Hi everyone!
Well, I'm back with another one-shot. I was pleased with the response my last one recieved and I hope that you enjoy this one as well. Please tell me what you think! It is much appreciated. thanks!
...0000...
Breathe. Just remember to breathe. This is what I kept repeating to myself over and over again in my head. I sighed as I turned back to the mirror to check myself once more. My costume was nothing spectacular. Only a simple peasant dress, the warm brown color brought out my chocolate eyes, at least according to my fiancée. The dress was not adorned with jewels or over kill of lace, only modestly fixed with two lace shoulder straps that had the somewhat annoying tendency to keep falling from their resting place that were my slender shoulders. I suppose every girl loves the elaborate costumes that the opera provided, but quite honestly, I was glad they had kept it simple for once. After all, those large dresses could become quite a bother after a while.
I gazed at my reflection in the full-length mirror that stood before me. Absently wrapping one of my long chestnut curls about my finger, I wondered about the possibility that I was not alone in the room. After all, it was through this very mirror that I had come to know Erik. My tutor. Not only. The Phantom of the Opera as well. It was through him that my voice came to be what it was today and to that I would be eternally grateful. Despite this, I could not ignore the fact that he was a murderer. Perhaps it would have remained a mystery, had he not decided to first strangle a man, then toss his corpse down for all to see. And in the middle of a performance, no less!
I sighed. Then again, Erik always did tend to have a flair for the dramatic! As I stood admiring the designer's handiwork, a soft knock on the door interrupted by thoughts. I jumped back slightly, for fear of it being Erik. This confused me. He had never shown any signs of aggression toward me before and I never thought that he would,but for a split second, the simple thought of him absolutely terrified me. Shaking myself out of my haze, I called out in a meek voice. "Who's there?"
The sound of Meg's voice on the adjacent side of the door nearly made me sag with relief. "Christine? Are you dressed? They are nearly ready to begin the performance." I moved forward to allow her access to the room, surprised to see my hand trembling as I grasped the door handle and turned it. When Meg saw me, her expression fell. "My word! Christine!" she gasped. "You're shaking like a leaf! Whatever is the matter!" I didn't answer. Obviously, my dear friend had no idea what was to take place this very evening. And who was I to tell her?
Meg took hold of my hand. "Christine, have you seen all the police that are in attendance tonight? Do you think they will succeed in their plan to capture the infamous Phantom of the Opera?" I simply stared at her. So she was aware. She certainly did a wonderful job of hiding it. When she saw I was not replying, she patted my arms as a means of comfort. "Do not worry, Christine." she said. "Raoul won't allow anything to happen to you." Ah, yes. Raoul de Chagny. My childhood friend and now fiancé. I glanced over at Meg, who watched me with an eager expression. I knew the poor girl was only trying to help, but her words had a profound effect on me.
So much had happened lately. One day, I am only a simple chorus girl, fortunate enough to be dancing in the corps de ballet. The next thing I know, I am the new prima donna of the Opera Populaire and that is where my story really begins. From there, I finally met Erik, my tutor, my Angel of Music. At first I was entranced by his powerful voice and presence. When he sang, I seemed to melt where I stood. Everything else seemed to vanish and it was only him and I. Us and his music. Heaven on earth. That was until everything changed. Bouquet's death chilled me to my core and I sought solace in the only one I felt I could trust. My childhood friend and sweetheart. Raoul de Chagny.
That night on the roof, he pledged his love for me and I was so flustered and in need of someone, I did not listen to my heart. I became caught up in the moment, as you say. Acting completely on emotion, I allowed him to ravish me . In a moment of weakness, I accepted his proposal, never thinking of what my actions would cause. Now not only was I engaged to a man that I did not truly love, I was about to put the one I did in horrible danger.
