I have and will continue to make minor changes to the movie's details to better suit my story. Oh, and I don't know how that chapter glitcht happened, sorry bout that! Other then that, enjoy my least favorite chapter!
Christine sighed after eating a perfectly made omelet. She thought about every meal that Erik served her was flawlessly cooked and spiced, and how he never let her cook or clean up afterwards. The queen treatment flattered her, but she also felt useless and young compared to him. There was a bit of awkwardness during the meal, and she had eaten in silence while Erik had just his usual hot drink. They finished, and when he went to go clean everything up, the auburn-haired girl wandered off into the main room like she had the previous day. She had noted the paintings of the opera house, and saw the portraits of herself as well. When she had first glimpsed them, Christine had been shocked and embarrassed, for she had looked flawless and innocent. Well, I am innocent...Christine remembered herself thinking as she walked over to inspect the pictures, getting over her embarrassment. She was actually a big fan of art, and loved to draw, but her meager wages from the chorus girl position usually didn't allow for too much follies. She had never actually told her angel about her painting, but she supposed he knew by now anyway.
" Hmmm" She muttered while inspecting the paintings. One in particular caught Christine's attention. It was of her, eyes closed, with a peaceful expression, wild reddish curls fanned out over a maroon silk pillow, a scanty white dressing gown barely seen before the painting ended. Christine realized this was her after she had fainted that first night. He had drawn her while she was sleeping. She wasn't sure whether she was flattered or terrified. "Oh!" Erik had silently crept up behind her, and was looking at her with an almost expectant expression. "What do you think, my dear?" She looked down, and a blush heated her long neck and high cheekbones. She decided to be flattered, after all, she was living here now. "I think you are a very skilled artist. But you make me...too pretty." She had been fidgeting with the bell sleeve of her dressing gown, and looked up to see him shake his head at her. "Oh, Christine, you really are too humble. Come, lets go to the organ, I've been working on a song. You shall know it." She followed, and realized that she had never changed. Her normal routine here was to change into a proper dress after breakfast, and she was still in the tight pink nightgown and dressing gown from the previous night. Christine thought about changing, but he seemed excited about the new piece, and was it really that unproper to just wear nightclothes all day? He sat down on the organ's bench with the practiced grace of a feline, and offered a hand to asst her when she joined him.
"Do you remember the song we sang when I brought you ,uh, down here?" She started when her angel actually said 'uh', a word used by common people. "Yes! Of course I do. Why?" Christine felt somewhat offended that he thought she could forget the haunting song they sang after he had revealed himself as a mere human. "I've written some music to it. I want your opinion on whether it fits. Shall we?" She looked up at him in confusion. Did he want her to sing it now? All the sudden, intense, magical music began to play. The notes rang up and down, and she felt it rattle her bones with the sound, and liked it. It was now hard to imagine them singing the song she privately called 'The Phantom of the Opera' without this powerful tune. She stopped watching him play, and imagined when he had led her down the opera. The tune sort of changed, pulling her out of the memory, and Christine realized it was her opening to sing. "In sleep he sang to me...."
The song was almost over and Christine was hypnotized with the sound of her singing merging with a much lower, deeper voice. "Sing, my Angel."She began the vocalizing, and started to worry. What if she couldn't hit the higher notes again? He stopped playing the organ, and stood behind her, his hands on her lower ribs. Christine really stopped singing all together, then realized he was just instructing her for the music, since he was still her maestro. Still, his touch was hot, and she pushed herself to hit those bright notes, feeling as if it was the most important thing in the world. "Sing for me!" And she hit the e, her voice echoing in the lair. He let go of her, and the soprano beamed up at her tutor. "Good. Did you like the organ with it?" Again, the piece ran through her mind, and she enthusiastically gasped, "Yes. I can't imagine the song without it!" Erik gave her that private smile which she still couldn't interrupt, and they conituned with singing his music for hours.
"What do you want to do now, mon ange?" Erik asked her, bent over his organ and skillfully drawing in notes for a new composition. She watched him for a few moments, then thought about how he fervently granted her every wish. Surely he wouldn't mind if she asked to do something without him, right? "Ummm, Could I draw for a bit? If you don't mind, of course!" Christine felt the blush on her face and looked down. She hated asking for things. "Of course I don't mind! Christine, everything is here for you. Only you. Come, the art supplies are off in another hall, shall we go retrieve them?" Again, he would stop what he was doing to please her! "Oh, really, its okay. I can go get them myself, you just finish composing." He looked away from her quickly, but not before she saw a defeated, crestfallen look pass his face. "They are in a room at the end of that hall."He pointed to a gold curtained door, "Turn left once you get there, turning right will lead you back up." He wouldn't look at her, and Christine wondered what he was talking about. Then it hit her. The Phantom thought she would leave him! That heart-broken expression on his face was because of her!
"I'm sorry, but actually, I think I'd prefer if you showed me the way. Perhaps you can work on the composition later?" She felt stupid, but he lept up from the bench and gave her a hidden smile. Her request had pleased him. Erik took her arm and led her to the supplies.
