Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Phantom of the Opera characters. If you are on this site, you probably know who they belong to (does anyone get the feeling that I hate disclaimers? hehe)


A/N: Hey everyone. This is a story a long time in the making. One of my favorite church hymns is a little-known song called "Holy Darkness". It's a beautiful song, I really love it. Anyway, it inspired me to write this. So, each chapter will be titled after/based on a phrase or line from one of the verses. This is a very strange way for me to write--I usually write having the entire story and all its plot twists in my head before I begin. With this one, I'm just going to see where the song leads me. It's an experiment, bear with me. But unlike you, I know how the song ends, and so I have a pretty good idea where the story is going to end too. The fun is getting there. BTW, in this prologue, I'm pretty sure I took a line from Shrek. Just bear with me, ignore it. Not the line, the fact that it's from Shrek. You'll see what I mean. Oh--and also--just because this story came about because of a church hymn, it's not going to be religiously based. Just thought some people might like to know that. Enjoy.

Prologue: Holy Darkness

Holy darkness, blessed night

Heaven's answer hidden from our sight

As we await you, o God of silence

We embrace your holy night

Christine leaned back on her elbows as Raoul rowed the boat across the late, the taste of Erik's lips still on her own. Her body tingled where he had held her, as if his hands were pressing against her right now. A line from a fairy tale flowed through her mind: "awakened by true love's first kiss". What was that? Sleeping Beauty? If so, Christine thought, she should change her name to Aurora. For though she did not sleep for one hundred years, she had just been awoken with that kiss, for the first time.

Epiphany. A sudden realization. Could any other word describe what had just taken place besides that? She no longer knew the girl she was merely hours before. Everything was clear--her body trembled with the ferocity of being alive! How wondrous the world looked with her new eyes! How heavenly the black water felt tickling her fingers!

And yet… they were rowing away. Away from that which she now knew she needed. What was she doing? The man who smiled across from her was not the man who made her feel this way. He stood somewhere in the house on the other side of this lake. She should jump into the water! --but she couldn't swim!

He had sent her away. She had been his; she had given herself completely over to him. He must have understood she loved him! And now he cast her into the blinding light forever! She would always long for the comfort of his black veil. But he had made her strong. The strength she felt inside her was unbelievable. It would have to suffice to dream. Dream of him and his holy night.