Till I Hear You Sing Once More

Chapter 2: Think of Me

((Hey guys! Sooooo... I'm sooo sorry that I haven't update this in something like 2 years! Thank you to everyone who voted and commented on that first chapter, and who finally convinced me to write another one, even though I had no idea what I wanted to do with this story. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!))

Chapter 2: Think of Me

Sing for me.

For a moment, I wanted to say no, but something about the man made me change my mind.

I remembered my mother taking me to this very Opera House several years ago, when she had still been alive, and I had had the amazing experience of seeing Christine Daae, the legendary soprano, perform live. After that, my mother had pulled strings, until finally, she succeeded in acquiring the legendary soprano herself, to be my voice teacher. My family had been quite rich at the time. That was before the fire. That horrible, blazing fire that had consumed both my family, and our wealth.

The song that Christine had sung during that performance, and one that she had then taught to me, came back to me now, as I softly began to sing.

"Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember me, once in a while, please promise me you'll try."

As I sang, I saw the man's face contort from a gentle sadness to a sort of agony. "Christine," he whispered, as tears filled his eyes, and he turned away.

I instinctively stopped singing, thinking that I sounded awful to him, though Christine had always complimented me on this piece. It had been several years since I had seen my teacher. Once the Opera Populaire more or less went up in flames, Christine had vanished, along with her new husband, Raoul de Chagny. I had heard that she also had a young son now, named Gustave, though I had never met the boy.

The moment I stopped singing though, the man raised a hand without turning around, and murmured, "Please... go on."

And so I did, singing softly, and then taking a breath and gaining power.

"When you find that once again you long, to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me.

We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea, but if you can still remember, stop and think of me.

Think of all the things we've shared and seen, don't think about the things which might have been.

Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind.

Recall those days, look back on all those times, think of the things, we'll never do. There will never be a day, when I won't think of you."

The man turned around so he was looking at me again, and I realized that there were tears streaming down his face. I didn't know what to do. The emotion that I saw reflected in his eyes made me stop and wonder what this song meant to this man. Though upon seeing the raw emotion that burned in his eyes, I deemed it best that I finish the song.

"Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade, they have their seasons so do we, but please promise me that some times, you will think of me."

I let the last notes trail off, finally finishing the song, and once again looked at the man. It was only now that I had finished the song, that he completely met my gaze.

"Brava, brava, bravissima," he whispered, slowly taking a step towards me, the tears still falling silently down his face.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" he asked me after a moment of just looking at me with that intense gaze.

"Christine Daae," I told him, and watched as the little control he had pulled together after my performance fell away into pieces.

The man collapsed to the ground, his hands covering his face as sobs wracking his body. He rocked slowly back and forth, tears glistening as they slid down his face, and down his mask.

I paused for a moment, and then sat down beside him, careful so as not to disturb my injuries. I put a hand on his shoulder, unsure of what else to do.

"Ah Christine..." he choked out. "My Christine..."

"You know her then," I said quietly, "Christine Daae."

"I knew her," he whispered. "I was a different man then, you could say. Now though, without her, I am nothing."

"You don't look like nothing," I told him, trying to find some way to comfort him. "And you saved my life, which makes you something."

The man sighed, wiping at his teary eyes. "Without Christine, my music floats, but then falls. It lives, but then dies. My music is not complete without her."

"Your music," I repeated. "You write music?" The man nodded, but I noticed the fresh tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

"Christine Daae was my voice teacher," I said quickly, trying to keep the conversation going. "She taught me everything I know." I paused for a moment, then said. "My name is Jasmine, by the way."

The man looked up, finally meeting my eyes again. "And my name is Erik." He looked at me for a moment, as if taking in all of my features, and then said, "Christine may have taught you, but I taught her."

I was surprised. "You were Christine's teacher?" Erik nodded.

"Then you are the Angel of Music... You're the Phantom of the Opera!" I recoiled, remembering the stories she had told me of the Phantom. He had murdered Buquet, the old chief of the flies from when the Opers Populaire was still functional, and he had murdered Ubaldo Piangi, a famous tenor.

Erik raised his hands, as if to stop me from moving away from him. "Wait!" he said quickly, his eyes wide as his tears began to dry. "I won't hurt you! Don't go!"

I froze, my eyes narrowed, my instincts telling me to get away from this man. "You murdered two men," I whispered, barely loud enough for Erik to hear me.

He nodded ever so slightly. "I was a different man then," he whispered back. "Christine changed me. I loved her..." he trailed off, regarding me for a moment with those deep, emotional eyes, and then said, "I love her. She is my Angel of Music."

"That doesn't change what you did," I pointed out. Erik nodded. "I know. But I promise, I won't hurt you. I would never hurt you, or any friend of Christine's. You are safe here, with me, Jasmine. You are safe from the mobs that surrounded you, as they did me. Please... Don't leave me."