Erik stood over Christine, at a loss for what to do. He had never experienced the death of a loved one, for he had never truly loved anyone before Christine, and here she was, living, breathing, and crying before him. He crouched down beside her and placed a hand on her violently shaking shoulder, moving her hair out of her face with the other hand. He gently rubbed her upper arm, feeling his heart break as he saw the tears flow down her face. How could the world be so cruel to someone so kind? First her father, now her benefactress. She was losing everyone she had ever cared for. No. Everyone she cared for was being ripped away from her. Erik ground his teeth together behind his mask, to the point of making his head ache slightly. He looked back down at Christine to see her looking up at him with red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Erik subtly opened his arms, giving her the opportunity of an embrace if she needed one.
She did. She wrapped her arms tightly around Erik's torso and continued to cry, her whole body trembling against his. Erik in put a hand on the back of her head and his other arm around her middle, gently swaying from side to side. He stroked her head with his fingertips, trying as best he could to provide shelter and comfort her. He had no words to help in this situation, so he had to use physical contact to express everything he wanted to tell her. That he loved her. That he didn't want her to be upset. That he was always going to be there. He tried to tell her this through the gentle embrace that he held her in as she cried into his chest.
Christine felt empty. There was nothing left for her. She had no more reason to live and she wished to die on the threshold of her deceased benefactress' home. She succumbed to sobbing, and she did not care who was looking at her. Nothing mattered, life did not matter. She did not even exist. She onle served as teh shell of a person who used to exist. There was nothing for her.
Then she felt Erik's hand on her shoulder and her hair being swept out her face so that she would not wet it with the tears that seemed to flow like a fountain from her eyes. She realized that she did have something, she was not alone, and she did have a reason to live. His hand moved down to her upper arm and lighlty rubbed it, comforting her with his touch. She looked up at him to see him looking into the distance, his eyes clouded over with anger. But all that anger disappeared as he turned back and looked down at her. His deep, golden eyes were filled with care and love as they beheld her. She saw him move his arms slightly, to where it looked as though he wanted to hold her, but was hesitant to initiate the embrace. She was not at all hesitant as she threw her arms around him and pressed herself to his hard chest. She continued to cry, wetting the fabric of his clothing. She regretted soiling his nice shirt and jacket, but she could not bring herself to stop crying.
She felt Erik's hand on the back of her head and his arm around her middle back. He was petting her head with the tips of his fingers and rocking her gently from side to side. The motion was soothing and helped to calm her, but tears still jerked at the corners of her eyes and she let them escape down her face. Eventually she stopped shaking and the tears no longer came, but she did not pull away from Erik. Her heart felt as though it had been peirced, and she needed him to help heal it. He was here holding her in front of a flat in the Rue Notre-Dame-des-Victoires because she could not keep her emotions in check. She was not ready to live on her own. She was completely inexperienced when it came to teh ways of the world. She needed someone to guide her. Her father had taken on that task. Then her Angel of Music had come along, and then Raoul. But now there was no Angel of Music. There was a man before her, loving her and comforting her in her time of need. A man named Erik.
A pang went through Christine's chest as she realized that she was with someone who could take good care of her, who could give her what she needed and who could also give her music. Erik had given her her voice and he could provide her with anything and everything by any means necessary. An unfamiliar, warm feeling built up in her chest and trickled into the rest of her body. It was a good feeling, and Christine wondered why she was feeling such things. She felt Erik's chest rise and fall slightly as he breathed in a slow, even pattern. Her cheeks became hot as she realized that it was Erik who was arousing this warm, tingling sensation. She liked the feeling and she wanted more of it. But her feelings were forgotten as she heard a familiar voice call her name.
"Christine?" Raoul de Chagny stopped to look more closely at what he was seeing. He had not seen Christine since she had left him at the altar. But here she was, on the ground in front of Mama Valerius' flat, in the arms of an unknown man.
He could not beleive his eyes as she turned to look at him with red, puffy eyes and a shocked expression on her face. But what bewildered him still more were the flaming yellow eyes of the man whose arms had just come from around Christine to tense up by his side. He knew those eyes. In the shadow of the doorway they were clearly visible. Those were Erik's eyes. He realized that he had crafted a very deceptive mask that made him appear normal. But Raoul had been told what was beneath the mask and he shuddered to think of Christine in that monster's arms.
