Thank you so much for the support guys! I really, really mean it.

Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber.

We begin with Raouly!

Raoul

And so they searched. They searched for at least an hour and to my utter dismay they found nothing. I directed them to search each and every crevice of that mirror and they could not even discover so much as a clue to what; to whom I was referring.

"Keep searching!" I ordered. "I know that he's in there. I saw it with my own eyes."

"With all due respect Vicomte..." One of the younger officers turned to me with his eyes cast down and spoke. "Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?" I barked, my eyes narrowed.

"Forgive me... I mean no disrespect but perhaps you did not see what you think you did?" He offered, looking up at me sheepishly.

"What?!" I marched up to the boy indignantly. How dare he offer such a suggestion? "Are you saying that I imagined it? That I am lying to you all? That I lured you here under false pretenses? To what end?"

"I'm not saying that at all..." He looked down again. I felt somewhat satisfied. Apparently the Phantom was not the only one who had some aspect of menace to his presence.

"Yes you are."

"Monsieur, the boy isn't trying to falsify your claim." An older officer chimed in. "It is simply that we have been searching this very spot for quite a long time and discovered nothing." He stood up and walked towards me.

"I realisze that." I said. I regretted yelling at the boy but it felt good to be able to voice my anxieties. "I am sorry... Inspector...?" The man before me stuck out his hand.

"Inspector Auguste." He said. I took a deep breath and smiled at Inspector Auguste in spite of my harried state of mind. I took his hand and shook it.

"I am sorry, Inspector Auguste. It is just that I am very worried for my..."

For my fiancé.

I wanted to say it.

She would have been my fiancé if it weren't for him. The man who in spite of his reputation could not even bring himself to face me in person.

Inspector Auguste looked at me expectantly. Apparently my pause had not gone unnoticed.

"I... am worried for my... fiancé, you see." I was filled with shame the moment I uttered the words but worse still was the sickly sense of satisfaction I felt at saying them aloud. Why had I done it? Partly because it felt good to say it when I knew that he might have been listening. But... I took pride in the phrase and it brought me happiness even though the word; fiancé was not mine to use.

"Fiance?" He repeated. I did not flinch. "Congratulations, Monsieur. We will do everything we can to assist in ensuring your fiancés safety."

What?

I smiled to myself. Well, if my lie would motivate the police in their search, who was I to correct them? The sooner they found him, the sooner Christine would come to her senses. Yes, I hoped that she would eventually find her way into my arms but as long as she was safe from harm... safe from him, anything else was secondary.

"Thank you, Inspector." I shook his hand once more.

"...But." He said reluctantly. He removed his hat and began to pick at the fabric distractedly.

"But...?"

"But my men are tired. And there is nothing more that we can do at this time."

"What..? I..." I began to protest before he made a gesture for me to be silent and guided me to the far side of the room; the entrance to the dressing room where I had first been reunited with my Christine...

"I know." He said quietly. "It is hard to accept. My men are skeptical but I for one have been following the goings on of this establishment in secret. Something as peculiar as this..." He stared at the mirror thoughtfully. "They are never isolated incidents."

"You believe me, then?"

"I do." He said. "But I cannot devote any more men to your cause unless I have reason to. You will need to assist us in this." I took a deep breath and nodded in understanding.

"I... understand, inspector." I said with restraint. He was correct. There was nothing to be done here and I needed to bide my time. This all needed to be planned very carefully if I was to be successful and a man like him would not make it easy.

"Good man." He said. "In the meantime do let me know if you find anything... see anything..." He placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke sincerely. "Anything at all."

"Thank you." I said. The inspector turned with a smile and walked back to his men.

"Alright men, time to pack it up..."

I stood at the door and stared into the mirror. I knew that he was there. Watching. Always watching. Probably still with that smirk on his masked face. I found myself despising a man whom I hardly knew but I did not care. All I could think of was Christine and how I was going to win her love while simultaneously hunting down the man who threatened to destroy her; destroy me...