I did love Erik. Somehow he was able to posses both my love and my fear. A scary combination. The man made me tremble with both excitement and fear whenever I was in his presence. I had broken his ,heart when I had rejected him and chosen Raoul instead. What he did not understand is that I had not been myself when I had and know I regretted it with my whole being. It wasn't that I didn't feel a love for Raoul. Of course he was special to me. He always would be. But my love for him was more along the lines of that of a dear friend, a brother. He seemed to think he always had to be my protector, such as tonight, and for that I would always be grateful to him for that. But he was not Erik.
Meg's voice brought me back to reality. "Christine? Christine Daae! Have you heard one word that I said?" The look on her face caused be to burst into a round of spontaneous laughter. It felt good to laugh once more. With the recent events, I had had not had the good fortune of feeling that lately. "I'm sorry, Meg." I apologized when I had caught my breath. "I've had much on my mind lately." Meg gave a me a look before a slow smile crept up her face. "I know, Christine. I only hope that Raoul can succeed. Then this nightmare can be over for all of us." I forced a tight smile in my friend's direction. Hopefully, by some miracle, he won't. Oh, Erik, please be gone. If I can't see you, then at least I know that you are safe
Meg shifted her position. "So, Christine, other than the impeding doom, how are you doing this evening?" I sighed before I finally gave her an answer. "I suppose I am alright. I must admit I am nervous about what could happen tonight, but I am trying to remain calm and let fate run it's course." Meg smiled and then drew herself close to me. "Tell me, Christine." she said, her voice soft with wonder. "Are the stories true? Have you seen the Phantom?" I scrutinized her under my gaze. "Why, Meg? What have you heard?" Meg returned to her original position. "Only that you have been to his lair and seen him face to face. Does he truly have a black hole for a nose?"
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Heaven's no, Meg. His face is just as anyone's else. The only difference being he wears a mask on one half. Something happened at his birth, what exactly I can't say." My voice softened at my next words. "He actually quite handsome. He posses the most beautiful blue eyes I that have ever seen." A small smile crept up my mouth as I spoke. "He's most intriguing." I looked up to find Meg watching me, eyes wide and mouth agape. "You're in love with him." she stated softly.
My head shot up at her words. "What? Why would you say that?" Meg looked at me with exasperation. "Because it's true, Christine." she said. "The look in your eyes when you speak of him. I am not blind, Christine. It's written all over you face". I opened my mouth to speak, but promptly shut it again. She was right. I was in love with Erik. I always had been, but I was too stubborn to admit it to myself. I sighed. "Once again, Meg, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head." I smiled at her. Meg's face became serious. "What of Raoul?" she asked gently.
I let out a long breath. "I don't know, Meg. All of this has happened so suddenly. I suppose that I will have to go along with his plan and hope for the best. All I know for sure is that I was mistaken in accepting Raoul's proposal. I was so flustered, I grasped the smallest amount of comfort that I could find. Raoul happened to be the closest thing to a source that I had then, so I latched on and refused to let go." I met her gaze. "It's only know after I have had time to reflect that I realize how vital that mistake was."
Meg reached for my hand. "Christine, if Raoul truly loves you, then he will understand. If he truly loves you, then all he will care about is your happiness. And if not," she shrugged. "Well, if not, then you can at least say that you were wrong. And found out before it was to late. Not that you were actually going to go through with the wedding." She looked at me quizzically. "Were you?" I shook my head. "I highly doubt it. Unless another disaster happens that somehow forces me back into his arms." I laughed softly. "Now, Christine," Meg chided. "Just because you don't love him in that way does not give you the right to ridicule him." I smiled. "I know, Meg. I suppose it was rather harsh." I squeezed her hand and gave her a smile before M. Giry interrupted our conversation.
"Christine? Good heaven's child, there you are. No one could find you sometime ago. We all thought you had changed your mind about going through with the performance. Well, no matter now. Come my dear, we are nearly ready to begin the performance. Come along, Megan. You are needed to take your place." She turned motioned for Meg to follow her out the door. She gave a reassuring smile as she brushed past her mother and retreated down the hall to take her place. When she was gone, M. Giry turned her gaze back to me.
