Our Love is Evergreen

Chapter 1: Where We Left Off

   "Hide your face so the world will never find you," Erik sang as Christine entered the room. Erik's heartbeat sped up at the sight of his Angel of Music. Why had she come back? Was there still hope that she would choose him over the Viscount? Erik didn't know. He decided to profess his feelings to her. He sang softly, "Christine, I love you."

   "Erik, my Angel of Music, we must go," Christine whispered softly with a smile.

   "What about Raoul?" Erik asked.

   "I could never love Raoul the way I love you," she declared. "We must go before the mob finds us."

   Erik stood, grabbed his mask, took Christine by the hand, and walked away briskly. They made their way down the stairs and Erik grabbed a candlestick. He smashed mirror after mirror until he found the correct one. The glass fell away and the couple stepped through the passageway. The passage lead out of the opera house. Erik donned his mask once more as he and Christine made their way to the docks.
   They boarded a ship and watched the land slowly shrink away. They were on their way to London. There was no turning back now.
   Erik and Christine couldn't have been happier. Erik had his Angel of Music and Christine had hers. Erik had waited for this moment for so long. He had a hard time believing this was reality. He spent much time dreaming about running away with Christine, the woman he loved so dearly.

   "Why did you tell me to go with Raoul and to leave you?" Christine asked.

   "Because I love you. I thought that you loved Raoul. I didn't want you to spend your life with me if you didn't want to," Erik explained.

   "Erik, Angel of Music, of course I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope we never see Raoul again. I love you," she declared.

   Erik returned the feeling. Erik had been through so much. He didn't need Raoul or anyone else to make things worse. "I don't want anyone to come between us ever again, Angel," he told Christine.

   They arrived in London the next day and immediately searched for someone to marry them. They didn't want to wait another second. They were together now and they were as ready as they would ever be. The expectation of their marriage filled both with inexpressible joy.