Erik's POV

"Of course, Christine, I want you to be my wife…"

I knelt there on one knee, waiting for Christine to answer me. I loved this woman with all my heart and I wanted her to be my wife.

"So?"

"I'm…I'm speechless."

"Say yes, mama…"

When we heard Gustave's voice, Christine and I spun around and found the boy hiding in the doorway. Christine then turned to face me and smiled.

"Yes, Erik…"

The woman jumped into my arms and I twirled her around, feeling overjoyed with happiness.

"Does this mean that Mr. Erik is going to be my papa?"

Christine had shed a few tears, but she nodded and scooped the boy up into her arms.

"Yes, darling…Mr. Erik is going to be your new papa."

The boy sighed and ran to me. "Finally…"

It felt like forever before Christine was finally back in my home, but it did happen. The following morning, I checked her out of that horrible inn and welcomed her back into my home with open arms. Though, the fight was not yet won, for I had other business to attend to. Mr. Tilyou had ruined my relationship with Christine, and I would not stand to have that happen. No, something needed to be done and Mr. Tilyou needed to be put in his place. I wasn't sure if going and threatening the man would work, therefore, I decided to turn things over to my boss instead. Usually, I would have to make an appointment if I wanted to see Mr. Dublair, but I had become a favorite of his, and therefore, I could get into his office to see him whenever I pleased. Usually, I stayed away unless it was an emergency, and today seemed like one. Therefore, the morning that Christine came home, I left her and the boy to rest, scooped up my folder of ideas for the forth and ventured out to Mr. Dublair's office.

"I'm here to see Mr. Dublair," I said as I approached the secretary that was sitting behind the desk. "It's urgent."

"I'll make sure that he sees you right away, Mister E…"

"Thank you, Gloria…"

I waited for a few moments with my prints in hand, only turning when my boss called my name. I immediately turned around and held out my hand to shake his own like I usually did.

"Ah, Mister E, so nice to see you back this early. Usually when I ask to see ideas, you don't come to me until two weeks later. I'm guessing by the envelope in your hand that you have ideas already?"

"Of course…Could we speak in your office?"

"Yes, come right in."

Once inside Mr. Dublair's office, I took a seat in my usual chair that was across his desk and placed my folder of ideas down on it.

"In there, you will find everything you need for the fourth. Though, the real reason I came to see you today was to put in a complaint about Mr. Tilyou…You see, he's caused me some problems."

"What sort of problems?"

"He said some things to Christine…Lies. He told her that I was going to replace her with Meg. She left me…For days, Mr. Dulblair…I never knew the truth until I confronted her. This was all Mr. Tilyou's plan."

"I will speak to Mr. Tilyou, Mister E… Leave the man to me. For the time being, get your little diva ready for the stage. I'll make sure that she's on the line up for tomorrow night's show."

"Thank you, sir…"

"Don't worry, Mister E, I'll take care of Tilyou."

"Mr. Dublair, I meant to tell you that I asked Christine to marry me…"

"And?"

"She said yes…"

Mr. Dublair shot to his feet and wrapped his arms around me. "Congratulations, my boy! That's wonderful news! When are you going to tie the knot?"

"I'm…I'm not sure…Hopefully soon."

"How about on the fourth? It is in a few days…"

"The fourth?"

Mr. Dulblair nodded. "Yes, beneath the fireworks. Your little lady sings for the entertainment, then, when the fireworks are going on, you and Christine tie the knot in the gazebo…"

"It…It does sound romantic."

"And if you need a priest, I know just the one. I'm sure he would be happy to marry the both of you."

"I'll think about it, sir…Thank you."

When I left, I hurried home and entered my bedroom to find Christine still curled up in bed. I ran my hand through her curls and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Mon ange, wake up…"

Christine stirred and opened her tired eyes. Though, when she saw me standing over her, she smiled and yawned.

"I'm sorry, Erik. I'm just so tired today…"

"And you have a right to be. You've had a stressful week, but I have some good news for you. I spoke to Mr. Dublair…He said that you can sing again starting tomorrow night. How does that sound?"

Christine's smile faded away, for she seemed so scared.

"Christine? Mon ange, what's bothering you?"

"I'm frightened, Erik."

I pressed her body close to my own, so close that I felt her curls against my cheek.

