Chapter Text
Christine ran as fast as she could down the long endless stone corridors. She could hear Erik's footsteps running not far behind her. She entered a huge stone chamber that was filled with many stone columns and quickly hid behind one of them, covering her mouth with her hand to stop her making a sound.
She heard Erik enter the chamber then suddenly stop. Christine waited for the right moment to run for the opening at the other end of the room. Erik's footsteps walked round the back of the column then he came round the front with his broad back to facing her, her heart was pounding so fast with fear that it hurt in her chest. Erik was now right in front her but still with his back was to her. She knew that if she tried to run now he would catch her.
Erik turned round and saw her. Christine gasped in fright and backed away from him until she was brought to a stop by the stone wall behind her. Erik slowly followed her and Christine slid down the wall onto the cold stone floor. She closed her eyes and waited for Erik's rage, for him to grab her arm, yank her back down to the lair and throw her back into the iron cage.
But nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw that Erik was down on his knees in front of her, his black mask made him look even scarier. Christine pushed herself harder against the wall as if she was trying to push herself through it. Erik held both his hands up and said very gently "Please don't be afraid." Christine froze remembering that they were the first words he'd ever said to her. But she couldn't stop trembling from both the cold and her fear. For she still couldn't get out of her mind, the sight that lay under that mask. He reached up and removed his black mask which now showed his usual white mask underneath.
"Christine" he said gently "Don't you remember when I told you that hurting you was something I would never want to do?"
She looked up to face him properly "But...why all this rage? Destroying your beautiful home and throwing me in that cage?" She said, her voice also trembling. But she already knew why Erik had done what he did, it was because she'd fainted and tried to escape.
There was a long silence between them then Erik said "Christine, I was scared that if you went back you might start screaming about my face and where I lived" Christine said nothing to this so he continued. "And…from the way they treated you up there; it gave me unimaginable pain to watch it."
Christine relaxed a little "What do you mean?"
"Carlotta and Choletti making you work for them without even bothering to hear how well you could sing. And when Choletti finally gave you the chance you'd longed deserved, Carlotta tricked you into drinking poison that broke your voice and ruined your debut."
Christine's eyes widened in disbelief "Oh, I'm sure Carlotta wouldn't..." She began but Erik interrupted her.
"Christine! You don't know that vile women like I do. Believe me, I found evidence to prove it." Christine didn't question him further so as not to make Erik angry again.
After a minute Christine asked "Is that why you're keeping me down here? Because you were scared that I would expose you?" Erik nodded then looked into her eyes
"Yes, but the other reason was because I needed to protect you from the danger of above. And to me, leaving you to suffer up there was like leaving a stranded angel in hell."
She continued to stare at him and Erik placed his hand over his heart "Because...from the moment I first heard your voice, I have been in love with you my dear Christine."
This came as no surprise to Christine, she had already known that Erik was in love with her, from what Gerard had told her, but to hear it coming from Erik's own mouth it made it more real.
"You see all my life I have lived in the safety of the shadows underneath this opera house so I haven't ever been able to express my feelings to a girl. But there never has been a girl for me who could possibly..." He paused for a moment staring at the floor and almost looked as if he was going to cry. "…and the other night when I saw you leaving the Bistro with the Count, it broke my heart. And then when you told me that you could love my face no matter how it looked, I half believed you for a moment and then when I showed you... you don't love me…"
In that moment something changed in Christine, all her fear seemed to wash away from hearing these words. My god! She thought, how could I have been so heartless and run in fear of someone who was in love with me had given me everything, even his own heart? So what if his face was hideous, I already know his heart and seen the love in his beautiful eyes. Her own heart now was starting to break as she watched Erik who now looked as if he actually was on the brink of tears, all because of her heartless actions. It then that she realized, Erik needed to see and feel real love.
Tenderly she reached forward and placed her hand on the side of his masked face. His raised his head suddenly as she touched him, his expression was very nervous. With her other hand she reached behind his head to undo the ribbons that held the mask on. He began to panic and tried to stop her but she caught his hand "Shh, its ok" she whispered.
"No, Christine" he pleaded.
But she loosened the ribbons and removed the mask from his face. The hideous sight came to her eyes once again. Just like before she saw the purplish shriveled skin with black and red blotches and the dark circles round his beautiful eyes that made them look sunken. But this time she looked with her heart and not with her eyes, and now there was not a trace of fear inside her.
Laying the mask aside she placed her hand on his shriveled cheek, leaned forward and gave him a long gentle kiss on his forehead. As she leaned back to look at him, the tears broke from Erik's beautiful eyes that were watching her with disbelief "Oh, Christine" he whispered.
She reached up and wiped them away with her thumb. "Poor Erik" she said gently. Then slowly she leaned forward again and wrapped him in a hug. Just like last she'd hugged him he stiffened in shock. "Can you ever forgive me for hurting you?" she asked still holding him in her embrace.
Erik was still frozen in surprise and uncertainty, his arms hovered round her, not touching her. It was because just like the first time she'd touched his shoulder and then hugging him the other day, it was an abnormal feeling for him. All so sudden all these new feelings were swarming through him, to be in the arms of someone else was never a possibility in his life since his mother passed away. She had been the only one that really loved him and yet he couldn't remember what it had felt like as a baby. And even now to finally be in the arms of the girl he loved was unbelievable. Again she was willing to look upon his face and had not fainted, screamed or ran away. And to feel a kiss for the first time, it was as if he had been pulled from the dark hole of hell and been led through the golden gates of heaven by the angel who now held him in her loving arms.
At her plea for forgiveness he somehow managed to snap out of his moment of shocked disbelief. Slowly he finally wound his own arms round her and embraced her at last for the first time, burying his face in her golden halo of hair. "Oh Christine, of course I forgive you." he whispered.
Christine sighed in contentment and held him tighter, happiness filling her entire being at feeling his strong arms finally embrace her back. She didn't know how long they stayed like that but she didn't want to ever let go of her Maestro, her Erik, her true love.