Hey readers! I got a bunch of positive reviews on chapter 2, so thank you all. I would like to thank my two betas for doing an amazing job in helping his story progress. I am so so so sorry for the wait; life has just been kinda of crazy. Sadly I don't own Erik or any characters or songs I use. Like in the previous chapter lyrics and direct quotes will be italicized. Here are a couple personal shout outs since I didn't do any for chapter 2. But just know I love you all and I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing.

EriksAngeDeLaMusique- Thank you so much for saying my characterization is great! That means so much to me. I love that the idea seems new to you. Thank you for agreeing with Erik's slight bashing of Raoul, I thoroughly enjoyed writing that part and I am glad people agree with the reality of the situation.

Bo-leigh Bella- I honestly can't thank you enough for reading and praising my work! I am super glad that my writing made you react. I am so happy that someone understood the biblical reference and I can't thank you enough for becoming my BETA!

Phanatic01- thank you for forgiving my mistakes in chapter one and I hope you love chapter 3 as much as I do!

Christine POV

I awoke from a throbbing pain in my feet, opening my eyes I glanced around. I was pleasantly surprised to find the room well lit, but what made my heart soar was seeing Erik's peaceful face. His arms were wrapped around me gently and my head lay on his chest. I smiled despite the pain in my foot. I knew both of my feet had been cut, but honestly the pain in my right foot was so great that my left foot felt fine.

Remembering last night, tears came to my eyes. Even though the pain had been enough to bring me to tears, what pushed me overboard was seeing Erik's horrified face. I could tell that he had been blaming himself. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions which honestly shocked me, he had been the famous Opera Ghost for years. He had managed to remain aloof and allusive for all those years, yet he couldn't keep a straight face.

Looking at him now though, I couldn't help but smile. His face was relaxed and had almost a childlike innocence to it. I wanted to get up and change clothes, but I feared that moving would wake Erik. I wasn't going to take that chance. He needed all the sleep he could get if we were to escape the opera house in one piece, thanks to the mob.

How could they hunt this man? He was human, just like them. It was their fault for hounding him out and hating him for his face. They didn't know of his voice or of the beautiful pieces he had composed. They had no idea of the horrors he had suffered through. If only they would listen!

What horrible human beings they were to judge without knowing all the facts! The only one who seemed unafraid of him was Madame Giry. Wait… did Madame Giry know Erik for who he was? Had she ever seen his face? The more I thought about it, the more I realized the truth. Madame Giry must have known of Erik's talent, or else she wouldn't have encouraged me to sing for Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin.

I wondered if she had ever told Meg about the angel who lived in the opera house. I doubted it considering Meg always screamed when "the Phantom" appeared. I felt bad abandoning Meg, considering she was the only ballerina who didn't hate me. She had become like a sister to me, just like Madame Giry had become the mother I never had.

Though I considered most of the cast family in a way, the majority of them I didn't care for. I guess that's what most families were like though. You loved some of them and hated some of them, but at the end of the day you stood with them because that's what family does. Or at least what they should do. I had seen the cruel reality of what family did to someone who was different. I mean really, shouldn't they have stood by me and protected those I love?

While I was wrestling with my own thoughts, Erik had started moving. I turned to face him, expecting his eyes to be wide open. Instead I found them shut tight, and his face creased with worry. My eyebrows knit in confusion. "No, No," he suddenly screamed his eyes still closed. Then everything made sense. He was having a nightmare. His arms had released me when he started screaming. I slowly sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder. With one fluid motion he had jerked away from me, rolling onto his side and facing away from me.

"No, don't hurt her," he screamed reaching for an imaginary enemy. My heart broke, he was obviously dreaming about someone hurting me. I did the one thing I knew would save him from his nightmares. Sing.

"Angel of music, you are safe now, no one can hurt you so, Angel of music, please arise now, time to be loved," I sang my voice growing in power. I saw his shoulders relax, and then after a few seconds he sat up. In one fluid motion he had turned around, his eyes wide as saucers. When his eyes came to rest on me, they softened.

I reached out for him at the same time he reached out for me. Without saying a word he wrapped his arms around me and placed his chin on the top of my head. I was quite content just to sit in his embrace, but he had other plans.

"Thank you my love," he whispered. I moved back to look at him. "For what?" I asked honestly confused. "For saving me from that awful nightmare and from a life without love," he said. I just smiled at him saying, "You would have done the same for me." He nodded. "We must get out of here," he said after a few moments of silence. "Yes Erik, but how?" I asked unsure if I actually wanted to know.

