Rekindling the Music of the Night

By: K.C. Vaillancourt

Disclaimer - You know the drill…I do not own anything associated with The Phantom of the Opera or lyrics of any songs I use.

Author Note – Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites. You have no idea how much they mean to me and inspire me to continue. Here is the moment we have all been waiting for. Christine and Erik are face to face again.

As a warning in this chapter their conversation may seem a bit dysfunctional, repetitive and generally all over the place. Trust me this isn't me forgetting how to write. It is how I saw the conversation in my head since they have a lot to talk about and try to resolve. So things might jump around a bit since they are both dealing with seeing each other for the first time in six years.

Erik may also seem a little OOC but I figured after six years he will have changed a bit like we all do over time.

Just as a quick warning I do edit all my work before I post and have people read my work but there still may be some grammar mistakes. I apologize for them in advance.

Enough from me. On to the story, enjoy the ride!


All I Ask of You, Forgiveness

Erik stopped when he saw a cloaked figure at his door. He was immediately ready to activate one of the numerous deadly traps he had constructed around his home to defend himself. Then he saw Cesar tied to the porch and stopped himself. Had Madame Giry told Meg where he lived? The figure turned to face him and even in the darkness of the night he could tell that under the cloak was a woman but not Meg. He starred at the stranger in front of him and she starred back at him.

He let out a gasped as he looked into her dark chocolate brown eyes and she starred into his light sea green ones. Was it possible? Could she really here? He thought to himself. No. He stood shaking his head. It was impossible, she was an illusion of his mind like all the other times. When he stepped forward to try to touch her she would disappear. He had dreamed about her so many times after she left him. Then he worked hard to forget her especially once he found out from Madame Giry she had gone through with her marriage to the Vicomte. The dreams had begun again after the music he played a little more than a week before.

Christine starred at him as her heart raced. She had found him. She wanted to run forward and wrap her arms around him. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him as soon as she saw him but stopped herself. Instead she stepped off the porch and took a few steps closer to him. She saw under the hood of his cloak he looked as if he hadn't aged at all.

He was the same handsome man as before and wore the same white mask to cover his deformity. She couldn't see much more than the mask but assumed he was wearing a black wig and still dressed as gentlemanly as he did before. Now that she was face to face with him her thoughts became jumbled. She had no idea where to start so she smiled at him. "Hello Erik."

He stayed silent as he starred at her. When he had imagined her she never spoke. She was here. Christine was here. She was real, and standing in front of him. Now that she was closer to him he could tell by the redness in her eyes she had been crying. More than anything he wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her.

He noticed a few strands of blonde hair under the hood of her cloak. Why did she change her beautiful brunette hair? He wondered. Then it dawned on him. She had called him by his first name. He let it repeat in his mind. He never liked hearing his name but loved the way it floated off of her lips. As he looked at her his heart began to ache as he remembered all the pain he felt when she left him for the Vicomte.

As they both stayed silent he could feel the tension between them building as he continued to stare at her. "Christine?" He whispered.

She nodded. "Yes, it's me."

Erik thought he might pass out as he heard her voice again. It had been six years since he last saw her. He asked the first clear question that formed in his mind. "How do you know my name? I never told you what it was."

"Meg told me." Christine stated simply and spoke again before he could ask his next question. "I ran into her at your old home in the opera house. She was reluctant at first but she helped me leave Paris on Cesar to get to Madame Giry who after a bit of prodding told me you lived here."

Erik closed his eyes. He felt a conflict deep within himself. Half of him wanted her to stay while the other wanted her to leave. He looked at her again. She had caused him so much pain when she left before he decided to get it over with quickly. "I told you to leave my home and forget me."

"How could you expect me to do that?" She asked. "You are an important part of my life. I could never forget about you."

He noticed her use of the present tense but still felt the need to protect himself. He narrowed his eyes as he spat out. "Go back to your comfy life Vicomtess. I am sure your husband is missing you."

Christine didn't move even though he told her to go. Meg and Madame Giry had warned her he might be like this. She had told them both she would go if he asked her to but now that she was here, standing in front of him she decided he was going to hear her out no matter what she had to do. She didn't expect an immediate happy reunion and was hurt by his words but did not show it. "I can't go back to him."

