Sorry for the delay. Things have been crazy. But no excuses. On with the story!

Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber

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Christine

The next day I heard nothing from him. I spent time in the Chapel, hoping that he would approach me so that I could apologize but he did not. I became desperate to talk to him, to explain myself. I knew how his mind worked; how insecure he was... I knew that he would take it terribly and that he would think up millions of scenarios, millions of reasons as to why I didn't show- all bad. And all wrong.

I did not see or hear from him for several days and before I knew it, I was preparing for the Bal Masque. Many of the girls in the Corps de ballet had men to escort them and had organised their clothing accordingly; an act of courtship. While I had agreed to allow Raoul the task we did not partake in the tradition. I did not want to attend the Bal in his company. Perhaps at one time the prospect of such a thing would have filled me with joy. Perhaps like the other girls I would have been overwhelmed with euphoria at the thought of organizing my hair... my shoes... and seeing Raoul at the bottom of the grand escalier waiting for me... but I was not. I wanted to attend with Erik and I feared that after what I had done, he would not so much as speak with me. Would I blame him? He would no doubt think that after such intimacy, I had shunned him. And I knew that seeing Raoul and I at the Bal together would only work to worsen the situation. Upon getting dressed and slipping on my shoes I could not help but think that in some way, it was all for him... could not help but lose myself in the dream that I was attending with Erik, that we would see one another from across the room, he at the bottom of the staircase and I at the top. We would walk to one another and when we met he would place a kiss on my gloved hand and ask me to dance...

But I knew that it would never happen. It couldn't happen...

He would attend. I knew that he would... all I had to do was find him...

Find him and explain.

"Are you excited, Christine? I just love parties!" Meg took my arm in hers as we made our way down to the grand escalier. She was practically bubbling over with excitement and while I did not want to hinder her mood I could not help but feel nonplussed at the idea of spending a night with Raoul, not after what he had said... what he had planned to do.

I smiled wanly.

"What's the matter?" She asked. Perhaps I hadn't been subtle enough in my lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Meg. I don't mean to spoil your night... I was looking forward to this event just as much as you were but it's just that... things are different..."

"Are you still..." She lowered her voice. "Are you still... seeing the Opera Ghost?"

"Meg!" I said with a smile. Apparently I could not help myself upon his mention. "His name is Erik... and... I did want to attend with him..."

"But you are attending with Raoul, are you not?"

"Yes. I am... only because I must."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... things have changed with Raoul."

"Because of Erik?"

"Yes... You see... Raoul saw him."

Meg gasped.

"What!?"

"Yes! I know! And so... he and I have had to be very cautious... we are being watched very closely. And... the last time he and I had planned to meet, I could not make it. I could not see him. I know he was gravely upset by it because I have not spoken to him since... And so... we had planned to attend together but now... I don't even know whether he will want to speak with me."

"I can see why Raoul is upset... you and he had been spending a lot of time together as I recall, and it is obvious that he has intentions with you... obvious to me at least..."

"But I have told him that I do not wish to... court him. He knows that I want to be with Erik! He knows and yet he will not allow it! It angers me!"

"Christine... I know how passionately you feel about this Erik... but remember what Raoul used to mean to you. He has done and would do anything for you."

"So would Erik!"

"Yes, I know. I'm simply saying that I understand Raoul's position. You spent a lot of time with him and perhaps... mislead him?"

"I did no such thing!" I could not believe what I was hearing. Had this been Meg's opinion the entire time? "I have made it perfectly clear to him that I want to be with Erik!"

"Well, if you say so. He just wants what is best for you, though. He disapproves because... he has feelings for you... but also I expect because of the man you chose. And I daresay, it has been nice to have you around again. When you spend time with Erik, I hardly see you..."

"What's best for me is my happiness. He wants the Police to catch Erik, Meg! It is more than his indifference or disapproval... Erik will face the gallows!"

"I don't know what to say, Christine... I know how strongly you feel for him but... he did murder Buquet. Isn't that what you said?"

