Icy water

I do not own P.O.T.O.
Christine stood in the boat and rowed to the other side. The paper said that Erik dead and she needed to see if it was true. She dipped the stick into the icy, dark water and ventured on. Suddenly, she heard a voice singing to her. She listened and tried to find where it was coming from. She rowed over and looked around. She tried to peer into the water, but it was too dark. Two arms shot up and grabbed her shoulders. They pulled her into the water. Christine screamed when she hit the icy water. She struggled to get free, but she couldn't.

''Erik!'' she screamed. ''Help me!''

The arms pulled her under the water and she struggled to get free again. She brought her head just alittle above the water to breathe.

''Erik!'' she screamed. She pulled at the arms until the rest of the body came up. She saw the face and nearly screamed. It was Erik. He was trying to drown her? Their eyes met and she held onto him.

''Erik?'' she asked, out of breath. He clutched her to him and pulled her over to the shore. He carried her out and set her on the ground. For a moment he just stood there, staring at her and waiting for her to catch her breath.

''Erik.'' she finally said. ''Why would you try to drown me?''

She could feel hot tears stream down her face.

''I-I di-didn't kn-know, C-Christine.'' he sobbed. He broke down and fell to his knees. He burst out in tears and covered his face.

''I'm so sorry, Christine.'' he whispered. She reached for his hand, shakily.

''Do you always kill people like this?'' she asked. He nodded his head slowly and stood up.

''You must change into some dry clothes.'' he told her, hanging his head. He gestured towards his home and Christine stood and walked slowly towards the door. She changed into a new dress and took her wet dress out by the side of the lake to dry. Then, she made her way back inside and looked around for Erik. He was sitting at the organ and pounding his fingers away at the keys. She reached out her hand and set it on his shoulder. He stopped playing and turned around. He had his mask on. Christine sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He let out a sigh a continued playing. Christine stared at his hands as he played. When he finished playing, he turned to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

''What would you care to do, my darling?'' he asked.

''Take a walk?'' she suggested. He nodded and grabbed his cloak. Christine grabbed her shawl and they both left. Erik held her hand as they walked to the boat. When they reached the other side, Erik led Christine out and they both walked along the bank. They ventured farther into the darkness and Christine picked up some pebbles. She skipped them along the inky, dark water and then watched them sink. Erik watched her in silence. He felt a weak smile spread across his face. They kept walking until Christine saw something bobbing in the water. She walked over to it. It was a body! Christine let out a scream. Erik ran over to her and threw his arms around her shoulders.

''What is the matter, darling?'' he asked, even though he knew. Christine pointed to the body floating in the water and alomost fainted. Erik grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Christine looked away and kept her away from the body. They kept walking until Christine grew tired. Erik brought her back to his home and told her to get some rest. He said he had some buisness to take care of and he would return later. When he got back, Christine was awake and looking through the music he had. It was late, so Christine went to bed and Erik went into his room.

The next morning, Christine asked if he would take her on another walk. They walked to where the body was, but it was gone. They ventured farther and suddenly, Christine's face went white. There was another body in the water. Something seemed so familiar about it. Christine moved towards the water and looked at the face. Her eyes went wide and she let out a scream. She fell to her knees and sobbed. Erik saw which body it was and ran to Christine. He wrapped his arms around her, but she struggled to get away.

''Erik!'' she screamed. ''How could you!''

He held her tighter and tried to pull her away from the body. She screamed and struggled, but she just couldn't get free of him.

''I loved him!'' she cried. ''How could you kill him? I hate you!''

Her last sentence echoed through the catacombs. It bounced off the dark walls and pierced Erik's ears. His eyes blazed and he picked her up. He held her tight to him as he walked back to his home. Once, he was inside, he tossed her onto the floor in her room and locked her inside.

''Erik!'' she screamed. ''Let me out!''

He ignored her and walked over to the organ. He pulled out his Don Juan Triumphant and opened it. He sat down at the organ and began to play fiercly. He knew that she would be scarred for life, once he was done. He finished and began to laugh maniacly. He opened the door to Christine's room and found her laying on the bed, white as a ghost. She was shaking horribly. Erik laughed and walked over to her haking form. He grabbed her by the hair and laughed in her face.

''I knew you would be afraid when I played my opera for you. This is what happens when Erik is not happy.'' he laughed. Suddenly, she ripped off the mask. Erik let go of her and she fell to the floor. He fell into a heap beside her. He started to sob. Christine backed away from him and curled up into a ball. He reached for his mask and put it back on. He layed on the floor and sobbed some more. Christine watched him from a corner of the room. They both stayed like that until they both grew very tired. Erik fell asleep on the floor, trying to control his sobbing, while Christine lay in the corner and slept. In the middle of the night, Christine woke up and looked around. It was still night, she guessed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her gaze suddenly fell on Erik. He lay in a heap on the floor. 'He's just so unhappy.' she thought. 'He dosen't even realize that he's killing these people.'

Christine could see that he was shaking. She grabbed a blanket and some pillows off of the bed and walked tiredly over to Erik. She lifted up his head slightly and slid a pillow under. Then, she layed down with her own next to him and pulled a blanket over them. She closed her eyes and gently drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, Christine and Erik both woke up at the same time. Erik had somehow rolled over in his sleep and had his arm around Christine's waist. He moved away and sat up. Christine rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms. Erik stared at the floor like a confused child. Christine stood up and started to put the pillows back onto the bed. Suddenly, Erik jumped at her feet and grabbed the hem of her dress.

''I'm so sorry, Christine!'' he cried. He was almost about to burst into tears. ''I didn't mean to kill him! I didn't even know what I was doing!''

Christine stared down at this man before her. He groveled at her feet and begged her forgivness. She bent down beside him and embraced him.

''It's ok, Erik.'' she told him. ''I dont' knwo how long it will take, but I will get over it.''

Erik looked into her eyes and sighed.

''H-he was t-trying t-to hurt you.'' he stuttered. He was being serious. Christine's expression changed to one of pure shock. Her childhood sweetheart was trying to hurt her?

''Oh my...oh..my..'' she whispered. She was too upset to even think. Erik embraced her and kissed her forehead.

''That's why I had to do it, Christine. I didn't want you to hate me, but I didn't want him to hurt you. I love you.''

Christine sobbed into his shoulder and he held her. Finally, they both stood up and Erik helped Christine with the bed. The whole day was pretty quiet, except for Christine's singing lesson. Afterwards, Christine stayed in her room for the rest of the day. She tried to figure out why Raoul would do such a thing. She thought he loved her. Christine sighed and layed down on her bed.