I was shocked. I was truly shocked. I've only seen one proposal in my life, and that was in 4th grade when my teacher proposed to his girlfriend in front of everyone. I never actually thought this was going to happen to me.

I smiled and him, and was about to say yes, but I couldn't. What about home? School? Meg? Seth? Piangi? I couldn't stay here forever, I needed to get home.

"Oh Erik - " I said to him, a tear trickling down my cheek. "I want to say yes, I truly do, but I can't. I - I need to go home, Erik. I've been away far too long."

Erik's eyes dropped to the floor, and he brought the ring up to his face so he could examine it closely. He stroked it and finally said to me with difficulty,

"Then go."

"What?"

"I said go then!" He roared. "Leave me!"

Erik stomped away, almost running, and disappeared into another room. I was shocked. Why was he so angry? I felt terrible. To refuse him this offer was very hard on him. I wanted to say yes, I wanted to kiss him and we could be together forever, but it just couldn't happen.

I stayed on the couch and sobbed. It was Christmas morning, too! The worst Christmas of my life.

I sat on the couch for at least an hour. I was crying the whole time. When I finally stopped the tears, I decided that I needed to talk to Erik. I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye.

Getting up as quietly as I could, I searched in every room. His room, the drawing room, kitchen, library, and even my room, although I knew he wouldn't be in there. Where could he be? I searched everywhere. Under beds, in cupboards, even by the lake.

Where could he be? I was growing even more worried than I was before. He didn't kill himself - ?

No! I couldn't think of that. If he wasn't anywhere else, he must have been in the secret room. Where else could he have been? I raced into the room, not caring if I ran into something. It didn't matter anymore. I just wanted to see Erik.

Surely enough, I was correct. The room was lit, with a purple glow, from the crystal ball and Ouija Board. Erik's back was turned to me, and he was in a chair, looking at the ring. I looked at the crystal ball. My image was in it, it was just like a mirror. Erik had been looking at me this whole time.

I walked closer to him, but apparently he heard me. He looked into the crystal ball, saw my tear stained face and yelled, "Go away!"

"No Erik. Just please, let me explain, alright?"

"What is there to explain?" He hissed. "If you want to go, then go!"

"Erik, please - "

"You think I am hideous, don't you?" He screeched, finally turning around in his chair to look at me. His mask was off, and he pointed at the deformed side of his face. "That's why you don't want to marry me!"

I sighed. "That is not the reason, Erik. I already told you. I can't stay here forever. I have a family at home, that is worried about me. I have missed school, and Meg misses me too. Erik you know I can't stay here all my life."

"Why not?" He demanded in a harsh whisper. "Why not, Christine? We can have a happy life together!"

"I wish we could, but we can't. It's just not possible." I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck. To my surprise, he didn't move away. He just didn't look at me.

"Erik, please look at me."

No response.

I didn't wait for a second one. I tilted his chin so he was now looking me directly in the eye. I said to him, "Erik, I love you more than anything in the world. Believe me, if I could stay here and become your wife, I would. But you know it's impossible. I can't belong here, Erik. What you did was a miracle, pulling me in here. I am so happy I got the chance to meet you, believe me. And I love you so much."

I was crying now. I could feel the tears dripping down my cheeks. Erik looked at me for a split second, but then as quick as a wink, I was in his arms and he was kissing me roughly. I smiled and kissed him back.

We spent a good, passionate moment kissing each other. We never let go of each other, not once. I asked Erik suddenly,

"What if you could come with me?"

Erik only chuckled. It made me feel good, to see him laugh again. It felt like ages since I saw him last smile.

"My dear, that wouldn't work."

"But why not?" I asked. "I came down here, didn't I?"

"Yes I know, but it's different."

"How?"

Erik sighed. "Well, it's different when you bring someone into the past, unlike bringing someone into the future. It just doesn't work."

"But Logan came into the future," I said to him. "It must be possible."

"Well if it is I don't know how to do it."

"Yes you do."

"How?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You stuck your arm through the board, remember? When you pulled me in?"

"Ah, yes. Well, I never thought I would be able to fit through it - "

"Oh Erik!" I cried in laugher. I kissed his lips and said, "Please. Come with me."

Erik sighed and looked at the Ouija Board. But suddenly, his smile faded into a frown and he said abruptly, "No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"It wouldn't be right for me to go there, my angel. It just wouldn't work. People will look at me and . . . no, I can't. Just - go, if you want to so badly."

I looked down at the floor. There was no point in arguing with him. I got up from his lap and stared down at the Ouija Board. Is this how I would leave? In an unhappy mood? No, I couldn't leave like this.

"I'll miss you, Erik." I told him, tears staring to shed violently from my eyes.

Erik looked up at me, his eyes glistening. "I'll miss you too, Christine."

I couldn't take it anymore. I flew into his arms and kissed him, and he kissed me back. I never wanted to let go of him. Never.

But I knew I had to. Sadly, I took myself from his arms and looked down at the Ouija Board once more.

"Will I ever see you again, Erik?"

Erik sighed and clasped my hands with his. He set the wedding ring in my palm, and squeezed my fingers tightly around it. "In another life."

I sniffled, and knowing I didn't bring anything with me, I knew that I didn't have to go back. No, it was too much to go back to his house. I would miss him too much.

"I never thought that - that this was how I would leave."

"I didn't think so either." Erik replied, standing up besides me.

I bit my lip and said, "Erik?"

"Yes?"

"Before I go," and I kissed the scarred side of his face. I could feel the salty tears that were dissolving into his skin. "I just want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too, Christine. More than anything." He smiled.