"How are you doing, my dear?" she said, her gaze turning to one of concern. "No one could locate you earlier this evening. Were you ill?" I simply stared for a moment. Not traditionally ill. Only sick with worry over endangering Erik. "I was bit upset, but I am fine now, thank you, M Giry." She smiled. "Well, at least Raoul was with you. That should at least put your mind at ease." I forced a tight smile. Yes, Raoul had been with me. He had held me as I cried, yet he had misunderstood my tears. He thought that I was sweeping out of fear. Truly, I was weeping for myself. For all of my rash decisions that had gotten me to this point. Oh how I wished I could rewind the past and make them right.
M. Giry placed a hand on the door. "Best of luck, my dear." she said. "I will be watching." I bolted from my seat at the vanity. "M. Giry! Wait!" She stopped and turned back toward me, an eyebrow rose expectantly. I took a breath. "Do you really think Raoul will succeed? In capturing, Erik, I mean. The man is legendary for his escapes." M. Giry paused at the door. "Christine, Erik is truly a complex and remarkable man. However, that is all he is. Not an apparition, not a phantom. He is a man." I sighed and plopped back to a seat. " Then you believe he will be captured". M. Giry placed a hand on my shoulder. "I do not know, my dear. That is up to God and the fates. All we can do is sit back and observe." She moved toward the door. "Five minutes, Christine." she said and was gone. I watched her go before turning to check myself one last time in the mirror. I sighed as I smoothed my hair. Here goes nothing. Please, Lord. Protect Erik. I sighed again. And give me the courage to somehow let him know that he is not alone.
...0000...
The Opera Populaire was especially full that evening as everyone readied for the performance. Even from my position backstage, I could tell the atmosphere was thick with anticipation and perhaps even a touch of nerves at what could possibly happen. I knew the police were here in hopes of capturing the man who had escaped so many times previously and that each one could probably taste the sweet victory that would surround them if they did succeed in this seemingly impossible feat. The thought of it made me ill. I cuold only pray that Erik was far away from this place. If he was not, well, then I could only pray for his escape through the catacombs below.
I looked up to box 5 where my fiance sat. He could not see me and my heart suddenly grew heavy. After this was over, I would have to tell him the truth. Tell him that Erik or no Erick, I couldn't marry him. Yes, he would be hurt, angry even, but I could not carry on this lie forever. Better to be hurt a little in the present than more in the future. I would not do that to him, lead him on until perhps a week before the wedding, then break his heart. No, that would be much to cruel. It had to be tonight.
The sound of the M. Reyer playing the overture to Don Juan, my heartbeat began to pick up speed. This was it. Possibly the most important performance of my life. I watched as Carlotta began the small introduction to the character of Don Juan, the masked hero who women seemingly seemed to fall all over. Carlotta had finished and Piangi now entered as Don Juan. Funny. I just can't see him as the dashing hero that Erik meant his character to be. When I saw him enter behind the curtain for a swift costume change, I knew it was my cue. The moment I stepped out on that stage, a new sensation filled me. I was no longer Christine. I was Amita, the young woman who Don Juan seemingly can't forget. My love of the stage was brought back as I sang my opening lines. "No thoughts within her head but thoughts of joy. No dreams within her heart but dreams of love."
My next move was to drop to the floor as I awaited my hero to come for me. I played aimlessly with the flowers that I held in my hand, all the while, keeping my guard should anything. ..unusual happen at the same time, waiting for Piangi to enter. Somehow the thought of singing the next song with him seemed rather boring to me. The Point of no Return. It was a song of love and seduction, a song that should be sung with much more passion than I was feeling. Out of the corner of my ear, I finally heard a voice behind me. "Wait for the trap it is set and waits for it's prey. You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge. In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent" I immediately froze in position. I knew that voice. It was the same voice that had both haunted and mesmerized me for the past week.
