Pitiful Creature of Darkness
What kind of life have you known?
God give me courage to show you
You are not alone!
Christine slipped the ring on her finger almost absentmindedly and stopped directly in front of her angel. As their lips met, she felt something stir in her chest. A spark was ignited inside her belly and she knew she couldn't stay away. Suddenly Raoul was nothing. All she knew was her and her angel, that was all that mattered.
All too soon it was over and he broke off, tears making tracks down his beautiful face. Christine already missed the feel of him holding her as she went to wipe them away, but before she had a chance, he had turned away.
Take him, forget me, forget all of this...
How could I forget you? All of a sudden it all came back. Raoul, chained up, a noose round his neck. Raoul, who would stop at nothing to 'rescue' her from him. She had to get him out of the picture. He couldn't keep her from her angel.
Christine followed his wishes and released Raoul from the ropes. Only now she understood how stupid she has been. That spark in her belly had grown into a roaring fire, consuming her with desire. Raoul wrapped his arms round her and tried to pull her away from there.
Go now! Go now and leave me!
No! I don't want to leave! I can't! Christine pulled away from him and turned back. Her angel had gone, but there was a soft, sad voice floating from one of the rooms. She followed the melody.
Christine stilled in the doorway, watching the tears making tracks down his face.
Christine I love you.
And I you, she told herself. And I'll be back. There's just someone I have to deal with first... She pressed the ring into his palm as a promise. I'll be back for you, my angel.
With that, Christine left with Raoul, reluctantly singing his song.
It's over now, the music of the night.
No it's not. I'll be back.
Christine had to get rid of Raoul somehow. She would not kill him, because of the bothersome business of the funeral – and people would get confused if she happened to disappear. She had to just get him out of the picture, and then it came to her... She would put her plan to action.
It happened the next day. Christine was out walking, Raoul a couple of metres away. An innocent passer-by wouldn't know what had hit them – but the fire roaring in Christine's belly was leading her to desperate measures. She pulled out a small dagger from under Raoul's cloak – she had told him she was cold – and dived at the back of the stranger. She clamped a hand over his mouth, and inserted the dagger into his back. She pulled it down the length – a shallow, but painful wound. Then she threw the dagger on the ground next to the writing man and threw the bloody cloak down next to it. And screamed.
The first one to arrive at the scene was – predictably – Raoul, who dropped to his knees beside the man. Soon after, a horde of people also arrived, staring down at the writhing man. Christine spied a policeman and rushed over to him, grabbing his clothes in fear (well he thought it was fear, she was just a good actress really).
"You must help me!" she gasped at the astonished man. "My fiancée – He." She let the tears run down her face. "He attacked him! I don't know why, he wasn't doing anything, just walking past!"
"Whoa darling!" the man tried to assure her. "Is that him?" he asked, pointing at Raoul, who was looking at her, his mouth hanging open, tears filling his eyes. Christine nodded, sobbing. At once, a group of people rushed to him and held him fast. He didn't struggle, a solitary tear escaping his eye. Christine ignored it, he was nothing. "Maybe you'd better start at the beginning, darling." Christine inwardly cringed, she hated being called darling. But she had to get back.
"Well." Began Christine, marvelling in her own acting skills. "I've been wondering where he keeps leaving to in the evenings, so tonight I decided to follow him. I followed him down this street, where he pulled a knife down the back of that random passer-by. I don't know what he did to annoy him. Is he going to die?" Christine asked the doctor bending over the man, in truth, she really didn't care anymore.
"He'll be okay, he needs to get to a hospital though." Christine half-smiled at him and turned back to the policeman.
"I was worried he was being disloyal, you understand. Being me fiancée, you see?" she said in a broken voice. "But it was worse." She let the tears fall again. "I can't stay here anymore. Too many horrible memories. I've got to get out of here," She concluded, half to herself, her voice growing higher as if in fear. Her tear-stricken face turned to fear and suddenly, she lifted her head and ran from the scene as fast as she could, thoroughly shocking the poor policeman.
I'm coming my angel.
Christine kept running, the adrenaline pumping violently through her blood stream. She barely registered where she was going, until she stood, solitary, in front of the blackened, half collapsed, opera house. A smile lit up her face and she brushed her hand irritably across the fake tears littering her face.
The opera house was broken, dark and empty inside. Christine ran through the aisles, past the stage, things blurring on both sides as the hurtled into her room. She stood, panting, in front of the full-length mirror. She smiled again, pulling the mirror aside and making her way into the labyrinth.
Left, Right, Right, Left, Christine followed the burning inferno inside her to where her angel would be. Before and time at all, she found herself on the shore of the lake. And no boat. Unfazed, she ignored her dress and waded into the water. The water steadily grew deeper, but her pace didn't waver. Christine eventually spied the candelabras scattered around his lair.
"Angel!" Christine's voice echoed around the empty chamber. The smashed mirrors brought tears to her eyes, it was her fault. The inferno pulled her towards the drapes at the other end of the room. She pulled away one to reveal a secret passage behind it. She strode into the dark tunnel.
Christine followed the long tunnel, with no obvious end. She was well out from under the opera house by now and had no idea where she was headed.
The slope steadily began to slope steeply upwards, and Christine was soon exhausted. Just as she was getting bored, Christine smacked her hear on the roof of the tunnel. She cried out, swearing in French and rubbing the top of her head. What she missed was the loud inhalation from above and a low voice asking "Can it be?"
