Love Never Fades

Once Upon Another Time

"What are you doing here?" Erica asked Chris as he stood in the doorway of her hideout.

"I changed my mind Madam." He spoke calmly, though Erica could tell he was nervous wither she would take him back or not. A small smile spread across the Phantom's face as she stepped closer to Daae. "I love you Erica." He said in a soft low voice, so smooth Erica had to look away for fear she might do something rash.

"I love you too." she whispered looking back at Mr. Daae. Christopher stepped closer to Erica, his hands outreached, wanting to hold her slender body in his arms. She was a small woman, 5'5", midnight black hair with a half white mask covering the left side of her face. Underneath was a hideous deformity which caused Erica so much pain and torment that she was sold to a circus, and had later escaped when she was 11 years old, two years older than Chris. Christopher, on the other hand, was a tall (6'2") lengthy man with curly dark brown hair. His hands touched Erica's waist, so soft there barely was any pressure. She took a step closer to him again, letting Chris have a tighter hold on her slender body.

"Then tell me to stay." Christopher said softly, leaning his head down ever so slightly. Erica smiled, getting onto her tippy-toes to wrap her arms around Christopher's broad shoulders. She could tell him to stay... what would his response be? Would he stay? "Kiss me." Chris whispered in a soft voice, taking Phantom out of her train of thought. Erica did as he said, wanting to kiss Christopher more than anything. His hold on the slender woman increased in strength as the kiss deepened. He brushed some of Erica's midnight black hair out of her face, and trailed his fingers down her neck, arms, torso down to her legs, picking her up.

He staggered toward the back bedroom, not wanting to break the kiss as Erica straddled his waist, her fingers intertwined in his curly hair. Once they were in the back bedroom he laid her on the soft bed, finally breaking the kiss, looking down at the woman. "Chris, you don't have to do this." she whispered sitting up, dragging her fingers across his chest, making him shiver with pleasure.

"Don't I?" he asked with a small chuckle, taking hold of Erica's hands, bringing them to his hips. She smiled as he started to take off her white blouse and she started to take off his trousers. He bent down, and trailed a kiss from her forehead down her face and neck to her shoulders then back to her lips, sucking softly behind her ear before continuing. He pushed her back on the bed, crawling over her, his hands caressing her skin. Erica's hands traveled upward, pulling Christopher's shirt over his head before crashing her lips to his again. His hands trailed down her body to her pants, pushing them down along with her underwear. Erica's breathing hitched as Christopher's fingers found her opening. She let out a soft moan, digging her fingers into his back. "Easy there, I haven't done anything yet." Chris whispered with a small chuckle.

"Haven't you?" she asked kissing him. His fingers stopped what they were doing, and continued up the Phantom's body, up to her face, where he took off the white plastic mask covering her deformity.

"You're beautiful; even without that." he said, kissing the deformed spots on her face. She had always gotten angry whenever anyone touched it, or even spoke of the deformity, but there was something about Christopher, that made her forget about her madness, and just give up her insecurities as the moonless night continued by.

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"What did I do?" Erica whispered to herself softly, tears staining her face as she traced the strong arms enclosing her. She looked up at the sleeping figure of Christopher, his peaceful face was too much, as the tears started to fall faster. With an ache in her chest, she slipped out of Christopher's arms and stood up out of the bed. "What did I do?" she asked again looking down at his peaceful nude body. Carefully, to not wake him, she draped a soft blanket over him, "Goodbye, my love." then left the room, getting into her clothes in the process. Pulling on a cape, the Phantom left her hideout running into the darkness.

*-*--*-* Three months later *-*--*-*

"I'm pregnant!" Erica sat there in an American doctors office, holding her small stomach. "Why does this have to happen to me?" She asked frantically looking up at the male doctor. He looked confused, scared even at her sudden outburst.

"I am sorry?" he said in a tone that matched just how he looked, it almost made Erica laugh, as another melody, strange and unearthly, captivated her mind. Why did this always happen at the most horrible time's? She thought to herself. The melody seemed hectic, almost as hectic as the situation she was in. "Are you okay?" the doctor asked looking nervous, laying a hand on Erica's shoulder. The song in Erica's head subsided as she looked up at the doctor.

"Yes, sorry, I just got lost in a train of thought." She said smiling a little bit. "Thank you doctor."

"Yes, and just let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Your deformity also is partly the reason why I'm saying this. Your child may also have a deformity, I am sorry to break it to you."

"No, please don't say that, my child doesn't have one... don't even speak like that." Erica said in a stern voice scared, looking down at the small bump of her belly. "You don't know all that I went through!" she started to hyperventilate, thinking of her childhood and the time with the circus. The doctor stepped closer to her, and the melody was back, stronger, with more parts and harmonies then before, the notes floated in her eyes like she could see them on paper. "Get away from me!" she yelled, pushing his hand off her shoulder, kicking him in the knees, she jumped up, and raced out of the small office and into the waiting room, where twenty people were all sitting, waiting for their checkup's.

"Madam!" The doctor yelled racing after her, but he was too late, the woman was already gone, running down the street in a hurry, trying to get away from reality. She raced back to the coast, where she took a carriage toward the Cony Island Oddity show, home of Matt Giry, the show boy. Erica owned the show under the name Ms. Y, the rich young woman who no one ever saw, but everyone was afraid of. Once Erica got there, she went to her home, an underground cavern she fixed to hold everything she needed. She stayed there for hours, pacing the floor before making up her mind.

"I need to find Christopher Daae, he need's to know." She whispered to herself, sitting down at the grand piano which she placed a single picture of Chris to help her make music, and to remind her why she ran away from him. "I need to find him, but how?" she whispered, setting her hands on the keys and started to play the haunting melody that was bugging her all day.