November 15, 2007 - To All Readers
Due to my current series, I have had no time to edit past chapter two. Hopefully you can still enjoy the read above and beyond any amateur errors. I apologize for the delay, but I do hope to continue with replacing the chapters in the future. Thank you!

Author's Note
Greetings fellow Phantom fans,

I'd just like to take a moment to praise all the veteran writers here that have inspired me with their beautiful Phantom stories. Thank you for sharing your tales with us.

This had been my first attempt at a fan fiction and at writing in general. I've learned much over the course of this story and my sequel, though there's always room for improvement. I am not a pro novelist, but hopefully with enough practice, I can be in the future.

I loved the character portrayals from the 2004 movie and it inspired me to write this continuation to share with you all. I'll be incorporating a few characters that were not in the movie, but may or may not have been in the Leroux and Kay books. Please bear in mind that some of these secondary characters will, for storyline purposes, be more or less out of character. I'm a die-hard E/C supporter, because I believe Erik would have truly only loved but once; an "all or nothing" kind of thing. In any case, it fits for my story, so hopefully everyone will be able to enjoy it. Regardless of the pairings, Raoul lovers should like this one. I hope so, anyway.

Rating Reminder
There will be intimacy and some violence, hence the M Rating for later chapters.

Story Background
This is a continuation of the 2004 movie with Leroux and Kay character/storyline nods throughout. It will be Vol. 1 of an ongoing series. As the story progresses, you'll notice I've adapted a bit of the character personae in a way I felt was natural progression. I'm sure we all have our own ideas of what Phantom, Christine, and the rest of the characters would be like for our own storylines, but I do try to keep everyone in relative character. Read and review if you would like. I reply to all submission, and constructive criticisms are welcome, but please refrain from flames. Thank You!

Special Thanks
To Kelli, for helping me out the first time around. And to Jon, for helping with the revamps now. -hugs-

Sincerely,

-Gwen a.k.a. Phanatic4Phantom

Disclaimer
I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, though I do have some original characters in this story. My heartfelt thanks to: Gaston Leroux, Susan Kay, and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber for giving the world the Phantom. Big thanks to Joel Schumacher for putting Phantom on the big screen. And to Gerard Butler, my life is forever changed because of your amazing portrayal of Erik.

TO BE HELD: VOL. 1

We begin at the end of the 2004 movie…

Chapter 1 – Decisions

"It's over now the music of the night!"

Christine could hear the unbearable anguish in the Phantom's voice, followed by the sounds of glass shattering upon the stone floor. With each strike of the mirror she winced, hot tears falling past her cheeks. She gripped Raoul tightly, feeling as if her very soul were sinking into the dark waters that passed beneath them.

He looked to her as he maneuvered the boat across the lake, desperately trying to find the route to their salvation. "Christine, you're safe now. I promise you. There's no need to cry any longer. I will get us out of here," he assured her, mistaking her tears as if she were frightened. Moments later, he gave a shout of relieved triumph as he finally saw the crude dock, jutting out in the dim light ahead of them.

Her heart began to race as the sounds of the mob increased in the distance, and as the boat drew closer to its port, her body tensed in fear. A victim of a kidnapping, taken by the Opera Ghost, she now worried for the life of her captor. Anxiety coursed through her veins as she thought of everything that had come to pass, every detail leading to this point. Despite her rational mind, she found she did not wish to leave her fallen Angel. She loved Raoul, of this she was certain, but it was more a love one would have for a dear friend…or brother perhaps, than a lover. The kiss she had given the Phantom in hopes to free her fiancé, had taken her by complete surprise. That lingering moment awakened feelings she knew nothing of, but were regardless laying dormant deep within her. These were thoughts she dared not believe she could possess for the infamous 'Phantom of the Opera,' but she had felt something. A similar stir overtook her during their duet of his Don Juan Triumphant, but fear had taken steady hold of her, replacing those feelings as they plunged through the trapdoor beneath the stage. Yet in that kiss to save Raoul, and perchance redeem the kind and gentle soul she knew the Phantom to possess, everything had surfaced and come to a head. She had looked into his adoring eyes and kissed him a second time, as if testing the depth of her untried emotions. Could I possibly love him, even after everything he's done? With that boundless kiss, she knew the answer itself did not matter. She could no longer ignore or deny it. She had passed the point of no return, finally knowing where her heart truly lay.

