A/N: Here it is! The sequal to Blood and Shadows! All usual diclaimers apply, I am only borrowing the world of the Phantom, and I promise to return it in pristine condition when I am finished. Many, many thanks to TheWickedWitchofOZ for beign my beta. I fear I would never have gotten this chapter done without your help.

This story will be very short, only two or three chapters. I have decided this because I was trying really hard to write Angst last time, and my muse was very unhappy with leaving it the way I did. So after a long fight and intense negotiations involving the hostage taking of my other story ideas by said muse, we came to an agreement. I hope you enjoy it.

The first thing he became aware of was the comfortable press of a soft mattress under his body. The next was a burning pain in his throat. He sat upright, feeling the disorientation of sleep recede quickly from his mind as the memories crashed in on him.

Christine was there next to him, trembling with fear in her lovely white gown, crystal tears flowing down her cheeks as she watched Raoul struggle for breath. She slowly stepped forward and slipped her trembling fingers up to cradle his face, her right hand jerking as it touched the marred flesh there. She pressed her lips to his, silently sobbing as she did, and he felt…cold. For a brief second, he could feel a different set of lips, hear a breathy voice moan his name, and he tore away from the soprano with a pained cry.

"Go! Take your lover and go! Leave me to my solitude!" he howled, dropping the rope that had been strangling the Vicomte. Christine rushed to her lover's side to free him from the tangled ropes while Erik sank to his knees in grief.

"Erik! The mob is coming after you. Please, we have to leave!" he would have thought himself mad, to hear her lovely voice begging him to flee, had he not felt her fall to her knees in the shallow water next to him. His head shot up and he was awed by the sight before him. Her hair was windswept from running through the tunnels, with emeralds glinting in the torchlight. The plain gown wrapped around her made the perfectly crafted gown he had given Christine seem made of rags in comparison. Bloody tear tracks lined her face, and her sapphire gaze shone with unconcealed love as she reached out to caress the marred skin on his face.

"Mina? You came back to me?" he whispered, and she smiled, making his heart lift.

"I couldn't leave. No matter how much it breaks my heart to see you with another I cannot deny you a thing," she replied through her bloody tears. He longed to kiss her then, to wipe away her tears and beg forgiveness for being so blind, but she stood swiftly, facing down Raoul as he held his sword at her chest. She did not flinch, merely gave the Fop a glacial look and spoke to him.

"You have rescued your precious Christine Vicomte. Leave this place, and I swear to you that you will never see us again."

Christine's eyes were wild with fear and Erik realized what Raoul must see in the woman before him; a demon to match the monster that had stolen his love. Time seemed to slow as he gripped Mina's arms and wrenched her behind him, a heartbeat before the Fop's blade slid easily through his chest. He felt a strange tugging sensation, before everything seemed to spin and he was gazing up into Mina's tear filled eyes.

"No! You are not going to die like this! I can save you Erik." She sobbed, drawing the hidden dagger from the folds of her dress. He smiled absently, already his vision was fading at the edges.

"Forgive me, ma ange nuit. I was such a fool." He gasped, her shape was becoming blurred around the edges and only her sapphire eyes remained perfectly in focus.

"Of course I forgive you, Erik! Just hold on!" she cried, and he felt a rush of fire in his chest. The world seemed to shift and swirl and, before he slipped into the darkness, he wondered how Hell could plan a worse torture than being dragged from Mina's side.

Erik slowly looked around at the room he had been laying in. It was very dark, and there was a faint scent of candlewax all around. Set in the wall across from the bed was a simple door with an ornate handle. He took a step forward before an odd scent caught his attention. He turned his head slightly to where a single fat candle burned. Next to the candle lay a thick leather bound volume. He moved closer and gently lifted the tome from the small table. As he did, the familiar scent grew stronger, a mix of jasmine and something else,. He opened the cover and found the book to be a journal. His heart leapt as he recognized Mina's graceful scrawl.

May 16, 1944- It has been a week since I awoke from the Sleep of the Dead, and you still sleep, my love. After seeing what has become of our beloved Paris, I think you had the better idea. A Great War has been raging for some years, and France has been occupied for many of those years by German forces. These men are the worst sort of evil, persecuting entire groups for their religion or the way they were born! I have hope that they will soon be cast out. England, Russia, and America have joined forces and rumors are being whispered that the Allies(that is what those countries call themselves) will soon liberate Paris. I have been doing what I can to set up our new lives, but if the Allies do not arrive soon, we will have to slip out of Paris. As soon as you wake, you can choose the first place we will go. I miss you, my love.

He looked up from the page. 1944? That was seventy years! Quickly, he flipped through the pages. They were filled with short messages from Mina, all dated from 1944 until the most recent, which he could hardly believe.

June 27, 2010- Over one hundred and forty years, and still you sleep. My only glimmer of hope is that you are still whole, the wound that should have cost you your life completely healed long ago. So much has changed in this world, and I long to share it with you. Believe it or not, but your story has become quite famous! There was even a musical written about thirty years ago based on your story. Even more amazing is that the 'phans', as they call themselves, all seem to adore you. So many people cry out against the injustices you suffered in your life, and call Christine a fool for leaving you behind and choosing the Vicomte. Tthey even call him the Fop! Naturally, I am never mentioned in the tales, after all, who would imagine that the lowly healer of the Opera Populaire knew a thing about the whole debacle? At the end of the play, Antoinette's little girl follows the mob into your home and finds your mask, sitting on the bench of your organ. I think it is fitting that your end is left a mystery to the audience, like you simply faded into the shadows like the Phantom you were, never to be seen again. Of course, that is not entirely true. I still see you, I still wait for you to open your wonderful green eyes and look at me again. I can only hope you will not despise me for turning you into a vampire like me. I love you, my wonderful ghost.

