The Fop's Not THAT Bad

Summary: A series of stand-alones that are nice to Raoul with an EC ending! Extremely short!

Story 2: All I Ask of You

Summary: What should have happened on that roof-top…

A/N: Okay, I used ALW's roof top scene, but GL's Phantom/Erik.

Shocked and terrified by what I had just seen, I followed Christine up onto the rooftop, my mind searching desperately for answers. A man had just murdered, hung in the middle of an opera that had already been interrupted by the star being rendered unable to sing, and now Christine wanted me to come up onto the roof? Within ten minutes everything in my world had been turned upside down, and I wanted answers!

When we finally were on the roof, I had had enough of Christine's fairy tale stories about the Phantom, so I replied, "There is no Phantom of the Opera!" When I saw her face fall, I knew instantly I had said the wrong thing. Then she began trying to explain to me that she had been in his lair, and I truly believed for a moment that she had gone mad. But when she began to speak of his voice, I knew that whomever the Phantom was, he was responsible for her voice being as angelically beautiful as it was.

I murmured her name, trying desperately to comfort her. Suddenly, we both heard another voice choke out, "Christine…" She gasped and whirled around. "Did you hear that?" she demanded. I wanted to lie and say no, but I knew that I could not. "Yes," I replied, "I do believe I did." She called out, voice trembling, "Angel? Phantom? Is it you?" Suddenly I heard a voice so beautiful that I instantly knew why Christine had believed him an angel. "Yes, Christine. It is I."

"Phantom…" she whispered. "Please, show yourself!" "Christine, I have told you already that I can deny you nothing you ask." With that, he stepped out from behind the horse statue. I gasped when I caught my first glimpse of him. He was truly a skeleton, very small and very skinny. He wore a mask, black as the night, which covered his entire face.

He began taking slow, deliberate steps toward us. "Sir," I called out. "Let us settle this as gentlemen and let the lady choose." "Yes," he replied, "Let Christine decide." He kept walking until he stood on the other side of Christine. I took her by the hand and whispered, "Christine, I love you; I have since we were children. I believe that you love me too, but if I am mistaken, then please feel free to choose him." I kissed her hand and released it, waiting breathlessly.

"Christine, I have just realized I have never told you my name; perhaps that shall help. I am Erik!" "Erik," she whispered, reaching up to touch his mask. "So that is the name of the man behind the mask." "Christine, I have told you many a time that I love you; you truly are my world! If you could ever love me, then my life would truly be complete. May I—" Here his voice cracked, and as he continued, he and his voice were trembling. "May I kiss your forehead?" "Yes, Erik, of course you may!" He lifted his mask just enough to do as he had requested, and then he turned away, shoulders shaking.

I watched in pity as the poor man cried, and Christine looked from him to me, then back again. "I—Oh!" She threw her hands up over her face and began to sob. "However can I make this decision!" In that instant, watching her and poor Erik sob, I knew what I had to do. I gently pulled her hands down and placed a single kiss on her cheek. "You do not have to. I am stepping aside. He needs you far more than I do." Her eyes widened with wonder, and she whispered, "Raoul…" I placed a finger over her lips, then removed it and replaced it with my lips. As we kissed, I knew that I had made the right choice.

When the kiss was finished, I embraced her sadly and then, drawing back to take in one final glimpse of her angel's face, I whispered, "Good-bye, Christine." Turning to face Erik, I said, "Erik! Turn around and face me." He did as I commanded, and I saw disbelief shining in his eyes. "If I ever hear you are not doing right by her, I will come back and kill you. Is that understood?" He nodded. "Monsieur, if I am not doing right by her, I should kill myself!" The love I heard in his voice was more than enough to convince me he was telling the truth. I nodded. "Good-bye, Erik." We shook hands, and I left the rooftop.

THE END!

And now, you know what time it is!

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Erik: Readers, that's all she asks of yooooouuuuuuuuuu!