Phantom of the Opera (Oneshots)

Caught (Erik)

"What if the plan to catch Erik worked?" Requested by POTO Phans Community on Instagram.

I watch in horror as the police surround Erik.

He had been singing "The Point of No Return" from the opera he had written when Christine suddenly yanked his hood off. The audience gasped, realizing this was not the same man they had seen playing Don Juan at the beginning.

Erik tried to flee from the stage, but the police had blocked every exit.

Now, he turns to Christine with pleading eyes, "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime." He repeats the words Raoul had sung to Christine months ago, "Lead me, save me from my solitude." These words are not scripted. Could they be a confession? My heart is aching, hoping these words are not truly meant for Christine. "Say you want me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go let me go too!" He takes his black ring off his finger and goes to place it on Christine's, "Christine, that's all I ask of-"

Christine snatches Erik's mask and hood and his screams mix with those from the audience. He tries to hide his face but quickly realizes it's futile. He reaches for Christine, but the police grab his arms and pull them behind his back, kicking him to the ground. I let out a cry and rush out of my box. I run down the stairs to the stage as fast as I can. I see the police start to drag him and my heart screams out. I push my way through Madame Giry and then some of the other police officers, wrapping myself around Erik. I form a shield with my body and refuse to let go.

One of the police officers shouts, "Let go of him! He is a criminal and he is under arrest!" They don't understand why I am protecting him. They don't know about all the kindness Erik had shown me. They don't know that I fell in love with him. I tighten my grip on Erik's body, "No!" One of the officers yanks me by my hair and I unintentionally release my grip on Erik. The officer separates me from Erik and then slams me on the ground, front side first. I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me and I can't immediately fight back as my arms are yanked behind my back. I let out a cry of pain at the roughness of the officer's actions. I look up at Erik, tears in my eyes. I can see his face is twisted in rage. He suddenly gets the strength to knock off the two officers holding him down and he punches the one holding me in the face.

I get to my feet quickly and stand by his side. His face turns to shock as I don't run away, "What are you doing?" Feeling a surge of determination, I push away some of the police officers that were close to us, "Saving you, obviously."

His famous smirk returns to his face and he grabs my hand, pulling me along with him. We jump into the audience and he weaves his way between people, making sure we are part of the crowd. With crowd cover, the police can't shoot at us because they would risk killing innocents as well. I hear Raoul order, "After them!" but it is too late. Erik knows this opera house better than anyone.

We run through the hidden passages, the voices of the police officers echoing off the walls.

"I know now is not the right time," I struggle to talk normally while running, "but what you said to Christine...was it true?" A lump forms in my throat. I can hear him sigh over the sound of our footsteps. "I was confused before, but now I am certain," We reach a dead-end, with nothing but some bars up high leading to the outside world. "It is you that I love. The way you threw yourself in to protect me gave me the answer I was looking for." He shows me the ring he was going to put on Christine's finger but never got the chance to. He held his hand out for me to place mine in. Slowly, I give him my hand and he slides the ring onto my finger. An excited smile grows on his face and my heart skips a beat as he says, "I love you." I squeeze his hand lovingly, "I love you too."

Without another word, Erik removes some screws from the bars blocking our exit. He then pulls me toward the wall and lifts me up, surprising me. "Climb out," he orders. Uncertain, I obey and he gives me a boost. I find myself in an alley, no one near enough to notice us. I turn to try to help Erik out, but he is standing behind me, screwing the bars back into place. My mouth hangs open a little at the speed he climbed out, but I probably shouldn't be surprised.

He offers his hand to me once again and I take it. Erik has a smile on his face that makes my heart melt. "Let's go. I know the perfect place where we can live without fear of being caught."