Why Not?

Summary-

"Instead of listening to your heart, you always do what you are told." She said staring into Christine's eyes, "So, why not take a crazy chance, just this once?"

The Victomte de Chagny wasn't the only patron to grace the Opera Populaire, Zero Umbra and his fiancée Myari Rosa also grace the Opera Populaire. But while Raoul sings of treason against King Music, the Phantom of the Opera, Zero and Myari sing only of unbridled loyalty to the King and his chosen Queen. Will Erik be able to live happily with his Queen in his kingdom of music, or will Raoul succeed in destroying the kingdom and steal it's Queen away?

Chapter 5-

Christine slammed the door to her room, making sure to lock it before sliding down it to sit on the floor, her head in her hands as she cried. Why was all of this happening? Why had her Phantom killed Buquet? Why did Raoul kiss her? Why were the managers disobeying her Phantom? If would have just listened to her Phantom in the first place none of this would have happened. If they had just followed his instructions Buquet would still be alive.

Christine jumped when she felt a hand on her head, she looked to see her Phantom in front of her a few feet away on his hands and knees, tears in his eyes. His hand was held out to her and his eyes begging her to do something, what that was she didn't know. "Oh, Christine." She heard her Phantom whisper, his voice broken.

Don't fear me.

She heard his voice begging to her through her mind.

"Why?" Christine asked, her voice cracking. She saw hurt and fear of rejection in his eyes and knew he had not understood what she was asking. She tried to whipped her tears away, but they just kept coming down, and began to slowly crawl to him, thankful that he stayed where he was. Once she had reached him, Christine reached out and held her hand to the cheek that was uncovered. "Please tell me why, you killed Buquet." She whispered as she shuffled closer to him and placed her other hand on his mask.

"I didn't," He started, his voice shaking and his eyes searching her face, "I didn't mean to." He finished and she looked at him confused, how could someone hang someone else and not mean to kill them? Her Phantom placed his hands onto hers and looked deep into eyes, begging her to believe him. "I had only meant to knock him unconscious, he had been searching for me and was getting too close, he needed to be taught a lesson. I was just going to chock him until he passed out, then leave him on the flies to be found. But, as I was chocking him, he fought back, and threw himself over the rails of the flies to try and escape. I had tied to catch him, but it was too late." Christine gasped as images of her Phantom on the flies with Buquet appeared into her mind.

"I believe you." Christine whispered and her Phantom gave her a small smile, "I saw you trying to catch Buquet."

"I know, I saw you looking up at me before you took off towards your room." Her Phantom said as his thumb began to rub against her hand, "I followed you and heard your frightened scream and followed it all the way to the roof. I saw and heard everything."

"Everything?" Christine asked in a frightened whisper, did that mean he saw Raoul kiss her? Oh, what her Phantom must think of her now.

"Everything." He confirmed in a whisper, her eyes teared up as her Phantom removed one of his gloved hands from hers and ran his thumb along her bottom lip. "He stole your first kiss from me." She heard him whisper and a sob slipped through her lips, and without hesitation she was suddenly in his arms. She didn't know if he had pulled her to him, or if she had thrown herself at him, either way, she found herself in his arms. She gripped onto his shirt and buried her head into his neck, letting her tears fall, she would never be able to share her first kiss with her Phantom now.

Once she had stopped crying she felt her Phantom pull away just enough to look at her. She looked into his eyes and sniffed a little as he whipped her cheeks with his thumbs. "I will be gone for a few months." He told her.

"What? Why?" Christine asked, her grip in his shirt tightened, her eyes tearing up again. Was he leaving because she was kissed by another man?

"I have been working on an Opera, and need to finish it." Her Phantom said. Christine tightened her grip on his shirt even more to keep herself from fainting, he was leaving because of what happened with Raoul.

"No," Christine whispered as a tear slipped from her eye, her Phantom looked at her confused, "Don't go. Please. I'm sorry I won't let Raoul kiss me ever again!" She cried before pulling her Phantom to her and kissed him.

Please don't leave me.

