You know what they say, there is no better time to think then when you are running from the man who stole your heart through a freak show on Coney Island to the man who you never truly loved.

How could he just… How could I just… I couldn't explain what had just happened. Erik wanted Gustave and me to leave. He couldn't see a future with us. And that crushed my soul to an unfixable extent. He was probably running into Meg's arms, Meg's uncomplicated arms. He held no responsibility to her. They had no child together. Life with Meg would be simple. And there I stopped. That was my wrong doing, I should have fought harder for Erik that morning. I should have gone to Madame Giry and demanded to see him. I should have slapped the stupidity out of him for thinking my love for him would end from the sight of his face. I should have… I should have… Nothing! There was nothing I could have done. Gone back in time to shake my waking self before he left? That was impossible. I couldn't change the past. But I could change the future… But even I knew I couldn't do that either. I was married to Raoul now. I had a child whose father believed would never be accepted by him.

There was nothing to be done. I had to just make it through today and tomorrow. I made to make it through the performance tomorrow night and then I had to leave the man I loved once again. I had to endure the pain of not being with him. I would have to endure the dreams of being with him and waking in another man's arms. I would have to endure the life Viscountess De Chagny instead of Mrs. Christine Y. How could I do that? I had survived Raoul's torture for years, but there was something about leaving the man I loved once more that cut me deep. That would be a wound that could never fully heal. I wanted to be with Erik and hold him in my arms. I wanted to feel the silk of his sheets every night for the rest of my life. I wanted to feel his lips on my throat and his hands around my waist. I wanted to sing for him and watch his smile glow in the darkness. I wanted to be the sunshine that shone through the clouds on his darkest days I wanted to rip off his mask and hold his face so close to mine that our noses would touch and we could sit breathing each other's air. But most of all I wanted to be his. I wanted to feel his heart beating inside of my empty chest once more.

When I finally got to the doors of the hotel I leaned against the wall and wiped away my tears. I controlled my breathing and fixed my reflection. When I finally pulled myself together I walked into the hotel with a fierce determination. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what I should do. But I knew what I need to do. I needed to be with the man I loved. But how could I raise a child who was scared of his father? I knew better than Erik though. I knew that after time Gustave would accept and love his father as I did. He would easily find Erik's beauty underneath. We could be a happy family. As I reached the door to my room, I could hear the most beautiful melody escaping through the wood paneling. I unlocked the door and turned the knob. Sure enough Gustave was sitting at the piano playing with the same fierce determination I had as I climbed the stairs. Meg sat on the floor by the piano clapping away at the music being played. When Gustave finished he stood and boweed and laughed. Meg picked him up and hugged him close to her.

"You certainly have your mother's skill of music."

I couldn't help but to mutter under my breath, "That most definitely is not from me." Meg must have heard me for she turned and jumped at the sudden new presence in the room.

"Oh hi Christine. Gustave was just indulging me in his music abilities. Where did he learn to play like that!?" I smiled down at my handsome son. He smiled proudly at his talents and ran off to his room to find some toys to play with. The sun was setting and it was beginning to get late. The day seemed to have passed by so quickly today.

"Gustave it's time you got dressed for bed." He peeked his head out of his room and groaned. "Now, Gustave. I'll be in in a minute." I turned back to Meg and led her into the small kitchen where I made us a pot of tea. I quickly hid away Raoul's old empty Vodka bottles below the counter before she could see. "Gustave started playing when he was four. He has had no teacher. He picked it up himself."

She looked at me with curiosity. "Perhaps he was visited by that Angel of Music you always used to talk about." I choked a laugh back. If only she knew. I poured two cups of tea and we sat down in the small parlor of the room. "He's so talented. He makes me think of Erik. He's so amazing when he plays. I've never actually seen him play but I can hear his master pieces when I walk past his office. There are so… so… well they leave you speechless. She giggled into her cup of tea. The anger and jealousy overtook me once more and before I knew it I was shooing her out the door, telling her that I needed to get ready for bed. She looked so hurt and confused. That had been the first time since we had some alone time together, but I really had no interest in hearing about her little schoolyard crush on Erik. I walked back into the parlor and picked up the tea placing it in the kitchen. I tucked in Gustave and then I slowly walked to my bedroom and dressed for bed. Hoping that the dream wouldn't appear wasn't strong enough. As soon as my head touched the pillow I fell asleep.

I soon found myself in a spinning room. I was looking for someone. People in weird costumes swirled past me. I was getting so dizzy. Suddenly there was a loud bang and I fell and kept falling down a tunnel of darkness reaching out to touch someone, but not just anyone. The spinning stopped along with my falling and a hand reached out pulling me from the darkness. My vision was blocked out and all I could see was light. I was an overabundance of light and it hurt my eyes. But I heard two distinct voices. The first was Erik and the second was Gustavé's. That had been the first time I could hear the second voice clear enough to tell who it was. But the words were still a dizzying mess. What were they saying to me? I jumped up right in my bed and I could feel my nightgown stick to me. It was drenched in sweat. I slipped out of my bed and walked into the bathroom. I turned on the bath and slipped out of my nightgown. I sat in the water for what felt like forever. Suddenly to cold arms encircled me in the tube and I could feel someone's breath on my neck. Erik's voice filled my ears begging me to wake up. I looked around but I didn't see anyone. Suddenly the water was red and I found a whole in my right side. I fell out of my bed and hit the floor with a hard the pound of my body. I ached all over and was terrified of what I had just dreamt of. I quickly lifted my nightgown and felt for any wounds. There was nothing there. I looked around in the darkness of my room. I whispered Erik's name and when there was no reply I let the dream drift out of my mind and I got into bed and fell back asleep.

