Let it Snow Chapter 11, a phantom of the opera fanfic

Let it Snow ©

By Phantasmarose

Disclaimer: I do not own or lay claim to the characters Erik, Christine, or Raoul. I do not own or lay claim to the original story of the Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. This version of that story is my own. Aside from Leroux's original characters, I have created my own.

Chapter 11

Epilogue

Christine was glad his eyes were averted because her eyebrows shot up and she could not find any saliva in her mouth to swallow. His face was awful. It looked even worse that she remembered. Her stomach somersaulted, but she managed to draw in a carefully silent breath. Christine wanted to utter words of comfort, but no words came to her, none at all. Perhaps he had been right. He could continue to wear his mask and they could go on, as they had done for the past two years. She knew he would agree ― it could work. Then Erik raised his eyes to hers. There was such sorrow and wretchedness in the depth of those eyes that it brought tears to her eyes. He blinked and quirked his mouth in that special way he had that said I told you so. He had been rejected so many times, because he wasn't good looking that he expected heartbreak every time someone looked at him. She was his first love. And he was her first true love.

"I love you." Slipped from her lips. "I love you Erik."

She slid closer to him and kissed him in the mouth. He did not respond. No more elephants. No secrets.

"Thank God we had Mrs. Williams directing us. She was an emergency room nurse and kept her cool. She told Raoul how to pump your chest and told me to take your mask off and blow into your mouth. When I first took your mask off I was shocked. I did not want to touch you. I wanted to run away."

"Of course."

"I was, am, so ashamed of my reaction that I felt I didn't deserve to be with you."

"You shouldn't feel bad. It's a normal reaction. Human beings do not like to look at monsters. I don't."

You are not a monster."

"You're a saint to have touched me with your lips," he told her.

"I am no saint. I nearly let you die, because of your face. I love you and I nearly let you die." She dug her nails into her palms thinking of the horror of her words.

"But you didn't, you gave me your breath. Not everyone could do that."

"I did so only after Mrs. Williams reminded that if I didn't give you air, I would lose you. Can you forgive me?"

"It was a normal reaction and well, I'm alive and the mess on top of my shoulders is there for good. You're kind enough to accept me. I don't mind wearing a mask if you can try not to think of what's under it."

"I love you Erik. Yes, I admit your face is… awful, but I am not used to seeing it. It will be nothing when I see it all the time… That is my problem to conquer, not yours."

He shook his head.

"Yes, that's the way it must be. You can wear that mask to shield you from the world, but I won't let you hide from me. There will be no barriers between us."

She kissed him again and felt his trembling lips move against hers. He collapsed in her arms in tears and she held him tightly to her. The elephants were all gone. It was time to clear the mice out too.

"Erik? When we met… I wasn't a virgin." He stiffened in her arms. "I had been Brent's lover. It started out as a business relationship, but I guess living together…"

"Anyway, you never told me you were… a virgin, that it."

"No, but I think you wanted to believe that I was so very innocent. I didn't want to destroy your image of me."

"It's not surprising. I mean, you were living together and he is a very good looking fellow."

"He's also a nice guy. Although for a while I though he wasn't."

"He told me he had been your lover before I made him move out."

"Wait, you what?"

"I knocked him unconscious. Would have killed him except that Mrs. Williams was eavesdropping as usual. She called out to me and snapped me out of it."

"I'm glad she did. So Brent told you."

"Yes."

"You never said. Did you care?"

"Not at all. I just hated for him to have something he could throw in my face." Erik felt as stiff as a rock in her arms. "Any feelings left for him?"

"Didn't have many to begin with."

"Last week when you went to him… did you make love to him?"

It almost made her laugh. When she had stood at Brent's door to ask for his help, that was the last thing she would have been capable of doing.

"You shouldn't have had to ask, but my actions would lead you to this question. No Erik, I don't want to be touched by another man that is not you."

"Did you want to?"

"No Erik, not even a little bit."

"He still wants you."

"I know. He made that clear."

"I guess you made yourself clear too. He was the one to tell me where I could find you."

"Told you he's not a bad guy."

He smiled. His shiny melted skin glowed. It wasn't pretty ― it was Erik. Oh yes, she loved him.

"It's been over a week." She told him.

"Nine days and seventeen hours."

"Then we have to hurry, before it turns to ten days."

"Are you sure? I could wear…"

"Not with me. Never again."

"Christine, you're not used to it yet. Maybe we should go slowly… remember the baby."

"Will my husband not tend to my needs?"

"You think you have me wrapped around your little finger don't you?"

She kissed him and this time he responded fully taking her breath away with the intense passion behind his kiss.

-o-

They had spent the night alternating between talking, making love and snoozing.

After breakfast ― Christine had dry toast and tea, Erik kept the bacon and eggs away from her ― Christine opened the front door to take their garbage out to the incinerator. Mrs. Williams stood on their door step, hand raised to knock.

"Mmm. Good thing you decided to take that rag off your face. It is not appealing to speak to someone hiding behind a bit of cloth. "

Erik was so shocked to see her standing there, he stayed rooted to the spot.

Mrs. Williams joined him at the table. And poured herself a cup of coffee. "Stop gawking at me .Yes, that is the same face I saw that day, nothing new there… except you don't have the foolish look you had that day."

