My hand instinctively flew to my face, but only met her hand. I realized that she hadn't pulled my mask away but merely shifted it so that it settled properly against my face. She'd fixed it for me. "Oh Christine," I breathed, finally allowing myself to breathe again. I had been spared once more to my great amazement. I stared at her, in awe, as she pressed her hand firmly against my mask, slowly dragging her palm down my face and letting it fall back to her lap.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper, "I didn't mean to frighten you, but I didn't think you meant for me to see that much of your face." A pitiful moan escaped my lips. So she had seen. She knew what an accursed monster Erik was. I looked away from her.
"Erik is sorry that you had to see that," I said after I gave my words some thought. "He knows he is an abomination. Even his own mother could not look upon him." I had to fight not to choke on my last sentence, and from the corner of my eye I could see her hands tense. It had gotten to her, too.
"I- I denied you, I disobeyed you," she stammered, "And yet you still saved me."
I stole a single glance at her face; I saw no fear in her eyes. Sighing, I replied, "Erik could not bear to see you die in such a way."
"Why do you keep talking like that?" she asked. After a moment, when I didn't immediately answer, she added, "Is that your name? Erik?" I nodded. "Would you prefer that I call you Erik?"
"Christine Daae, you may call Erik whatsoever you wish and he will learn to go by it," I said earnestly, "I am your willing slave if only you'll stay here with me."
She took my hand in her own, lightly outlining the bones of my fingers with her thumb. "Erik," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. I refused to look at her. I knew what she was going to say. She couldn't stay down there with me. "What kind of life have you known? So desperate for human contact, so sad and alone…"
"Please, don't," I begged her, "Consider my offer, I will treat you as a princess forever, everything I have can be yours, simply name something and I will get it for you. Can your precious viscomte offer the same?" This time my voice did crack. I felt her tremble at the sound.
"I will stay," she murmured after a long silence. My gaze shot to her face, and she was looking at me expectantly. I felt a horrible pang of guilt when I met her eyes. This wasn't what she wanted. It was only pity that made her willing to stay with Erik. Pity and perhaps a feeling that she owed her life to me.
The smile she was trying so hard to pass as sincere never reached her eyes. "Erik will do his very best to make your life comfortable." She nodded, and she looked away from me. "Perhaps-" It was a foolish idea, one she would never agree to go along with. I couldn't bring myself to even say it.
"Perhaps what?" she asked.
"Never mind," I said too quickly, looking away as she tried to catch my eye again, "It was foolish to even think. Forgive me, please." As she opened her mouth to protest, I stood up and leaned in to help her up as well. "We really should get you out of those wet clothes. You'll catch your death."