A/N: Be forewarned: This one is possibly a tear jerker. This chapter is part of the reason why this is rated M.The other reason…is in another chapter.;)
Tonight is the night when he would take action. He had everything planned out…not that there was much planned. He straps his sheath around his waist and inserts his sword, careful not to scratch the blade.
Raoul made his way to his front door slowly, but urgently. He stepped over the threshold, locked the door behind him, and waved down a hansom. He hastily threw the man a wad of bills, and almost snarled, but he controlled himself, as his good manners returned. "To the Opera Populair, Monsieur." The hansom driver quickly nodded and gripped the reins. When he heard theVicomte shut the door, he cracked his reins and the hansom lurched forward.
It seemed like hours before the hansom rolled to a stop in front of a large, ominous building. It still had the construction sign on the door, but Raoul ignored it. Once inside, he went straight to Christine's dressing room and moved to the mirror. He had seen Madame Giry open it, and he fumbled for any kind of switch. When he found it, he slid it open stealthily.
As he drew near to the spot where he had fallen, he knew it might be a short cut, but he didn't want to get wet. He wanted to return to Christine in full glory. He jumped over the foot switch and proceeded.
Twice, he had to avoid touching a foot switch, not wanting to know what would happen if he did. He wasn't so desperate as he was the first time, so he carefully kept an eye on the ground for any other traps. Finally, he saw steps that led to an open area that appeared to be a dock for the Phantom's gondola.
He paused, now trembling in what was to come. Was he really going to go through with this? Yes. He had made it this far. No way was he turning back now. He stepped in the gondola and rowed his way across the lake, with much effort.
When he reached the gate, he jumped out of the gondola, after noticing the water went shallow, but up to his waist. Oh, damn...
He yells, "Phantom! I have come to re-claim my bride!"
Erik had just finished eating dinner with Christine, when he heard splashes and a familiar voice call for him. Christine immediately went behind Erik, who already had his Punjab lasso out. She grabbed his arm and tried to talk him out of it. "Erik, don't go, just ignore him. You don't need another crime on your hands. Especially, not him."
Raoul was getting impatient and he pressed on, "Come out, you vile creature! Unhand her and fight me like a man!"
Erik snapped. He was furious at the Vicomte's words. How dare he! How dare he, to come down here, in his home, and try to take her away from him! He grabbed Christine and took her to a secret room, instructing her to stay there, and left to retrieve his sword. If the fop wants to play, we'll play.
Raoul heard splashy footsteps and waited for the Phantom to come out from hiding. The Phantom gives Raoul a look of pure hatred before speaking in an calm, eerie voice.
"Monsieur. We meet again…though not on the greatest of terms..again. If you truly value your life, it would be wise to take leave immediately and never return. I do not wish to resort to violence, but will if provoked. Wouldn't want to damage your pretty face, would we?"
His voice was creepy whisper, masking all hints of loath. He spoke with a calm politeness, and it sent chills up Raoul's spine. He came down here for a reason, and he wasn't about to leave just because of a polite threat. He suddenly remembered the reason and spoke up, "Christine! Where is she? What have you done to her? I swear, if y-"
"I assure you, Christine chooses to stay of her own free will, and you'll not take her by force. You'll have to kill me before you even touch her."
Raoul feels anger rise and he unsheathes his sword. "Very well then. I shall slay the Beast and claim my prize!" He added a bit of emphasis to 'prize', as that was what Erik viewed as Raoul's life.
Erik draws his own sword and opens the gate. Raoul strikes first, but Erik pars the blow and makes his own move. Raoul moves to the side and Erik misses, but spins around. Raoul pars his sudden move and the force sends him back a little. He swings his sword, and just barely nicks Erik on his side. Erik doesn't notice and he trips Raoul, the price for getting too close. Erik was about to run him through, but Raoul brought his feet up and kicked him hard in the stomach. Erik dropped his sword and gasped for air. He staggers back onto a wall, the wind literally knocked out of him. He realized he needed his sword now, because Raoul got up and was quickly advancing him.
He raised his sword to stab Erik in the same spot he kicked just seconds ago.
Christine saw it all. It happened so fast, she couldn't think. She knew Raoul had given Erik some sort of internal damage from the kick. She would not allow another one. She had to stop this madness….NOW!
