Title: Good-bye Old Friend

Author: Gumdrop

Arc: Any
Rating: PG
Character/Pairings: Erik, Other, Christine, E/C
Warnings: None
Word Count: 500
Summary: A funeral

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Phantom of the Opera. This is all just for fun.

"And so on this day the 12 of August 1877 we commit to the earth…" Erik paused as he felt a tiny hand tug on his leg.

"Water."

"What?"

"We're putting him in the lake. It's made of water, not earth."

Erik struggled not to sigh. They'd been at this for an hour, it should've only taken a few minutes. "We commit to the water the body of our dear friend …Mr. Wigglebottem." He looked over to his wife, catching her eye as she held her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face, trying desperately not to laugh. Erik continued, "He was a beloved pet who will be missed."

The two-year-old at his feet hugged her deceased pet tighter. Erik felt his heart clench. "Is there something you'd like to say Colette?" She shook her head no, brown curls swinging, tears falling onto her pet's body. Erik, helpless, looked over to Christine.

Christine laid a hand on the child's head. "Say good-bye." Colette bent down and placed a kiss atop her pet's head, a mottled gray rat that she'd found injured and had been trying to nurse back to health.

"Bye-bye Mr. Wigglebottem. I'll miss you." she said tenderly to the poor creature. Colette turned and thrust the dead rat up into Erik's face. "Give Mr. Wigglebottem a kiss too Daddy." Erik looked at Christine who gave him a helpless look back. Erik gave a small frown. He did not want to kiss a rat, let alone a dead rat, and certainly not one named Mr. Wigglebottem. But looking into Colette's eyes he knew he had no other choice. He loved his little angel more than anything, and if kissing her beloved pet good-bye before sending him off into a watery grave could bring her some peace then so be it. So Erik bent down and kissed Mr. Wigglebottem on top of his furry dead head.

"Now you Mommy." Colette thrust the rat in Christine's direction. Christine looked down at Colette. Christine brought her hand up to her mouth, kissing her fingertips, then laid them atop the rat's head. "Good-bye." she said. Colette let out a sob as she pulled her pet tightly to her. Christine looked at Erik and nodded. He reached down to take the rat from Colette's hand. The little girl gave it up without a fight, then turned and clung to her father's leg, burying her face and crying silently. Erik wrapped the rat up in a pillowcase and handed it off to Christine who put it into a small weighted box which they placed into the lake.

Erik picked Colette up and sang to her until she fell asleep. Then he put her to bed and put on his cloak and headed out.

"Where are you going at this hour?"

"A cat."

"A what?"

"It's very simple Christine. My little angel is going to want another pet, and I don't want to ever have to kiss another rat as long as I live."