Chapter 1

"Christine, could you come here?" Raoul called from the house.

I sighed; I had just sat down and started on my new book. Standing from my seat in the garden and setting the book down on the chair, I started walking back to the mansion. I looked around at the beautiful flowers- they would inevitably die in a few weeks. As I took one more look at the garden, just before going inside, something caught my eye: a rose. All the memories from fifteen years ago came back to mind, as if they just happened. I closed my eyes, yet saw the events play over and over again on my eyelids. Snapping them open, I thought, "No! I won't let this afflict me any longer." I walked towards the house, and didn't look back.

Opening the back door, I walked slowly through the house, looking over every item Raoul and I had collected through the years. Pleasant memories flooded my mind; memories of our adventures. We'd traveled to so many different places and met extraordinary people, but one memory kept coming to mind. When I was eight and a half months pregnant, my water broke in the middle of the street.

It was late April, and Raoul and I were sightseeing thought the evening streets of London. Although I was heavily pregnant, I felt up to wandering around aimlessly. We had only been walking for a few minutes when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I paused for a few seconds, and Raoul looked back, putting an anxious hand on my shoulder. As we started to walk back to find someone to help us, my water broke. Fortunately for us, there were a few apartments shouldering the street, but only one had its lights on. The door we knocked on was that of an elderly couple.

They took us in immediately and the woman helped me to a guest room. It wasn't very well-lit; only two candles flickered on each side of the bed. In the brief second I got to look around the room, I noticed it was very simple. Yet, it had touches of elegance everywhere, in places you wouldn't expect. The curtains were a lovely- if not faded- green velvet and the scratched brass of the candle-holders had been polished. The elderly woman helped me to the bed and laid me down. She ordered her husband to take Raoul into the other room and keep him there until the birthing was over.

At first, Raoul had rejected the idea, but when he saw the determination in her wizened brown eyes, and the silent begging in mine, he reluctantly agreed. I was worried about being away from Raoul, but at the same time, I was secretly relived. Although I'd exposed myself to Raoul during sex, I still felt a bit embarrassed in front of him. I guess at some point after Raoul left, the lady sensed my tension and tried to get me to relax.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We're both women, and I was a midwife back in my prime." Her smile was surprisingly caring, for being so small. "By the way, I'm Carol Plant."

Mme. Plant propped up my legs and gently spread them part. As she examined me, I couldn't help but blush and squeeze my eyes shut. It only took a minute or two, and after, Mme. Plant seemed somehow more determined. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the supplies. In the meantime, I'll send your husband in for comfort."

A thankful smile played across my face at this; I was beginning to feel a bit nervous. But just as Mme. Plant got to the door, a body-numbing pain surged through me. My scream was so piercing that it must have echoed through the apartment. Mme. Plant paused and took in the sight of me: writhing in pain, clutching the sheets, blonde curls sticking to my forehead as sweat rolled my face. I looked to her for help, but she just walked out of the room. I couldn't understand why I had been left to endure this pain alone, and I started to cry as it only got worse.

After a few seconds, I heard a knock on the door, and Raoul entered the room cautiously. "Mme. Plant will be back soon with everything; she said I could come in to see you." Raoul walked over to the bed, placing a light kiss on my forehead, and held my hand. The pain was fading away, bit by bit, until it was hardly anything at all. "…Are you alright?"

"I'm scared, Raoul," I whispered, and he held me tightly for a few seconds before putting his hands on the sides of my face and looking me in my eyes.

"I'm here with you, Christine. And I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

At that moment in time, any doubts I still had about Raoul- about what had happened almost a year ago- vanished in that instant. I knew that all my love was for Raoul and no one else. I pulled him closer and kissed him, with all the passion I had. When I let go, I was breathless.

"…I love you."

He smiled, brushing my hair back. "I know."

At that moment, Mme. Plant walked back into the room with a bundle; the supplies she had mentioned wrapped in an old bath towel. "Sir, would you leave? Your child will be coming soon, and it would be best if we were alone."

Raoul gave me one last peck on the cheek before leaving, wringing his hands as he joined M. Plant again.

"How long do you think it will be before-?" Another pain coursed through my body, just as bad as the first. I tried to repress my scream for Raoul's sake, but I couldn't keep it in any longer; it was even louder than before. In the midst of it all, my legs actually went numb for a few seconds.

Then, just as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone.

"Ma'am, in a just few minutes you'll have another pain just like those first two, and when I say so, it's very important that you push."

I was relieved that this wouldn't last much longer. I knew that childbirth was no walk in the park, but this was torture. "Will it take long?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Not at all… But it'll be painful."

A few minutes later, just as she'd said, I was in agony. The first time she told me to push I hadn't "done it right," and Mme. Plant said if I didn't push as hard as I could, my baby would either die or suffer from a deathly illness. When it came time to push again, I almost exhausted myself with effort. My baby would not die.

"Good, Ma'am! After another push, we'll be able to see your child's head!"

When I heard that, I felt my strength rush forward again. It took an eternity until I had to push again, since I knew I was so close to seeing my beautiful child. I pushed again and the head and shoulders were out; I could hear my baby crying.

My baby. Crying.

"One more big push, Ma'am!" I gave it my all, and Mme. Plant held up my baby. "Congratulations; it's a little baby boy!" Mme. Plant examined me again, but a grim look crossed her face. This turned into one of joy, and then to one somewhere between the two.

"What, what is it? Is he alright?" I asked, panicked by the strange expression.

"Madame, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, congratulations again; you're having twins! But the bad news is that if we don't get the child out in the next few minutes, it could die."

I felt like crying again, but I was too determined to get both of my children into this world for tears. "Please… Please hurry and get my child out Mme. Plant!" I begged.

The second baby was much quicker and less painful than the first, and when the child came, it was as just as healthy and undamaged as its twin. A little girl; I could only stare at the pair of them, feeling exhausted, but indescribably happy.

Raoul came in after both babies were cleaned, and was so surprised he looked faint. "There's… Two…" he said, lamely.

After Raoul got accustomed to the idea of twins, we bickered over names until we both agreed: Christopher Gustave De Chagny for the boy, Lillian Rose De Chagny for the girl. It was such a happy occasion that M. and Mme. Plant allowed us to spend the night, no questions asked.

It was, without a doubt, the happiest and most perfect day of my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

"Christine?" Raoul poked his head into the room, making me start a bit. "Darling, what's taking you so long? I have a surprise for the whole family," he smiled.

"I'm sorry, dear; I was…" I gestured to all the trinkets across the table. "Just remembering, I guess. About Christopher and Lillian, mostly; quite the memory."

Raoul smiled again as he crossed to me, pulling me close as he kissed my forehead. "Well, unless you don't like surprises, you might want to follow me to the dining room."

I gave Raoul a peck on the cheek. "As you wish."

We walked hand-in-hand to the dining room, where Christopher and Lillian were already sitting patiently. "What's the surprise, Father?" Christopher asked.

Raoul sat me down and took his own place at the head of the table. "After all these years, I've heard they've finally finished rebuilding the Opera Garnier… And we're all going to Paris to see it!"

I gasped; so many thoughts rushing through my head, I could hardly make sense of them!

"When are we leaving?" Lillian asked, twirling her ringlets around her fingers excitedly.

Raoul grinned down at her. "As soon as you all get your bags, and pack well; it's a season-long journey."

Thanks for reading and yes if this looks familiar it is a re-post but I have made changes and it is being co-written with GoddessEirene. LOVE HER SHE IS AMAZING! Please read and review and thanks once again. :D