Yet another Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all.


Christine was frozen. He…he was here….he was still alive and standing before her, singing to her in that voice she knew so well. But it was intoxicating…she had to hear more of it, and she knew how to.

"Those who have seen your face

Draw back in fear….

I am the mask you wear…" and he did reply, and she moved towards him, his voice seeming to beckon her.

"It's me they hear…" and as she moved towards him, they sang in unison, as they had those years before.

"Your spirit and my voice…" she sang with him.

"In one combined….

The Phantom of the opera is there…

Inside my mind…" she was nearing him, her eyes misted over, her movements not seeming to be her own. It was a queer feeling that had come over her, but it was not unfamiliar. She knew what this was; it was simply the effect his voice had upon her. He, however, kept singing, holding his arms out to her.

He had a plan. He was going to make her pay….he was going to destroy her life as she had done his. First, however, he needed her to come to him.

"In all your wildest dreams,

You never knew…"she sang to him in return, and at the sound of her voice, his heart seemed to melt.

"That man and mystery

Were both in you…" she was nearly within reach, moving ever closer to him, and together again they sang,

"And in this labyrinth,

Where night is blind…

The Phantom of the opera is there…

Inside your mind…" She was in his arms now, and he enfolded her in them.

"Good evening, Delilah." Was all he said to her, looking down at her mockingly.

She averted her eyes as he spoke, looking at the ground. He had every right to hate her…but the look in his eyes…it was cold and unfeeling as he spoke. And Delilah? She remembered the story from the Bible of the strongman and Delilah, his plotting wife. In the story, and referring to her as Delilah, the woman had betrayed the man whom she had supposedly loved. Did that mean he had thought she loved him? Tears came to her eyes in that instant, and seeing them broke the phantom's heart.

"You have every right to hate me…" She whispered suddenly. His eyes widened, then the hard look in them softened as they returned to normal. He took her chin, lifting her head and wiping away her tears.

"Yes, you're right. I do." He looked at her almost scoldingly. "But as I recall…" He continued, "You have a right to hate me as well." Her eyes widened slightly, looking up at him. Tears still came to them, however, even after he had wiped a few away. She spoke again, but he cut her off.

"Angel…"

"Christine, why did you come here?"

She fell silent. Why exactly /had/ she come here? Was it simply to face her memories? Or was there a deeper meaning to her journey here? One look into his eyes had given her the answer.

She loved him.

Of course, she always had. Somehow, she always had loved him, even through her love for Raoul. Even in those last moments with him. Even before she had known his identity, she had loved him. He had been her angel…her teacher, her comforter. That was not something she could take lightly or overlook. Here in his arms, she felt comforted…strangely right. But that couldn't be right! She was married to the man she loved…or, really, was she? She had known Raoul when she was a child…but her angel's words interrupted her thoughts.

"Christine, why are you here?" she looked a bit startled.

"I…I…" She paused. "I came to face my memories." Was this true? Yes…it was…basically. She had come to face him, in general. She had come back to see him. He looked confused. Why had she come back to face her memories? What did she mean by this? In this statement, was there any hope she was giving him to fuel that desire for her to love him? No…no, there couldn't be…

"What do you mean by that?" He asked suddenly, making vocal his thoughts. She looked rather confused herself, and as if to conceal this, she looked at the floor.

"I….I wanted to see…to see you…." His heart soared at her words. She had come to see him?

"Why, Christine?"

"I…I wanted to see….if you….if you were still alive…"

"If you hate me so, then why would you care if I were alive or not?" She looked taken aback, then looked away.

"I never hated you. Never…" She whispered, biting her lip as she said the words she had not expected herself to say at all.

He was shocked. She…she /didn't/ hate him? How…why….if she didn't hate him, then why had she left him that night?

"What do you mean, Christine? I thought you hated me…" He replied, his eyes growing cold yet again. That was when she did the truly unexpected. Throwing her arms around his neck, she cried,

"I…I love you, angel!" And with that, she burst into tears, crying into his shoulder.

"Christine….wait…." He pulled her back, and her hands flew to her face, to hide her tears from him. His plan was just dissolving as he watched her shake with sobs.

