Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or any of the recognizable characters. I only own the idea and some characters. The rest belongs to their respective owners.

A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I totally thought I would get this done faster, but I just got back to work and I had to nana-sit for the weekend leaving my laptop behind. Hopefully I can get the Epilogue up quicker!

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Infinite Love

Chapter 35: By Your Side

xXx Erik

It was as if I had awoken from a very real nightmare.

The last thing I remembered was being restrained by the two men, as Sophia came towards me, blocking my view of Christine, and forcing me to look into her eyes. She started to speak in that familiar spellbinding voice that I recognized as her power of compulsion. She was telling me to kill the one thing I could never live without. No matter how much I wanted to fight it I could feel my mind go blank and the dark monster I had pushed down into the darkest part of my body for so long had leaped up and taken over. I was suffocating under the power he had built up and everything went dark.

I had no idea of what was going on around me. It was as if I were in the middle of a never ending tunnel, darkness all around and no sounds. I felt lost in the darkness which was a strange sensation as I had lived in the dark for so long and was easily able to see in it. Now though it was as if I was blind. I didn't know what the dark part of me was doing and I had no idea where Christine was at the moment.

The pressure of her warm palm on my chest was the first sensation I felt in what felt like hours. I knew it was Christine as no one else in the room would be touching me with such tenderness. With that touch I felt the darkness slowly get brighter and I felt the control over me slowly slip. I knew I could try and climb my way through to the top, but the dark side of me was only momentarily shocked. Both myself and the dark one froze when I felt soft, warm, familiar lips cover mine. After I overcame the shock I immediately took control and powered my way through to take my rightful place and tear down the demon inside. When I took my place again I found myself getting lost in her sweet lips and bruising desire. I kissed her back with as much intensity to convey to her that she had saved me.

The darkness had drifted away when she broke the kiss. I could see her face, the tears falling down her face in streams and the blotchiness around her eyes. I could hear her heavy breathing from the power of our kiss and I just wanted to gather her in my arms and never let her go.

When I looked down at the blood on her neck, uncovered, and felt her fists clench against my shirt from the pain of the wound I remembered what Sophia had done just before compelling me. The rage inside me returned full force and I imagined the death's that would arise in seconds. I controlled the dark side, instead of him controlling me, and he would do as I commanded. From the look on Christine's face, through the newly fuming haze, I knew she thought she hadn't been able to help me, but she did. She had no need to worry; I wasn't after her.

Before Christine could even think of hiding, I was behind the fools that had followed Sophia and shoved my fists through their backs to rip out their hearts. It was known for being the most painful and grotesque way of killing a vampire. I had yet to kill with this tactic. It had almost been forgotten amongst us for being so vile, so stakes and head removal were the best choices.

I looked towards Christine to see she was transfixed on watching the bodies turn to dust at my feet. It was always an easy clean-up, to ensure no one ever found out about us. No body, no evidence.

I turned to see Sophia standing in utter astonishment, looking down at where her minions had been moments ago and back up to me. She quickly recovered her stone cold façade and brought her fangs and blood red eyes to view. Before she could run at me or Christine I grabbed the stake from on top of the piano where she had left it and rushed towards her ready to strike.

Her strength was much greater than mine which made it difficult to beat her. I even used all the power I had to force her across the room, only momentarily taking her down. When she fought back it was as if with one strike she had shattered every bone in my body, I couldn't move. Before I could rectify myself she grabbed me again and I felt the smooth, hard wood of the piano break under my back as I fell on top of it. I wasn't about to let Sophia take me down again so I had gone after her with as much force as I could build up.

After a few more battle scars and attempts at stabbing Sophia with the stake she had gotten the upper hand. I felt my end coming until Christine jumped on top of her to take the stake. When I saw Christine fly across the room from the force of Sophia's hand and land painfully on the rubbish of piano fragments, I got adrenaline running through my veins. I took her down again and held the stake over her heart, but somehow I still couldn't get the compulsion of not killing her out of my mind. 'How could I get over her compulsion to kill Christine, but I still can't kill her? My love for Christine is strong, but so is my hatred for my maker.'

With my weakness of the mind I was forced underneath her again and the impact of hitting the ground made my grip on the stake loosen until it rolled across the floor. Before I could try to take back my strength, Sophia had her hands around my neck in a tight grip. She had determination in her eyes and she was seconds from twisting my neck to a sickening degree before ripping my head off my body completely.