I looked at Inspector Auguste. In spite of our 'plan' I felt terribly helpless. When had things changed so drastically between Christine and I? This odd courtship had been playing out right before me but I had been too blind to see it. Truthfully I did not know where to begin. I was not an inspector and I knew nothing about the man I was to seek.

When the gendarmerie had left I sat alone in the dressing room. I knew not what time it was and although my pocket watch lay conveniently in my waistcoat pocket I did not care to check it. I sat for what seemed like hours trying to decipher the friendship that had blossomed right under my nose; trying to ascertain just where Christine's mind lay. How could she deem it normal to keep the company of such an individual? I knew that he was responsible for killing Buquet. I knew it and Christine confirmed it and spoke of it as if it were nothing. As if, against all odds and better judgement, she chose him over me. I, the childhood friend who had never done wrong by her, who had always treated her like the perfect queen that she was, who had never murdered anyone was being cast aside for a man... a thing like him. Who was he? Where had he come from? Above all else I feared for her safety at the hands of a man who she no doubt barely knew herself. I had to find this man and keep him away from her. I could not fathom why he had targeted my Christine as the object of his desire and further still I could not fathom why she had chosen him... but I needed to put a stop to it. I started into the mirror again, almost challenging it; willing the man from within it to emerge.

I will find you, Ghost. Upon my word I will.

Christine

"What do you mean; 'Raoul saw him?'" Madame Giry questioned, gripping my arm with an intensity that made me quite nervous.

"In the dressing room... I don't know..."

"What, child?" She demanded, almost shaking me.

"He just... stepped out in front of Raoul like it meant nothing! I was furious! And... I still am! He explained himself to me but I still think it was incredibly careless on his part and..."

"Was he... of sound mind when you saw him?"

I inclined my head slightly, questioning her.

"I mean to say... he must have been in quite a state when you left him before..."

"Oh. Nothing like that, no. He was distraught but... I fell in the water and that made things less awkward... well I... I think that I almost drowned... but Erik saved me. And he was panicked but..."

"WHAT?"

"Yes... Please do not worry! I tried to follow the map that you gave me but... Erik's hand writing is not very legible and I... fell into a trap."

"Christine!" She pulled me into an embrace. "You could have died!"

"I know." I said.

"I will kill that man!" She spat, pulling away.

"It wasn't his fault!"

"I know, I know." She sighed. "Child... what am I going to do with you?!"

I looked at her sheepishly.

"Never mind." She sighed. "I had not even noticed you were wearing different clothes to when I left you. I am thankful to him for caring for you at the very least. Tell me what happened... with Raoul, I mean."

"Well..." I began quietly. "I mean to say that he was of sound mind. He was perfectly fine. It was intentional. Later on he told me his motivations behind doing such a thing but I don't know what Raoul will do... Erik thinks that he will go to the authorities."

"He will. If he has not already." She stated plainly, almost accusatory in her tone.

"I'm so very worried, Madame. Erik keeps telling me not to worry, but how can I refrain from worry when so much is at stake?" I threw my hands up quite dramatically and began to pace the expanse of the corridor outside the sleeping quarters. "He can be so frustrating!"

"Erik's home is quite well hidden..." Madame Giry turned away thoughtfully. "But... I would still proceed with caution. Do not make an effort to see him over the next few weeks."

"No, I won't. He already warned me against it."

"Good." She drew her hand to her face, apparently deep in thought. "This could be very bad. Very bad indeed."

"I know!"

"Out of interest, child... what were his reasons?"

"For revealing himself?"

She nodded.

"In his home I told him that I loved him and... he said that he didn't want to hide the fact any longer. He had seen Raoul and I spending time together and I suppose it was jealousy... a sense of ownership... which doesn't altogether please me."

Madame Giry smiled.

"He has never known love." She said. "It won't be easy for him to adjust to something most of us take for granted."

