Second Time Lucky

"No it was stupid. It was wrong. I shouldn't have sent her back there. He's dangerous, I-" Erik was cut off by Madame Giry.

"You did the right thing. After all, look what she did to you, I could never forgive something like that," she said understandingly.

"Yes, but I should have forgiven her. She could get hurt it was selfish and-and," he sighed, not being able to find the right words to describe his mistake.

He sat down on a chair heavily, that was beside the organ and rested his head in his hands. He stayed like that for a while but then sat up straight and ran his hand through his mop of blonde hair.

Giry walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Christine knew that it was suicide to go back but where else had she to go? Nowhere was the answer. She stood outside the front gates of the de Changey manor trying to build up the courage to go in. The Raoul that she had fallen in love with had died long ago.

She knew that, that part of Raoul, the one she fallen in love with, would never come back. She knew this deep down but she found it hard to accept. Erik was the only thing she had left.

To tell the truth for the last couple of months he had filled her thoughts and that is why he was the first person she had gone to. She had, she thought hoped for a lot.

She heard a crash come from the mansion and a man screaming. She knew that it was Raoul and she knew that she couldn't go back. Erik… But she had to.

She walked up the driveway through the deep snow and through the doorway. Raoul had seen her coming through the window. He was standing waiting at the bottom of the stairs. His hair was a tad messy to say the least.

"How dare you even set one foot on these grounds after what you have just done?" his voice was raspy and there was a mad gleam in his eyes when they fell upon her. She shivered under his withering stare.

He began to move towards her with his fist raised. She stepped back out of the house. She turned and ran she could hear his footsteps in the snow behind her. She ran faster, she felt his arms around her and before she could blink she was on the ground.

His fist connected with her face, and this time Erik wasn't there to save her. He hit her just below her eye and she knew that it would bruise in plain sight.

She raised her leg and kicked him in the crotch hard and he fell backwards off her. She took this opportunity and jumped up and ran.

Wandering child so lost so helpless, yearning for my guidance.

Angel or father, friend or Phantom? Who is it there staring?

Have you forgotten your Angel?

Too long you've wandered in winter far from my fathering gaze… Wildly my mind beats against you, You resist yet your soul obeys

She remembered the song. In the cemetery he had fought for her. She loved him that was the thing. She made a decision. She would try once more. She was risking a lot.

Erik wasn't expecting much, but the thing that he least expected was Christine to come back down the passageway. Madame Giry had left.

Christine was out of breath and she stumbled. He rushed forward quickly and caught her before she hit the ground. She lay back in his arms panting heavily. His eyes glanced over her and then fell on her eye. It must have already been bruising.

He reached up and gently ran his fingers over the place where she had been hit. She flinched even at his gentle touch. He looked at her, meeting her eyes. He stayed like that for what seemed like forever, and then he closed his eyes and lowered his head with a sigh. Looks like it was second time lucky…

He stood up with her in his arms and carried her back over to the swan bed. He put her down gently and pulled some stray stands of her hair away from her face. He knew that he had made a mistake and now the only thing that he could do to make it up to Christine was forgiving her. In a way he was glad. But he felt that he didn't deserve her after what he had done to her.

"I'm sorry Erik, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive me-" Christine said quietly but before she could finish Erik put his finger to her red lips.

"Listen. I'll forgive you if you forgive me. Don't say there is nothing to forgive. Think back. There's a hell of a lot."

"We're both forgiven then…" He nodded. She smiled and threw her arms around him. But what popped into Erik's head next made him feel sick. What about Madame Giry?

He hoped half-heartedly that she would understand, and he knew, deep down that she would say that she did but she wouldn't ever forgive him. He wasn't sure whether he could live with that. After all she had saved him from the Gypsy Circus.

He looked down at the now helpless and homeless woman in his arms. Someone was going to get hurt and he didn't really have the heart to chose. He wouldn't say anything for a while, until Christine was healthy again he would keep it quiet but after that, he would have to tell her.

Over the next few days Christine didn't let Erik out of her sight. On the first night, he was going to give her the bed and he was about to walk out of the room to go sleep somewhere else, which, if he had gotten out of the room he would have found out that it had been the floor, but he didn't.

He had just checked that she was okay and had turned around to leave, when she grabbed his hand. She had a look on her face that said it all- "Please don't leave me," and he didn't.

She pulled him onto the bed and he lay down beside her. She turned onto her side and rested her head on his chest like she had when he had saved her. Both were thinking the same thing. That it was the best position in the world.

That next morning, Christine woke up before Erik. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. All the events of the Opera Populaire played over in her mind once more. She ran her hand down the unmasked side of his face.

She longed to take it off. She wanted to tell him that she didn't care. Slowly resolve took her and she traced down the side of the mask delicately. Slowly Erik's hand raised up and grabbed hers.

His eyes opened and looked up her.

Those pleading eyes held all the sadness of the world.

Rolled over so she was straddling his stomach. She leaned forward so that her face was inches from his.

"I don't care," she said smiling tenderly, "To me you are perfect, and I love you. All of you," she said.

She reached up to take off the mask but Erik flinched away. She put her other hand on the unmasked side of his face and leaned forward to take it off again. He turned his head to the left so she couldn't see the side of his face.

She grabbed his head with her hands and turned it to face her head on. Then she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Then leant forward and rested her head on his chest again…

Erik had forgotten about Madame Giry and was just… Happy for once…

Okay I'm so sorry that it is so short but it is better than nothing …