Unfortunately, things had gone from bad to worse in a blink of an eye. As strange as fate would have it, fear had turned to love. The Phantom had told her such a thing could be possible several months earlier, though at the time, she thought it to be just the rantings of a desperate madman. The irony of it all was that she was finally ready to love him now, but this time it was he that was turning away. Just as she was about to tell her Angel she had indeed made her choice, he had managed to skillfully steal the very words from her, with one despairing look.

The unmasked shell of a man, ever defeated by his own self-loathing, had pushed her aside and told her to go. "Forget me…forget all of this... Leave me alone…forget all you've seen..." his voice begged her, breaking as he gasped for air between heaving sobs. He staggered across the lake--desperate to remove himself from the presence of the young couple, yet his tears blinded his steps as he stumbled away.

She was now at Raoul's side as he struggled to free himself from the bindings, and in her confusion, she could do nothing more than aid him with the restraints. Everything was happening much too fast. She couldn't recall anything else that was being said, too awestruck at the sudden shunning by her Angel of Music. Her father promised her…her father promised her… the words of the old folk tale echoed within her mind, just as they did in the snowy cemetery where her suitors had clashed. The story of Little Lotte and the Angel of Music was one she thought of fondly. It was her father's favorite legend to tell her as a child, and he had often promised such an Angel would visit her some day. When I'm in heaven, child, I will send the Angel of Music to you...

Raoul placed a steady hand onto her shoulder, its warmth and weight startling her out of her most recent memories and of those long ago. "Dearest Lotte, we must go now. Come." He secured the small boat fast, tying the guide rope in a knot against the pier and turning to help her.

She glanced back upon the misty lake, the stirrings of her heart pulling her across the rippling waters, back to that precious moment which she'd unintentionally fled from in her daze.

"Christine?"

She turned to face him, his deep blue eyes piercing her own, tear-filled gaze.

I could lose myself forever in her beauty, he silently admitted.

"Raoul...you know I love you, don't you?" she said in almost a hushed whisper.

Smiling broadly he brought his hands to the sides of her face, caressing her cheeks lovingly with his thumbs. "Why of course I do, Lotte, but there will be plenty of time for us to profess our love for one another, after the threat has subsided. Now come along. We must hurry!" he said, sliding his hands down her arms to grab hold of her hands within his.

Shaking her head in refusal, she pleaded with him solemnly. "Raoul, he needs me."

Lifting himself from the boat, still clinging onto her delicate hands, he tried to pull her up and out to join him. His grasp slipped as she pulled away with determined strength and resolve. He stared at her incredulously. "Christine, that thing, that monster, has let us go. He has no need for you now, and he certainly does not deserve your loyalty. The mob draws near and his fate will soon be judged in the eyes of God!" he declared, confident in the justice that would be forthcoming.

"How can you say that, Raoul? The world has shown him nothing but fear, hatred, and darkness!" her voice rose defensively, on the verge of contempt. "He is stronger than you can imagine, but don't you see? I was his strength!" she cried out at him. "He will die without me, and more importantly, because of me!"

The viscount smirked, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Lotte. His fate means absolutely nothing to me, despite whatever ties you feel to that soulless bastard."

She stared at him in blank amazement. Gone was the gallant boy and compassionate man that she had thought she knew. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and the fierce passion in them seemed to startle him.

"I…I only speak the truth, Lotte." He quickly recovered his composure. "That creature will get what is coming to him, the mob will see to that, and we must not be here!" he pulled at her insistently. "Come now, before it's too late!"

