A/N: And we trudge along...
"Vicomtess de Changy." Christine said with the bow of her head praying that she had just come in. "I was just on my way out."
"Really? So you are through trying to lure away my husband?" The tall woman's voice was cold and hard.
"I did nothing of the such. Just asking for a favor."
"What is that? For him to leave me so you can have him once more?"
"Madame, I have no intentions. I do not love your husband. If you wish to know what the conversation we held was about, I think you should ask your husband. Excuse me, but I will be late for an appointment if I do not leave now." Christine said, and hurried out, knowing that such a conversation was not in her place to attend. Besides, she had other things of greater importance to attend to...
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Christine went up to the desk, but it was not the Scottish officer that stood there. Would he let her go in still?
"Mademoiselle? May I help you?"
"I'm here to see Erik Destler.Or as you perhapsknow him as...the phantom."
"Oh, he is no longer able to accept visitors."
"But he has to see me!" Christine pleaded.
"Only if you were family would you be allowed in, and the phantom has no family."
"Would fiancé count?"
"It would, but are you his fiancé?"
"Yes."
"Oh, well then yes, you are permitted. What is your name?"
"My name?"
"So I can put you down on the list of people that are able to see him - so you can go right in next time."
"Oh. My name is...Aminta. Aminta Juan." Christine said, thinking fast.
"Okay...this way, Madame Juan."
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The door to Erik's cell opened, and Christine was allowed inside. After the door was shut, she ran to the cell, where Erik knelt, his hands gripping the bars with his head bowed.
"Erik?"
His head came up, his green eyes piercing her heart. "So you came? I thought they forbad anyone else to see me now."
"Erik...all the officers in France couldn't have kept me away from seeing you."
"So...this is it. Tomorrow is the end." He said, as if it meant nothing.
"No, don't speak of it. Let us talk of other things."
"Whatever you wish."
After a pause, Christine realized that she might as well say the first important thing that needed desperately to be discussed. "You know how I stopped by Nadir's house...on the way back to Paris, and asked him to come? Well, I also went to Giovanni's."
"Oh, Christine, you didn't tell him about this, did you?"
"No. Erik...Giovanni died the night after we left."
Erik looked at her, stunned. "He's dead?"
Christine nodded.
"Well then, if God is merciful, which I doubt for He never was before, perhaps I may be able to catch a glimpse of Giovanni to say one last goodbye before I descend into Hell."
"Erik! Please, don't speak of such. I have more to say about Giovanni. He has left you his house and everything in it - including all the servants."
"He left it all to me? But he has three other daughters! Surely there must be a mistake."
Christine took the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him. "I just received this today."
He read it over, then handed it back. "It was kind of him, but what need does a dead man have of a house?"
"Erik..."
"Forgive me. But you'll have to face this, Christine. By tomorrow, what I'm trying to say will become a reality."
Oh, curse those tears! Why did she have to cry so much? Why now? "I tried to save you! I did everything I could, but to no prevail! I do not know where to go from here!" She exclaimed, her heart leaping heavily in her chest.
"Oh Christine...what did you do?"
"I'm so sorry! I know I shouldn't have, but I had to!"
"You promised me!" He said angrily.
"I promised only because you made me! I could not just stand by helplessly and not even try to help you!"
"To whom did you decide to tell?"
"...Raoul."
"You told...you told...?" Erik exclaimed, not being able to finish saying it.
"He was the only one who could help!"
"What did he say?"
"He once told me that he would do anything for me. He lied. I asked him if he would help-"
"But instead of granting you of your wish, he very distastefully declined while proclaiming his undying love for you?"
"How do you know about that?" Christine shrieked. "Am I the last to know?"
"Christine...you knew it all along. As did I. I did not question you all that time for nothing."
Christine sank to her knees. "I didn't want you to know about how he feels."
"And why not?"
"Because I was afraid that you would think that after you were...you were gone...that I might find someone else. That it could be that easy. I don't want you to have that doubt."
He took her hand, caressing her palm with his thumb, staring down at it while he spoke. "I rather you do just that, if you must know the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...you can not hold onto me forever. You will grow miserable and unhappy. That is the last thing I would wish to become of you. I would rather look up from hell to you as I always have, to watch you in another man's arms, than to see you loyal to me after I die. I rather you marry even de Changy than to carry on with just a memory."
Christine shook her head. "What could truly possess you to say such? When I say that I will love you, only you, for all eternity, I do not take that lightly. Besides...what one man could ever take your place? Who other could be my protector, my guardian, my light and my dark. The one person I trust, the one person who knows all of me. All of my secrets. Who could be my Angel of Music again, who lives only for me? There is no one else. There is no one who could take the place of you, whether I would wish it or not."
A knock on the door. "Mademoiselle Juan, time is almost up." Came a Scottish voice.
"Thank you, I'll be out in a minute." Christine called back.
