Erik

As she stood beside me dressed in the stunning apparel that befitted her innocence, I couldn't help beaming with happiness. Finally, God has given me the opportunity to love and be loved. At this point, the minds of most new husbands would be filled with lewd images of savagely removing the sacred wedding gown, and spoiling themselves with the body of their wife, their new plaything. If Christine never removed her dress until the day she died, I would never tire of seeing her amidst the lace and pearls.

I paid the priest more than the seven thousand francs I had promised, and as he was selfishly counting his wage, I escorted Christine back to our home. Our home….The words echoed in my mind with a peaceful resonance that filled me with a sense of calm, and for first time in a very long time, made me want to trust again.

When Christine and I kissed after the ceremony, I could feel the genuine sincerity of her emotional display. Though she may deny her true feelings for me, I knew enough of the coquettish games girls play when they are in love or seeking it. Having been a special guest in the harem of the Khanum many times, I knew the telltale signs of puppy love in disguise. I am not saying that she did not love Raoul, I knew that couldn't be further from the truth. Her feelings for me were mixed, me being her captor and mentor, but the moments we shared together…. When together we would sing, a musical euphoria would overtake us that were greater than any sexual climax. Simply said, I could not wait for us to begin our lives together.

Christine

When the ceremony ended, I felt both relieved and terrified. I was grateful that I would not have to profess false emotions before the priest, but I was scared to death of what Erik would ask of me. I was his wife now and that meant that there were certain stipulations that were required of me. I had heard stories among the older ballet dancers of what men and women do, of what they themselves had done, and the thought of Erik between my legs made my face blanch to the color of my dress. Though I was well within marrying age, he was significantly older than me, and it seemed indecent to practice those types of relations with him…almost wrong even.

Erik led me back down to the subterranean home where I was now mistress of the household. Although I should have felt awkward about being married to him now, somehow I felt calm with my arm lying upon his as though we were aristocracy. When we reached the house, he held the door open for me in a most gentlemanly fashion and I stood on the inside of the entryway, waiting for him to set all the traps. Surprisingly, he simply removed his cloak and fedora before walking towards me, planting a simple gentle kiss on my forehead.

"Are you going to take precautions for any intruders? I would think that you would not want any altercations on your wedding night," I offered.

"No, my dear. All of Paris could be ablaze tonight and I could not care less. At last, I have the love I have so cherished all my life, and I now have a wife that I can call my own." With that he took me in his arms and his embrace took the chill from the damp air of the basement. He swept me off me feet and into my bedchamber. I stood there for a brief second before he slyly motioned for me to turn around. Doing so, he began to unhook the snaps and buttons that held the vast amounts of fabric in place. He did it with a patient grace, like he was savoring the sight of each button slipping through the threaded loop hole, bringing him closer and closer to the tasty sight of his wife's bare body. With the last one unfastened, I pulled the dress front away from me, and he pulled the bodice and skirt down, allowing me to untangle it from my feet. The cold suddenly struck me as I stood in my chemise and wire hoop skirt before he unlaced the bottom half. I was quite aware that goose bumps had formed on my arms and thoroughly embarrassed as my nipples made themselves apparent to him, to which he let out a small moan.

"My dearest, there are too many layers of material that separate you and I. Perhaps we should make it a point to name this a clothing optional household," he said wryly. I released a nervous chuckle, and then a gasp as he daringly brought his lips over my breasts. The heat from his breath alone gave me a pleasurable sensation, but when he pulled the thin linen material away and his mouth engulfed the skin, I couldn't think of anything but the warm sensation rising in my body. He carefully gathered me his arms and he gently laid me on the bed as though I were a delicate parcel prone to shatter. He knelt beside me, his mouth again encasing my small breast, and although it felt good, a sudden chill came over me.

Erik sensed it immediately. "Are you alright, mon ange? I sense that you are not well."

"Erik, I-I just am unsure. You are wonderful at giving me a pleasure I've never felt before, but I'm very nervous and I…."

