Hey hey guys here is the long awaited chapter 19 :D Sorry it took a while to post but I was in Wales and I had no laptop and no WiFi so wouldn't have been able to post anyway :/ As you know I only own my own characters; any lyrics or characters from Phantom do not belong to me at all :/ Anyway on with the show!

Heartache and Pain

Chapter Nineteen: But they don't know me, do they even know you...

Charlene's POV

All I could do was stare at the figures approaching out of the darkness as a spotlight shone on their figures eerily.

"Ah we meet again. Now you will go with us quietly and your boyfriend isn't here to save you this time!" They demanded.

"Where's Erik and what did you do to him?!" I yelled angrily in reply.

"Let's just say we 'took care' of him my dear. Now come quietly or we will be forced to hurt you!" I looked at them as the tears began to fill my eyes; what did they mean exactly when they said 'took care' of him? Did they kill him or is he lying unconscious somewhere? I looked around the room hoping someone would help me but all they did was stand back and stare. My eyes fell upon Nadir and Gaston and even they looked scared. My eyes finally fell upon Erik's lifeless body and I ran towards him hoping he was ok. I knelt down beside him and started trying to shake him awake. But he wouldn't stir and the tears yet again began to fall. Was he dead or just unconscious? But before I could check his pulse I was grabbed by the hair and dragged out of the door.

"Erik! Help me please! Someone! Anyone! Please help me!" I yelled pleadingly. Yet again I was dragged into a car and I looked back towards the building with tears falling heavily down my cheeks. All I could think about was Erik lying there lifelessly on the ground and it was my entire fault...

Erik's POV

The only thing I remember after the lights went out was a sharp pain in the back of my head and losing consciousness. I finally woke up and saw everyone talking hurriedly amongst themselves.

"Where is Charlene?" I asked but all everyone did was look at me before going back to their conversations.

"I will not ask again. Where is Charlene?" I asked coldly. When no-one replied I went up to my boss and I threatened him coldly.

"You will tell me now where she is or I will think up of several ways to make you talk!"

"She's gone. Three men took her away in their car." Gaston replied quietly.

"Stephen, Gerard and Joseph. Those bastards. I am going after them right now!" I seethed angrily.

"But you didn't see which way they went. They could be anywhere by now!" Gaston yelled anxiously.

"I have a good idea where they could be though." And with that I left out of the door and went straight towards my car.

"Wait Erik! Let us come with you! You'll need all the help you can get if you want to find her." Gaston, Sophia, Christian and Nadir yelled simultaneously.

"Ok you can come along on the condition you follow every instruction I give without question." I replied evenly.

"We wouldn't have it any other way." They all replied. We got into our respective vehicles before they followed my lead. I decided to head towards the abandoned warehouse where I remember they took Charlene the last time she was kidnapped. We eventually arrived and noticed there were a lot more guards posted around the area; a lot more than last time. Did this mean they had Charlene and were not intent on letting her go this time?

"So Erik what's your plan?" Gaston questioned quietly.

"Well we will need to dispatch the guards before we even think of entering the premises." I replied matter of factly. I looked around again and counted ten guards around the entire perimeter. I then worked out that we should be able to take out all of them without raising suspicion.

"Right, Gaston you can take out three of the guards. Sophia you can take out a guard too and Christian you can take out two guards. Nadir and I will take care of the rest." I said with authority lacing my tone. We then separated in different directions to dispatch the guards as quickly as possible as anything could be happening to Charlene inside that building.

Charlene's POV

All I could see was darkness all around and I had lost track how long it had been since I was kidnapped. I had lost all hope of Erik rescuing me and I had yet to find out my fate. I was surprised with the fact they hadn't hurt me in anyway yet; maybe they were waiting until Erik turned up to rescue me and torture me in front of him knowing it would break his spirit for sure. A horrible thought then entered my head; what were to happen if this was all a big trap to lure Erik here so they could kill him? I couldn't let them kill him because I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing it would have been my fault if he died. I had to get out before he tries to rescue me and before Stephen, Gerard and Joseph come back for me. But as I looked around I couldn't see any way to get out of my prison as there were no windows. At that moment I lost all hope of saving Erik as he would have to rescue me to get me out of my prison and there was nothing I would be able to do to prevent his death from occurring.

