Christine's POV

It was New Year's eve, a day usually spent with family. Back home, New Year's usually consisted of Gustave and I entertaining ourselves while Raoul was out drinking himself into oblivion. Erik had spent the previous evening slumped over his desk, resulting in a terrible back ache. Though, after laying down for a while, he approached me as I was cleaning some clothes in the basement.

"Washing clothes?" he questioned.

I smiled. "Of course. Who else is going to wash your clothes?"

"Would you like to go for a ride?"

I turned to face him, his deformity staring me right in the face. Ride? What so ever did he mean?

"Ride?"

"A horseback ride." he corrected.

When I didn't answer him, he began persuading me to go along with him.

"I was just thinking, because it's such a lovely day outside. It's also the eve of the new year, and I know you have to go into market to buy some things for tonight's meal."

When I agreed, we were off within a few minutes time. After saddling up his two stallions, Erik helped me up on his white mare before jumping up to sit behind me. It amazed me how well Gustave rode on his own. For years Raoul had not taken the time to teach our son how to ride, in fear of it being too dangerous. Erik on the other hand, had taught Gustave and from the way he was riding, I knew he had the best teacher anyone could have ever asked for.

"Not too far ahead, Gustave!" Erik called out as our son began to gallop ahead on the beach. After Erik's warning, Gustave slowed down, trotting in the water as we rode a few feet back.

"He's a very experienced rider, don't you think?" Erik asked me.

"Indeed. He's had the best teacher though…"

"Well, I wouldn't call myself the best, but I think I've done pretty well."

"I never thought I'd see the day when my son would ride. You probably know that Raoul forbid it…"

"Yes, well I'm his real father by blood and I'll decide what's best for him and what's not. Which reminds me, I'm thinking about taking Gustave into the country tomorrow for some business."

"What sort of business?" I asked, gazing up at his white mask.

"It's a surprise." Erik chuckled. "An early birthday gift for him."

I smiled. "What could be out in the country worth traveling for?"

"Well, Gustave will be eleven soon. I was thinking that he needed a suitable stallion of his own to get around on. He can't keep riding my horses, now can he? Come springtime, they'll be too busy with shows to be ridden on. No, he needs one of his own."

"You're getting him a horse for his birthday?" I gasped. "Erik, he's wanted one ever since he was little."

"He needs one, Christine. There is an animal auction every weekend up in the country side. I'll find a good one and purchase it for him. I just wanted to make sure you were all right with me taking him for the day? I'd ask you to come along, but I think it's more of a father and son thing."

"Yes, you two should certainly have some bonding time together."

As I watched our son ridding ahead on the beach, I couldn't help but notice how happy he seemed. I never seen Gustave this happy before, not even in Paris.

"What are your plans tonight, Erik?" I finally asked.

Erik shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, most likely. Writing some music or figuring out plans for spring."

"Well, it's New Year's eve and I think it be really nice if you spent the night with Gustave and I. I'll cook us a nice meal and then we can play games and have a great time."

"Are you asking me to join you, Christine?" he asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Of course, Erik. It is only right that you do."

"I'd thought you'd never ask."

The day was wonderful. For once, my mind was fully on spending the day with Erik and not about how worried I was for Raoul. I had finally gotten a letter from him, which eased my worries entirely and let me concentrate on other things, such as spending time with Erik. We rode up and down the Phantasma beach for what seemed like hours, ending our journey with a trip into town so I could buy some much needed items. If Erik and I were going to be spending New Year's together, I wanted us to have a decent meal. Yes, people stared and gawked as I walked the streets hand in hand with a man in a white mask, but I didn't care. Erik was a true gentleman and anyone who thought otherwise was the monster, not him. I could tell that he was extremely nervous, for I could feel his gloved hands sweating into my own as we walked from shop to shop. I wasn't sure if he were afraid of displeasing me or afraid of the people who were staring. I really didn't care, for Erik did anything but make me feel uncomfortable. These past few weeks of not hearing from Raoul worried me so much that I couldn't stop and realize the kind man that Erik really was. Nor, was I able to acknowledge the kind gestures that only he did for me. Today, Erik not only held the door open to every shop we entered and helped carry the grocery bags, but he also walked into town with me…and that meant the world to me, for I knew how much Erik hated crowds. But that is love, right? Isn't love being able to do anything for someone, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable? If there was one thing I knew, it was that Erik certainly loved me.

Gustave's POV

I was sitting by the fireplace writing music after our afternoon ride. It was such a wonderful day, seeing that mother had spent it with us. Usually it was just papa and I. My papa suddenly came walking out into the family room dressed in his robe and sleep trousers. When we returned home, his clothes had been soaking wet and smelling like the Phantasma stables.