A shard of light gleamed through from above and a pair of eyes stared down at her. The eyes widened at the sight of his Angel sitting on the floor of the tunnel below, clutching her head and muttering darkly.
Christine looked up into the face of her angel, half covered by a paper-white mask, her pain left her in less than a second. She stood up, her head poking out the top of the tunnel. Her Angel lowered his hand to hers and she held it as if she would never let it go. His muscles tensed as he easily pulled her up, and into his home. Christine looked around in wonder.
There were no windows, no daylight streaming in. Instead, tonnes of candles stood all around, throwing a friendly glow onto the other objects. A large piano stood in the centre, sheets of paper covered in notes spread on a desk not far away. A number of other ornaments were spread around, complete with a number of pictures drawn of her. Christine's eyes finally settled on the man she had come to see. His eyes, which were so wide and innocent moments before, had narrowed in anger.
"Why are you here?" he demanded, his cold voice ripping through her as if she was paper. "Have I not suffered enough?" she noticed his eyes had a hint of red, from crying. She felt the inferno inside her roar at her and she felt her eyes fill with tears. She clutched at his clothes. And so it had come to this...
"Please." She pleaded, "I had no choice. I knew we wouldn't get peace unless I dealt with Raoul. I'm so sorry, there was no way I could tell you my plans without him detecting. I couldn't let you kill him, but I had to get rid of him. Now he's gone. We can be together now, my angel." She finished, real tears streaming from her pleading eyes. She looked up into his eyes, also brimming with unshed tears.
"Gone?" he asked incredulously, his eyes wide with hope. "How did you--?" Christine smiled and raised a hand to his face.
"That's not important." She said in a soft voice, her thumb stroking the smooth skin on the undamaged side of his face. His wide eyes fluttered closed at her touch. She moved her other hand to his mask and went to remove it. His eyes flew open, flashing dangerously and his hand went up and grabbed her wrist.
"No." He growled, his voice dangerously low. He was gripping her hand so tight she thought he would break it. She winced and tried to break his grip. He didn't seem to notice.
"Please!" she whined, "It hurts!" He looked down at her wrist, her hand was going purple, and opened his fist. His hand then flew to his mask and he held it tight to his face. Christine rubbed her wrist, the finger marks not fading, but held his gaze.
"Why?" he asked, his voice cracking. He broke his gaze and lowered his eyes to the floor. He turned his back on her and walked to the piano, where he sat on the stool, but didn't touch the keys. "Why do you torture me like this?"
Christine followed him to the piano and stood behind him, gently stroking his face again. He kept his hand clamped to his mask, so she wouldn't try to remove it again.
"My angel." She spoke softly. "I only wanted to see your beautiful face." He stood up quickly and twisted to face her. His eyes were blazing, cold, fiery blue.
"Beautiful?" he screamed in her face. "You poison me with your lies!" His eyes flashed cold. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?" He pulled the white mask from his face, revealing the ugly scars and grooves. "You call this beautiful?"
Christine smiled at the face that had one haunted her nightmares. She reached one hand to the red skin and he flinched away from her touch.
"Yes." She replied to his question. "A more perfect face I never saw." He turned his face away, his eyes shining.
"You lie, I am a monster, murderer, evil angel in hell." He looked round. "Why are you here?"
"I am here because you and I are made for one another. You are my teacher. My angel, and I—"
"Angel in hell, more like." He interrupted fiercely.
"What is your name?" Christine put in. "I must know, I cannot have you claiming to be in hell every time I address you, and if I am to spent the rest of my life with you, then I simply must know your name." She looked at him expectantly, unaware of what she had just asked.
Her Angel lowered himself onto the stool again, looking confused. He lowered his face into his hands and muttered something barely audible.
"My name." Christine made out. "Nobody seemed to care before. I was just 'The Phantom'. Of course, they never asked what I wanted to be called. Well yes, I do have a name, one that my poor excuse for a father used on me, to... to..." He stopped, sobbing quietly at the memory of his childhood.
"My name." He repeated, looking up into her anxious face, "My name is Erik." He looked down again, seemingly in fear.
"Erik." Christine repeated, liking the sound of it. "Then that is what I shall call you" She paused, thinking deeply, then, "I trust you kept my ring safe?" he looked up, hopeful, and nodded. "Well then." She smiled, "I'd like to have it back please, if the offer's still open?" she added, slightly worried. He jumped back to his feet, his face shining with tears.
"Still open?" he asked, incredulously. "My love, I could never reject you, however many pieces you strike my heart into." Christine gaped at him, then lowered her gaze.
"I'm really sorry." She murmured in a small voice. "I wanted to tell you! I wanted to come before, but... You understand? I had to..." the tears overflowed, trickling down her face. "I wanted to-" she managed, before his warm embrace surrounded her.
He hated it when she cried. She looked so weak and helpless, and he just wanted to hold her. So, for once, he followed his instinct. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms round her. Then he began to sing in her ear.
Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime.
Lift me, save me from my solitude,
Say you want me with you,
Here, beside you.
Anywhere you go, let me go too.
Christine, that's all I ask of you!
Christine smiled through her tears.
"I love you, Erik." She said and pulled his lips to hers.
As their lips met, she spark inside Christine burned, ensuring they would never be apart – for it wouldn't allow it. And a spark that had been inside Erik also burned. He deepened the kiss, he would never let her go.
There were there for each other, exactly where they belonged.
A/N: Well I couldnt let it end there, could I?
Please, Please, Please, REVIEW!!! i cant improve without comments
Just a one shot...