As Christine looked to her Angel of Music with stars in her eyes, she said, "You will sing for me, my Angel?" Her voice was filled with innocence and the fascination of a child. The Angel knew he had no reason to refuse. In fact, he wanted to sing for Christine and prove just how much she should follow him. His music put her under a trance, and he would use that to his advantage in the end.

"Of course, fair child," he said with a smile. Christine watched her mysterious darkly dressed angel as he got into position to sing. It was almost as if the world was moving in slow motion for her, but all she wanted was for the music to begin.

"Nighttime sharpens,

Heightens each sensation.

Darkness stirs

And wakes imagination.

Silently the senses

Abandon their defenses." Despite having heard the voice before, Christin hardly even knew what had hit her. Had she thought the Angel of Music's singing was beautiful before, this was something that was of unspeakable, unfathomable beauty. She simply had heard nothing like his voice, like his music before. Christine longed to hear more. Her eyes fluttered shut as chills ran across her back and through her body, coursing like a river.

"Slowly, gently,

Night unfurls its splendor." The Angel of Music had moved beside her, so she turned and open her eyes to stare at him. The music was so powerful that Christine's thoughts had completely escaped her. There was nothing but the two of them and the notes between them.

"Grasp it, sense it,

Tremulous and tender." She now took this time to get a step closer to him. The two of them had very little space between them at this point. Christine started leaning in, possessed by some inner thought she didn't even know she had, trying to kiss the Angel of Music.

Her mind had gone to some other world, and all she wanted was to thank him for his singing and for treating her to this. She wanted to achieve unity through their voices but through contact, and the best way to do this was to push their lips together. He put a hand on her face that sent another bout of chills down Christine's back. But her surprise started turning her away from him, preventing their embrace.

"Turn your face away from the garish light of day.

Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light

And listen to the music of the night." That's what it was called. Christine now knew its name: the music of the night. The music of the night was undoubtedly the most phenomenal thing she had ever laid an ear to. It was like angels were singing, perhaps because one was singing right in front of her. Her Angel of Music, fallen from heaven to make the music of the night.

The desire to kiss him again stayed within her mind, but he began to walk away from her. Christine's eyes stuck back onto his mask yet again, intrigued by the mystery it gave. It made her feel a bit shallow for paying attention to a piece of clothing rather than his eyes or the lips that sang to her. But her curiousity had always ruled her throughout her whole life and this was no exception.

"Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world

Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before.

Close your eyes," the Angel sang, and Christine obeyed, her eyes drooping shut without any sort of hesitation.

"Let your spirit start to soar." The Angel hit a rather high note, and Christine could feel it flying within her. It was within her soul, making her feel as if she was floating along with the music. Her heart started to thump and she was breathing heavily. Her body was just like a tree rooted to the ground, but every other part of her flew into the sky with the clouds.

"And you'll live

As you never lived before." Christine opened up her eyes and realized that she had lifted up her head when she had listened to the Angel of Music singing the high note and her spirit had indeed been soaring.

Now that she had at least some control of her own body and mind again, Christine lept towards the Angel and tried to kiss him again. Again, he refused her, stepping away from her. But Christine was persistant, and she would most certainly try again next time she got the chance. One way or another, she was going to meet his lips.

"Softly, deftly,

Music shall caress you,

Hear it, feel it," sang the Angel of Music. He almost whispered those two little phrases and that only made Christine's heart pump louder and harder. She was sure that he could hear it, or at least that he could tell it was going on. Goosebumps rippled over her skin. In all of her life, music had never been able to shake her quite so much, but the music of the night was different.

"Secretly possess you.

Open up your mind!

Let your fantasies unwind!" Christine stumbled forwards, staring up at darkness above her, almost as if she was looking for something that wasn't there. The truth of the matter was she was trying to let the darkness overtake her. There was nothing more that she wished to do. The Angel of Music was commanding her, and she knew that she wanted to follow from the very bottom of her soul.