"So... he deserves to die?" I blinked in confusion.

"Christine... let's not do this." She reasoned. "Let us not spoil this evening."

"No, tell me." I challenged, walking closer to her. "Is that what you truly feel?"

"I... I don't know." She said, shrugging her shoulders. Her brows knitted together in confusion. "It's just that... since Buquet... everyone has been talking. They say that he did it. And I've been thinking about it a lot... But... I don't know. I don't know him as you do."

"No, you do not." I snapped. I pushed past her and strode down the corridor as fast as my dress would allow. Meg was my friend, my dearest friend... Since we were children we had shared our deepest and darkest secrets but I could see that that time was over. That was no more. Perhaps once I'd had a chance to cool down and collect my thoughts I would think differently... But how could I ever see my way clear to befriend someone who held such little regard for the man I loved, regardless of who he was?

When I reached the top of the stairs I was greeted by several of the other chorus girls who began complimenting my hair, my dress... comparing our shoes... things that would normally have taken my interest. But not tonight. There was so much on my mind that talk of such things seemed terribly frivolous and senseless... However the mundane chatter did serve to distract me from my previous conversation with Meg. The area was already full of people, many of which were already inebriated or equally giddy with excitement. I gazed at the crowd, hoping for a glimpse... a sighting... it took me several minutes of searching before I realized that I had no idea what Erik would be wearing. How was I to seek him out in a room full of people wearing masks?

I spotted Raoul at the bottom of the escalier, seemingly enraptured by Monsieur Andre; wine in hand and no doubt sprucing about his business expertise or regaling Raoul with a story that he would have to pretend to find funny. He caught my eye and while I did not necessarily want to see him, I did pity his situation. I could stand no more than five minutes of that man's conversation.

"Good evening." I said politely.

"You look beautiful." He said as he reached me.

"Thank you, Raoul."

"No, thank you. I could not have been part of that conversation for another moment."

"Yes... Andre can be trying."

"Yes." He said. Then he simply stared at me for a few moments. I felt terribly uncomfortable under his gaze and was about to excuse myself in search of a beverage or anything that did not involve such close scrutiny when he spoke again. "I have said this before... but I am sorry for any grief I have caused you. You have no idea how much I want for us to be like we were."

I sighed. Was that all? I had hoped he would not mention it. I had hoped that we would be able to make it through the evening, pretending that things were as they had been. That he did not wish for the man I loved to meet his demise... That he did not wish to condemn me to a word of blackness.

"That cannot happen."

"No... I know. I know that now. I mean as we were before all of this. Before the Opera, before him." He gestured to the ceiling. I thought it strange due to the fact that Erik lived below. Perhaps Raoul did not know that. Perhaps I wanted to keep it that way. "I know that you do not see me... like you see him... And I hate it."

"Raoul... let us not..." I began to protest...

"No. It's alright. I don't want to argue. I just... all I meant to say was... tonight let us pretend that things are as they used to be. When we were children. Can we do that? Can we forget our differences for tonight?"

"Raoul..." I repeated.

"Please, Christine. You have agreed to accompany me tonight. Will you at least try to enjoy yourself? You... cared about me once..."

I did. Once. In a way I still did.

"Alright." I sighed, offering my hand. "Tonight."

The room was a whirlwind of color and movement. Spinning, dancing, laughing. I was enjoying myself as much as those around me. Before I knew it, it was half past ten. I had been enjoying myself as Raoul had instructed. I had not thought of my conversation with Meg, I had successfully ignored the sneers of Carlotta and Piangi as I waltzed past them. I had failed to succumb to the heartache that threatened to envelop me at the lack of Erik's presence. I would think on that later... when I was alone. I threw one last hopeful glance at the top of the stairs...

...a glimpse of red...

...the music stopped...

...those around us stopped dancing...

I looked back.