I slowly turned to see Erik, dressed in full costume, coming slowly toward me. He saw my shocked expression and placed a finger to his lips in an effort to act out his final word of the line. "Silent" I turned back away from him, still in disbelief. He had decided to play the part himself. Instead of running, he had taken their challenge, daring even one to try something. He continued to approach me, his rich tenor flowing to my ears, both exciting and seducing me."I have brought you that our passions may fuse and burn. In your mind, you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me. Now you are here with me, no second thoughts. You've decided, decided". His gaze seemed to pierce into my very soul as he continued to sing to me and I felt myself rise, almost with an odd anticipation as he continued to sing.
"Past the point of no return. No backward glances. Our games of make-believe are at an end." He continued to draw closer to me, never once averting his eyes from mine. I glanced downward in order to shake myself from the spell that was coming over me, that always came over me whenever I heard his voice. I looked back up to see him now directly in front of me, circling where I stood on the stage floor. "Past all thought of 'if' or 'when' , no use resisting. Abandon thought and let the dream descend". I felt his eyes still on me as he sang those words. The next thing I knew, he was behind me, a hand about my neck and the other at my waist. "What raging fire shall flood the soul, what rich desire unlocks it's door. What sweet seduction lies before us?" His hand left my waist and joined the one upon my shoulder, then let them slide down my arm to my hand, arm extended to full length away. Erik paused to gently caress my fingers for a moment before lifting it to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back of it.
"Past the point of no return, the final threshold. What warm unspoken secrets will we learn?" His fingers still entwined with my own, he began to lead my across the stage for a few steps before releasing my hand. I drew it back to me with almost a fierce speed, allowing my gaze to sweep over the crowd for the first time since I had begun the play. They too seemed mesmerized by Erik's voice and I was drawn out of my thoughts by the sound of the infamous Phantom bringing his solo to a close. "Beyond the point of no return?"
As his final note faded into the air, I felt my heart clench within my chest. My word, what was I doing? I knew my time to sing was drawing near and through only a split second, at seemed like an eternity as a million thoughts raced through my mind. I could not bring myself to look at Erik, thought I knew he was watching my every move. My voice finally came alive, sounding deceivingly more confident than I felt as I began to sing the song he had written for us alone. "You have brought me to that moment where words run dry, To that moment when speech disappears into silence, silence" All the while the words were leaving my lips, I glanced up to where Raoul sat in box 5. I could tell he knew what was going on. He sat on the edge of his seat, eyes wide with disbelief.
As I continued to sing, I realized that the words held more meaning than I knew before. These very words were the emotions that I was both fighting and feeling. "I have come here hardly knowing the reason why. In my mind I've already imagined out bodies entwining, defenseless and silent" I gave a small shrug of my shoulder's as the words came. Why had I come? Why was I here? Here, in a plot to betray the man I loved. I knew I had to make my mistake right. I finally turned my gaze back to Erik, who regarded me with an anxious gaze from his position on the opposite end of the stage. Something happened at that very moment. No longer were there a thousand people watching us. It was only the two of us. Don Juan and Amita. Erik and Christine. With the intensity of my voice growing, I let him know. "Now I am here with you" Now and forever, my love. "No second thoughts." None whatsoever, never again. "I've decided, decided". I gave a small nod of my head in his direction, my consent to let him know it was him and him alone who held my heart. All of our unspoken secrets passed between us as he finally realized what I was saying and I saw both amazement and happiness flash in his eyes as I continued in our duet.
"Past the point of no return, no going back know. Our passion-play has now at last begun." We stepped away from each other then, never once losing the eye contact hat we had established only mere moments ago. On either side of the stage was a staircase, one for each of us. They met at a common platform that bridged the length of the stage. There was our goal. I came to the staircase and began slowly, ever so slowly ascending it's height. Across the stage, Erik followed suit. It seemed an eternity before I paused in mid-climb, once again singing for him and him alone. "Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question How long should we two wait before we're one?" I watched Erik's reaction closely. No emotion played across his handsome face, only a solemn expression as he followed my movements in ascending the stairs, yet he never took his eyes from me.
