title: christmas miracle
author: angelofredemption13
note: i just brainstormed this and i want to write it really fast but im supposed to be getting ready for family christmas at nanas!
As hard as he tried, time was not something easy to keep track of when you were a fugitive. Especially when you only travel by night and are weary by the long roads with no destinations, time blended together into an incoherant infinity. Snow was lightly falling and the Phantom silently and sadly cursed that he had no been more prepared for his grand escape from the opera house in Paris just a few weeks prior. He still had a few hours before he would go hide in one of many France's natural caves and sleep...
Sleep away the daylight...
He was not sure of what he had become, but not only did he now scare everyone else, he was scaring himself. Sometimes he tried to diagnose himself but the words were too frightening. Surely if he ever had human contact they would know and he would be locked up forever.
Locked up forever...
He was used to dwelling and thinking and the only conversation he had anymore was with himself, which though his entire like was pretty much the only conversation he had besides brief conversation with Madam Giry and that period with Christine.
Christine...
Abestoly, he brushed away tears that involuntirly made their way down his twisted cheek. Sometimes he thought he looked the way he did because his tears shaped his face and sorrow.
Again his mind wandered to darkness. There was a way his pain would stop. Not far away there was a huge cliff. He could end it all tonight.
End it all...
That's it! That's what he would do. It was snowing harder now and he made his way to the biggest cliff in France, which was luckily where he was at.
Standing at the ledge, it seemed like the wind was blowing harder. He took a step closer until he was so close any gust of movement would send him hurtling down into oblivion and into darknes... forever. He was crying harder now, sobbing almost. The force of his ravaged and broken sobs made him slip forward... stumble...
Until he was falling. Falling over the edge. He tried to grab onto anything, wildly remember what his mother said about suicide and hell and what the priest said and he wanted to go to heaven like the psalms and the angels.
When he opened his eyes, it was warm and there was light. Erik was confused. Wasn't it supposed to be a lot more uncomfortable in hell?
He also almost started to laugh because of his self fulfilled prophecy of being the angel in hell. Now he was really in hell...
Thing started to come into focus. He was in a room and it was decorated for Christmas. There were lots of reds and greens and golds and it smelled like Christmas Trees. It was nothing he had ever seen before and hte sight overwhelmed him. Of course he knew it was for Christmas as he had heard jpeople discuss the somewhat foreign affair and he had seen pictures in books and stuff too but... being in it was entirely different. IT was magical.
Christmas...
In the middle of his thoughts, he didnt notice the figure before him for a while. When he did he couldn't help but scream. The only person he had ever been that close to was Christine.
"I didn't think you'd be up in time to celebrate with us! Up Up you, my wife has set an extra place for you."
Erik stared dumbly at the man. He didnt know what these manners were, directed at him! The man was older an din proportion to his age, he was quite large. Old and large and with a big white beard. He was wearing red long johns with a white fur trim.
"How? How did I get here?" he sputtered dumbly.
"Well...Im not sure. When I went to empty my sleigh, I found you there unconscious!"
"In your sleigh?" the idea of his suicide fall being broken by the Christmas miracle of Santa Claus was too much. Too much! He began to shiver violently.
"Maybe you should stay in bed Erik, I'll bring yo usupper here."
And the Phantom blacked out.
The next time he woke up , Santa Claus was in the room again.
"How did you know my name?" Erik demanded suddenly.
Santa turned to him with a sad smile, "I know everything."
"Well, if you're who I think you are, why haven't you ever been there for me befor!" anger was building up against the man that had saved him. But maybe if Erik had known someone always had his back he wouldn't have jumped off the cliff in the first place.
"Not everyone's perfect. You should know that. Anyways... About how you got into my sleigh...why Erik, why?"
Before he could answer, he was overcome by sobs. He choked out, "Because no one would listen."
Santa paused, grim. He had the responsiblity to take care of all of God's children and he had forgotten this one. At heart, this man was still just a lost little boy escaping from the gypsies. He knew what he would do.
There was a soft knock at the door. Both men turned towards it.
"Come in," Santa said softly.
The door opened. Caustiously. Erik's breath drew back when he saw the familiar dark locks and big expressive eyes of his beloved...
Christine...
"Christine..." he whispered.
She nodded and kept coming towards the bed. Erik couldn't believe it. Surely he would be waking up from the dream soon. Any second now. Any.,...,
But he didnt.
She kneeled on the bed next to him, caressing his chest and reaching towards his face. She removed the mask and he flinched but Christine didn't. She kissed every inch of where his tears were, to make them go away.
They fell asleep in each others arms and when they both woke, they were in the same room, but it wasn't decorated for Christmas. It had music notes all over and a baby was crying. Christine flew out of bed, in pretty pink lingerie and smiled at Erik who was slowly waking up. He glanced out the window to see a beautiful summer day in the country.
This was his Christmas miracle.
