Christine soon shed her hoop skirt, leaving her able to fit down the hallways more deftly. She would not lose her love this time. As she descended further, the darkness took on a life of its own. So much so, that she had to grab a candelabra off of the wall and hold it at the level of her eye, just to see her hand in front of her face.
As fear entered her heart, she simply reminded herself of what she was here for.
You shall not fail, she chanted in her head, You shall not fail.
He would say this to her before every performance she did. He would appear in her dressing room mirror and say this until she was unafraid any longer. It had worked every time. She smiled now as her pace got stronger and quicker. She would find him. She would saved him as he had saved her all those times. She loved him.
As she turned a familiar corner, she ended up where she had wanted. She was here. She could recall it through dreams, visions, and memories. She had longed to return for seven years, and at long last she had.
It had not changed. It was just as she had left it, just as she had remembered it: perfectly pristine and hypnotizing. Every arch, every brick, every passageway just as it had been. How grateful she was, that her fantasy was real. her memories were true. She would be alone no longer.
She took every step as she had, slowing for the first time in her long journey. By memory, she knew what rocks to step on, avoiding the ones she had known as slippery or dangerous, as he had shown her. She was so focused on getting to her destination, though, that she missed the step and fell into the water below.
Splashing about, trying to find how deep the water was, Christine finally found the rock she had slipped from and climbed back on. Cursing herself for missing such a simple step, Christine looked down at her now-drenched dress and hair. Surely the gorgeous dress was ruined and her a sopping mess.
But she had to continue. So, ripping a piece of fabric from her sleeve, Christine tied back her dark curls and continued onto her final destination. Into his lair of music. Into his presence once again.
When she arrived, she looked around, unsure whether she was awake. She was, she confirmed to herself. This was her new home. She would stay here forevermore. She would be with him. She would be his Angel of Music. Even if she didn't exactly look like an angel right at that moment.
Quite frankly, she didn't even look presentable, but she knew her never cared for her looks. He cared for her. All of her, her music, her heart, her soul. He always had.
She began to walk around the small cavern, leaving a trail of water behind her as her dress dragged. She finally arrived at the massive dark piano, the very instrument that held her heart's deepest longings. She began to softly play a song that was still in her mind from long ago. A song he had played as she slept in this very room.
"Why did you come? How did you follow me?" he asked from behind her. Christine did not flinch or jump this time. She simply turned to face her love.
When their eyes met, the electricity shot through her again. He was hers. He was alive. He was real. He rose his hand to softly caress her cheek and she leaned softly into his touch. Yes. He was hers. She would never leave him again.
"I smashed the mirror." she responded, not opening her eyes. "It was not kind of you to barricade it."
Hearing her actions, he pulled , feeling the loss of his touch, opened her eyes to look up at him. She saw confusion and fear upon his face.
"You smashed the mirror. You followed me here. You fell in the lake, as one can see." he listed off, his voice unsure. "Come, my love. You will be ill if you stay in those wet clothes down here. I will not permit it."
With this, the phantom offered Christine his hand as she rose. She took it, the softness of her palm against the course surface of his. He guided her to a door, opening it or her to enter through. She stepped through, not releasing her hold of him. He followed her, allowing the door to shut behind him.
"But the dress-" Christine started.
"Nonsense. I have another for you." he said, motioning to a dress much more beautiful than the one she had ruined, if that was even possible. Apparently it was.
As she stared as the gown, her words left her. The texture of the fabric was as soft as a feathered pillow. She dared not guess the number of threads in it. Not to mention how austere and elegant the dress was. The fabric simply glowed in the light.
"I will you to change. When you are finished, come back out to the piano and we shall discuss what to do now." he said, leaving her to dress. He shut the door softly behind him.
As he walked over to the piano, he began to softly play a tune she had called to his mind from years ago. When she reentered the room, he froze and the music died. How gorgeous she was in anything she wore. Similar to a goddess, she rendered him into a silence. How could she love a monster like him? And, yet, here she was, standing in his lair of music, having risked her life to be with him. He could not imagine it. Thankfully, he did not have to; it was real.
"Does it appear well?" she asked, glancing down at her apparel.
"Y-yes. You look perfect. You always do." he answered her, pulling himself from his speechlessness. "Come. Sit with me. We have much to discuss." He said and motioned to her to join him on the piano bench.
Obediently, she did, coming to sit just beside him. He took a sharp breath in. She was so close. He looked up and met her eyes. So beautiful. He was so undeserving of her.
"We have much to discuss, my love." he said to her. He put her hands in his again. Yes, they had much to discuss indeed.