My Angel, My Love

Christine ran down the murky streets of Paris, breathing heavily. The light of the full moon bathed her and the shining stars twinkled in the sky. Her long chestnut brown curls flowing in the wind behind her. Her black cloak flew behind her, like a shadow fleeing into the night. Angel! Angel! Please, please still be there! Her mind cried desperately. The tears streaked down her face as she ran, and the talk she had with Raoul came to mind.

Christine sat at her vanity table, crying into her hands. Raoul opened her door and immediately went to her side. "Christine darling, what's wrong?" Christine sniffed, lowered her hands and wiped away the tears. Without looking up she replied, "I-it was nothing Raoul. I just…took a nasty road down memory lane." Raoul took her hand and squeezed it gently. This had been happening ever since they left the opera house a month ago. At first she would just say that she misses Paris and her friends. So, Raoul bought a house there in hopes of making her feel better. But instead of making it better, it only made her worse. She would come up with excuses like a nightmare, hurting her accidentally, or something along those lines.

But Raoul knew better. When he left to talk with the manager on the reconstruction of the Opera Populaire, he would sometimes come home and hear Christine singing a song about her Angel of Music. He knew what the real problem was, the real reason why she would cry at night. She wanted him. He couldn't understand it! How could his Christine be in love with such a hideous monster? When she was here with him? He, the Vicomte de Chagny could provide Christine with the kind of life that any women could ever want. And he had indeed done just that. He doted upon Christine much jewelry, dresses, horses and so much more. And though she accepted the gifts, she still wasn't happy.

Now here she was, crying in front of him, yearning for the man she called "Angel". It hurt him, deep inside, knowing that his beloved Christine was in love with someone else. What is it that he had that he himself did not have? It puzzled him to no end, and angered him. He so wanted to find him and get rid of the Phantom, and he wanted to take Christine and shake her until she came to her senses. But…

He stood and walked away from her. Christine looked up confused, "Raoul?"

"Go to him." He said softly. Christine couldn't believe her ears. "Wh-what did you say?" she asked again as she stood. Raoul ground his teeth and clenched his fists. "You don't want to be here with me. I can see it, it's so obvious. You want your Angel, so go! Go to him!" Christine couldn't believe it. Raoul was telling her to leave him and go to the Phantom, the very man who had threatened his life for her. She couldn't understand it. "Raoul I…"

"GO!!" yelled Raoul as he turned to her. Christine gasped, he was crying. Thinking it better to listen to him, she grabbed her cloak and ran out the door.

She looked up and saw what was left of the Opera Populaire come into view. She smiled. Almost there, I'm coming for you my Angel. She ran up the steps and straight into the building. Dodging all the burnt debris on the floor, she made her way to her old dressing room. Finally reaching her room, she stopped and breathed heavily.

This was it, either he was here or not, she had to find out. She opened the door with a creak and peaked inside. She blinked disbelievingly, her entire room was covered in soot and the furniture was all burnt to the crisp. The flowers from her admirers littered the floor, a sea of dead flowers. She made her way towards her mirror, now black from the fire. She was almost there when she heard a creak from above her. She looked up and saw that one of the beams was breaking loose. It broke free and began to fall. She screamed, then was suddenly roughly grabbed by two strong arms and was pushed to the side. They both fell on the ground with a loud thud as the wooden beam fell at their feet. Her rescuer still held her and was lying on top of her. His face was beside hers, making her unable to see it. "Thank you monsieur." She said breathlessly. She felt him nod, and became a little nervous when he didn't move to get off of her. "S-sir? I'm alright now, you can get off."

"What are you doing here?" he whispered into her ear. Christine gasped and her eyes widened. She knew this voice! It was his voice! The voice of her Angel of Music! He lifted his head and looked down at the bewildered Christine. Christine stared at the face of her Angel. He wore another white half-mask and was in one of his black suits, with a crimson red scarf. His cloak blanketed them as they laid there on the floor. He stared back at her with cold eyes, those eyes that enchanted her. "I asked you a question." He said. Christine couldn't speak, couldn't think. Lying so intimately on top of her was the very man that she was looking for. Without thinking, she smiled and the tears came trickling out of the corners of her eyes.