"What do you mean...? Was he never loved? Not even as a child?"

"I shouldn't say any more, Christine. Those answers are his to give. Not mine." I stared at the women before me; a mixture of frustration and admiration for her respect for Erik. But in spite of what he would have wanted I needed to know more...

"I... know that you and he are acquainted..." I ventured. "When I was in his home I... caught sight of his back and I saw..."

"Hush." She interrupted. "You must ask him."

"Alright..." I said with disappointment. I knew that would be easier said than done. Erik was not exactly an open book when it came to his past.

"You should sleep..." She said quietly. "As should I. I have a lot to think about on what you have told me and... I have been up waiting for you. I'm quite fatigued."

"I'm very sorry, Madame. I lose track of time when..."

When I'm with him.

Madame Giry smiled knowingly.

"I understand. You have always had your head in the clouds, Christine... up there with the Angels."

The Angel of Music...

I smiled bashfully as I always did when she made such a remark.

"You should speak to Meg when you wake. She was quite worried about you." She turned to walk away.

"She knows..." I spoke. The two words seemed to linger in the air longer than they should have and at once I wondered whether or not I should have spoken them at all.

"She..?" Madame Giry turned back and looked at me. I nodded. She walked back to me and spoke in a low whisper.

"As much as I love my daughter, I do not think it wise to trust Meg with secrets."

"I trust her." I said. She simply gave me a stern look before turning on her heel once more and disappearing into the darkness that engulfed the sleeping quarters. I did trust her... But Madame Giry had never been wrong before.

The unfriendly sensation of anxiety began to build within me...

Erik

Strangely as soon as I had left Christine I was able to fall into a soundless slumber; quite unusual as I hardly ever slept at night. I lay in bed, prepared to think on the events that had transpired; dissect them at length as I usually did but within moments I was asleep. It was the first proper allotment of rest I had been able to achieve since I left Christine on the stairwell those many weeks ago.

I could not believe that Christine was able to forgive me, even if she was not yet able to forget. It was unfortunate that an event such as what happened... or what almost happened had to take place, but without it I might still have been trapped in the depths of despair; locked in the never-ending spiral of self-loathing that I so often found myself. Yes. Christine's mishap brought us together. I felt shame upon admitting it to myself but I was also too incandescently happy to care. It seemed that I was too worried about losing her to care what had transpired between us... and it seemed that she had undergone some sort of transition from loathing and fearing me to wanting to be in my presence so dearly that she would risk her life.

I was not trying to fool myself. I knew that she was still afraid of me; at least part of her was. And I knew that because of what I had done that might never change. But I had to be grateful any triumph no matter the size. She wanted to embrace me and kiss me as if nothing had changed and I did not care to question the motivation behind it. Not for the moment. Perhaps not ever.

And I knew that because of my foolishness I could not see her as much as I liked but she was mine. She wanted to be in my company more than she wanted to be in that boy's and that was all I needed. Truthfully I could not help myself. Some animalistic urge had momentarily come over me and I saw the pressing need to claim what was mine. She loved me. I could not believe it and I did not want to hide it. The boy needed to know to stop pursuing her. He needed to know before a tragedy befell him...

Yes, I found myself slightly troubled by the potential repercussions of what I had done but how could I think on those after what had happened?

I awoke early in the morning; a smile began to spread across my face as I remembered that waking up this morning was different to any other.

I was loved.

I sat up and stretched, looking at my surroundings with a familiar loathing that soon turned to disgust. I was a new man. I had to clean the mess; the chaos I had created. I walked out of my bedroom and began to wander toward the bathroom. En route to the bathroom I caught sight of my reflection in one of my mirrors; more specifically some of the shards that remained in one of my mirror frames. I walked closer being careful not to step on any of the pieces still littering the floor and peered at my reflection. It was awful; worse than usual. It was beyond me how Christine could have declared her feelings for me when I looked so utterly bedraggled. I had not shaved in days, and it was evident. I had lost my appetite at some point over the past weeks and that was evident too; my frame was not what it used to be. I caught sight of what was once a cut on my side; left my Buquet's dagger during our... incident; now a thin, white scar and a constant reminder of what I had done. The only thing that was a constant was my ghastly face. And she had not yet seen that... if she had she would not have returned...