"Why?" He asked trying to hide his immediate concern for her.

"I left him." Christine told him while trying to remain still when her heart was still screaming at her to run into his arms and tell him how much she missed him.

"Why would you do that?" Erik tried to hide his shock and delight that the Vicomte might be sharing a bit of the pain he felt when she left him.

"It's a long story." Christine said. She did not want him to know about her life with Raoul, not yet. "The only thing I will say for now is that I saw who the real Vicomte De Chagny was."

"Why did you seek me out?" Eric asked wondering what she meant by the real Vicomte.

Christine didn't want to immediately exclaim that she loved him. She knew she needed to take things slow. She didn't quite know how to start but did as best as she could. "I needed to see you. I needed to come here and see if there was a way to make things right between us."

Erik couldn't help but laugh. "You have come to this conclusion after six years? There is nothing you can do to make things right." He turned around and was about to walk back into the woods.

"Erik, please wait." She said running forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "All I wanted to do was come back and…"

Erik turned to face her shaking off the hand that was on his shoulder. "Has anyone ever taken what you hated most about yourself and displayed it like a freak show for an audience to enjoy? Seeing you here. Hearing your voice, it brings it all back. The screams of horror and disgust. The mob that was ready to kill me. You are no better than the…" He stopped himself from revealing his past. "Why would I allow you back into my life after what you did to me?"

Christine closed her eyes taking a deep breath and when she opened them Erik was surprised to see her normally kind eyes burning with anger. "Why is it that I'm being blamed for everything that happened at the opera house?" She yelled at him. "Meg, Madame Giry, and now you. Have you all forgotten about what you did?" She asked pointing at him and not giving him a chance to respond. "You lied to me. You used my love for my father against me and made me think he sent you to me like he promised on his death bed. You kidnapped me. You murdered people. Why am I responsible for any of that? I am a victim of what happened there as much as you are."

Erik stood silently as he took in her words. He had never heard Christine yell or become as angry as she was right now. She noticed his eyes soften a bit before he spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were. I know you're not responsible for my actions."

Christine felt herself calming down. "I didn't mean to throw all of that in your face. The reason I came here wasn't to fight with you or lay blame. I will leave if that's what you truly wish but there is something I need to know. Why didn't you reveal your true self when you first came to me?"

"You know why." Erik whispered.

Her eyes broke with his to glance at his mask. "You knew me long before you decided to become my angel of music. Did you honestly think I was so shallow that that I would reject you immediately because of your face?"

"As soon as I laid eyes on the grown woman you had become I fell deeply in love with you but knew we could never be together. Then I heard you sing and thought I could at least be with you by helping your voice soar. When you unmasked me in my home after your performance in Hannibal you reacted exactly as I feared you would and I knew I was right. You could never love a monster like me." Erik looked up at the sky. "If you only knew the life I lived before I knew you."

"I do." Christine told him.

He looked back at her and she could see the shock in his eyes. "How could you possibly know?"

"Meg. Her mother told her about what she knew of your past with the gypsies. She told me along with how you escaped the mob that was after you the night I left." Christine explained.

"I see." Erik now understood why she was really here. "You came here out of pity because of how I was treated in my past or to absolve yourself of your guilt for what you did during Don Juan."

"No that's not it at all." Christine told him. "I pity the people who made the same mistake I did. Nobody ever looked beyond your face to see deeper inside you. If they did they would see the beauty that lies there."

"When we last spoke you told me that it wasn't my face but in my soul was where my true distortion lied." Erik reminded her.

"I was wrong and not only about that." Christine whispered. "That night after Hannibal you assumed it was your face that frightened me."

"You could barely…" Erik began to say.

"I was never afraid of your face." Christine admitted. "It was your intense anger when I removed your mask that frightened me." She closed her eyes as she took another deep breath and then looked at him. "I wish you would have told me the truth and given me the chance to get to know the real you. Then I could have decided for myself. I am so sorry for what I did and said to you the night we last saw each other. You must know I didn't want any part of the plot to trap you. When you sang those beautiful words to me in my heart all I wanted to do was let you finish and tell you yes I would be with you."

