Disclaimer: I do not own Erik, or Meg, or Madame Giry, or any other characters from the ingenious mind of Gaston Leroux! Or anything by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Anne, however, she's mine...well, she resides in my head until her story is done.

AN: So...you may not celebrate Christmas and that's okay, but during this season of giving I have something I wish to give to you. The past few days have been a whirlwind of excitement and thrills for me. I have now finished writing the end of Anne and Erik's story. So, these last few chapters are my seasonal gift to you, my dear readers. It makes me so sad to post this but it also makes me joyous. I have loved this journey and am thrilled to start the next one.

Chapter 59

It took Anne nearly two weeks to recover. Erik had never had such a fretful time as he did in those short days. She'd been deprived of food for two days but it wasn't the deprivation that she needed to heal from. The shock of losing her sister had made her excessively introverted and it had taken her nearly a week before she actually broke down and began to mourn.

"I know that I am truly alone," she said to him one night after a nightmare had woken her. "I have you, Aunt Giry and Meg. However, there is something so lonely about losing a father, mother, and sister."

Erik's only reply would be to hold her tightly to him, gently press his lips to her and soothe her back to sleep.

They stayed in Madame Giry's flat and were visited frequently by the ballet mistress and her daughter. Meg did her best to look after her cousin and Antoinette filled in the role of mother. Erik and Anne would spend the day in each other's company, reading and talking and marveling over the fact that fate had seen to not seperate them prematurely.

It was during one sugh day that an unexpected knock came to their front door. Anne was sitting in the parlor reading a book while Erik was in the kitchen working on lunch. He made a move to go to the door but Anne had beaten him to it. Instead of seeing who was at the door, he made his way to the kitchen door which was off from the foyer.

"Vicomte? Vicomtesse?" The names echoed in the foyer and Erik had all he could do not enter and make himself known.

"Madame Giry was kind enough to tell us you were here," Christine said. "I had to come and make sure that you were alright."

"Of course. Do please come in..."

Erik heard the sound of footsteps and the front door close. He heard rather than saw the trio journey to the parlor and he followed, lurking just outside the door to overhear their conversation.

"Have you recovered, mademoiselle?" The question came from the Vicomte.

"I have. But please, you must call me Anne. I think that after all you've both done...it is only fair and right."

"Anne," Christine's voice echoed in the room. "Is he here?"

"Yes, Christine. Erik is here. Would you like to see him?"

There was no answer and since Anne did not call out for him, he could only assume that she had shook her head no. "I have seen him and talked to him. Our past is laid to rest for I have seen his future. And it looks like a beautiful one."

"I can assume that you and your husband have reconciled?"

"Yes," Raoul answered. "I had to finish the trouble I started."

"And the arm has healed?"

"Yes," Raoul repeated. "It was merely a graze."

"What will happen now for you Anne?" Christine asked.

There was a brief moment of silence and Erik wished that he'd talked to Anne about their future before she had been asked that question.

"I believe that I will retire to the country house my mother left for me."

"Your fiancé will go with you?" The question came from Christine.

"I can only hope so." He could hear the smile in Anne's voice and he went back to the kitchen, a plan forming in his mind.

The surprise visitors left soon after and I was left alone to my thoughts. It was truly good to see the two of them and reconcile our differences. Though we probably would never be the intimate friends I was with Meg, it was nice to know that all was well with us. I gazed into the fire, thinking over their questions...particularly over the ones that were about my future. I assumed that Erik would still want me to be his wife, but we had never talked about it. I also could assume that he had heard our entire conversation and would be joining me very soon to discuss it.

I was not wrong. He joined me within fifteen minutes a tray of food in his hands. I moved to the couch whereupon he joined me, setting the tray on the table in front of us. He was silent as he took the lids off the plates and poured out two large glasses of water. I took one of the glasses and took a long drink, my throat suddenly dry and my hands suddenly shaky.

"Did you enjoy your company?" He asked a few minutes later.

I sat the glass down and looked up at him. "Yes, I did. I'm truly grateful for what they did for us and it was nice to be able to at least part on good terms."

"Anne," he said suddenly, grasping my hands and looking down at me. "You know that I love you, Anna?"

"Of course, Erik. And I love you with all my heart and with all my soul."

"Marry me, then. Today!"

"Erik, what's brought all this on?" His words warmed me but I was confused at the sudden manner he approached me with this.

"You do want to marry me, don't you?"

"Of course. Without Elizabeth's interference we would be married by now."