Erik looked at her quizzically. "Mademoiselle Juan?"
"The only way to get in here is was if I was a family member. I told them I was your fiancé, and that my name was...Aminta Juan."
Erik couldn't help but chuckle before his face fell in dismay. Another knock came as a reminder. Christine started to rise, her breathing heavy. How could this be the last time she'd ever see Erik alive? How could their last time together end so soon.
As she started to step slowly to the door, he caught her hand. "Listen to me, Christine. Do what you want with your life. Take whatever I told you before and throw it to the wind. Just not this. Always think of this, even if you do decide to move on. I have done many bad things in my life. Countless deaths happened by my hand. I deserve to die, I do. Even if I don't want to, I can not blame those people gathered out there that hate me. They should."
Christine shook her head. "You promised me!" She suddenly yelled. "I told you I love you too much to die - but you're going to die anyway! You promised me you wouldn't! You promised that you wouldn't die!" Loud sobs came from her now, heavier than she had ever experienced in her life.
"Listen, Christine. Let me finish. I don't care about what they think. I don't care what anyone in this world thinks or remembers of me...except you. I need you to remember me, Christine. Perhaps it will help you in your grief, or maybe it will worsen it. I requested my last request before, but you broke it, so by all rights I get one more. And this is my last request. Remember...remember that I will always be with you, even if at your darkest times you think I've deserted you. As long as you keep me in your memory, I can never truly die. I'll be that voice in the cold wind that whispers to you. Listen, and you will always be able to hear my voice. If one day you do get married, and have children...perhaps you could make an addition to your father's stories and add my own in. Tell my story; not the bad parts, but the good. Tell them of my love for the fairest innocent young maiden, up to my dying breath and beyond. I'll be right there with you each time you tell my story. Remember, when your dreams have ended, and you are left cold and deserted in the night, that time can go back...that I can be with you, waiting for you to come to me. Just close your eyes...and you'll see me. And I'll sing you a lullaby as I had when you were still small. You'll picture my face, and you'll drift into peaceful dreams until morning breaks. Just always know, my dear Christine, that I will never leave you, as long as you remember me. Christine...remember me."
Christine was crying into his hand as she listened to his words.
"Will you promise?" He asked her. She nodded, her throat too constricted to say anything.
Then came another annoyed knock. "Look, Madame, I will lose my job if my boss comes in and sees you in there still." He said before sticking his head in. "Wait a minute there, you're no Madame Juan engaged to Erik Destler - you're Christine Daae! You little sneak!" He laughed. Christine blushed.
"They would not allow me in."
"Forgive them, they are only doing their jobs. But you really must come now, Mademoiselle Daae."
"I'll be right out. Promise."
The Scottish officer seemed satisfied, then shut the door. Christine turned back to Erik quickly.
"Do you still have that engagement ring you once offered me?" Christine asked him.
"Of course, but-"
"Where is it?"
"In the little table by your bed. But Christine...why?"
She shook her head, then kissed him. "I love you always!" She said over her shoulder as she ran out, now in a hurry. She paused at the doorway to see him offer her a weak smile with those sad green eyes that would haunt her forever.
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Speeding out of the jailhouse, she ran straight into Nadir. He reached up with one hand to steady his now unbalanced turban, and with the other arm, held Christine up so she wouldn't fall.
"Sorry, Nadir." She whispered, looking up at him.
"Would you allow me to take you home?"
"Don't you need to be here?"
"Here? No. I'm no longer allowed to see Erik. I'd only be sitting here to further annoy the officers. Even that is only amusing for a short while. Come,a proper young lady never walks the streets of Paris by herself."
"Proper young ladies also do not go falling in love with dying angels." Christine said sadly.
"Even so, Erik made me promise to take care of you from now on."
Christine looked at him in surprise. "He did what?"
Nadir winced. "I remember now...that was the thing he told me not to tell you. But do not take offense, he merely did not want you to be alone. So from this day forward, I will be at your service."
"What about your home? Your town?"
"Always hated that town, and the house is too big to keep up. I once stalked the halls of the Opera House just as much as Erik did; only my reason was his opposite - to watch him. I will be more than glad to do so once more. Theater has become quite the passion for me."
"Glad to hear it, though I will not be singing in it any longer. One last performance, then I take my last bow."
"Sad to hear it. Paris will suffer greatly from your absence."
"They do not come for me, they come for my name."
"Can you blame them? Everyone wants to see the great young beauty with the voice of an angel that has captured the mighty Phantom's heart."
Christine grinned, as much to her surprise as it was Nadir's.
"What is this? A smile upon the Mademoiselle Juan's lips?"
"What - do you hear everything of what I do?" She exclaimed with a laugh. "Well, enjoy it. For after today I shall never smile again."
"I hope you do not keep to that promise, my young child - you would then be ridding the world of it's sun."
Christine looked at him in wonder, then took his offered arm as they started their walk back to the opera house.
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