She whispered into his mind as she let her tears silently fall from her eyes again. She felt her Phantom relax and begin to kiss her back. She felt him run one of his hands rub her cheek, as if trying to wipe her tears away, and felt the other one run through her hair. She pulled back enough to look a him and saw tears in his eyes.

"I," He started, his voice cracking with emotion before he cleared his throat, "I could never leave you." Christine pulled him into another hug and allowed herself to cry again, before crying herself to sleep in his arms.

\\''/

Erik sat there on the floor of Christine's room, holding his Angel lovingly to him as he ran his gloved fingers through her hair. He tightened his grip on her a little more as he battled with himself. What he had told her about writing on his Opera had been both the truth and an excuse. Christine had been right to assume that he had been leaving because of what happened on the roof between her and that boy. His mind was whispering that she belonged with that boy. That that boy could give Christine everything that he could not, a life he couldn't give her. But his heart yelled at him, telling him that Christine was his, that she was not like other girls. That she didn't long for the riches and jewels that came with the life with the boy would give her. That she longed to be with him in his kingdom of music.

His eyes teared up at he looked at his sleeping Angel, he took one of his gloved hands and began to gently remove the tears that were still on her face. He clinched his jaw, he had made his Angel cry. Had made her heart and soul cry out in agony at the thought of him leaving. He had felt her soul cry out to him, begging him not to leave her. A tear slipped out of his eye, how could he have done that? How could he have been about to force his Angel to live without him?

He quickly wiped his tear away before he arranged Christine in his arms and stood up so that he was carrying her bridle style. He would take her and keep her with him. He would not allow his Angel to suffer again.

With his mind made up, he quickly walked towards the still open mirror and walked through it. He turned and easily shut the mirror with his Angel in his arms before he began to quickly walk through the passage way. Instead of going the way he had when he had first brought her to his home, he took a longer way that lead him around the lake and towards his side of it.

Once at his home he quickly walked to his room and sat her on his dark swan like bed. The bed had been used as a prop in a darker version of Swan Lake, that had unsurprisingly done poorly. And since he knew that they would no longer need it, since everyone in the theatre silently agreed to never do that play again, he had taken it to use as his own bed.

Erik carefully removed Christine's shoes and went to remove her Countess costume, but stopped. He was not her father, nor was he her husband, it would not be proper for him to undress her. Even if it was to let her be more comfortable. He lightly blushed before he turned towards his armoire and opened it. He pushed his clothes to the side to show some dresses he had made for his Angel in the hopes that she would one day live down here with him. He quickly went through the dresses before finding what he was looking for, a silk night dress. He pulled it out of the armoire and looked at it, making sure it was in perfect condition, once he was satisfied with it, he closed the armoire and hung the night dress on the armoire door.

Erik turned and looked at Christine, he walked over to her before smoothing back her hair. He bent over and kissed Christine on her forehead, keeping his lips there for a minute before pulling away and walking out of the room. He walked over to his pipe organ, taking off his gloves on the way, before he allowed himself to sub-come to the call of his music as he worked on his opera.

\\''/

Raoul growled under his breath as he made his way through the opera house, not only had Christine defended that, that monster, she had pushed him away and slapped him before running away. Why had Christine been so admit on going to her room? Had that monster some how ordered her to go there? Had that monster threatened her? Was that why she had pushed him away? She had been scared, but not of him, she had been scared of that monster, scared of what he would do to her.

Raoul clenched his fists in anger. That monster had forced her to go to her room and now he had taken her. Raoul would find him, and rescue Christine from him. Christine was his, she would marry him, just as she had promised when they were younger, and he would take her way from this place. This hell.

He turned a corner and saw Myari Rosa chatting with a pretty little blond girl, the two of them were whispering and giggling. Raoul looked closely at the girl with Myari and noticed that he had seen this girl around his Christine. Anger filled Raoul, this girl claimed to be his Christine's friend, and here she was laughing and giggling away as if Christine wasn't in danger.

Raoul stormed over to the two girls and grabbed the one closest to him, that just so happened to be Myari. Myari turned to look at him, her face portraying shock yet her eyes were glaring at him. "Victomte, may I help you?" Myari asked, her voice light and airy, giving off a feeling of innocence, yet her aura gave off annoyance.