When I woke in the morning the first rays of dawn hit my face. I stretched my arms out and quickly felt the bruise on my left shoulder blade. It had been a wound from my encounter with the dream world. I lazily got up and dressed for the day. I knew that this would be my last day with Erik. But sadly he had a show to prefect and I had a family to hold together. I couldn't go and run around with the man I loved today. I had to be a mother, since apparently the "father" never showed up from the bar the night before. Gustave and I had a large breakfast together and went for a trip to New York City. We shopped for hours there until the dread hour arrived and I returned to Coney Island.

My dressing room was backstage in the biggest tent. It was beautiful and elegant. It felt like me. Erik must have made it just for me hoping that one day I would return. I was getting ready and Gustave was helping me. I turned from the mirror to face Gustave who sat at my dressing table. I was dressed like I had been the night Erik had first appeared to me in the flesh. I was wearing a slip and corset with my white lace robe over it. My hair fell down my back in cascades it was longer past my shoulders almost a third of the way down my back.

"Gustave, could you hand me those earrings? The sapphires on the left." I turned around so he could see how me entirely. I was only missing my gown now. The stage manager had yet to deliver it to me. I had no idea why it wasn't just sitting in my dressing room beforehand ready to go. "Well how do I look?"

"You look so beautiful, so very beautiful. Like a queen in a book." I laughed and placed my perfume on my head to look like a crown. I was starting to feel bad for the childhood that Gustave had to suffer through. He was stronger than I ever could dreamed he would be.

"You too are beautiful, so very beautiful. Once this performance is through, we'll spend some time just us two. Won't that be fun?" He laughed and I pulled my son close to me. Suddenly the door opened and Raoul walked in. He looked so stressed and tired and yet he looked so very handsome it was hard not to appreciate his looks.

"Father doesn't mother look lovely tonight?" Raoul looked from Gustave to me and smiled.

"Indeed she does. As lovely as she looked the very first time I came to her dressing room door." It was words like that that made me feel awful for that one night beneath the moonless sky.

"And look at you Raoul you look just like that handsome boy in the opera box the one who would always toss me a single red rose." He gave me a half smile and then looked to Gustave.

"Please Gustave, if you don't mind, would you wait outside awhile?" His tone of voice confused me. Gustave pouted a little and looked at me then at his father.

"But when's mother going to sing? I don't want to miss it." I could tell there was something on Raoul's chest. Something he had to tell me.

"Go and wait backstage my dear. Soon papa will fetch you there. You can both watch from the wings." Gustave cheered up and ran out the door. I sat at my dressing table. Raoul turned and closed the door. He came and stood at my side.

"Since our wedding day, things have gone astray." I couldn't believe that he was bringing this up now.

"Raoul…" He didn't let me finish.

"I'm not proud of the way that I've acted"

"We've both been…"

"The demands I've made, all our hope mislaid, I'm aware of the price they've exacted. Though I've no right to ask you to, there's one more I'd have you do. If you love me, as I love you…" Something about Raoul was off. Where was all of this coming from? Why was he being so sensitive and loving?

"Anything dear."

"Don't sing the song dear." What did he have against me singing

"What? But…"

"You have to know that something is terribly wrong dear."

"But I have to do this, it's what we agreed to." I pleaded with my eyes hoping he would understand.

"That hell spawn demon, he's had us playing his game all along dear." Then I remembered, it wasn't my singing, it was the music. Raoul was trying to tear away all of my connection to Erik.

"Let me just get through this listen please I need to." If I was going to leave the man I loved once again for Raoul, I was going to need proper closure. We both would. We needed this song. Raoul knelt on his knees before me.

"You need so much, it's true, and I've denied you. You need the man you knew, back here, beside you. You have him back I vow, just ask it of me. But we need to leave here now, if you still love me." How could I say I loved him? Had I ever? Maybe I had once, but I couldn't lie and say I still had. He had been so cruel to me how could I return to such a life. And yet, what if he did return to his old self? What if he was once again the Raoul I grew up with? Erik wanted to me to leave and Raoul's offer of our old life was tempting.

"But darling I'm due on stage in 10 minutes how can I possibly aban…" He cut me off.

"I beg you please, please. I have passage for three to Sureberg on the Atlantic Queen it leaves tonight. Let's be on it for both our sakes, and for Gustave. Leave this place behind." He stood from where he knelt and took my hands in his, pleading to me with his eyes.

"Go and find Gustav. Tell the stage manager not to disturb me. I'll need some time." He pulled me up into his arms and kissed me so passionately. I was a kind of love and passion I hadn't felt since the night of the Masquerade Ball at the old Opera Populaire. Maybe it could be like it had been before. I prayed to God that things would change. He dropped my hands and ran off backstage to give my message to the stage manager. I pulled off my earrings and laid them on the dressing table I turned to leave. I grabbed the door knob and tried to turn it but it was jammed. No, not jammed, but locked. As soon as the familiarity hit me, a cold breeze sent shivers up my spine as every light in the room dimmed.

I knew who would be there when I turned. Still unable to control myself around him, I turned and there before me stood Erik.