"Awwwww dearie why the tears? You will meet your future husband very soon and he will be so happy to see a beauty such as yourself." A cold voice hissed evilly and when I turned around I saw Joseph standing in the doorway with a smug look on his face.

"Why torture me so? Why don't you stop torturing me and get it over with?" I pleaded tearfully knowing all hope of rescue was lost.

"Oh no my dear all in good time, all in good time. We will make you watch your precious boyfriend die at our hands before you can even contemplate meeting the boss. Once he is out of the way for good he can no longer interfere with our plans!" He replied coldly. I looked at him whilst shaking rapidly as I backed away from him. But before anything more could be said between us I gasped when I heard men shout from downstairs.

"We have caught intruders! Including the masked man!" Oh no they caught Erik and anyone else who was with him. I hope they won't hurt his colleagues too seriously as they didn't deserve to be punished. Although seeing Erik being killed and maybe me being hurt would be torture enough for them probably.

"Come my dear we have a guest." Joseph said coldly and before I could get myself away from his grasp he grabbed me firmly around the wrist and dragged me out of the room. I didn't even bother to struggle any further as he dragged me towards a room where I presume they are holding Erik hostage. When we reached the room I saw two men holding a gun to his head and after kicking Joseph in the shin I ran to him quickly and knelt down in front of him.

"Erik are you ok?" I asked quietly.

"I am sorry, I have failed you. But don't worry, everyone else is safe. Please don't risk your life for me by refusing their orders. I don't want to see you hurt." He said forlornly.

"And I can't see you hurt either." I replied tearfully.

"Please don't worry about me I'll be ok. But just please, for me, stay strong and save yourself." He said forlornly and with that he looked at the ground dejectedly; for a moment I swear I could see a tear fall down his cheek. I placed my hands on either side of his face gently and kissed him on the lips with all the passion I had. I wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted for but before we could pull away to take a breath I was grabbed by the hair which caused me to scream in pain.

"Enough of that dearie. We need to get you ready to meet the boss!" Joseph demanded coldly and with that I tearfully told Erik I loved him as I was dragged forcefully out of the room.

"Come my dear we need to get you ready. The boss will be dying to meet his future bride soon." Yet again I struggled in his grasp; at one point I even kicked him and tried running away from him in search of Erik. But I didn't get very far as I was yet again grabbed by the hair and dragged to my 'room'.

"Your outfit is on the bed. If you are not ready in fifteen minutes I will come in here and change you myself!" He demanded coldly and with that he slammed the door shut with a resounding click of the lock behind me. I picked up the outfit and blanched when I realised how revealing it would be. It consisted of a short ruffle skirt that was red with a black embroidered corset. After getting the skirt on I realised I would have trouble tying the knots on the corset; it was like he picked this outfit on purpose just so he would have to tie the knots for me. I wrapped the corset around my body and proceeded to fasten the hooks on the front; I then tried to tie the strings at the back but eventually growled in frustration realising I couldn't do it on my own. But before I could even comprehend the situation Joseph barged into the room and turned me around to tightly tie the laces at the back. I didn't even get a chance to take a breath as he continued to tie it tighter and tighter. I thought for a moment I might collapse from lack of air or hear the crack of a rib or something. I looked at myself in the mirror once he had finished and knew the purpose of the outfit was to make me look as attractive to the boss but in the worse possible way. I wasn't allowed to protest as I was dragged out of the room towards our destination; however I could feel myself shaking from nerves and hoped Joseph wouldn't notice. But sadly he did.

"Oh my dear why so nervous? You look simply ravishing; the boss will not be able to resist you." But that's what I was afraid of. What were to happen if he wanted to sample me? Could I handle the ordeal all over again? Would Erik still love me if I suffered under the boss' hands? We finally reached the room after what felt like hours but in reality only minutes had passed since I was dragged from my 'room'. But when we got to the door I couldn't bring myself to enter so I kicked Joseph in the shin and yet again tried running away from him. All I wanted to do was look for Erik and escape from this dreadful place.