"In this darkness which you know you cannot fight

And listen to the music of the night." Christine felt tears pressing at her eyes, but they were certainly not tears of sadness. She wasn't sure quite what emotion they were for. They weren't exactly happy tears. Perhaps they were tears of fascination, of shock from the pure beauty. It was like she was witness to a miracle, a miracle of sound.

"Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world.

Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before." The Angel of Music's voice started to build in power as he continued forwards into the song. He was just about as deep, sunk down into the music as Christine was. The music of the night was more than just music. It was power, it was magic. Only Christine and the Angel of Music had ever experienced it.

"Let your soul take you where you long to be!" the Angel sang, his voice crescendoing into an enormous high note that made Christine feel woozy as if she was about to faint. It felt good, though despite how strange that was. It felt right and new and perfect. This was unmistakable beauty that many would be afraid to even fathom.

Only then can you belong to me." The Angel of Music had wrapped his arm around Christine. His arm was nearly around her neck, holding her softly against him. Christine rested her head on his arm, closing her eyes. This was almost too much for her.

Her head was spinning and rushing. This was the danger of the music of the night, and the Angel of Music had been expecting that this was what would happen. But he could tell that it enchanted her which is what he had been wanting to occur.

"Floating, falling,

Sweet intoxication

Touch me, trust me." Christine reached up her hand and put it on top of the Angel of Music's. It was like every sense was heightened. The touch of her skin on the Angel's made shocks run up and down through her. Something about the music of the night made everything shine under a different light...the light of darkness. This was pure ecstasy where nothing else felt as if it could possibly compare.

"Savor each sensation.

Let the dream begin

Let your darker side give in

To the power of the music that I write.

The power of the music of the night." The last note did not seem to be the ultimate finish, but he appeared to be done singing. Christine waited patiently, preparing to do anything that was asked of her. If he had said to run several laps up and down the catwalk, she would have sprung up and done it.

"Now," the Angel of Music said. "I must present to you something to remember this night with, to remember our music. We are not yet done, but I find it wearisome to keep this gift from you any longer. Hold out your hands."

Unsure of what was going to happen next, Christine did as she was told. The Angel of Music produced a necklace from his pocket and began to let it fall into her hands slowly.

The fine silver chain spilled into her hands like water. Christine stared down at it in a moment of awe. A gift from her Angel of Music, that's what it was. She had followed his instructions and now she was being repaid for it with such a fine gift. She picked up a few links of the chain that felt almost like tiny pieces of rice between her fingers.

Christine pulled up so that the necklace would be fully extended out in front of her. She peered at the pendant of the necklace. It was a ring, adorned with a large glistening silvery gem with many smaller gems of the same sort bordering it. Even in the lack of light, there was a shimmer that projected rainbows all around the area.

Just staring at it took Christine's breath away. The Angel of Music smiled slightly, amused by Christine's utter fascination with his gift. He had known that she was going to like it, that she was going to fall into a trance staring at it.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "It looks like...it looks like music," she finally decided upon. There was simply no other way for her to describe it.

"You think so?" he said softly. "Perhaps, it looks like the music of the night?"

Christine, transfixed by the gem slowly turning around in front of her, nodded slowly.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said, her voice filled with air and wonder. "And the music of the night is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

"Then simply imagine the majesty of your voice producing the music of the night."

The Angel of Music's words were so powerful that they broke Christine's focus away from the necklace and brought her gaze to him. Christine kept trying to imagine just how music that was as beautiful as the necklace shining like a star would sound like.

It would be so difficult to channel beauty like that if it were even possible! Christine had sung some rather gorgeous music in her past, but this promised to be even more than all that. The difficulty would be immense, she knew. Her Angel of Music wouldn't slack on anything of the sort.

As Christine was putting her necklace on, hanging the chain around her neck, the Angel of Music momentarily disappeared and shuffled around several papers. Soon he found what he was looking for. "Here is a small portion of the music I have composed," he said, gently pushing a few sheets into her hands.

"A small portion? Where's the rest of it, then?"

"It is still being written," her Angel replied. It took Christine a moment to comprehend this after getting distracted by staring at his mask. Now two deep urges set into her: one to kiss him, and one to pull of his masks. Maybe she could even do both at the same time.

