Neither of them thought anything of anything more than getting away as they ran, going in the general direction of the train station. They hadn't talked about where they were going, the station seemed to make sense; until they got there.
Heads turned as the two figures in black rushed into the huge crowded station. Together they halted abruptly, nearly slamming into an older woman. She gave them an appalled and mystified look and walked away quickly. Christine seemed to have stashed the pistol away before anyone saw it.
"Do you have any sort of plan?" Erik whispered into Christine's ear, trying to hide the conspicuous mask with his closeness to her. He could feel her breathing, spent from their flight.
"Yes," She answered, breathless but determined.
"Then where are we going?" He queried, his eyes flitting about, looking for the gendarmes that would no doubt soon descend upon them.
"Calais," she stated simply, taking his hand and leading him towards the platforms. He stayed close to her, trusting that she knew where the hell she was going. He hadn't been in a train station this large or this crowded in his entire life. Indeed, he hadn't felt so conspicuous in a crowd in what seemed like forever. Years of hiding in the safe darkness underneath the Opera had softened him and he was not prepared for such a mass of people. He kept his head down, marveling for a moment that he was able to do this only because she was there. What had happened in the last five minutes to make this possible? It didn't matter, all that mattered was that it was happening.
"Here, this is it," Christine told him, trying to conceal any nervousness in her voice. "Quickly, the train is about to leave," she urged. Then she pulled him closer and whispered, "Is anyone following us?"
"Not yet," he assured her, trying to look back as casually as possible. Christine nodded and they headed toward the train that was almost ready to depart.
It was a relief to actually board the machine and a relief to see Christine produce a pair of tickets to present to the steward as Erik lingered close behind her. Christine thanked the man and they headed to their car very quickly. They collapsed into the seats just in time to see three gendarmes rush the platform as the train began to move.
"Good timing," Erik muttered as he turned to Christine. He was shocked at the look of total bafflement on her face.
"Oh god…what just happened? What did I do?" She questioned in shock, looking sick.
"Well, it's obvious you've gone completely insane" Erik answered matter-of-factly. Her gaze snapped to him, her eyes full of horror. "Don't worry. I find it quite charming."
"What?" Christine asked dumbly, blinking. Erik smiled at her and to the surprise of both she began to laugh. She tried for a moment to stop, demurely covering her mouth with her hand, but Erik began to laugh as well. The more each laughed the worse it got and finally they surrendered, laughing like fools for the first time in months.
When they had finally recovered, the train was getting ready to leave Paris and the night time city was already beginning to fade. Christine looked out the window, breathing normally at last. She turned to look at Erik, remembering how she had missed him the moment he left her sight that night.
"What do we do now?" She asked him seriously.
"I'm not sure really, but you're doing quite well so far," he shrugged still in awe of what she had done.
"Erik, please, I need your help. I don't know what's happening. I've never been…"
"Braver," he reassured her. She smiled shyly. She wasn't used to this kind of responsibility, but never the less it was hers. It was she who had shot someone and she who had gotten them into all of this.
"I'm not brave, just very stupid" she corrected.
"No," he countered "I was ready for to die tonight, but instead you saved me. You went against everything to do that. You even surprised me, and I though I knew everything about you," his voice trailed off as he gazed at her, amazed. "What you did for me, I can't believe it and I will never forget it."
Christine let his words sink in, trying to see herself though his eyes: brave, kind, and all the things she thought she could never be or never had been. "I would never have let him kill you. After…I left, I didn't know what to do, didn't know how to go on without you guiding me. The only thought that consoled me was they you were still in the world and you still cared for me. I couldn't bare the thought of a world without you in it. And tonight, when I thought of that, I saw no point in having you in the world, and not being able to be near you. I don't know what is going to happen, or how this will end, but what I know is that, saving you and being here with you feels like the first thing I've done right since I kissed you. I guess I am mad, because everything in me is telling me this is wrong, but I know it's right." Christine looked out, the window, feeling awkward for having said so much, perhaps too much. Erik stared at her delicate profile, unable to think of anything, except how much he loved her.
Christine sighed, suddenly tired. "We still don't know what we're going to do," she reminded him.
"Let's decide when we get to Calais," he reassured her.
"Will everything make sense then?" she asked wearily, laying her head back.
"No," he replied "But that's the best part of an adventure: you never know what's going to happen."
"Never?"
"Well, one can guess or plan, but it's much better when things just happen," He explained softly, his musical voice taking on the tone of a lullaby or a fairytale.
"Like this just happened." She continued for him, her eyes closing and her voice growing quieter.
"Exactly."
"I'm happy that it turned out this way; that my adventure is with you."
"As am I." He murmured, bemused. Her only response was soft breathing and closed eyes. He watched her for a while, thinking of how different the face he saw now was from the one she had worn that afternoon when she had come to say goodbye. He closed his eyes, hoping to imprint this image of her at rest and at peace in his mind. Something in him sensed they would have very little peace in the near future. He opened his eyes at the sound of rustling cloth and a sigh. She was simply resituating her self, but it meant she was suddenly leaning on to him. Unconsciously she was touching him. Tonight she has taken his hand with no fear. And now she was close to him because part of her wanted to be. That night Erik had been ready to die; now he was amazed to find himself with Christine, and more than that, happy.
