Christine's, Raoul's, and the Erik's story seemed to end with Christine choosing Raoul, and Erik disappearing though the catacombs of the Opera House, but was that really the end? Or is there more to it then that? This is an after story to ALW's 2004 Phantom of the Opera. Erik+Christine

~my first "phanfic", so please R&R so I can know how I did, Thanks!

My heart was wrenched in half as I watched the phantom's figure recede into the distance. the last moments I had spent with him had cut me the deepest. he had sat in his room, waiting for us to leave, waiting for the guards to come and arrest him, waiting for his dark and dreary life to end at the hands of an angry, uncaring mob. He sang softly, with tears streaming down his face to the tune of a small toy monkey playing the symbols, a fragile smile on his lips as he carefully held the music box . I felt as if at that moment I might break down and weep, but I held myself strong. I had made my decision to leave with Raoul and now I could do nothing for the phantom without hurting him more.

I could feel my resolve weaken as I approached his dejected form to give him the ring that had been meant for Raoul and I. he looked at me with his dark brown, listless eyes and said "Christine, I love you." his one final plea which nearly shattered me.

It took all my strength to not change my mind and try to stay and comfort him, but now, as I clung to Raoul on the boat that ever increased the distance between myself and his ghostly figure his powerful aura began to weaken. Now that I could think clearer I knew I was making the more "sound" decision. But if so, then why did it feel so wrong?

I awoke to the sounds of birds twittering and chirping outside my window. The warm morning glow spilled in through the two large windows beside my bed, making my white bed sheets shine like sweet caramel. I pulled back the glossy covers and went to stand by the windows, which overlooked the large, well groomed back lawn.

The grass had been turned a sparkling green by the combination of sunlight and crystallized morning dew, and the leaves of the trees shimmered in the slight spring breeze.

From the second story of Raoul's mansion the sight was quite spectacular, but recently the splendor I usually found in the world around me had grown dim, as if a fog had begun to envelop my mind, or more accurately, as if I were waking up from a vibrantly beautiful dream to find that the real world was cold and dull.

It had been a little more then a month since Raoul had saved me from the catacombs of the Opera House. From that moment I had been engulfed in his presence every waking minute of the day in what I can only describe as living a dream.

He took me to so many grand restaurants and expensive stores, he showered me with gifts and kisses, so many I couldn't hardly refuse them all, and he made sure I was enjoying every second of it.

He invited me to come live at his place since the Opera House was in shambles and Madam Giry was too busy with girls who had been rendered temporarily homeless by the sudden demise of the grand building.

But I hadn't thought about my old life for a long time, at least not until a few days ago when Raoul left to go to a meeting to discuss some matter of estate. He left with a kiss and promised to be back soon, but the meeting lasted much longer then he had planned. It left me with almost too much free time on my hands, which I hardly knew how to deal with after nearly always having him beside me for so long.

At first it was lonely and I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I left his house to take a walk, to no were in particular, just to be able to get out and breath my own air for once, and I thought of nothing very important, and I didn't look at anything in particular, at least not until I realized I was following the road that led me by madam Giry's house.

I rushed to the house and knocked on the door a few times, suddenly very curious about how things were going. For a moment there was no reply, and my heart dropped a little, but then I heard a voice from inside and moments later the door was opened by one of the ballerina girls I recognized from the opera house. I was let into the very familiar old house were I used to stay with Madam Giry and Meg after my father died.

It was a very nostalgic feeling that washed over me. The sight of Madam Giry striding out of the kitchen to meet me made me feel like I was 10 years old again and being scolded for playing outside too late.

She embraced me warmly and from behind her Meg appeared, who gave a cry of surprise before latching onto me as well. That house was were I truly felt comfortable.

I told them of all that had happened to me and then they told me what had happened to the Opera House and the people in it.

It seemed that there were still almost too many girls who could not go home, or did not have a home to go to, and the opera house was in such a bad state that they did not know whether to destroy it all or try to restore it. At that point in the conversation Meg was called away by one of the girls, leaving me alone with Madam Giry. I tentatively asked about what situation the phantom was is, knowing she would be the only one to know anything.

She was silent for a long while, then replied that all she knew for sure was that he had escaped but the officials were still hunting him down. I left the house, numb from the news of Erik still being alive somewhere.

Back at the mansion I had stood by the window in my room looking out over the garden, much like I was doing now, and I thought... I thought about all the things I should have thought about before; my friends, the Opera House, my past, my future. And the longer I thought the farther down into the catacombs my mind crept, until it took me to the moment when my arms were wrapped around his neck, and my lips were pressed to his lips, and I could feel the tears streaming down from his eyes.

Before I could catch myself I had fallen to the ground and begun to cry, berried under a pain I couldn't understand, suffocated by a past that lurked in the shadows of my mind. I was crying for the stupid way I had ran off without giving a second thought to those around me, only focusing on myself as I was engulfed in my own personal bubble of happiness, but most of all I cried because of the knowledge of what I did to Erik.

Raoul had come home to find me like that. Though everything had been a blur of emotions and strange noises, I remember that he never once touched me. Maybe it was out of fear for my condition, or just a lack of knowledge on what to do with me, but it still makes my chest tighten and hurt to think about it, that when I needed him the most, when I needed him to help me out of the pain, he wasn't there.

That was when the bubble had burst, when I woke up from my fairytale dream of charming princes who saved princesses in distress, when reality finally hit me heard enough to get my attention.

And now I sat on my window sill, the familiar gardens bellow having lost the attraction of my eye, and my mind wandering back to the days when dreams seemed less fluffy and perfect, and more mysterious and dark. But they were only fleeting memories, I knew I would never get the chance to relive them, though I had often, in the past few days, entertained the thought of trying. I felt as if I were a song bird trapped in a cage with no one to sing for.

But surely, somewhere, there was someone who still longed to hear my song.

Thank you so very much for reading this, please review and tell me how you liked it. Since this is the first time I've ever posted any of my writing on the internet I would really like to know what you think about it, and I will be going on with the story because I have it planed out anyway, but I'm happy to take suggestions!

p.s. Oh, and tell me if the chapter length is too short or too long, thanks!