Stolen

Chapter 7: Angoissante Amour
translation: Agonizing Love

A/N: I used to always be a chapter ahead when I updated. Now I'm not. But, oh well, I just decided to post this.
This chapter is actually kind of short, but I really liked the way it turned out. So if you don't mind the length, I think y'all will enjoy it. (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Phantom.

Christine felt as if the walls of the rather large room would close in on her at any second.

She was trapped inside her mind, not able to escape. She had been sitting with her head between her hands for over an hour. And Erik knew. He knew why she was doing this, and what he had said. He knew.

Christine knew. And it was driving her insane. It was, in fact, that something he had said, something that was causing Christine's madness at the moment.

Perhaps you can show me that darkness is not my only future.

She wanted to, god, she wanted to.

Raoul.

She loved him. She loved Raoul so much, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. If she could control it, she would just tell her heart to pick one of them, just one. Just one…

But she could not.

Erik was her angel of music. Erik was her light in the darkest of nights as she cried endlessly from the loss of her father. And though Erik was sometimes her light, he was darkness itself. Erik was a broken soul that she wanted to make whole, who she now knew so much more about, which only made it so much more difficult to watch him live in the dark. She wanted to show him light and happiness, and that he wasn't forced to live a lonely life. But, she couldn't.

Raoul was her childhood friend, and familiar face of safety and light. Raoul would always love and cherish her. He would never yell at her… he would never appear as frightening to Christine. Raoul was Christine's sense of security. And for that reason, she was afraid of losing him, afraid of a life without him.

Erik, you are driving me mad!

Christine was nearly pulling out her hair by now. She tried to cover her ears to shut away the music that emerged from close, but nothing could keep the music out of her head, or out of her heart.

But there is method to all madness.

And what was the reason for this madness? The answer was simply, really.

Erik, you are the method to my madness. You are the music to my magic, the monster in my mind.

And as much as Christine hated it… she needed him. She wanted him.

Oh, my angel, how you make my heart hurt and my head ache…

Christine was not the only person engulfed in madness.

Erik pounded on the keys, releasing all of his anger, sadness, confusion, misery and regret.

She had not answered him.

She had not answered him…

He wanted her to show him the way out of the darkness. He wanted her to hold his hand and lead him to the light, away from the cold life that he had always known.

She wouldn't.

He knew, now.

Such despair he saw in her eyes the moment that sentence had escaped from his lips. Such pity he had seen. Such helplessness had her eyes conveyed. But, there wasn't anything more. There was not a sense of hopefulness. There was not a yearning to help him, to do just what he had asked of her.

It was because she loved him.

She still loved Raoul, who would always be a safe haven to her. And Erik knew this.

So why did he even bother trying to earn her heart back?

He was her angel of music, and nothing more.

She held his heart, yet he did not hold hers.

And when you took your heart, Christine, you took me with you.

He had taken his chance. He had tried to win Christine's heart. He had tried.

And she didn't choose him.

Erik may have been a phantom, but he was not bulletproof.

Everything came crashing upon him at that moment, and he crumpled to the ground, feeling more like a child than he ever had before. His sensitive ears picked up sobs from somewhere in the house, and they weren't his own.

Christine.

She could not handle it.

She was a child, simply a child.

And Erik would not- could not- break her.

At that second, Erik realized that he had made a mistake.

And what a mistake it was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Christine tossed and turned vigorously, on top of all of the covers. She mumbled wordlessly in her sleep, screaming every now and then. Moments earlier, all of her chaotic thoughts had somehow disappeared and been replaced with fatigue. Now, instead of being trapped inside of her thoughts, she was trapped inside of her dreams.

In darkness he sat, bent over with his hands grasping his face. Both screams of utter repulsion and laughter emerged from the crowd that surrounded him. One of his hands searched frantically for his mask, while the other tried to cover his face.

Christine was the closest of all to the cage. She stared with cold, empty eyes at the boy who was trapped. She saw the tears that he cried, and she heard his yelps of pain when he was whipped. But she remained emotionless.

