Hey! I'm sorry I couldn't update last week! Halloween weekend was so busy. Plus I had family drama so that took up time and then I got a bacterial infection in my throat... I seriously had no time to do anything. I'll try my best to update weekly and make these chapters longer! Sorry again and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I made it extra fluffy for all of you! It'll get more serious next chapter :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 25

Erik's P.O.V.

Why was it so warm? Not unbearably warm like before. This was…nice. I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at the source of the warmth.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Christine curled up next to me. Her head was on my chest and her arms were wrapped around me. I should have pushed her from me but I couldn't do it. She looked so peaceful and it felt too wonderful to end it.

I racked my brain trying to remember how any of this happened. I looked around and noticed that I was still in her room. How did I end up on her bed? The last I could I remember was her screaming at me. I closed my eyes and tried to recall anything that had happened.

That night…ever since that night nothing has ever been the same. I doubt it ever will be. How could she touch my mask? I had warned her about that from the beginning. Why couldn't she just listen to me? I knew that Christine was a very curious girl but I thought she would have some control over it. This whole thing could have been avoided. Now she knows what lies behind the mask and she'll never love me. How could she? I saw the terror on her face. It was something I should have been use to by now. What made this so different?

That's a pointless question. It's different because she's different. Everyone else who has seen my face meant little to nothing to me. I loved Christine. I still do. And now there was no hope for me. She hated me enough to run away from me.

A flare of anger spread through me at the thought. How could she? I did everything for her and cared for her with all of my heart and she left me. She was so close to the highway…I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to catch up with her that night. She was so far ahead and I had no idea what direction she went in. I hated her in that moment. She betrayed me out of pure fear and hatred. After everything, she still didn't care for me. She lied from the beginning just so she could get away from me. Why didn't she love me? I treated Christine like an angel and did whatever she asked of me. I should have known though. No one had loved me before. Why should she?

When I saw her on the ground, that moment of hate quickly vanished. I had never been so worried over another person before. She wouldn't respond to anything and she could have gotten horribly sick because of that downpour. I chuckled slightly. If I wasn't so worried about her health perhaps I wouldn't have become so ill. I didn't bother changing out of my wet clothes that night. I was too emotionally preoccupied to think of my physical wellbeing. I supposed I had it coming.

After that night, I didn't feel like myself. I was tired, sore, and would shake on occasion. It was almost like withdrawal. I just thought it was the after effects of the betrayal. I never really had gotten sick before but I suppose I should have guessed I was. I never would have imagined that I would have gone unconscious because of it. It's quite pathetic really. I have never been that weak before.

I sighed and opened my eyes. I looked back at Christine and I couldn't resist touching a stray hair that was covering her face. She was so beautiful…

"Mon ange…" I whispered and she stirred slightly. Why was she here? I thought she hated me and wanted nothing to do with me. And why was my shirt unbuttoned? Even though this was most likely the closest I would ever be to her, I had to wake her up and get some answers. "Christine." I said and this time she opened her eyes slowly. She sat up slightly and looked around and then back down at me.

"Erik…" she said quietly. Before I could say anything she threw herself on top of me and hugged me.

"Erik! Oh, thank God!" she cried and I stayed still. Why was she doing this? "You wouldn't wake up and…and…" I felt a few tears hit my neck. "I was so worried." She whispered.

"What…what happened?" I asked her. She let go of me and sat up but still stayed next to me.

"Y-you don't remember?" she said as she wiped tears away from her eyes. "You fainted and wouldn't wake up. I tried e-everything and you still wouldn't wake up at all and you had such a high fever…and I didn't know what to do." More tears fell from her face but she didn't bother catching them. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Like what?" I asked and started to button up my shirt. "And why was my shirt half off? That's very inappropriate."

"You're looking at me like I'm crazy. I guess I should be used to that by now." She said with a little chuckle but it sounded forced. "And I remembered that a person with a fever should have little layers on so I tried to um…take it off." She blushed slightly and looked down. "I'm sorry…I was just trying to help. I couldn't even do it though."

"And why is that?" I said coldly. I hated the fact that she saw more of my body than was necessary. My face wasn't the only thing about me that was hideous. Everything about me was too thin and covered in scars. She must have been disgusted…

"You stopped me." She said and wiped another tear away. I tilted my head.

"I stopped you?" I asked her and she nodded.

"You did some…weird things. I tried to take the shirt off and you grabbed my wrist." She rubbed it and I saw a light bruise on it. I groaned and reached out to it.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." I said and gently rubbed it.

