Raoul hadn't talked to Christine in over a week, and it was driving him
insane. Exactly what he had done wrong to make her want to avoid him was
innocently unbeknownst to him, and every time he spotted her, trying to
catch her attention, she would be gone before he arrived at her recent
spot. It was as impossible to catch Christine as a bumbling hunter after a
young deer.
Yes, Christine ironically had said that Raoul did not love her if he were to pursue her, though he did anyway, and of course he loved her! She should have known that. What was she trying to hide? Why was it so terrible, that she couldn't tell the man she loved? Or so she claimed to love...
Raoul started to doubt that the affection Christine had shown for him had been real, and the few weeks in which they reunited after so long seemed only to be a dream.
Along with confusion, came jealousy... He was jealous of the man he had created in his mind that Christine now loved instead of him. That's what it had to be! What else? What else would drive Christine from him, than a better man? That must have been it. He didn't want that to be right, but if the truth was not told soon, he was sure he'd go mad.
Raoul left several notes for Christine so they could meet, all of which she ignored. He wrote her a different letter every day, telling her in some way that he loved her very much, and wanted to speak with her, and was wondering if she loved him still, and wanted to ask if he should be doubting their love, or if he should even be thinking of such a thing...
Finally one morning, as Raoul was leaving his house to find Christine again, a task he was obsessed with doing by now, he found an inconspicuous little note tucked part-way under his doormat. He took it up, opened it and found only a few messy words scribbled on the paper, saying that he should meet Christine at the masked ball that evening, she would be wearing a black domino. It told him he should wear a white one.
The day passed slowly, most of the time with which he used to pace nervously around. Minutes seemed to pass like hours, and by the time the clock struck six o' clock, he was wondering whether she was just playing a cruel joke and she wouldn't be there at all, leaving him to wander around like an idiot looking for her the whole while.
He wore what he was instructed to, and arrived at the masked ball not at all fashionably late, and began trying to scout out Christine first thing. With huge relief, Raoul caught sight of her... or what he thought to be her...
He waved to the person with the white domino, trying to catch their attention, and he saw clearly that they waved back, and wove through the crowd towards him.
"Christine-" Raoul started, but he was instantly hushed by fingers being placed on his lips, and was motioned to follow her to wherever she was going. Feeling lighter than he had a little earlier, he passed through the crowd with Christine leading the way. He knew where they were going after only a while of walking; to her dressing room.
When they arrived, Christine looked down the hall as if she were expecting someone to be there, then finding there was nobody, she closed her door behind her and looked to Raoul uncomfortably, though he could not read her expression underneath her mask.
"Christine I must know-"
"Raoul, you will know what you must in time!" Christine interrupted him, shaking her head. "I told you in the name of our love that you should not pursue me; that it may be very dangerous to see me again."
"What danger do you speak of, Christine?" Raoul asked pleadingly. "You should tell me now. I must know if what I think is the truth!"
"What do you think?" Christine asked softly, staring at him warily.
"I think... that you do not love me! And maybe you have never loved me!" Raoul removed his domino and paused for a moment before continuing. "Christine... am I correct that you love somebody else? I'm beginning to doubt if you're really as honest as you appear to be, and I know you're hiding something very dark, or you would not be avoiding me; and what else could it be? Have I been blinded by my love for you this whole time? Should I really be despising you?"
"If you really loved me, you would never think that!" Christine replied quickly.
"I do love you! But have you ever said that you loved ME?" Raoul searched her eyes; all that he could see of her face.
"Dear, you have to trust me," she answered in a hushed tone, "You must."
"You avoid telling me still," Raoul pointed.
"He cannot hear me tell you... that I love you," Christine said slowly.
"So there is someone else?" Raoul burst.
"I do not love him!" Christine said quickly, "He has me against my will."
"I don't understand, who is 'he'?" Raoul asked.
"'He' is Erik! The lonely man that lives underneath this very building!" She replied.
"How can I believe you?" He moaned, "What a tale!"
"It is not a tale," Christine said urgently. "Please try to believe me! It may sound untrue, but it isn't! Raoul..." she took off her own mask now, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before anyone did anything.
