"Angel, how did you learn to make such pretty music?"

"You think my music is pretty, Christine?"

"Of course I do! Your music is the most prettiest and beautiful thing I've ever heard in my whole life!"

"I am pleased to hear that you think so."

"How could I not? You're perfect, Angel, absolutely perfect."

"No one and nothing is perfect, Christine, except perhaps you."

"Oh, I'm not perfect, mon ange. I've done loads of bad things."

"Nothing that would damn you, Christine. You are perfection and beauty in the flesh."

"Do you love me, Angel?"

"..."

"I mean like a papa would love me? I mean, I don't have anybody else who loves me, and it would just be nice to know that I'm not alone. Do you know what I mean?"

"Of course I do. And yes, Christine. I love you. I've...always loved you."

"I miss my papa, but I'm glad I have you. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"I know exactly where I would be without you, my Christine. And I dread to even imagine such a desolate and lonely existance."

Chapter Four

The Shape In The Shadows

Shock and fear seized complete control of Christine's mind, and she stumbled backwards shakily. When she did so, her foot knocked over the candle that had been her only light, and the small flame went out immediately. As a result, Christine was plunged into total darkness, and it was disorienting. Christine's eyes flickered over the entire theater, but she could see absolutely nothing. She felt blind and alone and she didn't have the first idea of what to do. There was someone in there with her, someone who might harm her, and Christine knew she had to get out, but she didn't know where she was going, or -

Christine reminded herself to breathe, and she tried harder than anything to slow her heart rate down. It was beating so quickly and loudly that Christine was sure whoever was with her would be able to hear it.

"Who is that?" she shouted in fear, emotion causing her voice to crack. "Who is there? What do you want?" Christine's voice was shrill and loud, and she hoped with all her might that someone would be able to hear it and come help her. "Reveal yourself!"

The darkness around her seemed to completely consume her, and Christine felt as if she was already dead. It was surreal, to have your eyes open yet to see nothing. She felt as if she was floating, as if she was soaring, and if fear hadn't been her primal feeling, she was sure she would have been amazed at the wonderful feeling of freedom.

You probably imagined the voice singing, Christine tried to convince herself soothingly. It had sounded a lot like...him. And whoever's voice it was had known the very words you'd been about to sing - that would have been impossible. It was just your imagination. A silly dream. It's just because you're tired. Stop worrying - no one is in here with you.

And the more Christine thought about it, the more she was certain that she was alone. She felt no ethereal presence, and heard no footsteps. It was silent as a tomb, not even the swish of a cloak could be heard. And the voice had sounded like...like Erik's, and since Erik was gone, it could have been no one else. Pushing thoughts of her Angel to the back of her jumbled mind, Christine focused on what was important - figuring a way out of the theater.

Christine couldn't bear the pressing silence, so she began to hum to herself while she thought. It was a comforting tune, one she hadn't thought about in years, and it helped her concentrate so that she could get her bearings and figure out her exact location on the stage. She'd grown up in the Opera Populaire, after all, and knew the schematics like the back of her hand. If she could just close her eyes and imagine where it was she stood, Christine hoped that she would be able to just make her way back to the main entrance of the opera house, which was sure to be well-lit.

Christine bent down and felt by her feet. The floor was coarse beneath her tender fingers, and she slowly walked forward until her hands touched the cold metal that signaled the end of the stage. Christine then walked to her extreme left, and eventually, she hit the border, and she knew exactly where it was she stood - she could picture in front of her the audience clapping, and the boxes just above her and to the left, and the hallway that would lead through double doors...

But now the question remained - how was Christine going to get offstage? It was too high up for her to jump to the floor of the house, and there was no way she was going to be able to navigate her way backstage through all the new set pieces...

Christine realized how hopeless her situation was, and she sank to the floor with a heavy heart and a feeling of dread. My, how foolish she had been to come down here in the first place! Tears poured hot and many down Christine's cold cheeks, and she knew that she would have to stay in the theater until morning. Six or seven more hours...

Christine leaned her back against the wall of the border, and tried to relax. She knew she would not be able to fall back to sleep on the floor, but she had to stop crying. When she was eventually found at dawn, she didn't need to look as wretched as she felt - she was already viewed as weak and insecure, and the last thing she needed was more proof for those who thought poorly of her.

Christine knew that what she really needed in that moment was someone to talk to - someone to wipe all the hurt away and make being trapped blindly on the stage of the opera seem like a positive thing. She needed an embrace to fall into, someone who would make her feel safe and secure and loved. Christine ached for such a presence more than she had ever ached for anything in her entire life, and - figuring since she had hallucinated his voice once already - began to speak out loud to Erik. She thought maybe...maybe since she was alone, the ghost of his voice would float down to her from Heaven and speak to her.