Erik. It was Erik. My stomach lurched with anticipation at the sight of him and my dancing partner was forgotten. There he stood, proudly at the top of the staircase. He gazed around, surveying the room, taking it all in... But he would not look at me. I had neglected to wear a mask and yet he had not looked at me. His mask was that of a skull. His outfit was a brilliant red; a double breasted military style jacket complete with a sash of red silk trailing behind him as he walked down the stairs; his steps were assured and deliberate. He looked strikingly handsome. He held an item in his hand; sheets of paper in a leather casing...

His Opera...

"Why so silent?" He spoke, his voice echoed throughout the marble in the room and up into the ceiling. "Please, do not stop the festivities on my behalf. I have simply come to enjoy them, myself. After all, it is my Opera house. Perhaps my invitation was lost in the mail?" His words were followed by a dry, cynical chuckle before he continued. "I jest, of course." Without warning he raised the item in his hand before throwing it harshly to the floor. "I have written you an Opera." He pointed to the sheets now littering the marble stairs before him. "This is to be performed in a month. No exceptions." Then, he pointed at me. "Christine Daae is to play the lead and you fill find the rest of my casting and production instructions inside."

Everyone present remained silent, even Raoul.

Then, Erik actually looked at me. His eyes softened. He looked at Raoul... then back at me...I longed to call out to him, to approach him... anything. He glanced up at the roof and then at me once more... then his eyes narrowed and he looked away.

The roof?

Was that intentional?

"That is all." He said, addressing Andre and Firmin who were huddled next to a statue at the very bottom of the staircase. "Your festivities may continue." Erik strode back up to the top of the escalier and with a puff of smoke, he was gone. I could not believe my eyes. He had disappeared... He had left without as much as a word to me. I could not let this be. But what did his gesture mean? Would he really be on the roof if he had quite plainly disappeared below? Perhaps that had been simply to confuse everyone else... I did not know... What I did know was that if he had meant for me to meet him on the roof, I had to be there. I could not let him down... not again.

"I'll be back, Raoul." I said, pulling away from him and rushing up the stairs.

"Christine, don't..!"

I did not hear anything else. I was running as fast as I could, skirt in hand toward the auditorium. There I would find my way up into the rafters just as I had done when I had first seen him... and from there I would make my way up to the roof.

As I made it to the wings of the auditorium I saw a flash of red.

"Erik!" I called. Perhaps I should not have called to him but as far as I knew, the rest of the Opera was completely deserted and even if the Gendarmerie were present, I was certain that they did not know his name. "Erik, wait! Is that you?"

I made it to the top of the ladder only to see another flash of red above me. Was he honestly expecting me to climb in this dress?

Obviously he was.

With great difficulty I made it to the top, once above the stage I actually saw him. He was making his way past the small scenery storage areas and toward the spiral staircase that led to the roof.

"Wait, you cannot simply walk away from me after that! What are you doing?!" He was taking large, purposeful strides; intentionally leaving me to struggle behind him. "Erik! Look at me!"

Finally I caught up with him, taking hold of his bright red sleeve in an attempt to turn him around. He shook me off.

"Erik!" I repeated, outraged. "Did you want me to follow you or did you not!?"

"Return to the Bal, Christine." He threw behind him.

"What... what have I done to you? Why did you ask me?!" I pulled at his arm again. Thankfully he stopped, but did not face me.

"I've changed my mind."

"What?! I have had to climb a ladder in this dress, Erik... And if anyone should be upset, it is me! You were supposed to accompany me to this Bal and you did not. How dare you treat me with such disregard!"

"How dare I?" He replied, finally turning around and looming over me.

"Yes!" I said, making a conscious effort not to let him intimidate me. His eyes were outlined in thick black as part of his mask and the blue of his eyes looked more vivid than I had ever seen them. "Had you forgotten your promise? You had promised to escort me tonight!"

"I made no such promise! In fact I specifically told you that I wasn't able to escort you!"

"So... then I'm lying? How can you forget such a thing?!"

"And..." He continued; ignoring me. "If memory serves me correctly, you were quite satisfied with the partner you had."