"Tell me... what do you have to do with this man, if you tell the truth?" Raoul asked kindly, waiting impatiently for her answer.
"Remember what we were told about the Angel of Music? Don't you recall the times my father told us the story, and how he said when he died, he would send me the Angel?" Christine waited for a reply.
"Yes..." Raoul said, "But what has this got to do with-"
"Please, let me continue if you will, I am getting to that. I assure you there is a link," Christine said, now more hushed than ever. "A few months ago, I thought I was visited by the Angel of Music one night in my dressing room, because the voice with no owner was so pure and beautiful. I couldn't see him, I could only hear him. He also told me that he was the Angel. I believed him. He taught me to sing, and I kept on believing his story until he finally took me down to his home."
"His home? This Angel has a home beneath the opera house?"
"Don't mock me, Raoul! I do not lie," Christine said piercingly, making him regret his moment of sarcasm. He let her continue. "He took me by my mirror! I thought he was an angel up until then, until he opened my mirror just there in the corner, and took me to where he lived. He admitted that he was not an angel, but just a man, and he wanted to teach me. So he did, and no matter how unbelievable this may sound..." she trailed off.
"Continue," Raoul said, his voice emotionless.
"He... Erik... whom was a strange fellow because he wore a mask, told me that I was safe as long as I did not need to see what was underneath it."
"The mask?"
"Yes, that," Christine said, nodding. "And he taught me the most wonderful things, too! But I had to find out what was behind the mask sometime, and what I saw when I pulled the black leather away, was a horrible face! It was death's head!"
"Now you're just telling me 'Phantom of the Opera' stories! What kind of fool do you take me for, Christine?" Raoul stared with sadness toward her.
"Listen! He... he told me I could never leave him, because as long as I had not seen underneath the mask, I would have thought him handsome! But then that I knew the truth, he wouldn't let me go. But he did! I told him I did not care, and that he frightened me at first, but now it was nothing, because... when I revealed his face, he was such a pitiful creature! But he let me go later because I told him I would return to him! I told Erik I would remain faithful because I still wanted to be taught."
"But what does he have to do with us?" Raoul asked, still doubting Christine's farfetched story.
"He saw you and me together! He loves me, you know; he is obsessed, I think, and it scares me! He saw you and me, and he was incredibly jealous!" Christine explained. "So he told me that I could never see you again, and if I did, he would die!"
"Why do you see him, if he is so horrible!?"
"I pity him, and fear him above everything else! I dare not think of what he might do..." Christine once again trailed off.
"How can I believe you?" Raoul repeated, shaking his head sadly. "It sounds like a story!"
"If you... if you love me," Christine tried again softly, tears welling in her eyes. "You have to believe me! You are the only one I will give my love to!"
"No, you are NOT playing," Raoul realized with guilty relief, watching Christine weep, "Forgive me... Will you ever?"
"I will, if you believe me," Christine gasped tearfully as Raoul took her hands lightly.
"Why did you say that he cannot hear you tell me you love me?" Raoul asked.
"He has recently gone deaf, dear! And he is so sad, I must return to him," Christine answered.
"It's awful!" Raoul said.
"He's kinder nowadays..." she murmured.
"Christine, I'm sorry," Raoul reminded her with assurance.
"Do not be sorry... it is all right. But... please; he must not see us together, you understand?" She looked hopefully up at him.
"There must be another way!" Raoul protested softly. "Why does he get to chose our fates? I love you, and you love me! He can't keep us apart!"
"Yes, he can! Raoul, please! Promise me you will not try to find him! And promise me that you will not bring this subject up again," Christine was very close to him now.
"But I must see you! If I don't, I'll go mad!" He said.
"Erik has promised not to spy behind the mirror in here anymore," Christine whispered. "We can meet in my dressing room... but we must be very cautious!"
"How can you trust him?"
"He keeps his word, I assure you," Christine said. "He will not be behind my mirror ever again. He told me he will respect my privacy, and I trust him."
With that, Christine opened the door to her room, showing Raoul down one hall, as she made her way down another. And as they parted, their spirits grew closer together. It was a shame that they could not predict the trouble that lay in store for them...