"It's fine. Nothing to worry about." She said and smiled at me through a few tears. "Besides, you weren't in your right mind. You even called me a different name."

"Is that so?" I asked her and tried to sit up. I still felt weak but I had to get out of her bed. This whole situation was overwhelming and I had to get back to my room. Then I could hopefully have some peace of mind.

"Yeah." She said and bit her lip. I loved when she did that. "You called me Afsoon."

I stopped moving immediately and blinked a few times. "I called you…Afsoon?"

"Yeah. You looked really mad and called Afsoon a pest or something like that." She said with a shrug. "It was a little scary but when I stopped touching you, you passed right out."

I didn't hear much of what she said. I had called her Afsoon…I had almost forgotten about that blasted woman. I suppose she'll always claw her way back in my mind…

"…and then you um…started to speak French to me." I heard her say. I looked back at her and waited for her to continue. "You…you thought I was your mom."

"What?" I asked her as I managed to sit all the way up.

"Yeah. Again, it was no big deal. I just…Erik, I was so scared." She whispered and moved so she was sitting right next to me.

"I do have a talent for scaring you." I said sarcastically. "Now, I would like to get out of this bed. How did I even end up here?"

"I dragged you in it." She said with some pride in her voice. "I couldn't leave you on the floor and my adrenaline was pumping."

"Why?" I asked her.

"Well, I was nervous and that gave me enough strength to move you-"

"But why did you move me?" I interrupted her.

"I couldn't leave you on the floor." She said like it was the obvious answer.

"Why?" I asked again. "You hate me. Why should you care about what happened to me?"

"Because, I care about you." She said and I shook my head.

"I know you don't-"

"I do!" she yelled and I jumped a little. "I do care about you! Oh Erik, you have no idea how much I care. I've been here feeling so guilty over what I said to you. I was so afraid that you would never wake up and that you would have left me thinking I hated you."

"You tried to leave me." I said and as quickly as I could, I stood up. "This is just another attempt in trying to gain your freedom and I won't hear any more of it." I made my way to the door but she grabbed my hand before I could leave.

"I know you probably won't trust me ever again. I can't blame you." She said. "But, I will do everything that I can to make you believe how I feel. Erik, I care about you so much."

"Oh yes, you must have cared so much when you were screaming in fear of me." I said sarcastically.

"I won't lie, your face did scare me but now it doesn't. It's just a part of you that I had to get to know a little bit more." She said quietly.

"What do you mean…?" I asked her and instinctively touched my face. The mask was gone! How didn't I notice it sooner? I spun around and faced her while covering my face. It was slightly challenging due to the fact that Christine was holding on tightly to my other hand. "Give me the mask back now Christine!"

"No! You don't have to wear it anymore." She told me and held on to my hand tighter. "I had to take it off because you were burning up. Wearing it couldn't have been good for you and…it doesn't bother me anymore. Trust me."

"Don't lie to me!" I yelled as I looked around her room for my mask. I spotted it on her nightstand and moved to get it.

"Erik! Listen to me!" she screamed desperately. "I don't want you to wear it anymore. Erik, it's just a face! I'm used to it."

"You can't possibly mean that." I told her as I reached for the mask but she snatched it away from me. "Give it to me now." I told her slowly.

"Not until you listen." She said and put it behind her back. "Erik, I had to try to get away. If I just stayed here, I would have gone crazy thinking if any of what I was feeling was real. But, I know now that it is. Erik, I thought you were going to die and that thought terrified me. If I had to live without you…"

"You would have been happy that this monster was dead." I told her. "Now give me the mask. This is the last time I'm going to ask you."

"Stop calling yourself that." She begged. "You aren't one. You're a genius in every sense of the word. You create so many beautiful things and you have been nothing but kind to me. I think your life has been too unfair for someone like you."

"You know nothing of my life." I told her and she squeezed my hand tighter.

"Then tell me about it! I want to know everything about you like you know everything about me." She said. "I saw the anger and pain in your eyes last night Erik. I want to know why they were there. I want to know why you were so damaged."

"Why I'm so damaged?" I scoffed. "It's because I'm a monster-"

"I told you to stop with that!" she yelled. "I would never care so much for a monster. You are a good man Erik. I know you are." She said and leaned closer to me. "Please…just let me show you…" She was so close to me that I could smell her sweet scent. My legs buckled slightly but I willed myself to stay strong. What was she doing?