He sighed and looked down at our joined hands. "I realized that we'd not talked about our future and you had no answer to give your visitors when they asked you questions."

I smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Dearest, I will happily marry you...but let us wait til Friday."

"That's five days away!"

"It'll give me some time to prepare. Aunt Giry has my wedding dress and all my belongings were brought here upon my disappearance. And besides, five days is not an eternity."

"You try my patience, Anna."

"But I have made my choice," I replied, a chuckle escaping my lips. "And what is five days longer when we have the rest of eternity together?"

"Marrying me now would mean that I can protect you!"

I laughed. "From what? Elizabeth is gone and the only person left to worry about is back in England. Grandmama won't care about me anymore and she has lost the only person that truly mattered to her."

"Still, I..."

"While I appreciate and accept the love and protection you offer me, please. Just a few more days. Then...I am yours." I leaned in close and pressed a kiss to his lips. A kiss which he returned with fervor and such a passion that it took me some time to catch my breath.

The five days passed quickly and soon I was Mrs. Erik Drestler. The church we found had married us quietly with only Nadir, Aunt Giry, Meg, Erik, and myself in attendance. My dress was a lightweight white brocade with white lace trim and pink rosebuds. The full skirt had a ruffle and trim around the bottom. The front panel of the skirt was lined and had an embroidered lace overlay with more pink rosebuds. The over skirt also had the same ruffle, lace trim and rosebuds. The sleeves fell off the shoulders and were tight fitted to about my elbows where they flared out with more of the lace and rosebuds. I wore no veil as Erik wanted my hair to be completely down and uncovered. My groom wore nearly all black with the exception of his stark white tuxedo shirt. He wore a black vest, pants, and coat. He was truly the handsomest of men to me.

As soon as the ceremony was over, we said our farewells to our friends, climbed into the carriage and began our journey to the country house. The house was quite a ways away so we stopped at a small yet exclusive hotel to spend our first night together. We arrived under the cover of darkness and were taken straight up to our room. The fact that I had not bothered to change out of my wedding dress made it obvious that we were newlyweds. However, aside from a few congratulatory remarks from the patron, we were left to our own devices.

Our room was well lit with candles and there was a fire blazing in the hearth. For a moment we each stood there in the expanse of the room staring at each other. The candlelight flickered on his white mask, and he looked so handsome and beautiful to me. I watched as he occupied himself taking off his gloves and his coat. My hands removed the white pearl necklace from around my neck and the pearl earrings from my earrings. I sat them down on the table next to the bed and sat down.

To hide my shaking hands I clasped them tightly in my lap and took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. I only looked up when I saw Erik stand in front of me and kneel down to my level.

"Anna," he whispered to me. His hands came to rest above my own and I could feel the tension in body melt away with just the sound of his voice. "You have successfully pointed out to me several times that I am no monster. I will not do anything tonight that you do not wish me to."

I saw the love and adoration in his eyes and I fell in love with him all over again. I hesitantly reached a hand up and removed the mask from his face. His eyes instantly closed and I leaned forward to deeply kiss him. I could feel his hands encircle my waist and he pulled me to my feet. My hands slid up his chest and entangled themselves in his hair. My lips parted and his tongue invaded my mouth. His lips caressed my jaw. But with a slight press of my hands against his chest, he pulled away.

"Erik," I whispered, trying to catch my breath. While I loved him, deeply, I was scared, terrified. Worried that my fears would ruin a night that was supposed to be special to the both of us. I took a shaky breath and nearly cried when I felt him pull me close. I could hear the soft beat of his heart...drumming a steady rhythm to calm my own.

"It's alright, Anna," he soothed, running a hand through my hair. "I love you."

"And I love you, darling, but it's just…" I shook my head and closed my eyes, trying to stop the tears. "I'm scared."

"I know," he replied. "We'll take this slow. Nothing happening that you don't want, alright?"

I took a small step back and wiped at my eyes. "It's just that…"

He silenced me with a kiss, and did so each time I tried to say something. I couldn't help but laugh at him and feel my tensions ease. Come what may, I knew that he'd never hurt me.

"We made promises to each other today, Anna. To love each other through all of the good times and the bad. Let me prove that promise to you."

I reached up and gently removed the mask from his face. He closed his eyes and I saw the flash of pain and nervousness. Both of us were two broken people who had suffered tragedies that no one should ever know. But we'd weather this storm and all of the upcoming storms...together.

"Kiss me," I whispered, and soon lost myself in his arms...in his touch...in his love.