Before the Phantom

A Visitor

"That was..." Nadette began after Erik had finished. She found that her words had failed her, how could she describe what she had just heard? Yet, by the ever saddening look on her friend's face, she knew she must try, "beautiful. Just beautiful."

Erik looked at her in slight disbelief; nobody had ever called anything of his beautiful. Not even close. He watched as she stood, and began tidying his thoroughly trashed room. He began to help, picking up various pieces of paper and stacking them.

Nadette had lost count of how many portraits of Christine she had come across. How many poems, how many songs, how many works of art had he dedicated to her?

"You must love her," she mused softly.

Erik glanced up at her words. When he turned to look at her, he noticed a strange expression on her features as she gazed at a sketch of his angel.

Normally, he would have had no trouble answering her in the affirmative, but now he was having trouble. Why did he hesitate?

He swallowed the strange lump in his throat, "She is everything to me."

"She is lucky," Nadette said immediately, "to have someone love her as you do. She does not know what she has."

Erik was once again thrown into a state of shock. Christine was lucky to have him? Surely it was the opposite.

"No. An angel such as she should not have to bear the curse of a monster such as myself." He replied gently.

In an instant, Nadette was crouching down in front of him, a hand on the unmasked side of his face, "May I?" She asked as she placed her other hand on his mask.

With a few moments hesitation, Erik nodded.

She removed it gently, and replaced her hand on his marred flesh, "Erik Destler. You are in no way a monster. If I must tell you this every day for you to believe that, I shall."

Her blue eyes studied his gold ones, and she found shock and disbelief.  She knew he would not believe her so easily, yet it hurt her heart to know how Erik had suffered all these years.

"If I had been there sooner..." she trailed off.

"You did all you could."

"You could have lived so much better."

"You cannot know that." Erik told her quietly, "Your mother may not have been so accepting as you are."

"No," she amended, "She was even more so.  She was a nurse before she left Germany.  That's how she met my father.  She saw much worse than this."  She explained, running a thumb down the right side of his face.

"What was it like?" He asked her, "Your life after I was gone."

"I was heartbroken. As I grew up I moved on, of course, but I always missed you terribly. When I was 26 my mother passed away in her sleep, and when I was 27 I met my husband Jean, and at 28 I was married. You know what happened after that. Before, I was playing in churches, and earning a little when Mama and I would invite the town for a dinner and music night at the house." She replied.

"What became of my mother?" He asked suddenly.

She searched his face, trying to gauge wether or not the truth would set him off, "She is still alive as far as I know. I have not heard otherwise."

He laughed dryly, "The bitch won't die."

Nadette was about to open her mouth to reply, when the sound of light footsteps invaded the small space.

Nadette quickly handed Erik his mask, and he instructed her to stand behind him. The two waited silently until a familiar figure came into view.

"Christine?" Erik spoke in astonishment, taking a step forward.

"Angel, I needed to see you. I had to be sure-" Christine froze when she caught sight of the older woman, "Nadette?"

Nadette smiled slightly, "Hello, Christine."

"What are you doing here? Did he take you? I should have never left you alone after-"

"No, Christine. I am here of my own will. I have known your angel for quite some time." Nadette assured her, "But we will talk later. I am going to give you two some privacy. Erik, you will escort Christine back to the surface?"

He nodded wordlessly, his gaze drifting between the two.

"You do not have to leave." He spoke finally.

Christine rose an eyebrow, while Nadette smiled gently, "They'll wonder where I've gone. We will see each other again soon, I promise."

With one final glance at each of them, she retreated from the lair, and made the journey back to the surface.