Trigger Warning: Sexual content
"Christine?" Cold hands found her bare arms in the darkness and lust consumed shivers raced down her spine as she reached toward her angel.
"Yes! Yes, I'm here. What's wrong, Erik?" He was breathless as he clutched her petite figure closer, wrapping her in his warm cloak and blinding her in the darkness of his silk vest. The lantern lay forgotten near their feet as his touch-starved fingers ran across her smooth cheeks and through her curls.
"Nothing, nothing is the matter…I wasn't sure if you would show when-"
Erik's voice broke off at the sound of creaking stairs and in a whirl of movement she didn't quite understand, Christine was once again basking in light. Erik had pulled them through the trick door of the cellar, and now they stood in the very tunnel she had fallen in not too long ago. The bruises were all but healed but little scrapes still remained on the skin above her knees, luckily between the tights and flowing skirts of her tutu, the damage had gone unnoticed. The tunnel bathed them both in light from the lantern and Christine couldn't help but grin up at Erik, it had been such a long day and his adoring face healed some of the aches she'd suffered alone.
"Of course I came, I missed you."
"It's been a meager sum of hours-"
"Oh Erik, I'm aching for you!" It was terribly wanton of her, but she needed him. With her hands caught behind his neck and their lips attached tightly together, he let out a groan of want.
"Aching?" It was a hot pant into her ear that had her shaking for more of his heated touch. Her eyes closed on her own accord as her excited fingers fumbled over the buttons of his vest, attempting to pull him free.
"Yes, yes Erik. Aching!" He was upon her all at once. Hands and lips everywhere, pulling down her tights and pushing the skirt up to her waist and she was glad she had changed out of her rehearsal tutu, Erik was everything and nothing at all. With one great thrust they were joined, his hand upon her mouth to keep her silenced as she stood on tiptoe to accommodate his furious thrusts. A feverish heat overtook her as his mouth consumed her, burning her neck and bruising her shoulder.
"Did you think of me, today?" His question went unanswered for a few moments as he continued to rock into her, mostly because Christine was trying to process the words over the pleasure he was bringing to her. When his hand pulled away from her mouth she realized he was expecting an answer.
"I thought of you all day. Oh Erik, how I wanted you-" Christine's whispered exclamation was interrupted by bloated lips stealing her breath away, sending her fingers into his disheveled hair as he found a spot within her that had her seeing fireworks. The wall behind her scratched at her shoulder blades and bruised the crown of her head, but she cared not for the pain as Erik was bringing her to depths of pleasure she'd never experienced before.
"And did you think of me?" Her question was as rushed as his movements, each word a forced puff of air in consequence of their bodies beating together.
"Christine, I think of nothing but you." The promise had her quivering fingers reaching into the collar of his shirt, needing to feel something of him. Leather scratched at her skin as his mask nuzzled against her, but she only welcomed the discomfort as it meant having him closer. Lantern light sent oranges and yellows dancing through Erik's eyes as he encouraged her to wrap strong thighs around his bony waist, and her head was thrown back in ecstasy as he pushed deeper within her.
The sounds of labored breathing and Erik's feet scuffling along the floor as he struggled to remain upright filled her ears under the sound of their naked skin slapping together. The sounds alone were orgasmic and they were so strung out on each other's bodies that neither really noticed the uncomfortable position they were in. Erik's thighs burned with effort and Christine's back was aching with pressure and scrapes but all he could think to do was finger the cluster of nerves that sent her over the edge, and her response was simply to find the pulse point on his neck and suck in appreciation of his every breath. His curse had her flushing an even brighter red as he rocked into her through his finish, filling her with his hot seed that she never thought to pull away from.
"Do you love him, Christine?" She was slightly drunk on her orgasm, leaning against the wall for support as Erik's question pervaded her ears. It took her a moment before she realized who he was talking about and was able to stroke his face gently as she responded,
"Erik, I thought I did once, but I am yours now."
"That doesn't answer my question." His face was very close to hers and in the flamed lighting all she could think of was how beautiful he was, the mask seemed to be grinning down at her as her mind swam with the brilliant sensations still unravelling across her skin. Raoul's face swam through her mind for a moment, the look of him disheveled and hurt at her refusal in the dark corner of the theatre. But Erik's face prevailed, his beautiful eyes attempting to read her stoic face.
"I don't love him, Erik. I doubt I ever did, I only love you." Her words were met with a satisfied nod and a desperate kiss, her body pushed against the damp wall one last time, before she was carried deeper into the darkness.
Black silence pushed in on her from every side, nothing was before her and nothing was behind her, Christine was alone and sweating as she gasped for air. A horrible dream woke her. Hope as she might for Erik's presence in the large bed, she awoke alone and frightened, paranoia prickling her skin as the darkness seemed to press in on her. A splash of water and flailing arms set her heart pounding again as she remembered her dream, remembered Raoul's paling face as her own voice grew hoarse from screams. It took her only a few moments to wipe the hot tears from her flushed face, before she heard a soulful call from the piano.
