Erik didn't stop for several moments, needing to be sure Bahram was dead. When he was at last certain, he rolled away and collapsed onto the ground, his fury dissipating into the cold night air. The mud below him felt suddenly comforting, the rain a blessing he had not thought he would feel for much longer.

For a few long moments he simply lay there, forcing air back into his lungs and taking inventory of his injuries. He had been lucky, not least to still be breathing.

Eventually he forced himself to rise, knowing he could not rest forever. Stiffly, he limped back towards the hotel. He had to get back to Christine, but he was well aware that battered, bloody, soaked and muddy as he was, he could not walk back in through the front door, he turned back to old habits.

Despite his complaining body, Erik managed to climb up a drainpipe and back onto the roof, staggering towards the bright lights of the ballroom. He halted before he reached the window, however, frozen by what he saw.

Christine was awake and sitting up, smiling at Raoul, who still held her in his arms. He was stroking her hair soothingly, and any time blood appeared from one of her cuts, he wiped it away with the utmost care and tenderness. Despite both being clearly shaken and afraid, they were obviously happy and obviously in love. Even in his most deluded moments, Erik knew Christine had never looked at him like that, knew he had never brought her that level of warmth and joy.

Erik's gaze moved from them and focused instead on the window he stood in front of. He could see his own face reflected back at him, hideous and repellent. He could try walking back into the room, into the crowd that all knew him as a monster now. If he went back in, there would be so much to fix, and he knew without doubt he could never beat Raoul's love. He could win back Christine's friendship, given time, maybe even split the two of them apart with enough manipulation, but he would not get anything as pure as they had now.

The words he said to Raoul as he left had been right: he was indeed a monster, and Raoul a gentleman. He had just killed a man with his bare hands, for God's sake, and had even taken a savage pleasure in it. Bahram had not been Erik's first victim by a long way, and realistically he probably wouldn't be the last. He was a fiend, a brute, and he could never inflict that on Christine. She deserved better than him, better than he could pretend to be.

Besides, the Shah would no doubt notice Bahram's absence in time, and if anyone was dispatched to Paris while Erik was still making a name for himself, they would find him. If the Shah had carried a grudge this long, it was unlikely to abate when he linked Erik to Bahram's disappearance.

Instead of entering the ballroom again, Erik backed away into the shadows again. They didn't need him in there, interrupting their bliss. And what he told Christine had been true; the cast and crew would be able to run the show without him now.

Clutching a point on his side that was beginning to radiate pain, he gathered his jacket and tie from where he had discarded them. He fished his phone out of a jacket pocket, grateful it had been shielded from the rain and impressed it was still working. Without waiting to contemplate his actions, he dialled Nadir's number. He knew what he had to do.

"Is something wrong?" came Nadir's worried voice after only a few rings.

Erik was more relieved than he cared to admit to hear his friend's voice again, and sank to sit on the roof. He took care not to slip, still close enough to see into the ballroom but far away enough to be hidden by darkness. "Sort of," he answered with a glance down at where he knew Bahram's body lay, keeping his voice low so it would not carry into the hotel. "Our friend from Iran paid me a visit."

"What? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Yes," Erik said calmly with a soft chuckle. "I won't lie, it wasn't easy, but he won't be a problem anymore."

There was a pause at the other end. "He's dead."

It wasn't a question, but he answered anyway. "Yes."

Nadir sighed. "That's probably good."

"That's what I thought," Erik replied cheerfully as a bubble of hysteria threatened to rise in his chest. Once he had got used to making kills, he remained rather calm after them, if a little shaky depending on their difficulty. Tonight had been different, however; it had been personal, and up close, and it could have gone either way. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate a little help clearing up the mess."

"Of course, are you still at the hotel?"

"Yes, I'm in the gardens round the back. And, Nadir?" Erik heard the bustling that had begun at the other end of the line freeze - he rarely used Nadir's name, normally only calling him Daroga if he said anything. "I'm ready to leave Paris. Bahram won't be the last to find us, and we've probably stayed here too long. You were right."

Nadir paused, probably stunned by Erik's admission. "Are you sure? What about the show?"

Erik gave a sigh, looking back at the cast, at Christine. "They can do it without me. And it would probably just feel odd to watch my own musical."

