A/N: Ending two

'I don't want the world to see me,

'Cos I don't think that they'd understand,

When everything's made to be broken,

I just want you to know who I am'- Iris, Goo Goo Dolls

Beautiful song… so suited to Erik.

I'll tell you which chapter I prefer in the 'epilogue' let me know which I should use…

Chapter 44- Ending two

The room was large and dark, penetrated by small wisps of candle light floating around. It was damp, as it always had been, and covered in dust. The organ was in pieces on the floor when he had arrived and it had taken him nearly a month to rebuild it. It would take him longer to get the rest back up to the way he once had it.

His eyes drifted over the lake and to the boat, which was half sunk from holes caused by rot. He knew that he would have to fix that soon but for now there was no need. There was no rush in his life anymore. He walked around with his glass of water at his lips and sipped it gently, letting it slide down and soothe his aching throat. He had found it strangely comforting to be back.

Erik gently collapsed back into the seat he had made and snuggled himself into it, warming his body. The paper on his lap was dotted with notes and words, music for his opera, music for his angel. The last two months had given him much food for thought and even more to write about, finally something had made him want to sing again. His sadness made good music and for that he had only one person to thank.

He leaned forward putting the paper to one side and picking up another, also dotted but not with notes. This piece had only words. He had written it the day before and planned to send it later that day, his focused on the letters. He needed a way to finish it, to sum up the way he felt. He just wasn't sure how he would properly construe his feelings, it was strange territory for him. He read it silently to himself.

'Dear Antoinette,

It appears that my flight has left those in England much to talk about. Do you think they will give up the search? Or do you think that they will forever seek me? My, my, I feel like the Scarlet Pimpernel

I will not leave you an address for me other than to tell you that I am back in France and very well. I know that you will not respond anyway. This will be our final correspondence I am sure of it.

It pains me to think that I will never see you again or have the opportunity to tell you personally how truly wonderful you have been to me. You have been my humanity. You have been my tower of strength and for that I am eternally grateful.

Perhaps while you are in heaven you can put in a good word for me. Over the last couple of months I have done some rather altruistic acts for which I have taken no credit.

I hope that everything left for you will be quiet and painless, I will pray for you. Yes, I will. Even I have belief. I have faith. Mostly in you, but it is faith none the less. I want to ask you so much about Christine but I fear that it will lead me to leave you a return address and I cannot do that for obvious reasons.

If you see her tell her how desperately I love her and that I did it all for her. Everything. '

He smiled as a tear dripped from hid jaw onto the paper, smudging the ink of her name. He was afraid that the letter might not make it to her before she passed but he hoped that she knew he was thinking of her. He picked up his pen, leaning over the paper and began to write again.

'And Antoinette, my dear confidante, know the tears I have shed for you. Know that I have thought of you long and often and that one day I shall knock on your door in heaven if only to stay for a minute.

Goodnight and goodbye dear Madame Giry,

Always your humble friend,

Forever your obedient servant,

Eternally,

Erik'

He nodded, it sounded right. It was short but it was right. He reached over and picked up an envelope, folded the paper in half and slotted it in. He placed it on the table and returned to his chair, thinking he would put his seal on it later.

As his eyes closed, he began to drift to sleep the strangest thing happened. He thought that he heard a noise from inside his home. As he delved deeper into his own subconscious the sound was there again and his eyes flew open. He stood up and spun around in time to see the shadow of a woman walking in his direction. He didn't need her to speak to know who it was.

'Christine,' he whispered softly into the air and she walked closer to him, smiling softly.

'I knew you would be here,' she said, stopping less than a foot away from his body. Erik simply stared at her, thinking that she might be an apparition, afraid to talk to her, to make a fool of himself. Perhaps he was finally losing his mind. 'I just knew you would.'

She stepped closer and Erik positioned himself behind the chair, so that it was blocking her path to him. She stood still and let her eyes drift over his figure standing in front of her and then she surveyed the room.

'It's such a mess…' she said out loud but he knew she had meant to keep it to herself.

'Yes… they destroyed it.' He said, quietly. 'And my piano.'

She looked up at him, mouth open and eyes wide as he nodded to her slowly.

'I fixed it…' he continued, he realised he was over talking.

