Author's Note: Ah! Now all that's left is the epilogue! Thank you all for sticking with the story and reviewing. I really do appreciate it. Enjoy!

The Truth

As soon as Raoul was out of her sight, she closed the door. Christine dropped the piece of metal she was holding and knelt down next to Erik. He was conscious, trying desperately to shield his face from her view. She helped him into a sitting position, leaning him against the wall.

A look of concern of her face, she gently touched Erik's hand, the one he held to his face.

"No!" he said gruffly, knocking her hand away with his free one.

Affronted but not to be deterred, Christine tried again. This time, she placed her hand upon his, meeting his eyes, trying to convey what she felt through them. Erik seemed to get the message, but vocalized his doubt.

"Christine, no. Go, now. Leave me with what little decency I have."

"Erik, please. You're hurt, there might still be pieces embedded in your skin. They need to be removed," she said quietly.

He met her eyes once more, which were a soft and gentle gold color, like warm honey.

"Let me help you," she whispered.

He relaxed and slowly he moved his hand away from his face.

Christine looked upon his face, anger and pity flaring through her. 'His parents abused him because of this?' she thought, unbelieving of the world's cruelty. The part of his face that was constantly hidden by the mask was indeed deformed: the skin looked as if it had been badly burned. She could see the scars that had formed from all of the merciless beatings he had suffered at the hands of those filled with hatred. But Christine found it remarkably easy to look past the deformity in order to see the beauty underneath. He had the same eyes, and those were the most important feature to Christine. Christine looked once more at his cheek, stained with tears and blood, this time inspecting it for stray pieces of porcelain. Finding none, she tried to look him in the eyes, but he was steadfastly avoiding her gaze.

Smiling gently, ripped a piece of fabric from the bottom of her shirt. With trembling hands, she reached over to his face. She gently blotted the blood and tears away. This simple gesture, overflowing with kindness, caused Erik to turn his tear-filled eyes to Christine's. She met his gaze, smiling softly.

"Christine," he whispered hoarsely.

"Erik," she said just as softly back, still smiling through her tears. She wrapped her arms around Erik and cried into his shoulder. It felt like she stayed in his arms for hours, knowing that in reality, only mere minutes were passing. Christine felt safe and comforted in his arms. She knew that she never wanted to leave them.

Erik pushed Christine out of his embrace ever so slightly so that he could talk to her. "Christine," he said, his voice wavering with emotion, "Christine, I do not deserve you." She tried to interrupt him, but he kept on. "My past is riddled with so much evil, Christine, and you are pure. You are of light, and I…I am a creature of darkness. And my face. How can you even bear to look? No, Christine. I do not deserve you"

"Your face? Erik, what about it? All I see is the man underneath, the man behind the mask. Your scars are a tribute to all which you have suffered. They show you are strong in a way that is not often seen. They are symbols of your past, nothing more. You are beautiful to me, Erik.

Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes as he broke contact with her. He seemed embarrassed by what she was saying.

Christine only smiled. "And concerning your past, I believe it was you who told me that I should not judge you by your history and that you yourself had gotten past it. I know now that you have not, but some wounds take longer to heal. Erik, trust me when I say that you do deserve me. It is I that am the undeserving."

"Christine, no. What I said in the woods, I…"

She cut him off. "No, you were right. I am a liar. I should have told you everything. That night we danced, my duplicity tortured me. I knew that I could not continue to lead you on. I had to come clean. You deserved to know, even if it meant that neither of us could have what we wanted, at least in that moment. Erik, I am so sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you. I should have told you the truth about everything sooner, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Spending time with you was like spending time in a most glorious dream. I didn't want to wake from it. I'm sorry."

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Christine, you are forgiven. One million times over, you are forgiven."

She smiled and kissed him. She pulled away and breathed onto his lips, whispering, "Erik, I love you."

He opened his eyes, which were a fierce green and filled with wonder. "I love you, Christine."

She smiled and kissed him again, this time delving deeper into his mouth. Her tongue danced with his, a wild tango of desire and passion. A dull ache arose in the pit of Christine's stomach and a fire was lit behind her eyes. She broke their kiss and looked into Erik's blazing green irises. What she saw there was familiar to her; it was the same look he had on the night of their dance.

She kissed him once more, needy this time, hungering for a nectar that only he possessed. Erik pressed her body into his, relishing the feeling of her every curve. Crazed now, he picked her up and walked her back to his room, somehow keeping his lips locked onto hers. He threw her onto his bed and crawled atop her, laying his body flush against hers. She kissed him hard. One of her hands twined into his hair. The other stroked his mangled cheek. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and she pressed herself against him. Erik suddenly broke their embrace, a worried expression upon his face.

"Christine, if we do this, there's no going back," he warned her. His desire for her was growing with every second she was in his arms and on his lips.

"Erik, as far as I'm concerned," she said breathlessly, "we've passed the point of no return."

XOX

In the darkness, Erik watched her sleep. She had given him the most pleasurable and wonderful night he had ever experienced.

'I hope she felt the same,' he thought.

He looked upon her sleeping form, marveling at her beauty and grace. Her chocolate curls were everywhere and slightly swollen pink lips were somewhat parted. She smiled faintly as she dreamed.

Erik kept staring at her, not noticing when she opened her eyes and regarded him. She reached out and touched his face, making him flinch.

"Christine," he said, "you are so beautiful." She blushed slightly and he saw her smile. 'Her smile,' he sighed. 'It can light up a room.'

"I love you," he stated, simply just to hear her reply.

"I love you too."