" I will get dressed completely today!" Christine told herself as she rose from her swan bed. Only once during her time under the opera house had she donned one of the beautiful dressed Erik had given her. Sh browsed through the vast selection of gowns, and decided on a light, sheer blue. She donned the necessary white corset, then procrastinated with the difficult lacing on the back of the gown. "Perhaps, I'll just change after breakfast. I don't want to ruin the gown." She instead pulled on her dressing gown over her under things, and slid the rose ring into the tiny pocket near her thigh. Christine was almost embarrassed that is was so dear to her. She didn't want him to see that she always had it, even dressed in night clothes.
He was seated at the organ, like the previous mornings. The urge to pull of the snowy mask on Erik's face was intensely strong, and Christine decided to give in to it. Though she found the mask alluring and attractive, she wanted to see under it even more. He had pulled away before, when she had let her fingers wander over it, but she thought they knew each other well enough to be past that. The beauty worried that he might turn angry, so she sang to warn him as she approached. She got carried away as she remembered the glory of her first night there.
"I remember there was mist, swirling mist upon a vast, glassy lake. There were candles all around, and in the lake there was a boat....And in the boat there was mannn!...Who was that shape in the shadows? Whose is the face in the mask?" She stood behind him, and caressed his face with her fingers while he sighed contently, then ripped off the mask. She was not prepared for what lay under it.
"Damn you! You little prying Pandora! You little viper! THIS is what you wanted to see?" Her angel screamed obscenities at her and lunged to kill, or so she thought. Christine shrank back under the cover of a statue, and cowered in fear and horror. The left side of his perfect face was contorted in fury, the right an angry red and pink mess of scared flesh. The effect was terrifying, at first. His rage seemed to drain quickly, then he became eerily calm and sang, "Stranger then you dreamt it, can you even bear to look, or bear to think of me now!...This loathsome gargoyle who burns in hell!...but secretly yearns for heaven secretly, secretly..." Christine felt her heart break into little pieces. She had been terrified by his hideous appearance, when he was just a man. She had destroyed his little time of peace they had shared.
"But, Christine, fear can turn to love, you'll learn to see the man behind this monster, this repulsive carcass who seems a beast, but secretly dreams of beauty...secretly.." Christine had subconsciously crawled over to Erik, she wanted to end all of his past hurts and horrors. He held out his hand, and she gently gave the mask back. The tears that had pooled in her amber eyes betrayed her calm appearance as he turned away from her and placed the mask on his face. "Come, we must return. Those two fools who run my theater will be missing you." She took his arm, and he led her back up to this surface in silence. The magic was gone. Because of her undying curiosity.
They reached the mirror-portal quickly. "Erik, I'm.." Christine turned to tell him of her regret over taking his mask, but there was only darkness. She pulled out the rose ring that was still in her pocket,and traced the pattern of the petals before putting it back and opening the portal. Bright, painful light flooded her sensitive eyes, and she stumbled into the dressing room. Meg was slumped in the couch, snoring lightly. What was she doing in the dressing room. "Meg. Meg, its Christine. What's" She never got to finish her question as Meg jerked awake, then lept up and crushed Christine in her small, but strong dancer arms.
"Christine, your safe! I'm so glad! Christine!" She finally released the startled singer, then inspected her critically. "You look like you've seen a ghost Where were you? I'll need to go tell my mother your okay...Are you okay?" Christine looked at her curiously, then glanced at her reflection in the portal/mirror. She looked horribly terrified. Her white skin was ashy and dark purple circles ringed her eyes. Since she hadn't done anything to her hair during her time with Erik, it bounced off her head in huge, wild curls, and it completed the petrified look. She hadn't realized how tired she was. During her stay, she had woken up early and gone to bed late to spend more time with her Angel...or Phantom. "'m fine. Just...tired actually. I hope you weren't too worried?"she yawned.
"I was worried! Mother said you'd be fine, but I wasn't so sure. Shall I go get her and Raoul, I heard he's at the opera house looking for you. You were gone nearly three days!" Christine best friend watched her with a worried eyes, but Christine knew she must be alone to deal with her shame and to sleep. "Its okay,Meg. I'd rather you didn't get your mother here. I need to be alone. Do not send anyone up. Please, I know Raoul will want to come and visit. I cannot have him here." Christine felt the most horrid thing on earth. Besides hurting Erik, she had forgotten all about Raoul, Meg, Mme Giry, really her whole life, while they had been worrying about her. She had been so naïve and selfish "Okay, ifs that want you want. You do seem horribly tired. Sleep well, Christine." she closed the blinds and shut the door then left.
Christine waited till she heard the footsteps fads, then pulled out the rose ring and clutched it to her chest. The flowers from her gala night performance still littered all the space in her room, but by now, they were all starting to droop. She forced herself to go over to the dresser, The red rose had wilted. The bouquets Raoul had given her were still thriving. She collapsed on her sofa-bed and wept. Christine cried for a good hour, then felt numb with too many emotions to even think. She was grateful, and finally fell into a deep sleep..