'How are you?' she asked him, standing perfectly still, not moving her eyes from him. He glanced at her before staring back at the lake.

'I'm fine.' He said. 'Oh Christine…' Why was she torturing him so? 'Why are you here?'

'I need you…' she stated simply and watched him for a reaction. He shrugged and she felt her heart wrench hard in her chest. 'I…'

'No.' he said, voice booming but not shouting. 'I will not be your second choice.'

'Oh Erik, no…' she began but again cut her sentence short.

'I won't!' he said, the bile burning his throat, he wanted to gag. 'He told you and you came running to me.'

Christine looked at him, her eyes stinging with tears as she watched him collapse onto the seat, still refusing to look at her. Look at me, she thought, and you'll know.

'Told me what..?' she asked, her voice breaking under the strain of the situation. Her heart was crumbling as she spoke and it took all of her strength to stay standing.

'You know what,' he spat, his fury no longer under disguise.

'No…' she said softly. 'He told me nothing.'

'Don't lie to me, I told him to and he was too terrified not to.' He said, poison on his tongue.

'He was going to… but I left.' She said and Erik nodded but still didn't look up. 'I couldn't bare being around him, I've been living with Meg for a month, Erik.'

He didn't say anything, he simply stared at his hands.

'I couldn't get you out of my mind! I remembered so much… so much bad but so, so, so much good!' She let the tears flood down her face, he needed to hear this. 'Oh Erik! I should never have left to begin with! At the start. I loved you!'

He flinched but remained silent.

'I didn't speak to Raoul, I couldn't. I don't even know where he is. I can't bare it anymore.' She cried. 'Please Erik… listen.'

He stood up and paced past her not looking, not speaking, just thinking. He was angry, he knew that she could see it. And he wasn't sure if he believed her. He paced past her again and gritted his teeth, bunching his jaw muscles. He couldn't look at her, couldn't see her face so sad, he couldn't watch the tears. He just looked at the floor.

In a split second his mind was reeling, he didn't know what was happened. He felt Christine's lips firmly against his, her arms around his body pulling him close. The heat from her was unbelievable and it took him a moment to realise what was going on but as he did he slid his arms around her, his resistance slipping away. His lips moulded to hers and she groaned into his mouth, her tears wetting his cheeks. He held her tightly, exploring her mouth, it's moistness with his tongue. Had he died and arrived in heaven? Would God realise he had given his angel to the wrong man? The kiss lasted an eternity and it was Christine who broke her lips away from his, but held onto his body tightly.

'Christine…' he whispered, the sound barely audible. She shushed him with her finger on his lips.

'We'll deal with it when it comes.' She had read his mind. 'Everything from now on happens as it happens…'

He nodded, kissing her cheeks, her face, feeling her flush under his touch. She pressed herself to him and he squeezed her softly in his arms. She kissed him again, this time softer, slower and he felt every move, every twitch, every touch of her lips… every move. Her breathing on his chest her hands on his back, he was so alive. So alive.

'Christine…' he breathed into her mouth. And she smiled against his lips.

'No more talk Erik, no more words. Not just yet. Let's stay like this for a while, let me listen to you breath.' She said softly. She was still crying but it was different, the tears were real but they were warm and she looked happy, looked content. She was happy to stand in the middle of this basement, in the damp wrapped up in him for minutes… for hours, he thought.

He smiled as he held her close, her head tucked up under his chin, his doubts almost faded away with a kiss. And he struggled to find them again but they weren't there, he couldn't. Her body was too warm to resist, her lips to soft to not kiss. How could he send her away and never know what it was like to lay with her, to love her the way he had always dreamed. She was his heart and soul, his angel on earth and in heaven. This was heaven, this was paradise. Her heart beating next to his, keeping a rhythm he hoped he would never forget.

As he looked down into her eyes he caught their sparkle, their life. It would give him hope and dreams and the ability to keep living, to keep fighting. To be with her was to be forever in bliss. As his eyes fixed to hers, watching the chocolate melt for him he saw what was unspoken, what she didn't need to say. He knew. It was there, on her eyes, in his face. It was so simple, so gentle… but it meant so much. Her eyes were saying, simply, 'I love you'.