Well, we are almost at the end (I know it may not seem so, but it's true). Thank you all so much for your reviews, alerts, reads and favourites!

Before you start reading, I have a question for all of you. I could end this fic the next chapter and change the rating of the whole story to T, or I can end it in two chapters, provided that the last chapter would warrant the M rating. It's up to you! :D

Anyways, happy reading!

Christine stared at Erik in surprise. She had never expected him to say something like that. While she wanted to see if Raoul was unharmed and treated well, she also wanted to stay here and talk with Erik, somehow make him let her in. The invisible wall he put up between them was tall and thick, making her progress tougher.

"Is it safe?"

"Yes. I have arranged you a short visit." Why was he doing this? He did not have to do anything for her, yet he went out of his way to see to her comfort and now acted in kindness by letting her visit her fiancé.

"I would like that." Erik simply nodded and stood. She followed his example and let him lead the way in silence. She did not take his hand this time for he walked with his hands clasped behind his back. She was walking next to him but it felt like she might as well have been back in France by the distance he suddenly put between them. They went down several flights of stairs and when they turned the corner, Christine spotted the jade-eyed gentleman from yesterday. When he saw them, he gave Erik a subtle nod and unlocked an iron door, which she suspected led to the prison. Erik gently took her wrist and pulled her behind a wide column away from sight. Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard voices talking in foreign language. She cautiously peeked out from their hiding spot and saw Monsieur Khan and one of the guards who had captured her and Raoul walking in the direction her and Erik just came from. She saw the chief of police put his hand behind his back, moving his fingers in some sort of silent message. They rounded the corner and disappeared from their sight.

Erik's fingers were still curled around her wrist as he led her to the open iron door.

"You don't have much time, try to make it short." She nodded in understanding when he let go of her hand. She took a step inside but before she could go further, his voice stopped her. "Christine?" She turned and their eyes met in the dim lights. "It is better that you don't mention me." She bit her lip in understanding and let herself inside.

The prison chamber was poorly lit and the cells were clouded in darkness. She could hear snoring from most of the cells, so she called out quietly.

"Raoul?" There was a long moment of silence, the only thing she could hear was her own breathing and the thundering of her heart in anxiety.

"Christine?" Her fiancé's voice came from her right and as her eyes adjusted, she saw Raoul, standing up from the ground and approaching the iron bars of his cell. He was greatly dishevelled and dirty but otherwise looked unharmed. "Christine!" He reached for her through the bars and she grasped his hand gently.

"Shh, we don't have much time." She cast a glance to the large iron door entrance.

"I'm glad you are here. Are you alright? Were you harmed? The guard said some horrible things! Something about a harem and a gifted slave for the palace's architect!"

"I'm fine, Raoul. Truly." His eyes roved over her, a small frown marring his features as he eyed her clothing with distaste. Suddenly she was glad she had changed into her new clothes and did not want to think what he would say about her other costume. "I was gifted to the architect. He is a Frenchman and I told him what happened to us. He offered to help us escape."

"And you would trust some stranger, Christine?" She bit her lip, thinking of how she could make him believe her without revealing Erik's identity. Then again, would Raoul decline Erik's help in aiding their escape? Without anyone to help them their chance of being free again was slim.

"He cut himself to fool the Shah he had taken my virtue and has protected me ever since. So yes, I do trust him when he says he will help us." Christine was aware that her tone turned defensive and hoped Raoul did not notice. He nodded, seeming to accept her faith in this stranger.

"I do not know what will happen or how or when we will escape, but he said soon. Please be prepared. Are they treating you well?"

"Yes, better than I could have imagined. I get regular meals and water."

"That's good. You need to be strong in case we have to fight our way out." She could see that thought did not sit well with him.

"I failed you, Christine. I should have protected you better."

"Don't worry, Raoul. I'm safe." Her mind turned to the man guarding the front door from the other side. As if on cue, there was a knock on the metal door and she took it as a signal that they had to leave. "I have to go, Raoul. I will see you later. Don't tell anyone of my visit." She squeezed his hand briefly before letting go.

