The Phantom's Lullaby c2 (Revelations)

[gallifreyireland]

The Phantom's Lullaby Chapter 2- Revelations
synopsis: "With his past, how could the future be any less than agonizing? And yet, she had kissed him. Twice. In that moment, it had almost seemed like she wanted to stay..." Alternate ending to ALW's PoTO, but with references to Susan Kay's Phantom. E/C 
disclaimer: I don't own Phantom of the Opera or its characters. Nor do I own any songs quoted in this fic.
in this chapter: Erik goes shopping, Christine is bored, questions are answered.

Revelations

The Phantom woke the next morning feeling refreshed and energized for the first time in years. He had no doubt of the reason for his restful night: the beautiful angel curled up beside him.
As he gazed upon her face, noting how peaceful she looked while asleep, he was suddenly perplexed as to how she had gotten her legs out from beneath him.

The last thing he remembered was the warmth of her touch as she sang, him pillowed on her lap. Being the first time he had ever been held that close by anyone, he was fairly certain he was not mistaken in that fact. Yet she had somehow managed to lift him off of her legs and slide him over slightly so she could lie beside him, cocooned between his body and the back of the settee, all without waking him.

This confusing revelation was forgotten when he once again realized what had happened the night before. Christine. My Christine came back for me. She told me she loved me, distorted face and all, then sang me to sleep and held me in her arms….

He had never been so overwhelmed in his life. The Phantom wrapped his arms around her, hoping for a few more minutes of peaceful slumber, and drifted back to sleep.

XxxX

Christine immediately noticed the lack of his warmth when she awoke a few hours later. Panic rippled through her as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but her mind insisted on torturing her instead.

He’s left you, you sill girl. Did you really think he would stay? He waited for you to fall asleep so he could disappear without a trace. He obviously decided he didn’t want a young, flustering girl bothering him any longer.

Their shared moment the night before seemed very insignificant in the harsh light of day.

She sat up, taking in every inch of the small shack, hoping for a sign that he would return. Her eyes roamed over the dusty floors, the small singular window with dirty glass and a tattered curtain, the chair and table with rickety legs- really the only item in the room still in good condition was the sofa on which she was planted- and then she saw it. A small scrap of paper with Christine written on it in his flowing script.

She hurried to the table and snatched it up before it vanished just as easily as he had.

My dearest Christine,

I have gone to find us some provisions for the day. I will be back shortly, I promise. In the meantime, make yourself at home.

All my love.

That was all it said, but she was calmed instantly. Her angel hadn’t left her after all! She cursed her traitorous mind for conjuring up such pain needlessly.

She returned to her comfortable perch on the cushions, clutching his note, and prepared to wait. She was a little upset he had gone off on his own, instead of waking her to accompany him. ‘Make yourself at home’? What does he expect me to do, knit a sweater?

XxxX

The Phantom breezed through the alleys around the market, only venturing into the busy throng from around corners- taking what items he needed from the stalls and tables and leaving payment in their place –before dissolving back into the shadows. No one seemed to notice his presence.

The sun was high, but it did little to warm the late winter day. Since he spent most days below ground, time seemed to slip between his fingers so easily. He would stock up on supplies for himself, spend what felt like hours working on his music or designing some new mansion he would never see built, and the next thing he knew a month had passed. He was quite sure Christine could never live like that. I don’t even know what day it is…

As he “shopped”, he hummed to himself, unconsciously recalling the notes from the lullaby Christine had sung for him. His mood was miraculously lightened by the mere thought of her waiting patiently for him. He felt as light as air, buoyant, even as he skulked between buildings like the phantom he was.

When he had woken earlier, he knew he had to procure some food for himself and his lovely student. After a few marvelously pleasant minutes of basking in her embrace, he reluctantly extracted himself and prepared to leave. He retrieved his mask from where it had been abandoned on the floor, pulled on his boots, and wrote the note for Christine to find. Before he left he made sure she was covered warmly in the cloak he had given her and leaned down to plant a soft kiss in her hair.

He tried to pick foods he knew Christine would like- apples, bread and cheese. Other than the essentials, he wasn’t really aware of what else she liked to eat. A frown settled over his features as he thought about what else he didn’t know about Christine. Her favorite color, which season she preferred, even, he realized with a start, her middle name. Somehow even with the years of tutoring and watching over his beloved angel, he had missed so much.