"What are you up to, pal?" he asked.

I looked up from my work, my papa staring down at me and waiting for my answer.

"Writing music." I replied before looking back down at my work. My papa reached down for my papers, awaiting my permission.

"Do you mind?"

"Um, no…"

My father scooped up my work, reading over each line without a single emotion in his face. When he was finished reading, he placed my work back down and nodded, resting his chin on his palm.

"So, what did you think?" I questioned.

"It's very good, Gustave. When you're finished with it, I'd really like to hear you play it on the piano."

"All right."

I was going back to work when my papa began to talk to me again.

"I'm taking my annual trip into the country tomorrow, Gustave. I was thinking that you and I could spend some time together."

"What do you go into the country for?"

"To buy new animals for my season at Phantasma. I need a few more dogs and maybe a horse or two…"

"What about mama?"

"Oh, she'll find something to do while we're gone, I'm sure."

"All right, papa."

My papa smiled. "Good, we'll leave at first light."

Erik's POV

Holidays were never a happy time for me. Usually they consisted of me sitting alone in my flat, either sobbing or writing music into the wee hours of the morning. Christmas had been a joyful time for me, and now, New Year's was turning out to be the same way. After returning home and taking a shower I walked out into the family room to find Gustave hard at work with his music. After getting his agreement to follow me into the country come morning, I walked down stairs in my basement to find Christine hanging wet clothes on a line I had hung across the basement wall specifically for her use. I never had someone to wash my clothes for me until now. I had spent my life fulfilling every daily task on my own without anyone else to help out. Seeing Christine hanging my wet, clean clothes over the clothes line was something I would simply never get used to.

"You don't have to keep cleaning up around here, Christine." I said, my body stiff, and hands folded gracefully behind my back.

She giggled. "And just how else are your stinky clothes going to get clean? They don't have legs to walk down here and do it themselves."

"You know what I mean, Christine."

"I'm washing mine and Gustave's clothes, it isn't much more to wash your tiny pile."

"Well, thank you. Your generosity does not go unappreciated."

"Speaking of clothes, I had to wash your stinky pile from the stables."

"Oh, Christine, I know how much you love the scent of horse manure."

Christine threw a clean shirt at me.

"I could only imagine how much clothes I'll be washing come springtime with you working all the time around the stables."

I chuckled. "Christine, during summer, I almost all the time come home covered in sweat."

"Well, stinky, just let me get finished up here and then we'll spend the night together having fun."

And that's exactly what we did. Christine cooked us a nice meal, afterwards we sat around the fireplace, playing checkers and spending time together as the happy family I always wished for. Before midnight, Gustave had fallen asleep on the floor. We could only chuckle as we watched our child sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. After a few minutes, Christine stood up from the couch and scooped him up into her arms.

"I'll be right back."

When Christine was gone, I quickly began to clean up the checker board and replace the area with a more romantic setting. After throwing away the checkers set, I pulled out a wine bottle and a few glasses. When everything was set out, I let out a deep breath and waited for Christine to rejoin me.

"Gustave, he can never stay awake until midnight. He always falls asleep hours before the new year is even here." Christine was walking out when she stopped and smiled at me.

"Join me?" I extended my hand to her, only to have her accept my kind gesture. She placed her hand into my own and we both sat down together.

"It's better that he doesn't stay up until midnight." I said. "He won't want to get up tomorrow morning at dawn. I actually plan on being out of here long before then."

I poured my angel a glass of wine, sitting there beside one another alone for the first time in what seemed like centuries.

"So were holidays' usually loud and elaborate back in Paris?" I asked.

Christine looked down at her glass, her expression changing over to one filled with worriment.

"It was usually just Gustave and I. Raoul was never home…I waited for him to always join us…but…"

"Drinking, I'm sure?"

"Yes, of course. He spent countless nights at the bar, New Year's being the worst night of them all."

I don't know why I did it, but I placed my hand over her own, lightly squeezing it. I wanted to comfort my angel through any heartache she was feeling at the moment.

"You don't have to go through all of that anymore, Christine."

I had expected my angel to pull away, but instead she smiled and continued our conversation.

"What were past holidays like for you, Erik?"

"Lonely." I said, taking a sip of my wine. "Lonely and filled with regret."

"What about your childhood?"

"Why would you ask me that? I've told you that they were lonely and painful."

"Erik, you're like a clam." my angel replied. She placed her fingers underneath my chin and forced me to look at her. "You keep yourself closed up. I really do want to know about you, Erik…everything. No matter how much it hurts.."

