The Angel's Opera
"Angel, would you like to hear a story?" Erik asked, setting down his pen and standing up from his pipe organ. He wandered over to where Christine sat reading on the red velvet chaise lounge.
"Why, of course Erik. You know I love hearing your stories. What shall this one be about?" Christine set down her book, and sat up, making room for him to sit next to her.
"I think this one will be about our dear Little Lotte. Is that good for you, my dear?" Christine nodded, smiling all the while. Erik sat next to her, and delicately, as if he were touching a porcelain doll, took her hands in his, and began.
"Little Lotte laid in her bed, falling asleep to the lullabies that the Angel of Music sang in her head. 'Little Lotte,' said the Angel, 'What do you fear? Is it thunder that roars or strangers that leer?' 'No,' said Lotte, 'it's none of those. I fear spiders and demons, and darkness the most. I wonder now, Angel, as I lay in my bed, what frightening thoughts stir in your head.' 'Little Lotte it's so simple to see. Your Angel fears nothing. It's the world that fears me.' And that is the end of my story, Angel." Erik gently teased a soft curl that brushed her shoulders.
"I don't fear you, Erik." Christine smiled softly at him, almost lovingly. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw something new in his eyes. Not sadness, she'd seen that many times before. Not longing, that was always present in those striking eyes. It was almost- joy. And then it was gone, as quickly as it had come, and was replaced once again with the cold shields that protected him from the world.
"Christine, shall you be performing tonight?" Erik whispered softly in her ear.
"Why, yes Erik, the Opera Populaire is performing Carmen. Will you come and watch me?"
"Of course, my Angel. I wouldn't miss it for the world, you know that. Well, if you're to be performing tonight, you will need to get back to your dear managers. We'll take an easier passage this time." Erik stood up and led her to one of the many mirrors that stood covered by dusty curtains. He pulled back the curtain to reveal not a mirror but a dark passageway. He turned to her, muttering about how it was much too dirty for his angel to be in, and swept her off her feet. He carried her this way the entire time, until they reached a set of stairs that led to a trap door in the ceiling. He pushed it open with his head, still holding Christine in his arms. She laughed, and turned his face towards her. Without saying a word, she put her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and gently placed her lips on his. It took a moment for him to realize exactly what was happening. His eyes were wide in shock. Christine pulled away, and smiled so lovingly at him that one would have never suspected that only a few months ago that man had kidnapped her and threatened to kill her fiancé. Erik leaned in and lifted her closer to him, and this time he kissed her. For a moment afterward, they simply stood there, Erik cradling Christine like an angel, staring into each others eyes. It was then that Christine knew in her heart she had made the right choice.
The Phantom of the Opera
It was the night after the performance, and Christine was soundly asleep, clutching her blankets tightly around her. A soft breeze ruffled the curtains.
"I am your angel of music…Come to me Angel of Music…" Christine's eyes fluttered open as a quiet voice stirred in her head.
"I am you angel of music… Come to me Angel of Music…" The enchanting voice sang to her, calling her forth, beckoning for her to come to him, to join him, to be with him. She pulled the covers aside, and wrapping her robe around her, she padded through the dark hallways of the Opéra Populaire.
"Erik?" she called out softly. "Erik?" A hand shot out of the shadows and gripped her wrist. She whirled, about to scream, when she saw him standing there, his finger to his lips, motioning for her to follow him. She took his hand and he silently led her through the maze that was the opera house. And all at once, without even knowing precisely how she had gotten there, Christine found herself once again in the candlelit cavern by the lake that her masked Phantom called his home. Now, Erik turned back to Christine for the first time since he had caught her by surprise in the halls.
"Angel," he whispered softly, holding her tightly in a warm embrace.
