Christine could dimly see light ahead of her as she turned through winding passageways. Turning one last corner, she saw the small lake and crossed it to where she had seen Erik disappear. She picked up her pace as a horrible thought filled her mind. What if he had already gone?
As she searched for him, Christine passed by long rows of burned down candles with wax dripping from them like ice cycles. Crumpled pieces of paper were strewn all over the floor with notes written on them in thick, black ink. In a far corner, she saw sketches and drawings of herself covering on a desk blanketed with roses.
Suddenly, Christine heard music coming from behind her. She stepped around a corner to see Erik sitting and staring miserably at his music box. She watched to him for a while as he sang to himself softly along with the profusion of notes coming from the music box.
After the song ended, Erik looked up, noticing Christine for the first time. His hard, sea-blue eyes were filled with pain and sadness. Christine was grasped by a sudden compassion for the disfigured man before her. His thick, black hair framed his dark, serious face perfectly. Behind the hurt and suffering in his eyes, she saw potential love and compassion.
Christine took a cautious step towards him as she slipped the ring he had given her off of her finger. Erik slowly stood up on shaky legs and looked at her with both amazement and sorrow. She took his hands and gently placed the ring in them. She stared into his eyes.
"Why?" She asked him, still holding his hands.
"I-I don't know!" Erik said, shaking his head and fighting back tears. "I love you..." he managed to choke.
Christine smiled at him tenderly. She reached up and turned his head to face her, running her hand down the side of his cheek. She stepped back and held out her hand to him. Erik looked up at her with an amazed, but hesitant look. She smiled at him comfortingly and nodded.
With tremulous hands, Erik slid the blue, sparkling ring back onto her finger.
At that moment, Christine knew that she had made the right choice. The way she had felt when Raoul proposed to her on the rooftop so long ago didn't even compare to her feelings now.
Unable to control herself any longer, Christine threw herself into Erik's arms and kissed him.
Erik gasped as her lips pressed against his with a passion he had never felt from her before. After the initial shock, Erik closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Christine tightly. She ran her fingers through his hair as he held her face gently in his warm hands. Christine intertwined her fingers in his loose shirt and attempted to pull him closer. Erik eagerly obeyed and kissed her more.
But in the midst of their kiss, they heard a voice behind them.