Hi guys! This is my very first fanfic (please, any advice would be awesome). I sincerely hope you enjoy it. :) Let me know

Chapter 1

"Go away for the trap is set and waits for its prey." The Phantom sings in a quiet voice with a tinge of deviousness laced to each word. He moves slowly, sensually to Christine.

"You have come here,

In pursuit of your deepest urge,

In pursuit of that wish, which till now,

Has been silent.

Silent."

Keeping his eyes fixed solely on Christine. He stalks her, while she plays the part of his prey. Her eyes are scared and confused, mesmerised and awestruck. She plays her part well.

"I have brought you,

That our passions may fuse and merge,

In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defences.

Completely succumbed to me.

Now you are here with me,

No second thoughts,

You've decided.

Decided.

Past the point of no return, no backward glances,

Our games of make-believe are at an end,

Past all thought of 'If' or 'When', no use resisting,

Abandon thought and let the dream descend."

Her emotions start to coil and twist in her as she looks into the man's eyes that once inspired her voice, knowing what is expected of her, yet not knowing what she must do. The Phantom stalks ever closer walking past her in graceful strides, fixated with her beauty. In her heart she feels a slight tug of doubt.

"What raging fire shall flood the soul?

What rich desire unlocks its door?

What sweet seduction lies before us?"

Christine follows his every move with enchanted eyes. Her heart starts to run with his words. He moves swiftly, grasping his prey in his arms. Christine's mind is lost in the magic of his touch, starting at her throat, a soft but affirmative grasp, her back pressed to his body, his breath in her neck as he sings. Slowly his hands smooth's the skin of her arms with his touch until he reaches her hand, holding it in his grasp.

"Past the point of no return, the final threshold.

What warm unspoken secrets will we learn?

Beyond the point of no return."

Suddenly remembering that Raoul was attentively watching them from box 5, she takes her hand back as The Phantoms whisper the last words of his song.

"You have brought me to that moment when words run dry,

To that moment where speech disappears into silence,

Silence.

I have come here hardly knowing the reason why,

In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining,

Defenseless and silent.

Now I am here with you,

No second thoughts,

I've decided.

Decided."

As if to set Raoul's mind at ease she glances up at him while she sings. The Phantom follows her gaze, already knowing where her eyes have fallen. Inside her a battle is raging between her heart and her mind. The words she sings are no longer just mere words on a score, but actual fears, actual feelings. With every passing second her mind fights to overpower her heart, in vain.

"Past the point of no return, no going back now!

Our passion play has now at last begun.

Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question,

How long should we two wait before we're one?"

She starts walking, slowly, just as the opera requires. The stairs seem too distant, the people to many. With every step she takes The Phantom matches hers with pace and sensuality. The Phantom, stunned at her sudden vigour, stares at her intently and intimately as she sings. Still, mesmerised by Christine's voice, he marvels in the dream of her question. All doubts he had of her betraying him forgotten.

"When will the blood begin to race?

The sleeping bud burst into bloom?

When will the flames at last consume us?"

Finally they reach the top of their long climb. Christine is still in emotional chaos. Each word that was sung, either by him or her, was true. Each question, she knew, has also dwelled in her mind. Her Angel of Music, a murderer…

"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…"

As their voices collided something fell into place. True to the words, they were past the point of no return. Her heart had won the seemingly unending war that raged between her mind and heart. Her heart was beating fast and uneven like a branch against a window in a torrent wind.

Throwing off his cape in one easy wave of his arm he moved cautiously to her. The Phantom and Christine lost in a beautiful ballad of words. In some small part of his mind he still wondered if she would reject him. He hated his face, he hated himself for taking the lives of so many innocents. But he knew if Christine rejected him he would not hate life, he would find a way to kill life. He couldn't fight the small sense of fear eating away at his mind.

They were close now, so close he could feel the warmth radiating off her. He grabbed her waist just as she placed her hands on his broad chest. Christine looked into The Phantoms eyes, green painted with a blue blush, pools of hurt and betrayal, layers of darkness covers his light. Poor misguided creature, the world has shown you no mercy, Christine thought. The Phantom turned Christine so that she was once again leaning with her back against his body. His hand was resting on hers on her abdomen. He slowly moved their hands over her abdomen up to her neck, hovering there a moment. Softly he starts to sing:

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime,

Lead me, save me from my solitude.

Say you'll want me with you here beside you."

Christine still revels in the joy and ecstasy The Phantoms touch brings to her body, too consumed in the flames of passion to clearly register the words he sings. With her eyes closed she succumbs to his voice. From the crowd of shocked viewers, Raoul watches his love give herself over to this thing. Tears gather in his eyes. I will not lose you to this deformation, Raoul promises. As the song progresses Christine starts to notice a familiar tune and suddenly realizes the direction his words are swaying to. Her eyes open fast, registration written in every feature. She turns to face him and he obliges her movement. He takes her hand in both of his, holding her hand close to his mouth as he sings.

"Anywhere you go let me go too,"

Christine wriggles her hand out of his grasp and places a hand on his cheek, while her other hand rests on his shoulder. She stares passionately into his eyes, the glistening of tears visible.

"Christine that's all I ask of…" The Phantom never finishes his declaration of affection for her. The crowd gasps and a few shocked women let out high pitched screams. Raoul was quite lost in his own world of confusion, watching the opera but not really looking. Knowing Christine surely did love this creature of darkness, this monster that hides his face like a coward. Knowing she loved him and that a piece of her would always belong to him. He wondered if he would ever inspire Christine like The Phantom could, when a woman screamed just below him. Leaning over the balcony of his box he noticed every face, pale and shocked painted across each face, was staring up at the makeshift bridge used for the production of Don Juan, The Phantom's play. One glance, one fleeting image was all he needed, but his eyes were intent on being cruel. Christine had her arm wrapped around the neck of The Phantom, her body fitting to his. His arms were wrapped around her waist, trying to pull her closer than she already was. And then, his eyes betrayed him. Her lips, her sweet, pink lips, the lips he ached to kiss every day, were caressing another man's. She had stopped The Phantom's song, not to rip of his mask as intended, but to kiss him.

"I am dreaming," The Phantom whispered. "This is a cruel joke of some sort on me. Giving me a taste of heaven, something I will never have."

Christine softly kissed him again, as if to discourage that thought from his mind. He clung to her, holding her waist tightly, out of fear she might disappear. She gently touched her fingers to the small of his neck. He trusted her. Her mouth was resting on his shoulder, close enough to his ear. She leaned in closer to his ear, whispering:

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.

Say the word and I will follow you"