"Christine, nothing is going to happen to you. Mr. Dublair is going to take care of Mr. Tilyou…What he did was unforgivable, and I never want us to be separated ever again. I want you to be my wife, and I'm glad that you agreed. You will make me the happiest man alive."

I laid down beside Christine and brushed my fingers through her curls.

"I love you, Christine…"

"I love you, Mr. Erik…"

A few seconds later, Gustave came running into the room and plopped down beside the two of us.

"I'm going to have a papa… A real papa…"

I was happy, so happy that I pressed my eyes closed and cuddled beside my newfound family. I loved them, so much that I couldn't wait to be married to Christine.

"I love you too, Gustave."

"My own papa…"

And just like that, we fell asleep beside one another. For my angel, I had a plan, one that was filled with romance and wonder. For days, I thought about our wedding, and how to go about doing it. I wanted it to be soon, and I wanted it to be beautiful and filled with surprises. Therefore, I decided on the fourth…Deciding not to tell Christine about the wedding, I went about planning it on my own. I met with Mr. Dublair and the priest that he had suggested. Everything was coming into place, that being my wedding…Oh, it would be the best day of my life. I never attended a wedding before, but there were some things that I knew about when it came to being married. The most important thing were the rings…Yes, usually the couples chose the rings together, but if I got Christine involved, she would know my plans. Instead, I pulled Gustave along to the jewelry store and had him help me pick out the best set. Then again, what could a six year old possibly know about choosing rings?

"I like these, Mr. Erik…"

The child was currently sitting on top of the glass case, looking inside while I snooped around the rings.

"Which ones?"

I looked at the set of silver rings and smiled, for they were indeed beautiful.

"You're right, Gustave, I do like them."

I lifted Gustave off of the glass and had the store manager take out the rings for me to see.

"Wow, they are really pretty, Mr. Erik."

I held what would become Christine's wedding ring in my hand and smiled. It was beautiful…So, so beautiful. It was a ring with a silver band and a single white diamond. It wasn't magnificent, but it was Christine…She was simple and this ring screamed simplicity.

"Wow, look at the ring for you, Mr. Erik…"

I placed Christine's ring down and picked up the ring that was meant for the man.

"Mon Amoure…What does that mean?"

I looked at the ring, noticing that there were words engraved into the side of the ring.

"It means love never dies."

"I think you should get the rings, Mr. Erik…"

Gustave took the ring out of my grasp and slid it onto my left ring finger.

"See, it fits."

"I want you to be my ring bearer…"

"Ring bearer? What does that mean?"

I chuckled. "I want you to carry the rings in the ceremony, Gustave. Please say that you will…"

"I will, Mr. Erik, I promise."

I ruffled the boy's locks and slid the rings towards the store manager.

"I'll take them…"

After purchasing the rings, I headed home with the boy. Tomorrow was my wedding…Oh, my wedding. It was going to be a beautiful ceremony, and then, afterwards, I had a wonderful meal planned in my Phantasma restaurant. I had everything planned… I had a day filled with romance. It would be a day that neither Christine or I would never forget. I started early in the morning. I set my watch for four, forcing myself out of bed and sneaking downstairs. Once in the kitchen, I began cooking breakfast, placing pancakes and a glass of orange juice on a tray. Not only did I place breakfast on a tray, but I also placed a single red rose on it as well… A single rose meant so much to the both of us, for when Christine was in Paris, I always presented her with a single red rose after every one of her performances. It was sentimental, and I wanted the day to be filled with things such as that.

"Christine?"

I gently shook her shoulder, causing her to stir.

"Erik? What time is it?" she groggily asked.

"It's eight, mon ange…"

Christine sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, gasping when she noticed that there was a tray sitting in her lap.

"Erik, you shouldn't have…"

I pressed a kiss to her lips and sat down beside her. "I know, but I wanted to."

"And a single red rose? Like in the past? Why? I haven't sung yet…"

"I know, but I wanted to do something nice for you. Now, enjoy your meal, for I have something special planned for today."

"Such as what?"

"Well, you shall see a little later. It's the fourth, Christine. Today is supposed to be filled with fun."

Christine smiled and lifted the first bite of her meal to her lips.

"Erik?"

"Yes, Christine?"

