I knew better than that. I would never be good enough for her.

{Christine}

Despite how tired I am and how comfortable my new bed is, I cannot fall asleep. I toss and turn, and groan loudly every so often because it is past two in the morning and I am still wide awake.

Finally I decide to get up and go to the kitchen; maybe if I drink some water I will calm down enough be able to get some sleep at last.

I never reach my destination.

As I enter the hallway, I hear loud cries coming from Erik's room. Startled and worried half out of my mind, I run to his door and open it without even thinking what I am doing.

And there he is, sitting on the floor in foetal position, violent sobs racking his body. The mirror standing in front of him seems to have been smashed, for shattered glass is scattered all around him.

"Erik, what happened?" I ask him, horrified.

"Go away, Christine," he chokes. "I do not wish to be seen in such state."

"You're a fool if you think I will leave you alone," I step closer, and hesitantly put my hand on his shoulder. "Tell me what happened, Erik," I encourage him softly.

And he does.

"You were so nice and kind to me, Christine… No one has ever shown me such… goodwill before. For a moment… I thought that… maybe, just maybe you saw something in me… Something worthy of your attention… And I thought that perhaps I would see it, too… So I came here and uncovered the mirror for the first time in years… And then I lifted my mask… And, Christine… Oh, God, Christine… It was still there!"

He starts weeping again. I drop to my knees and bury my head in his back, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

"The gargoyle has not disappeared… The loathsome monster is still there… How can anyone ever look past my face, when it terrifies even myself? I am repulsive, and it will never change," he whispers, his voice breaking.

"Erik, I…"

"Don't you remember that night? You screamed so loudly... You were so scared… I will never forget the disgust I saw in your eyes. Never, Christine. And the worst part is, I cannot even blame you for that."

"I was more scared of your anger, I have told you that before. You were yelling at me, and throwing me around like a rag doll. I can hardly remember how your face looked."

Now I am lying. Partially, at least. It is true that it was his fury I feared the most, but I do recall that his face was… not pleasant to look at.

"Don't think that you will distract me with your sweet lies, Christine. Not tonight. I am a monster, not a man."

"You are crying, Erik."

"So what?"

"You are showing an emotion that is more human than anything else," I tell him.

He turns around in my arms and clings to me as if I was the only thing keeping him sane.

I need to calm down, you guys. Drabbles are supposed to be ~100 words long, mine are getting clearly out of hand!

Yeah, I cried a little while writing this little one. Gonna go and pull myself together and then I'll reply to your messages. You're the best, each and every one of you!