Bravissimo

His Future Her choices

"I see what you're asking Christine, and I think it would do me good to be known, as my name, but the Phantom will live on." I nod my head in understanding. "We must take caution going forward." This time, my mind will be my own. I know things, things that must be done. Will he know about these things? I'll have to see. I sit on the bench and he sits next to me. 

"Now Erik-" he smiles. 

"Now Christine." he says lifting my leg and setting it over his own. 

"In the morning, at around 8 o'clock, the police and a repair team will be scouting the entire building, I need to show myself, alive and well. So I'll have to be awake by seven. Then they'll find me, they'll "save me." I say with finger quotes. "And as for you dear-" 

"As for me you'll say you believe I perished in the flames." I give a small smile as he runs his hand up and down my leg. "It's fun to see you working mischievously, I haven't seen this side of you very much." Erik says with a smirk and I smile then it fades just as fast. 

"I don't even like to think of it, losing you." I say. 

"And I you, darling."

Breaking our loving gaze with each other I say. "Last I checked it was half past eleven. I must sleep so I can go early and ready myself." Erik nods. I get up to leave, take a few steps towards the bedroom, and look over my shoulder and smile. I reach out my hand, he takes it gently and we walk over and lay down. I rest my hand on his bare chest and his arm lays around me resting on my waist. My head rests slightly lower than my hand on his body hearing his heartbeat. It's calming.

 "You know, Raoul will not last long if he shows his face here again." I slowly nodded. 

"I- I understand." I say. 

"You hesitated, you miss him." I sit up quickly. 

"Do not presume to know." I say with a small bit of anger. He puts his hands up in defense. "A friend, I've known him since childhood." I say our positions going to the way they were before. He takes my hand off his chest and locks our fingers. 

"Christine, as much as it hurts me, I must ask this of you." As I think about what he's asked of me my eyes go unfocused as I stare at nothing. 

"Okay." I say and I feel him sigh. Okay? Though Raoul will most likely never return this is not what I wanted. Erik knows little about the changes my mind has gone through over the past 24 hours, but some sacrifices must be made on my part.

 "Allow me to give him the chance to leave." I beg. 

"No." He says without missing a beat. 

"Erik?! He knows where we stand I made that clear before he left, you know this." I beg more.

"Christi-"

 "please..." I say but he shakes his head. 

"Christine I know the mind of man, if he comes back it'll be because he thinks I'm gone, and he'll want to be with you. I am not about to let that happen. It may not be the fairest, but it's the way it will be." He says sternly. I lift myself up to him, kiss his cheek, and whisper in his ear, "One chance, I beg of you." I feel him smile. 

"Christine-" 

"What are the odds of him coming back?" I ask before he can reject my plea. 

"Plenty." He says. He seems to have an answer for everything. 

"You'll be watching will you not?" He takes my face in his hand and pulls me closer. 

"As Always." He says seductively and searches my eyes for obedience. I remove his hand and say, "Then you shouldn't have a problem with me showing him the door." Erik slowly shakes his head with a grin. 

"If things go south-" 

"Which they won't!" I interrupt. He puts a finger to my lips, "if things go south," He continues and I remove his hand. 

"Then you'll be there, but we-I must give him the chance."

 Erik nods, "very well, you have your way." I smile. Erik shakes his head and lays back down pulling me with him and I giggle. 

"I regret this already." He says and I yawn. "Now sleep my angel, it seems you have a busy day tomorrow." I then slowly fall into the trance of sleep. Little does Erik know, I will be waking much earlier then discussed, for a much darker purpose.