"I...I miss you." she whispered brokenly, her voice thick with tears. Quiet though it was, Christine's voice echoed eerily. "More than anything. I made a...a mistake, but I suppose you've seen what a broken shell I've become, so you must already know that.

"I shouldn't have gone with Raoul that night, Erik! I should have stayed...my heart wanted to stay, but I was afraid! I was a foolish child who didn't know what she had, alright? I yearned for consistency and safety, and Raoul presented both. I - I couldn't refuse.

"You know when I realized it was you I wanted, Erik? It was as Raoul and I were leaving the catacombs in the boat. I turned around and met your eyes, and for the first time I really saw you, and I wanted nothing more than to go back to you, but the mob was approaching and Raoul was hurt, and I just...I don't know. None of it felt real.

"You can imagine how I...how I regret not returning to you now, though." Christine didn't realize it, but she began to sob heavily once more. She was at the bottom of a hole, deep and unforgiving, and she understood in that moment that she was never going to be able to climb back out of it. Everything was falling apart, and Christine was powerless to stop it. "But I will always love you, because...love never dies."

Moments of deafening silence felt like hours, until finally Christine heard a strange whisper reach her ears. It simply spoke, "...Christine..." but it was so close that it was nearly unbelievable. The voice was filled with pain and grief and loss, and for a moment Christine wondered if it was actually human. But no, it was definitely Erik, so she knew her Angel had heard her.

Christine closed her eyes tightly and moaned. It was his voice, his beautiful heavenly voice, and it was so realistic. She could imagine his hand caressing her cheek, wiping the tears away, and she swore to herself that she did almost feel him doing so. She sighed in contentment and released the breath she had unconsciously been holding for the past seven months. In the blissful, however unreal moment, Christine was honestly happy.

"I knew you'd come back for me." whispered Christine, afraid of raising her voice and shattering the moment. A warm breath and slightly nervous chuckle tickled her ear.

"I could never stay away from you long, my Angel." his perfect voice spoke. Christine laughed a bubbly, child-like laugh.

"Stay with me." she commanded. Her mind clouded, and he was all she was aware of.

"I don't have the strength to leave you again." was the last thing she heard before Christine fell into unconsciousness, and sleep overpowered her will to hear his voice just one more time.

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 -

Warmth was the first thing Christine registered when she woke up. She'd dreamt of him again and - while his voice was never as perfect in her dreams as it had once been in life - it was better than nothing. Christine kept her eyes closed in the hope that she could hold on to him - for once, it had been a beautiful dream of her Angel. She'd gotten lost in the darkness and he had been there, caressing her cheek, whispering sweet nothings in her ear...it had been so real, and Christine knew that the moment she opened her eyes to face the light of another day, the magic would end, and he would be gone.

It pained Christine to know that none of it had been real. She vividly remembered commanding Erik to stay with her, and he'd obliged more than willingly, stating that he lacked the strength to leave her again. In that moment, Christine had felt more carefree and blissful than she had in quite a long time. She'd allowed her foolish heart to pretend that everything was going to be alright, and she was paying for it now. She couldn't open her eyes...she couldn't go on without him...

Christine curled more deeply into the layers of blankets that were wrapped around her like a cocoon, and she hoped that maybe she could fall asleep once more...just to hear his voice again would be heavenly...

But instead of sleep and dreams, the only things that came to Christine's troubled mind were memories. Memories of her early years at the Opera Populaire, memories of the life she'd known before...the life where everything had been simple and easy...the life where it was perfectly normal for her and her Angel of Music to speak and share lessons regularly. He had always been so patient and kind with her...Christine foggily remembered the first time he'd said to her that he loved her. She'd been around nine, probably, and she'd asked him if he cared for her. She remembered feeling particularly lonely that day, as Meg and Madame Giry had been out-of-town, and the other girls had been calling her names...

She'd needed to hear the words "I love you, Christine" from someone, and she must have sounded so desperate asking her Angel to tell her what she meant to him...but it had been worth it to hear the raw emotion in his usually reserved tone. She still remembered all too clearly what he'd told her: "And yes, Christine. I love you. I've...always loved you."

And what had Christine done for him? Denied him and betrayed him...left him and disgraced him...shunned him and abandoned him...Christine wouldn't be shocked if he even blamed her for killing him...he probably died of a broken heart.

