Phantom of the Opera One-Shots

Raoul and Christine

{Author's note: more RxC, how shocking ;) I wrote this one a while back. Haven't read it in a while though so if it's bad, I apologize profusely. Enjoy!}

Raoul was awoken in the middle of a night by a loud scream. Knowing exactly what it was, he quickly jumped out of bed and ran across the hall to Christine's room. Not bothering to knock, he pushed the door open and sure enough, she was sitting straight up in her bed and sobbing. He didn't hesitate to run to her side and pull her into his arms.
Christine gladly let him wrap his arms around her. His strong, warm embrace reminded her once again that she was safe, that he wouldn't let the horrible nightmares come true.
"It's alright, it was only a dream..." He soothed, gently stroking her hair.
"I know..." Christine replied, her voice shaky. "But he always used to come to me in dreams... I'm always afraid he'll come that way again."
"He won't. You're free from him now, Christine. He won't come back for you."
Christine finally began to relax. "You're right... I'm sorry, I guess I'm just paranoid. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, you have every right to be that way." Raoul assured her with a soft smile.
Christine finally felt safe enough to pull back from his embrace, and she looked up at him, smiling gratefully. He was always so understanding, even when her panic attacks woke him up at night.
"Are you alright now?" He asked, gently wiping her remaining tears away with his thumbs as he cupped her face in his hand.
She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. You can go back to bed now."
"Actually, it's almost morning. Would you like to get up? Or do you want more rest?" He asked, standing to leave but lingering at the door as he waited for her answer.
"No, I could never go back to sleep now. You go on, I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."
Raoul nodded and then left, closing the door behind him. He always felt nervous to leave her alone, even for only a few moments. Night was the worst; he knew how much the the dark frightened her now, and the nightmares that plagued her came every night. He'd offered to bring a couch into her room so that he could stay with her, but she had insisted she didn't need it, and that she didn't want to make him sleep on a couch.
"You're just down the hall, I know I'll be safe," She had promised. And when she was aware, she was right. She trusted him completely to protect her. But at night was when the nightmares came and then when she awoke, the panic attacks. It happened almost every night: she would wake up screaming, and at first wouldn't be able comprehend that what she'd just experienced was only a dream, and then she'd panic even more. Raoul would come to her rescue and hold her in his arms until she calmed down, and then she'd send him back to his room and she would spend the rest of the night in sleepless torment, though she would never have told him that. When he'd gone to her room this time, he noticed that she'd thrown a blanket over the mirror.
"But of course she'd be afraid of mirrors... That was how he took her away," He murmured, thinking out loud. He couldn't help but worry for her; he only hoped that she would eventually get over this.
He rubbed his neck, and winced with pain as he did so, remembering the bruises that had been plaguing him for the past week. The Phantom's lasso had been the cause of them, and they had caused him more pain than he liked to admit. Of course, he would never tell Christine about them; he knew her well enough to know she'd blame herself.
Ignoring the burning pain of the bruises, Raoul hurried to get dressed. Carefully, he buttoned up his shirt collar to hide the bruises. It didn't quite look right to have it buttoned that high, but it was the only way he knew to keep Christine from seeing the bruises.
When he was finished, he could still hear Christine getting ready in her room, so he went on downstairs to wait for her.
Before long, she came down, and like every morning, immediately ran into his arms, nearly knocking him over.
"You know, you just saw me ten minutes ago." Raoul chuckled, though he secretly enjoyed the extra affection his fiancée had been showing him ever since he'd taken her away.
"I know. But I love you," She replied, smiling that sweet, loving smile that always made Raoul's heart skip a beat. She embraced him tightly again, and then pulled back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Raoul suddenly winced with pain and instinctively pulled away, and Christine let out a frightened gasp.
"Raoul, what's wrong?!"
/Way to go, Raoul. Now she'll hate herself./ Raoul thought to himself. But he was determined to try not to let her find out. Maybe he could shake it off and convince her it was nothing.
"Oh, nothing's wrong. I'm sorry, I just-"
"Raoul, please don't lie to me. Something is wrong." Christine pleaded, taking both of his hands. Raoul still didn't say anything, and Christine thought desperately about what could be wrong. And then she noticed his collar. Buttoned up higher than usual, like he was hiding something on his neck. And it had been when she touched his neck that he pulled back...
She hesitantly reached up and ran her fingertips across his collar, watching his reaction. He winced slightly, and then she knew. Gently, she pulled down the collar to reveal the bruises on his neck. And she knew exactly where they came from.
Her eyes suddenly grew wide with horror and Raoul immediately placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Christine, it isn't serious, I promise you. Just simple little bruises, they'll heal in no time."
"Raoul, it isn't that simple!" Christine insisted, wriggling her way out of his grasp. "You got hurt because of me!" She began to pace back and forth, in a nervous panic. Raoul sighed and rubbed his temples, wondering how to calm her down. He had known all along this would happen, and that was why he'd tried so hard to keep it from her. But now she knew, and he had to convince her it wasn't worth getting upset over. Finally, he gently took her hand and led her over to the couch, where they both sat down.
"First of all, Christine, don't you dare blame yourself for this. If anything, it's my own fault; you wouldn't have needed saving in the first place if I hadn't made you sing." He began.
Christine immediately shook her had, stopping him before he could continue. "Oh, but Raoul, you-"
"No, let me say this, please." Raoul interrupted. Now that he had started, he had to say it all. "I was wrong to do that... And I'm sorry. When I think about what almost happened to you because of that..." Christine noticed his hands clench into fists, and after a moment she was sure she saw tears in his eyes.
Unable to continue that thought, Raoul went on. "What matters is that what happened was my own fault, and these little bruises are a small price to pay. Why, even to die for you down there would've been a pleasure if it meant getting you away from him."
Christine listened with wonder, not knowing how even to respond. It took only a moment, however, for her to burst into tears, falling into his arms.
"What did I do to deserve you, Raoul?" She asked, barely getting the words out between sobs.
Raoul couldn't help but laugh softly as he embraced her, gently stroking her hair. "Oh, Christine, you deserve far better than me. It is I who doesn't deserve you."
Christine looked up at him and smiled through her tears, and he cupped her face in his hands and wiped the tears away.
"Let's compromise." Christine said, grinning happily. "Let's say we deserve each other."
Raoul chuckled and nodded his head. "I think I can accept that."
Christine laughed and jumped off of the couch, pulling him up with her. "We should go to breakfast. They will wonder where we are."
She hurried off in the direction of the dining room, and Raoul observed that it was the first time in weeks he had seen her smile a real, genuine smile. Just when she got to the door, he stopped her.
"Christine."
She stopped, gingerly turning around and smiling that perfect smile. "Yes, Raoul?"
He hesitated for a moment; and then he ran to her and scooped her into his arms, spinning her just like he had months ago on the roof of the opera house.
"I love you."