Tears wet his cheeks from the beauty of the song, the exhilaration of singing together and the continued disbelief that SHE was here with him. He stood and wrapped his arms around her lithe body. Pressing her just slightly to his trembling and overwhelmed body, he pressed his lips to hers.
His first kiss.
She inhaled sharply at the sudden movement, the abrupt and overpowering emotional display of need in his kiss taking her breath momentarily away.
He pulled away sharply and grinned, embraced her once more.
"You're here," he whispered happily. "How long have we sung together through walls and as glorious as its been... Oh Christine, we can do so much more!" He walked briskly to behind the piano and snatched up a piece of paper covered in lines and notes.
"Here!" He exclaimed and thrust it into her hands. "An aria I've been working on for some time, waiting for your perfect soprano to deliver the heart of the message."
She gazed down at the paper in her hands. Untitled, it was simply labeled "in progress" and a signature below. "Eric," she whispered. He looked to her, wondering if he'd ever heard a sound sweeter than his name upon her lips. He closed his eyes. "Say it again," he said softly. "My name, Christine. Say it again!"
"Eric," she stated. "But always Angel to me. Teacher. Tutor-"
"Labels!!" He cried. "Cold and meaningless. Empty. Does it describe the man?! Does it tell the tale of my character? My past? My past...." He hung his head and placed his hands against the piano.
She walked to him and placed a hand upon his shoulder. From beneath her touch he continued softly.
"Abandoned by my mother. Found as a child by a circus who used me to make money by claiming me the 'Devils son'. Beaten. Laughed at. Gawked at. I watched as a child while other children pointed or cried out and clutched at their parents at the hideousness of my face."
"But they could not take my name. Oh, they tried, my love. With each lash and peal of laughter they tried taking it away. But I held on... me, ERIC!" His eyes glittered with memories, the pain and hatred he held onto shown through as he looked upon Christine.
"Pity me not," he said, taking her hands gently into his own. A tear fell from her eye as her heart broke for him. He wiped it away with a gloved hand as he continued. "When I escaped, I filled my mind with architecture, literature, song. I read philosophy, history, and mathematics. I am the man you see before you: driven, ambitious, and determined because I survived. I was given a second chance and declared I would not waste it. I would not!" He shouted, startling her.
"And then came you." He took her face in his hands. "Your voice was so rich in the beginning, so full of promise. You, Christine, are the cumulation of my years of study. For you, I build and study further. For you I wait and patiently coach. But," he straightened himself, released her face and turned to the keys. "Enough about me. We have time to delve more into the past, present and our future together. To the aria!"
YOU ARE READING
Her Phantom
FanfictionI love the Phantom's story. Always have. And when i saw the movie, I was in tears. I had to go out and read the book that was written wayyyy back in the 1700's that the movie/musical was based on. I fell in love all over again. And then, I thoug...
