Transformation
"Christine?" he panted and walked across the roof until he was under the balcony, he then climbed up and pulled himself over the edge, "Christine…you came back?"
Christine opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when Erik gave a gasp of pain and doubled over on the roof. She gasped in panic as he grabbed at his chest and fell to the ground with another cry of pain.
"Erik?" she asked, "Erik, what's wrong?"
"Christine…" he panted, "I-I'm so sorry."
"No, don't be, why would you say that?"
"You came back," he repeated weakly.
"Of course I did, Nadir told me…and I couldn't let them…I should have gotten here sooner. This is all my fault."
"No," Erik gasped, "maybe…maybe it's better this way."
"Don't say that!" she exclaimed, taking his hand and grasping it tightly, "don't talk like that, everything will be alright. You'll see."
Erik gave a weak smile as Christine sniffled, "At least I got to see you…one last time."
"I said don't talk like that!" Christine exclaimed and put his hand against her cheek, "we're together now, everything will be alright…Erik?"
Erik gave another wince and coughed before gasping for air. Christine quickly removed the mask and tried to loosen the collar of his shirt, but it didn't seem to help. She sniffed as she looked down at him, he didn't seem so frightening anymore and she brushed her hand against his face.
"Don't go," she murmured, though tears choked her words, "please don't go, Erik…Erik!"
She felt his hand reached up and weakly brush her face before falling limply to the ground. In his room the last petal fell off of the rose as Antoinette, Meg, Nadir and Gustave rushed in. They all froze and Meg hugged her mother tightly.
"Don't go," Christine sobbed quietly, "I-I love you."
She looked down on him again and laid her head against his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks and quiet sobs racking her body, "I love you," she repeated weakly.
"Its over," Nadir sighed, shaking his head wearily.
"What do you mean?" Gustave asked, "he isn't?"
Nadir nodded his head sadly, "The petal fell, the last petal…and the curse was never broken…"
Christine stayed completely still, the only thing she could hear were her own sobs. Then the faint beat of a heart that grew stronger and stronger. Then she felt his chest begin to rise and fall as air filled his lungs. She blinked and closed her eyes again, afraid that everything that was happening was a dream. But within a moment she felt him try to get up and lifted her head from his chest and turned to find herself staring into pale yellow eyes.
"What?" she gasped.
"Its me," Erik said, brushing a hand against her cheek.
"But…" Christine stared at the man before her in confusion, then reached out and touched his cheek, moving her hand around over his entire face. Feeling his forehead, lips and nose, "you have…you have a nose!"
Erik smiled as she pulled her hand away, "Do I?"
She nodded her head dumbly, "And…you have a nose!"
Erik laughed, and brushed his hand against her cheek again, "A nose, Christine?" he asked, "is a nose really such a shocking thing?"
Christine shook her head, "No, I guess it isn't really…you're alive!"
As she said that she flung herself at him, embracing him tightly as tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks again. She felt his arm reach around her shoulders and help her stand up with him.
"Yes, Christine…I love you."
"I love you too," she sniffled, "but, what happened? You look…"
"Handsome?" Erik asked.
"Well…yes," she replied, running a hand over his cheek and pushing a strand of dark hair beind his ear.
"It is a terribly long story."
"I think I'd like to hear it," she replied.
A/N: Am I good or what? Two chapters in one night! Well please leave a review, there will be at least one more chapter to go, perhaps two...depends on how I feel.