It was as this thought was crossing her mind that Christine felt the eyes watching her sleep. Panic taking the place of peace, Christine bolted upright in bed, her eyes scanning the room around her. It was still dark, and Christine could see stars still bright in the sky outside her window. The bed next to her was still empty and unslept in - Meg had not yet returned. And the room was still and silent...except for the chair that was placed directly next to the right hand side of Christine's bed. In the darkness, Christine could just make out a tall and masculine shape sitting calmly in it, inquisitive golden eyes staring at her.

Christine peered through the dim light to try and make out the shape's features, but her efforts were to no avail. Her muscles were locked defensively, and Christine knew that she could not move even if she wanted to. But then she heard the shape speak, and suddenly, all of her self control was wittled away.

"I didn't know that you spoke in your sleep." the voice paused, but did not waver. "I'll admit to you that this is the first experience I've had watching you this way."

Christine's heart melted, and she did all that she could to hold back tears. She was sure it was a dream, but she didn't care. If Erik only existed in her dreams anymore, then all she would do was sleep. She had to be with him - that much she was sure of. Too long had she been on her own, and she couldn't handle it anymore. Deciding that she had nothing to lose, Christine tore the sheets off of her body and bolted into his arms. Erik was obviously unprepared for such an embrace, and he stayed completely still while Christine hugged and cried for him.

He felt so real. He felt so solid. He felt so alive. Christine held his strong shoulders for dear life, and nearly began sobbing even more when his arms finally responded and wrapped themselves around her slender form. He was holding her, he was forgiving her...

"I miss you," confessed Christine brokenly. "Oh Erik, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kill you, I swear on my life! I love you more than anything...I just want you back!"

Erik immediately held her back at arm's length, and cupped her red and swollen cheek with his gloved hand. In the darkness, he tried to understand the emotions that played on her face, but he could not place what on earth would cause Christine to think that she had been the one to 'kill' him.

"Christine, what are you talking about?" asked Erik quietly, wiping away a few stray tears with his thumb. Christine still hiccupped with sobs as he spoke. "Even if my death had been the truth, what on earth would make you think that you had been the one to...?" Erik trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

Even without seeing her face clearly, Erik knew that Christine was puzzled. "Even if your death had been...the truth?" she asked roughly. "Even if..." she trailed off just as Erik had, realization dawning on her as she mulled over her Angel's words again and again in her mind. "I'm not...this isn't...?"

Erik chuckled a little nervously, taking a piece of Christine's hair and tucking it gently behind her ear. He had gone against everything he had ever known to not only forgive her, but to show himself to her true and whole, and to ask of her a life with him. But he'd followed her when she'd gone to the stage, he'd heard her sing, he'd joined her, even, and all the pieces of the great puzzle had fallen into place...she'd called out to him, and he'd known that to not respond would kill him. It seemed that the God he had for so long not believed in was giving him a second chance.

He questioned gently, "A dream? Or a nightmare?"

Christine's mouth hung open in complete and utter disbelief, and she had no idea what to say. Here was Erik, heart beating, alive within her very embrace. It was almost too much for Christine to handle, and she very nearly passed out again. But she was able to keep up a somewhat shaky grip on reality, and she told him, "I love you." That was all she could manage - the only words she could choke out.

"Love never dies..." Erik sang gently, his eyes boring into Christine's. If possible, the young woman became even more shocked.

"Then all of it was real?" she questioned, the impossibility of it all depleting the size of her reaction greatly. Her tired mind wasn't able to properly conceive all that was happening around her. She was overwhelmed. "You were the shape in the shadows who sang to me? You really promised not to leave me again?"

Erik chuckled slightly again, only this time it was in an attempt to hide his own tears. Christine - though completely exhausted and emotionally drained - still loved him. And even though he was sure her reaction to his presence would not truly come until tomorrow, he still saw with clarity the blissful fervor that rested in her eyes. "I believe I made that promise several years ago to a little girl with abandonment issues." he told her tenderly. A bubble of laughter escaped from Christine's lips along with a sob.

"I remember that, too." she told him quietly. Suddenly a smile so great appeared on her face that her cheeks hurt. She said nothing, but buried her head into the crook of Erik's neck, and just sat there on his lap. Eventually, the two somehow made their way to the bed, and - in a blissful oblivion - fell asleep in each other's arms, the moon hanging brightly above them out the window in the night sky.

Christine opened her eyes just as the sun was rising. Her head was pounding, and dry tears rested on her cheek. She was exhausted and sore, and wanted nothing more than to lie in bed forever. Oh, what a dream she'd had over the duration of the night - her Erik had been there, alive and well, and had held her and forgiven her...in fact, he had held her while she had slept!