From the corner of my eye I could see Christine looking at Sophia and me in fear. I didn't want her to see me die and I didn't want her to be here after I was dead, she would be unprotected. "Christine, get out of here. I'm sorry. I love…" I tried to force out the words and I could only get one command out and one apology for being her weak protector. I tried to tell her I love her, but Sophia squeezed my windpipe harder and everything went dark.

xXx

My body jerked awake from the feeling of venom shooting through the veins in my body. The pain was unbearable, to the point that I couldn't think of anything else. Sophia throwing me around the living room or her grip on my throat was nothing compared to this. My whole body felt as if it was being forced apart and torn into a million pieces.

When I finally got the strength to open my eyes through the throbbing pain all I could see was red. Usually I was able to see outlines of objects or people through the red, but now it was as if someone covered my pupils with red paint. I could only shout from the ache and hope someone was nearby to tell me why I was in so much agony.

I could hear Christine's angelic voice from a distance. She was telling me she had no idea why I was suffering. I continued to speak to her to express that I felt I was being torn in half. After that I couldn't hear her speaking, but I knew she was still with me, I could feel her presence. After a few long moments she got her voice back.

"Oh my God." She muttered.

I opened my eyes again, but still couldn't see her. I could imagine what she looked like from the tone of her voice. What I couldn't tell was if she knew what was wrong with me or if she just saw something that scared her or was unpleasant.

"What? What happened?" My voice shook from fear of what was happening to me and what Christine was witnessing.

"I killed Sophia." She exclaimed in a tearful whisper.

I almost didn't hear her from her broken, softly spoken words, but her unexpected words struck me like a stake through the heart. My eyes shot open in surprise and I tried to look in the direction of where her voice was coming from. I could slightly see her through the red vision. Then before I knew it the fogginess was fading considerably.

"Are you dying now because I killed her?" she said in between unsteady breaths.

I didn't know the answer to that question as I had never heard of vampires dying after their maker did. I could barely breathe and my mind was jumbled from the pain. "I… no… idea. So much… pain." was all I could gather into coherent words before I groaned from the intense anguish.

Just as quickly as the pain came, it left. I felt like the torture and darkness that had just brutally taken over my senses were extracted from my body like a demon during an exorcism. When the pain abated my red tinted vision and shuddering body did also. I looked up at Christine whose eyes were widened and the trails of tears she shed continually were visible on her cheeks. She was fearfully pale and she looked like she had just seen someone come back to life.

Then without warning my body started weakening exceptionally, my muscles and limbs were sore and my organs felt like they were being rebooted after being hooked up to machines for a lifetime. I felt like I had been punched in the gut and cut into a hundred pieces. My body refused to move.

"Erik? Are you ok?" Christine asked.

Her questions all seemed to be unanswerable since I wasn't sure about the answers myself. I couldn't let her nervously go through all the scenarios of what could be happening to me so I gave her a quick response, "I'm okay."

"How do you feel?" she asked, unsatisfied with my response to her first question.

"I feel…" 'How do I feel?' I haven't felt anything going through my body right now in over a century. I feel tired, weak, achy, hungry…

Hungry? Just the thought of being hungry made me think. Whenever I hungered for blood, it was more intense and mouthwatering. It was a necessary hunger that almost made me go crazy from the need for it. Now that need was pressed by the obligation to get my strength back. I felt my insides were eating away at each other and forcing me to be unable to do anything. My weakness was brought on by the battle I had with Sophia and the fact that I hadn't had blood in a while.

"Erik?" I looked up at Christine and saw the concern and heartache written all over her face.

"Christine… I'm hungry." The thought of quenching my hunger was all that I could think about. Without it I was useless and couldn't bring myself to think of anything else.

I watched as her face changed from worry to confusion. She quickly recovered from her momentary hesitation and picked something up off the floor next to her and ripped it open. When she brought it to my view I saw it was the blood bag that I had hidden in my refrigerator earlier. She must have grabbed it while I was unconscious, in case I needed it. When she brought it to my dry, cracked lips and tipped it to allow the blood to pour out and spill into my mouth I couldn't smell the sweetness of it like I always did. The moment I felt the blood on my tongue I retched as if I had just tasted cheap, misused wine.