"Christine," a young Erik whispered. "Save me."

She didn't move.

"Save me," he begged once more.

She shook her head slowly.

"I can't, angel, I can't. I can't… I can't…"Christine muttered it over and over again, having no control over the words which escaped from her mouth.

And then, Erik was transformed.

His eyes no longer held the sadness of the world, but the anger of a demon. In a swift movement, he swung a lasso over the gypsy that towered over him, killing him without a thought. And suddenly, he killed every audience member without even moving. They were all dead, and Erik wore an evil smile, staring at the only person left alive.

The last thing Christine saw was a lasso swinging over her head.

She jolted awake, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Why?" She whispered. "Why?!" She repeated, this time much louder and more demanding.

Erik came in at that second, his eyes holding a mixture of all of the emotions she had seen in her dream.

Before he could utter a word, Christine screamed something that caused him to stagger backwards.

"Why did you kill?"

Erik stayed completely still, watching as Christine's cold, demanding eyes blinked away her tears.

"Tell me, Erik! Tell me! Why did you kill them all? Why?"

Erik apprehensively stepped closer to Christine, yet still keeping a safe distance between the two of them. He argued with himself inside of his mind, knowing that he was about to do something that he would probably regret. With a deep inhale, he began answering Christine.

"I killed… I killed because I am monster, Christine. I am a demon of the night, a gargoyle, a rotting carcass. You know this, Christine. You know. This," Erik slowly removed his mask from his face, "This is why I have killed."

Christine didn't dare speak a reply. She was beyond words at what Erik had just done; blatantly removed his mask. She was not in shock at his actual distortion, no, his haunting face no longer frightened her.

"But the real reason behind nearly everything I have done and every person I have murdered… I have killed for you, Christine. I have killed for you." Erik put the mask back on his face.

"For me?" She breathed, shaking her head. "No. No, no, no, no. I am not the reason you killed all of those people. You killed stagehands for your own pleasure, did you not? You killed them because you were angry at them. You killed long before you met me, Erik. You did."

"Christine," Erik began in a sincere voice. "You know by now that you hold my heart, and that I would do anything for you. How else would you have gotten your fame at the Opera Populaire without me? Why do you think I hurt Carlotta, and any other person that got in your way? It was not just fun and games, my dear. Now, I have done inexcusable deeds in the past that I am fully aware of, and I cannot say that I regret everything I have done. Perhaps I just regret living, being born," he finished in a melancholy tone, sighing.

Christine remained silent, deciding to herself that she no longer wished to discuss this matter.

"Erik… I'm going to… Please, I need time… to…"

And with that, she was done. Erik obeyed her unsaid wishes, retreating slowly towards the dark hallways he was once again forced to roam.

He had to ask her.

He had to.

He waited the most agonizing hour of his life before he could no longer take it.

She had been alone in her room, Erik alone in his.

He couldn't live a second longer not knowing.

In one swift movement, he rose from his flawlessly made bed. Erik exited the room, accidentally slamming the door behind him, yet not even hearing the echoing sound that was produced. Step by step he walked as quickly as he could. The hallway seemed to be getting longer and longer…

"I must discuss something with you, Christine," Erik whispered breathlessly as he whirled the door open and entered Christine's room. She looked up from her crouched position, startled, eyes wide and alert. Once she had realized what Erik had said, she nodded with a frown, not sure if she really wanted to hear what he had to say.

"You love him." He said. No name was needed. Christine nodded.

She knew who Erik was talking about. And she did love him.

"I brought you here against your will." Once again, Christine agreed. "Because I love you."

Christine swallowed, and waited, knowing that there was more. Knowing, knowing, knowing, waiting, waiting, waiting…

"Christine, I am going to ask you one question, and you are going to answer it. You are not going to protest, you are not going to get around the answer, and you are not going to leave this house until you answer the question. I will give you anything you wish, so long as you answer my question."

Anything she wished? Did that include- did she even want- ? What question could be that important, hold that much meaning?

"Christine, do you love me?"