"Why didn't…" Erik stopped himself. The answer she gave wasn't going to change what happened.

"The Surete was ready to close in. I thought if I hadn't pulled off your mask that night you never would have escaped the trap Raoul had set. I know that really doesn't make any sense but I thought everyone's reaction would give you time to get away. I didn't know you had set up an escape for us of your own. If I had I never would have done what I did." Christine told him.

Erik didn't know what to say. She was saying things to him he had wanted to hear her say six years ago. If only he had trusted her and let her decide for herself as Madame Giry had advised before he came to her as an angel of music. They both stood looking at each other wondering where they went from here.

The February air was getting colder and Christine tried not to let it bother her but felt herself beginning to shiver. Erik noticed and stepped closer to her. As he looked at her shivering form all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her to warm her.

His mind was yelling at him to send her away but his heart knew he wasn't going to. He could tell there were still things she wanted to say to him and his instincts told him to hear her out. "Would you like to come inside?" He offered. "You are obviously cold."

Christine nodded smiling as she followed him inside. He was allowing her in his home. It was a step forward which made her feel less anxious. The inside of his cabin was as nice as the outside. She inhaled and could smell the cedar of the walls mixing with the roaring fire. She felt the chill of the outside air leaving her already. "What about Cesar?" She asked before he closed the door. "Should I bring him back to Madame Giry's stable?"

"He'll be alright. He has lived through much harsher conditions." He closed the door and removed his cloak hanging it up on a hook. "May I?" He asked holding out his hand to take her cloak. She noticed he was wearing his familiar black wig but not wearing gloves like he had before. He was also dressed more casually than she remembered. He was wearing black dress pants that covered what she thought were black boots and a loosely tucked in white dress shirt with the top few buttons undone so you could see a bit of his chest.

"No, thank you." She said trying not to stare at him and pulled her hood closer to keep her bruised face hidden from him. "I think I will keep it on until I warm up."

Erik nodded and moved two chairs closer to the fire. He motioned for her to sit down. "I'm going to prepare some tea. Would you like some?"

"Yes. Thank you." As he began preparing the tea. She looked around his cabin. She noticed the sitting room she was in led to a kitchen where Erik was preparing the tea. She saw his organ in the center of the room with blank sheets of music on the music desk. On the wooden mantel above the fireplace she saw the papier-mâché musical box in the shape of a barrel organ. She smiled as she looked at the attached monkey figurine that played the symbols when you started it. There were various books on shelves to the left and right of the fireplace. She noticed there were other black leather bound books like the one she found in the opera house. She would have to remember to return the one that was left behind to him.

Erik handed her a steaming mug and she felt it immediately warming her hands as the rest of her body was warmed by the fire. She took a few sips as Erik sat down next to her. They both sat in silence not knowing what to say. Erik looked at her and noticed she was trying hard to keep the left side of her face covered by her hood. He wanted to ask her about it but decided to wait and let her tell him. "After you left my home with the Vicomte I looked for a while to see if you were given the status of Prima Donna at another opera house but you seemed to disappear from the stage completely."

"I haven't performed in front of an audience since Don Juan." Christine told him as she starred into the fire sipping her tea.

Erik couldn't help but wonder if it was because of him that she didn't sing anymore. "Did you lose your passion for the stage?"

"No." Christine said keeping her eyes fixed on the fire. She nearly jumped when she felt Erik's hand on her chin and turn her face so she was looking at him.

"Why didn't you return to the stage?" Erik asked.

Christine sighed. "Raoul refused to allow it."

"He refused…?" Erik asked feeling anger at that slave of fashion for keeping such a talent from the world.

"He thought it would be better if I stayed out of the limelight and feared that being on stage would bring back painful memories. What have you been doing since we last saw each other?" She asked a bit lamely not wanting to go into any more detail about her awful marriage.

"After Meg helped me get to Cesar he led me to the Giry's house. I stayed there for a while." He skipped ahead a bit not wanting to relive the days he spent alone, motionless, starring into fires or at the walls thinking of her. "Madame Giry eventually arrived with carriages full of things she brought from the opera house. She told me that I could live with her but I preferred my solitude. I never told her but I didn't want her to be put in a dangerous position should the Surete come to her to try to find me. She insisted I stay with her at least until I found a place to live. When I was walking in the woods I found this cottage. It was run down but livable so I moved in and slowly improved it over time. I stay away from the rest of the world as much as I can. Madame Giry goes to the market for me and brings me news of the outside world."