I spat the substance out onto the floor and coughed up the taste, wanting nothing to do with it. I had never responded to blood like that before and now I feared what happened to me more than I did before. 'Was the only thing that could quench my hunger not going to work anymore?'

"Why did you spit it out?" Christine asked anxiously, her eyes widening again. "Is it the wrong type? Do you want me to get something else from your other cooler?" she said, getting ready to do my bidding.

I grabbed a hold of her hand before she could leave my sight. It took me too long to figure out what was happening to me, but now I knew. Christine told me she ended Sophia, my maker's, life. I had all the feelings and sensations that I hadn't had since I was human, since before I met Sophia. Now I spat out the blood that I remember having a couple sips of earlier this morning and enjoyed.

My curse has been removed from my life and body. The feeling I had of being ripped apart was the demon inside of me being extracted from my body. I was no longer a blood thirsty, red eyed, sharp toothed vampire. I no longer thirsted for the blood that flows through a human's veins. I no longer struggled to look at the blood on Christine's neck. I no longer smelled blood and became enraptured. Blood was no longer the solution to my hunger. If I was going to get my strength back I needed human food. I needed sustenance.

"I don't need blood. I'm not a vampire."

"What?"

I looked up at Christine's expression and realized I had spoken out loud. Her eyebrows were almost reaching her hairline and her eyes were rounder than a deer's in the headlights. Her mouth was open in misunderstanding. Then I realized that she still didn't know what I discovered.

"You killed my maker… and with her gone the curse she put on me… is gone. I'm not a vampire anymore." I explained.

"Wh…?" she couldn't muster up a simple syllable. She was breathless and I could tell she still didn't understand.

I leaned up on my elbows with all the strength I could gather so I could be closer to her. My face was inches from hers and I begged her to look into my eyes without words. She kept her eyes on mine when I brought my hand up to her cheek, her wet, trembling cheek, and brought her head slowly down to my chest. The beating of my living heart was in my chest and I could feel it slowly thumping under her ear. I could hear Christine's unsteady breathing. She lifted her head and looked down at my chest, unbelieving. She closed her eyes for a minute as if she was waiting for the remarkable dream to end.

"Christine, this is real. My heart is beating; blood is flowing through my veins and…" I wanted to continue to convince her, but my weakness came back in full force from the sound of my stomach growling. "I am really hungry." I said weakly as I fell down on the floor again. The effort of leaning on my elbows diminished.

"Oh my God, you're human again?" she asked with fresh tears falling at the extraordinary news she was hearing.

"Yes." I smiled. The need for food was weakening me and even though I wanted to revel in the happiness with Christine I needed something to fill my stomach… now. "Will you get me something to eat so that I can have the strength to stand?" I asked as sweetly as I could. I hadn't had human food in over a week, my stomach was eating away at my insides and I was growing weaker by the second.

"Right." She said as if the thought hadn't occurred to her yet. She stood quickly and stumbled over to the kitchen. She reached out for the counter before she fell over.

"Are you alright?" I asked, now I was the one full of concern.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. When Sophia threw me off of her I landed on the piano wreckage and hit my head. I am just a little dizzy." She said keeping one hand on the counter as she lifted her other hand to open the cabinets and look for food.

The thought of her in need of medical attention got me off the floor and crawling across the living room towards her. When I reached the kitchen table I brought all my weight up on the stool and stood. I leaned against the table as I sat on one of the seats.

"Christine, come here." I said with a beckoning wave.

"No, I need to find you something to eat." She said as she searched through another sparse cupboard.

"I don't have anything here. Let me make sure you don't need medical attention." I said forcefully.

She reluctantly turned from her task and walked over to me. When she stood before me, she allowed me to look at the wound that Sophia made on her neck. That was when I saw the patch of hair on the side of her head that was wet and sticky from blood. She looked like she was about to pass out and I made sure she kept conscious as I sat her down in the chair I quickly removed myself from. I stumbled over to my refrigerator and found ice in the freezer. I put a handful on a cloth and wrapped it around so the ice was covered. I went back to Christine and made her put it on her head.

I went back over to the fridge and searched through the basic stuff I had in there. Nothing looked like it would help me get my strength back so I went back over to Christine and fought the weakness in my arms as I lifted her.

"Erik… what are you doing?" she said groggily as if she just woke up. I looked down to see her eyes were half closed and she was growing pale.

I rushed out of the apartment, as fast as my human self could allow, and took the elevator down to the lobby. When the guards saw me holding her in my arms and saw the blood on her neck and head they immediately came forward.