Erik sat down heavily. One hundred and forty years! He had slept for so long that the world had changed entirely. And he was a vampire? Fearfully, he reached up and pressed his fingers to his face, surprised to feel the stiff leather of his mask resting there. He smiled. How thoughtful of Mina to provide him with a new mask. Setting the book aside and leaping to his feet, he strode over to the door and turned the handle, intent on searching out Mina. He stepped into a dimly lit hallway, with a short stairwell at one end leading up. In less than two heartbeats, he was standing at the top of the staircase, his eyes darting around the lavish hall that spread before him. A door opened and a woman appeared. Her eyes widened in surprise for a second, and Erik prepared to flee back down the stairs when her face broke out into a wide grin.

"You're awake at last! Oh, Mina will be so happy! Theo! He's awake!" she cried, her short ebony hair sweeping around her head as she turned to call over her shoulder. A second later, an olive skinned, blonde haired, man appeared in the doorway. He smiled warmly at Erik, who was still standing at the stairway, torn between instinctual fear of people and an odd sense that these two were like him.

"Jessie, darling, relax. Why don't you go fetch Erik something to drink? He's probably starving," said the man. Jessie nodded and disappeared down the hallway while the man slowly approached Erik.

"I'm Theonis, but almost everyone calls me Theo. We're friends of Mina's, she asked us to watch over you until you woke up. How are you feeling?"

Erik looked around the room slowly, his gaze finally settling on a window that overlooked the sprawling lawn behind the building he stood in. He moved forward slowly, transfixed by the sharp detail he could see in everything. Theo chuckled behind him.

"Give it some time, and you'll adjust," he advised the younger vampire. Erik turned his head to look over the other man. Despite having similar coloring to the Fop, Theo held himself with a strong bearing.

"Have I truly slept for over a century?" Erik asked, surprised at the clarity of his voice. Theo nodded, gesturing for Erik to walk with him.

"We call it the Sleep of the Dead. If a vampire is badly injured and unable to feed soon enough, they enter the Sleep. Everything slows down, and the vampire will seem to be dead. After a time, the wounds will heal and the vampire will awaken. In your case your body had to not only make the change from human to vampire but also heal a mortal wound. That is why you slept for so long."

Erik listened intently, absorbing this new information as they walked. Theo opened a door and led Erik inside, where Jessie stood at a small icebox pouring red liquid into a glass.

"Here we are. Go easy, I know you're thirsty, but too much too fast will make you sick," she advised him, offering the glass. Erik gently took it and nearly gasped as the burn in his throat increased at the scent of the blood. He brought the glass to his lips and took a long slow drink. He let out a shocked breath as his senses seemed to sharpen and settle, until he felt more like himself at his best. He looked over at Theo.

"Where is Mina?" he demanded. Theo laughed outright, and Jessie joined him, her high, tinkling laugh reminding Erik of the higher notes of a flute.

"Well, he certainly doesn't let much phase him, does he?" Jessie tittered while Theo, still smiling, nodded in agreement.

"Mina left about a week ago to visit her sire, Korfus, in Egypt. I'll call her and she will catch the first flight to Paris, if she doesn't decide to run the whole way," said Theo, still clearly amused.

"Vampires can call to each other over such distances?" asked Erik with a puzzled frown. Theo smothered a snicker behind his hand as he moved over to the far wall.

"No, Erik, what Theo means is he will use the telephone. It is a machine that sends a signal across great distances that allow people to converse as if they are standing in the same room," explained Jessie, knowing that the device had only just begun to be considered plausible in Erik's time. Erik let this sink in as he took another drink from his glass, listening to Theo as he spoke into the telephone.

"Korfus? It's Theonis. We're fine. Is Mina available? Thanks. Mina? How fast can you get a flight to Paris? He's awake. I swear, I'm looking right at him. He's taken to the liquid diet a lot better than I would have expected. Yeah. Sure, just a sec," Theo took the receiver from his ear and looked at Erik. "Would you like to talk to her?"

Erik set his empty glass down and moved forward, gingerly taking the strange device from Theo. He placed it to his ear as he had seen Theo do and heard a rustling in his ear.

"Erik? Can you hear me?" Mina's beautiful voice flowed through the device and Erik felt tears form in his eyes.

"Yes, Mina, I'm here," he whispered in awe at the amazing technology that brought the blessed sound of Mina's voice.

"Erik, I am so sorry I'm not there. I'm on my way to the airport right now. Korfus and I will be in Versailles by sunrise. Theo and Jessie will answer any questions you have in the meantime. Please tell me, can you forgive me?" she asked, the sounds of movement clear in the background.

"For what, ma ange nuit?" he asked, puzzled. The sounds of movement ceased, and he could hear a door shut.

"For turning you without your consent. For leaving that day and not giving you a chance to explain. For letting you step in front of that blade," she whispered in a miserable voice.

"There is nothing to forgive, my love," he replied tenderly. " I shall eagerly await the sunrise and your arrival."

"I love you Erik. I'll see you soon."

There was a click, and a long tone echoed in his ear. He looked back at Theo with his brow furrowed, and the older vampire smiled.

"She is probably eager to reach the plane," he explained. " The sooner to get here and see you with her own eyes."

"Come along, Erik. I'm sure you have many questions, and we of course have all night to answer them. Let's move to a more comfortable setting, shall we?" Jessie suggested, picking up a tray with several glasses, two bottles of blood, and a bottle of amber liquid on it.

A/N: The next chapter will return to Mina's POV. Tell me what you think!