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Dark Dreams	By : ChristaMcGinn Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Crossovers Views: 1528 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark Series or Phantom of the Opera. I make no money with this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Four: Trust

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Christine allowed her hand to be enveloped in the strange man’s much larger one, and she followed him up the stairs in the dark. She could barely see a foot in front of her, but he led her through the corridors perfectly, and she followed his large body and warmth easily. She wondered vaguely if she had ever dreamt about this man, and she shook her head as she realized if she had, the memory would only come at an inopportune moment. That’s how her dreams worked. They were vivid and memorable, but the memories would more often than not resurface at the worst times. This was her blessing and her curse though, and she dealt with it. Erik kept a wary eye out until they were out of the decrepit house and into the lawn. Looking around, he saw the stables out to one side of the mansion and went to check it out. Although the house was abandoned, Raoul still had a chestnut horse on the grounds. It wasn’t as if he needed such transportation, but Erik was thankful for the random twist of fate. The girl had no doubt been flown here by Raoul, and the last thing she needed was another creature shapeshifting and carrying her above the houses and streets of the city. He would try to keep it as normal as possible. Besides, he knew Raoul. There was no way that he would give up, but he would also take his own sweet time to recover and nurse his wounds before attempting to steal the girl again. This gave Erik time to hide her away as best as he could and work out a plan. He may need Kain to take her to safety if Raoul turned out to be more trouble than Erik expected. For now, though, he wanted to make everything seem a little more normal for the frightened human female. She was putting up a brave face, and he respected her for that. Nothing would happen to an innocent human woman while Erik was around. He vowed that above all others. In the past few hundred years, all male Carpathians realized the value of Carpathian women and psychic human women. Their offspring was thinning out rapidly, and it seemed that Carpathian females were not carrying babies to term, or the children were not lasting more than a couple of years. Losing a psychic girl could cost a Carpathian man his soul, and that could cause thousands of innocent lives in return. The girl had to be protected. He needed to get her out of the area as soon as possible, but he knew that they had time to travel the human way. Leading her to the stables, he grabbed the largest saddle he could find and a blanket. Finding a harness and reins, he quickly garbed the gentle mare and luckily found an extra blanket on the ground. Sliding the saddle back as far as he could without hurting the horse or risking their safety, he folded the blanket in half and draped it over the front of the mare’s back. It was not going to be a comfortable ride for any involved, including the horse, but it would have to do until they reached the opera house.

Christine had stared wide-eyed for the past few minutes, as her mind was a jumbled mess. She had to have time to take all of the recent events in, but it was turning cold and she just wanted to go home… what would she find though? Would the vampire, Raoul, have already fulfilled his promise and killed her father, or did she have time? Praying with all she had, she was broken out of her thoughts when Erik spoke.

“Here, let me help you up. It won’t be comfortable, but you will ride on the blanket in front of me. We need to get you inside, and away from this place.”

She wrapped her arms more tightly around her body and she looked earnestly at the stranger.

“I need to return home. My father is in great danger. And how can I know that I can trust you? You are a creature just like him, non?”

Erik swallowed with the effort not to grimace when she compared him to a vampire. A thin thread was holding his sanity together, but he would walk into the day before he let that happen. After he killed Raoul, he planned to.

“Although it will take time to explain exactly what I am and what he is, I will do so once we are safe. There is no way for you to know if I am trustworthy or not, but I am asking you to trust me. My name is Erik Leroux, and I am not a vampire, although you may compare me to one. You can trust me, and I’ll be taking you to my home beneath the Garnier Opera House until we work out a more secure location. I apologize for all the sudden changes I am setting upon you, but I can assure you that your safety and life are my top concern at this moment. Your lips will turn blue if we do not hurry. Please, once again, take my hand.”

She stared at his hand once more and then looked to the horse. Gasping, she put her hands to her head in a frustrated gesture.

“Noelle! Sacre bleu… I apologize Monsieur Erik, but my horse is still at the park. I must make sure she is alright and not stolen. Also, that way I can ride on my own to wherever we are headed. Are you sure you cannot return me home tonight?”

He sighed.

“Non, ma cherie. I am afraid not. We will be going to my home tonight, and you may tell me of your father’s danger. In the morning, we will see if there is anything that can be done without endangering your life. I must get across to you that your life is the most important thing to keep safe right now.”

She shook her head.

“You are wrong, Monsieur, but I will trust you tonight. I must insist that we fetch Noelle though. We cannot steal horses when we have other options. Also, do not worry about the cold. My family is Scandinavian, so it will take a bit longer for me to freeze than others. However, a nice fire and a cup of tea would not be unwelcome.”

Laughing at her open speech, he smiled for the first time in many years. Not realizing at that moment what that one laugh may mean, he simply looked at her and nodded.

“Oui, Mademoiselle. I believe if you tell me the exact location of your mare, we can fetch her. I also believe that I can procure a warm cup of tea when we reach my home.”

His smile was contagious, and she returned it.

“Merci, Monsieur Erik. My name is Christine. Christine Daae, and for now I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, let us see if I can remember where that rose trellis is.”