Raoul wasn't going to stop now. He was going to finish his job. It wasn't a sin to kill a murderer. He just wanted to end it quickly and leave with Christine. He heard shouting, but he was so determined, he ignored them. He pulled back his sword and stabbed with great force. It happened so fast, he couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. He saw a blur of motions and instantly knew his mistake.
Raoul watched in horror as the tip of his blade pierced through the outer layer of clothing, plunging deeper through a corset, a chemise, and at last, soft skin; going even further. He heard a soft gasp and saw a deep crimson color begin to stain a spot on the top layer, growing as if it were alive.
He suddenly felt sick and tasted bile. He averted his eyes to look into dark brown ones that began to glaze over. He let go of his sword and backed away chanting 'sorry' like a broken record. Raoul heard a murmured 'I forgive you' before he heard more shouting.
"YOU BASTARD! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! If it wasn't for Christine, I would kill you right where you STAND!" Erik held onto Christine from behind and whispered something in her ear before turning back to Raoul, nothing left of his polite tone earlier. "GET OUT before I change my mind!"
Raoul wanted to stay and help Christine, but he heeded the Phantom's words and broke into a run. He ran even after he got out. He ran all the way home, collapsing on his front door. He would stay in the cold until he awoke tomorrow. He would leave Paris first thing.
(A/N: happens when Raoul is still there.)
Christine's hands still clutched Raoul's sword. She tried to pull it out, but it brought a horrible, sickening pain. It made her whole body shudder in the shock of it. Blood was oozing from the blade, dripping from her hands, and she looked down. She shuddered again, but this time it was in horror. She couldn't believe he actually…impaled her. That wasn't supposed to happen.
She looked back up and met with Raoul's eyes of blue, before feeling darkness creep up on her. She wouldn't let it drown her, so she fought back. Christine heard Raoul saying 'sorry' over and over again. She wasn't cross with him, but she forgave him anyway. More shouting. Erik! He's so angry! She wanted to tell him to stop yelling, but she couldn't.
She suddenly felt very cold and began to shiver uncontrollably before she forced herself to relax; even though she wasn't scared. All the hard work to control her body made her exhausted and she fell backwards. Erik was still behind Christine, and he caught her, and slid them slowly to the ground. He gently laid her on the ground beside him. He instructed sternly, "CHRISTINE! Listen to me! Listen to my voice, Cherub! DON'T fall asleep, no matter what!" He was amazed that she didn't scream or howl in pain; at the same time, it made him worry more than he already was.
(A/N: Raoul has run.)
He leaned over her and said, "Hold on to me and do whatever it is that you need to do, be it scream or cry, but DO NOT succumb to the darkness. Alright?" She nodded and latched onto his arm. He gave her a look of despair and said gently, "This will hurt me more than it will hurt you. It was mostly true. When he put a hand on her and the other on the sword, he felt her tighten her grip. He looked up and saw her eyes shut tight and biting her lip against the pain.
He broke down while he pulled the sword from her small body, agonizingly slow, so as not to tear any more tissue. It was a miracle that he was even able to do it, in his said state.
When Erik had the sword completely in his hands, he went into a violent mood swing. He yelled strings of curses at Raoul and chucked the sword across the room. It smashed against the wall, crashing loudly as it hit the floor. He was suddenly drained of his anger, and it was replaced with anguish.
He looked down at Christine, who was watching him, trying to read his actions. He leaned over her, and she grabbed his arm again. He locked eyes with hers, but couldn't allow himself to gaze into them anymore because of guilt. He looked down at where the blade had been. Her hand was there, covering it up, and he put his hand on hers before weeping again. When he glanced up, he saw that she had turned her head to the side and was silently crying.
Erik put an arm underneath her legs, and one under her back. He scooped her up and carried her to his swan bed, laying her gently on it. He was still crying softly, and he moved a curl from her face. She looked up lovingly at him and put a delicate hand on his cheek. "It's that bad, huh?" It was more of a statement than a question. She continued quietly, "I did the only thing I knew how…It doesn't matter anymore. It's over." She looked at a red spot that she saw from the corner of her eye.
"Erik, you're hurt!"
He shrugged it off, "It's just a scratch, no big deal."
She pressed on, "Erik, I saw what he did to you. Do you have any broken ribs?"
He shook his head. "Christine, stop worrying about me. I'm fine. It is you, that I worry about. I don't know what do to!"