A/N: Long chapter. I hope that makes up for all the time I took NOT writing it! Next chapter MAY take as long... sorry 'bout that! Hope you ENJOYED! :)
Yes, Christine ironically had said that Raoul did not love her if he were to pursue her, though he did anyway, and of course he loved her! She should have known that. What was she trying to hide? Why was it so terrible, that she couldn't tell the man she loved? Or so she claimed to love...
Raoul started to doubt that the affection Christine had shown for him had been real, and the few weeks in which they reunited after so long seemed only to be a dream.
Along with confusion, came jealousy... He was jealous of the man he had created in his mind that Christine now loved instead of him. That's what it had to be! What else? What else would drive Christine from him, than a better man? That must have been it. He didn't want that to be right, but if the truth was not told soon, he was sure he'd go mad.
Raoul left several notes for Christine so they could meet, all of which she ignored. He wrote her a different letter every day, telling her in some way that he loved her very much, and wanted to speak with her, and was wondering if she loved him still, and wanted to ask if he should be doubting their love, or if he should even be thinking of such a thing...
Finally one morning, as Raoul was leaving his house to find Christine again, a task he was obsessed with doing by now, he found an inconspicuous little note tucked part-way under his doormat. He took it up, opened it and found only a few messy words scribbled on the paper, saying that he should meet Christine at the masked ball that evening, she would be wearing a black domino. It told him he should wear a white one.
The day passed slowly, most of the time with which he used to pace nervously around. Minutes seemed to pass like hours, and by the time the clock struck six o' clock, he was wondering whether she was just playing a cruel joke and she wouldn't be there at all, leaving him to wander around like an idiot looking for her the whole while.
He wore what he was instructed to, and arrived at the masked ball not at all fashionably late, and began trying to scout out Christine first thing. With huge relief, Raoul caught sight of her... or what he thought to be her...
He waved to the person with the white domino, trying to catch their attention, and he saw clearly that they waved back, and wove through the crowd towards him.
"Christine-" Raoul started, but he was instantly hushed by fingers being placed on his lips, and was motioned to follow her to wherever she was going. Feeling lighter than he had a little earlier, he passed through the crowd with Christine leading the way. He knew where they were going after only a while of walking; to her dressing room.
When they arrived, Christine looked down the hall as if she were expecting someone to be there, then finding there was nobody, she closed her door behind her and looked to Raoul uncomfortably, though he could not read her expression underneath her mask.
"Christine I must know-"
"Raoul, you will know what you must in time!" Christine interrupted him, shaking her head. "I told you in the name of our love that you should not pursue me; that it may be very dangerous to see me again."
"What danger do you speak of, Christine?" Raoul asked pleadingly. "You should tell me now. I must know if what I think is the truth!"
"What do you think?" Christine asked softly, staring at him warily.
"I think... that you do not love me! And maybe you have never loved me!" Raoul removed his domino and paused for a moment before continuing. "Christine... am I correct that you love somebody else? I'm beginning to doubt if you're really as honest as you appear to be, and I know you're hiding something very dark, or you would not be avoiding me; and what else could it be? Have I been blinded by my love for you this whole time? Should I really be despising you?"
"If you really loved me, you would never think that!" Christine replied quickly.
"I do love you! But have you ever said that you loved ME?" Raoul searched her eyes; all that he could see of her face.
"Dear, you have to trust me," she answered in a hushed tone, "You must."
"You avoid telling me still," Raoul pointed.
"He cannot hear me tell you... that I love you," Christine said slowly.
"So there is someone else?" Raoul burst.
"I do not love him!" Christine said quickly, "He has me against my will."
"I don't understand, who is 'he'?" Raoul asked.
"'He' is Erik! The lonely man that lives underneath this very building!" She replied.
"How can I believe you?" He moaned, "What a tale!"
"It is not a tale," Christine said urgently. "Please try to believe me! It may sound untrue, but it isn't! Raoul..." she took off her own mask now, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before anyone did anything.
"Tell me... what do you have to do with this man, if you tell the truth?" Raoul asked kindly, waiting impatiently for her answer.