His stomach lurched when he thought of all the things his sweet Christine didn’t know about him. She said she loved me…but would she still if she knew of my horrid past?

A commotion in the market broke him from his reverie. A small boy was shouting and chasing after a dog who didn’t want to be caught. Barking and crashing and cries of protest from angry shopkeepers wafted to the Phantom.

Suddenly, the frantic animal came barreling through the very alley where he was standing. Which meant the boy wouldn’t be far behind.

The Phantom ran in the same direction the animal had gone- deeper into the labyrinth between buildings- before peeling off into a side alley. He twisted through the gaps, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the boy. After a few minutes he was satisfied that he wasn’t seen or followed.

Slowing, he checked over what he had gathered. There seemed to be plenty for two days, at least, so he decided it was time to return to Christine. But not before stopping off at a small clothing shop…

XxxX

After what seemed like days, although she knew it was only a few hours at most, Christine heard a key being inserted into the front door. She flew to the window and pulled back the worn curtain, just to make certain that it was her Angel returning to her. He had barely opened the door when she threw herself into his arms.

“Finally!” she exclaimed with delight, “I was beginning to worry if you’d ever return!” Her eyes were shining when she pulled away. After a moment, she blushed and dropped he arms from around him. How foolish and impulsive of me. He probably thinks me mad.

His face lit up with the most genuine smile.

“No need to fret, I’m back, as you can see. And I’ve brought something for you.” From behind his back came the most gorgeous blue dress she had ever seen. It was velvet, and had long sleeves with cut-outs on the shoulders.

“Oh, thank you so much, I love it! Where did you get it?”

“There was a small dress shop along the way. The owner stepped into the back to check on something, so I took the opportunity to pick this out. Don’t worry,” he said, noticing the disapproving look in her eye, “I did pay for it. And more than was asked.”

Her features relaxed again.

“I’m glad you are pleased with it,” he continued, “I assumed it would be able to keep you warm in this frightful weather. And, I thought you would be wanting to change out of…” He trailed off, gesturing to the previously sodden wedding gown he had forced on her, uncomfortable with the memories it brought with it.

“Yes…thank you angel.” Christine took the dress from his hands.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as they both reminisced on the events that led them here.

Finally, the Phantom cleared his throat to break the tension.

“I’ve brought some food,” he said cautiously, unnerved by their previous silence. He placed the burlap sack containing said foodstuffs on the table. “But…I can…step out if you want to change. Just call me when you are finished.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

He left unceremoniously, pulling the door shut behind him.

XxxX

“Idiot, Idiot, IDIOT! Why did you bring up that whole unfortunate affair? It would be better for us both to just put it behind us.”

The Phantom paced the small clearing surrounding the shack, lost in thought. “And now you’re talking to yourself again, fantastic.” He heaved a sigh of frustration, kicking a rock into a nearby tree.  A small chunk of bark broke off and fell to the ground in its wake.

Where do we go from here? Last night- in spite of my ridiculous schemes- was wonderful, but the situation feels so different now. It’s a brand new day, and I am in no way certain of Christine’s feelings. I wonder what she is thinking…

He glanced unconsciously towards the shabby building, only to jerk his attention away immediately.
Christine had forgotten to close the curtains.

Luckily for his overactive hormones, he had only caught a brief glimpse of a small portion of her upper back and bare arm. It took all his will power to keep his eyes focused resolutely in the opposite direction.

XxxX

I wish I had a mirror.

Christine ran her hands along the sleeve of her new garment, enjoying its warm softness. How nice of him to buy me such a lovely dress. I’ll have to pay him back somehow.

The brief tension between them earlier was heavy on her mind. She longed to find some way to return to the atmosphere of last night. The warmth of his gaze on her face, the feeling of complete and utter rightness as she fell asleep beside him…

Christine wanted more than anything for the pieces to fall into place perfectly. I just want him to be happy for once. I want him to be happy with me.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she opened the door. “Angel? I’m finished, you can come back inside.”

XxxX

“How did you know blue was my favorite color?”

