10/16-26/2008
You and Only You
The ride home from the graveyard was silent, Christine all but dead to the world. Though chilled to the bone, the tension she sensed in Raoul kept her from seeking further solace in his arms. In fact, she wasn't sure whether she she loved him or hated him at the moment… and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had the exact same problem concerning her "Angel of Music." Christine knew that only one man deserved her love, but which one? More importantly, what should she give the other? Perhaps there was an angel within the mysterious composer, but Raoul seemed to believe his rival was dangerous. She had always been best off trusting Raoul, but she simply could not find ample evidence to support his current proposal. Even if the "Phantom" was not truly an angel, she owed her voice – and therein much more – to him. Unfortunately, Raoul was right: there was something unnaturally frightening about the masked outcast.
When they arrived back in the stable-house, Christine allowed Raoul to carefully lift her off of the white horse, his hands lingering tentatively on her waist for a moment before he moved to offer her his arm. Reluctantly, she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and cast her eyes downward when his fiery gaze was directed her way. They walked to her quarters in silence, though Raoul let out a loud sigh of frustration – and relief also – when they stopped at the doorway. Christine pulled her hand back hastily and clasped it with her other hand, daring to meet his cold eyes with her wide and miserable ones. "I'm sorry," she breathed shakily. "I just wanted to talk to my father." Her eyes were on the window across the room as she made her way towards her bed. "I didn't mean to make you angry."
Raoul, unable to bear the pain in her voice, stepped into her room. At this, the girl flew to the doorway and closed the door. "Christine," the gentleman confessed, "I am not angry with you… but do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you under his spell there?" Now, his admonitions were filled with fear and love, compared to the bitterness Christine half expected, which did nothing to help the overwhelming guilt she had been fighting.
"Do you have any idea how scared I've been since he first took me to his world?!" The outburst was so uncharacteristic of her, Raoul could not move, much less speak until her words had sunk in. When he saw the tears sliding down her cheeks and her body shaking with grief, all his frustration with her faded away and he gathered her into his arms without delay. For several minutes, he held her tightly as she clung desperately to him, holding on long after her tears had subsided.
"I promise," Raoul said softly at length, "I'll protect you."
Suddenly, Christine was ashamed of herself for ever losing faith in Raoul. In that moment, she decided. "Stay with me, Raoul," she begged. "Please don't leave me."
"I'll always be here for you, you know that. I love you, Christine." The Viscount gazed down tiredly at his beloved, who – for the first time that evening – was smiling.
"I love you too, Raoul… you and only you."