Christine hated that he had lived here alone for so long. It must be like the opera house all over again. "Did the Surete ever come here?"

Erik shook his head taking a sip of his tea. "Madame Giry talked to them in Paris and was able to convince them that she was unaware of where I was. She hasn't told me for a while but I assume they are still looking for me."

"When I was in Paris Meg told me they had stopped looking a few years ago." Christine informed him. She began to feel a bit warm from the fire and lowered her hood. She immediately froze when she heard Erik gasp and realized what she had done.

"What happened to you?" Erik put his tea down on the small wooden table next to him and turned back to look closer at the bruise on her cheek.

Christine quickly pulled her hood back up. "It's nothing."

Erik starred at her and something she had said outside came to his mind. "The only thing I will say for now is that I saw who the real Vicomte De Chagny was." It didn't take long for him to put the pieces together. "The Vicomte did that to you. That's what you meant by you saw the real him."

He saw the tears forming in her eyes that she was fighting to hold back and knew by her silence that he was right. He thought his blood might boil from the anger he felt at the thought of that animal hitting such a beauty.

Christine saw the fiery anger in his eyes. She had seen that anger before. Then she thought back to what they were talking about, the Surete. Her eyes widened. What if Raoul discovered her with him? Meg told her when she was in Paris Raoul had gotten the Surete involved in the search for her. Why hadn't she put the pieces together then? They had stopped searching for him but now that she was gone Raoul was sure to make sure they started the search for him again as well and like a fool she had come here. It was her reason for never seeking him out before now. She was going to lead the people who wanted him to hang right to him. "This was a mistake." She said as she stood up and placed her tea on the mantel. "You were right I should go."

Erik watched as she made her way to the door and cursed himself. He had tried to hide the rage he was feeling but he obviously hadn't done as well a job as he had hoped and scared her again. She had sought him out but now she was about to disappear from his life again. No matter what their past was he knew one thing for certain, he couldn't lose her again. He got up and before she could reach the handle of his front door she felt him grab her arm just below her shoulder.

Christine winced in pain as she felt his strong hand grab her exactly where Raoul had during their last fight. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." She felt Erik loosen his grip. "Or hurt you."

"You didn't do either." Christine turned around but didn't pull out of his grasp. She liked the feeling of his hand on her arm.

"The Vicomte." Erik whispered trying desperately to control the intense anger he felt.

Christine nodded. "We got into a fight and that's when he did this." She said pulling down her hood so he could see her face. "He also grabbed me violently where you did just now. I guess it's still, sensitive." She looked down at the floor fighting harder to hold back her tears. She didn't want him to see her cry and couldn't look at him ashamed of what she was about to admit. "It's one of the reasons I left him. Raoul, changed, after we left the opera house or he finally let go of the charade and showed me who he really was. After we were married he began to drink all the time and the abuse began not long after that. We would fight whenever he brought up wanting to have children or if I talked about wanting to return to the stage. I guess he figured the best way to end our fights was to…" She couldn't finish as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She tried to brush them away with her free hand. "It was my fault, I should have left going back to the stage alone and had children like he wanted."

She felt his other hand under her chin as he gently lifted her head so her eyes met his. Christine could feel her heart skip a few beats when she thought she saw love for her in his eyes. Erik could see the shame in her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. "There is no need for you to feel ashamed about what that animal did to you. The fault lies with him, not you."

Christine reluctantly pulled her arm out of his grasp. She wiped away her tears and tried to calm herself down. She could clearly see the concern mixed with anger in his eyes and even though she wanted to stay she knew she couldn't. "Please, let me leave. By coming here I have not only put you but others I care about in danger. Raoul is dangerous and so are the people he deals with. He will never give up until he finds me and if they find me with you they will…"

Erik took a step back feeling the same sadness come over him when she left him before but it was clouded by anger. "This is it. You walk into my life again, bringing with you all the pain you caused me when you left before. Now you are once again going to walk out of my life and disappear into the night leaving me alone to deal with the pain."