Christine turned pale and it was obvious that she was fighting sleep. "Just stay with me, Erik. You're here…that's all I need to know." She whispered, "I love you…" Her hand found his and she squeezed it weakly. She gave him a small smile before loosening her grip. She closed her eyes, not being able to fight sleep any longer.
This deeply frightened Erik and he put both hands on her face and stared at her eyelids as if they would open for him. He called her name, each time with no response, and he repeated it with more desperation and anguish. After the fifth call, he gave up and held her head to his shoulder, and wrapped his other arm on the small of her back. He sobbed quietly and stroked the back of her head.
It seemed like eternity to Erik, but he didn't dare let go. He put his mouth against her ear and pleaded softly, "Christine, you have to fight this! You can do it, I know you can! Please…just wake up. Please do it for me, your Angel." He continued with urgency in his voice. "You promised you wouldn't leave me…I love you, Christine, and don't you forget it. You hear me? Don't worry, I'll take good care of you. I will even sing if you want me to! Just please…wake up!" He shook with sobs, gasping for air every now and then. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her cheek lovingly. When she still didn't respond, he did the only thing he could think of. He laid her back down gently and kissed her lips ever so softly. He started to pull away, but was stopped by a very small response. She kissed back weakly, but it was definitely her. When she turned her head to the side and broke the tender kiss, she murmured helplessly, "Erik…help me…I'm dying, I can feel it."
His eyes filled with tears, but he said, "Don't say such things, Cherub! You're not going to…to…die. We will work on this together! We will get through this! I love you too much to let that happen!"
Erik took off his shirt and ripped it as if it was a piece of parchment paper. He wrapped some strips around his hand and applied pressure on her wound. She squirmed a bit under the painful pressure and suppressed the urge to scream. He knew, by her death grip, that he hurt her. His stomach twisted into a knot and his heart felt as if someone ripped it out and tore it to shreds. He took his hand off and said between shuddering gasps, "I'm sorry….I c-can't do this….I won't! I don't want to hurt you."
She was touched by his kindness, but she took his hand and placed it back where it was, applying pressure on it again. Despite the pain, she spoke, "Keep it there."
Erik looked like he was going to object, but he only nodded and placed his other hand on her forehead, brushing away the curls from her slightly damp skin. After about ten minutes, the strips had completely soaked through, and her blood stained his hands. He had to change the strips and cleverly, he had Christine to wrap clean ones on his other hand while he palmed the ends of them. He quickly swapped hands, being careful not to suddenly apply more pressure while switching.
After ten more minutes of silence, she finally stopped bleeding. He saw that her lips turned blue and thought that she might be could, but observed that she wasn't shivering. He suddenly understood what it was. He asked cautiously, "Christine, I think I need to remove your corset…if you will allow it." She nodded, unable to speak anymore.
He helped her out of her dress, revealing her stiff article of clothing. He moved to untie the front v-neck. He then gently turned her to the side, so he could unclasp the little metal clasps that held the wings closed. He silently cursed the inventor as he worked. He finally unclasped the last one and had to pry open the wings, like two front doors. He cursed aloud when he had to unlace the last restraints.
Erik finally got her out of it, leaving on her chemise; it was not bothering her. He rolled her on her back and asked, "Better?" She nodded. He noticed that her lips turned from blue to a pale color, not the usual healthy pink. Curious, he put a finger on her lip and recoiled. Stone cold to the touch. He stood up and reached for a very soft blanket, softer than flannel. He wrapped it around himself and sat back down. Christine stared at him, wondering what he was doing. The material it was made of quickly absorbed his body heat, and he covered Christine with it. She was deeply grateful…she was cold.
She almost immediately fell asleep, surrounded by his warmth and his exotic cologne. She LOVED the smell of him, and that was how she always knew that he was there in the days that he played as her Angel. He asked what he could do for her, but her eyes were already closed and she shrugged. She unknowingly muttered, "Don't know. Go ask Antee."
She was almost asleep when she felt Erik climb in beside her. His hand instinctively found hers, and he said casually, "I love you."
She looked at him and replied sleepily, "I love you too, Erik."
He waited for her to fall asleep before checking her vital signs and running into the secret passageway that leads to Mme. Antoinette Marie Giry's room. He stopped on his way, to get his mask and put it on. He kept thinking that he forgot something, but couldn't put his finger on it.