Alone in the Dark

I don't own Christine, Raoul, Erik, or anyone or anything else you might recognize from the book. I've both read the books and watched the movie, but this phanphic is more based on the movie.

Prologue

Christine watched hopelessly from her nearby chair as Raoul slowly drew even closer to death. It wouldn't be much longer now. He had been awake for a few minutes this morning, but he had been unable to do any more than just look up at her with a mixture of pain and love.

She sighed. He had been like this for six months. Six long, terrible months of endlessly sitting by his side, desperately longing for him to step away from death's door. She could no longer bear it, but she stayed with him anyway out of duty, and because of the promise she had made to him at their wedding two and a half years ago. She no longer did it out of love. These last six months had all been a test of her love for him, and she had failed. She had not loved him the way she had thought she did. If she truly loved him that much, all that she had endured the last few months would only have strengthened that love instead of destroying it.

She looked up as someone entered the room, and smiled as she recognized Eloise. Eloise was her personal maid, the only friend she had left.

"How is he?" Eloise asked.

"He is no better," Christine replied dully.

Eloise stepped beside her and rested a hand on her arm. "How are you doing?"

Christine's eyes filled with tears. "I- I can't do this, Eloise. I can't." She buried her face in her hands to hide the tears that began to flow.

"You can't give up now, Christine," Eloise said. "You've held on for so long. Don't give up now!"

Christine only cried harder. She missed the old Raoul. The Raoul who was full of energy and life, who would take her on picnics and bring her flowers every morning. The Raoul she would never have again.

"Christine, would you like to send for his family? They could take care of this for you."

"No, they wouldn't," Christine sobbed. "They all hate me!"

"How can you say that!" Eloise asked, shocked at the sudden outburst.

"Because it's true!" She hopelessly looked up at Eloise. "I'm just a simple chorus girl who married their Vicomte brother, making us a disgrace to the family name. They can't help but hate me."

"Oh, Christine…" Eloise held Christine's face against her chest, and let her cry out all her frustrations.

At last, Christine sat up, wiped her face dry, and turned to face Raoul. "I shall do this, Eloise, even if I die doing it." Christine heard Eloise say something quietly, then leave the room. Christine nearly broke down again, but she refused to let herself do it. Instead, she tried to distract her mind by thinking of something else.

It wasn't long before her mind had strayed to Erik. It had been two and a half years since she had said goodbye to him, and the mob that had stormed his lair that day had later sworn that he was dead. She felt tears coming to her eyes again. She had not sung a single word since she had left him. He had been her angel of music, and now that he was gone, she no longer had the desire to sing. Oh, if only she could see him again, one last time.

"Christine…"

Christine looked up with a thrill of joy at Raoul's voice. "Raoul!"

Raoul gave her a faint smile and weakly reached out to touch her face. "Christine," he murmured again.

"I'm here, Raoul," she said softly as a tear ran down her cheek. "I'm not leaving you."

He gently traced her cheek with his fingers, and looked up at her with eyes filled with love and devotion. "Christine," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I love you."

Christine grabbed his hand as it fell limp. "Raoul?" There was no answer, and all signs of life were gone from his eyes. She pressed his hand to her cheek. She might have lost her love for him, but that didn't change the emptiness in her heart. Her life was empty now. All who had ever loved her were gone now, and had left her alone.