"How can you just stand there acting as if nothing is happening?" Raoul demanded, he saw the blond girl give him a confused look before Myari motioned for her to leave them.

"What are you talking about, Victomte? What is happening?" Myari asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Out of the corner of his eyes, Raoul saw Myari's fiancé, Zero, quickly coming down the hallway leading off from the hallway him and Myari were standing in. He saw Myari hold up her hand towards Zero who stopped. Raoul glanced at Zero and noticed the man was standing there, rigid, and glaring at him, making Raoul feel like a trapped prey. "Victomte?" Myari said bringing Raoul back to the topic.

"Christine." Raoul said.

"What about Miss Daaé?" Myari asked.

"She is missing, that monster has her, I know it." Raoul said.

"What monster?" Myari asked.

"'What monster?' This Opera Ghost obviously." Raoul said running his hands through his hair.

"And how do you know the Opera Ghost has her?" Zero asked and Raoul turned to glare at him, but one look at the man caused Raoul to flinch back a little.

"Because he threatened her and forced her to go to her room where he then kidnapped her!" Raoul cried and glared at Myari when she gave a little laugh. "And what is so funny Miss Rosa?"

"The Opera Ghost didn't threaten or force Miss Daaé to go to her room." Myari asked.

"How do you know he didn't, my dear?" Zero asked.

"Because before the show, I had gone to Miss Daaé's room and begged her to promise me that if anything were to happen that night, that she would return to the safety of her room." Myari said.

"And why would you do that? Her room was obviously not safe!" Raoul cried and went to grab Myari's shoulders but stopped when he saw Zero take a step towards him.

"Because I had a feeling that something would happen, after all you and the managers had disobeyed the Opera Ghost's orders. I felt that he would do something to retaliate, and that if he did she would be safer in her room." Myari said.

"You were obviously wrong about her being safe in her room!" Raoul yelled in rage, his voice almost sounding demonic. Myari flinched back, fear flashing in her eyes a quick second before she hardened her eyes. Raoul jumped when he felt a strong grip on his arm and himself being pulled away from Myari. He looked over and saw Zero glaring at him while holding his arm, keeping Raoul from flinching away.

"Don't you ever raise your voice at her like that again." Zero warned, his voice deep and threatening, almost like a growl, and his eyes promised pain should his warning not be heeded. Raoul stared at Zero in fear, and gulped. Though Raoul knew he had more money and power than this man had, he was certain that this man had been through Hell and back and was not afraid to carry out his unspoken promise.

"It-it is her fault that the Opera Ghost took Christine." Raoul said, he inwardly winced at the sound of his weak voice.

"Are you sure it is my fault?" Myari asked and both Raoul and Zero turned their head to look at her in question, "Are you sure that it wasn't you that caused him to take her."

"I have done nothing that would cause this Opera Ghost to take Christine." Raoul said offended that Myari would even dare to claim that this was somehow his fault.

"Well, you not only caused Miss Daaé to scream as if she were being attacked but also forced her to the roof. Maybe the Opera Ghost thought he was protecting her." Myari said.

"'Protecting her'?" Raoul repeated as he stared at Myari in shock who just nodded, "Why would this Opera Ghost want to protect Christine? He killed Buquet!"

"Why would he care if Miss Daaé was in a leading role?" Myari asked, "And are we sure that the Opera Ghost killed Buquet? I mean, all we saw was his body fall with a rope around his neck. It could have very well been an accident, like Monsieur Firmin claimed." Myari said with a shrug before turning around and began walking down the hall, away from him, with Zero following her. She was obviously done with the conversation.

"'An accident'?" Raoul repeated in outrage once they were gone. He angrily ran his hand down his face. What was it with people defending this monster. This person, this ghost, was a murderer. He had killed Buquet! Why did people keep defending him? Couldn't they see that he was a danger to them, to Christine? Raoul glared down the hallway with a determined look. No matter what it took he would find this Opera Ghost and kill him, releasing everyone here from his dark control. With that thought Raoul turned and stalked back to his room in the Opera Populaire, a dark smile forming on his face.

'Soon.' he thought, 'Soon, my dear Christine, this monster will be gone and you will be safe with me as my beautiful wife.'