"Pain." Christine whispered and gave a weak laugh. "Pain. I will show you pain." Before Erik could stop her she undid her cloak, tore off her riding corset and pulled off her blouse letting them all fall to the floor.

Erik stood silent as he looked at her nearly bare upper body. He saw the bruises on her arms but then noticed other bruises in various stages of healing. She turned around and he held back a gasp when he saw more bruises along with scars from burns and what he knew was a braided bullwhip. The scars on her body reminded him of the ones he carried from when he was beaten by the gypsies. "Oh Christine." He whispered as she turned around to face him.

"If you think leaving then or coming back into your life now was easy and only caused you pain you're wrong." Christine said through tears that were now cascading down her cheeks. "If you thought that for the last six years I have been living a privileged life it could not be further from the truth." She yelled through her tears. "Look at me! Look at my face! I have lived through years of torture not only due to his jealousy of you but because Raoul, in his own words, wanted to break me. So I would be the perfect, obedient wife. I was made to live by his rules at home. Then act like the happy doting wife in public waltzing around like a trophy. Nothing more than property he owned. I haven't been his wife. I have been his prisoner and lived a life of hell."

As Erik listened and looked at her bruises he thought about what his life was like before he lived at the opera house. What she described sounded so much like his own. He never wanted that kind of a life for her and realized he was partly to blame for it. "Christine, the last thing I want to do is cause you more pain but I have to know, why would Raoul have a reason to be jealous of me?"

"Ever since Raoul saw us together during our performance in Don Juan and when I kissed you before you freed him he became insecure about my true feelings for him. He felt he could never evoke the passion out of me that you could. He was certain I loved you and only left with him to give you time to escape." Christine took a breath as she looked in his eyes. "He was right. I only allowed myself to admit my love for you after it was too late."

"If you loved me and in your heart wanted to stay with me why did you leave to be with him?"

"At the time I thought I loved him too and I was trying to protect you. You have to understand. All of a sudden one night I was thrust into the limelight and that same night he forced himself back into my life. I didn't see it then but he trapped me in his world the moment he came into my dressing room the night you took me to your home for the first time. He began making decisions and taking control from the beginning. If you remember he decided he was going to take me to dinner that night even after I said no. I was young and being pulled in so many directions. I didn't know what to do and wasn't strong enough to stand up for myself or see what was right in front of me. I did what I felt was expected of me." Christine explained.

"You seemed to love him deeply when I saw what you shared on the roof of the opera house the night of Il Muto." Erik whispered. "I heard you tell him how repulsed you were by me, like the rest of the world."

"I wasn't…"

"Then why did you say such hateful things about me?"

Christine threw up her hands and sighed. "I was angry at you for lying to me about being an angel sent to me by my father. I knew you were there and I wanted to hurt you. I know I acted like a child. There is nothing I can do that will change what you heard except tell you that I am truly sorry for those words and everything that happened after. Raoul had decided my future was with him before I took him up to the roof. Between him and the managers I was trapped. Can't you see that?"

Erik took a moment to think about what she said before he spoke again. "You could have come to me. I would have protected you from all of them."

"You had stopped coming to me and I knew it was because of Raoul. I thought if I tried to come to you, you would send me away."

Erik placed a hand he didn't realize was trembling on her cheek careful to avoid the bruise. "I never would have done that to you. If you needed me all you had to do was tell Madame Giry and I would have been there."

"How was I supposed to know that? I never loved Raoul but made myself believe I did. I will never understand why I accepted his proposal. I think that's why I wanted to keep it a secret. Not because I was afraid of you finding out but so I could figure out how to get out of it." Christine leaned into his touch and looked him in the eyes. "The first time I laid eyes on you after you opened the mirror I fell in love with you so intensely it scared me. Then after you killed Buquet it felt like I lost you. I never should have said the things I said when we last laid eyes on each other or left you to be alone. When you declared your love for me after I gave you back the ring I wanted to stay with you. I knew if I did Raoul or you would have ended up dead and it would have been because of me. I lied to myself. I forced myself to believe I loved Raoul and not you for six years. It was easier to give into his empty promises then admit that you were the one I truly loved." Tears began to stream down her cheeks once more and Erik could feel her beginning to tremble.