"Come back here! You're not getting away from me that easily!" I heard a voice yell demandingly and I turned around to see a tall well built man with a small amount of stubble on the chin. He had dark brown hair that looked almost black that was slicked back and piercing cold blue eyes. If the man didn't have this aura about him that made shivers tingle down my spine I would have considered him attractive. I wonder if this was the boss Joseph kept mentioning earlier.

"My my my Joseph you were right about this one. She certainly is an attractive thing isn't she?" He said coldly. I backed away but he grabbed my wrist harshly and continued seethingly.

"But she is a feisty one isn't she? I'll have to see she will obey my every whim when I marry her."

"I will never marry you! I don't love you! And your men killed my parents and raped me!" I yelled angrily whilst struggling ruefully in his grasp. When I looked into his eyes after saying that statement I could see no remorse or pity in them and I had a feeling I would face a similar fate with him as I did with Joseph, Stephen and Gerard.

"Now why don't we visit your boyfriend shall we? But if you get any ideas on letting him out you will be punished severely!" He explained evilly and with that he took me in the direction of what I presumed to be where their dungeons were. Well I wouldn't call them dungeons per se; more like a cellar and when I could finally see through the darkness I gasped as I could make out Erik's battered form. Without a second thought I ran to him and knelt down by his body.

"Erik, please tell me you're ok. I can't bear to lose you." I pleaded as I stroked his hand gently.

"Charlene is that you? What are you doing here?" He asked hoarsely.

"I was brought here by the boss. He made me come down here. But I'm scared he'll hurt me." I replied quietly.

"Whatever happens I will get us out of here no matter what." He replied passionately and I kissed him gently on the lips to seal the deal as I missed his touch so much. As we kissed the world around us fell away and I couldn't tell how much time passed before I was pulled harshly away by my arm. I cried all the way as I was dragged away from Erik back towards what I thought was my 'room' but I soon realised I wasn't going back there and I pleaded tearfully.

"Where are you taking me and what will happen to Erik!?"

"Oh don't worry about your freak of a boyfriend. He will survive just a little longer to see you get married and claimed by me! But first of all I need you to see my tailor to get a dress ready for your wedding. And we mustn't forget your wedding night either; I want to pick out some pieces for that night too. I can't wait to sample you for the first time; no matter the fact you're not a virgin because that doesn't matter to me at all. As long as you obey my every whim I will be satisfied." He replied evilly. All I did was cry even more which seemed to anger him; before I could even react I felt a sting in my cheek and I realised he had slapped me which caused me to look at him in shock.

"No more tears or I will think of ways to keep you quiet!" He yelled seethingly. He then pushed me into the room and when I gained my bearings I could see a tailor in front of me.

"You know what to do." Was all he said and he left out of the room.

"Please sir there has been some horrible mistake! I shouldn't been here. My boyfriend and I have been kidnapped and my life is in danger!" I pleaded quickly.

"I'm sorry my dear but I have been very generous with my pay to him not only for his services but also for his silence. So there is no point trying to get his help so you can both escape. Now you, back to work! I paid you good money to do your job and I don't want you wasting it or my generosity!" A voice yelled and without even turning around I could tell to whom it belonged to. Yet again the door closed and the tailor proceeded to take my measurements then show me some fabric samples. But for some reason all of the samples were white; why would he make me wear white to a wedding when I am clearly not a virgin. And also when it has been known for a few years now that I will not wear white to my wedding as my mother didn't wear white to hers. To honour my mother I decided I would wear red as she wore purple which was her favourite colour so I will get married in my favourite colour in memory of her. Maybe he just wanted to make me remember the fact that I will not be a virgin on my wedding night. Soon enough measurements were taken and I had finally picked a fabric sample for my wedding dress; I had to play along otherwise the boss would punish me for sure if I didn't and I waited to find out what will happen to me next. I listened carefully for a moment and couldn't hear any footsteps approaching the room and so I slowly opened the door before poking my head out to look up and down the corridor. I couldn't see anyone in sight so decided now was the time to try and break Erik out of this prison. Luckily I paid attention to the route we took to the cellar where he was being held. I got there and breathed a sigh of relief when I couldn't see any guards in sight. To be honest I am surprised this man hasn't got guards watching a man like Erik twenty four hours a day since I know what he is capable of; well at least to a certain extent anyway. I pulled a hair grip out of my hair and proceeded to pick the lock of the door. I quietly entered and waited for my eyes to get use to the darkness.

