Sorry about the longer then normal wait.

Chapter 9-A Reunion

"So how do you think I'm doing?" Christine asked Erik about her lessons.

"You're doing fine Chris, only a little time and I could see you being the star here," he explained to her. "You're already better then Carlotta," he put in shuddering at the thought of Carlotta's terrible voice.

"Chris? We've taken to calling each other nicknames now?" Christine remarked with a smile on her face.

"You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not, but I don't have a nickname for you," she answered.

"Well my name is already short of enough," Erik noticed.

"Light bulb! I got it!" Christine exclaimed.

"Got what?"

"The perfect nickname silly!" she replied.

"And what might that be?" he inquired.

"Angel of Music," she answered.

"Angel of Music? Doesn't that kind of defy the point of a nickname?" Erik asked.

"Well I'll call you angel for short then," she said.

"A tall, pale man dressed in black, wearing a black mask is an angel?" Erik asked trying to understand how he could deserve such a nickname.

"Well you're an angel of music. You may not have the look of an angel, but your voice and music sounds well like that of an angel," Christine explained. Erik smiled at her explanation and began to play the piano softly. "Why do you where the mask anyway?" Christine wondered.

"That is none of your business Ms. Daae," Erik replied coldly.

"Ok, ok no need to get all worked up about it Mr. Whatever your last name is," Christine said. "I was just curious."

"That is something that you don't want to get too curious about," Erik warned.

"Ok then, I won't bring it up again," Christine lied. Of course she was going to bring it up again, but she'd wait until they got closer. An awkward silence followed her lie.

"So…" Christine said to break the awkward silence.

"So what?" Erik asked. He was still a little angry with her for bringing up the subject of his mask and face; his face, which had caused such hell for him in the past.

"So are we going to continue the lesson?" Erik didn't answer, but his look gave away what he was thinking. "Yeah I guess you're right," she said as she began to head back to the dorms.

"Christine." Trying to get her attention, Erik stood up from the piano. Christine turned around.

"Yes Erik?" she asked.

"Perhaps we could redo the dinner thing?" he suggested. "I promise I'll be good," he put in with a smile on his face that revealed his rather long canine teeth.

"I'd like that," Christine answered.

"Same time, same place?"

"Sure," Christine agreed. She was happy he had suggested the date.

Silently, Erik watched as Christine walked gracefully out of the auditorium. She looked so lovely. Erik wasn't sure but he could swear he was falling for this beautiful, petite ballerina, and he was falling for he deeply.

"Erik?" Erik spun around to see Madame Giry looking innocent in the darkness. He wondered why he hadn't sensed her coming.

"What Anne?" Erik asked coldly.

"I thought you and Christine went only so far as teacher and student," she remarked with a cold look on her face.

"Well it may be getting a little more then that," Erik replied.

"Erik…"

"You're not my mother Anne! Let me do whatever the hell I want!" Erik demanded angrily.

"Very well then Erik, but don't say I didn't warn you," she noted before walking off leaving Erik fuming in the darkness.

"So the lovely couple is back again?" the same peppy waitress asked Erik and Christine as she showed them to their table. "So what can I get you two to drink?" Both of them could see the woman was trying to avoid staring at Erik.

"Water," Christine replied, " and he'll have water too," she continued.

"Ok I'll be back with your waters," the waitress said before scurrying off. Erik noticed the mass amount of people staring at him, but he tried to ignore them for Christine's sake. He wanted to make her happy.

"You didn't deny it when she called us a couple," he mentioned.

Christine didn't pay much attention to him. With her head still in her menu she said, "Well neither did you." Erik didn't reply. "So any idea on what you're going to get?" Christine asked.

"I don't want anything."

"Oh come on Erik! I'll feel bad eating in front of you when you don't have anything!" Christine protested.

"Trust me Christine, you'd feel even worse if I was eating," he replied. It was funny thinking about the fact that she didn't know what he was.

"Please Erik," Christine pleaded with her absolutely beautiful puppy dogface.

"Christine, trust me."

Their waitress came scurrying back carrying two waters ending the fight. "So have you'll decided what you want yet?"

"Yes, I'll have the chicken salad," Christine told the waitress.

