Part 3. The final choice

"Christine, you can't just stand there all day even if you have to make a choice, why don't you come with me, follow with me home?" Meg said.

"I don't know…" Christine said insecurely. "I don't want to be for any trouble for you."

"Christine honey, you're my friend, remember? Even if we haven't seen each other on almost half a year I still see us like friends, don't you?" Meg said.

Christine nodded. "Of course I still see you as my friend."

"Then why are you still standing there? Come, let's go. And by the way, my mum is there, at my place…" Meg said and smiled a little.

When they where at Meg's house and came in where the first they met Madame Giry who was very glad to met Christine.

"Christine! It was a while ago… Are you okay? After what happened I've…"

"No Madame Giry, I'm not okay…" Christine said miserably.

"Haven't you got over the Phantom yet?" she asked. "Or is there anything else?"

Christine looked at Madame Giry and forced a smile. " I… I had to know if Erik was, or is, alive so I visited him. And then Raoul found out, no, I told him. He said that it was okay, but earlier today I told him what I said to Erik. I said that I love him, that I made the wrong decision when I left with Raoul and that I want to be his wife." Christine said and started to cry, again…

"Oups…" Madame Giry said. "And what more?"

"Well, now I have to choose, either do I return to Raoul before tomorrow morning and do never visit Erik again, or… I'll go back to Erik and my engagement with Raoul gets braked…"

"Christine… I wish there was something I could do for you, but this is a decision you have to make on your own." Madame Giry said sadly and looked at Meg. "Come Meg, let's go upstairs so Christine can think."

Meg nodded and followed her mum upstairs and there stood Christine, alone with her decision, the final decision.

Upstairs Meg and Madame Giry sat on Meg's bed and talked about what Christine had to decide.

"It's horrible!" Meg said and looked at her mum. "You know the Phantom, why can't you help her? No one knows him better then you, you brought him here..!" she said but Madame Giry just shook her head. "Yes darling, I know him best but it's still Christine's choice. Oh god, I hope she'll make the right thing…"

Meg looked worried at her mother. "What do you think is the right thing to do then?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." Madame Giry answered. "But Erik… He really loves her, and as far as I can see, she loves him too. And yet, Raoul… They seem to be such a lovely couple… And Raoul loves her too. I don't know honey, it's a hard decision she has to make so try to let her be alone."

Meg nodded. "Of course mommy." It was silent for some seconds and then; "Can't you tell me a little about him?" she asked.

"Of course I can… He's a genius to start with… He writes songs, operas. His home is his artistic domain. That's where he lives, loves, creates…" she paused to breathe. "He really does love Christine… He killed for her. And…"

"That's exactly what Christine said too… That he must love her if he kills to get her." Meg interrupted. "Oh, sorry, continue." She said and smiled a little.

"And as I said, he really do love her." She continued. "And yet… Have you seen how happy and love full Christine and Raoul looks when they're together? I don't know meg, but I really do think that it's best for her to choose Raoul… It's just that she'll never forget about Erik and never forget about Raoul. She'll never know if she has made the right decision. Never…"

Christine sat down in the living room and cried at the same time she was trying to think, trying to make her decision. I will never know if I made the right decision she thought. And yet, I must make one… Viscount Raoul de Chagny or Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. Oh… I don't know his last name. She sat like that for a while, talking to herself in her thoughts without any success. Then suddenly she shone up, rose from the couch, took a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote down:

Dear Meg and Madame Giry.

I've made my choice. I'll tell you soon what I decided, but not yet.

Wishes Christine.

And with those words on the paper she putted it on the living table, grabbed her coat and left. Running in the direction to the Opéra Populaire.

She once more ran up the stairs heading towards her dressing room, grabbed the dusty mirror and putted it aside. She ran down the dark corridor and down to the river finding nothing… No boat this time either. She jumped into the water, ready that it was so cold this time, and swam towards the shore. While she reached the shore and got up from the water she heard tunes from the organ, and there stood the Phantom and played. First he didn't notice Christine but when she got a little closer he stopped play.

"Christine, what are you doing here?" he asked and walked towards her.

"I've made my decision." She said.

"What decision?" Erik asked unsympathetically.

"Didn't you listen to my and Raoul's conversation?" she asked.

Erik shook his head. "No, I just heard a little from your and Meg's conversation. I'd just got there when she saw me." He said wit a sad voice. "Is it good or bad that you're here?" he asked.

"Well… I'll answer that later." She said and tears started to show up in her eyes. "I told Raoul what I'd tell you the day before yesterday. And he didn't get very glad. He said that I had to choose either to return to you and break his and mine engagement, or I'd return to him and never more meet you."

A smile showed up on Erik's face. "And you'd choose to return to me?"

Christine cried. "No… I… came to say goodbye. I'm so sorry…"

Erik shook his head. "But all that you said to me! Was it all lies?" he said frustrated.

Christine shook her head. "No, it wasn't and I will never know if I made the right decision when I'd choose to stay with Raoul."

He started to cry. "But... You said that you wanted to be my wife…"

"I know I said that, and I so still mean it."

"Then why are you returning to Raoul?" he asked.

"Because… I remembered…"

Erik looked unsympathetically at Christine. "Remembered what?" he asked.

"I remembered… When I met him, and then when I met you. When I first met Raoul I fell in love by the first eye contact. But with you... I fell in love with your music, your voice… But I do love you, not your music, and I do love Raoul too. But something inside of me says that Raoul is the man in my dreams. I'm so sorry. I will never forget you." She cried.

"But…" Erik started, but interrupted himself. "And I will never forget you." He said. "And believe me, I really do hope that you will have a wonderful life together."

"And I really do hope that you'll have a wonderful life, and that you will find someone else. Please just do me a favour and let me go, do not fear to love again thought then you will never be able to get happy." She said crying and looked into his tear-filled eyes. "Goodbye my love." She said and kissed his lips a last time.

"Bye love." Erik answered and kissed her back. "I will never forget you." He said. And those where the last words he would say to her, 'cause then she left, crying and afraid to turn around and look at him.

When Christine was home again she met Raoul's face in the door, smiling.

"I'm so sorry honey!" she said crying and kissed him. "I'm so sorry."

Raoul took her in his arms and hugged her. "It'll be al right." He said.

"Raoul, there is one last thing I want you to know." Christine said. "I where at the Opera and said goodbye to him, and he wished us good luck with our lives. And I know, I know that he meant it, he really do wish our good luck with our lives.