She had done it. She had admitted it to him, and thus, admitted it to herself, making this emotion real. How could she! She, who was married to the viscomte de Chagny….to Raoul…to the man she had claimed to love…How could she do this? And yet, how could she not? She loved him, she had for quite some time now. But, being the good wife that she was, had never uttered a word of this to anyone. Only to her mind had she bestowed the secret. And even then, it was not something she thought about often. Or, better, she /tried/ not to think of it. His words, yet again, interrupted her thoughts.

"Christine…" He repeated softly. "How….how can you say that you love me…if that night…you left me…you ran away with Monsieur de Chagny…." She shook her head, taking her hands away to reveal a tear-streaked face, her eyes and tip of her nose pink from crying.

"I…I don't understand it….I…I've always loved you….I just…I thought I loved him….and….I…I don't know anything anymore…all I know is…is that, that I love you…." She returned her gaze to the ground.

But he would not allow her eyes to stay there. Taking her back into his arms, he tilted her head up to face him.

"Christine…why are you telling me this? You, who are probably married right now. You were happy….why now, do you choose to tell me all of this? For three years, you left me alone. A broken man. And empty shell of what I had been. And now, after all of this time, you choose to come back and tell me all of this? Why Christine? Tell me, why?" But she could not. She fell silent, the only sounds she made the sounds of small sniffles, or of quiet sobs as she stood, pressed up against him.


They stood like that for some time, the Phantom and Christine, her wrapped in his strong arms. And secretly, oh so secretly, both held the fact in their hearts that this felt right. It was a queer notion to the two, to either of them, and it caused them, after a moment, to turn their heads to look at one another. Finding themselves staring into each other's eyes, they quickly turned away; Christine blushing, and the great phantom looking rather embarrassed himself. But after a second, he turned back. Turning her head to face him, he looked down at the pinkened cheeks, the bright eyes, the small slightly parted lips, and he smiled. She looked completely lost, but he was smiling all the while.

"Christine, don't cry…" He wiped away her tears yet again. And then he sang to her the very lines he had sung those three years ago in those last moments when she had given him the ring.

"Christine, I love you…." Her eyes widened. Those were the exact words that had been in her head for those years and had comforted her when she was sad or alone. It was because she knew he loved her. And it was because she knew in her heart that she loved him as well. The saddest part of it was that she would never be able to tell him this. Until now.

She took his hand as he caressed her cheek, smiling up at him gently.

"And I love you, angel." She replied in the quietest of voices, almost hoping he hadn't heard this. But his attuned hearing had picked up every word. He embraced her tightly, nearly lifting her off of the ground.

"Oh Christine…Christine…." He murmured, over and over again into her ear. "You haven't any idea as to how long I have waited to hear those words….nor how I have prayed to hear them…." She smiled, gently running a hand over his cheek revealed by the mask. And then, releasing her from the embrace, he took her hand. "Come…" He said softly. "Come….we shall go to the Kingdom of Music…" Her smile wavered a bit as he released her, but brightened again as he took her hand. And yet something was a bit wrong. Something was left unasked. A few things, actually. And for one-

"What….what happened here, angel?" She asked, motioning around to the littered floor. He sighed, knowing this question would have to be answered. Looking around, his eyes finally met hers.

"This was all my doing." He replied in a quiet voice. Her eyes widened, and he let go of her hand.

"You….you…how…why?" She stuttered, stumbling over her words. He looked away.

"This place….it could do nothing but remind me of you. Nothing at all. And…In my desolation….rage came as well…rage over the fact that you had chosen the viscomte over me….rage over the fact that you had gone…" But she got the idea, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Oh angel….I shall never leave you again…never!" She exclaimed, a few tears returning to her eyes. He smiled a pained smile.

"Oh Christine….oh my Christine…." He wrapped his arms gently around her waist. A moment passed, and finally Christine looked up at him with a small smile.

"I did have one more question, angel…" He raised an eyebrow.

"And that is?"

"Your name….what is it?" She asked, looking at him curiously. He looked mildly surprised.

"My name? Have I never told you?" She shook her head. He sighed quietly, and smiled ruefully. "My name, Christine, is Erik." She smiled, and yet wondered aloud if this pointed to Scandinavian heritage. He shook his head, replying that 'Erik' was simply a name the name he had taken by accident. She smiled as he took her hand again, but something was still wrong. And as the bell tolled midnight, her eyes widened, and only one single word escaped her lips.

"Raoul…."


Author's Note: Heehee...I do love a good cliffhanger...I hope anyone reading this does too.