She stared at him closely--her senses suddenly open to the reality around her. She honestly had not noticed the fresh tears that now wet her porcelain face, cleansing her of all doubts. "I love him, Raoul. I'm staying." She would not budge from the boat.

"CHRISTINE!" he yelled in outrage. He would not stand to hear such preposterous declarations. He had secured her freedom and he'd be damned in allowing her to be bound to the Phantom's maniacal chains.

His biting tone did not startle her in the least. Instead, she stood tall and spoke clearly. "Raoul, listen to me! I am no longer the child you once knew. Little Lotte is no more. I am Christine Daae, a woman in love with an Angel…no," she corrected herself readily, shaking her head in bemused disbelief, "merely a man…an incredible man."

Her words made no sense to him. "I don't know what he's done to you. It could be a spell of some sort or simply this abominable underworld, but don't worry. Once I get you above ground, everything will fine...you'll see."

He was quick to dismiss her, but she had expected as much. It was a habit of his that she became noticeably aware of as they reacquainted themselves during their courtship. He has no choice but to listen to me now, so help me... "There's no doubt I love you, Raoul. You will always be my childhood sweetheart, the boy who fetched my scarf from the sea, and I will always remember that fondly for the rest of my days." Her eyes softened briefly before returning to its serious gaze upon him. "But you were not the one to comfort me when I mourned my father's passing, or when I cried night after night because I was alone in the world without him. You were not there to brighten my spirits when I had thought my despair would surely kill me. You were not the one to make my song, my soul, take flight! No matter the deception, it was him, their so-called Phantom, who had brought me to the light!"

He stood stock still, his mouth agape as his tumultuous emotions tried to sort themselves inside of him.

She glared up at him, sorely disappointed. "You didn't even notice me when I was just a chorus girl. You would have never noticed, had I not been cast into the spotlight the night of Chalumeau'sHannibal." The look she gave him was devastating, as she came to terms with her own sudden realization and acceptance of her final claim.

He had heard enough. He would not admit to the accuracy of her words. "That's not true!" He paused a moment before attempting to divert his guilt with his next statement. "He's a MURDERER, Christine! Have you so soon forgotten?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, good sir!" she answered sharply. "His sins I cannot excuse, but I refuse to blind myself to the truth of what I feel inside. I love him!" she placed a hand against her heart, displaying her admiration for the man she cared for.

"Christine…I don't understand," he sighed in child-like frustration, exasperated at her stubbornness. He held his head low as if looking for the answers upon the swirling waters of the lake.

"I don't expect you to, but I would hope that you'd love me enough to let me go." She reached up and placed a hand against his left cheek tenderly.

His mind reeled. How could he refuse her? She was so lovely, so innocent, so obviously in love. Though not with me, he confessed hopelessly. The pangs of his heart tore at him, as he uttered his words. "Is this truly what you want, Christine?" His eyes searched hers for the truth.

Her voice full of conviction, she met his look firmly. "Yes it is, mon ami…more than anything in the world. For maybe the first time in my life, I am sure of my choice."

He could scarcely accept the words that came forth next. "Go to him then. Whatever you believe, I have only ever wanted your happiness, Christine, even if I regret immensely that it is not to be with me." He choked back his tears before continuing. "Regardless of what you said before, you will always be 'Lotte' to me. Should you ever be in need of anything, you know how to find me." He could no longer hold his gaze, wanting nothing more than to take her into his arms and beg her to stay with him. Instead, he took her by the arm gently and turned her away. "Go now, and take great care! That mob will stop at nothing to attain their satisfaction. You have little time, I fear, so hurry." His voice began to break as he spoke his last. "I...will always love you…Christine."

"Thank you, Raoul! I'll not forget you for this!" She quickly grabbed the guiding pole and began her trek back across the lake in the small boat.

His legs gave beneath him as he cradled his face in his hands and wept openly. Such a dashing nobleman I've become... Only love could reduce a man to this state, and only love could hurt this much... He brought his head up but once, in time to see her disappear from view. She was now on her way back to her Angel…back to the Phantom of the Opera.