His eyes immediately turned from cold to concern. "Christine? What's wrong, are you hurt?" he asked. Christine, completely exhausted from running the whole way and the excitement of seeing her angel, could only muster a few words. "I found you, mon ange." She said softly before she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

You Are Not Alone

Erik looked down at Christine as she slept beneath him. She looked so…peaceful. He sighed as he rolled off of her and sat against the rubble beside her. He leaned his head back and looked up, completely and utterly confused.

He had come back to see if any part of his once home had survived when lo and behold, Christine was running through halls, determination written upon her face. He didn't know why, but he followed her, quietly sneaking from pile of debris to pile of debris, keeping out of sight. He later realized that she was headed towards her old dressing room. This confused him, what could she possibly want from there? He followed behind her and saw her heading towards the mirror. It couldn't be! But, there can be only one reason why she would be heading towards the mirror. He exclaimed inwardly. She stopped just before the mirror then looked up. He had heard it too and looked up. One of the wooden beams was breaking loose and threatened to fall on her. Before it could, he jumped and knocked her out of its way.

Erik lifted Christine and lifted her onto the saddle of his black stallion. He climbed up behind her and huddled her close to his chest. With a "Hyah!" the horse galloped away towards the outskirts of Paris. As he neared the giant oak tree he stopped and watched as the sun rose over the horizon. A peaceful expression appeared on his face as he thought back to all the times that he was surrounded by nothing but darkness and very rarely would he let himself bathe in the sun. In fact, it hurt his eyes having been living in the dark his whole life. Suddenly, a look of sadness came, reality reminding him that he'll never be able to have the life that he had always wanted. He lifted the hand that wasn't holding Christine and lightly ran his fingers over his mask. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.

Never…

Making sure that she wouldn't fall, he slid off the horse and headed towards the base of the tree. He brushed away several leaves and twigs to reveal a hidden, wooden trap door. He lifted it and leaned it against the trunk. He went back to Christine and carried her bridal style. He stood there a moment and studied her angelic features. The sun shined a heavenly glow on her face. Small dimples appeared on her face because of her smile. She looked so…happy. Why, he didn't know. Leaving the horse there to graze, he took Christine and carried her down the stone steps that led underground. As he walked through the dark and damp tunnels, the torches magically lit almost in time with each of the steps he took. He walked on until he came to what seemed like a dead end. He searched the wall for some minutes, and then kicked one stone that protruded from the wall. The stone wall before him slid away to reveal yet another tunnel. He stepped through and made sure to close the door behind him. He walked on and soon there was a light glow coming from the end of the tunnel. As he approached it, crimson red drapes hung before him and he pushed them out of the way with his shoulder to reveal an extravagant dwelling. In one corner a four poster bed with the Greek God as the poles. Hades claimed the back left side with his hand outstretched over the pillow, Aphrodite was on the right of him, and a soft smile graced her lips as she gazed down at the pillow, Apollo was on the left front with his signature lyre in hand, and Eros took the right front side, his wings folded behind him.

In another corner was his organ. This one wasn't as grand as the one that used to reside in his home beneath the Opera House, but it was indeed still beautiful, made out of dark mahogany with intricate black designs adorning the top. Piles upon piles of both blank and scribbled music sheets surrounded it.

He made his way towards the bed and gently laid Christine down. Soft moan emitted from her and she stirred slightly. Erik pulled his hands back, afraid that he had awakened her. She finally settled and breathed one word. "Angel…" Erik tensed and watched her as a soft smile crossed her face and she sighed happily. A stray hair had fallen and his fingers itched to push it back as well as stroke her soft, chestnut curls. He resisted and walked away towards his study. He removed his cloak and tossed it idly aside. Sitting himself at his desk, he cradled his head in his hands and was lost in his thoughts.

What was she doing at the Opera House? He asked himself.

Could it be that…?

No! Don't get your hopes up. She wouldn't come back for you.

How are you certain? Another voice within him countered.

Why would she want to be with a murderous monster such as you? The harsher voice within him argued.