"Let me show you." She said again and reached up to move my hand. I didn't budge for a moment but I was so curious to see what she would do. I let her move my hand and she smiled up at my face.

"How…how can you smile like that?" I asked her.

"Because, I like seeing your face. I can actually see all of your emotions now." She gently reached her hand up and touched my sunken cheek. I closed my eyes at the wonderful feeling. I felt her other hand descend on my face and I sighed at the contact. I never had anyone touch my face without the intent of hurting me before. This was…heavenly.

"Christine…" I whispered and I looked down at her. She was still smiling and gently urged my head down to hers. "What are you-" I was cut off by the wonderful sensation of her lips on my forehead. My heart stopped beating at that moment and I felt my whole body grow rigid. Her lips were gone within a few seconds but the feeling of them were still there on my mangled skin. I looked down at her with a loss for words. Her eyes were full of unshed tears but her smile was still there. It was all I could take. I sank to my knees and started to sob in front of her.

"Oh Christine…mon ange!" I cried as I felt her kneel next to me. "No one has ever…oh how I love you!" She started to wipe my tears away but I grabbed her hands in mind and held them close to my heart. "You are my everything…" I said through my tears as I saw one fall from her eye.

"Are these happy tears?" she asked and I quickly nodded.

"I never even knew I could be this happy…oh Christine." I sobbed and I felt her lean closer to me. She kissed both of my cheeks and trailed up to where my eyes were. All the while I was crying like a fool but it was impossible not to. An angel was kissing me when even my mother refused to do so. She didn't leave a single patch of my horrid skin untouched by her lips and this time I felt my heart beating at an unbelievable pace. I was praying she would touch her lips with mine but it never came. I was being selfish but I couldn't possibly help it. She pulled back all too soon for my liking and I opened my eyes.

"You know, it's not fair." She said with a playful smile.

"What isn't?" I hoarsely asked her as I tried to slow down my heart.

"I gave you so many kisses and I don't even get one in return?" she asked

"Y-you want me to…?" I asked in complete astonishment.

"Well, obviously." She said. "I mean, only if you want to. I understand if you don't." There was hurt in her eyes and she started to move away from me. I quickly drew her closer to me and placed a small kiss to her perfect forehead. I drew back and let out a gasp. A new round of tears fell from my eyes as I embraced her.

"Christine, I love you so." I whispered into her soft hair. She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled her head into my neck.

"Mon ange…" she whispered. I could have died the happiest man who had ever lived in that moment.

We stayed in each other's arm for what felt like hours. She eventually moved slightly away from me and smiled at me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I'll be waking up from this dream any minute now." I told her and she shook her head.

"It's not a dream." She said. "I'm here and I truly care about you. Do you believe me?"

"I do." I told her. And I did. She wouldn't have kissed me just to trick me. She would never do something like that.

"Good." She said with a smile. "Now, we need to talk."

"We're having the talk already? That was fast." I joked and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad to see you have your sense of humor back. But, we need to talk about you." She said.

"Me?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I want to know more about you. You had a life before you met me." She said.

"It wasn't much of a life." I told her while shaking my head. "I can't tell you about it."

"Why not?" she asked with hurt in her eyes.

"You'll hate me once you find out." I told her and it was true. I did so many horrible things that not even Christine could forgive.

"I could never hate you even if I tried. And I did at one point and I just couldn't do it." She said. "It's just your past Erik. You can't change it but it doesn't define you. You're smart enough to know that."

"But it did define me for the majority of my life." I said but she just shook her head.

"It doesn't now. Erik, we can't go forward until I know more about you." She said and I sighed. I knew she was right but I didn't want this wonderful feeling inside of me to be crushed.

"Fine. You are right Christine. We'll talk more after both of us have had something to eat. I doubt you did eat much yesterday." I told her and she nodded.

"Okay, that sounds good with me." She said as we both stood up. I noticed she was still holding onto my mask and I realized how out of place I felt without it.

"Christine…I know you say that my face doesn't bother you-"

"I'm not giving you back the mask." She said and held it to her chest.

"I need it." I told her. "I know you say you are used to it by now but I still need it. I wore it for all of my life. You can't expect me to feel normal without it."

She bit her lip and looked down at it. After a moment she sighed and handed it back to me. "You can wear it if you want. Just know that it's not for me and I'd prefer you without it on. And keep in mind I can't really kiss you when you wear it."

"What?" I asked her as I took it back from her. "You still want…"

She laughed. "Of course I do! I'll always want to." And with that, she stood on her tip toes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I swear I will never get use to this feeling.