I moved the collar of my shirt aside to expose the scars that were scattered out among my lower neck, but Christine wasn't interested in seeing them.

"Erik, I'm not talking about the scars."

"But they're part of it, Christine."

"Erik, I know enough about you to know that the gypsies abused you."

"Yes, then you don't need to know anymore."

"But I know nothing about your mother."

I sighed, for I had never talked about my mother with anyone. But where was I to start?

"Christine, there isn't much to say. My father died in an accident before I was born and my mother became heartbroken with sorrow for her loss. I believe her heartbrokenness caused my deformity…and her hatred for me. She was supposed to name me after my father, but after she saw the monster she had given birth to, her perspective instantly changed."

"Erik, that's horrible."

"You asked me how holidays were… They were horrible, Christine, a nightmare. She wouldn't let me come downstairs, wouldn't let me join her for holiday dinners. I was treated worse than the family mule."

My angel was silent, and when I looked over at her, she had tears running down her precious cheeks. It hurt, but she wanted to know and I planned on telling her everything.

"When I was seven, the town's children attacked me…They stabbed me in my stomach. I nearly died…Laid on my mama's couch for nearly a week on death's door and with hardly any help. She stitched me up with a turkey needle and string…"

I stopped when I heard my angel gasp. She had tears pouring down her cheeks, silently apologizing for asking me to tell her everything. But she needed to see…She needed to see everything. I opened my shirt and lifted the lining of my trousers up for her to see the zigzagged scar that was across the bottom of my stomach. The scar was not like the other scars, for my mother had stitched me up with thick string, and oh, how it had hurt.

"Erik, please, stop…"

But I couldn't, for now the horrible memories had come back and I too was in tears. My angel crawled into my lap and cupped my distortion with her hand.

"Christine, I have seen and been through more pain than anyone should ever have to endure in a thousand lifetimes."

"Shhh…I'm here, angel…"

My Christine rocked me in her arms and hummed a soothing tune to me. We sat there in silence, until I was feeling better.

"Christine, do you want to see something neat?"

My angel nodded and I stood, pulling her along with me. I lead her into my room and opened the French doors. The winter wind instantly blew inward, but I continued to lead her right to the edge of my balcony. When we were situated, I hurried back inside my room to grab a blanket to keep the chill off of our bodies. We both sat there on my lounger curled up together in the large quilt…Oh, what a wonderful dream this was. If there was anything I wanted to keep doing, it was having my angel in my embrace.

"Erik, it's so cold." Christine stated. "Why are we out here?"

But before I could answer, the grandfather clock in my hallway chimed in the hour of midnight. It was no longer 1909…1910 was now upon us and I wanted to start out the new year right. And as soon as the last chime rang out, the first firework over Coney Island occurred. Purple, green, red and blue sparks filled the night sky, my angel's face growing wide with excitement. Yes, Luna park shot off fireworks every New Year's eve. I never bothered watching, for I never had a reason to. But tonight…tonight was so much different. I had my angel beside me and there wasn't anything better than that.

"Oh, Erik, they're so beautiful…"

I looked over at her, knowing the traditions that occurred during such a moment every year. But could I experience those traditions? That tradition being to kiss the one you love? We were both eyeing one another now, neither of us making any sudden moves.

"Happy New Year, mon ange…" I said.

No, I couldn't do this. If there was one thing I didn't want to do, it was upset Christine, when our night had gone so well. I turned back towards the ongoing fireworks, not really interested in watching them any longer. But then, I felt my angel's cold fingers embrace my cheek, and the next thing I knew, she was in my lap. I looked up at her our eyes meeting with one another…

"Happy New Year, Erik."

And then she kissed me… Oh, how she kissed me too. It was like fireworks, our bodies not being able to get enough of one another. And when we broke away, those bright fireworks over Coney Island had ended, leaving just the two of us staring into one another's eyes…and oh, what a beautiful sight it was. I could have stared into her beautiful orbs forever that evening… She was in my lap, her hands clasped over each of my cheeks and yes, we kissed not only once, but three times before deciding to go inside for the night. And once we were inside, my angel kissed me goodnight. Oh, what a wonderful feeling it was to be kissed goodnight by the woman of my dreams. I stayed up an hour more, but as I drifted off to sleep beside my angel, one thing was certain, this New Year's would live within my heart and memory until the day I died.

Fluff Fluffity Fluff Fluff! Hope you enjoyed! Please review! Have tou all gotten your tickets yet for the Phantom 25th Anniversary show Live from London? It's being screened in movie theaters live nationwide on Oct 2nd! Gots my ticket!