Heads turned as the two figures in black rushed into the huge crowded station. Together they halted abruptly, nearly slamming into an older woman. She gave them an appalled and mystified look and walked away quickly. Christine seemed to have stashed the pistol away before anyone saw it.
"Do you have any sort of plan?" Erik whispered into Christine's ear, trying to hide the conspicuous mask with his closeness to her. He could feel her breathing, spent from their flight.
"Yes," She answered, breathless but determined.
"Then where are we going?" He queried, his eyes flitting about, looking for the gendarmes that would no doubt soon descend upon them.
"Calais," she stated simply, taking his hand and leading him towards the platforms. He stayed close to her, trusting that she knew where the hell she was going. He hadn't been in a train station this large or this crowded in his entire life. Indeed, he hadn't felt so conspicuous in a crowd in what seemed like forever. Years of hiding in the safe darkness underneath the Opera had softened him and he was not prepared for such a mass of people. He kept his head down, marveling for a moment that he was able to do this only because she was there. What had happened in the last five minutes to make this possible? It didn't matter, all that mattered was that it was happening.
"Here, this is it," Christine told him, trying to conceal any nervousness in her voice. "Quickly, the train is about to leave," she urged. Then she pulled him closer and whispered, "Is anyone following us?"
"Not yet," he assured her, trying to look back as casually as possible. Christine nodded and they headed toward the train that was almost ready to depart.
It was a relief to actually board the machine and a relief to see Christine produce a pair of tickets to present to the steward as Erik lingered close behind her. Christine thanked the man and they headed to their car very quickly. They collapsed into the seats just in time to see three gendarmes rush the platform as the train began to move.
"Good timing," Erik muttered as he turned to Christine. He was shocked at the look of total bafflement on her face.
"Oh god…what just happened? What did I do?" She questioned in shock, looking sick.
"Well, it's obvious you've gone completely insane" Erik answered matter-of-factly. Her gaze snapped to him, her eyes full of horror. "Don't worry. I find it quite charming."
"What?" Christine asked dumbly, blinking. Erik smiled at her and to the surprise of both she began to laugh. She tried for a moment to stop, demurely covering her mouth with her hand, but Erik began to laugh as well. The more each laughed the worse it got and finally they surrendered, laughing like fools for the first time in months.
When they had finally recovered, the train was getting ready to leave Paris and the night time city was already beginning to fade. Christine looked out the window, breathing normally at last. She turned to look at Erik, remembering how she had missed him the moment he left her sight that night.
"What do we do now?" She asked him seriously.
"I'm not sure really, but you're doing quite well so far," he shrugged still in awe of what she had done.
"Erik, please, I need your help. I don't know what's happening. I've never been…"
"Braver," he reassured her. She smiled shyly. She wasn't used to this kind of responsibility, but never the less it was hers. It was she who had shot someone and she who had gotten them into all of this.
"I'm not brave, just very stupid" she corrected.
"No," he countered "I was ready for to die tonight, but instead you saved me. You went against everything to do that. You even surprised me, and I though I knew everything about you," his voice trailed off as he gazed at her, amazed. "What you did for me, I can't believe it and I will never forget it."
Christine let his words sink in, trying to see herself though his eyes: brave, kind, and all the things she thought she could never be or never had been. "I would never have let him kill you. After…I left, I didn't know what to do, didn't know how to go on without you guiding me. The only thought that consoled me was they you were still in the world and you still cared for me. I couldn't bare the thought of a world without you in it. And tonight, when I thought of that, I saw no point in having you in the world, and not being able to be near you. I don't know what is going to happen, or how this will end, but what I know is that, saving you and being here with you feels like the first thing I've done right since I kissed you. I guess I am mad, because everything in me is telling me this is wrong, but I know it's right." Christine looked out, the window, feeling awkward for having said so much, perhaps too much. Erik stared at her delicate profile, unable to think of anything, except how much he loved her.
Christine sighed, suddenly tired. "We still don't know what we're going to do," she reminded him.
"Let's decide when we get to Calais," he reassured her.
"Will everything make sense then?" she asked wearily, laying her head back.
"No," he replied "But that's the best part of an adventure: you never know what's going to happen."
"Never?"
"Well, one can guess or plan, but it's much better when things just happen," He explained softly, his musical voice taking on the tone of a lullaby or a fairytale.
"Like this just happened." She continued for him, her eyes closing and her voice growing quieter.
"Exactly."
"I'm happy that it turned out this way; that my adventure is with you."
"As am I." He murmured, bemused. Her only response was soft breathing and closed eyes. He watched her for a while, thinking of how different the face he saw now was from the one she had worn that afternoon when she had come to say goodbye. He closed his eyes, hoping to imprint this image of her at rest and at peace in his mind. Something in him sensed they would have very little peace in the near future. He opened his eyes at the sound of rustling cloth and a sigh. She was simply resituating her self, but it meant she was suddenly leaning on to him. Unconsciously she was touching him. Tonight she has taken his hand with no fear. And now she was close to him because part of her wanted to be. That night Erik had been ready to die; now he was amazed to find himself with Christine, and more than that, happy.