"Good choice ma'am, and you sir?" The waitress turned to look at Erik. It must have been an absolute relief to look at the man she seemed so constantly trying to ignore.

"I'm not hungry," he said coldly holding out the menu for her to take. With a weak smile, the waitress took the menu and walked off.

"Erik do you have to be so cold?" Christine wondered.

"What did I do now?" Erik argued.

"I didn't like your tone of voice to poor woman!"

Erik laughed. "Like the woman actually enjoyed being nice to me!"

"My gosh Erik!" Christine got up and was about to walk off, but Erik's strong hand grabbed her wrist.

"No, please don't go. I'm…I'm sorry," Erik stated with a sad look on his face.

Christine didn't look happy about having to stay, but she sat back down. "Um…so what do you want to talk about?" Erik asked in an attempt to start a conversation. He didn't think Christine would actually want to talk but the happy look on her face told him otherwise.

"Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself," Christine suggested. "Like about your family. Was your mother nice?" she continued.

"Was my mother nice?" Erik laughed. "No, Christine my mother was not nice, not nice at all. Especially to her son."

"Oh come on she couldn't have been that bad! She must at least have loved you."

"She abused me. A belt seemed to be her main tool of choice."

A grave look came over her face. Erik could see the pity in her eyes; he almost hated the look. "Oh…I'm sorry about that," she replied weakly.

"It's ok Christine you didn't know. No need to feel sorry about bringing it up. I'm long past the pain she caused…well mostly," Erik explained.

"Did she die?" Christine inquired.

"Yeah…" Erik answered of course leaving out the part that he had killed her.

"Well I'm glad you're free of her…well for the most part," Christine said with a weak smile on her face. "What about your dad?"

"Mom was a whore," was Erik's simply reply.

"Oh…well there goes this conversation," Christine joked sadly.

"You could tell me about your family," Erik suggested.

"I guess. There's not much to say. My mom died when I was young. I don't even remember her I was so young. My dad on the other hand raised me. He was my life; he taught me how to sing, well the best he could. I loved my dad like crazy," Christine told Erik. Her voice faded sadly as she said the last sentence.

"So where is he now?" Erik asked curiously.

"He died when I was fifteen," Christine explained sadly. Erik could see a tiny tear role down her rosy red cheek. "I miss him so much," Christine cried. More tears began to emerge from her eyes as she spoke.

With a small smile on his face, Erik got up and knelt down beside Christine. "I'm so sorry," Erik comforted as he picked up a napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You don't need to say you're sorry. I shouldn't even be crying; at least I met my dad and wasn't abused by my mother," Christine mentioned.

"You have every right to cry Christine. I don't have anything to miss about my father, and I hated my mother so much that I could have cared less that she died. You loved your father, and you miss him," Erik told her trying to make her feel better.

"Thanks Erik," Christine replied.

"You're welcome," Erik said with a smile on his face. Feeling a little better, Christine turned to face Erik. He looked so sincere and worried about her; how could a man she hardly knew anything about care about her so much? Christine didn't even think about it but she was slowly moving her head toward his face with the intention of kissing him. "So perhaps we should talk about something not…so sad," Erik suggested as he went back to take his seat. Christine could tell he was completely oblivious to what she was about to do, and she soon forgot the thought.

"Here's your food," the waitress announced as she sat a big bowl of salad in front of Christine ending the conversation. The small, petite waitress gave one last examination of Erik before his terrible look made her scurry away.

"So umm…what to talk about?" Erik said to break the silence.

Christine shrugged her shoulders as she took a small bite of her salad. "What do you do for a living?"

Audrey watched from across the restaurant as Erik and Christine talked. With her enhanced hearing Audrey could hear that they were talking about their family. Aw what a caring monster you are Audrey thought as she watched Erik wipe a tear from Christine's eyes.

"What's this?" Audrey watched as Christine tried to kiss Erik, but Erik was oblivious to her intentions. "Oh Erik you're the stupidest smart person I've ever met." It seemed all he ever wanted was to be with a woman and have his ways with her, but when he was getting closer to a woman then he possibly ever had before he didn't even know it. The vampire was amusing, too amusing. She absolutely loved it.

