Beside you
I turned at the scream from the stage and look up to see the hanging body of Joseph Buquet. I gasp as my hand rises to my mouth in shock. At least he deserved it. "Christine!" I turn to see Raoul running toward me.
"Are you alright?" He asks with eyes full of concern.
"Yes. I'm fine."
He looked around. "We're not safe here. Come." He grabs my wrist and pulls me along as he starts jogging towards the staircase up to the roof.
"Raoul stop! Why are we going to the roof?" He continues running up the staircase pulling me along.
"Raoul please! You're hurting me!" My wrist had started throbbing from the force Raoul was using to hold and pull me along. We burst out the door into a snowy atmosphere overseeing Paris.
Raoul whirled back facing me and grabbed my hands with his. "I'm sorry. I just had to get you out of there. Who knows what that opera ghost may do to you." I frown. Angel would never hurt me. He may have his temper tantrums and the last time he was upset was entirely my fault.
"The opera ghost? Why would he hurt me?"
"Because he's a murderer Christine! Didn't you see he killed that stage hand?"
"You don't know if it was the opera ghost. Buquet is always drunk too. He could've slipped and killed himself!"
Raoul looked stunned. "Why are you defending the opera ghost?" "Why are you blaming the opera ghost for something you have no proof of?"
Raoul looked away shamefully. "I'm sorry Christine. I care for you too much. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm not a helpless little girl anymore who can't even fetch her own scarf."
He turned back to me with hopeful eyes. "Christine, why don't you come with me? We can leave this place together and never have to worry about the dangers that lurk here."
I stared at Raoul in disbelief. "Leave the Opera Populaire and everything I've ever loved behind?"
"Christine I love you. Don't you love me?"
"No. I'm sorry Raoul. I- I…" "You what?" He peered into my face.
"I love somebody else."
Raoul's face turned red. He grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me. "Who? Who else could you love more than me? Your childhood sweetheart?" Smack! I slapped Raoul clear across his face.
"I haven't seen you in years! I've spent more of my life with the people around me here than you! Don't you understand Raoul? You're a stranger to me now. I don't know the Raoul in front of me now. I only know the one who knows how many years ago. Same goes for me Raoul. You don't know me. I'm sorry."
Raoul looked disgusted. "How can you refuse me? A viscount. Low-class performer." With those stabbing words Raoul turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him. I sunk to the ground shaken in tears.
"Christine, Christine, Christine…"
"Angel?" I look up to see my beautiful angel gliding toward me. He knelt down beside me.
"Are you alright?" Those three comforting words sent me back into tears and I threw myself into his chest. He tensed at first then embraced me and ran his fingers through my hair. "Christine…"
"Oh Angel, he asked me to leave with him! How could I ever leave this place with him? I don't even love him! I love somebody else!" At the last words Angel tensed once more.
"Who do you love?" He whispered somberly. I looked up into his eyes.
"You."
He gasped and breathed heavily. "Are you torturing me? How can you love me when you've seen the monster I am!"
"Angel." I breathed. "I thought you hated me after what I had done to you. But you are no monster. You are my angel." I reached up and cupped the side of his face with the mask with my hand.
Angel looked at me full of surprise. "No Christine. I could never hate you. I love you. No, sweet child you are my angel of music."
I smiled. "I love you, I love you, I love you."
"I love you too." We remained silent cocooned within our arms as the snow drifted around us.
"Angel?"
"Yes Christine?"
"What is your name?"
"Erik."
"Erik…" As his beautiful name left my lips, I lifted my lips to his into a soft delicate kiss like snow. "Erik, promise you'll never leave me."
"I will always be beside you. I love you Christine." We were once again lost to the rest of the world as Erik claimed my lips as his.
I know it was short but I got the idea and thought it would be so cute. I hope you liked it! Please review!
-Rose