"I love you, Christine." She gave him a little smile and a nod before rushing to the main door.

Once they were back in Erik's apartment, Christine could breathe easier. Other than her thanking him for giving her the opportunity to visit Raoul, they had not said a word during the journey back. He had been deep in thought and she did not dare disturb him in any way. Even though her day was more or less uneventful, she found herself weary, only wishing to crawl into bed and sleep. She watched as Erik wordlessly slid into his seat behind his desk, shuffling some papers around. She sighed and went to change into her nightclothes, tucking herself in his bed and staring at his back. The sound of a pen scratching against the paper lulled her into a deep sleep.

When Christine awoke, she heard two voices floating from the living area. One was distinctly Erik's, the other belonged to another man, but she could not place it.

"It is not going to be easy, Erik." The other man said, his French heavily accented. Despite Madame Giry's voice in her head telling her to behave like a proper lady, she could not help but eavesdrop, not moving an inch. Her eyes were still closed, even though her back was to the two men behind the bed's draperies.

"I know that, Nadir."

"You could still change your mind." Nadir said and Christine knew what he was insinuating; that Erik could still keep her and leave Raoul in prison.

"And then do what?" Erik's voice was calm and soft, yet she could sense a slight edge to his tone."No, I will not break my promise, I could not do that to her." Christine swallowed a sudden lump in her throat at the sincerity in his voice. She heard Nadir sigh heavily.

"You are fully aware of the consequences, Erik. Are you sure you want to do this?" Worry seeped into his words and Christine could sense it. What did he mean by consequences?

"I want to do this. She deserves better than this place. Her spirit would be crushed, she would not survive for long here."

"Will you tell her?"

"I will tell her only what she needs to know."

"Erik-"

"You will tell her the same." Erik's tone was harsh and his words left no room for argument. What were they talking about? What could possibly Erik want to hide from her?

"This is madness, Erik!" She heard a violent scrape of chair against the floor and then a thud as it toppled over.

"You fool, you will wake her!" Erik hissed and she figured now it was a good time to stop pretending. She turned onto her back with a low moan, hoping she sounded as if she just awoke. She blinked sleepily and turned onto her other side, propping herself on her hand.

"Erik?" She called out and drew the draperies back. The two men looked her way before Erik walked over to her.

"I'm sorry, Christine. We did not mean to wake you."

"It's alright." She ran a hand through her unruly hair, her eyes drifting from Erik to the man standing further back. The masked man followed her line of sight.

"Bonjour Monsieur."

"Mademoiselle." The man bowed slightly, looking a bit nervous under her gaze.

"What is going on? Why is Monsieur Khan here?"

"We've come up with a plan. But first you should have something to eat." Christine nodded and both men moved back to the living area, giving her privacy. She went to the bathroom to clean up and dress, impatient to hear news of this plan. From their earlier conversation she knew that Erik was hiding something. It would be next to impossible to make him reveal his secrets, so she hoped that Nadir would be more forthcoming if she had the opportunity to get him away from Erik for a few moments. She reached for the door handle but her hand stopped when their slightly raised voices sounded through the door.

"You are my friend, Erik. I cannot let you do this, there has to be some other way."

"If there was another way, believe me, we would not be having this conversation. I spent all night thinking it over. I have no other choice, Nadir."

"I understand." Silence stretched between them and Christine decided to leave the bathroom, her stomach urging her to quickly prepare herself some breakfast. As she came into the parlour, the two men were already sat, Erik in his customary armchair and Monsieur Khan in a chair that had been pulled away from Erik's desk. To her surprise, a tray was already prepared for her; a fresh croissant, strawberry marmalade, an apple, a steaming cup of tea and a glass of orange juice neatly arranged around it. She sat down on the couch timidly, her eyes darting between the two men. Erik gestured to the tray, silently telling her to start eating.