I scratched my head thoughtfully. I could not change that. But I could change everything else. I would be the best man that I could be for Christine and I would begin with my appearance.

After I had dressed I walked back to the offending mirror; glass crunching under my boots as I did. This was what she remembered. This was the best that I could look... the best it was going to get...

After making a point to eat breakfast I began cleaning up my home; attempting to return it to it's former glory... if it could be called that. Christine had seemed quite at ease in my home until I had spoiled it all. With every drape that I picked up, every ornament that I recovered I thought of her; what she would like, where she would prefer it... Among my ruins I discovered a book discarded underneath various papers. Upon inspecting the title I realized at once what it was; it was the book I had given to Christine as a gift. And she had accepted it gratefully before I had bestowed her with another; the truth.

I set it aside. I would return it to her.

After a few hours of cleaning I found that I missed her. I checked my pocket watch;

1:30

She would be performing in the matinee of Il Muto. In my absence she had been returned to her role as a member of the chorus; this was unfortunate and something I would definitely action but for now it seemed opportune.

I could visit her; hide back stage and emerge when it was safe. Before I had determined whether or not it was a sensible idea I had decided upon it. I had to see her. I had wasted so much time without her... I didn't want to waste any more.

I made my way up to the auditorium. I hardly ever emerged during the day and I knew that it was dangerous. While I wanted nothing more than to be ignorant of my surroundings and wholeheartedly give in to what I was feeling, I could not. I had to be vigilant; more so now than before. I made my way up to Christine through the walls; something I despised and had not done since I was much younger but in the light of day and while the theater was full, it was the only option. I exited through a small door I had made for myself many years ago; not visible to the untrained eye and behind a series of props that had not been moved or used since I had arrived at the Opera as a child. I usually cursed the management for their untidy and disorganized ways but today I was thankful.

I stood in the shadows of the wings and watched. It took my eyes a moment to focus before I saw her. My breath caught in my chest as it always did and once more there was a smile upon my face that I could not have removed if I wanted to. I folded my arms and stared in silent awe at the woman who had captured my heart; she was dancing beautifully but it did not compare to the talent of her voice. How I yearned to hear it. It had been too long.

I knew this Opera well and knew that during this scene I would get my chance. One by one the girls of the chorus exited stage left and right in sequence, I was careful to remain soundless and hidden. Christine was the last to exit on my side; this I had not planned but for once it seemed that fate was working in my favor.

"Christine..." I whispered.

Immediately she spun around; out of breath and red faced from the exertion of dance. She looked so beautiful. Her eyes searched the darkness until I stepped out apprehensively; just enough for her to see me.

"...Erik." She beamed before throwing herself into my arms. I clung to her tightly and closed my eyes. It felt so good to be in her arms once more and I felt a small sense of relief wash over me. Part of me still doubted her; still wondered whether or not she would change her mind about me at any second. "I thought you said we couldn't meet?" She asked, pulling away and looking up at me.

"I couldn't wait. Do not worry..." I said softly, tracing her chin with a gloved thumb. "I am taking care... You look so beautiful."

She smiled bashfully.

"And you look much better... handsome I daresay."

Again, my breath caught in my chest; this time at the strange words I had heard. No one had ever paid me a compliment before, certainly not in relation to my looks. Ordinarily I would have found it laughable, but Christine had said it with such sincerity that I did not wish to mock her.

"You don't need to say that, my dear."

"I know that I don't need to."

"Well, at any rate this is as good as it will get for me." I smiled. Self deprecating humor had always been my strong suit. Christine frowned in reply before reaching up and stroking the left side of my face. I leaned in to her touch and closed my eyes.

