TRIGGER WARNING: THINGS RELATED TO SUICIDE MENTIONED

Authors note: Please heed the warning if need be, it's something very small and is literally in the third paragraph so if you think its best to then skip the first couple lines and yeah. It's small but you never know so i'm just playing it safe. Do enjoy the read I really love this chapter, I know I keep saying that about these chapters but I like what I like. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: "The Phantom of the Opera" does not belong to me but you already knew that.

Chapter 11: Le cœur

Christine began to walk carefully down the musty passageway, keeping her eyes to the ground along with the light. She was taught that the tiles darker than the others were traps when the hallway was not lit. After a while, she had finally reached the lake where the boat still sat there. Erik stood by it, staring at the lake, his back to her.

"Erik?" Christine asked calmly.

He did not look at her, to acknowledge her presence, he wasn't even sure if she was really there. "I've never attempted to drown myself. I've tried to jump, shoot, even hang myself, but drowning I have never attempted," his voice held no emotion. It was heavy, hollow, and empty. "The lake is not that deep, but I assume it would be deep enough."

She hurried over to him, hesitant to touch his arm, "Erik stop talking like that, you're scaring me."

He turned and grabbed Christine's wrist, anger bubbling in his voice. "I am supposed to scare you! That's what monsters do!" He spat out before releasing her wrist, trudging away from her.

"Erik stop!" Christine yelled. He turned his face to her, tears trailing down his face as he continued to stare at Christine. "Please, let's just get into the boat," Christine stepped close, extending her hand out to him. "I promised, I will never leave you alone. Please Erik, let's go home."

He felt weak, drained of any strength, but took her shaking hand, allowing her to lead him into the boat. He reverted back to his old ways, refusing any physical contact with her. Once the boat had bumped against the cave, the grief stricken phantom staggered over to a mirror that had its curtain drawn, not long before, he had checked his attire, and was actually pleased with his appearance. Now he looked at his reflection with disgust. Grabbing a candle holder, he began smashing the mirror causing glass to fly everywhere. "You don't deserve this Christine, to be held captive here! You don't deserve the clutches of a demon!"

Christine was shaking, not knowing how to comfort him. She did not fear for herself, she feared for him. Tentatively, she walked over and gently touched his shoulder, saddened as he flinched from her touch. "Erik, please," She begged softly to her angel.

He dropped the candle holder in defeat, watching it clang to the floor. Christine guided him away from the shattered glass, turning him around so he could look at her. "I don't deserve you." He wept over and over again.

"Stop that, please Erik don't think like that, please." Tears poured from her eyes, Christine stared at her love, slowly fading away from her. "I do love you, I will always love you," She tried to kiss him but he pushed her away.

"I am a monster Christine." He cried out, falling to his knees. "And I always will be."

She crouched beside him, wrapping her arms around him. Erik sobbed into her arms, broken and empty. Tears continued to fall from her eyes as she insisted, "you are not a monster, you are my angel." She reached around to pull his face towards her, staring into his empty, sunken eyes. Holding his cheek, she kissed him, "you are my Erik."

He had refused to return her kiss, turning his head away to stare at the water. "How can you love me Christine?" He whimpered.

A faint memory, one from when she was younger, budded in her mind. "When my father had fallen ill, we would sit talk of old stories and memories from long ago. He had said he may not be around to see me grow old, see my dreams become a reality, see my heart love another." Christine smiled to herself, "I was so young and naïve, I asked him how he knew my mother was the one. Do you want to know what he told me?" Erik turned to her and shook his head, as Christine began to sing for him, "Love's a curious thing, it often comes disguised. Look at love the wrong way it goes unrecognized." She delicately held his face in her hands, taking in every feature, "So look with your heart and not with your eyes. A heart understands, a heart never lies. Believe what it feels and trust what it shows. Look with your heart, the heart always knows."

Christine stroked his deformed cheek and Erik sighed, "Christine, I love you."

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his face, "I did not fully understand what he meant, but now, I finally grasp what he was trying to tell me." She then pulled his head in and kissed him with all the love and affection she could muster.

With a trembling hand, Erik held her face, consumed by her touch, her love. As they parted, he began to stand, holding her hands to help rise with him. His hands continued to shake as he led her to the piano. As Christine sat beside him, he inhaled deeply, "I was planning to do this at the masquerade, but prefer to do this for you, without any interruptions." He began to play his magic and sang to her, "say you'll share with me one love, one life time. Lead me, save me from my solitude. Say you want me with you here beside you." He took her hand while he stepped away from the piano to kneel beside her, Christine's eyes never leaving his. "Anywhere you go let me go too. Christine, that's all I ask of you." Erik sang as he slipped off his ring and held it up to Christine. He looked up at her nervously, "I am in love with you Christine, and cannot survive without you, will you marry me?"

Christine was lost for words, tears slowly trickled down from her eyes. When she found her voice, it appeared as a startled whisper, "yes." She smiled and leaped from her seat, "yes, yes, yes", she repeated as she threw her arms around him. Erik chuckled as he held her close, standing up to carefully place the ring on her finger. "Beautiful," Christine murmured stars truck by the ring.

"Yes you are," the phantom whispered, pulling Christine into a kiss. Everything was perfect, he felt happiness, pure and utter happiness, as if anything that happened before did not matter anymore. He smiled against her lips, before bringing her hand up to kiss as well.

Christine smiled as she wiped away tears from her face. "What's to happen now, anymore surprises?" She asked, kissing his cheek.

"We could leave this place, travel anywhere you wish?"

She laughed, assuming he was joking, until she looked at his face. "Are you serious, you truly wish to leave here?"

Smiling kindly, Erik stroked her cheek with his finger, "I am afraid the Opera Ghost will not be as menacing after tonight. Just a deformed, mortal man, with a mask. I don't want to pull you away from here, especially with all the progress you have made. But I promise you, you will shine on stage, anywhere you want to go. "

Christine grinned at the idea, "anywhere I want?"

He took her hands and brought them to his lips, "anywhere Christine, anywhere your heart desires."

They held hands, Christine swinging them back and forth, lost in thought. "Anywhere...somewhere quiet, nothing too big," she gazed up at Erik and smirked, "with proper acoustics of course. Do you have anywhere in mind?" He then hurried over to his desk, scavenging through his mess of papers until he found a map and laid it upon the desk. Christine came over, gazing over all of France, "where?"

Erik stepped behind her, placing his hand over top hers, and drifting their hands to the country side on the border of Paris. "Here," He said as he leaned onto Christine's shoulder. "When I traveled with the group of gypsies, we came through here to enter Paris. It was so beautiful, so calm and peaceful. It was one of my favorite places."

"We could go there, find a nice, little house." She says.

"Really, we can go somewhere else if you wish, I want you to be happy."

She looked at the map again, then pressing her forehead to Erik's, "I think it's perfect, and we will be happy." Christine could almost see it, a small house, isolated, just her and Erik, surrounded by beautiful nature. "When can we go?" She said with excitement.

"Whenever you wish." He replied, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

"Two days, we could leave in two days. I can pack tomorrow, then the following day we could go, would that be enough time?"

Erik could not fathom how quickly this was happening, a house, with Christine, married. It was a rush of emotions, this place had given him so much joy and pain. The comfort and safety of his lair assured him, but this new life, this new home sounded exciting yet terrifying all at once. "Two days, and we shall be off." He brought his arms around her,

"Two days' time, and our life together shall begin."

She stretched her neck to kiss him, "a story with no end."

"Forever." He whispered back through her curls.

Authors note: Cute cute cute! As always a kind review is always encouraged!