"Say no more, child, we do not have to go through with it tonight. It has been a long day, and I am tired myself. Perhaps tomorrow," he said kindly, placing one last kiss on my forehead. I was quite surprised at his turn in behavior. If it were the Erik of days previous, I would have been certain that he would yell and take me by force if necessary. I graciously thanked him for his hospitality to which he just shrugged and left my boudoir.

I heard him close the door to his room down the hall, and I drew the plush cream colored drapes around the bed. I had found a white cotton nightgown from the armoire, but as I tumbled into the oblivion of slumber, my dreams were filled with nightmares. I dreamt that Raoul came to rescue me at last, but when he saw that I was holding Erik's child, he accused me of being his whore and fled. I tried to run after him, pleading with him to take me back, let me escape with him, but suddenly he grew wings and flew away, leaving me on shore desperately crying for him.

When I awoke I could feel my body ache from the ferocity of which I was struggling in my sleep. The sheets were tangled around my legs, and my hair hung in damp clumps around my forehead. My watch said that it was 7:30 in the morning, and since Erik was not yet awake, I decided to make breakfast for a change.

Erik entered the kitchen just as I was finishing up the eggs and toast, and I smiled to myself as I turned my back to him to scoop the food. He had placed his mask and wig on, but he still looked very disheveled and not entirely awake. He was rubbing his eyes and his robe was loosely draped around this thin body, his black Persian sleeping clothes visible underneath. I set our plates down, and we consumed an enjoyable meal before sitting down in the living room. He talked to me not only with sincerity, but also with equality. I was not just some trophy wife, I was not expected only to be seen and not heard. He talked to me for the first time about his life before I knew him; when he was a mason in Rome, a court magician in Mazanderan, and his relations with Charles Garnier in the construction of this magnificent opera house. But when I asked him about his life growing up, he shut down, and I thought I saw a tear trickle down the left side of his face.

"I do not like to remember those times. Until I was nine I was shut up in my house, forbidden to leave. When I ran from home, I was captured by a Gypsy circus and put on display until I escaped when I was twelve, the circumstances of my escape being both out of terror and luck. From then on, I answered to no one and made as little contact with humans as possible." I was struck by his use of the word humans, as though he did not consider himself one of us. I put my hand on his back, and surprised myself by willingly kissing him on the forehead.

Erik, struck by this gesture, turned to face me. "Christine, do you think you could be happy as my wife?"

"I do not know, really," I sighed. "It is difficult because I love Raoul, and though I love you too, this is not really the life I would have chosen for myself. I know that you would do nothing to hurt me, and that if I desired anything at all, you would provide for me. I guess I am just…lonely."

He came up beside me and took me in his arms. "You may still see Meg and Madame Giry if you so chose. We can go to restaurants or to the park. I would do anything, Christine, anything to make you happy. I understand that I was upset and easily provoked before, but now that I have you beside me, as my lawful wife, there is a hardly something that I could deny you."

"What if I wanted to see Raoul?"

He placed his forehead in his hands, and shook his head with despair. "Why? Why must you say such things to hurt me! I was willing to kill the Daroga for you, the only true friend that I have ever had! I gave you my music, I would stop at nothing to make you happy, and yet you still ask for the one thing I am hesitant to bestow upon you."

Erik

Christine as my wife was both a blessing and a curse. Now that she was with me, my world was less dark and foreboding, and seemingly more fulfilled. The mere sight of her made me feel alive and stirred feelings within me that I thought I was well past the point of experiencing. She was my life and my love.

But at the same time, I would never be able to have her heart fully. As long as the Viscomte was alive, she would obsess about him coming to her rescue. Whenever I would see her beautiful blue eyes glaze over, I knew that she was daydreaming of a life outside of the one I would provide her with. When I lifted my head, I could see through tear stained eyes that she was looking away from me. She had hurt me so many times over, and now she could not even look me in the eye.