In the name of our love

2. A new home... and a new love

He stopped the horse in a dry, warm place underground. He tied Cesar to a nearby pipe while he looked around. It could work... temporarily. Erik desperately wished that he had back his home in the cellars, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't just dwell on the past for all eternity. He had to move forward, or the world would do so without him. The Phantom touched his mask, shaking his head as he attempted to banish his thoughts of the past. The mask was black and covered most of his face.

As Erik planned out what he could build in the space, he found himself thinking of his past, building a chamber of tortures for the Shah of Persia, making a palace of mirrors and tricks for the Shah and Shah-in-Shah, building a look-alike automaton for the Sultan, and even helping construct the Paris Opera house (and his secret home underneath it). He smiled unconciously at these thoughts, then frowned as he thought of the reasons that he had had to leave those marvelous places which he had built by his own hand.

He looked at the walls around him, estimating their length and thickness as he had done many times in the past. Erik knew this would take a long time to build his home here. It had taken almost half a year for the torture chamber, and that was only 20x20 ft with minor furnishings. It would take years for this to be like his old home in the cellars. He knew it, and almost dreaded starting to build, lest he should have to leave once again. He only wished that the people could accept him for who he was... what he was, but the chance he had once had was gone now.

He couldn't move again, for where would he go? He would have to learn another language if he were to go anywhere else, and he didn't have enough time or patience to go through that again. He already knew Persian and French, that was enough for him. He didn't have enough money to go across the seas to America, but that was the only place where people didn't know about him.

No. He had to stay in France, for that was where Christine was and Erik knew that if he ever parted with her, his life would be over. He couldn't fall in love again, but obviously she could. He knew from the papers that she had already moved on to a life with the Viscount de Chagny.

Just that name made his blood boil. The Viscount had stolen her away from him. She had chosen to go with some rich man who knew nothing about her proffession...about music, instead of him. He was the one who gave her music, who loved her, who taught her to sing as her father had wanted. Yes, he wasn't perfect, but what man was? They had probably already settled down in a home somewhere with children.

Erik stopped... wait... if he couldn't get to Christine... there was always blackmail. He smiled. It was unforgivable, but then, hadn't she done something unforgivable to him? She had loved him, then left him without so much as a word. Left him to burn in the fire that her friends and social peers had created. 

All that he had to do was find her and remain unseen. This would be easier said than done, but of course, that was what made it so fun!