Erik clamped his hands over his ears in an attempt to silence the conflicting voices within him. They immediately ceased when he heard Christine groan in her sleep. He looked up to see her toss in her sleep, the expression on her face looked pained. He quickly stood and rushed to her side. He knelt and took one of her small hands in his larger ones. "Shh, shh Christine. I'm here, I'm here." He whispered, gently stroking her hand. His words went unnoticed as Christine continued to toss uncomfortably and groan in pain. Erik could see she was sweating and he groans now started to come out in short cries. Erik couldn't stand to see his angel so disturbed. And so, he did what he knew would calm her down. He released her hand and walked off towards his organ. He reached down the side and pulled out his violin case. He pulled out the beautiful instrument and began to softly play The Resurrection of Lazarus. He walked towards her and was immediately relieved to see her relax and once again drift off into peaceful slumber. He sat beside her and played for her till noon. He lowered his violin and watcher her sleep soundlessly. He stood quietly and put his violin back in its case and sat in his crimson loveseat. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, thinking to rest for a little while, but then drifted off into sleep himself.

Christine blinked her eyes open and stretched her limbs. She looked up to see the Greek Goddess Aphrodite looking down on her. She looked around and sat up in surprise. She took in her surrounding with awe. She swung her legs over the side and stood out of bed. Christine walked out and surveyed the small cave-like area. She stared in awe at the beautiful gold and red carpeting, along with the red velvet curtains with golden tresses. She looked to one corner and gasped when she saw the organ with the piles of music surrounding it. She took a step towards when she saw figure on the couch from the corner of her eyes. She turned to see her Angel slumped in the seat with his head leaning towards the side, almost resting on his shoulder. Christine was so shocked to see him; she was frozen to the spot. After several moments, she took a tentative step towards him, then another and another till she was only about a foot from him. She knelt and studied his face. He looked at peace, yet not. She took a blanket from the bed and laid it across his body. Making sure that he was warm, she continued her exploring. She walked towards the organ and lightly ran her hands over the keys. She picked up random music sheets with notes scribbled on them. She set it down and looked over at the other sheets of paper. Christine was too engrossed to hear Erik get up and walk up behind her. She suddenly felt a presence behind her and turned abruptly and nearly collided with Erik. She looked up into his green blue eyes and instantly felt her knees go weak. His face was emotionless as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. "O-oh. You're awake. I'm terribly sorry; I didn't mean to pry into your things." Christine said nervously as she averted her gaze away from his. Erik stepped back slightly and let Christine rearrange his papers. "It's alright. How are you feeling Christine?" He asked softly. Christine continued rummaging through the papers, her back now facing him. "Oh, I-I'm alright monsieur. I thank you for carrying me here." She stopped, but still did not face him, "I hope I wasn't too much of a burden." Erik turned her towards him. "You weren't. But you did not answer my question earlier. What are you doing here?" He asked her, looking deep into her eyes. Christine gulped nervously and opened her mouth to speak, but now words came out. Being this close to him was awakening something deep within her, and she felt herself grow hot and slightly dizzy. "Angel…" She breathed, closing her eyes slightly. She stumbled forward slightly and nearly fell. Erik caught her and steadied her asking, "Christine? Are you sure that you're feeling alright?" Christine blushed madly and nodded. "I-I'm fine monsieur. Don't worry about me." She replied. Erik shook his head, "No you're not. Come, sit on the couch." Christine protested, but Erik led her to the couch and sat her down. After several minutes, Christine regained her composure and leaned back in the seat. Erik was still curious as to what she was doing there, but found it better not to pressure for an answer. And so, they sat there in silence for several moments, when finally Christine broke the silence. "I left him." She said softly. Erik quirked a curious eyebrow at her. "Him? Do you mean the boy?" He asked. Christine winced slightly at the venom in his voice when he mentioned Raoul. Christine looked away slightly, "I left Raoul. I came here, looking for you." Erik stilled and slowly absorbed what she had said. "You came looking for me? Why?" Christine swallowed a sob and blinked back several tears. "I couldn't take it anymore. Every night, you haunted my dreams, invaded my every thought. It terrified me at first; there was never a moment when you weren't on my mind. But soon, I later came to realize something."

Erik stilled, unable to say anything. He sat there; hanging on Christine's every word. Christine finally let the tears fall and let the sob escape her lips. Erik lifted his arms to comfort her, but thought twice about it. He was afraid that if he pulled her into his arms, he might not ever let her go. Christine turned towards him and smiled through her tears. "I love you…mon ange de la musique." Erik immediately tensed, only in his dreams had he ever hoped to hear those words come from Christine's mouth.