Note for reader: I've finally ended this, my first 'real' PotO fic and I hope you'll enjoy reading it, I will probably make some small changes in the future but nothing big. I would be glad if you leaved a review so I know if there's anything I need to change or get any tips for if I'll make another fic. (Which I will…) My English isn't the very best but I hope you'll still be able to read it. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy!

The final decision

By: AimonyDaae

Part 1. The six months later

Christine sat on the edge of her bed, thinking, thinking of her beloved angel… Erik… All because of that kiss… He told us to leave… Didn't he want me? He said he loved me! He wanted me to be his wife! Why! Why did he let me go? She thought. Why did I let myself go? And what if he's dead! She buried her face in her hands, crying. Our song… I use to call it our song… she thought and started to sing silent for herself. "In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. That voice which calls to me and speaks my name." She tried to continue her song even if she started to cry… "And d-do I dream agai-in? For no-ow I found. The Pha-antom of the Opera is the-ere, inside my mind-d…" She imagined inside her head how her angel… How Erik would continue, singing for her. She slowly rose from the bed and walked outside, to the balcony. Her brown curls flied around in the blow, in her face, in her mouth, but she didn't care, all she could think about was Erik. I have to meet him again. She thought. Inside her room she could hear the door get opened and Raoul, her fiancé, entered.

"Christine? Are you in here?" he asked and looked around in the room.

"I'm here." She answered, opened the balcony door and went inside.

Raoul smiled to Christine but soon he started to slowly scan her face. "You've been crying!" he said with a shocked voice. "What is it, Little Lottie?"

"Nothing…" Christine answered in a half-scared voice and sank her head a little.

"Christine, what is it?" Raoul repeated. "Look at me, please look at me…"

Christine raised her face and looked into Raoul's eyes. "So?"

"What is it?" he asked again looking back into her eyes.

Christine shook her head a little and tried to imagine how it would be if she'd still be with Erik at that exact moment, but got interrupted by Raoul; "Baby..? If you won't tell me what it is, can you at least tell me if you're okay?" Raoul said with a worried voice.

Christine disappeared from her thoughts and answered Raoul's question;

"I'm okay, nothing's wrong, I just need a rest."

"But… You don't look very tired baby, more like… Off... why don't you and I go for a walk? In the park? What about that?" Raoul asked.

"Well…" Christine said insecurely.

"Please?" Raoul asked softly.

Slowly Christine made a nod and took Raoul's hand in hers.

"Come, let's go." He said and smiled a little.

Down in the hall their butler stood ready with their coats having a strange smile in his face, staring at Christine while he gave the coat to her. Christine looked at him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Miles, is anything wrong?" she asked.

Miles, the butler, just shook his head and opened the door for them. "No mame, nothing's wrong, at least not with me." He said, still staring at Christine who was getting a little worried.

"Raoul, let's go…" she said with a worried voice to her fiancé.

Raoul looked with a strange look in his face and asked:

"Christine, what is it now?"

She didn't answer, just went out and closed the door behind her and Raoul.

"Didn't you hear him?" she said with a voice of sadness, anger and worry.

Raoul shook his head. "No baby, what did he say? What did Miles say to you? Please tell me..!"

Sinking her head a little Christine answered Raoul's question:

"First he just stared at me, you must at least have seen that..!" she said, but Raoul just shook his head. "Continue..."

"Then... I asked if anything was wrong and he said 'no, nothing's wrong, at least not with me.'" Christine said and raised her head again, looking into Raoul's eyes.

Raoul just shook his head, took her hand and started to walk down the stairs in direction to the park.

While in the park Raoul stopped, took Christine's hands, looked into her eyes and said:

"Christine baby, can't you just tell me what's wrong? I'm getting worried about you, can't you understand that?" he said with a soft and worried voice, but Christine just sank her head and looked into the ground.

"Raoul, you will never understand! Please just try to ignore that I am like this right now, okay? It'll pass soon, I promise..!" she said and looked into his eyes.