"You said you came up with a plan?" She asked as she smeared her croissant with the marmalade, then taking a small bite.

"Yes. You will be leaving tonight." She had to swallow hard as the morsel suddenly lodged in her throat. Tonight? She had not expected it to be so soon, maybe in a couple of days but not today. Christine had wanted to make amends with Erik and gain their friendship back, but it would not be possible to accomplish so much in so little time.

"Releasing the Vicomte from his cell should be fairly simple." Erik continued, unaware of her inner turmoil.

"That is, if he accepts your help." Nadir piped in and the masked man shot him a glare. The olive skinned man obviously knew everything about her and Erik's past. She too had wondered what would Raoul's reaction be when the true identity of their helper were revealed. Would it come to another confrontation between the two men? From Erik's expression she could tell he would not seek a fight but Christine could very well imagine Raoul charging at the masked man to protect her. Ironically, she did not need protecting from Erik at all but Raoul would never believe that.

"He will have no choice." She stated resolutely, surprising the two men.

"We will have to sneak past the Shah's guards, Nadir will provide necessary distraction. Nadir's manservant Darius will escort you from there and into their house, where you will wait for Nadir. The train to Istanbul leaves at eleven o'clock tonight. You will be accompanied by both Nadir and Darius for the duration of this ride." Christine went over his words in her head, yet there was still that nagging thought in the back of her mind. And what about you, Erik?

"I understand." Her gaze darted between the two men and while Erik met her eyes calmly, she noticed Nadir avoiding her eyes and staring into his tea cup instead. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Just stay put. Me and Nadir have some things we need to take care of, we will see you in the evening."

True to Erik's word, she had not seen him all day until later in the evening. She had tried to keep herself busy but in the end she had just sat in the armchair and looked at nothing in particular, lost in thought. How had her life come to this? She had been happy yet now she felt torn and guilty for not feeling things she should be. As mad as it sounded, she did not want to leave here. Not without Erik. , her subconscious added. The door of the apartment opened and she jumped up, watching as Erik entered alone. His face was drawn and she immediately felt concerned.

"Is something wrong?" He simply shook his head.

"If you are ready, we can leave." While the details about their escape had been rather sketchy, she trusted Erik to know what he was doing.

"What about you?" He looked up at her in surprise but remained silent. "You can come with us." She offered weakly, knowing he would not accept it. She had to try at least.

"Why would I do that, Christine?" Their eyes met as he spoke in a soft defeated tone, before breaking their gaze and turning his back to her, keeping his hands busy with ordering the papers on his desk.

"I just-" She stopped herself, not knowing what to say. Of course he would decline, why was she surprised? Since when could she have both? It had always been one or the other. "I wanted to thank you. You did not have to help us but you did anyway. And for that I am very grateful." Christine closed the distance between them and pressed herself against his back, her arms wrapping against his torso. She felt him tense and stop his motions but she did not care. At this moment she needed to feel him close, inhale his scent, hold him for what was likely to be their first and last time. Her throat clogged up with emotion and she closed her eyes against the burning sensation behind her eyes.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. Please be happy." She could not speak even if she wanted to. His confession and plea robbed her of her breath and words. She wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all. When he gently took one of her hands and pressed a feathery kiss on the back of it, she had to bite her lips to keep herself from crying. She let him remove her arms from around him and step aside.

"Erik, I-" There were so many things she wanted to say and when he turned to look at her, there was a knock on the front door. He went to open it and she closed her eyes briefly in disappointment. On the other side of the door stood a rather solemn faced Nadir, looking at Erik and then past him at Christine.

"Are you two ready?" She felt Erik's eyes on her and she looked from Nadir to him, their eyes connecting and holding for a few moments. She swallowed and nodded.

They walked a few minutes in silence before Nadir turned to them.

"You are on your own for now. Wait for my signal."

Once again they watched as the chief police officer distracted the guard and together they went inside the prison. Christine immediately went to Raoul's cell, grasping the metal bars with her hands.