"Erik...are you there?" I asked quietly.

"I am. But what on earth are you doing Charlene?! You are putting yourself in danger being here." He said quickly.

"I couldn't bear to see you die because of me." I replied tearfully.

"Listen to me. We will get out of this; together. But I need you to stay strong and not risk your life because I can't bear to see you hurt either." He replied passionately. I kissed him passionately and could feel his hands through my hair and on my back. I knew at this moment I couldn't let him go and we had to get out right now otherwise the boss could come in any moment and punish me for sure.

"Come on Erik we need to get out of here." I said urgently once we took a breath.

"Woah woah woah we need to stop and think for a moment. Do you even have a plan?" Erik said matter of factly. I shook my head sadly and knew we wouldn't be able to leave as Erik liked to make sure we had a good plan to enable us to escape.

"Please Erik I can't bear to stay here for another minute. I have a bad feeling something's going to happen; I'm just not sure what." I pleaded tearfully. Before I could stop myself I fell against Erik's chest and started to sob. I could feel his long musician's fingers stroking my back soothingly and I soon could hear my sobs subsiding.

"It's ok. I'll think of something; we will get through this and I promise you he will not hurt you."

"I just wish I could stay down here with you tonight. You make me feel safe. But I am scared of what he would do to me if he finds me down here."

"I will protect you no matter what. If he comes down here tonight or tomorrow morning I will protect you from him." Erik said and with that his voice wove its spell around me; before I could stop myself I fell asleep in his arms.

Erik's POV

As I finished singing Music of the Night I noticed her breathing had slowed and knew she was deeply asleep. But I vowed I will stay awake in case the boss came after her and tried to hurt her. I stroked her hair gently and it made me think for a moment; why would anyone want to hurt such a kind, beautiful, smart girl? I mean no-one should be allowed to harm such a beautiful girl especially one I care about so strongly for as long as I live. As I continued to rhythmically stroke her hair it started to make me feel sleepy and before I knew it I succumbed to sleep.

It was morning and I could feel the sunlight on my face. I looked down at Charlene and smiled when I saw her still sleeping peacefully in my arms; in fact she looked so peaceful I couldn't bear to wake her. But I had to before the boss came otherwise it might not be so easy to protect her from him.

"Charlene. Wake up its morning." I said gently whilst stroking her hair rhythmically. I giggled a little when she gave a little whine before stretching herself out like a cat.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked tiredly.

"Not long at all my dear." But before she could say anything more I felt her tense in my arms and I knew she could tell he was coming for her. I then saw her shaking and before I could stop her the tears started to fall heavily.

"Sssssh, it's ok I'll protect you. Always. I love you my Angel." I stroked her hand gently and gave it a gentle squeeze. Soon enough her sobs lessened as an almighty bang echoed around the cellar which caused her to grip me around the waist tightly.

"I've come to claim her back and I will make sure she is severely punished for staying down here with you the entire night!" He exclaimed angrily and I saw him try and make a grab for her arm. But I didn't let him as I embraced her protectively and looked at him with a cold glare; I didn't break my stare for a moment as I stroked her back gently.

"Now freak if you value your life you would hand her over to me!" And I felt Charlene grip me even tighter. I then stood up to my full height with Charlene still within my protective embrace and said seethingly.

"No. I would never give her away like some object to a monster like you."

"How dare you?! Her chains are still mine! She belongs to me!" And I held her tighter as a whimper escaped her lips.

"She doesn't belong to anyone because she is not an object! I love her for who she is and nothing is going to change that! I will protect her until I have no breath left in my body. Can't you see she will never truly love you like she does me?! See how she fears your very presence and turns to me for comfort, safety and protection? So you see her heart will never truly be yours even if you make her marry you." I said passionately and as my speech progressed I could see him clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Well technically she does still belong to me. He promised his first born child to me before he even married her mother." He said evenly as he calmed himself down.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked as Charlene's grip loosened on me slightly.

"Well I am talking about her father of course." He replied like we should have known the answer. But why would Charlene's father do such a thing? Is he even telling the truth?

"You lie. Her father loved her. He would never sell his only child to a monster like you!"

