Hi everyone, this is chapter one of my fanfic. Please read and review so I know whether I should bother to continue posting. Sorry it's short, but the chapters will be longer if this one is successful. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

Release

The only sound that could be heard as Raoul de Chagny rowed across the lake was the soft ripples of the paddle dipping in, through and out of the water. The young woman sat down across from him in the gondola was sat in silence, staring down at the glassy stillness beneath her. Raoul couldn't quite put his finger on what her expression read as: part of him saw relief at being free from the Phantom's lair; part of him saw sadness, perhaps from the distress she had obviously undergone when her fiancé was just seconds away from a broken neck and a premature death. The hold that the Phantom's music had over her was obviously long gone, completely eliminated and outweighed by the outrageous way he had dealt with her. Raoul shuddered to think what the monster had done to her. To think he had dragged her off in such an unseemly fashion to begin with was bad enough, but then to force her into a wedding dress…of course, that would have meant her stripping down to her undergarments too! Raoul was disgusted. No decent man would even dream of doing such a thing! What the hell made that creature suppose he had the right to force Christine to expose herself in such a vulgar manner? Of course, there was no telling what else the freak may have done while she was in such a vulnerable situation. Raoul didn't like to think about it; it made his blood turn cold and his fists clench, and he would almost consider returning to fight that beast.

But at least the monster had let him go, and not just by himself. Raoul had to keep glancing up to where Christine was sat, across from him in the gondola; reminding himself that she was really was still here. That the Phantom hadn't somehow performed some act of sorcery and stolen her away from him again, and that she hadn't fallen out of the boat for some stupid reason. Raoul shook his head. Now he was just getting silly. Christine was here with him, they were going far away from the lair, and everything was going to be alright.

Then why wouldn't she look at him? Raoul began to feel a tinge of annoyance. He stared at her for a while, trying to catch her eye, but she adamantly refused and just continued to stare at the blank glassy skin of the lake. Raoul cleared his throat, and she looked up slowly, but to his surprise, Christine spoke first.

"I wonder what's happening back there," she said quietly, looking wistfully back over the lake, and then looking at Raoul. "I wonder what's happening to him." Before Raoul could make any comment, the boat jolted ever so slightly, alerting him that they had landed on the shore of the lake. He smiled and stepped out of the boat, the water only just over his ankles, and pulled it to the land. He extended a hand to Christine, which she took, and helped her out onto the solid floor of the Paris Opera House cellars. They began to walk side by side, Christine leading the way ever so slightly as she knew the route back, and she continued to look at the floor. Raoul felt that he should prompt her to continue her previous train of thought.

"What do you mean?" he said. Christine looked up, slightly startled, and then her eyes filled with…Raoul wasn't sure. Regret? Relief?

"I just…I just don't want anything really bad to happen to my Angel. I know what he did to me…and to you…but he's still a human being, Raoul. He's the only father figure I've ever really known, and I don't want him to get hurt. Do you understand, Raoul?" No. Raoul didn't understand. But he knew what she meant about the Phantom being her father figure. After all, if it weren't for him, her career as a soprano would be non-existent, and she would probably still be stuck as a ballet girl.

"Well, I…" Raoul struggled to find the right words. "I know that he was a great father figure to you, and you clearly trusted him. And I suppose I do admire him to a certain extent; he certainly has great musical skill…" Raoul paused. "But what he did tonight, Christine…that is inexcusable. You know that."

Christine looked up at him. "I…I know. But I do still care about him, even though I don't want to. He scares me, and yet I still respect him." She stopped walking and turned, square on, to face Raoul. "But Raoul, please promise me…promise me that you'll never make me forget all the happy times I did have with my Angel." Raoul smiled.

"Of course not, Christine," he said softly. "What a person does once doesn't make them evil. He may have left our lives now, but you have your precious memories, the wonderful times when he taught you, and I would never, never want you to lose those." She smiled up at him, stood on tiptoes, and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, my love…" she whispered. "Thank you…"

So what did you think? Please leave me a review, I don't care how short. I just want to know what you guys think, so I know whether to bother continuing or not!