"Raoul!" She whispered into the dark, relieved to find him emerging from the shadows.

"Christine?"

"Quiet, we don't have much time." She looked back at Erik who was out of Raoul's sight. He wordlessly gave her the key to the cell. She quickly opened it and winced at the violent squeak it gave, not wishing to rouse the other prisoners. Her fiancé wasted no time and hurried out of the cell, catching a glimpse of Erik in the shadows.

"You!" Raoul growled menacingly, his face twisting into shock and rage. Christine cast a glance at the masked man, who remained standing still, the visible side of his face was calm, yet his eyes were hard and cold. She quickly stepped between the two men when she saw Raoul take a step towards his enemy, pressing her small hand firmly against his chest to stop him. Raoul looked at her in surprise, taking in her stern expression. "What is he doing here?" He spat and her eyes narrowed; she really did not wish to get into an argument right now.

"It was you all along!" Her fiancé suddenly exclaimed and she tried to quiet him.

"What are you talking about, Raoul?"

"Can't you see, Christine? He was the one who orchestrated all this and now has you in his clutches once again!" Christine suppressed the need to roll her eyes; only Raoul could think up such ridiculous theory.

"If that were the case, why would he be helping us escape?" She hissed in low voice and for the moment the man looked subdued as she pointed out a flaw in his logic. "I don't want to argue right now, Raoul. Can we please just go?"

"If I were you, I would listen to your fiancée, Vicomte." Erik's disdain for his rival was evident in the tone of his voice. Raoul just glared at him but said nothing, taking her hand in a tight grip as if one wrong look from Erik would take her from his side. "Follow me." Erik said curtly and led them out, through several corridors and hidden passages.

"Halt!" Came a deep booming voice from behind them and the trio found themselves surrounded by three guards; two in front of them, one in the back. She could hear Erik curse under his breath. His fingers wrapped around the wrist of her free hand and gently tugged her behind him for safety. Her eyes widened when she saw him withdraw his famous lasso from the sleeve of his jacket. The guards drew their swords and inched towards them. Erik cast a quick nod to Raoul in a peculiar display of camaraderie as he handed him a knife. The guard behind them was luckily not armed with a sword, so Raoul was in advantage. The two men on each of her side attacked the guards at the same time, Erik swiftly attaching his lasso to both their throats at once and gave a quick yank. She watched as the two guards toppled to the ground with wide eyes and only remembered Raoul when his hand enveloped hers once again. He had incapacitated the third guard by knocking him unconscious. Erik saw her watching the two bodies in front of them.

"They will live. They are merely unconscious." She nodded mutely. "Come." They followed him through another set of hallways and thankfully there were no more guards to stop them. Finally they were almost outside; she could see the back entrance of the palace and the city's lights just outside the gates. Nadir and, who she presumed was his servant Darius, were waiting for them there. After quick introductions, the two men briefed Raoul on their next steps. Christine and Erik found themselves alone a short distance away from the three men. He leant against the wall, his hands in his trouser pockets, and studied her face. He looked oddly vulnerable and she wanted to reach out and touch him to dispel such emotion.

She did not want to say goodbye in this manner, she never wanted to say goodbye to him ever again. She knew this was probably the last time she would ever see him and a sudden despair seized her chest. Her words stuck in her throat and when she felt Raoul's fingers encircling her wrist, she felt panic rise within her.

"Christine, come." He said but her eyes were riveted to the green orbs of the masked man. She stood unmoving even after she felt a soft tug on her arm from her fiancé. Her free hand started to reach out to Erik but dropped as Raoul tugged harder. She had no other choice but to follow him, yet her eyes never left those of her Phantom. She saw him swallow and his jaw clench.

If leaving him in his lair five months ago had been painful, leaving him now was shattering her heart into tiny pieces. She let her tears fall freely as she was being led further from Erik, the pain in her chest debilitating. Once the door of the prepared carriage was shut behind her and the vehicle started to move, she felt empty once again.