"Erik," Christine sighed, clinging to him like there was no tomorrow. She pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes. She slowly reached her hand and rested it on his right cheek, or rather, the mask covering the right half of his face. She fingered the edge of the mask, searching for some sign in his eyes that he didn't mind. He gave her a slight wink, and she smiled. She gently removed the mask, set it on the table next to them, and without another word, she kissed him so tenderly he was sent into a spiraling abyss of love. He kissed back, tangling his fingers in her hair. His kiss was desperate, full of a saddened longing, almost as like if he stopped kissing her, he would die. But at the same time, it was ecstatic. It was a painful bliss, for even while he had her here, the world could never know his happiness. He yearned for everyone to see them like this, to prove to them that even a monster like him can be truly loved for himself. He loved the fact that he didn't have to wear a mask around her. He loved her, and she loved him, and at that moment, nothing else mattered.
Christine moaned softly, deep in her throat as he pulled away. Erik laughed slightly, and pulled her back for more. He had always imagined that he would be the one wanting more, and yet here he was, kissing the only one who had shown him true love. And she was kissing him back! Oh, it was glorious bliss for him, each and every time he held her, each time they kissed. Every moment she was near him he was sent into a dizzying spiral of emotion. Christine was one of the very few who treated him as a human, with real feelings, a heart, hopes and dreams of his own. Not a monster. To Christine, he wasn't the dark specter that haunted the shadows of the opera house. He wasn't the Opera Ghost, or the so-called "phantom of the opera". To her, he was simply Erik.
So many thoughts ran through his head in those few moments.
"Erik?" Christine whispered softly, still smiling that radiant smile. She was always smiling now. She looked deep into his eyes, and with three simple words, his world shattered around him. "I love you."
Until that moment it had gone without saying. Never once had those words left those beautiful lips. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked at the angelic creature standing in front of him, bathed in the golden light that flickered and wavered with the flames of the candles. This amazing being of incomprehensible beauty had just professed her love for him-Erik, the Devil's Child, a beast, a monster.
"Christine- Oh, Christine, I love you too. I love you, I-" She silenced him with her lips, and they once again kissed, consumed in their love for one another. But this time it was different. It wasn't filled with the sad longing that was always present in his kisses. This time, it was pure and utter happiness, without a single trace of sadness or pain.
"You know, Christine, you look so much like an angel right now…I don't deserve you…" Erik murmured into Christine's neck and he tangled his fingers in her hair, clutching her to him desperately.
"Erik, you're right. You don't deserve me. You deserve so much more. You are such an amazing man, with a wonderful heart, and you don't deserve this…" Christine trailed off as she gently caressed the uneven features of his face and placed a gentle kiss on the rough skin of his right cheek. This man was so different than the one she had first heard behind her mirror. But still he never ceased to amaze her.
"Come now Angel, back to bed with you. It was foolish of me to wake you this late. You need all the rest you can get." Erik took her by the hand and made to lead her back to the boat.
"No Erik," Christine pulled him back to her, pressing her body up against his. She ran her hands up his firm, muscular chest and across his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his neck, and gently kissing the soft skin at the base of his neck that was left exposed by the loose collar of his crisp, white shirt. "I want to stay here, with you," She snuggled deeper into his chest as he wrapped his arms protectively about her delicate frame. He laughed, a deep, resounding, rumbling and comforting sound that vibrated through his chest, tickling her ear, which was pressed against him.
"Oh Christine, you always know just how to get your way with me," Erik swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, gently laying her down on the soft, down-filled mattress and silky sheets. "Goodnight Angel," he kissed her on the forehead, and then started to go into the other room.
"Erik, where are you going?" Christine looked up at him innocently from beneath the covers.
"I was just going- to sleep…on the…couch…" Erik stammered and trailed off as Christine mentioned for him to come closer.
"Oh, Erik, I wouldn't want to make you have to sleep on the couch. It must be so incredibly uncomfortable for you. I can make room," She smiled coyly and patted the bed. Erik smiled and climbed under the covers, wrapping his long arms around her once again, and she settled back into him and immediately fell into a deep slumber. Erik sighed into her hair, clutching her against him, savoring the sensation of having the love of his life sleeping peacefully in his arms. He could feel her chest rising and falling with each breath, and as he closed his eyes, his breathing matching hers, the soothing rhythm lulled him into a contented sleep.