"Little Lottie, I promise that I'll try but I can't swear that it will work." he said and softly kissed Christine's forehead. "Why don't take a cab and just, ride around the city?"

Christine nodded and softly kissed Raoul's lips. "That sounds great" she said and started to walk out from the park to find a cab. Looking around on the street for a cab Christine said to Raoul:

"Did you expect us to just find a cab than isn't taken just like that? Through looking around the street?" she asked, smiling.

Still looking around the street Raoul answered:

"Well, why not?"'

They both laughed a little, still looking for a cab.

"What about that one?" Raoul said and pointed at a cab coming down the street.

"Well, is it free? Is there anyone in it?" she answered.

"No, I can't see anyone…" he said and waved at the cab. "It's probably on its way to the cab station, don't you think?" he asked Christine

The cab stopped and the driver stepped out.

"Do you need ride?" he asked.

"If you're not in a hurry, yes we do. We're thinking of just ride round the city if it's okay." Raoul said to the cab driver.

The cab driver just shook his head.

"It's okay, I'm on my way to the cab station." he answered and Christine started to laugh a little.

The cab driver looked with an asking look at Christine but didn't say anything.

Christine and Raoul entered the cab and they started to roll down the street. They passed the Notre Dame church and the Ivory tower. And then they passed the Paris opera house, opéra populaire. Raoul seemed not to notice that, but Christine looked, no, stared at it and very silent started to sing. "Father once spoke of an angel, I use to dream he'd appear. Now as I sing I can sense him, and I know he's here. Here in this room he calls me softly, somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow I know he's always with me, He, the unseen genius." She started to cry, but Raoul didn't seem to notice, but then she gave a snob, and Raoul heard her. He fast turned around and looked at Christine, then at the opera house.

"Baby? It's okay, I'm here." He said and started to sing for her; "No more talk of darkness, forget these wide eyed fears, your safe, no one will harm you, you fears are far behind you."

He looked into her eyes and said:

"It's true you know, I won't let you get hurt." And kissed her lips.

Crying more and more Christine started to sing; "The Phantom of the opera is there, inside my mind".

"Well, then try to get him out of there." Raoul said softly.

"I'm so sorry Raoul, I just can't let it go." She said, but thought; that kiss… I'll never forget it... So soft, so loved, and then… He just ran away…

"Raoul, can't we just go home?" she said looking at her fiancé. "I will never forget him completely, but I will do everything I can to get him out from my mind as much as possible."

Raoul smiled. "That's enough for me, you can't do more then you're able to." He looked at the chauffeur and told him to take them home again.

While they where home again it was already dark outside, they'd just eat a late dinner and then got to bed.

Lying in her bed Christine couldn't let Erik out of her mind. I must see him… she thought. She lay there for about two hours, thinking of her angel. Enough! She thought. I have to see him! I have to see him now! And with those words in her thoughts she carefully opened the door and sneaked down the stairs, down to the hall and there stood Miles, staring at her in the dark.

"Miles? What are you doing?" Christine said with a half scared and half shocked voice.

He went out of the shadows, still staring at Christine. "I knew you would do this." He said. "I knew you where going to sneak out to visit the Phantom.

"Yes?" Christine said. "And I'm still going to do it."

Miles just nodded slowly. "Okay, it's your choice, but I must warn you, if The Viscount founds out about this, he'll not be very glad."

"But he aren't going to find out." She said, very sure that she was talking the truth. "If you aren't going to tell him, of course…" she said, a little more insecure this time.

"No, no. I won't tell him, as I said, it's your decision."