"It doesn't matter. First we need to change and tend to your feet," he said pressing his lips to my forehead. I nodded in agreement. He got up and disappeared for a moment. When he returned he held a small box and a pile of clothes. He sat down on the edge of the bed and opened the box. "Would you like to change first or do you want me to check on your feet?" he asked softly. "Change," I said gesturing to the wedding dress I was still wearing. It had definitely seen better days. The bottom had water stains along the edges and it was ripped and dirtied. What once had been a beautiful dress had been reduced to a white mess.

Erik smiled and picked me up bridal style. I held in a squeal as he carried me toward what I assumed was a bathroom. Somehow he managed to open the door without letting me go. There was a small candle burning in the corner next to a small sink. Carefully Erik set me down on the edge of the tub and disappeared yet again. Returning he held a small bundle of clothes.

"I don't have anything for you to wear. I am sorry. So I grabbed a large shirt and wel,l I hope it will do," he said smiling sheepishly. "It will be fine Erik," I said reaching for the clothes. He handed me the clothes then stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door. I looked down in my hands to find a large white shirt and a loose pair of black pants. I smiled to myself, once we got to the real world I would have to work on improving Erik wardrobe. All he ever wore was black and white, not including his red death costume which looked stunning on him.

I blushed, thinking of the way the costume had made Erik look. I suppose now he was my fiancé but still, a woman shouldn't have improper thoughts about a man. I changed into Erik's clothes, loving that they smelled like him. I just continued sitting, unable to force myself to walk on my feet. After another few minutes of nothing, I decided to sing.

"You were once my one companion, you were all that mattered, you were once my friend and lover, then my world was shattered, wishing you were somehow here again, wishing you were somehow near, sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here," I sang. As I continued Erik appeared in the doorway and his voice joined mine.

"Wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never will, dreaming of you won't help me do, all that you dreamed I could," we sang together our voices rising in perfect unison. Erik crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me, burrowing his face into my shoulder like a child. One of my arms wrapped around him as the other stroked his hair. When he looked up at me his eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Erik, what's wrong," I whispered all the while trying not to panic.

"I don't deserve to hear your voice, or be able to call you mine. After all of these years that I deceived you calling myself an angel, how can you forgive that? How can you forgive the creature that distorted your father's memory?" he cried. "Erik you did no such thing. You taught a terrified child how to sing and how to love. You didn't distort father's memory, only brought it to life," I said truthfully. "But… I'm a monster," he said refusing to meet my eyes. "No you are an angel. I don't know why you keep saying you are a monster but you aren't! What can I do to prove it to you?" I whispered.

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime, lead me save me from my solitude," he responded. "You are not a monster but an angel, you are all that good in the world, you are light and love itself, no less, Everything you do, you do for me, Erik that's all the good in you," I sang back, hoping with all my heart that he would believe me.

Erik looked up at me, complete wonder in his eyes. "Christine I love you," he sang to me, a small smile on his face. I bent down and pressed my lips to his in a gentle kiss that held all of my feeling. The love I had for him was stronger than anything, and he needed to know that. He deepened this kiss, pulling me down into his lap. I didn't protest, though I probably should have. Slowly he pulled back, his green eyes glowing with desire.

"Come, we must tend to your feet so we can leave," he whispered. Then in one fluid motion, he stood up and pulled me into his arms. Making sure that my feet never touched the ground he carried me back out to the main room. He set me down on the bed very gently, and then went to look at my feet. I hadn't noticed but he had wrapped both of my feet in white cloth.

With a feather light touch he unwrapped the makeshift bandages. He started with the left foot, and gave me a small smile when he saw my bare skin. I was unable to see the extent of the damage, but judging by Erik's reaction my left foot wasn't all that bad. He poked my foot in a couple places, yet I felt no pain. "Is it bad that my foot doesn't hurt?" I asked after a couple more minutes of him poking it. "Not at all my love, it just means there wasn't a lot of damage. That's a good thing," he said softly.

Then he moved on to my right foot. I held my breath, scared of the pain that would surely follow once he started poking my poor foot. When the last section of cloth was removed, all was silent. Erik sat frozen at the foot of the bed, and I sat waiting for him to say something. After a few more moments of silence, my curiosity got the best of me. "How bad is it?" I asked.

"Umm… it's..." he started. I felt my heart speed up in anticipation. "Good," he whispered. I let out a shaky gasp of relief. He looked up at me, relief clear on his face. "Do you mind if I touch it in a couple places? I don't want to hurt you but…." He asked. "Go ahead," I whispered. With a small nod, he started poking my foot. At first it didn't hurt, but I realized that the more he poked my foot the more it hurt. "Umm Erik… Can we get going?" I asked trying to be discrete. "Oh I am so sorry, my love! We can leave right now, let me just rewrap your foot," he said in a hurry.