"Whatever you say, Erik. I'll be there as soon as I can." Nadir sounded sceptical, but Erik knew he wouldn't question his decision.

Erik hung up and, without looking away from the remnants of the party, dialled another number. He saw Christine jump, her surprise only appearing to increase when she located her phone. She said something to Raoul, who released her from his embrace and moved a short distance away to give her some privacy.

"Erik?" she answered, struggling to twist towards the window he had left out of. He noticed she kept her legs very still in front of her, one bent at a slightly odd angle. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter." Erik sighed, savouring the sound of her voice. "What's important is you're safe now."

"Okay…" she responded uncertainly, her gaze still searching the night. For a moment he wondered whether she would spot him, his heart freezing with anticipation, but her eyes continued moving. That was probably for the best.

"How do you feel?" he asked, already cursing himself for causing her this pain.

He saw her lips lift in a weary smile. "I'm fine. Well, I'm not, but I will be; it's nothing serious - though I probably won't be performing on opening night." She paused, biting her lip. "Are you coming back?"

"I can't. I just wanted to… to say goodbye," Erik said, forcing the words out despite the pain they brought him. "I do need to leave after all. I need to leave now."

"But…" Even from this distance, he knew her bright eyes were filling with tears. "I'm sorry if I upset you. Please don't go."

His heart ached, and he made his voice as calm and soothing as he could, despite the tears blurring his own eyes. "It's not your fault, Christine," he said gently. "I'm not leaving because of you. But I do need you to do something for me while I'm gone."

"Anything." Her voice was tremulous but still so heartbreakingly beautiful.

"Be happy." Erik was surprised that a real smile rose to his lips, as tears spilt down his cheeks to mix with the cold raindrops. "I love you, Christine, I truly do. You will always have my heart. But you also have Raoul, and he can be better to you than I ever could. Be happy with him, become the star I know you're meant to be, and never let go of the music."

"Erik, please…" Her words broke off with a sob.

"Goodbye, Christine. My angel."

He hung up, saw her cover her face with her hands as she broke down in tears, and was enveloped again by Raoul's arms. He watched as she was comforted and calmed, then watched the medics arrive and take her to be cared for.

Erik sat as still as a statue, like a guardian gargoyle, until Nadir appeared in the gardens below. He climbed stiffly back down to the ground, and surprised his friend with a tight hug.

"It's good to see you again, Nadir," Erik said, his voice warm and sincere.

"And you, my friend," he responded, appearing confused but equally as earnest.

Together they hid all evidence of the fight; taking the lasso and the knife and concealing the scuffle as best as they could. Nadir's expertise came in handy when they came to disposing of Bahram, as it had all those years ago when he had saved Erik from execution.

Even once that was sorted there was a long list of things to be done, from removing the traps from the theatre, to ensuring Don Juan Triumphant was prepared to continue running in Erik's absence, to making final arrangements for fleeing Paris.

"Where shall we go next, then?" Nadir asked when they were finally safe and dry again, as ruby shards of sunlight were creeping over the buildings once more.

Erik sighed and sank onto the sofa in his apartment beside his friend. Almost subconsciously, his hand rose to check that his face was covered again with his spare, simple mask. He needed to sleep and properly wash before reapplying prosthetics, which he thankfully had many duplicates of, but it was reassuring to remind himself that he appeared less demonic for a while, even around Nadir. The other man was still a little squeamish about seeing Erik's real face, especially as he had seen him at his most monstrous when bared to the world like a weapon, but he remained close whether or not he was masked. Erik supposed that almost meant more; the fact Nadir was still a loyal and caring friend even when afraid and sickened at times.

Erik's thoughts drifted back to Christine as he pondered Nadir's question, painfully aware it would take him a long time to get over her, if he ever could. They needed to go somewhere new, somewhere safe, and hopefully somewhere they could find a sliver of happiness again. "How about Sweden?" he suggested eventually. "I hear it's beautiful - fit for angels."

A/N Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, favourited, and reviewed; your support always means so much!

If you enjoyed this story, please check out my other Phantom of the Opera fanfiction You Are Not Alone and its sequel One Lifetime. Both are Erik x OC and are fully completed, though I will always add bonus chapters if people have prompts they would like to see!

Thank you again, and I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing!