Since I love you all so much, and my family got back early from vacation, I decided to give you a happy day after thanksgiving pressie. :)

If I owned Phantom of the Opera, you would bet I wouldn't be writing this.

When Erik's face was completely visible, I looked up at his face and cringed inwardly. I managed to keep up a loving smile although inside I fought a sudden urge to turn away. But with fierce determination, I pushed away those thoughts. Am I so shallow that I can't look past the surface to know a person? Recalling the beauty within his heart that I had witnessed firsthand, I swallowed my fear and touched his face gently, laying kisses everywhere. When I drew back, it was then I began seeing with a different perspective. (A/N: Christine's emotions are very volatile- she is a teenager- so if you think that she is too easily swayed and changes her views too quickly, this is an explanation.)

As he met my gaze, I recalled the effect he had on me. His very presence had me shaking with devotion and anticipation of his slightly unpredictable actions. His gleaming emerald gaze had a power over me that I could not fight. He was certainly handsome, no matter how much he denied it. At this I frowned. But how could he consider himself so loathsome and hideous? Yes, he was disfigured, but not so to be shunned and to have never known love. I seethed when I thought of the hurt on Erik's face as he spoke of the way his mother had treated him. How could she not love such an intelligent, caring son?

Erik's expression was terse, anxious. "What's wrong, Christine?" he asked, almost fearfully, his hand involuntarily reaching up to his face.

I gripped his hand in mine and smiled at him reassuringly. "Everything is fine, Erik. I was just wondering..."

"Yes?"

"How could you think for a moment that you are a monster?"

He was startled, but then he grinned down at me. "Maybe it's the fact that I want to eat you up."

Laughing, I began running towards the grotto. "You'll have to catch me first!"

I sprinted as fast as my heavy skirts would allow. I heard no footsteps behind me. "Erik?"

A long, well-muscled body crashed into mine, but caught me as I fell. "Erik! You-" But I couldn't even pretend to be angry after I saw the grin upon his lips.

I laughed as he steadied me and sighed teasingly. "Frightening the ladies, monsieur! This is not the way a gentleman behaves!"

He smiled. "Yes, but you hardly count as a lady."

I pretended to be appalled. "Monsieur! I-"

"What I meant, dear Christine, is that angels cannot masquerade as young ladies for long without being discovered."

I blushed, and kissed him once more, as I didn't know what to say.

When we arrived, hand in hand, back at his home, Erik led me to the organ.

"Come and sing for me," he urged, handing me the music of his newly begun opera.

"Oh, Erik, you've done so much! There have to be at least five songs in here!" I exclaimed, glancing through the pages excitedly.

He shrugged. "Six, actually. But come," he patted the bench beside him. "I wish to hear how it's coming."

I obeyed, and he played through the prelude with ease. Again, I was speechless.

Then it was time for the leading soprano's entrance in the prologue, and I took a deep breath and plunged right in.

"One walks on the solid ground;

one soars past the mountain peak.

One of two lovers can only sing

and to her true love never speak.

She is cursed with an unbroken spell,

cast so that she a songbird be.

Till e'en falls, then as a lady she meets

with her loyal and waiting true cheri.

Newfound affection bright as day

is confined to darkest night

And as dawn approaches she must leave

and into morning take her flight!

As despair's arrow pierces the songbird's throat

her song is lilting as the piper's flute.

And with her final breath she tells

of her dark fate, so grim and resolute!

Love conquers all or so the storues say

it fights and banishes evil away.

But love has failed them, so it seems,

they converse only in his sleeping dreams... "

Erik's passionate, sweeping opera told of two young lovers torn apart by the girl's promise as a child to please her master, a count who practices dark magic. When she refuses him, he places upon her a curse in which she is only a songbird in a cage, until nightfall. This is when she meets with her true love, a simple farmboy, as a human. But her master discovers their secret and orders her to be killed. When the boy hears of this, he mourns and sings their song, the one she sang for him as a bird. Years pass, and he grows old. Finally, when he is withered and aged, his love visits him in a dream and leads him into heaven, where they stay for eternity together.

The opera was beautiful, and although Erik hadn't written some of the middle pieces, it was still excruciatingly lovely and sweet. Tears came to my eyes as he and I sang the lovers' duet. He never once looked at the music, only into my eyes, and I felt as though those words were truly meant for me.

When the opera concluded, all too soon, in my opinion, Erik looked at me anxiously. "What do you think, Christine?"

"What do I think?!? It was incredible! Beyond words, Erik. I loved it."

He smiled crookedly at me. "I had hoped so. It was written for you."

Even though I had suspected it, hearing it aloud was still surprising. "Oh, Erik!"

He beamed as I threw myself into his arms.

I am not a professional opera composer or synopsis writer, only a high school freshman working on a fanfic story. So the summary and prologue lyrics are not the best. Shakepeare's Act I prologue to Romeo and Juliet was the inspiration for my prologue, although I can never ever in a million years hope to match the Bard's awesomeness.

Hope you enjoyed it though.