Disclaimer: I do not own anything from "The Phantom of the Opera 1943"

Chapter One – Escaping Death

Christine DuBois was trembling like a leaf and her heart was pounding with fear. She clutched the back of the chair she was sat in, very tightly and stared across the chamber her strange masked captor at the piano. He was playing along in time with the orchestra who were high up above in the opera house. The music seemed to have a joyful effect on him. He was wearing the same expression that a man would wear if he had just discovered that the whole world was made of gold.
His eyes kept meeting hers and they seemed to be smiling at her.
The song was so beautiful and also so familiar. It's strange. She thought He called this music his concerto, but it's written round the melody of my song. How can he possibly know it? She slowly rose to her feet staring hard at her captor's masked face. Who could this man be? She thought. He knows so much about me and my singing. He has claimed to have always helped me, loves me so much and made the chandelier fall on the audience tonight.

Christine now realized that there was something about him that seemed very familiar. It was his voice, she had heard that voice before many times. And also the colour of his hair, brown with shades of grey. She thought hard trying to fit all the pieces together. Then in her mind it was like someone had put a light on. But no! she thought breathing deeply. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't. Then she remembered that he too had been reported for murder. It all made sense but she found it hard to believe. Yet she could have been wrong, the face behind that mask might be another man entirely.

His smiling eyes met hers once again "Sing Christine!" he said gleefully. But Christine was frozen where she was, still trembling as she heard that familiar voice. "Sing!" he repeated still full of joy. Christine began to sing along to the tune he was playing. His winning smile was filled with even more joy and happiness. She began to step closer to him. Even though she was still scared, Christine couldn't help it, she had to know who it was behind that mask.
She came up beside his left shoulder. Still singing she tried to reach towards his mask. But he turned to smile up at her again, she backed away slightly but kept on singing. He turned away again completely consumed by the beautiful music.

Christine thought. It's now or never. This time very quickly, she grabbed the mask and ripped it from his face. He jumped to his feet breathing deeply with rage then spun round to face her. Christine's blood froze to ice. The skin on the right half of his face was stained red and purple and blistered from what must have been a very bad burn. Still holding the mask in her hand she backed into the cold wall, her fear rising again as she waited for him to explode with anger. But he didn't, he made no sign of lashing out at her. The expression on the good side of his face was just sad.
Looking at the good side of his face Christine instantly recognized it. She had been right, her masked captor was Erique Claudin.

No wonder he now wore a mask. she thought as she looked at his burnt face. But how on earth did this happen to him. But she then remembered that when she had read of him in the paper, it said that his face had been burned by acid. Poor Claudin, even in his late forties his face had still been so handsome. So many other things now made sense. He had told her that he had always helped her, which meant it was he who had been paying for all her singing lessons. He had said he loved her, which also explained why he had always been so kind to her whenever they had spoken together. But he had never revealed his true feelings to her.

Christine was about to speak when the door flew open and Anatole and Raoul burst in. Claudin froze and his expression became deadly like a lion about to pounce on it's pray. Raoul pointed his gun at Claudin "Don't move" he warned. Christine wanted to tell Raoul to put the gun down but she couldn't find her voice. Claudin reached behind him and grabbed a sword from on top of the piano. Raoul pulled the trigger but at the same time Anatole pushed Raoul's arm up so that the gun fired at the ceiling.
Suddenly the whole place began to cave in. Claudin dropped the sword looking round in fear. Christine quickly hurried forward, grabbed Claudin's hand and pulled him towards the door. Claudin may had murdered all those people. Pleyel, Biancarolli and her maid. Even all the people who got crushed by the chandelier. But he had done so much for her, so much that she wanted to thank him for. And she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if he died now.

Just then, large chunks of rock fell past them just to their right. Behind her Christine heard Claudin cry out in pain. Another chunk of rock hit Christine's shoulder making her cry out too. But it didn't seem to have damaged her badly. She moaned in pain but didn't release her grip on Claudin's hand. "CHRISTINE!" Anatole and Raoul cried in horror. "GET HIM OUT!" She screamed. Christine didn't care what happened to her, just as long as she could get Claudin to safety. The two men helped both Christine and Claudin out of the chamber. Once they were outside Christine pulled Claudin's arm over her shoulder, ignoring the pain, she wrapped her own arm round his waist. Supporting him she helped him run for the lake.

Claudin seemed to be struggling to run but he held her tight and managed to keep up with Christine. She led him over the stone crossing which they had both passed over not long ago. Anatole and Raoul were right behind the two them. They were both confused why Christine was wanting to save a cold blooded killer, it didn't make any sense to them. Christine heard the splashes from the rocks which were falling from the ceiling into the dark lake. Claudin was now wheezing badly at her side "Come on!" she encouraged him "Not far to go, then we can rest." He grunted in pain but didn't stop running. Soon all four of them made it to the other side. They hurried through the archway and into the tunnel that led back up above. They stopped and turned to see the last rocks falling and blocking the archway entrance to the lake. And at last the rock fall ceased and all was silent.

Christine sighed in relief and helped Claudin sit down on the stone floor. When his face came into view she gasped in shock. There was an open wound on the right side of his forehead where the top of his bad burns were, and blood was dripping down his face. The rocks that had fallen close to them back in his lair had probably hit him. "Oh no, Claudin!" Christine cried placing her hand on his unscarred cheek. His eyes slightly opened and he looked up into her beautiful face "Christine" he sighed and closed his eyes again.

Christine felt a hand take hold of her arm, she looked up to see Raoul. "Christine, come on, we need to get you out of here." Anatole nodded and offered his hand to her. She looked a his offered hand but didn't take it. Anger was building up inside her and tears were filling her eyes as she remembered the gunfire. She wrenched her arm free and rose to her feet "How could you do that?!" she cried "You could have killed us all!" Raoul's pointed at Anatole looking shocked. "He pushed my arm, so it's not my fault the bullet hit the ceiling." Anatole looked as if he was about to contradict but Christine interrupted. "I was speaking to both of you." The two men froze with mouths agape.
Tears fell down her cheeks as she next spoke "Anatole may have pushed your arm, but you pulled the trigger Raoul. You both could have killed us all down there. But now thanks to you, he's injured." She turned away from them and knelt back down beside Claudin who was starting to look very pale. She gently pulled him onto her lap stroking his hair "He was never going to hurt me. Because he loves me. And you both know it because you worked it out yourselves…remember?!" Anatole and Raoul couldn't answer because they both knew she was right.

Christine continued to comfortingly stroke Claudin's hair. He opened his eyes again and looked up at Christine as if she were an angel of heaven. "Chris...t…ine" he tried to say. "Shh" she whispered. Seeing her tears he tried to lift his hand to her face but it fell down to his side.
She cradled him to her chest then looked up at the two men who were still standing over them. "The two of you may not have the hearts to understand this man's pain. But please help him, he is near death and needs a doctor's care. Please I beg you, help him." Anatole and Raoul seemed very reluctant to do this. But seeing sadness in the eyes of the girl they both loved, they just couldn't refuse. They came over, each took one of Claudin's arms and helped him to his feet. Christine was about to get up when she saw something laying on the floor. It was Claudin's mask, she had completely forgotten that she had still had hold of it and bought it here. She picked it up and got to her feet. She led the way through the tunnels and back up to the theatre.

Author's Notes

I can't believe I did it. For a long time I have wanted to write a fanfiction story of the 1943 Phantom of the Opera film. But I never got round to it.
Yesterday an idea came to me and I began writing. It turned out so great that I had to continue.
I hope you all like the first chapter.
Let me know in your reviews.
:) XXX