If she called out Erik would not hear her, as a song started up and began to fully develop she knew he was slowly becoming more and more entranced with the music surrounding them. Christine crumpled back into the pillows and breathed deeply, closing her eyes and attempting to will away the horrible visions still flailing through her mind. It had terrified her enough to wake her, but the full plot of her dream became murkier and murkier as the minutes dragged on. Raoul's horrified face remembered with her, the sounds of her own screaming, a body flailing in murky water, and blood. Blood was running from her own hands, dripping onto the white of her nightgown, but she was not cut. With another unsettling jilt of her stomach, Christine realized the blood belonged to Buquet and dissolved into another tantrum of tears. Everything felt sparked with energy in her life, suddenly everything she had been cast away from was running toward her and she could do nothing about it but stand still in the arms of a disfigured man who wanted to wipe all of her problems away, with good intentions but what sort of actions?
Sleep fell over Christine's exhausted body like a cloak, all at once suffocating her back into a state of peace. No more nightmares came to her, no blood, no water, and no screams of terror as she begged for something she did not understand in the real world. No more nightmares came, but a deep, silent sleep lulled her away orchestrated by her brilliant lover. The song was intense and violent, but she was asleep within minutes, mind at rest as Erik played away seemingly unaware of the plagues of her innocent mind.
The days dripped by slower as Christine continued on with Erik's lessons. By day she tried to perfect her ballet and ignore the whispers about the supposed Phantom, while side-stepping the persistent Vicomte who was there upon "pure business" as a new, important, patron of the opera house. By day, Christine had not a second of peace as she danced to exhaustion and fumbled excuses to Raoul about where she lived, where he could find her. By day, Christine remained huddled within herself as she ached for something more than a life of scurrying from place to place about the theatre. But by night, Christine was free; a dove allowed to fly any which way she liked so long as it was through song. By night, Christine scoured through Erik's magnificent collection of musical scores and soaked in the smell of aging ink and parchment. By night, Erik's fingers travelled across her heated skin as he brought her to completion again and again as he reminded her who exactly was above her and within her. By night, she was Erik's and being Erik's meant owning all of the freedom in the world.
Erik was possessive and greedy with her and her voice, taking all that she could give until there was nothing left before he would let her rest. Some nights she was near exhaustion and hoarseness before Erik allowed her to retire from singing. Other nights he had made love to her so completely she felt as if she could not remember her name, let alone move her body, before he allowed her to fall asleep. Erik was a controlling man but a giving lover, never leaving her without completion or satisfaction. He took care of her needs before his own, as often as he could, before he finished with shaking hands and gasps of his extraordinary pleasure.
But there were many nights when Christine awoke alone, expecting to feel Erik's cool hands around her, to hear the sounds of music so beautiful she did not understand where it was coming from. Outstanding compositions trickled through the eerie halls of Erik's home until it felt as if he was in bed beside her again and crooning into her ear. The songs were hardly cheerful or upbeat, usually she was left shaking with the seduction the notes played out across her body, making her writhe in want as she waited impatiently for Erik to return to their warm bed. And when he returned he was already fully aroused and would undress with a swiftness that amazed her before he cherished her body so wholly she felt as if she was being blessed by him. There were nights though, when the music sang of depression and heartbreak, the same chords in succession for what felt like hours would taunt her ears before she broke down into tears. And when Erik clumsily made his way into bed, he would only come to calm her for a few brief moments before he disappeared again.
Her awakenings were never discussed, she never questioned Erik on what he was playing in the dead of night, and he was always beside her in the morning. Fully dressed, mask shining in the candle light before she dressed and he escorted her back to the world above. Sleeping below was never questioned, it didn't feel an option to return to the bunks again, not when Raoul was apparently scouring all of Paris for her. Instead, at the end of the day, Christine trudged down to the darkest cellar of the opera house and waited for the familiar bobbing light in the very back of the room before she would disappear once again to their home.
"Who is he?"
"Excuse me, Raoul I have to change for the next dance-" He caught her arm in a firm grip and pulled her toward his warm body. The wings were so aflutter with ballerinas dashing toward the dressings rooms and stagehands getting ready to set for the next scene, that the Vicomte's presence hardly drew attention in the bustling space.
"Christine, you owe me the decency to tell me the name of my competitor."
"Raoul, I owe you nothing. Now if you will please remove your hand from my arm." He didn't, instead pulled her closer until she was nearly pressed to the front of his chest. It was not the first time he had harassed her about Erik, but it was the first time he had ventured into the wings. What next, would he interrupt her onstage?
"Please, Christine, you're right you don't owe me a thing. But please, I need to know his name. I've asked all of Paris' musicians if they know of any sort of vocal tutor who would be wanton with a student, and nothing. Are we so sure he exists?" Blue eyes were welling with desperation and it pained her to see the man she once loved so pained.
"Of course he exists, Raoul, unhand me." He ignored her order, the determination in his eyes still full of fire.
"What is his name?"
