Chapter Two: A gift

Erik lied still in complete darkness. Behind the wall of his secret room, he could hear the mob destroying his home. Yet he was no longer angry. He just felt empty. It did not matter to him whether he lived or died. She was lost to him forever and with her, all his hope and secret longing. Why am I here? He wondered. Even his love and passion for music does not seem to lift him from the sense of nothingness that was quietly growing inside his broken heart, stifling his emotions which had tormented him mercilessly. As Christine so painfully pointed out, he was a fallen idol. Love made him vulnerable yet the yearning for warmth and understanding made him turn blind eyes to all the warning bells. Was she not his soul mate? Didn't they have something special, a connection that gave life beauty and meaning? Even when she betrayed him and chose Raoul, he desperately clung to that sense of connection. He believed his music would return her to him. Did she love him? He did not know. She felt something for him. There was passion in her second kiss. There was no doubt that Christine was attracted to him. Her eyes could not hide the truth. But was that love? He didn't know and he no longer cared. Then the questions came back to him. What if my face were perfect? What if I had no need to hide behind my mask? Would she choose differently? I want to know. He thought bitterly. Then sleep came over him, gently caressing his tired body and mind.

He saw a face gently looking down at his unmasked face. She had dark brown eyes, gentle and calm. He knew he wasn't wearing his mask yet he did not push her away. He saw warmth and understanding from her eyes and he just knew that she came for him. That he had been calling her.

"Monsieur," she spoke softly, tenderly stroking his sensual lips with her fingers, "You have most beautiful eyes. Even in your darkest hours, those eyes never stop drawing me to you."

"Mademoiselle," he replied, fighting the sob that wanted to come out, "I thought you would never come."

"I came as soon as I could." She smiled, her fingers moving through his hair.

Erik nodded his head quietly. She lowered her lips to meet his and inhaled the relief and happiness that was spreading through his soul. He will heal. Hannah thought to herself, while quietly slipping out of her night gown. His eyes widened as her naked body pressed against his, her hands busily unbuttoning his shirt.

"Monsieur," she whispered into his ears, "I'm giving you my body, my heart and my soul. Tonight I am completely yours."

He looked into her eyes and saw the intense longing and passion in her eyes.

"Mademoiselle," he whispered back, "Give me your name so that I can guide you back to me wherever you are."

"Hannah. In my world which is not yet yours, my name is Hannah."

He pulled her closer, feeling her breath against his now bare chest. Thoughts were fading fast and they became one with the unrelenting waves of their desires.

Hannah opened her eyes slowly, her body still fiery and happy. She has finally reached him, lifting his soul up from the vast sea of emptiness he was falling into. For the first time in her life, she lost herself entirely to another and felt a whole. When she was in his arms, life no longer felt weightless and detached from her being. She experienced the sense of belonging. It was a gift that he gave her without knowing and she loved him in return with her body and soul. And that love healed him, breaking the curse that had haunted him all his life.