The kiss turned harder, more passionate than before and Christine bravely held her own in his arms. The action was stronger, more intoxicating than anything she had experienced with Raoul. Could it be because Erik loved her more? Has always loved her long before Raoul heard her sing on that stage? Of course he must have. For the longest time, her Angel of Music had been the only one to truly adore her, to not give up on her when everyone else had. Her father's passing had been hard, difficult, and painful for the young woman. She'd given up on singing, on life, until Erik came into her world. He heard her sing, he brought her to life again and in turn, ignited her soul and heart to live again. Only so much later did she realize he loved her too, much more than she had ever thought, but Raoul asked her to come away with him, to marry him, and she fancied herself in love with him too. Now, in this strange place, things had changed. Perhaps it was the belief that the love Erik held for her had always been?
The smile on his face was beautiful and soft. It caressed her like the warmest touch, the lightest, gentlest breeze on a warm, summer night. It was rare and like any gold, so very precious and worth so much that Christine smiled in return. I love you. The words rocked her world, a world where she already promised herself to someone else and now her heart was so much more conflicted than it had been that night she left with Raoul. What would she do? This place held no hope of return to her own world, she had seen the "network" as they called it, read what was said and going home did not seem possible. Besides, she could not turn away from him now. Now that he had kissed her and told her he loved her once more.To shut him down would be to invoke so much anger and pain. He would never believe in love again, but beyond all of that, she knew in her heart that she did love him too...her Angel of Music.
The phantom took her chilly, clammy hands in his large, warm ones; his thumbs caressed the back in an attempt to spread heat on the icy digits. The simple touch made her shiver again. The singer met his gaze and was overwhelmed by the power, the fury love reflective in those eyes. Her lips parted, she inhaled cool air into her lungs, but before she could speak, he started to sing to her and fresh tears shined in those large, innocent eyes. "Past the point of no return, the final threshold. The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn. We've passed the point of no return," she sang in return. Her hands cupped his face, stroking the unmasked side gently. "I love you too, Erik."