"Raoul, his name is of no importance. I love him, please leave me alone before I'm late for my mark!" Managing to yank her arm from his grip, Christine changed in a rush and barely made it to her place for the next dance on time, when she saw the swish of curtains in box five. Her heart gave a leap as she used those velvet curtains as her spot-base for her turns, her head whipping round and round to the same spot where she knew Erik hid. Had he seen Raoul's advance?
"Christine…Christine, may I speak to you?" The gaggle of ballerinas within the room snickered and winked at her as Raoul stood in the doorway of the dressing room, brushing blonde hair away from his forehead with a look of distress.
"Fine. Somewhere else, I suppose?" Her succession was merely in hopes that these sorts of requests would end in the future.
"Yes, bring your coat." Retrieving her cloak from the rack near the door, Christine tied the blue knot tight around her throat before donning her red scarf, and then followed Raoul through the halls of the theatre. He did not speak, but only led her up staircases she had not noticed before, many lurking close to the managers' office and dusty enough to garner the conclusion of disuse.
"Where are we going, Raoul? I trust you aren't trying to abduct me." Her voice held an air of exhaustion at his games, but Raoul glanced back at her in amusement.
"Abduct? Of course not, when you leave with me it will be by your choice and your choice alone, because you love me!"
"Oh yes, of course, how could I forget."
Her sarcasm was ignored as they reached the end of the very slim staircase they had been travelling up. At the end of the case was a small ledge with a large door, that Raoul shoved open with the weight of his shoulder and an unbecoming grunt of exertion. A gasp escaped her before she could contain it, they were standing on the roof of the theatre and little snowflakes were floating through the air, painting the sunset with little specs of blues and whites.
"It's beautiful, Raoul, how did you find this?"
"Andre showed it to me on the grand tour; I thought you might enjoy it."
They stood in silence for some time, each taking in the scenery with different eyes. It had been so long since Christine had been outdoors, it hadn't even dawned on her how much she ached for fresh air but oh how lovely it felt to be reunited with the sky! Crisp wind billowed her skirts about and snowflakes tickled her cheeks and melted in the shining curls of her hair as she breathed in Paris in the winter. From atop the opera house, she felt as if she could see every corner of the world. Raoul's house was not too far in the distance, the park Erik had found her in was merely a handful of blocks away, and if she squinted she could make out the estimated area of Madame Rouge's motel. A cold hand gripped her heart and she turned toward Raoul quickly, his eyes were focused on hers but seemed confused at her sudden panic.
"You have not told anybody else, have you?" Confusion flickered in his glorious eyes before understanding slid into place.
"No, it isn't my place. Does your teacher know of it…of your past?" Ignoring the intrusive question, Christine turned away from Raoul, unsure if she should be relieved or annoyed by him, but warm hands on her shoulders spun her so she was facing him again just an arm's length away.
"Christine, I don't want to frighten you, but I have a hunch who this angel of yours is and I don't trust him."
"Oh yes? And what is this hunch of yours?"
"Meg told me you paled at the speak of this so-called Phantom and that Buquet always had a special interest in you…" Blue seas dared her to argue his point and she could feel herself faltering, she could not have been more nauseous had she been looking over the edge of the building.
"How amusing, but Buquet is dead and no musician, he and I couldn't possibly be-"
"I don't mean Buquet, Christine. Don't toy with me. I mean this Opera Ghost and your Angel sure have similar attributes, don't they?"
"I don't know what you mean." It was suddenly too hot upon the roof and she wanted to remove the silken cloak from her shoulders, she would suffocate soon if she couldn't get some air.
"Well, the general public hasn't seen either together, you've started disappearing from the dormitories-"
"Oh Raoul, how ridiculous! I haven't seen you and William Shakespeare in public together either; may I assume it was you that wrote Hamlet?"
"How long is it going to take before you admit you won't tell me who he is because he's a murderer?" Her heart nearly stopped upon Raoul's fierce words and she drew herself away from him with a scornful look, one she hoped would bruise as she bustled toward the open door leading back to the descending stairwell.
"I'm late for a meeting, Raoul, excuse me. You definitely do have an odd way of showing affection!" Her hiss of annoyance was met with a plea for her to return to the roof with him, but by the time it met her ears she was already making her way down the stairs. For a few moments there was silence, besides her heels clicking on wood, before she heard the wooden door slam shut.
"Christine! Christine, you deserve better!" Fire was surging behind her eyeballs and tears of pride and fury spilled over quicker than she would have intended. The man was absolutely infuriating! Her ears were echoing with the sounds of her fast pumping blood and her skirts moving furiously as she raced down the staircase, eager to be rid of Raoul's infuriating presence.
"Raoul, if you come near me again I will be forced to show you exactly what my love is capable of!" Her call echoed in the open staircase, there was no response from the young man but she knew her message was clear. Now, all she had to do was explain the situation to Erik. All at once, everything was on the line and all because of one man's annoying loyalty to a girl she no longer was.
Author's Note: This was a bit of a pusher chapter, the next chapter is when we really start to see the effects Raoul is beginning to have on Erik and Christine's arrangement. Hope everyone is enjoying so far, please review!