"When... will you tell me about your mask?" She asked. The words she spoke knocked me from my delirious state and I opened my eyes abruptly.

"What?" I pulled away from her touch slightly. Yes, I had forgiven her for removing my mask during our first encounter but I had not forgotten. I was not ready; I could not allow her to strip me of my last defense. After that I would be truly lost; truly hers to do with as she pleased and when she decided that she did not want me I would be broken once and for all. Suddenly a stage hand walked past. I pulled her into the shadows and held her against me. If either of us was seen I would have nowhere to go.

"What do you mean by that, Christine?" I whispered. Although the music from the orchestra was quite loud I could not risk anyone hearing our voices. Once La Carlotta began singing there would be no danger of that whatsoever...

"I won't remove it." She said. "Not unless I have your permission. I promise that." She reached up and stroked the side of the mask. I found myself involuntarily pulling away from her touch; something I thought that I would never do. "I... just want to know." She said absentmindedly.

No, I could not show her. But there couldn't be much harm in telling her, could there? I owed her that much after what I had put her through. I had to gain her trust and this was a good way to begin... Regardless I was not looking forward to it.

"I... we can't talk about it now." I said, subtly taking her hand in my own and holding it against my chest... away from my face... "You have to go before someone misses you. I've kept you here too long."

"Tonight? Will you tell me tonight?"

I rolled my eyes inwardly. I had hoped to discourage her.

"I... will tell you tonight." I said reluctantly. She wrapped her arms around me once more and I smiled into her curls. "But do not seek me out, remember? I will come to you. It is not safe and now we risk you being followed..."

"I know, I know." She replied, apparently bored.

"What is this attitude, Mademoiselle?" I teased with a dry chuckle.

"I've been spending far too much time with the Opera Ghost, I expect." She quipped with a smile. I felt slightly uneasy at her reference.

"Perhaps." I said with the ghost of a smile.

"I wish I could stay here." She said with her hands on my chest; apparently fascinated with the texture of my lapels. She always fiddled when she said or did something that made her feel awkward; I found it adorable.

"As do I." I said. "I would prefer you to stay here rather than finish the show... But what sort of tutor would that make me?"

"A great one." She said with a smile. I felt myself shiver as she ran her hands up my front and pulled my head down slightly to meet her own. There, she lingered. I felt her warm breath mingling with my own as our foreheads touched. "Kiss me..." She whispered.

"I... can't." I replied with my eyes closed. "Not here." She did not understand. I could not risk losing myself in her kiss... not where I was. At that moment I felt deep loathing for my surroundings; the walls, the people... for they all prevented me from taking what I wanted. What I yearned to have.

"Kiss me, Erik." She repeated, smiling against my lips. It was deliciously torturous trying to resist and she knew it. She was very much aware of the power she had over me. I knew that now. I was up against the wall behind me, pulling away from something I desperately wanted. But I did not have a choice. One more thoughtless move on my part and she might be taken from me forever. Nothing was worth that. She knew of the dangers and yet she would not release me.

"T...tonight." I managed. Suddenly, my salvation; Meg's voice.

"Christine?" It called from somewhere within the wings. Christine turned toward the source of the voice and I took the opportunity to slip away. When she turned back I would be gone. Once behind the safety of the familiar, discarded scenery I watched her once more. She turned back to where I had been just moments before and smiled. She then drew her hand to her mouth as if we had shared the kiss and watching her, I did the same.

By the time little Meg had reached her I was safely hidden within the walls. I stood in the darkness with my back to the door and took a deep breath. I rubbed my arms to rid myself of the goose-flesh that had now spread over my skin and began my usual descent; the long journey to my home... There would be plenty of time for me to figure out how I was to see Christine later on. This time I had been lucky. I knew that. I had to be more careful.

What I felt for this woman...

It frightened me...

What frightened me more was the thought of losing her.

Fluff! :) I love writing Awks Erik.

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