"It is the work of my life," he continued. "When the music has been completed, so will I."

Christine blinked a few times. "You'll be completed? You don't mean to say...you'll be dead?"

"That is how I must live, Christine."

"But you're an angel! Angels don't die, do they?"

"I am no typical angel," he replied. "How many other angels do you know of, roaming along the Earth with all of its people? I am your teacher, I am your angel, but one day I must retire."

"No," Christine said, pushing the papers filled with music to her side. "No. You're too young for all of that. From what I can see from your face, you are young."

"And so are you," he responded. "Now, I believe you were going to sing my music. Is this correct?"

"Yes," she said, bowing her head slightly and picking up the sheets again. She bit her lip slightly, unsure of what to do next. "I..." she began, stumbling slightly. "I need a starting pitch. I don't have perfect pitch..."

"No need to worry," he responded. "Follow me."

The Angel of Music began to walk away and Christine stared, confused. This area above the stage was far larger than she would have thought. If she looked close enough through various cracks, she could see the seats like red swatches of fabric sitting on the floor. The ceiling had always seemed grand to her, something about its shape, and now she was on top of it.

"Are you coming?" the Angel said, turning back to face Christine. "There is no reason to be afraid. All we are looking for is my piano."

With a deep breath, Christine began going after him. A few seconds later she spotted a dilapidated sort of piano. There were cracks running through the wood, chips all over the paint. Several of the keys appeared to be falling off. But when the Angel of Music sat down and played a quick arpeggio, she found the sound utterly enchanting.

"Here is your starting pitch," her Angel stated, playing a single pitch. "You may sing whenever you are ready." The sound continued to ring out through the auditorium, but Christine felt as if she couldn't begin yet.

"Is something wrong?"

"There's no words," Christine said, pursing her lips slighty.

"Have you already forgotten what we spoke about just earlier this night?" the Angel of Music replied. It was difficult to tell with a mask covering half of his face, but he was raising his eyebrows. "There does not need to be words if the music is good enough. If it comes from the heart and echoes from the soul, then words are not needed."

"I see," Christine said, nodding. "But what if I can't read it quickly enough? I mean, I'm not that good at music-"

"You will be fine," her Angel reassured her. He readjusted himself at the piano, placing his hands back onto the keys. "I will accompany you. You will understand what to do. This is why I have chosen you for my music."

He began to play and Christine realized that her first few measures of silence were quickly disappearing. She took in a good, full breath, and prepared herself to sing to the best of her ability despite her sight reading.

"La la la la la la..." she sang, swallowing the moment she got a breath. She felt as if she wasn't doing this justice. She was so shaken up that she missed her next entrance.

"We'll go back," her Angel said. "Pick up to measure nine." His fingers pressed down on the keys again, and Christine began to sing with it. Soon enough, she found her fears melting away the music taking over.

Suddenly her soul was engulfed in the music. Her heart knew what note was coming next, the music of the night pulling her in. She felt her pulse pounding as she very nearly flew into an out of body experience.

It was too much for Christine, diving into the music of the night all at once. The spinning in her head just got more and more violent, and even though it wasn't wrong it was making her dizzy, too dizzy to stand.

Her eyes fluttered shut and her body collapsed underneath her, the Angel of Music having to catch her. She would be just fine as soon as she woke up, but the music of the night had been enough to make her fall in a dead faint.

The Angel laid her down on the ground, taking off his midnight black jacket and placing it on top of her for warmth. Then softly and sweetly, as if he was giving Christine a lullaby to fall asleep, he sang to her for one last time that night even though she couldn't hear.

"You alone can make my song take flight.

Help me make the music of the night."

A/N I have to say, I love this part in the original stories (although this next part really gets me...). As you can see, I've put a fair bit of my own spin on it just for everything to work out the way I wanted to. The music of the night is one of the biggest themes of this whole story, but I had to wait until now to even mention it. I dunno what I'm rambling on about. Enjoy. Read. Vote. Comment.