After a few minutes my right foot was rewrapped and we were getting ready to go. Erik ran around the small room grabbing random things and throwing them in a bag. I sat on the bed, looking at my left foot. It didn't even look that bad, and I was the one who hated the sight of blood and any kind of wound. Erik looked quite frantic, which I didn't understand. We were almost free and my feet weren't all that bad. What could he be worried about?

"Erik, what's got you so worried?" I asked after another minute of him running around like a mad man. He stopped moving. "We have to go into the real world and I don't have a mask," he cried. My hand flew to cover my mouth, yet a small gasp still managed to force its way out of my lips. "Ummm… we will figure something out Erik. I promise. Do you have a place you go to buy new masks?" I asked trying to keep my thoughts from tumbling together. He stood frozen for a second, looking at me in a kind of weird way. I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks.

"Yes, but I can't go in there without a mask. Damn this face" he screamed looking at the ground. I took a couple tentative steps toward him ignoring the throbbing pain in my feet. When he didn't move away from me, I crossed the few feet that separated us. I gently placed a hand under his chin, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were full of tears and pain. "You will send me in to get a mask for both of us. That way that won't see your face and you won't stand out as much. We can tell people we are going to a masquerade party," I whispered.

"You're right. Everything will be ok," he whispered more to himself than to me. I gave him a small smile, and then gently pressed my lips to his. It was sweet and innocent and full of love. He pulled back first and I gave him a small pout. He smiled, yet it didn't reach his eyes. "Can you walk? Or would you rather me carry you for the time being," he asked. I wrapped my arms around his neck instead of answering. He slowly picked me up then grabbed the bag of necessaries that he had set down a few minutes ago.

We made our way out to the main tunnel, which was darker than I remembered. Erik seemed to know exactly where he was going as he walked down the tunnel; whereas I had no idea, and that fact was driving me insane. I knew Erik thought he was protecting me by not telling me anything, but I felt like I needed to know. Even though I trusted him with my soul, I was one who wanted to know every detail of a plan.

Erik POV

As I carried Christine through the darkened tunnels my mind wandered to my mask. I knew we needed to get me another one as soon as possible. People were naturally worried when something was hidden from them, but at least a mask protected us from questioning and the screams of horror that would surely follow if humans saw my face. I had to give Christine credit for coming up with the idea of both of us getting masks and passing of as going to a party. That would at least raise some suspicion. Another thing we would need then was a nice dress for Christine.

I would be fine if I pulled on a jacket, but Christine wouldn't be able to pass off going to a party in pants. I sighed quietly at the amount of work that I needed to accomplish before we would be safe. "What's wrong angel," Christine asked. "We need to find you proper clothing if we are to claim to be going to a party. I am also worried about walking around without a mask," I told her completely honest. Truly there was no point lying. Getting out of Paris alive, without being found would be a challenge.

"I promise you we will find a way to get out," she whispered back to me. We were both whispering even though we knew the mob had not followed us. It was something about the darkness that made everything very intimate. It didn't help that I was holding Christine so close to my body. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I needed to concentrate on getting out of here instead of having improper thoughts about Christine.

"We first need to get you a dress, and then we can worry about my mask," I said after another moment of silence. "Ok," she whispered back. We continued moving through the darkness, but something seemed off. Christine seemed to be deep in thought, yet her face was drawn with worry. Something was wrong, I was sure of it.

"What's wrong Christine?" I asked. "Umm… I... I'm scared," she whispered burrowing her face into my shoulder. "Of what, my love?" I asked. "Raoul," she whispered fear clear in her voice. My blood started to boil at the mention of his name. "Why? He can't hurt us anymore," I said. "He… he said he would find us. He said I didn't love you and that he would free me from the monster that had gotten inside my head. He doesn't know the truth, and I couldn't persuade him. He will find us and tear us apart," she cried into my shoulder.

My arms automatically tightened around her as I scanned the darkness for any sign of the mob, for any sign of Raoul. "Shh, my love. He will not find us, I swear to you," I cooed in her ear once I was certain no one was near. She glanced up at me, and I could tell she hadn't repeated everything he had said to her. "What else did he say?" I asked my voice cold. "He called me a whore for leaving him. He said you had possessed my soul and I had turned into a creature as evil as you. He said he would save my soul," she whispered.

I stopped, trying to control the anger that had flooded by body. How dare he claim that she was an evil creature? How dare he call her a whore? What scared me most through; was that he said he would save her soul. There was only one possibility that came to mind of how to save a soul. And that was to kill the person. You could kill the monster that possessed the soul, or the poor person whose soul had been possessed. I knew Raoul would try not to harm Christine, but I couldn't put it past him to do something drastic.