"Well you see; her father wasn't really a rich man and when he met her mother well let's just say he was willing to do anything to win her heart. You see before he married her mother he lost his job and needed the money to fulfil the life he wanted with her. So he turned to us as we are a loan company of sorts. As time went by he was very happy with his new wife and he soon got another job and that's when he received the news his wife was expecting a baby so he left his job to look after her through the pregnancy. So the debt with us accumulated and soon enough it came to the time when he had to pay us back. However he being such a good husband didn't want to raise suspicions with his wife when money went missing so tried to call off the debt. But we weren't going to give up that easily so we made a deal with him; if he gives us his first born child we will call off the debt. But on the day his wife gave birth it was like he had a change of heart because he wouldn't hand her over. So we watched and waited as she grew up; but we knew something was wrong before her father did but I still went through the bargain anyway even though she was disabled. When she reached 13 we knew this was the time to strike and so we attacked on the night of her 13th birthday party. But after we killed her parents we had to flee as the police turned up but vowed we would find her when everything went quiet. However when we came back to claim her she was nowhere to be seen and so I sent my three men to find her and that's when I found out they had found her and sampled her themselves. But there was a catch; you had saved her that night and overwhelmed my men. So ever since that night I have been trying to claim what is rightfully mine all along." He explained with no emotion in his tone. I felt Charlene let go of me and I saw her turn around towards the boss; it was like she suddenly gained courage from somewhere as she yelled angrily.

"You lie! My father cared about me very much! He would never do something like that to me!"

"Oh but he did. I may be a scoundrel but I would never lie about something like that." He replied evenly and I looked at her and could tell by her stance she was probably trying to gauge whether their intentions were right or not. A moment later I saw her shaking and heard her sobs echoing around the cellar so I went up behind her and brought her into a hug against my chest. I stroked her back gently until her sobs subsided and looked at the man in front of me with steely eyed determination.

"Now I will ask you only once. Let us go or I will be forced to hurt you. And I will have no hesitation in killing a scoundrel like you if I need to defend her life." But I frowned when I saw him laughing deeply and coldly which caused Charlene to shiver in my embrace.

"What is funny pray tell?" I asked sarcastically with a hint of venom in my voice.

"Even if you did kill me you would die before I even hit the ground. I have men stationed all around in this very room and they will make sure my death is avenged accordingly." I then smirked a little when I realised I had the upper hand. I remembered the single light source in the room and knowing the fact I was graced with the ability to see in the dark. I then fingered the pistol in my pocket and within the blink of an eye I shot the light causing darkness to descend the cellar. I heard a whimper escape Charlene and I felt guilty for scaring her as she has always been afraid of the dark but I took her hand reassuringly and led her out of the room towards safety. I whistled and saw my horse that was a direct descendent of the horse my great, great, great, great grandfather owned coming quickly towards us. He knelt down which allowed us both to clamber onto the horse before quickly riding away. As we rode away I held her tightly around the waist so she wouldn't fall off. I could feel her nervousness through my hands and so it made me think that she probably never ridden a horse before.

"Don't worry. Caesar is my most faithful companion; he would never hurt you as long as I am here to control him." I said soothingly. We soon got back to the flat and so I got Nadir to get Caesar back to his stable which wasn't too far from here.

"How did Caesar know to come here?"

"I had Nadir hide him nearby when I got taken in by the same men who took you as they let him go on the condition I turned myself in."

"But they could have hurt you or even killed you!" She exclaimed anxiously.

"Don't worry. I had a feeling something like this would have happened so I had a plan implemented so I would get out alive. I promised you I would always be there to protect you and I intend to honour my promise." I replied passionately. I saw her smile a little and before I could react she kissed me soundly on the lips like she wanted to seal in the promise I made.

"Now no more unhappy thoughts. How about we spend the day together in London? We could go to a museum or art gallery, eat lunch, hit the shops and then finish off with a theatre show?" Whilst taking her hand gently in mine.

