AN: Here is the next chapter.

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Once again his masque had been taken away from him. Could no one leave it in place? And, once again, Erik found himself being kissed by a woman. Was a forced situation the only way he would ever experience this? At the very least she hadn't screamed when looking at his face. Then again, her vision wasn't all that good, though she seemed to have focused on his eyes for a moment.

Carefully, he brought his hands to either side of her waist. With the viscount watching and thinking that she was something to him, he could not very well act like they had never done this before. He allowed his emotions to take hold for just a brief moment to kiss her back. It was an exquisite feeling, but he knew that it could not last. He pulled away from her, still resting his hands on her waist. There was fear in her eyes, likely mental images tormenting her once again. Another panic attack was the last thing that either one of them needed. The boy was watching them. Were she to break down, Raoul would have all the proof he needed that Eloise was only his- God no, he could not have that. He would not have the fop thinking of Eloise in such a negative manner.

Erik took her left hand in his and pressed a ring into her hand. "I am your Erik," he whispered. The fear in her eyes seemed to calm somewhat, though she seemed apprehensive. He couldn't blame her. She had just found out that he was the former Phantom of the Opera. He brought his other hand up to lightly stroke her face. "I will never harm you," he continued, hoping that she could believe him.

Eloise took a step away from him and looked at the ring in her hand. She didn't know what to say to him. He was supposed to be the thing of nightmares-the feared Opera Ghost that would snatch you up if you were not careful. His gentle touches, however, made her think different. He was but a man with a deformed face. Looking up at him again, she found that it was not all that bad.

She brought her hand up slowly to that side of his face. When she made contact with it, she heard him take a quick intake of air, as if preparing for what was to come next. Eloise recognized the contours of his face, however. It was what she had touched before. She smiled slightly, trying to ease the troubled emotions she could see in his mismatched eyes. "I know you won't," she quietly answered.

Somehow, she knew what his plan had to be. Putting the ring in place on her finger, Eloise turned to face the other man in the room. She noted that he had lowered the pistol and was staring at her and Erik in shock. "Do you need more proof?" she questioned.

"I could still kill you," Raoul replied. "Your beast did something with my wife. Why shouldn't I take you away like he did? She was never the same after coming down to this Hell hole."

Erik was not about to have the boy threatening Eloise. She had been through enough in the short time that she came here. And, the way she had acted just now made him think that perhaps she cared for him in some way. He slowly made his way toward the viscount. The fear that came into the boy's eyes was all too perfect. He was easily able to pull the weapon from the other man's hand.

He looked at the pistol in his hand and then back at the viscount, cocking his head slightly to the side. "And I could easily kill you," Erik stated, sounding far too calm. Bringing the weapon up, he aimed it at the viscount for a brief moment before aiming away to empty the rounds into the wall before tossing it away. "Now, why are you here, de Chagny?" he questioned tiredly. This whole situation was getting out of hand. The past had reared its ugly head and now Eloise was pretending to be something to him. "Your Christine is not here. The only woman here-"

"Your whore?" Raoul supplied, trying to save some face in front of the Opera Ghost.

Eloise came up to the two and slapped the viscount hard across the face. The look of shock from the man and surprise from Erik was precious. "I am no one's whore," Eloise stated, doing her best to force the thought of her rape out of her mind. She held up her hand to show Raoul the ring in case he had not noticed it before. "Do you need more proof than a wedding band?"

"A wife?" Raoul questioned, looking from the woman to the Phantom. Despite the plain outfit the girl wore-a simple green dress, she was somewhat pretty. But, how had the deformed freak found a woman who would be willing to wed him? She seemed happy. She was able to look at the deformed face without running, screaming. Then again, it was easy to get used to it after a while. He sighed and walked away from the two to sit at the music bench. "Christine has gone missing," he stated after a moment, running a hand through his hair. "I thought she would come here."

"Why would she do that?" Erik questioned. It was odd to be having a simple conversation with the viscount. Previously, any conversation between them had been arguing.

Raoul shrugged. "You took care of her during her time here. You crafted her voice. After leaving this dreadful place, I did not want her singing any longer. It isn't right for a viscount's wife to be in such a profession. After our wedding night, she became more and more distant."

So, he had robbed her of the music. It had always been a part of her life. How could de Chagny think that she would be able to live without it? The boy had never been that bright. "She is not here," Erik repeated. "It would be best if you were to go on your way."

"You loved her," Raoul protested. "How can you not care that she is gone?" It astounded him that the Phantom would so easily wave off the disappearance of Christine. She had once been everything to him. He had been willing to put his life on the line during Don Juan to reveal himself to her and ask her to go away with him and love him. How could he not care now? Even if this new woman was his wife, there was still a connection. There had to be. How was he supposed to find his wife without help? His family could never know that his wife left him. The press would have a field day if they found out. His name would be forever ruined.

Eloise looked from the man sitting at the organ bench-which seemed totally out of place for some reason-and then to Erik. It appeared that the rumors were true. The Opera Ghost was said to have fallen in love with the soprano star, Christine Daae. Another suitor had then appeared in her life. Fighting and death had ensued, and the Ghost had been revealed to be nothing but a man. The Ghost had crafted a work, Don Juan Triumphant. The show ended in disaster, but then Christine and her suitor had reappeared, and the Phantom was never heard from again. This Raoul person was confirming the rumors. Perhaps it would be best for her to listen to some rumors in the future. But, if Erik was in love with her, why was he not reacting to the news of the woman being missing?

"I have divorced myself from the situation," Erik supplied. "When you left with her, it was my understanding that that was the end of the story. In time, I came to accept it and began trying to move on with my life. Eloise," he gestured to her, "is proof of that. She has brought the music back into my life." It wasn't a total lie. They had only just met, but she had managed to bring a melody into his mind. Hmm, would he ever have the chance to score it? Still, he was not in love with her nor her with him. He would not even venture to go as far as calling them friends. But, then again, she had stood by his side when de Chagny showed up. Perhaps there was something there between them. But, a beauty could never love a beast.

"But what about Christine?" Raoul demanded. "You can at least call her your friend. Aren't friends supposed to care about one another?"

"Oh, I can? Well, thank you for your permission, viscount. You call her my friend, but she never sought me out after leaving with you, leaving me with my broken soul and taking the music with her. She showed no compassion or friendship to me," Erik replied, emotions tinting his sentence. This was quickly growing tiring. He wanted this fop out of his home. He did not want this part of his old life to be back. He retrieved the forgotten masque from the floor and put it back in place. He did not like being exposed in from of his once enemy. There was something off putting about it.

"What would you have him do?" Eloise questioned, surprising Raoul. She had been so quiet up to this point. She took a step closer to Erik and put her hand in his. She noted how tight his grip was on her hand. This whole situation was not good for him. It was quickly becoming clear that he had suffered greatly at the hands of Christine and Raoul. Perhaps that was why Fate had brought the two of them together, to heal one another's wounds.

Raoul hated to admit this. He hated what he had to do. He looked from the woman and then to the Phantom. He stood up and paced back and forth in front of the pipe organ for a moment. He must have appeared completely mad to the two of them. With a resigned sigh, he turned to face the pair. "I need your help."

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AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is shorter than normal.