Finally we reached our destination. Yet another horse stood off the side of the tunnel inside a hidden stable. "Monsieur," a voice called. I wasn't expecting my stable boy to be inside and taking care of the horses. Upon seeing him I immediately turned my head to hide the deformed part of my face. "I didn't expect to see you here," I answered back coolly. The boy looked taken aback. He had never once come face to face with me, and I highly doubt he expected to find me here.

He turned away from me and turned back to of the couple horses in their stalls. Then the idea hit me. "Boy," I said remaining distant. "Yes," he answered back hesitantly looking up from a horse. "Miss Destler requires an appropriate dress for a party as well as a mask. I need you to run out and acquire these things as well as another mask for me. You know where to go, right?" I asked the boy. He nodded his head and ran out through a back door.

I set Christine down on one of the benches inside an empty stall. She just looked around in wonder. "I didn't know there were stables under the Opera House," she said softly. "Trust me, my dear. There are a lot of things you don't know about the Opera Populaire, and that's a good thing," I whispered back to her.

She smiled sadly at me. "Why is that? And who was the boy that was in here? How will he know what size dress to get me?" she asked quickly. I took a deep breath before answering all her questions. "Some of the secrets of the Opera Populaire, I would rather not share. It's not that I don't trust you; I just don't want to relive all the memories. The boy in here helps me get what I need. I don't know what his name is, but he has worked for me for years. He gets me whatever I need, whether it is food, clothes, instruments, or a new mask. He will guess on your size, we can always take the seam in a little," I told her.

She nodded, and then something dawned on me. The boy wouldn't be able to retrieve my mask. I growled in frustration. The man who always made my mask wanted me to come in to pick them up. He was an excellent mask maker, but part of his work forced him to make sure masks fit perfectly before selling them to people. I should have realized that! Well at least now he would know that I was coming, and I would have a guest with me.

Christine was looking at me strangely, most likely because I had just growled at nothing. "We will have to journey to a mask store together my love," I explained to her. The realization dawned on her, and she yet again gave me a small sad smile. I sat down next to her, and took her hand in mine. Her hand looked so small, so delicate. On first glance all of Christine looked delicate and breakable, but I had realized that she was much stronger than she appeared.

I moved to caress her check, marveling at how soft her skin was. She moved closer to me, pressing her body into mine. I saw lust in her eyes, which surprised me. She never failed to surprise me though. I would never understand how she could love me, how she could look at me and feel lust. At this moment though, I really didn't care to overthink everything.

All that mattered was Christine. Slowly she pressed her lips onto mine, in a very gentle manner. Her hands moved to wrap around my neck, and my hand moved to run through her beautiful brown curls. I deepened the kiss, needing to feel her lips against mine. She moved onto my lap, never once breaking the kiss. We just continued to kiss, needing to know that the other one was there; needing to know that our love was unbreakable.

We were forced apart when we heard a small gasp. I immediately knew it was the boy, returning from his errands. We pulled apart, and I kept my right side of my face hidden. I dared to look at Christine, only to see a blush creeping onto her face. I suppressed a smile, before turning back to the boy. He held a dress, wrapped in light brown paper. He was shaking slightly, obviously terrified of the Opera Ghost. "There is no need to be afraid, my boy. Could you please give the dress to Miss Destler?" I asked trying to be kind.

He nodded and carefully approached Christine. She gave him a small smile before reaching for the package. He quickly pulled away from her. "Thank you. Now will you ready a horse for the two of us?" I asked. He nodded and went to work. I turned to Christine in time to see her face when she saw the dress. She gasped in delight and awe.

"It's beautiful," she whispered fingering the beautiful blue fabric. She gently took the dress out of the paper. It would fit her perfectly, I knew from the moment I set eyes on the dress. It had three beautiful shades of blue, falling around in perfect drapes. The top was amazingly structured and form fitting. I smiled, unable to not picture Christine in the dress. "My love, I'll hold up a blanket for you to change behind," I said grabbing a blanket off one of the stall doors. She nodded and stood up cautiously.

After a few minutes she stepped out from behind the blanket. "Can you help me with the buttons," she asked innocently as the while trying to straighten out the dress. I gulped and moved closer. Already the dress did wonders for her what little curves she had. I quickly buttoned the back of the dress up, trying not to get too distracted by Christine's gorgeous skin.

Before she could turn around I wrapped my arms around her from the back. She gasped and turned her head toward me. I pressed my lips into her neck before whispering, "That dress makes you look amazing." She smiled. "Monsieur the horse is ready," the boy called.

"Are you ready my love," I whispered taking her in my arms again. "As long as we're together I am ready for anything," she whispered back.

I am so sorry for the wait! I hope the length of the chapter made up for it. Please R&R!

Write on,

MRC