Christine couldn't hold back anymore. She fell to her knees sobbing like she had when she was seven years old and her father died.

Erik grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around her as he joined her on the floor. He took Christine into his strong arms holding her close as she let out all the tears she had been holding in for six years. She laid her head against his muscular chest as she cried. She had been strong for so long. She never gave Raoul the satisfaction of seeing her cry even when he beat her. Now, here with Erik she felt like she could let out everything she had been holding inside herself. "When I…was with Raoul…my hope was lost…my dreams were gone." She choked out through her sobs. "Even for…the short time…I have…been with you…tonight I know…you are my hope…you are dreams. You always have been." She continued to sob but he needed to know. "That's how I know…it's real. I love you. I always did."

She stopped talking and sobbed as Erik continued to console her. His heart raced and filled with joy. She loved him and had left that animal of a Vicomte to find him so she could tell him. His joy was also clouded with doubt. He couldn't help but wonder if that was all she wanted to do. Was she going to leave him again now that she had said what she came here to say in an attempt to protect him? She wanted to be with him six years ago but his foolish temper had pushed her toward the Vicomte. As she continued to cry he closed his eyes and held her tighter hoping she wouldn't leave him again. Even though he hated who sang this song to her before he felt the music coming to him and let it guide him as he always did. He softly began to sing to her. "No more talk of sadness. Forget your wide-eyed fears, I'm here, nothing can harm you. My voice will warm and calm you. Let me be your shelter. Let Erik dry your tears, I'm here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to hide you."

Christine could feel her tears drying as she listened to his angelic voice. She looked up at him with red puffy eyes and felt her heart filling with music. "All I want is freedom. A world with no more fights and you, always beside me to hold me and to hide me." She smiled at him. "On the roof that night when I was singing with Raoul all I wished and could picture in my mind was being with you."

They sang together and as they did they felt the magic of the beautiful music they made together. "Share each day with me, each night, each morning. Anywhere you go, let me go too. That's all I ask of you."

"If it is possible your voice is more beautiful now then it was before." Erik told her.

Christine felt her cheeks turning pink at his compliment. "I have regretted leaving you every day since then. I have missed you so much these past six years my heart ached."

"I have missed you too. There is not a day that has gone by that I haven't thought of you or wished that you would come back to me." He was silent for a moment. "You weren't wrong to be angry with me. I lied to you. I did unthinkable and unforgivable things and not only to you. I should have given you the opportunity to decide for yourself if you wanted me in your life instead of the lie I chose to tell you. I'm sorry for everything you have gone through because of me. You were the first, the only woman I loved. Because of my anger and jealousy I drove you away. When I heard what you thought of me and saw at the masquerade that you were engaged something inside of me snapped. I have had six years to reflect on what I did and how wrong my actions were. I acted no better than the Vicomte. I wanted you to belong to me. I became obsessed with you to the point of madness." He tenderly took her face in his hands. "You are not property to be owned or kept in a prison. You are a beautiful, compassionate, free spirit and did not deserve the pain we caused you."

"Loved." It was the only thing Christine could say as she felt her heart begin to break after the short song they just shared. "I was the only woman you loved. Are you saying...?"

Erik put a finger to her lips and smiled. "I love you Christine. I never stopped loving you and I never will."

Christine reached up and caressed his unmasked cheek. He starred into her eyes as her soft gentle hand touched his skin. She brought her face closer to his and they closed their eyes as their lips met in a tender passionate kiss. All the tension in the room faded away as they gave into the love they shared for each other. Her lips were as soft as he remembered when she last kissed him. Christine allowed his cloak to fall off her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist caressing her soft skin.

When their lips parted Christine pulled her head back so she could see his beautiful sea green eyes. "We know there's blame to share for all that happened back then but it doesn't matter anymore. All I want to know is if it's possible for us to start a new life, together?"

Erik stared into her dark brown eyes and smiled. "I think we already have."

Christine smiled laying her head on his shoulder and sang softly in his ear. "Anywhere you go, let me go to. Love me, that's all I ask of you."