Surprise flashed across his face before settling into what he hoped was a look of nonchalance. “I just had a feeling about it. Really it was just a happy coincidence.” He was secretly glad to have one less mystery between them.

“It looks wonderful on you,” he intoned sincerely. She really did look stunning.

“Thank you, Monsieur,” she said with a slight bow of her head.  A deep blush colored her cheeks, making her all the more adorable in his eyes.

Monsieur…? That was a change from how she usually addressed hm. He let the matter fall from his thoughts. It wasn’t important.

He set out a small meal of bread and fruit for them, then ventured outside once more to fill a pitcher with water from the nearby stream.

For lack of another chair, they simply sat again on the settee to eat. As they were finishing, Christine looked over at him, and asked a question that he was not prepared for.

“I never even thought to ask…but what is your proper name? I can’t go on calling you ‘Angel’; I know you are a man just like any other.”

My name? I haven’t heard it in so long…it’s too closely linked with my unhappy childhood.

One look into her eyes calmed him immediately. Well, it caused his heart to pound for quite another reason, anyway. Those beautiful brown eyes…so deep and trusting. He knew he couldn’t deny her anything, not even this closely guarded secret.

“Erik,” he managed to choke out hoarsely. He cleared his throat and tried again.
“Erik. My name is Erik.”

He waited anxiously for her response.

“Erik…” Her eyebrows dipped in concentration. She seemed to be weighing the sound of it in her mind. “It’s beautiful. And I think it suits you perfectly.”

His mouth twisted up into another bright smile as his heart leapt in his chest. The tenderness he heard in her voice…the way she spoke his given name was almost a caress, soothing all the hurt he previously associated with it.

A silence settled between them, but it was far from uncomfortable.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he gently pulled Christine to face him. He reached up to brush a stray curl behind her ear before cupping her cheeks between his hands and rubbing small circles into her skin with his thumbs. Her chocolate brown eyes widened at the look of intense longing in his.

“Christine…” he said her name in a whisper and watched the blood rush to her face once more. She was so beautiful!

And then he was lowering his lips to hers, kissing her softly at first, until her hands came up to twist in his hair. With a moan he deepened the kiss. The mask was pulled gently from his face, and Christine caressed his deformity with the lightest of touches. His arms wound around her waist and held her to his body, refusing to leave any space between them. The moment was so perfect and happy that he couldn’t help laughing lightly against her lips. He felt her smile in return.

After a moment they broke away, each breathing heavily. They sat transfixed, simply staring into each other’s eyes. The warmth and adoration Erik saw in Christine’s gaze finally drove home the reality to his soul: She loves me. Against all the odds, she actually loves me!

XxxX

They spent the rest of the day talking and basking in each other’s presence. Erik learned that Christine loved the spring and that her middle name was Elise. Christine Elise Daaé. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.

Christine managed to pry a few small details about Erik’s life from him. Like the name of his beloved pet dog from when he was a boy: Sasha. She thought it sweet that he teared up at the memory of her death.

The sun was setting once again when he thought of another question.

“That lullaby you sang for me last night…was it something your father used to sing to you when you were young?” Erik’s question caught her off guard and she answered without thinking.

“No, father would mostly play his violin to help me sleep, or sing an old Swedish folk song. The lullaby…I wrote it for you. I’m not as skilled as you are with composing music, so I never recorded the notes on paper. Maybe you could help with that?”

A hitching sob was her only response.

She turned in his arms to see tears streaming down his face. “Erik, are you alright?”

“You wrote a…song…for me?” He was obviously  very surprised. And smiling. The tears he shed were happy ones, she was relieved to note.

“Yes, of course. You were a major part of my life, Erik. And you always seemed so distant... I wanted to cheer you up, but never got a chance to sing it for you at the Opera House before--”

He captured her lips with his, effectively silencing her explanation.

When again they parted, breathless, he asked “What do you want to do tomorrow? We have the whole world at our feet.”

She held her left hand up before his face and wiggled her fingers, the fading light glittering off of the diamond on her finger filling the room with reflected stars. She still wears my ring? I must have been blind not to notice. But that means…

“The world will have to wait, Erik, I believe we have a prior engagement.”


Chapter 3---->