Christine returned to find the Palazzo awkwardly silent, but paid no heed to it as Céline had immensely tired from their walk and needed to be put to bed quickly. How could she have known Erik had dismissed the entire staff for the night! As she reached the nursery, she noticed Nicole in a more than usually pretty dress, turning around at her nervously.

"Madame, if you please...there is a feast of some sort in the city tonight, with music and dancing...Monsieur Renzo has invited me to join a group of friends to go." Noticing her lady's teasing smile, she quickly added. "Mademoiselle Franca will be going also, as well as some of the other girls..."

Christine smiled at her. "By all means Nicole. You deserve some rest from ceaselessly devoting yourself to my dear child...and myself for that matter." After quickly embracing her lady in gratefulness, she quickly made her way downstairs.

Christine looked at Céline, who was already well on her way in undressing herself. "Well then, with Nicole away you must take care of yourself tonight, my angel."

Céline looked almost insulted. "I am very big now maman, I can do!" Christine could not help but laugh as she quickly tugged the little one in bed. Upon feeling the soft pillows she immediately dozed off, clutching her favourite teddybear as protection from the monsters.

Upon entering her room, Christine gasped at the sight of her newest present. Spread out on the bed lay a new evening gown, a beautiful midnight blue, sparkled in the most delicate of crystals embroidered to it. Accompanying it was a small card in the beautiful ivory paper she recognised to be Erik's stationary.

My dearest Christine,

I hope your walk has not left you too tired to have dinner with me this night. I shall be waiting for you in the heavenliest of rooms, all you need do is let the roses guide you to me as they used to at the Opera House. Please do not tarry dearest, for I long to hold you near again!

Your most obedient and devoted servant,

E.

Bewildered at his plans, she quickly started to change her clothes. The dress was a darker shade than the soft pastels she usually wore, but she had noticed Erik to have a keen eye on which colours to become her. She blushed slightly upon seeing the gown's low cut neckline, but a glance in the mirror made her realise it suited her very well. It seemed to be a different woman in total looking back at her. The Little Lotte from Raoul's memories had been replaced with a grown up, self assured woman. One who was about to have dinner with the man of her dreams!

As she strutted out of her room she noticed the roses in the corridor and down the staircase. She was quite positive they had not been there upon her entering the Palazzo, and she admired Erik for his quick work. What was he planning? Ever since she was little she had been unable to stand secrets! The last rose she picked up had led her to a large room she had not been to yet. As she opened the large mahogany door she immediately realised why, it was the ballroom.

Treading cautiously, as not to slip on the smooth wooden floorboards, she stopped suddenly upon beholding the room's beauty. Candles everywhere, hundreds of them! It reminded her very much of the house beyond the lake...and by the lake there was a man...

She turned towards the open doors which led to the garden and saw him standing there, amused by her awe. His plan was working perfectly so far. As he walked towards her he smiled at her utter shock, carefully taking the roses from her hands and placing them with a large bouquet on the dining table.

"How do you find our setting this night, ma chère?"

"Erik, it's...beyond beautiful. How much work this must have been!"

He twirled her around humming a tune, surprised once again at the lightness of her tread. "One afternoon to be precise, with the devoted help of Franca and Renzo of course."

Suddenly Christine began to comprehend. "The feast in town...it was very happy indeed you could spare the staff to leave this night."

"Very happy indeed. I would take care where Nicole be concerned, dearest. I have the impression that my Renzo is very much infatuated by her golden locks. Not that we should have anything to fear from his intentions of course, but it might mean we shall have to look for a new nurse..."

After a while he led her to the table as to allow her some breath from their waltz. Christine sipped from her wine, once again looking around the room in awe. Turning back to Erik she could not help but return his devoted gaze. "And you Monsieur? What have I to fear from your intentions?"

She had meant it to be a joke, but saw his face suddenly turn very serious indeed. Was it something she had said? She fell completely silent, watching him as he nervously paced about before sinking down in the chair next to hers. His gaze was impenetrable, searching her face in his all too familiar way. She suddenly remembered his words from the night before. "I could not face losing you again, it would be the ruin of me..." Oh dear God, of course!

As she looked up again the noticed him fumbling about a small object, while carefully searching for words. "Christine, I...words can never express how blessed I feel in having you here. So much has passed between us, so much pain and sorrow befallen us while we were apart, so many regrets we wish could be undone..."

He handed her the small object, placing it in her hand before carefully folding it. "I hope this will let us make a new start. No more fears, as you would say. We can live here at the Palazzo in peace, as a family should..."

By now her eyes had lingered away from his, landing on her hand. She could guess what lay inside, welcomed what lay inside, but was ever so nervous to find out. As she cautiously unfolded her hand she found a delicately shaped white golden band, a heart shaped ruby set in its centre.

The tears on her face were encouragement enough for Erik to continue. "The white gold I chose for the pureness of you, the ruby to show how much you have warmed my heart. I designed it for you many years back in Paris, and I hope you will not mind me borrowing one of your rings last night to measure the exact size. Much as I knew your hands to be fine I discovered your fingers to be smaller still."

Christine was still at a loss for words, moved deeply by his careful preparations. The ring...he had kept it for so long! Brought it with him from Paris knowing she was marrying another that very moment! How delicate its beauty, how precious its message! Feeling braver and more secure with every moment, Erik now kneeled beside her, taking her hand while wiping her tears with the other.

"Christine, will you honour me in becoming my wife?"

"Yes, of course..." It was a mere whisper from her lips, before she threw herself in his arms, searching his warmth to remedy her fervent trembling.

Stroking her fine curls Erik was still trying to grasp what had just passed between them. He had actually proposed to her, after all these years. After having all the odds set against them, against him ever obtaining her affections. And she had accepted him, to be her husband for ever more, to share his life and his bed. Him! He felt Christine breaking free from his grasp, still sitting on his knee, her wide gown flowing about them.

She produced the ring from her hand. "Would you put it on for me, I fear I cannot...my hands...they are trembling so!"

Kissing both her hands he took the ring from her, carefully slipping it onto her finger. A perfect match. It complemented her fair skin beautifully. Christine could do nothing but gaze at her hand and Erik's joyful face in turn. Now it was his turn to scold her. "Now, Signora, shall we proceed to dinner before we ruin a once again perfectly set table?"

Dinner passed in silence, merely interrupted by their mutual glances across, filled with love and utter devotion, neither finding a way of expressing what hurled within. Erik still could not grasp she had actually consented to becoming his wife. Never had he immagined such pleasures to be set away for him, the monster, the phantom...As if waking into a sunny summer's day, suddenly finding himself to be a perfectly respectable architect with a beautiful house and a loving wife and daughter beside him.

Christine for her part knew now she should not have left with Raoul that night. She would not have wasted five perfectly good years of her life trying to become someone she was not, wasting her talents and murdering the love she knew burned inside for this man, her future husband. Erik noticed her weariness, and upon asking her to express her worries he merely took her in his arms.

"I have tried to explain to you before my darling, that staying with me that night would have ruined us both. I had too many dragons to slay. I needed to find salvation first in order to be able to accept another in my life. Learn to love myself before loving another. I did not live back then, Christine. I lived through you. I needed you to feel alive, that's why I could not bear to share you. I did not love you, I loved possessing you."

His confessions startled her. In all her childish confusion she had never immagined him to have sunken so deep in his own darkness. "Raoul de Chagny has been good to you, has he not? Treated you with love and respect?" She could not deny it. He smirked at his own remarks. "Now why am I the one convincing you of my late rival's good qualities?"