"Call an ambulance." I said before they could take her out of my arms.

I watched as the receptionist called the ambulance and within minutes I heard the sirens coming down the street. When the ambulance stopped in front of the building I headed over to them and watched as they pulled a gurney out of the back and a couple paramedics came forward to take her from me.

Everything around me was a blur and I couldn't listen to what they were asking me or hear what they were saying about Christine's condition. I only had my ears and eyes on Christine in case she asked for me.

I was never more afraid for her than now. I need her to be alright. She has to fine. As I followed the paramedics and the gurney that Christine was now lying unconscious on I fell to the ground and was encased in darkness, again.

xXx Christine

I dreamt of my future.

Erik told me he's human. He's no longer an immortal, blood sucking demon. He can age. He can have children. He can stay in one place for fifty years without people realizing he isn't getting older. I could have the future I wanted with him before I found out he was a vampire. We could grow old together and have children and get married. Everything I ever hoped for.

When he told me that he was human again I didn't believe it. But from the fact that he spat out the blood I tried feeding him and the sound of his breathing and heart beat in his chest I realized it was true.

When he told me he needed food I wondered why all of a sudden he wanted to move on from the amazing news. I realized then that he hadn't had human food since before I could remember. He was probably starving, to the point of passing out. I went to get him something to eat and as I walked to the kitchen I realized I wasn't in the best health. I started to get so dizzy that I couldn't be sure if I was walking in a straight line.

Everything after that was a blur of movement and I only vaguely felt someone pick me up and put me on a bed of some sort. I could hear the sirens and see the blinking blue and red lights and finally everything turned to darkness. That's when I dreamt.

Everything came in clips and patches, starting with the moment Erik told me he was human.

I found myself sitting in the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in the city. I was wearing a beautiful silky red dress that fit me like a second skin. I was sitting across the table from Erik and he was wearing the finest suit, fit for the restaurant we were sitting in. All the other couples around us didn't stare at the strange man wearing a gleaming white mask on his face or the fact that he was sitting across from me, someone that was fourteen years younger than him. As I scanned the wealthy husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends I spotted a large table not far from us where the Juilliard School Board sat discussing business. I began to fear getting caught, but before I could express that fear to Erik I looked to see him stand from his seat and kneel down before me. When he pulled out a velvet box and opened it before me I felt my heart leap in my chest with excitement and said "yes" before he could even ask the question or open the box. My fear of getting found out was gone and replaced with pure bliss.

The next thing I knew I was standing at the beginning of a long aisle with my father at my side holding my arm. I looked down to see myself in a corseted princess style white dress and holding a bouquet of red roses. At the end of the aisle Erik stood in a tux with the familiar white mask, a small smile shining on his face. He stood to the right of a man who was wearing a clerical collar and black suit. The pews in the church were filled with friends and family members. All of Erik's family was long gone and he only had one friend so most of the guests were invited from my side. I didn't care. The only person I really needed to see was Erik.

My dream flashed to a new scene. It looked like a few years passed. I was standing in the doorway to what used to be Erik's study. The desk and books were no longer there and the wall was now a baby pink color. There was a chest in the corner full of stuffed animals and other toys, a crib in the middle of the room that lay empty. There was a rocking chair in the other corner where Erik sat holding our baby girl. She was leaning against his chest fast asleep and silent. Erik was leaning back with his head lulled to the side and he was asleep peacefully as well. The sight was so beautiful that it brought me to tears.

The last thing I saw was Erik and I sitting on a porch swing in front of a small home. I didn't know where we were, but I could feel the rays of the sun on my face and the warmth of the air surrounding me. What I did know was that Erik and I were growing old together. We were holding each other in our old age. It looked like he was in his seventies and I must have been in my sixties. I looked out to the large lawn in front of our house and saw our daughter. She looked like she was in her thirties and she stood with a man, her husband. They were with their children, our grandchildren. It was the happiest moment of my life and I was glad to see our daughter's life grow and continue our family for generations. After we die what we started would continue and go on for longer than we could hope.

