Hi all! I somehow forgot that I hadn't finished re-posting the last chapters after I revised them. So anyway, here is the next chapter, with more to come!

Thanks for reading and please review!

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I knew the day I went aboveground to the manager's office that we would have to leave the Opera House.

I listened to their plan to bring the police and many other men to empty out my chambers and seal up the doors that they could find.

Had it been just me, I knew I could have hidden from them. There were more secret passages and doors than they could ever find. I had no doubt that I could have remained hidden and stayed there, below the Paris Opera House.

But I would not do that to Christine.

She deserved more than to spend the rest of her live trapped in the bowels of the Opera House. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to marry her, and I was certain that she wanted it too. That would mean building our lives together, away from the Opera House.

The thought was at once terrifying and exhilarating. The thought of a normal life-how could I not desire that which I had spent my entire life wanting? And yet, I had lived so long in the darkness and the shadows that I wondered if I was capable of living a normal life.

There was also the question of my face. Always it was my face which denied me happiness. Even if we moved away from Paris, there was still the issue of my face and the way people felt about me.

But I knew that for Christine I would do anything. I would try anything to give her the life I knew she deserved.

And so I made my plans. I contacted Charles and had him get me an engagement ring. He was puzzled, of course, as he had already bought a wedding dress and wedding band. But that was all part of the old scheme, the Phantom's plan. This was just me and Christine and I wanted it to be perfect. Charles did not ask any questions, he was a good fellow in that respect. He just did what I asked and purchased a diamond solitaire, which he returned to me only a few days after Christine's declaration of love.

I thought of Christine's love and acceptance when we talked of my past. It was not easy for me, but I knew that before I could ask her to marry me I had to know that she knew everything about me, all about my past, the many mistakes I had made. I smiled briefly as I thought of her relief in finding out that I had not killed Signor Piangi and Josef Buquet in cold blood. Whether or not I would have did not seem to matter to her, and it no longer mattered to me. I was who I was and I had been who I had been and there was no way to change any of it. She knew the truth about me and she still loved me, a fact which never ceased to amaze me.

And then there was the matter of my voice. It seemed I no longer had any control over her with my voice. In part I thought it was because I no longer wanted to control her, but I also thought that it was in part due to a change in her as well. She had grown, matured. She was no longer the naïve little girl she had been and more and more I saw the flashes of fire in her that I had always known existed.

With care and guidance she opened up and blossomed, becoming bold and confident. She was the Christine Daae that I had always known was hidden beneath that shy, quiet exterior.

When the day finally came that I would ask her to marry me I dressed carefully. I wore my best tuxedo I was nervous as a school boy as I carefully placed the ring box in my pocket and went into the main chamber where Christine was tinkering on the organ. She looked up and smiled as I entered the room.

"Christine," I said hestitantly. I almost lost my nerve but I steeled myself. "Christine, would you like to take a drive to the park?"

It was quite late, but I knew she would understand my need to ease slowly into the world above the Opera House.

"The park?" she repeated, grinning. "Truly?"

"Yes," I said and she clapped her hands together. She rushed off to her room to get her cloak and gloves. I donned my finest satin cloak, my fedora and the mask. I knew she preferred me not to wear it (God only knew why!) but I felt more comfortable with it on.

She joined me a moment later looking stunning in a blue velvet gown trimmed with satin. She wore a heavy cloak and gloves and was smiling happily.

I took her arm and we walked to the lake. I rowed us across in silence, contemplating what I was about to do. Had anyone thought that I would be proposing marriage to the lovely Christine Daae I would have thought them completely mad! As it was I half wondered if this was not all just a dream, a fantasy brought on by her leaving me.

But as I looked down at her, gazing wistfully into the waters of the lake, I knew it was no dream. She was here with me, she loved me.

I grew progressively more nervous as we crossed the lake and walked up the five levels to the Rue Scribe entrance. We walked out and were greeted by a dusting of snow and icy cold air. Christine shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her.

I hailed a coach and we drove to the park in silence. Christine was quiet, looking out the window of the coach with a little smile on her face.

We reached the park and I paid the driver extra to wait for us. It was quite cold and I did not think we would be too long.

I held my arm out and Christine slipped her arm through mine. We walked through the park, empty save for the two of us. The sky was grey and promised more snow to come. But it was holding off for now and we walked in companionable silence while I contemplated what I was about to do.

We reached a small bridge that led across the creek and the trail led down to a small pond, frozen almost completely over. We stopped at the top of the bridge. Christine stood close to me and I could feel her shiver as a cold breeze whispered past us.

I slipped out of my cloak and draped it across her shoulders.

"Erik, I am fine, do not give me your cloak or you will be cold!" Christine protested.

"I am not cold. But I cannot let you risk catching a cold," I told her sternly. She just smiled and pulled the cloak tighter around her.

All was silent for a long moment. Christine looked out over the frozen pond. I watched her, gathering my courage.

Finally I cleared my throat.

Christine looked at me curiously and I looked away, nervous. I stared out at the pond, my emotions in a whirl.

"What is it, Erik? Is something wrong?" Christine asked.

"No, no. Nothing is wrong," I said quickly. Christine looked puzzled and then turned to look out at the park.

After another few minutes of silence I took a deep breath and looked at Christine, noticing, not for the first time, her lovely profile.

"Yes?" she said, turning back to me.

"Christine…" I said, and my throat closed up.

"Yes?" she repeated looking puzzled again. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Christine…I…" my heart thumped loudly and I swallowed.

Christine raised her eyebrows and looked at me quizzically. I took her hands and turned her so we were face to face. She gave a little laugh. "What is it, Erik?"