Erik had heard the boy call Christine's name and felt like stealing her away from him in that instant. But se may have wanted to speak with him, and he removed his arms from around her and held them firmly to his sides. He glared at the boy and wished him a thousand deaths, but then regretted his thoughts because it would hurt Christine if he were to die. He simply watched the boy for a few moments, then stood and helped Christine get to her feet. He deliberately held onto her hand a little longer than necessary to let the boy know that Cristine belonged to Erik now, and that Erik would not allow her to be stolen away again. He hesitantly released her hand, but proceeded to brush a loose lock of hair behind her ear. He wanted to make it abundantly clear that Christine was not going to be taken from him again.
Christine allowed Erik to help her up from the ground. She was embarassed that Raoul had seen her in such a pitiful state, but she got up with Erik's help and stood beside him, her cheeks flushed. She fought to keep her eyes on her friend rather than let them drift to Erik as she felt him place a lock of her hair behind her ear. She loved it when he did that, it showed his gentler side, and she was glad that he had chosen to show that side to Raoul. She desperately wanted Raoul to accept her decision, and Erik was making it all the more convincing. She would still uphold her decision even if Raoul did not approve of it. But she was happy with Erik, and if Raoul could not allow her to be happy, she did not need him in her life.
"Hello Raoul," Christine smiled at her friend, acting as though nothing were out of the ordinary.
"Good day, Monsieur le Viscount," Erik dipped his head, much to Christine and Raoul's surprise.
"Raoul, you remember Erik?" Christine gestured to him with her hand. She felt foolish for asking. Who could ever forget Erik?
"Indeed I do," Raoul was glaring up at Erik though he was speaking to Christine. "May I speak with you privately, Christine?"
"Erik, will you excuse us for a moment?" Christine looked up at him. He looked down at her and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers before turning to cast a warning glance at Raoul, and then disappeared around a corner.
"Christine," Raoul started in a hushed, but urgent tone, shaking Christine slightly by the shoulders. "What has he done to you?"
"Monsieur, I demand that you release me this instant," Christine said calmly. "And Erik has done absolutely nothing to me."
"Christine," Raoul sighed, dropping his hands. "I think that monster has you in some sort of trance."
"Erik is not a monster!" Christine shouted, not intending to be so loud. "You will not suggest something so untrue and horrid to me again or we shall never meet again, Raoul de Chagny!"
Raoul stood, shocked for a moment. He saw the genuine nature of what she had said shining from her eyes. "Do you not remember all that he has done to you?"
"All that he has done to me, Raoul?" Christine crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "He gave me my voice, he showed me how strong love could be, and he showed me how much he is willing to do for me. If that is all what he has done to me, I would beg him to continue."
"Christine! Christine!" Raoul exclaimed. "You are not in your right mind! You surely are not with him of your own will..."
"How would you know what my own will is!" Christine once again shouted in a shrill voice. "How could you possibly know what I want to do? I am my own person Raoul, I can make my own decisions!"
"Christine," Raoul tried a different approach, and adopted a gentler tone. "I am simply not sure if you are basing your decisions on..."
"On what, Raoul?" Christine snapped. "On what I actually want or on what is better for you?"
"Christine," Raoul was taken aback. "I did not mean to imply that you are being selfish. I only want you to be happy. I could make you happy! I could give you so much! But as you have pointed out, I am not the one for you. If I cannot be the man to provide for you and care for you every day, I simply wish to know that you are with someone who will."
"Raoul," Christine made an effort to calm down and be rational. "I am happy. I will not go into detail, but I will say that Erik has made me feel happier than I have been since my father died. Raoul, you are a good friend to me, and a good man. I do not want you to be gone from my life. But you cannot insult Erik if you wish to maintain our friendship."
"I apologize," Raoul sighed. "I was not prepared to see you with him and my rash behavior was unwarranted. But is this really what you want, Christine? I know that only you can live your life, but does he truly make you as happy as you say?"
"I can't explain it, Raoul," Christine's voice held a note of wonder, and she could not help the small smile that lifted the corners of her lips. "He is so different from anyone else. He knows how to make me smile, and he notices the little things about me that nobody else seems to see at all. He knows just how to comfort me when I'm upset, and he knows how to keep me from being upset at all. I...I think I love him, Raoul."
"I see," raoul looked away from her. "Perhaps there is a side of him that only you can see. Maybe you were meant to be with one another. But if you ever change your mind, if he ever gives you reason to leave him, do not hesitate to tell me. I will help in whatever way I can."
