfishly prayed that I'd see love in his eyes, but his gorgeous, icy blue orbs were too clouded with tears. It broke my heart to see him cry, but it didn't seem like he was upset or sad, perhaps they were tears of joy, as mine were at that time. That thought gave me enough courage to do what I did next.

I leaned down and in one swift motion, I pressed a light kiss to the corner of the mangled side of Erik's mouth and then leaned in, right beside his ear.

"I love you."