"I'd like that." She replied quietly and I saw her go in the direction of her room; I presume she wanted to wash and change after her kidnapping as she suffered through so much. It then made me think about the worst possible scenario; what were to happen if I wasn't there to save her? She would have to live under the hands of a man she doesn't love who would constantly abuse her for the rest of her life; and all because to him she is a trophy, an object to own but not cherish. I was interrupted from my musing by someone clearing their throat and I looked up to see Charlene coming into the room; all I could do was look on in awe as she looked like an angel straight from heaven. Although simple it looked wonderful on her; her outfit consisted of a black high-low skirt with lace cut out along the hem and a white sheer blouse with bell-shaped sleeves. The outfit was finished off with black tights and black heeled oxfords as well as a tuxedo-style jacket. She was also carrying a small black and white handbag.

"Is my outfit ok? Oh no I am overdressed aren't I? I'll go change." She asked quietly but before she left the room I grabbed her hand gently and explained gently.

"No you are not overdressed at all. The reason why I didn't say anything at first was because I was stunned by how beautiful you look; you look like an angel that has fallen out of heaven." I smiled as she blushed a little and she said in reply.

"Are you ready to go?" I nodded and held out my arm for her to take. She took it gently and I led her in the direction of the car. After helping her into the seat and climbing into the driver's seat I started the car and drove in the direction of the nearest museum. After parking the car nearby I helped Charlene out of the car and we went arm in arm into the museum. I decided to take her to the Wildlife Photography exhibition as I have seen how she interacts with animals before and so I think she would appreciate seeing such beautiful photographs. As we entered the exhibition I felt her grip on my arm loosen and before I knew it she ran off in the direction of the first photo; she almost looked like an excitable child but I still loved her for being who she is. I could see people staring but she didn't seem to care although I wonder if deep down inside she does care about the way people judge her; in fact it annoyed me the way people were staring at her, it reminds me of the way people stared at my deformity and mask. Why is it everyone in the world judges people who are different? Well at least I think it is everyone in the world anyway; well maybe not everyone. I mean Nadir or Christine don't judge and I haven't had any comments from Raoul yet either. I felt someone tug my arm causing me to be distracted from my reverie and I realised Charlene must have noticed the fact I wasn't following her.

"What were you thinking about over there? You seemed distracted and lost in thought." She asked curiously as she led me around the exhibition.

"Nothing to worry yourself over my dear." I replied gently as I took her hand in mine.

"I know I find reading people's emotions and body language difficult but I can tell with you when something's up. Please tell me what's wrong, I want to help." She replied passionately whilst stroking my hand gently.

"It's nothing." I replied hoping she would drop the matter. How could I say to her the way people were staring at her was bothering me so?

"Please Erik, tell me what's wrong." She pleaded again.

"I see people staring at you with such judgemental stares; it reminds me of how people use to look at me as a child. And it hurts me to the core to see them judging you too." I replied quietly.

"But I have lived with their judgement all of my life. And it still hurts me to this day. But what scares me most of all is how people will judge me now I am in a relationship with a person like you." And with that I took her within my embrace and said gently.

"But they don't know me, do they even know you? And I understand your pain but know this; no matter what other people think you deserve all the happiness in the world. " I kissed her on the lips gently and with that we went around the rest of the exhibition ignoring all of the people looking in our direction. That night we went to see Wicked as I thought she would enjoy the musical and the music very much; I think she might be able to relate to the characters too.

It was the end of the musical and so we went back towards the place where I parked the car. As we walked towards the car park I could see tears falling down her cheeks still out of the corner of my eye.

"What did you think of the show my dear?" I asked gently.

"I thought it was simply beautiful. I felt sorry for Elphaba though; she suffered all that discrimination just because she was different. Strange though; her character almost mirrors my own." She replied in a dream-like state.

"I thought you would enjoy it; especially the story. Did you enjoy the music too?" All she did was nod as we finally reached the car; after helping her into the car she fell asleep instantly before I got into the driver's seat. I smiled as I drove back; seeing her sleeping so peacefully made me think back on all of the sleepless nights she has suffered and I feel so glad she can have a peaceful night's sleep for a change. We got back to the flat and I carried her inside to her bedroom. I gently laid her down under the covers and went to lock up the car. Just as I finished locking up the car I heard a high-pitched scream that certainly belonged to Charlene and I ran back up to her room thinking she might be in the throes of a terrible and vivid nightmare; but I couldn't have been more wrong...