Christine didn't say any more, just opened the door and started to walk towards the opera house. While outside the opera she started to get a little insecure but at the same time she couldn't wait. But however, she ran through the door and up the stirs into her dressing room. It looked exactly as she remembered, just a little dustier. Then she walked to the mirror and pushed it aside. Inside she could see the long dark tunnel, but there were no candles as she could remember, it was all dark. A dark tunnel won't stop me she thought and went down the stairs into the black tunnel. Finding the lake, but no boat. Then he's at least there…but what if he's dead? she thought, jumped into the lake and started to swim. When she finally reached the shore she were lucky to be alive, but nothing would stop her from meeting her angel. Gazing around she found the organ empty, only echoes of the tunes it once played could be heard. She then found the broken mirrors, and only few of the many candles were lit. She walked towards the swan bed, also empty but there laid something white on it, Erik's mask. She walked towards it to pick It up when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and she quickly turned around. Then she saw someone that she hadn't seen for months. Tears wallowed from her eyes, she fell down on the floor and cried;

"I thought you'd be dead!"

She wiped the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

They just stood like that for a while but then Erik said:

"Why did you come? You made your choice! Why? Don't you understand how much this hurts me?"

Christine looked deep into his eyes and answered:

"No Erik, I didn't make my choice! You made me go! You told us to leave! Why? Why did you do that!"

Erik cried even more.

"I didn't think you would love me… You kissed me, the first woman ever to kiss me without I'm forcing her! It was just to much for me…"

"So, you could kill people to get me, but you couldn't handle a kiss…" she said and rose again. "Well, then you won't like me now." She said and softly kissed his lips. "Erik, I made the wrong decision, I don't want to be the Viscountess Christine de Chagny, I want to be your wife, not Raoul's, YOURS!" she said, crying.

Erik just stared into her eyes, silently.

"You don't want me here? Is that what you mean?" she said gasping.

"Christine… You don't have any future with me! People think I'm a beast… Do you want to marry a beast, a monster?"

"I don't care about what other people think! I love you! But if this is what you want…" she said crying and ran away. The Phantom ran after her but she was to fast.

"What have I done...?" he said to himself looking the way Christine ran off. "A second chance, I blew it…"

Christine ran out on the streets, it was getting light so she had to hurry so Raoul wouldn't find her bed empty. While home she carefully opened the door, sneaked up the stair and lay in her bed. As soon as her face hit the pillow it started to rush tears from her eyes. She looked at her clock, 4:36. Then I have at least two hours of sleep before Raoul will come… She thought. But she couldn't sleep; she could just lie there, thinking of the Phantom. "Did I make the wrong decision, again?" she silently asked herself.

Erik walked around the organ, the swan bed, down to the lake. "Say you'll share with me one love one lifetime, lead 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." he sang silent in his loneliness while tears whipped down his cheeks. He fell down on knees, cried, and screamed; "What have I done!"

"Christine? Baby? Wake up!"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Raoul's face.

"Already?" she said with a sleepy voice.

Raoul nodded, walked through the room to the balcony and opened the door. "You need some air in here, Little Lottie." he said and smiled a little.

Christine sat up in her bed, looking at Raoul. He turned around and looked back at her.

"Are you okay? Could you sleep tonight? I mean… Because of the, opera. Could you sleep?" he asked with a little worry in his voice.

Then Christine started to cry. "No Raoul, I couldn't sleep… I wasn't home!" she said, whipping her tears.

"Then, where were you?" he said, but yet he knew the answer, he just wanted to hear it from Christine.

"I was with Erik! I was with the Phantom!" she screamed, crying and ran out from her room, down the stairs and out on the street.

Raoul ran after her but she was to fast, he stopped in the foyer, turned around and saw Miles.

"I told her." He said, looking at the out door.

"What? What did you tell her?" Raoul said while tears started to come from his eyes. "What did you tell her?"

Miles shook his head a little. "I told her, that if you would find out about her visit to the Phantom you wouldn't be very glad. But no, no, she was so sure that you wouldn't find out. Poor little girl…" he said.

Raoul looked suspiciously at Miles. "Did you know? Did you know that Christine sneaked out, in the middle of the night to visit a monster, a murderer?" he said, drying the tears with his hand. "And you'd just let her go?"

Miles nodded. "Yes monsieur, I'd let her go. It was her own decision."

"You can't be serous! Please say you're not telling me the truth! Please say that Christine hasn't been with Erik! Please!" Raoul screamed and ran out through the out door.