Hello people! Yay, so many reviews! I am so happy! Okay, it's official, I finished it ALL. I'm so happy I might even do a sequel. It's nothing like I've ever written before and I'm sure a lot of you haven't read. Al though it will change a lot of things. I'll probably just screw up the whole story line. By the way, this is a hint for all of you E/C lovers... I will give you one hell of a twist in the end. (Well, I hope you guys don't expect it.) Okay, on to Chapter Twenty-Six:
The Choice
He had made her change into the wedding dress, forcing her, telling her that she had to put it on for her sake. He had said that if she wouldn't change, he would change it for her. So she took the dress in her arms and turned away from him.
At least he had given her a little modesty and let her go into a room by herself with a door. She had changed quickly, hardly knowing what was going to happen.
Then she emerged from the room and his face seemed to light up. He seemed happy for a second and a half.
Holding something in his hands, he approached her, and saw that she had been crying.
"Oh, Christine," he crooned. "Why do you cry? You know it pains me to see you cry." Then he gave a slight smile that lasted no more than two seconds and touched her hair. "All brides cry at their weddings."
Christine took a deep breath. "What are you nuts? I'm only sixteen! I can't marry you!"
He chuckled. "At this age, in other cultures, you would have been married with children."
"You're sick," Christine told him, almost whispering.
He turned away from her and walked away, still cradling something in his hands.
"I hope you're happy," she told him. "You've killed people and you've only added more tonight. Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?"
He turned to her and walked to her, but she didn't move, she didn't want to show him that she feared him. "I have lived like this my entire life. This face is my destiny it has written out my fate. No one would love me, not even my mother. Then you came and I saw an opportunity-"
Christine was about to speak but he placed a finger on her lips.
"This face has denied me so much. I know, it has infected our love. Poisoned it."
Christine looked at him in disbelief.
His fingers moved from her lips to her cheek and she slapped his hand away.
He took her by her arms and said to her silently, but harshly, "This is your fate now, Christine." He reached out and placed something on her head. "It's with me, no one else."
When he let her go, he placed something in her hand. Then closed her fist over it.
When she looked down in it, she saw Raoul's ring. The same gold band with the small diamond. The same ring. So that was where it went.
She looked behind him and saw a mirror draped over with a burgundy curtain. She walked to it and looked at herself in the mirror, the same mannequin from earlier, only she was living, breathing with the white veil on her head.
"Erik," she said to him, softly. "This haunted face holds no horror for me, I now see it's in your soul that's distorted. I was wrong about you."
He looked around, not really looking at her. The words were true and he knew it.
Christine looked towards the gate, hearing splashing. Erik looked also.
"My angel, we have a guest!" He said with fake enthusiasm.
Her heart gave a jump of joy. It was Raoul! He was there to rescue her! He looked like he had been through hell, though. One sleeve of his shirt was bloody and there was his hair which was now all wet. So was half of what he was wearing. She ran forward, almost tripping over a stone. "Raoul!"
She was stopped when she felt a strong grip on her wrist. Erik held her, knowing that she was going run to her beloved.
"Sir!" The Phantom said with glee. "I was hoping that you would show up! Now my wish comes true, you have truly made my night!"
Christine pulled away from his grip and watched as Raoul called out to her. "Christine! Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
Christine was about to answer but the Phantom laughed, as if they were all best friends sitting down for afternoon tea.
"Let her go, you bastard!" Raoul hollered, his grip around the bars tightening.
"I'll tell you what, fop," Erik said going to a lever. "Why don't you come get her?"
This is not good, Christine thought. They're going to do something bad.
The gate began to rise and Raoul went through, eyeing everything suspiciously.
Erik walked to him, walking in the murky water and Christine watched him cautiously.
"Come on now, fop, think, did you really think that I would harm her for your mistakes?" He laughed as if it were a joke. "You came just in time for the wedding. You shall be the guest of honor."
"I'll kill you first," Raoul said in anger.
Erik reached down in the water. "You're too funny. You can't kill anyone in front of her. Can you?"
The gate began to lower. Christine's heart sank, realizing what he would do and she started running forward, trying to warn Raoul. "No, Raoul!"
But it was too late, Erik had reached for a rope and tied it around his neck, binding him to the gate behind him.
"Order your fine horses now! Nothing, no one can save you now, except perhaps Christine."
Erik's horrid gaze turned to Christine, who watched in horror, as Erik tied Raoul to the gate with the rope.
"No, stop it!" Christine shouted. She ran forward until the water was around her ankles.
"You will have to make a choice Christine!" Erik said with acid in his voice. "Start a new life with me, buy his freedom with your love or you can refuse me and kill him! This is the choice. This is the point of no return!"
