It was cold…so cold where he was now; his lungs were tight as he gasped for breath. Struggling to pull himself out of the water, he yelped at the pain…the excruciating pain that started in his stomach and seized his entire body as he dragged himself over the rocks. He was soaked and out of the corner of his eye he could make out his mask, silently bobbing on the surface of the water.
He tried to lie back but the pain was too much and, as his head swam, he noticed for the first time that his shirt was soaked in crimson blood. Desperately he clutched his side where the pain was most acute, failing miserably to stand.
Eventually he mustered enough power to stagger, almost as if he were drunk, to the bed before hurling himself down upon it; cursing the pain as he did so. His head span as he tried to focus on his surroundings, the candlelight and watery reflections distorting the images in his mind. He struggled to remember what had happened; he must have blacked out from the pain. Had he been sitting when Raoul had so unexpectedly burst in, shouting, and crying before pulling him down into the water? They had struggled…he had fought; he remembered that much. Raoul had dropped the blade and they had both rushed to find it in the shallows. But Raoul had got there first and now he remembered the searing burst of pain in his side before he had passed, falling back, the water rising up to meet him.
He coughed violently, trembling as he attempted to remain conscious. He felt so cold….so cold as he shivered, wrapping the sheets about him. The whole cavern had become great pools of colour as he was no longer able to differentiate a curtain from a candelabrum. He thought he saw a great light, like the sun before him, burning his flesh.
"No….no!" he cried, fighting the invisible enemy; fighting Raoul still. But suddenly the pain became too much and his whole body became heavy and numb. Hardly able to breathe he laid still, this perfect world of solitude he had created crashing down around him. He tried to shield his eyes from the light, but he was no longer master of his body; it was too seized with his hurt. His blood had run cold and his eyes were clouding over. Darkness was falling even though he knew it was day.
Before this darkness eclipsed him; before the night time came he managed to turn his head away from the light; to face the darkness of his underground cavern once more. But there was light here too…the tiniest of lights it seemed, hovering in the distant; gradually drawing nearer and nearer. It was soft and gentle as it approached; not like the harsh light he had turned away from. And, just as his eyes were closing; just as he was to slip away he thought he saw the face of angel; her hair a halo of light; approach him, and gather him into her arms.
"Angel my soul was weak, forgive me." A voice…that sweet voice called and echoed through his mind; drawing him back from his dreams. He wanted to stay here forever; so warm and so peaceful. This must be heaven his mind told him, as he felt himself descend once more into his body. With a start he became conscious, his eyes snapping open as he lifted his head.
"You mustn't try and move," the voice came again. "You must try and sleep."
After the initial dizziness had left him, and he was once again able to focus on his surroundings he found that Christine was beside him, watching him intently as he struggled for breath. Seeing the confusion in his face, she lowered her voice to a whisper before explaining, "You've lost a lot of blood, that's why you feel so light headed. You must try and rest now."
He could not be like this he reasoned, propping himself up on the bed despite Christine's protests; he would not allow her to see him so weak…so vulnerable. But he winced and, on looking down he saw that he was no longer wearing the blood stained shirt, and his wound had been cleaned and dressed. He looked at Christine, seeing now that her dress and sleeves were smeared with blood; the jug and bowl of water at her side; and he realised that it was not an angel he had seen coming towards him…it had been Christine.
Quickly he surveyed the room, worried for a moment that Raoul would be there. But he found that he was not, and laid back on the pillows in his discomfort. Then the truth hit him; Christine had come here alone. She had found her way in the cold light of morning back to him. She had lifted him and undressed him. She had gathered him into her arms and tended to his wound. She had taken care of him.
She saw the truth register in his face and blushed, brushing aside the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes before beginning, very quietly, "Raoul came to me and told me what he had done and I couldn't bare it…I couldn't bare to think that he had done that to you because of me. I told him that I had to go, that I had to leave him to see you and he let me…I don't think he could have stopped me…"She paused, seeing the way he watched before she continued, her voice wavering with emotion, "And I found the boat and came here. I saw you as I got nearer and I was afraid…" Unable to contain herself any longer she burst into to tears, twisting the fabric of the dressing she was holding in her hands. "I was so afraid I had lost you…there was blood everywhere and when I lifted you to me you were so cold…I thought I had lost you forever."
He reached out to her, tenderly caressing her cheek. She felt that his hands were once again warm against her flesh and she nuzzled it, relishing the signs of life within. Without thinking, she let his hand slip down her cheek and over her mouth; and she kissed it gently again and again as if she would never stop. Tantalised he watched the way her tears streaked her cheeks as she kissed first his palm, and next his wrist; her mouth moist and warm.
Carefully he moved towards her, his pain subsidiary to the delight of such a moment. She met his eyes as he edged closer, softly caressing first her cheek, then her neck; and then finally her back as he pulled her into him.
As their lips met and their tongues fused Christine felt herself slipping endlessly into her angel's arms. He was unmasked but she did not care as he consumed her piece by piece. She collapsed into him as he kissed her and as she kissed him she knew….she knew at last that this was where her soul chose to be; and she gasped at the pleasure of it.