In the Presence of an Angel (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 21- To Be Near Her

Chapter 21- To Be Near Her

Christine was, yet again, locked in her bedroom. Yet, this time she was not in a paralyzed state. No, this time she was on her bed lying on her stomach with her head buried in her pillow. Her body was trembling and her head was shaking back and forth. Why did I go there? Why? Now that she thought about it, going to the mansion was an utterly stupid thing to do. I could have gotten a new driver's license.. I could have gotten a new 'everything'! I didn't need my purse that damn bad.

It hadn't even been thirty minutes since she'd gotten back from Erik's mansion. Not only did she have her purse and driver's license back, but her mind now carried a terrifying new image of Erik in a coffin. He had looked so dead. But then, when his eyes had opened so suddenly, it was obvious that he was very much alive. The entire thing had been a set up, from keeping her purse to pretending that she was killing him… Erik had tricked her into returning, and Christine was feeling angry and highly embarrassed about it.

Above everything else, though, she just wanted to get away from it all. This whole thing with Erik had gone on long enough. It was time to move on with her life.

What Christine didn't realize was that she hardly had a say in the matter.

A confident Erik sat in his den holding a glass of red wine and contemplating his options. The coffin had been removed from the room, and a fire was now burning in the fireplace.

"She was startled for obvious reasons," he said aloud in the empty room. "Oh, Christine.. Christine, my frightened angel.." Many thoughts of how to get her back were rolling through his racing mind. There were numerous possibilities.

"Pascagoula, Mississippi? That sounds like a long trip for you to be making on your own." Gary Daae's tone held the undercurrents of disproval as he waited for his daughter to speak again. It was a warm Wednesday evening, and he had just gotten back to their apartment from work. Christine was trying to convince him to let her go see Meg Giry, her best friend from college.

"Yeah, it's four hours, but please let me go. I really want to see her. I'll be careful, I promise." Christine was flat-out begging him. She had to get away, if only for a few days.

His face took on a concerned expression. "Are you all right, Christine? You don't look well.."

"I'm fine," she lied. "I just feel like I need a change of atmosphere. It's only for a few days."

Gary knew that there was more to it. "You seem jittery. Are you really ok?"

"Yes," Christine said firmly. For reasons she couldn't fully grasp the meaning of, she refused to tell her father about her drama. Perhaps it was just that she didn't want him to worry.

"I thought we were going to see the house this weekend."

"Oh.." The mere mention of their new house made her nervous. He had designed it. Except… she remembered the first time she saw the drawing of it in Erik's office. Really, she'd loved it. The house was perfect. Now, though, she was thinking it was too perfect. "Yeah, how about we go see it tomorrow?"

Gary finally gave in. "Ok Christine, you can go see Meg. And yes, let's go see the house tomorrow. You'll be surprised by how far along the construction is coming. Really, I think we'll start moving in soon. I'd say we can start packing within the next week." He grinned. "Isn't it exciting?"

Christine nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, I can't wait."

"How about we go out for dinner tonight? Italian?" he asked, knowing it was her favorite kind of food.