I Belong to You (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was cold out, and not just because of the winter season. In fact, it should have felt warm considering the car heater was on. But Christine was cold, and getting colder. Perhaps it was due to her nerves as she peered out the car window and caught sight of their destination for the first time.

She and her parents were driving, her father at the wheel. They were slowly approaching the front gate of a very intimidating looking prison. Christine gulped. Her thoughts were of nothing but Erik. He's in there? And he's had to survive in there for over a week?

Now that she was finally seeing it first-hand, she was getting more and more worried. Erik had been an inmate for nine days now. It had taken that long to convince her parents to let her visit him. They'd finally agreed, but only as long as they were with her. And now Christine understood at least part of the reason why they wanted to be with her.

The prison looked incredibly unsafe.

That wasn't what was worrying Christine, though. She was truly concerned for Erik's well-being. Her biggest concern was his physical state. What if officers had forced him to take off his mask..and leave it off? She couldn't even imagine how horrible that would be for him to have to endure.

Christine was expecting the worst. Now that she was truly seeing this place, she wouldn't be surprised if Erik's personality had changed irreversibly from the man she knew and loved.

She could only hope he was ok...if anyone could be ok in prison.

"Are you ready?" Norah asked, turning in the passenger's seat to look at her daughter. "You look nervous. We don't have to do this, you know."

I have to stay strong. "I'm just worried about Erik, that's all." Her mother huffed in disapproval, but Christine ignored it. "I mean, look at this place. It's..frightening."

"Yes, well, it's prison. What did you expect?" John grumbled while opening his car door.

Christine was well aware of the fact that her parents still didn't approve. Just because they were finally beginning to believe that she was in love with Erik didn't at all mean that they were pleased by it. Christine had hoped, up until now, that seeing and talking to him would change their minds, but now she was unsure. Prison had bad effects on people.

But could Erik be the exception?

The coldness that Christine felt outside didn't compare to the coldness inside.

In a certain cell, lying on a miserably uncomfortable cot, Erik Destler stared up at the ceiling. He did this often. Most times, no one bothered him. He assumed the mask had something to do with it. Other inmates were apt to avoid approaching someone who was allowed to wear a mask. Their fair assumption was that there had to be something truly gruesome underneath it that even the guards didn't wish to see.

And they were right.

Not only was it the mask, though. In the time Erik had been there, he had 'proven himself', so to speak. To survive in such a place meant that you had to appear intimidating to other inmates who only wanted to wreck havoc.

It had been simple, really. Back when he'd first arrived, Erik had made a point to locate the most intimidating inmate in the building, the one that others didn't mess with. And then he'd 'played the game'.

Erik had always been a very persuasive, smart man, so it was all too easy to reduce the previously most intimidating male in the prison to someone afraid to even look at him.

Making the toughest criminal in the place scared of him had solved all of his problems. Erik was allowed to keep to himself.

With his brain as his only companion, Erik spent hours mulling over the phone conversation he'd had with Christine. He still couldn't understand. Perhaps he would never receive any answers. And perhaps his unanswered questions would really drive him to insanity.

This kind of torture was exactly what he deserved- Christine's undeserved and unexplainable proclamation of love resounding in his head over and over again.

"Destler," came a harsh voice from outside his locked cell. It was Frank the guard, of course. "Yes?" Erik asked softly without care.

"You've got visitors." Frank's cold tone made it clear that he detested his own words.

Erik assumed it be be his court-appointed lawyer and sighed. He'd met with him once before and had hated every minute of it. "Tell Drew that I do not wish to see him."

Frank's teeth gritted, already hating what he was about to say. "It's not the lawyer." There was silence. "It's the girl you kidnapped, Christine. And her parents. I've got no idea why they'd want to see you, but anyway.." There was more silence. "Well? Do you want to see them or not?" he spat impatiently.

Erik unsteadily got to his feet feeling that he could pass out at any given moment. "Are you...toying with me?"

"...I wish I was."

With that, Erik said, "Yes, I will see them."

They walked down several halls towards the visitation room. Erik didn't know what to think. Was this a dream? Was it a blessing? A curse? Or was it some kind of sick joke? He didn't know. He didn't know anything anymore. Nothing made sense.

Suddenly, the door to the visitation room was right in front of them. Erik could barely breathe. Behind that door would be the love of his life...

Frank opened the door and Erik's eyes took in the most utterly breathtakingly beautiful sight- his wife.

If this really was a dream, Erik never wished to wake up.

An update...finally. So, so sorry for the long wait. I've had some MAJOR writer's block with this story. Oh how I hate writer's block!

I hope this was enjoyable.

Thanks for reading :-)

-Lauren