"Remember what we were told about the Angel of Music? Don't you recall the times my father told us the story, and how he said when he died, he would send me the Angel?" Christine waited for a reply.
"Yes..." Raoul said, "But what has this got to do with-"
"Please, let me continue if you will, I am getting to that. I assure you there is a link," Christine said, now more hushed than ever. "A few months ago, I thought I was visited by the Angel of Music one night in my dressing room, because the voice with no owner was so pure and beautiful. I couldn't see him, I could only hear him. He also told me that he was the Angel. I believed him. He taught me to sing, and I kept on believing his story until he finally took me down to his home."
"His home? This Angel has a home beneath the opera house?"
"Don't mock me, Raoul! I do not lie," Christine said piercingly, making him regret his moment of sarcasm. He let her continue. "He took me by my mirror! I thought he was an angel up until then, until he opened my mirror just there in the corner, and took me to where he lived. He admitted that he was not an angel, but just a man, and he wanted to teach me. So he did, and no matter how unbelievable this may sound..." she trailed off.
"Continue," Raoul said, his voice emotionless.
"He... Erik... whom was a strange fellow because he wore a mask, told me that I was safe as long as I did not need to see what was underneath it."
"The mask?"
"Yes, that," Christine said, nodding. "And he taught me the most wonderful things, too! But I had to find out what was behind the mask sometime, and what I saw when I pulled the black leather away, was a horrible face! It was death's head!"
"Now you're just telling me 'Phantom of the Opera' stories! What kind of fool do you take me for, Christine?" Raoul stared with sadness toward her.
"Listen! He... he told me I could never leave him, because as long as I had not seen underneath the mask, I would have thought him handsome! But then that I knew the truth, he wouldn't let me go. But he did! I told him I did not care, and that he frightened me at first, but now it was nothing, because... when I revealed his face, he was such a pitiful creature! But he let me go later because I told him I would return to him! I told Erik I would remain faithful because I still wanted to be taught."
"But what does he have to do with us?" Raoul asked, still doubting Christine's farfetched story.
"He saw you and me together! He loves me, you know; he is obsessed, I think, and it scares me! He saw you and me, and he was incredibly jealous!" Christine explained. "So he told me that I could never see you again, and if I did, he would die!"
"Why do you see him, if he is so horrible!?"
"I pity him, and fear him above everything else! I dare not think of what he might do..." Christine once again trailed off.
"How can I believe you?" Raoul repeated, shaking his head sadly. "It sounds like a story!"
"If you... if you love me," Christine tried again softly, tears welling in her eyes. "You have to believe me! You are the only one I will give my love to!"
"No, you are NOT playing," Raoul realized with guilty relief, watching Christine weep, "Forgive me... Will you ever?"
"I will, if you believe me," Christine gasped tearfully as Raoul took her hands lightly.
"Why did you say that he cannot hear you tell me you love me?" Raoul asked.
"He has recently gone deaf, dear! And he is so sad, I must return to him," Christine answered.
"It's awful!" Raoul said.
"He's kinder nowadays..." she murmured.
"Christine, I'm sorry," Raoul reminded her with assurance.
"Do not be sorry... it is all right. But... please; he must not see us together, you understand?" She looked hopefully up at him.
"There must be another way!" Raoul protested softly. "Why does he get to chose our fates? I love you, and you love me! He can't keep us apart!"
"Yes, he can! Raoul, please! Promise me you will not try to find him! And promise me that you will not bring this subject up again," Christine was very close to him now.
"But I must see you! If I don't, I'll go mad!" He said.
"Erik has promised not to spy behind the mirror in here anymore," Christine whispered. "We can meet in my dressing room... but we must be very cautious!"
"How can you trust him?"
"He keeps his word, I assure you," Christine said. "He will not be behind my mirror ever again. He told me he will respect my privacy, and I trust him."
With that, Christine opened the door to her room, showing Raoul down one hall, as she made her way down another. And as they parted, their spirits grew closer together. It was a shame that they could not predict the trouble that lay in store for them...
A/N: Long chapter. I hope that makes up for all the time I took NOT writing it! Next chapter MAY take as long... sorry 'bout that! Hope you ENJOYED! :)