Hello everyone! This is my first phanphic. I imagine Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggress as Erik and Christine, because the 25th Anniversay Concert and the 2004 movie are the only versions I've seen. Please rate and review!

Christine

"Help me say goodbye…"

As I knelt at my father's grave, my mind wandered to picture Raoul. He was everything I had always wanted, and yet I was unhappy. Why? He wanted to give me everything. One love, one lifetime… Isn't that what he promised? Then why did he want me to star in Don Juan Triumphant? He was supposed to protect me, not force me into a living nightmare!

I had no choice. My other option… I shuddered simply thinking of it. The Phantom—my Angel, my teacher—was no longer the man I knew. He had killed Joseph Buquet without a second thought. You knew Buquet, though, said a troublesome voice in my head. He was always telling the ballerinas terrible stories and trying to catch your Angel.

"Stop it! That doesn't make him any less of a murderer!" I scolded my inner voice. "He killed a man, perhaps more than one! Good men are not killers. They protect, teach, and only want the best for the person they love."

Isn't what your Angel does, however? the voice cried. He taught you to sing. He wants you to be the star and get the spotlight you have earned. Most importantly, who was your friend when you came to the Opera Populaire? I don't recall Raoul guarding and guiding you then… Who is the true Angel?

"He's not an Angel! Angels don't kill, lie, or hurt the people who are in their ways. You can no longer call him an Angel," I chastised myself. "He wants to take me away from Raoul, the man I love. Raoul, the sweet, kind man who loved me. But Raoul is willing to put you in harm's way so his rival will be killed…

No! I couldn't think that way. Raoul only wanted what was best for me, didn't he? I had to remember what he said: "While the Phantom lives, he will haunt us till we're dead." After the Phantom (your Angel of Music, the voice reminded me) was captured, Raoul and I would be happy together. We would marry! We would have children… As I pictured them, however, they were not the children of Raoul. They had my Angel's nose, his eyes… But they would be beautiful!

I shook the thought from my mind. IF—and that was a big if—my Angel could even have children, they would look like him. They would not be the beautiful children I imagined. A face only a mother could love, I thought wryly.

"Oh, Father, I wish you were here now," I whispered. I needed his guidance! He had promised me an angel from Heaven, not an angel of Hell. Raoul was an angel. He was kind, considerate, wealthy… Everything a bride-to-be should want. However, he wanted me to stop singing as soon as we were wed. "It's not proper," he had said. Did he not realize how important my music was? It let me soar!

On the other hand, there was the Phantom. He was dark, mysterious, and he loved me. He had loved me ever since I came to the opera house, although I had not recognized it then. In fact, I hadn't recognized it at all, until he sang and entranced my soul. I remembered removing his mask. I remembered his rage. He had cursed me; damned me; and, in his own way, immediately apologized. Do you think Raoul would do that? that bothersome voice shouted. Do you think he would admit to his mistakes? I had to admit to myself that I doubted it. Raoul was a proud man. He never thought he was beneath me. He had often told me about how he was looked down upon because of me. I was a singer, hardly an honorable profession. Your Angel would never make you stop the one thing you love, the voice whispered. He would only help you to grow.

I felt my resolve to hate the Phantom wavering. "Stop!" I said to myself. "He is a murderer and nothing more! He deceived you! He tried to tell you he was an angel, when he was a demon!"

A demon who loves you, I sadly thought. The knot in my stomach twisted. Did Raoul feel the same way? If he loved me as much as he said, why hadn't he tried to speak to me before I became a star? He had blamed his parents, of course. He never would say that anything was his fault. He was a good man, but not perfect. Did he love me? The engagement ring he had given me said that he did, but did his heart say the same?

"Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance…"

My heart swelled, even though my mind fought against it. I turned and saw him as he was. He was not a demon; he was not a monster. He was angry at the world, hurt, and alone. I thought back to that time when I was those things. Who was my savior then? Not Raoul! No, my Angel had comforted me and taught me to sing. I knew what I must do.

"Come to me, Angel of Music!" His voice put me in a trance, like it did nearly every time he sang for me. It filled every part of my being, made me forget all my troubles, and drew me forward. He might have been the Phantom, but to me, he was still my Angel. My beautiful, perfect Angel.

"Christine!" I heard Raoul behind me. He tried to break my trance, but it was fruitless. I knew I could not return to him. My Angel would think I betrayed him, yet again, if I did. I focused again on my Angel. Hopefully, Raoul would misunderstand. Perhaps he would send guards after me. Thankfully, my Angel's home was massive and confusing. I had been lost after I awoke the night after Hannibal. They would never find us. I could lie to Raoul, or, better still, escape with my Angel! I smiled at the thought, and took my Angel's hand.

I followed him. To where, I did not yet know.