SUMMARY:

What if... Raoul never made it down to the lair after the 'Don Juan Triumphant' performance. Piangi wasn't killed, merely knocked out and tied up. The Mob never went looking for the Phantom.

Disclamer: I don't own 'Phantom of the Opera' or any of its characters. I'm merely borrowing them for a while.

'Have you gorged yourself at last in your lust for blood? Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?'

Christine boldy asked the Phantom looking stright into his eyes. He looked at her coldly and answered.

'That fate, which condemns me to wallow in blood has also denied me the joys of the flesh. This face- the infection which poisons our love...'

He slowly approached her.

'This face, which earned a mother's fear and loathing. A mask, my first unfeeling scrap of clothing.'

The Phantom roughly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards the mirror, forcing her to look into it with him standing behind her. The contrast between their appearences startled Christine. Her unmarred features and beauty next to his scarred face. She realised she no longer feared him.

'Pity comes too late, turn around and face your fate, an eternity of this before your eyes!'

Turning around and looking him straight in the eyes Christine coldly stated.

'This haunted face holds no more horror for me now. It's in your soul that the true distortion lies.'

Upon hearing her words the Phantom felt as if all the air was sucked out of his lungs.

She hated and dispised him, just like every one else did. He could not care less about what the rest of the world thought of him, but for Christine to hate him so. It was more than he could bear. She was the one person whose opinion mattered to him and to have her looking at her like that was devestating.

His plan had been to force her to marry him, but now he realised he could not do that to her. He could not condemn her to a life of darkness and hatred. He staggered away from her and sat down next to his organ and put his head in his hands.

Christine did not understand what had happened with her former tutor. One moment he was like a madman, refusing to listen to reason, and the next he was moving away from her. For the longest time she stood there and looked at him, uncertain as what to do. Her mind screamed at her go try and get away while it was possible, and she started moving towards the boat. Suddenly a sound stopped her, at first she did not understand what if was, but then it hit her like a ton of bricks. It was the sound of crying. She turned around to a sight no one had ever seen before, the feared Phantom of the Opera was sitting with his head in his hands and crying like a lost child.

Slowly Christine approached him and sat down on her knees next to him. When he finally noticed she was sitting next to him, he slowly looked up at her. The pain and sadness in his eyes brought tears into Christines own eyes. "All the sadness of the world..." That was what she had told Raoul and now she truly knew the truth of those words. And this time it was all her doing, her words alone had broken this man's spirit. She put her arms around him like a mother would to soothe a crying child. Finally the sobbing started to subside.

'Christine... I never meant to hurt you. I...I love you.' She could barely hear the whispered confession, but it warmed her heart.

'I know'.

She pressed her lips against the marred side of his face. The Phantom felt as if he couldn't breathe. For the first time in his life did someone else beside himself touch the disfigurement. He knew then he had to let her go. Go back to her own life and he could no longer be a part of it. She had to live her life away from him, without his interference, with that...boy.

'You need to go back. Go back and forget all you ever heard about the Phantom of the Opera.'

Chrstine was surpised when she realised what he had said.

'What do you mean? You are going to let me go? Go back to Raoul? After everything you've done to get me down here tonight?'

'Yes.'

Realising that was the only answer she would get Christine took his head between her hands to force him to look at her. He refused to look her in the eyes.

'Why?'

Finally he looked her in the eyes.

'Because I love you. And... you deserve a life lived in light and happiness, not in fear and darkness.'

He stood up and in doing so the persona of the Phantom seemed to settle on him.

'It is too late to bring you back up tonight. Get some rest.'

Abruptly he turned and started walked away from her.

'Wait! Angel! Wait!' Christine called after him. He stopped but did not turn around.

'I'm no angel Christine. Don't...call me that.'

'Then what should I call you? I can't call you Phantom.'

He was quiet for such a long time that Christine feared he would not answer her.

'I...was once called Erik.'

With those words he left her and disappeared into another room she had not previously noticed.

Confused she slowly made her way towards the room with the swan bed and lay down on it. She didn't think she would be able to sleep, but soon she found her eyelids dropping and she drifted off the sleep.

If anyone would like to be my beta reader please let me know as I currently don't have one.

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UPDATE! To those who reviewed – thank you so much. Since this is my first fanfic attempt I'm so happy to get such positive respons. I've made this chapter a bit longer since I thought it turned out a bit too short