Christine watched with disgust. "Don't do this to me, please. The tears I might have shed for your dark fate turn cold and turn to tears of hate!"
Erik nodded. "Very well." He reached for something in a box next to him on the platform she was on and she realized it was yet another rope.
"Christine," Raoul said to her. "Please forgive me. I tried to save you and I failed."
Christine tried to reason with Erik. "Can't we work something out? Please! Don't make me do this! I can't."
"Too late for him," Erik told her as he placed the noose around Raoul's neck. "Too late for prayer and useless pity."
Raoul looked at her with remorseful eyes. "Say you love him and my life is over. For either way you choose he has to win. I can't live without you Christine, I'm sorry."
Christine stood frozen with fear for her boyfriend. The tears flowing freely now and she didn't bother to wipe them. "Angel, Erik, please, who deserves this?"
"Choose, Christine!" He said pulling tightly on the lasso, making Raoul gasp out. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me, or will you kill your sweetheart? His blood is on your hands!"
"Don't do it, Christine," Raoul told her. "Don't throw your life away for me. Live your life! Go on! Get out of here!" Then he said softly. "All would be for nothing."
Christine stood there, hugging herself, bracing herself against her shivering body. Not knowing what to do.
"Tic-tock, Christine," Erik said impatiently.
Before she made her choice, she told him exactly how she felt. "You used me, betrayed me. I gave you my mind blindly."
He made no indication that he had heard her, he kept looking at her with dead calm and resolution. She knew what she had to do. She didn't want anyone to die for her.
After some thinking and seeing no other alternative. She made her decision. She looked at Raoul and gave him a silent apology. She mouthed, I love you.
Then she turned to Erik, walking to him, showing him she was not afraid anymore. She placed the ring on her finger and with the water slowly rising to her hips, she said to him. "You win. You have me. I only pray I can show you, you're not alone anymore."
She looked up to him and went on her toes to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. She continued to kiss him tenderly, showing him how much love there could be in the world.
She was lost in that kiss, it was like falling. She was falling and had nothing to hold on to except him. She vaguely felt his hand on her hip and nothing else.
She pulled away to smile at him, not fearful of his deformity. And she kissed him again, even more passionately. She wanted to let him know that she would be there for him. She would be his living bride to save Raoul.
She had no choice.
When she pulled away she stared at his lovely azure eyes, with a smile. "I've chosen," she told him softly, touching his right cheek tenderly. "I'll stay with you."
She thought he would have smiled, rejoiced even in her decision. But he did neither, he looked at her for a long time. Then his shoulders began to shake as he silently sobbed.
She didn't know of his inner turmoil, she couldn't hear his heart breaking.
She kissed his forehead, standing by her decision, But something was wrong, he didn't seem very happy at all. He placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead repeatedly.
She looked at him confused as his face contorted with sorrow.
"Erik?" She whispered not understanding why he would look at her this way.
He let her go and walked away slowly. "Just take her."
Christine looked at him with confusion. "What?"
"Just go away, take her, Raoul. Forget all about me, about everything."
Christine took a step away from him, unsure. Was he serious?
"Erik?" Christine asked.
"Please, just go," the Phantom told them.
Christine didn't hesitate, she ran to Raoul as fast as she could and started to loosen his bounds. She loosened the noose and freed him.
"Please just go," Erik said to them even louder.
When Raoul was free, he fell on her and they hugged each other fiercely. He took her in his arms and kissed her quickly. "Oh, Christine."
"Go now, just leave me be!"
Christine glanced back and saw the look on his face. He was so sad. Then he left through more curtains.
"Christine," Raoul said taking her hand. "Come one, let's go."
Christine smiled at him, grateful it was all over. As she started to walk with Raoul she heard something that chilled her to the bone. A unison of voices.
"Track down this murderer! He must be found!"
She stopped and Raoul looked at her. "Christine, what is it?"
She took a step back.
"Christine," he said in warning.
"They're coming for him," she said softly to him.
"What?" he asked.
She pointed to the stream ahead. "There's a mob coming for him! They're going to kill him!"
"Christine," Raoul told her. "Stop it. Let's go, the man wants to be left alone."
Christine broke free of his grasp. "No, Raoul. I can't."
Yippie! By the way it took me two days to write it perfectly, in the end... well, i guess you'll be judge of this chapter.
I greatly appreciate all the wonderful reviews! it really warms my heart to see them! it brightens up my day! (which should tell you how my day actually is, pretty boring if you were wondering)
Stay tuned for Chapter Twenty-Seven: Getting Away
