I just had to pause a bit and will myself to put aside this VERY compelling, addictive story to say how much I'm enjoying it. :-). But OH, your ability to write such nastiness into Armand (and even making our dear Erik truly scary with his demands and threats to poor Genn) is quite disturbing! I'd bet he'd be a big admirer of the Marquis de Sade! Yikes! ;-)

Hahahahhaa! What a funny burning date!

Well - good story! I am, however, a little disappointed with the ending: even though it was happy enough, it just seemed sorta anti-climatic and rushed. Good riddance to the REAL monster Armand! What a horrile, sadistic psycho! I really wanted to see Erik rip Armand apart, but I DID like how Genn both rescued Erik & Christine, AND dispatched Armand just like a certain ancient goddess of war, Athena herself! I'm also glad that Erik & Christine kinda had their own reconcilliation. :-) And was Erik & Genn's first child a boy or a girl?

Oh, man! :-( (BTW - I was very surprised and sorta pleased about Christine's bit of jealousy that she wasn't the center of his world anymore. Well, she basically has herself and Raoul to blame for that, as well as Erik!)

Oh, my gawd ...of all the people for Genn & Armand to have run into! And Raoul STILL can't let go of his hatred for Erik? Christine's thankfully in disbelief over this; she obviously still also has some good thoights of Erik, and now I'm so glad she and Genn became good acquaintances. What's with these French noblemen, anyway? Are they all so hair-triggered to turn into raving lunatics with all loss of rational thought? Raoul's nowhere NEAR as bad as Armand, but he's still rabidly angry with Erik, despite that fact that Erik - though hot-tempered himself - NEVER hurt Christine, and let them go that awful night a year earlier. And, man - the noblewomen didn't have it so good, with all these nasty fops they were usually forced into marrying per the rules of the day! (I also hope Hugh is alright; Amelia needs him and he's a good man!)

Really, I'm surprised that Erik believed that Armand would really be away in Italy with relative ease! That pesky Daroga would've been good to have had around. ;-) But, no matter - Erik will soon enough find reason to kick himself in the butt for letting his guard down. (I also hope Genn & Erik don't leave the Opera Populaire, but I'd also rather they be safe - and happy.)

*Sigh* I knew it - of couse this would happen. But again, how else would we get the ultimate satisfaction of seeing Erik figuratively rip Armand to pieces! :-)

My own personal belief is that God didn't give woman the title of Adam, but He made her man's equal but different partner. It was mankind's sinfulness (both by men and women) that disrespected women, treating them like property than like loving partners / spouses. Of couse, both men and women are accountable to God for their own sins.

People often quote the Biblical phrase "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands" as God giving men carte blanche to be cruel to their wives, but this alone takes the full meaning out of context. To men, God says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." In other words, God wants the relationship between husbands and wives to reflect His desired relationship to us (see Ephesians 5:22-28). :-)

...I sense a big storm a-brewin' ...Opera Populaire, be on your guard, and keep your hands at the level of your eyes.

You got off EASY, Genn, as far as physical or emotional retribution from Erik, but only time will tell if you can ever regain his trust. You really have NO IDEA just HOW deeply Christine cut his heart (well, his whole life at the time) into pieces, albeit unintentionally - and cemented his distrust of a world that had abused and rejected him for most of his life. Erik may or may not ever forgive you, and he may not forget, either. :-(

Genn, you IDIOT! When will you ever learn to respect other people's privacy an d not go snooping around where you know you shouldn't? Maybe NOW, that you've caught red-handed by Erik ...who might also very soon be introducing you to THE terrifying Phantom of the Opera!

WOW - SMOKIN' HOT! Oh, how I wish *I* had an Erik of my own to love and BE loved like that! *Sigh* -)

Good grief, Erik! Your rudeness and audacity here is alarming!

Man, this has got to be the boldest, most cold, calculating, and arrogant Erik I could've never imagined treating a woman the way he's treated Genn! Now I knew his fury with Chistine after Don Juan Triumphnt came from extreme pain over her betrayal of him on stage. the last straw in his resentment of her and Raoul's relationship. But HERE? This is truly Scary!Erik!

Whoa! Genn, you shameless hussy, you! (Seriously, I gotta wonder why Armand DID treat her so horribly? And was all his "tenderness" with that redhead just an act, to look good in public? Probably not, since he probably didn't treat Genn very well in public either, with just a modicum of decorum to hide his monsterous ways!)