She moved forward to give her hand to Erik, and gasped when he immediately lifted her up onto the blanket and swung quickly behind her on the saddle. Raoul had lifted her with the same ease. She was not a big woman, or tall, but she had womanly curves, and she was still impressed that they could lift her that easily with her corset and skirts around her as well. She didn’t have much time to complain about her weight though when she felt his arms encircle her considerably smaller waist. He took the reins, but first arranged his cape so it covered her as well. It was a quite large expanse of fabric, and she helped him (and herself) by pulled the end around her frame. He smiled behind her and arranged his head so that he could see around her plethora of curls. She smelled good. Again, he didn’t think about the importance of the fact that he could smell and feel, but instead pulled the reins and set off.

She was actually quite good at describing the location, and as he had lived in Paris for more than an average human’s lifetime, he found it easily. It was still a long ride, but it was luckily close to the Opera House. After an hour of riding, he could see the rose trellis with a mare tethered nearby. He smiled at the good fortune once again. Normally a homeless man would have jumped at the chance to take such a fine animal, but the good Lord was smiling on them tonight. Or, at least, smiling on her. He had gone too long without a God to believe that God still believed in him. Steering into the floral path, he expected her to jump off in excitement at seeing something familiar. However, he noticed that her breathing had evened out and she was nestled even more closely against his chest. She had obviously fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and he hated to wake her up. She had gone through quite the night, and she needed rest. And that was a vast understatement. Pulling the reins to steady their shared horse, he lifted one hand to lightly pull back the cloak and murmur soft but firmly in her ear.

“Christine…Mademoiselle Daae, we have arrived. Your mare is right over there. We are a short ride away from the Opera House, and you may sleep there soon.”

She just murmured something inaudible in response and snuggled closer into him. He stiffened slightly at the contact. When was the last time he had truly held a woman? After his emotions and colors left, he had few sexual urges. He simply spent his time composing and feeding. It was a solitary and simple existence, but it kept him out of the vampiric lifestyle.

As Christine showed no signs of awakening enough to ride a horse, he sighed and urged the horse closer to her mare. Reaching over, he untied the rope and took the reins to lead her by the other horse until they reached the opera house. They came to what looked like a simple stone wall, but he reached over, while trying not to disturb the sleeping girl, and pressed into a rock. The wall opened to reveal a ramp leading down into the cellars of the opera house, and which was large enough to accommodate the two horses. It was big enough for a carriage. Not that Erik had many carriages coming through, but the possibility was there. Leading them down, he pushed another rock and the wall returned to hide the entrance once more. He led the two horses (Noelle had followed surprisingly easily) down to the edge of a large lake and then dismounted while allowed Christine to slide into his arms. She still hadn’t awoken, and Erik smiled with amusement at the girl’s ability to sleep very soundly. There was a large gondola attached to a post on the shore, and he laid her gently in the boat. Turning, he tethered the horses to the makeshift stables he had next to the lake and then got in the boat himself. He stood and used a pole to steer them across the lake, and he pressed a certain underwater lever to keep the siren away.

Once they reached his ornate dwelling, he lifted Christine into his arms and led her into the “guest” bed chamber. It was funny that he had a guestroom, but with his architectural skills and the infinite time he had, he had made quite the underground mansion. There were many rooms he did not set foot into. This particular room held a large swan bed he had carved himself. Once again the result of boredom, and he laid the sleeping girl on it. Pulling a blanket from beside the bed, he covered her silently and made sure that she was comfortable before retiring to his own chamber. She might be upset with him the next day for not waking her up to allow her to tell him of her father’s dilemma, but she needed the sleep, and Erik was confident he could help her much better after he had some rest of his own.

Even though it was early in the night for a Carpathian to go to ground, he decided that he was exhausted enough from the spar with Raoul. Writing a letter for her when she awoke the next day while he was still beneath the ground, he signed it with a flourish and set it on the table near her.

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Chere Mademoiselle Daae,

If you should awaken before I do, please be assured that nothing will harm you here. I will explain my unique sleeping requirements more fully tomorrow evening. Do not fret. Your father’s problem will be solved as soon as I am able. Tomorrow evening we will discuss our course of action more fully. I apologize for the absence of that cup of tea, but I will fulfill the promise soon. Please do not worry yourself, and you will find whatever food you may want in the pantry near your chamber.

Bisous,
Erik

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He left the door and locked it securely before putting up boundaries to keep vampires out, while allowing Carpathian telepathic connections in. If she was in trouble, he would awaken…or at least, he hoped he would. Deciding that he would, he went to his own chamber which had no bed, but a large area in the center which had no floor. Burrowing beneath the soil, he sighed in relief when he reached a satisfactory depth. He needed the earth to rejuvenate. He would explain that to Christine tomorrow. For now, they both needed rest. Closing his eyes, he allowed his body to enter into a deep relaxation. It had been quite a night, and he had a feeling that his life would change quite dramatically until Raoul was dead.

Erik went to sleep without realizing that he had seen the red covers of the swan bed in color for the first time in centuries. He had seen the gold trim of the corridor and the auburn hue of her hair. It was surprising that a man as brilliant as Erik had not noticed all the drastic changes in his senses since he rescued Christine, but after so many years, it is not all that hard to understand how a Carpathian male might not recognize his lifemate immediately. Erik would come to the stunning revelation soon enough, and his entire life was about to change, and it had little to do with the blonde vampire, and it had everything to do with a certain curly haired mademoiselle in a nearby room. Christine Daae was Erik Leroux’s lifemate, and both would have to come to terms with that sooner than later if they were to overcome De Chagny.

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Author’s Note: Okay! Another chapter out of the way. Again, I wrote this very quickly, and it’s late. Please review!

Love and Disney,
~Christa McGinn*
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Dark Dreams