"Thank you…"

"Enjoy…"

After hurrying back downstairs, I headed to the sink to clean up from breakfast. A few moments later, Gustave came rushing into the kitchen.

"Mr. Erik, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, Gustave, if you can keep a secret, I will tell you."

Gustave hopped up onto the counter and I chuckled, for the boy was overly excited.

"All right," I began. "I need you to keep this between you and I. Your mother's performance is at six. I want you to go to my private box and wait for me to return. Once her performance is over, I'm going to make it seem as though we're going out to dinner. I'm going to give you my watch, boy…"

I took out my pocket watch and handed it to the boy. "You see the little hand?"

Gustave nodded.

"When that hand is on the six, and the big hand is on the nine, I want you to meet me at the gates of Phantasma… Can you do that for me?"

"Yes…I promise to be at the gates of Phantasma at that time."

I closed the watch and placed it into his pocket.

"Good…From there, we will walk to the gazebo together for the ceremony."

"All right, Mr. Erik… I can't wait!"

Usually, I would have spent the day with Gustave and Christine, but the fourth was a busy time, a time filled with crime and crowds. What made things harder was the fact that my park had expanded into Luna Park…Well, it wasn't Luna Park anymore, but that didn't change the fact that it was crowded and unbearable. To keep an eye over my park, I told Christine to meet me at the opera house around five. It wasn't that I wanted to spend the day talking with my security guards and helping my employees restock the cotton candy stands and candy shops, but I had no other choice. I was the owner, and therefore, everyone looked up to me to keep order. I had told Christine to meet me at five, but I was the one that was late. I left extra early, but trying to push through the crowds was nearly impossible. With the rings in my coat pocket, I headed inside, already apologizing for my tardiness.

"Christine, I'm terribly sorry," I said, entering her dressing room to find her sitting at her vanity. "I know I said five, but it was impossible."

Christine stood up in her beautiful gown, her face filled with happiness.

"Hey, it's all right."

She embraced my masked cheek and pressed a kiss to my worried lips.

"You look beautiful," I said. "Extremely beautiful…Like an angel."

"Oh, Erik, don't make me blush."

Just then, the door to her dressing room opened. "Miss Daae, two minutes."

When the door closed, I sighed… Oh, I had wanted to spend more time with her in her dressing room, and yet, I was too late.

"I'm sorry, Christine."

"It's all right, Erik. It wasn't your fault."

Christine brushed a few strands of hair away from my face and smiled.

"I'll see you after your performance."

"Christine?"

My angel was at the door, ready to approach the stage.

"Yes, Erik?"

"After your performance, I want you to accompany Gustave and I to dinner…Is that all right with you?"

"Of course. I would love to, Erik."

I stood backstage, fingering the boxes of rings that were in my pocket. I was nervous, for I had never married anyone before. And what of the vows? What was I to say to her? When the woman emerged from the stage, she smiled widely and embraced me.

"Erik? What's wrong? You look so nervous…And what's this?" she brushed her hand across my cheek. "You're sweating. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes…" I assured. "I'm…I'm just feeling a little under the weather is all."

"Oh…Would you rather go home? We don't have to go to dinner."

"No, no…I want to. Come along…"

I took the woman's hand and led her towards the gates of Phantasma.

"Erik, I need to change."

"No you don't…You look beautiful."

When we arrived, I stood there, my palms sweating…But where was Gustave? He was supposed to be here. Frantically, I reached around for my pocket watch, realizing that I didn't have it for I had given it to Gustave.

"Oh, what time is it?" I growled.

"Erik, where's Gustave? Shouldn't we have waited for him?"

"No…He…He was supposed to meet me here at six forty five."

I was pacing around in frantic circles, pacing around and nervously sweating. And then, I noticed it…A flash of silver…I slowly approached the object that was lying a few feet away, bending down to pick it up, and gasping when I realized what it was…It was my pocket watch.

Another cliffy...Sorry! And I am sorry for not uploading this sooner. I was in NYC all day yesterday catching Phantom of the Opera. Yesterday was one of the best shows I had ever seen of Phantom. It was my 6th time seeing it, and it was beautiful! Hugh Panero was fantastic and now he stands as the only Phantom that has ever made me cry...His version of the final lair scene was too heart breaking to watch. Had an awesome time though. So, stay tuned! Only a few more chapters of this story left...