Author's Note: This is the first fanfic, or short story in general, that I've written in a while so allow me to set some expectations. This will probably be relatively short - short chapters and only about 3-5 chapters total. This story will be based on the 2004 movie. POTO was one of the first musicals I was introduced to and I recently rewatched it so I had a spark of inspiration. I have no rights to anything POTO related, I'm just working my writing muscles, making sure they still exist. Thank you for reading and enjoy. :)
"No! Christine! Wait! Wait!"
The thundering of horse hoofs and Raul's desperate shout pried my attention from the warm glow within my father's tomb.
"Raul!" I gasped, his name the only thing I could think to say. All my senses worked to overwhelm me. The taste of afternoon tea lingered on my tongue, my fingers throbbed with the deep cold of snow, my angel's voice still echoed in my mind, and I watched as Raoul drew his sword and rushed up the stairs to me.
"Whatever you believe — This man, this thing is not your father!"
Before I could even think to question him, a caped figure leaped from the top of my father's tomb nearly landing on Raoul. Another gasp was ripped from my lungs as the merciless sound of swords clashing filled the white cemetery. Though the snow muffled their movements, it seemed to amplify each clang and slide of steel. I wanted to cover my ears and close my eyes, but I found myself as frozen as the stone statues around us.
The Phantom. My angel.
Though my mind knew they were one and the same, my heart found it difficult to connect the two. The Phantom made outlandish demands and terrorized the opera house if those demands were not met; my angel was the source of comfort in my great loneliness and teacher of my voice.
Since I was a child, my angel has been there. Since I was a child, there has been a phantom of the opera. How could two vastly different beings reside in the same body?
Raoul jumped over the ledge to escape the Phantom's advances, the Phantom jumping after him. It wasn't until they were obscured from my line of sight that I found my feet able to move again. I made my way down the stairs, looking in the direction of where they would have landed. I found them dancing around each other; Raoul's feet moving swiftly and lightly, a testament to the fencing lessons in his boyhood. The Phantom was more brutal, but no less graceful with his movements. Where Raoul spun, he lunged, all of his strength behind each blow.
I followed them at a distance as they continued their fight between the aged gravestones and statues. My heart beat loudly within my chest and I allowed myself a moment to marvel at how time seemed to slow and skip forward all at once.
A pained yell left Raoul as the Phantom's sword made sharp contact with his arm. Red instantly tinged his white shirt and dropped into the snow beneath his feet, marring the pristine white ground. I flinched, my body jerking as if to go to him though I stayed put, not wanting to be in the crossfire of their rage.
In a shocking twist, Raoul gained the upper hand and forced the Phantom off his feet. Before he could regain his weapon, Raoul kicked it out of his reach and brought his own up. It was then, as I watched Raoul's blade hovering over the Phantom's, no, my angel's, chest that I ran to them.
"No, Raoul!" I screamed with all the fear in my heart over the scene before me. A fear that drove me to act without thought. I landed on the ground next to my angel and threw my upper body over his, shielding him.
"No." I pleaded, my eyes focused on Raoul.
With me as his new, unintentional target, he quickly moved his sword and stepped backwards.
"Christine?" He questioned me, shock taking over his features.
I shook my head at him before turning to face my angel, who appeared just as shocked as his opponent.
I glanced over him looking for any harm though I didn't see Raoul's blade ever touch his body.
His body… His surprisingly human body, despite what I knew to be hidden behind the mask he wore. I ran my icy fingertips over his jaw, looking into his shocked, wonder filled eyes.
My angel.
I started, remembering Raoul was mere steps away. It was both confusing and frightening how easy his eyes pulled me in until he was all I saw.
I leaned back on my legs until I was no longer touching my angel. Surely he saw my struggle reflected in my own eyes, as the softness in his gaze hardened once again. I wanted to reach back out to him, to reassure him. Of what exactly, I wasn't sure. That everything was okay, perhaps, or that he was safe or that it wasn't him I was afraid of, but my reaction to him.
"Please leave." I requested softly, rather than speaking any of the reassurances in my mind.
"And leave you with the boy alone?" He ground out, his tone defiant.
"Yes."
His eyes narrowed as he regarded me. No doubt trying to decide whether he should listen.
"Go. Please." I pleaded with him now. I needed to speak with Raoul, but he couldn't be near when I did. I didn't want any words said to turn into another wrathful battle and, truth be told, I didn't think I'd be able to give Raoul my full attention knowing my angel was right behind me. He would find me later, of that I was sure.
He slowly stood, grabbing my hand to pull me up with him. As if to confirm my thoughts, his eyes burned into mine in a way that said, We're not finished.
With a swish of his cape, he turned around and ran to the cemetery's entrance before disappearing from sight. I stared after him for a moment before facing Raoul.
The shock that was there had been replaced with profound disbelief. It felt as if we both were at a loss for words, each of us staring at the other.
"Raoul." I spoke first, hoping to prompt our conversation though I wasn't sure what I was going to say.
He blinked rapidly, like he was being pulled out of deep thought. "Why?" He gasped out.
I looked away, hoping to find the answer to his question amongst the cold backdrop of the cemetery.
"Why, Christine?"
"I… I couldn't watch you hurt him."
"Hurt him?" He questioned incredulously, "He's the one hurting you, hurting us. Are you so blind to his deceit?"
I looked at him in desperation, completely at a loss for words.
In my silence, Raoul continued, "You threw yourself — You would risk being hurt for him? He is not an angel, Christine! He is a monster; one that has murdered and tricked you and —"
"I know, I know," The anguish in my own voice caused tears to pool in my eyes, "But when I saw you ready to strike him, it pierced my heart as if you had struck me instead."
At that, Raoul's eyes widened and he looked at me as if he didn't recognize me. I brought my hands to my mouth, physically trying to stop the sob that threatened. This was all too much. The cold, the blood, his voice, the warring emotions with me.
"Do you love him?" Raoul asked, still wide-eyed with disbelief.
I looked away from him again, unable to meet his gaze as his question ricocheted in my head. Was this not what the conflict between my mind and my heart had been about? Though I knew of the things the Phantom had done, my heart still saw him as my angel. I cared for him deeply, but would I call it love? Was it possible to love a ghost? An angelic being? Someone I seemed to know nothing about?
"Christine, do you love him?"
"I don't know, Raoul!" I flung out, facing him again. That stifled sob finally escaped my lips, followed by tears stinging my cold cheeks.
"You're asking me questions I don't have the answers to." I spoke quietly.
Raoul's face seemed to close off so that whatever he was feeling wasn't clear. He stared at me for a long moment, the silence between us becoming more deafening with each passing second. I found myself slightly worried over what he would do next. After all, my admission wasn't an entirely innocent one. I had agreed to marry the man in front of me a mere week ago, and now I stood before him, telling him I was unsure if I loved another. I never wanted to hurt Raoul, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to him either.
"You're cold," He spoke at last, looking down at my hands fisted in my dress, "Let us return to the opera house."
I hesitantly took the hand he offered me and we made our way back to the carriage. The only sounds between us being the crunching of snow and echos of angelic voices and clashing swords.