I took a breath before singing the final lines of my solo. "When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom? When will the flames at last consume us?" I sang those final words as I stepped onto the platform suspended above the stage. I could see Erik opposite of me, his eyes burning with a low fire. My own gaze held longing and passion as I matched his, erasing any doubt that I had previously posses. The atmosphere had become thick with emotion and tension as we met at our common point. Erik raised his head slightly and flung his cape over his side with one graceful movement before our voices joined in the final stanza. "Past the point of no return, the final threshold. The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn!"
We met in the center, both of us baring our emotions for each other and all to see. Erik spun me in a circle before bringing me to rest against his chest. His hands covered mine at my waist, one staying put, the other he guided up my torso and came to rest at the base of my throat. My eyes closed in blissful relief that I was finally with him, his lips inches from my ear as we sang the final line,our voices blending perfectly with a soft intensity. "We've past the point of no return." The music began to fade away, however, neither of us moved. I sighed deeply, enjoying the feel of Erik's arms around me as I allowed my head to rest ageist his shoulder. He held me gently, stroking my hair and running a tender hand down my cheek. What happened next caused my heart to drop within me,
In a quiet voice, Erik began to sing a haunting melody, one that I thought I would never hear again in my lifetime. "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Lead me, save me from my solitude. Say you want me with you here, beside you." I listened with surprise as Raoul's proposal was turned into a plea for Erik's very life. His voice rose with intensity and almost desperation as he sang the final line. "Anywhere you go, let me go to. Christine-" I placed a gentle hand alongside his cheek as he finally met my gaze. "That's all I ask of-"
Before I could stop myself, I pulled the mask from his face in one fluid motion, revealing his deformity for the whole world to see. He stared at me in disbelief for a split second before his expression changed to hurt and rage. He glanced around, seemingly for the first time in his life, not knowing what to do. I, however, did. Ignoring the amazed gasps and shrieks from the crowd below, I took his face in my hands. "Erik, look at me." I commanded gently. He did, but his expression was still hard. "What have you done?" he hissed to me. "Do you receive some sort of pleasure at my humiliation? Do you take pleasure in rising my hopes, only to betray me once more?"
His words stung, but I told myself to be strong. He is only angry. You know he doesn't mean it. I swallowed hard. "Erik, would you listen to me? I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. I am sorry that you thought otherwise. I was weak and frightened the night of Il Muto and Raoul was the closest source for comfort." I whispered. His expression softened some. "But why the pomp and ceremony. Why here? In front of all these people?"
I smiled as I stroked his cheek once more. "Because I wanted everyone to know how I feel. No more secrets. I love you for who you are and I want the world to know it. Enough with all of our unspoken secrets, however romantic and exciting they may be." He sighed as he finally took my hand. "You know how deep my love is for you." he whispered. "This is not how I had envisioned it, however, I suppose I am lucky that my vision is even coming true." I leaned in an captured his lips with mine, winding my arms around his broad shoulders. He stiffened for a slight moment before wrapping me tightly within his embrace as he responded to me, caressing my lips ever so gently.
When we finally broke apart, the first smile I had ever seen from him crossed his face. He pulled me close with one arm and reached for his sword with the other. "As much as we have grown accustomed to the spotlight, my dear, I believe that I should rather like some time alone. Don't you agree?" His eyes sparkled as he awaited my response. I said nothing, only nodded my consent, a smile on my face. Erik returned my smile and in one swift motion, cut the rope that held the trapdoor shut. I had to stifle a scream as we dropped straight down into the depths below, clinging tightly to one another. Was this what love was? Excitement of simply being with the one you love? As we plunged into the darkness below, I knew that we would find a light in each other. A light that would burn for all eternity.
Across the theater in Box 5, Raoul de Chagney watched with disbelief and amazement. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew the truth. He had lost Christine. He had lost her a long time ago, he had just never realized it until now. A guard to his left readied to make chase, but Raoul held up a hand. "Let them go." he whispered. "She deserves to be happy." The guard looked shocked, but did not reply. Raoul settled back into his seat. Best of luck, Christine. All along you have had unspoken secrets with this man. At least now they are now longer secrets.