That was the last thing I saw before my eyes slowly started to open and I was looking up at a tiled white ceiling. I didn't know where I was or how I got there. My senses slowly started coming back to me. I could hear the constant beeping of machines and someone coughing nearby. I couldn't smell anything distinct, except for the faint smell of soap and cleaner. Finally I could feel something heavy on my arm, so heavy that I couldn't lift it. I finally had the strength to move my head and I looked down to see Erik's head lying against my arm. His eyes were closed and he had fallen asleep holding my hand. I realize it was the first time I had ever seen him sleeping and not just unconscious or faking. It was a beautiful sight and I didn't want to move an inch, in fear that I might wake him.

At that moment a nurse walked in and came over to my bed. With no thought to the sleeping man on my arm she asked, "How are you feeling?"

At the high pitched, cheerful voice Erik shot his head up and his eyes were alert within seconds. I wanted to yell at the nurse for waking him, but I knew that wouldn't help anything.

"Christine. You're awake." He said smiling.

"Hi." I said to him smiling back. The memory of my dream came back to me and just seeing him looking at me with so much love and happiness made me want to start our future right now.

The nurse walked over to the side of my bed and that was when I saw that I was hooked up to an IV bag. When the nurse was finished checking on that she started checking my vitals and flashing a light in my eyes. She continued to tell me that everything was looking good, but before she left she told me that the doctor wants me to stay overnight and get a few more tests done to make sure everything was going well.

When she was gone I looked back to Erik who was watching me intently as if I was going to disappear any minute.

"Erik, the nurse said I am going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere." I said to reassure him.

I brought my hand to his chin and brought him closer for a lingering kiss. I broke the kiss reluctantly and looked into his eyes with a new wonderment. "We can have a future together. I'm not going to grow old without you. Before I woke up it was as if the rest of my life was flashing through my mind. I saw us getting married, having a daughter and sitting together in our old age watching our grandchildren. I want that life with you. I want to be with you until the day I die."

Erik's eyes had started watering at my declaration and he had the same smile I had seen on his face in my dream, at our wedding. Before I could say more he leaned over me and kissed me passionately. His tongue and lips formed and pressed against mine with a bruising intensity. I almost passed out again from the lack of air, but Erik released me. I looked at him and saw that he was breathing heavily as well.

"I forgot I need to breathe now." He said between deep breaths.

It was going to take a while for him to learn how to be human again. There were things he was going to have to do differently. His whole life changed in seconds and he was going to become a new person. He had to learn that he wasn't a supernatural, dead, unfeeling creature. He needed to breathe, protect himself and eat when he was hungry.

"How are you feeling? You could barely stand before…" I had completely forgotten that he was starving before I passed out. The memory of my dream and seeing Erik beside me was all I thought about when I woke up.

"Don't worry. I'm alright. While you were getting hauled into the ambulance I collapsed and was brought in with you. After they realized I was fine, except for a few scratches, I went down to the cafeteria. I'm pretty sure people were watching me stuff my face instead of looking at my mask." He said soothing my alarm with a slight chuckle.

"Thank God, you're okay." I said, exhaling the breath I had been holding.

"I should be the one thanking God that you are okay." He said seriously.

"I am never going to leave you. I will be with you, always." I said. I had to reassure him that no matter what life handed him I would be by his side in a heartbeat and take care of him through everything.

"I want to confirm that." He said, going to kneel down on the hospital floor.

It was not how my dream intended, but it was still perfect. No matter where he decided to do this or how he did it wouldn't change my answer. The only thing that needs to be perfect is the man and he is more than perfect.

"I know I don't have a ring. I know we haven't had a successful first date yet. And I know that we have had problems in our relationship. All I know is that I need to be with you for the rest of my life. I can't think of a life without you and before when I was still..." he looked around the room to see all the other patients in the room were asleep "a vampire…" he whispered "I didn't know how I was going to survive being without you and watching you grow old with someone that wasn't me. Now I can have that and I don't want to waste any more time. I love you. Please marry me."

Erik stayed kneeling on the floor, holding my hand and nervously squeezing it. I loved this man and even though everything he said was true, I needed to spend the rest of my life with him. It hadn't been long since we first met and most of the time we were either just friends or broken up, but when we were together it was the most memorable and happiest time of my life.

"I will marry you, Erik." I felt tears falling down my cheeks again. "Did you ever doubt I would?" I said in a playful tone.

All I got in answer was another mind blowing, intense kiss that left us both out of breath. Our future started here and would last, not until the end of time, but until the rest of our days.

xXx

Epilogue is up next! Hope you enjoyed this second to last chapter! Please Leave a Review!