"What are you looking at?" Patrick, a man that was soon to become her real dinner tonight, asked. She was hoping to turn him in an attempt to find someone as good as Erik to help her, but she knew he attempts would be in vain. There was simply none other like Erik, and she knew it as she watched him act completely human around a girl most vampires would have killed on site. The tall, brown haired, handsome man known as Patrick would be of some use though even if he would never be an Erik.

"Oh nothing Patrick, just staring…admiring," Audrey replied in her smooth and seductive voice. Patrick looked to stare at Erik and Christine.

"Interesting couple. I wonder why he wears the mask," Patrick wondered. An amused look crept onto Audrey's face.

"Perhaps he has a secret…a terrible secret he doesn't want the girl to know," Audrey replied. "She'll find out soon enough though," she continued taking a sip of her whine.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to your dorms?" Erik asked one last time. He didn't want her walking home at ten at night in New York City. He knew what creatures roamed the streets at night and Christine was the last person he wanted in their clutches.

"Yes Erik, I swear I'll be fine," Christine answered with an annoyed smile on her face.

"Ok, ok you just never know what kind of monsters roam the streets in this city," Erik explained. "I'm worried that's all." He was startled by his own words. First, he was on what could be considered at date with this girl, and now he was worried about her well-being.

"Well thanks for your concern but I've done it tons of times before. Tonight won't be any different," Christine said to ease his worry.

"Well then good night I guess," Erik told her. Like all the other things he'd been doing lately this was again unusual.

"Goodnight Erik. I'm glad we decided to redo this. I actually had a good time tonight," Christine mentioned. Christine examined the tall man standing over her dressed in nothing but black. His dark green eyes were entrancing even with the fear of what to do next. Sure he was a little creepy, but Christine found herself falling for him more every moment.

Erik couldn't even think of an answer. Thoughts raced through his head as he looked into her beautiful, big eyes. She was so beautiful; she was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid eyes on. No other woman treated him like she did. She didn't treat him oddly, she was always kind despite his appearance, and although she had mentioned she hadn't said much about his mask, which made him very grateful. No kind human soul like hers deserved to know what was underneath his mask.

"Well goodbye," she said finally before walking off into the dark.

Christine walked down the dark alleyway that was a shortcut she used often. It was ten minutes of a small, dark, smelly alley that ended up right behind the Opera Populaire compared to thirty minutes of walking through crowded streets of obnoxious idiots. This was the better way to go. Thoughts of Erik raced through her head as she kicked a can to get rid of the frightening silence.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of quick, running footsteps behind her. She grabbed a flashlight out of her purse that she normally hated using, and she quickly turned around.

In one glimpse she saw a tall man with brown hair run toward her and pick her up by the collar as if she weighed nothing.

"My mistress wants to talk to you," he hissed. His voice sounded monstrous. "Although I think I would rather have my fun with you first," he continued. Christine was dropped to the ground and she could feel the buttons of her shirt being undone quicker then a human could ever do, and then she felt her pants being slid down. Christine was in too much fear to even think about anything. She felt like she was about to pass out in fear, and the last thing she could do was stop this man from raping her.

"Get away from her you monster!" she heard another man yell. Through the light of flashlight on the ground she saw a tall man dressed in black with blonde hair run toward her. She couldn't see from that point on, but she felt the man being thrown off her and she could hear the sound of two men fighting. Then all was silent.

Then someone picked up the flashlight. "Are you ok miss?" the blonde haired man asked. Christine couldn't speak she was so terrified. The man appeared to be examining her as he stood up shining the flashlight on her. "You don't appeared to be hurt in anyway which is good," he announced, "you also seemed to still have your innocence." Christine was still dead silent.

A surprised look crept on to the man's perfect face. "Oh my Christine is that you?" Raoul noticed. Still scared, Christine looked up at the man kneeling beside her. "It's me Raoul!" he told her with a smile on his face.

"Raoul?" she asked not believing it. Her thoughts were coming back to her as she saw one of her old friends before her.

"Oh my lets get you out of here," Raoul said as he picked her up in his arms. "You've had a long night."

Hope you liked it!