"Thank you," Christine smiled at him. "You are a good friend, Raoul de Chagny. There is someone who is meant to be with you. You may find her in a very unexpected place under very strange circumstances. But she will love you as much as you will love her. You deserve her Raoul."
"Thank you, Christine, " Raoul smiled. "If we are done speaking I have a few words for Erik."
"Of course," Christine nodded.
Erik had pressed himself against the wall after he had turned the corner. The urge to turn back around and demand that the boy never so much as look at Christine again was overwhelming. He was breathing heavily and fighting the desire to listen in on their converstaion. Christine wished to speak to the boy alone, and he would give her the privacy she had requested. His fingers were nearly digging into the wall behind him with the effort of not going back there. He could not bear the thought of Christine leaving him yet again for that boy. He pressed himself even harder to the wall and took deep and even breaths to try and calm himself. She could not put him through the suffering that he had experienced before. Not again. He clung to that hope and it was the only thing that could allow him to stay where he was.
"Erik?" he heard Christine's soft tinkling voice and turned his head to see that she had come from the otehr side of the wall and was now standing beside him. "We are finished speaking with one another."
"Has he left us?" Erik asked.
"No," Christine sighed. "He wishes to speak with you. Please, Erik. He is only concerned for my well being."
"He needn't be concerned about you," Erik looked down at her, gently stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
"I know that, Erik," she smiled. "But Raoul is my friend, and he only wants to be sure."
"If it will please you," Erik sighed. "I will speak to the young man."
"Thank you, Erik," Christine whispered.
They rounded the corner side by side and came to stand before Raoul.
"You wish to speak with me, Monsieur?" Erik began in a calm tone.
"Yes, I do," Raoul started. "I have known Christine from childhood, and I have come to care for her very much over the years. I would not be able to sleep at night if I left her with someone who was incapable of taking care of her and making her happy."
"I will keep her safe and cared for," Erik looked him in the eyes. "You may certainly count on that, Monsieur."
"That is all I can ask from you," Raoul sighed. "I wish you two the best. I will try my best not to hold a grudge for anything that has occured in the past."
With that, Raoul took his leave, and Erik and Christine were left to watch him turn the corner and leave their feild of vision.
"You handled that very well, Erik," Christine looked up at him with pride in her eyes. "Thank you so much for listening to him and being polite."
"Only for you, Christine," Erik whispered. "I could not bear to upset you."
"You have not in any way upset me, Erik," Christine whispered in return.
"Let it remain that way..." Erik said to no one in particular.
Christine took Erik's hand and he gently grasped her's in response. They made their way back to the main street and joined in with the flow of people, neither one of them caring about the people that were staring at them. Erik found that he was releived that the Viscount had accepted Christine's decision. He did not seek out the boy's approval, but it was never a bad thing for someone to give their assent. This boy genuinely cared for Christine, and Erik could understand why he felt as though he would have to tell him to take care of her. Erik would have said the same things to him.
Christine was filled with happiness. Raoul was her friend, and, naturally, he wanted her to be happy. She knew that he did not understand her relationship with Erik, but he accepted it for what it was, and that was all that Christine could have ever hoped for. She did not want to drive her friend of so many years away, but she was not willing to leave Erik and put him through that sort of pain. No, she was nearly certain that she loved him, and she didn't see how she had been able to leave him at all so many weeks ago. She felt like a new person. She wondered if Erik felt the same way she did. No was the answer she gave to herself. He loved her more than anyone could ever love anything else, but she felt as though she loved him as much as she could, and that was all she had to offer him.
"Christine?" Erik's unsure voice interrupted her thoughts. She realized how interesting her name sounded when it came from his mouth.
"Yes, Erik?" she responded, considering her own voice coarse in comparison, now that she was paying attention to such things.
"I was wondering if you would like to stay at my house by the lake," he asked, turning his head away from her. "Considering the recent turn of events. If you would like to stay elsewhere it will not offend me."
"If you wouldn't mind, I would very much like to stay at your house," Christine looked down at the sidewalk, a sharp pang of sadness passing through her chest.
"You are always welcome to stay with me, Christine," Erik assured her, lightly squeezing her hand. "I am very sorry for the passing of your benefactress. You do not deserve to suffer so much."
"Thank you," Christine nodded. "For everything that you've done for me."
"I would do anything for you, Christine," Erik said simply.
They spent the rest of their walk back to the Palais Garnier in contented silence, simply enjoying the fresh air and each other's company.