"And I will miss you. A lot." I added, trying to hold back my tears.

"I will miss you more, my darling." Erik smiled, giving my hand one last squeeze.

"You have been my, my - my Angel of Music, Erik!" And once again, I bursted into tears. He took me in his arms lovingly and soothed me.

"Will you - will you watch over - me?" I sobbed. "Please?"

Erik grinned. "Of course I will, my child. I will be there to protect you. I am your Angel of Music, after all, aren't I?"

I smiled and giggled, wiping the tears away from my eyes.

"Then I guess it's time to say goodbye." I wailed.

Erik stoked my hair and kissed me one last time. "Goodbye, my sweet."

"Goodbye, Erik. I'm glad I met you."

And it all happened so quickly from there. Words in a foreign tongue started to come out of Erik's mouth, and the Ouija Board started to glow so brightly. The crystal ball started to swirl, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

x x x x x

"Christine? Christine! Oh my god! I can't believe it! Is this real? I am I imagining things? Oh my - " A man's voice spoke.

"Shhh! She's sleeping!" A girl's voice hissed.

"Is she dead?"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! Look, she's even still breathing!"

These are the voices I woke up to. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around the room. Where was I? This didn't look like my bedroom . . . wait! It was my bedroom! My eyes shot open fully, and I found myself to be on the floor of my own bedroom, with Meg and Seth around me.

"Oh my god! I can't believe it!" Meg screeched, and literally jumped on me to give me a big hug. Shocked, I returned the hug. What was this? How come I was completely clueless?

"Why - why am I here?" I asked, confused.

"Well how should we know?" Seth asked. "You were gone for over a year! And we only saw you once when you stuck your head through that Ouija Board. But how are you? How did you get back?"

It all snapped back to me. Erik had let me go, and I was back at my old house now. I started to sob. But I didn't know why. It was a mixture of sadness and happiness.

"What's wrong?" Meg asked me.

"I'm calling Dad, this is a miracle!" Seth exclaimed, and he ran to the phone downstairs.

"I - I miss Erik!" I cried. Meg allowed me to cry on her shoulder, and I did so. I knew she didn't have a clue of what I was talking about either.

"It's alright," she soothed. "Don't cry now. Shhh,"

x x x x

5 weeks later

It was now January, and I was back at school. All of the kids would swarm around me and ask me where I've been, and why I haven't came back. What was it like? What happened? Where were you? Who took you? I just ignored them and walked away.

When someone would bring up these questions, I would think about Erik, and I would really feel like crying. But I didn't, I held in my tears. Meg would always make me feel better. She believed in me.

One day while Meg and I were walking home, I asked her,

"So, um, what did Seth do with the Ouija Board?"

Meg looked at me real funny but then replied, "It's under your bed. Why?"

"Oh, nothing."

She jumped in front of me and stopped me from walking. I smiled and asked, "What?"

She looked really serious. "You're not going back in that board!"

"I know," I replied, and walked past her. "I just want to talk to someone."

"Who?"

"Erik. I miss him."

"But, can't he just come out of that board and say hi to you?"

"It's possible." I responded, moving more to the right side of the street so a car could get by.

Meg was silent for a moment. Then she asked, "What was it like? I mean, wasn't it fun? You must've had a real big adventure."

"Oh, I did." I grinned.

When Meg and I reached our houses, we said our goodbye's and I walked inside. I set my bookbag down near the coat hanger and hung up my coat. Surprisingly, the TV was on.

I walked over in the living room, and saw that my dad (I started to call him 'Dad' now. I don't know why I didn't do that in the first place) and Seth were sitting down, watching a football game.

"Wha - ? Dad, aren't you suppose to be at work? And Seth? Why are you two here?"

Piangi looked at me and smiled. "We have a surprise for you."

"But ... why? What?"

Seth got up from the couch and very carefully pulled out a large paper bag from behind the couch. "Look inside," he said.

Curiously, I walked up to the paper bag and looked inside. I gasped, and pulled out an adorable white kitten.

"She's adorable!" I exclaimed, cuddling her by my chest. "But, why did you all get me this?"

"Oh, we just felt like it, that's all," Piangi replied. "It's a late Christmas present, you could say."

"What's her name?" I asked, petting the adorable kitten.

"You get to name it," Seth said. "Go on. What'll you call her?"

"Ayesha," I replied smiling, without thinking. "Ayesha Daae."

"Ayesha?" Piangi asked. "Why Ayesha?"

"Oh, it's a cute name, that's all." I smiled, kissing the top of Ayesha's head. "Thanks again!" I told them both, and hugged them. Immediatley after I ran upstairs and set Ayesha in my room.

As Ayesha explored my room, I yanked the Ouija Board out from under my bed. Opening the box quickly, I set up the Ouija Board and hovered my middle and index finger over the planchette.

"Erik, if you are there, show me a sign."

All of a sudden, Ayesha hopped into my lap, because it seemed she saw something in the corner of my room. Fearless, I turned around smiling, and there he was.

"Hello, Erik." I said.

"Hello, my angel."

xxxxxx

Christine: I'm crying! (tear)

Erik: Ditto! (cries)

Me: Well I hope everyone liked the story. It was so much fun for me to write this, and I want to thank all of my reviewers! I can't thank you all individually, since that would take too long, but I want to thank you all right now! You all were awesome reviewers, and if it weren't for you, this story might have been abandoned. I love you all so much.

Erik: We'll be back!

Me: Yes, I am writing a lot more stories right now. Actually, I have 4 different stories that I am writing right now, so I'm not leaving!

Christine: (sniff) I always cry when people end stories.

Me: Thanks again everyone!