"Christine…." I said. "Christine…I love you."

"I love you, too Erik," she replied, beginning to look somewhat concerned.

"I-I have something to ask you…" I said. I swallowed again and briefly looked at the ground. When I looked back Christine was watching me, her eyes wide.

"Yes?"

"Christine," I said, my hands shaking. "Christine, I love you. I love you with all of my heart and soul. You are my saviour, you are the only thing that makes my life worth living. I love you so much and I want to spend each day with you, each night, by your side."

I paused and gathered my courage. Impossibly, Christine's wide eyes grew even wider. "I do not have much to offer you, but I would gladly give you everything I have. I would do anything and everything in my power to make you happy," I paused once more, overwhelmed by fear, fear of what she would say.

"Christine, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?" I sank down onto one knee in the snow, ignoring the cold as I held her hands. She looked down at me, comprehension dawning in her eyes. "Will you do me this honour?" I asked softly.

"Oh, Erik!" she gasped. "Oh, my God!" She grinned. "Oh, Erik, yes! Yes! Of course I will marry you! I love you so much!"

I let out the breath I had been holding and laughed. Christine tugged at me until I stood up. She threw her arms around my neck, laughing and crying all at once. I relished the feel of her in my arms as I cried silently, so grateful that she had returned to me.

When she finally pulled away from me I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. I opened it. The ring was white gold. It had a filigree pattern, with a large, perfect round diamond in the centre. Tiny diamonds were mounted throughout the band, so that the ring glittered and sparkled in the light from the gas lamp.

Christine gasped and wiped tears from her cheeks. "It is beautiful," she said softly.

"It does not do justice to your beauty," I said as I took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. I thought briefly of the time I had put my onyx ring on her finger. It seemed a lifetime ago. Things had changed so much. I had changed so much.

Christine held her hand up and looked at the ring by the light of a gas lamp. She smiled at me, her eyes sparkling.

I looked at her, still in awe that she had said yes. "It is quite late and getting colder," I said reluctantly, wishing to stay there, surrounded by the magic of the night and the park. I brushed my fingers across her cheek. I had to talk to her. I wished I did not, but inevitably I had to face reality. "We have much to talk about, my love. Shall we go back?" I asked.

Christine nodded and I took her arm again and we walked slowly back to the carriage. The drive back to the Opera House was as silent as the ride to the park had been. It seemed only a moment and then we were back in my chambers across the underground lake. I removed my cloak and the mask and hurried to fix a pot of tea and then we sat on the couch that sat in the corner of the main chamber, near the fireplace where a fire still crackled.

"We cannot stay here," I said after I took a sip of tea.

'We cannot?" Christine asked, puzzled.

"No. The managers and the police are planning to raid these rooms once more. They are going to empty them out, seal up the entrances."

Christine shook her head slightly, her emerald eyes filling with tears as she glanced around the chambers, at my belongings that had already been mostly destroyed once before. She gazed at the organ and bit down on her lip. "How much time do we have?" she asked, her voice trembling.

I shrugged my shoulders. "A week, perhaps more, but not much."

"What shall we do?" Christine asked, sitting up straight and looking determined.

I took her hands in mine and looked at her seriously. She looked back with no trace of fear or disgust, though I was not wearing the mask. The love in her eyes did not falter, even as she looked at my deformed face. "I have money. Quite a bit, too. We will never want for money, I assure you. But…" I paused, trying to decide what to say.

"My face, Christine. We will never be free of my face," I said finally, looking deep in her eyes.

"Oh, Erik, please," she pleaded, her eyes glimmering with tears.

"No, Christine. You have not lived with it as I have. We will never find peace. People will always talk, always stare, always hate. There is no escaping it," I said, my voice harsh, not with anger, but with regret and sorrow.

"We will manage," Christine said stubbornly.

"I have an idea, but it will mean…."

"It will mean what?"

I sighed. "It would mean giving up your career, your fame."

"What is your idea?" she asked curiously.

"We could move to the country. We could find a big house with no neighbours and we could live there. We could go wherever you wish," I said quickly, hopefully.

There was a pause while Christine stared into space. Then she turned to me with a smile. "That sounds wonderful. I have had my time in the spotlight, Erik. My life with you is what is important. And besides, I had always known I would quit the stage eventually, when I had my first child." She stopped suddenly, a blush stealing across her cheeks.

I looked at her, dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open. She laughed. "Surely you want children?" she asked with a little laugh.

I had honestly never even considered having a child of my own. I had never thought it would be possible, but as I looked at Christine I thought it sounded perfect. "I had never given it much thought, actually," I admitted with a rueful grin. "But I think I would like that, very much." I paused, gathering my thoughts. "If you agree, we can marry quickly and leave here. We can stay in a hotel if we need while we try to find a house."

"I would like that," Christine whispered.

"Christine….this will not be easy for me," I said, squeezing her hands. "I have lived for decades in the darkness down here."

"I will be here for you, Erik," Christine said softly, her eyes compassionate. "I will support you and help you through this. You will be fine."

"I would like to leave in the next few days. I will send word to my contact, Charles, to get a wedding dress. I will also ask him to arrange the ceremony. It will not be much…" I said.

"Erik, it will be wonderful. It is not the pomp and ceremony that is important. It is what the ceremony means that is important."

"You are amazing, Christine Daae," I said and leaned towards her. She melted into my embrace as our lips met in a slow, gentle kiss. I felt like I was in a dream, indeed I did not think it could possibly be real.

If it was a dream, I wished to never wake up.

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