Smiling a bit to herself, Christine turned onto her side and closed her eyes again. That must have been Erik's way of telling her that he still loved her - sending her such a beautiful dream. She was sure she would regret it later...the pain of never again having such happy times with him would stab at her heart like a knife, but whatever sadness would come would be worth it. Anything was worth such a beautiful dream...

Christine reached a hand out to pull a pillow closer to her, but her fingers instead touched something delicate and soft. Confused, Christine sat up in bed and held in her hands a beautiful red rose, with a black silk ribbon tied around the stem. Attatched to the rose was a heavy piece of parchment, with a small note written on it in elegant script:

You are so beautiful when you sleep. I have not broken my promise to you, my beautiful Angel. I will return to you before the sun is in the center of the sky. Do not worry about attending rehearsal today - believe me when I tell you that I will take care of things with those two fools who run my opera. Everything will be alright now, Christine. I love you.

It wasn't a dream.

It took reading it three times for the message to sink in...it wasn't a dream...it wasn't a dream...it wasn't a dream...

Christine fell back against the pillows once more as the adrenaline pumped more quickly through her veins...he was alive! Her beautiful Angel, her intelligent mentor, her loving and adoring Erik had returned to her, and all of a sudden, all the plans she had once held for herself and him that she had long since given up hope of ever having were coming back to her...

Erik had never before experienced such a peaceful night's sleep. With Christine in his arms, all had - for once - been right in the world. While Erik knew deep within his heart that Christine had been half-asleep when they'd spoken and she would surely have a different reaction to him when he returned to her, he was sure that she would somehow be happy to see him. Whether it would be in the way he wanted remained to be seen, however.

But it didn't matter. He'd made the choice to tell her the truth, and now he would just have to live with the consequences. Besides, not having him in her life had made her unhappy, and Erik would not allow his beautiful love to be unhappy because of him. For some continuously unfathomable reason she loved him, and as long as that remained true, Erik would do anything in his power to keep her happy.

That was exactly the reason he was climbing through the many secret stairwells of his opera house to the top balconies, where he had stood during the ill-fated production of Il Muto, during which he'd killed that worthless stagehand. His voice echoed like a ghost when he shouted from up there, and he had told Christine that he would cancel her plans for the day...

Rehearsal was already in full swing when Erik looked down upon the stage, and everyone was asking about Christine. Messieurs André and Firmin were in quite a fluster, and Madame Giry seemed not to even notice the absence of her own daughter (whom Erik was sure he would have to rescue from the corridors after this errand) due to the absence of the prima donna. Erik smiled to himself briefly - oh, the looks that would be on their faces when they heard him...

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" he called down to André and Firmin. As soon as the words left Erik's lips, everyone froze. You could have heard a pin drop in that theater! Several ballet rats gasped, and no one dared to speak. They knew...they knew that the note from two days before had been no joke. They knew the Opera Ghost was back. "It is no use searching for Miss Daae! She is required to stay in bed for the rest of the day...her teacher insists, Messieurs. But fear not for her safety - the Angel of Music has her under his wing!" Nothing like adding a line from the past just to send a shiver up their spines. Erik chuckled once more as the panic-striken cast and crew began to scream and gasp and chatter among themselves. Just as he heard someone shout back to him, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Erik made his way back through his secret door, and was heading to find the little blonde ballerina who was a friend to his Christine, completely unaware that a certain Vicomte had already found her, and was leading her back to her room.

Okay, so this was mostly angst and fluff...sorry :D Personally, I love a chapter like this once in a while, but I promise I won't make many more so much description and so little conversation and action - I like a good plot as much as the next phan :) I just really wanted to draw out Erik and Christine meeting up again! I adored writing this :) Chapter 5 should be coming out soon, and will contain some actual dialogue between Christine and Erik, and Christine will truly be able to explore her reaction to her Angel of Music suddenly not being dead. I spent forever trying to figure out how I wanted her to respond to his presence suddenly back in her life again, and I decided that if she was going to discover the truth when she was half asleep that she would probably just assume it was all a dream and she wouldn't really have much to say but tears and an apology. I figured Erik would just be kinda unsure of what to do and follow her lead :) So...before y'all get on here and tell me that you don't think the Christine reaction was big enough, trust me, it'll be coming next chapter. Except...probably less tears. I'm pretty sure she cried enough for a lifetime in this chapter! That being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this, and thank you so much for your continued support! Your kind words inspire me to update much more quickly than I would have without you :) If you liked the chapter, please review! I hope to have Chapter 5 out by...hm...I don't know...Thursday, possibly? Maybe earlier? :) See ya!