"No." I whispered.
"Yes. That's why I told you to be careful around him." He told me, concern dripping in his voice. I walked away from Erik, to the center of the roof, trying to take that information in and putting together what I may or may not know about Raoul.
He disappeared, I remembered, tonight during the performance. I thought maybe he had just gone to the bathroom or something, but he was behind the stage tonight. Why, for what reason? Could he had possibly been the one who could killed Joesph? Just to frame the "Opera Ghost"? But why? I prayed to God that he hadn't figured out that Erik and the Phantom of the Opera were one of the same person. I know he gives me a bad feeling,he has since the first moment my eyes saw him, but could that be because he's a killer, could it?
"How did you figure it out?" Erik asked me, catching me off guard a bit.
"What?" I asked him.
"How did you figure out me? Who I am?" He said. I explained to him when I went downtown earlier that day, I saw a wanted poster of a kid who was looked almost identical to him, except he looked a bit younger. The Erik in front of me, who was only 19, had the face of an older man who has been through alot in his life. And on the poster, it had said his name, 'Erik Devereux', and then Meg helped me remember him after all these years and everything just seemed to fit afterwards.
"They have wanted posters of me now?" He asked incredgiously, running his hand worriedly through his hair. "That bastard knows I'm still alive and here after three years. I thought they would have given up by now. You know, it was Raoul who first accused me of her death." I figured as much, and yet another reason why I he, and now I, think that Raoul killed Sophie. I shivered from that thought and from the wind that had begun to pick up again, the snow still falling around us.
"You must be freezing, Christine." He said, coming towards me.
"No, I'm fine. I swear." I protested through chattering teeth. "Well, maybe just a little bit."
"Here," He said softly, wrapping me in his warm embrace, "Let me warm you up. After all, it is my fault why we're up here in the cold." I laughed nervously at first, a little cautious to have him so close to me, with my heart fluttering so fast. I leaned my body against his, my head on his chest, which felt so right to me. And warm. And his heart was beating just as fast as mine, like the first time we actually met., which was a comforting thought to me. He was just as nervous as I was.
"Thanks," I sighed happily. I kept my cheek agianst his chest, his chin resting on my head. We both were silent for a monent, not caring what was happening inside the Opera House. It really didn't matter to me now.
"Your hair smells nice," Erik said abruptly, making me laugh. "Like lilacs."
"Thanks," I said again, looking into his eyes, "You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, Erik. Truly, you do." Our gaze was locked with each others, the electricity flying through the air between us. "I only wish I could see your face. Your whole face" I added before he could say I was already looking at his face. "I want to see all of you. Without the mask."
"Why?" He asked, almost exasperatedly, "Why would you want to see my ugly face?" I laughed at him. He was being completely ridiculous right now, he couldn't be ugly, even if he tried. He will always be beautiful in my eyes, no matter what. "Why are you laughing?'
"Because," I said, still smiling, "You couldn't be farther from the truth. You are beautiful. And you don't need to hide from me anymore." And as I finished that sentence, I tore off his mask, and truly looked at him. There was nothing different except for the scar, like in the wanted poster of him, that ran from under his emerald eye to the middle of his left cheek. And yet, not even that could distort his beautiful face. Little pools of water began to gather in his eyes again, but there was a smile, prowling on his lips. I think he was finally happy he didn't have to hide from me anymore, because he didn't scare me off. I'm not going anywhere with out him, anytime soon.
"You don't think I'm repulsive?" He asked, smiling still, his eyes lighting up. I laughed again.
"Just the opposite," I said to him, wrapping my arm around his neck and back, "Quite the opposite." I felt tears slowing pooling over in my eyes too. He wipped a tear that slid onto my cheek and just looked at me, with a look in his eyes that just seemed to say "I'll be here always." And I never wanted that look to go away.
"Christine, can I ask you something?" He said. I nodded 'yes', still in his warm embrace. "Well, actually, I'm not asking you something. I'm more or less telling you something." I smiled with a small giggle. It was usually me who got flustered, so it was nice to see his cool, calm exterior waver a bit. "Christine," He said, taking a breath in, "I love you. I always have. Why else would I come back here, only to risk being caught?' I love you!" I perhaps smiled the biggest smile any girl could have smiled, because at that exact same moment, I know that he was telling the truth and I knew with all of my heart, that I loved him too.
"Truly Erik?" I asked, just for laughs. He let out a laugh of pure happiness.
"Yes, Christine!" He said, picking my light frame up, twirling me around the roof, my dress floating around, "I love you, I love you and only you."
"I love you too, Erik, I have since the first time I kissed you." He then pulled me close to his face, and kissed me with such passion and love, that I think it would put all other kisses in history to shame. "Wait. That's a lie." I said, with a wry smile. His face scrunched with confusion. "I have loved you since the first time you sang to me." He smiled his breath taking smile, making my heart melt. There was something so angelic about him and his gorgeous face. He was so beautiful. I wanted this feeling for forever.
"Erik?" I said, taking a deep breath in, swallowing hard, "Will you be by my side? Will you stay with me forever?" His face lit up like a firework, his eyes the brightest I had ever seen them in my life. I wanted this more than anything in life. To have someone who will love me and I can love back. To feel safe and protected no matter what. It was the best feeling in the entire world and I wanted to keep it forever, with him.
"Yes, of course, Christine!" He exclaimed to me. He ran to the edge of the roof, and stood on the ledge of the building towards the Paris skyline. "I love Christine Daae!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, flinging his arms out wide. I ran up behind him, worried sick if he were to fall.
"Get down," I laughed, "Before you kill yourself!" He jumped down and scooped me up again, dancing and twirling with me all over the roof. He laughed his old melodic laugh and I just smiled and laughed along with him.
"Or should I say Christine Devereaux?" He asked, his eyebrow raised, smiling. "We'll leave Paris and start a new life some where far away from here. Maybe in London, or even America, who knows? But first I have to finish up a few things, to get ready for our life together."
"Sounds like heaven to me," I said, leaning up against him again, my head in chest, taking a deep breath sigh of content. He smelled wonderful. Must, roses and that same cologne that I still can't figure out, but it smelled wonderful just the same. i looked up at him and he kissed me on my nose and looked at me warmly, his beautiful eyes full of passion. I truly love him.