"What do you mean?" he asked feeling offended. One thing was to be ugly …but foolish?

"You were drooling."

"I was not drooling." On top of everything else, he had drooled, on Christine?

"Christine is a good woman to have kept the most embarrassing parts of the event from you."

Drooling like an idiot? That would be the ultimate indignity.

"Christine, did I …?"

"No you did not. Really, Mrs. Williams, you mustn't tease him so."

Mrs. Williams sat back and sipped her coffee. A wide grin spread over her face.

"You're not eating this are you?" Mrs. Williams said taking his last piece of toast from his plate and biting into it.

"I guess not," he retorted.

Mrs. Williams was teasing him about looking stupid. In fact, she was teasing him about his face. Before the acid burns when he still had a human face, people had always shied away from looking at him, because he was ugly. No one ever talked or joked about it. How could his old neighbor be so nonchalant about his face?

"So, about my new chair…" Mrs. Williams started.

"I'll take it over to your apartment before the end of the week."

"You will not! That huge chair? No, it will not do. It would spoil my décor."

"Then you don't want it?" Erik asked hopefully.

"I would not hurt your feelings by giving it back. It was your Christmas gift to me… unless you're going back on your gift?" Mrs. Williams asked raising her eyebrow.

Christine looked at him expectantly. Erik capitulated. "I'm not,"

Mrs. Williams grinned triumphantly. "I'll just leave it here, until I decorate differently."

"I'm sure you won't mind my using it occasionally," Erik added sarcastically.

"Use it as much as you want dear, just be careful not to break it, I have grown used to those little fingers running up and down my back. It's almost decadent. But if you break it you to replace it."

Christine laughed. Mrs. Williams laughed and since the world about him had suddenly gone wonderfully mad, Erik laughed as well.

-o-

Two years later

Erik walked into their apartment after a full day of work at his music school. Christine had gone on to a doctor's appointment and he had brought his son home. It was a privilege he relished. They kept their one year old child at school with them all day. Erik held his son snuggly in his arms. The perfect little face looked past his shoulder, not caring about anything Erik had to say. Erik did not wonder that the boy's first word had been "No." Erik removed his mask and threw it down on a small table. He sat his son in his high chair and placed an iced sucker in the boy's hand and his favorite truck in front of him. The chubby hand wrapped around it the iced sucker and in a moment he was sucking hard on it. Sounds of brrrr… brrr… followed. Erik parked himself on the Konishikana 6000 and let the chair massage work the kinks out of his back. His son would grow up knowing exactly what his father looked like. Unless they had guests, Erik never wore his mask at home. He thought of the wonder that was his wife. The massage balls travelled along his spine to the base of his temple. Erik sighed.

It was close to the Christmas season again. And although she had grown frail, they were lucky to still have Mrs. Williams with them. Shortly the fourth of July, she fell at home and injured her ankle. When Erik contacted her son, the man immediately began taking steps to have her placed in a home for the aged. He never offered to come see her. Erik was enraged by the man's callous behavior. Mrs. Williams refused Erik's offer to pay for a companion to stay with her during the day. He had a second idea. Erik gave his senior students the opportunity to earn some of their community service credits by keeping Mrs. Williams company for one to two hours a day. His students loved it. They practiced their music by playing for her. It was Erik's believe, that until his students felt and practiced compassion, love would not be reflected in their music.

Mrs. Williams was no longer able to cook a full dinner for herself, so she ate with Erik and Christine every evening. Their son liked to have his chair placed by Gamma as he called their neighbor. Mrs. Williams delighted, that Erik included her in the tiny group of people, which he allowed to see him without his mask. Erik programmed her preferences into the chair and Mrs. Williams allowed herself a twenty minute massage every day before dinner. She claimed that it helped her digestion. Erik hoped the manufacturer's claims on longevity were true.

In a few months all four of them would attend Raul and Sofia's wedding. Christine and Sofia had become good friends and the couple often joined them. Just last month Sofia had confided in Christine.

"I find it sweet that Raoul tries so hard to learn some of my language. That was a big point in his favor. Do you think he snores?"

Christine had kept a straight face and later shared with Erik that Raoul snored "Like a porker. His chest even rumbles." Erik hated that Christine knew an intimate detail like that, but he understood that Raoul had kept her warm and safe.

Erik wasn't sure if Raoul and Sofia made a good match, but what did he know about that sort of thing? Raoul in love, was showing more common sense, than Raoul the player. Maybe he could trust him a little more now. "Joe, your boy is finally growing up ― I hope."

Erik heard the key in the door. The Konishikana 6000 had his legs trapped between two pulsating air-cushions. Christine strolled in, threw her handbag down on top of his mask and bent over him. She held his face between her two hands and brought her face down to his level. She kissed his forehead, cheeks and finally placed a passionate kiss on his lips.

"It's confirmed. We're going to have another baby."

"Thank you for not giving me hints."

"I learned my lesson from last time. No riddles, no puzzles."

Erik grinned. He no longer felt self-conscious, although he knew he looked ugliest when he grinned.

"Her doctor wants Mrs. Williams to add a new pill to her regiment. Otherwise she is fine. She's good to go for another year, so be careful with her chair." And that was another blessing.

The End

Thank you to all of you who read the story. May you have a wonderful year.

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