Erik stared at her. She could not see beneath his suit but every muscle in his body was paralyzed at the sound of his name. Could she be forcing herself to be indignant at the thought that he might change his mind? He'd reached for the door of the torture chamber with his wounded hand--it was nothing really, but the thought of her caressing it with her lovely fingers made his injury all the more sensitive...it that was what it felt to bleed for the first time, then let there be more!
But who was he kidding? She'd done the deed out of pity. She would have done the same for anyone in the street--imagine how she would have held the hand of the Vicomte de Chagny!
Erik visibly flinched.
He still looked at her panic-stricken face and couldn't read what she was feeling. He thought he'd always been able to do that quite accurately. What was so different about her now?
Maybe she truly does care for you...
Nonsense! What a pathetic time to console himself! A sudden jolt of realism hit him and he was overcome with the regretful thought that he'd brought her down here for the wrong reasons. She'd given him her word but that solved nothing. His right mind told him not to be foolish...the truth was, he was terribly frightened of her honesty. That could ruin everything.
Erik's hand began throbbing and he pressed it tightly to the knob but realized that was a stupid decision because the iron was hot from the events inside the chamber. With a slight annoyance he put pressure on his palm with his free hand and held his wrist in a soldier like fashion.
In a unnerving and unplesant instant he saw that they were not alone. Daroga had found his way down the catacombs somehow and stood uncomfortably behind Christine, watching them both.
"My friend, you've come at a perfect time to break the moment!" Erik calmy put his arm down. "This evening's getting even more cozier than I anticipated, wouldn't you think?"
Daroga made a gesture towards Christine. "Erik, why are you doing this."
"It's not me, Daroga," Erik snarled. His patience was really waning at this point. "It's men like you who keep me in chains!"
"Me? Surely, you are joking, Erik--I am the one who freed you from your death!"
"And thank you, daroga, truly, I give you my greatest, deepest gratitude for sparing my life...Oh the compassion you have shown me has taught me more than you can imagine my dear, Nadir. Can't you see that I've become a much changed person? Not only do I kill less important men now, I only do it when I am personally insulted!"
The persian shook his head miserably. "I see now that I should have left you to be. I regret it enough at this very moment to say that I am deeply, deeply disappointed with you, Erik. What happened to that man of inifite promise? Where is your dignity and respect for all that you've always so elegantly valued?"
"That was a long time ago, daroga," Erik caught the word "long" in his throat when he spoke. "I don't feel anything of the sort now. I find no purpose in speaking of the past that does not mean anything anymore. It's just wasting your time and mine while the boy is dying in there." He mentioned towards the torture chamber. "Listen closely and you can hear him dying."
"I won't let you!" Daroga yelled indignantly.
"If you value your own life you won't get in my way."
"I feel genuinely sorry for you, Erik," Nadir was furious but his voice quivered with sadness. "I never thought--"
"Coward, let me OUT and we'll fight like men!"
Erik made a slight sound of amusement and looked back at Christine. She was still staring at him like she was trapped in an array of thoughts and she couldn't get a sentence out.
"Christine, are you ill?"
Slowly, she shook her head. Then, quite timidly, she walked towards him, counting each step under breath until the distance between them closed and her chest was nearing touching his. Then she saw that he'd been clutching something in his hand, and she reached out to him to unfurl it.
"No, Christine...it's not for you."
"It's not?"
She was disappointed.
Erik sighed softly, "it is," he took a calming breath, "but you're not ready yet..."
"Why not?"
"Because...you haven't really promised..."
"But I have," she gazed at him with large blue eyes of endearment.
Erik hesitated. Suppose it would be fitting to give her the ring now, but with daroga watching them, it was as if he was waiting for her to give him the wrong answer.
He held out the ring after a second of indecision and watched her incredulously as she took it and slipped it freely onto her finger.
"It's beautiful, Erik, really."
The remark seemed to have relaxed him, and she felt his heart steadying again.
"You'd lost it."
"I know," Tears welled up in her eyes again, "I didn't mean to--"
"You promised you would never let it part with you, Christine," his voice strained with emotion, "You promised me."
"I know, Erik..." Christine suddenly fell into his arms, bursting into an torrent of tears that feel from her face unto his lapel. "After I realized I'd lost it, I couldn't forgive myself...I know what a disservice I'd done you, and if you found out you wouldn't trust me again...all those things I said to Raoul--"
"Yes, those things," His body was shaking, "what about them?"
"They were only meant to calm his qualms, I swear...I had no intention of leaving you when I knew," she pressed her face even harder into his chest, "I knew I wouldn't stand to see you hurt!"
"But the kissed him, Christine!" He was crying now.
"I kissed him as friends do! I would kiss my friend farewell, wouldn't you?" Her cries grew softer, "I did what I had to do..."
"Even deny me?" Erik pulled Christine's face close to his so he could look as deeply into her watery eyes as he could. He brushed his fingers against her tear stained cheek and whispered, "even when you knew I would be watching..."
"Erik, I..."
"How dare you?"
"Because," Christine said breathlessly, "I never loved as I did when I saw your jealousy."
She kissed him firmly, then intensely and vigorously, and her knees felt weak and soft as she clung onto him as he held her in his arms so tightly that they'd molded their bodies into one and they could no longer breathe after a long period of time. She he pulled away she felt as if she'd taken part of him in her body, and the release must have been anguishing because it sent a wave of sadness through her body because she knew at last, that he was dying.
They stood for what seemed like an eternity like that, staring at each other and recording the sensations underneath their skin.
Daroga realized suddenly that by this time Raoul de Chagny might be toasted to a crisp but found it somehow unfitting to tap Erik on the shoulder for the key. Instead he walked over and found the door already unlocked. When he opened it the Vicomte fell foward against him. Obviously he'd been leaning against the door for a long period of time and had exhausted his energy in trying to open it right before Erik unlocked it. The boy was clothes and hair were drenched in his sweat, but he lay on the ground, with his eyes open. At first daroga thought he was dead for good, but then Raoul blinked twice and his mouth opened and closed.
"I think he's trying to say something," Daroga looked at his friend.
Erik did not move. His eyes had a curtain of mist over them and Nadir wasn't sure if he was blind. A moment later Nadir felt Erik's hand on his shoulder and heard that familiar unearthly voice that had never sounded so at peace.
"I wish to speak with you, my friend."
Nadir nodded. "What do we do about the boy?"
Erik reached into his pocket and produced a small black bottle in his hand. "Give him this. And be sure that he downs enough liquids to fill this lake by tomorrow. Can you do that, Nadir?"
I nodded, shocked by this rare occasion where he uses my formal name.
"As for Christine...I've already made arrangments for her and the Vicomte for England tonight. Her carriage is waiting outside."
"Erik..."
"My dear," He took her hand in his and pressed his lips to it delicately. "I shall hope to see you at your wedding. I can't promise to attend, but...I promise to try."
"Erik..."
"No, my dear, don't cry like that, it's not very becoming..." He smiled at her. "You know I can't stand to see you cry."
Then releasing her hand, Erik turned away from her and disappeared into the drawing room, the Persian following closely behind.