I looked down stubbornly... of course he was upset. He had seen me with Raoul.

"I waited and waited..." I pouted. Now I was ignoring him.

"Oh. You waited?" He spat. "You were with him AGAIN, Christine! Enjoying his smiles! Dancing without a care in the world. Without a care for me!" He pointed to himself dramatically and moved closer to me. I did not budge.

"I was with him because I had to be! But of course, you won't allow me to explain. I wanted to go with YOU!" I pushed him backward in frustration but it failed to achieve anything. He didn't move. "Where were you Erik!?"

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" He boomed.

"I..." I looked down. I knew exactly to what he was referring. "Erik, that night... You have no idea how hard it was for me."

"Please. Do not play the martyr here, Christine. You say that night was hard for you? What of me?" His eyes softened. "Why did you not meet me?"

"I could not!" I replied, exasperated.

"You could not?" He repeated cynically.

"No! When I left you I was approached by Raoul. He said that he had been searching for me... I had to pretend that I was ill in order to stop him questioning me further but... he knew."

"Knew what?" He spat.

"Knew that I had seen you. That I had not been ill at all."

"Oh? Is that a problem for you? I thought that you enjoyed the time you spent with me..."

"The problem is that he will be following my every move and yours."

Erik scoffed before turning away slightly.

I sighed; exasperated.

"You can be such a child!"

"I can be a child! How can you say that I can be a child when you do not even think past yourself!? You show little regard for anyone but who you are with at the time!"

"Don't be like this! You aren't like this!" I pushed him again, unsure of what else to do.

"Stop pushing me!" He said, irritated. "And do not lie to me, Christine. I saw you with him. I saw him in your sleeping quarters."

"You... you were watching?"

"Yes, I was watching! I was worried! When you didn't show I thought to myself; 'the only way she would not have come was if she were injured or ill...'" He scoffed once more. "How wrong I was."

"You aren't wrong!" I cried, forcefully taking hold of his lapels and pulling him toward me. "I couldn't see you. And I hate that I had to do that to you but I would do it again... if it meant your safety I would do it again. You mean too much to me, Erik. Don't you know that by now?"

"Don't pretend that you did this for me!"

"I did it for us!" I pulled him close. He did not resist. Slowly I raised my hand to his mask.

"Christine..." He began, pulling away.

"Erik." I said. I reached for his mask again, this time pulling it off along with his black wig. He did not meet my gaze. I leaned in until I was mere inches from him and breathed into his ear.

"Kiss me, Erik." I said, once more hoping that he would recall a similar moment we had shared.

He looked at me and in little more than a second his lips were upon mine. The mask and wig were dropped to the ground as I wrapped my arms around him. His arms did the same, running down my back and through my hair before proceeding to hoist me up off the floor and onto a nearby craft bench. A piece of discarded porcelain fell to the ground with a crash but neither of us paid much attention to it. Before I knew what I was doing my hands were removing his clothes; his cravat was thrown to the floor and I began to work on the buttons of his waist coat once more. I knew that he was yearning to do the same with me; explore my body... ravish me, lose himself in my body as I lost myself in his but I knew that he would not. And as disappointed as I was, I respected his reasoning.

However as the seconds wore on... reasoning became less important.

Soon I had worked my magic on the buttons of his shirt as well and smiled as my eyes were met with bare flesh once more. I pulled away from his kiss to run my hands over his chest. I looked up at him in delight. He smiled in return before pulling my mouth towards his and capturing it once more. I could feel him against me... and the sensation I had felt in his home was returning. My heart was racing. I knew that we had to stop. But I could not bring myself to achieve such a goal... nor did I want to. His kiss deepened before he began to move down my neck, lingering at my collarbone and moving back up. He pulled my body toward his as he did so and I found that I was doing the same thing, almost forcefully. His lips found mine again and as he moved against me a new wave of pleasure spread through me.

We had to stop...

I prayed that Erik had the strength to, because I did not...

Oooooooooo :P

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