From Darkness Till Light

By: Calypso

Based on the musical

Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera.

I do not endeavor to make a profit from this so please do not sue me

Ilisandra is an original Character so if you intend to use her for any reason please contact me first..

A question could be seen in the eyes of Christine's daughter's, for she couldn't understand why it was they'd come here. As the light grew dimmer she clung closer to her mother and her questioning look turned to one of fear, but her mother could only smile at her through a mist of memories. Trance like she descended into the underground labyrinth, needing no light to guide her to her angel.

By the lake, she found the barge rickety and dilapidated, yet it would hold to carry her and her child across. "Mama, I'm scared." For a moment, her daughter's voice brought her to reality, but for once it wasn't enough to turn her back. After seven years she had at last broken through the illusion if love Raoul had cast about her. For a long time now she had seen the smiles and the knowing glances that he had shared with young actresses and opera singers, and for all that time she had ignored them. Thinking only of her little Ilisandra, she had stayed beside the Raoul her in an attempt to secure her child's future.

"Come Ilisandra, there is nothing to fear here." Reaching out her hand she brought her daughter into the barge and onto the lake of dark swirling mists. Christine's heart leapt within her chest and melodies danced through her mind. For seven years she had not sung, abandoning her music along with her memories, if she did not think of Erik then perhaps she would not feel that she had abandoned him. Not have to live with the knowledge that everything which befell him had been because of her transgressions.

"Mama, don't cry." Soft gentle hands wiped away her tears as they had many times in the past. Ilisandra was barely seven, but she understood heartbreak in a way that no child of such an age should. So many times she had seen her mother crying silent painful tears as she watched her husband walk out the door to one 'business meeting' or another. This time though, the tears were of anticipation and not sorrow.

"It's alright now pet." Christine grinned reassuring at her daughter and wiped at her eyes as they reached the gates on the other side of the lake; this was not a time for tears. As they stepped through the gate, her eyes roamed about finding everything was covered with dust and sheets. For a moment disappointment flickered in her eyes. She hadn't known what to expect, but in some part of her heart she had hoped that he would be waiting for her. Letting go of Ilisandra's hand she moved forward towards the mirror, removing the sheet that covered it. "Where are you my Angel?" Reaching out she touched the mirror, letting her hand rest against the cold glass before bringing the hand back to her cheek. "Why aren't you here?"

Behind her Ilisandra had found Erik's Organ and began to play. The song was Vesti La Giubba from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's "Pagalacci". Ilisandra was young, but her father loved music and had insisted on lessons since she was three. Suddenly, a voice rang out behind her, clear and beautiful singing the sorrowful aria several octaves above the tenor for which it had been written.

Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio,
Perform! While overcome by delirium,
non so piu' quel che dico, e quel che faccio.

I no longer know what I'm saying or what I'm doing.
Eppur e' d'uopo... sforzati!

And yet I must. Force yourself!

For a fraction of a second Ilisandra stopped playing. Never in her life had she heard her mother sing, and to hear her mother's voice ring out in such radiant angelic tones was beyond her imagination.


Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto;

Transmute the spasms and the tears into buffoonery;

In una smorfia il singhiozzo e'l dolor... Ah!

the sobs and the pain into grimacing smiles.

Ridi Pagliacco, sul tuo amore infranto!

Laugh, Pagliaccio, about your crushed love

Ridi del duol che t'avvelena il cor!

Laugh about the pain that poisons your heart!

When the song finished, Ilisandra immediately ran from the piano bench to her mother's side. "Oh mama! That was marvelous." Christine didn't respond something in her eyes was distant and almost fearful. The hand she rested on her daughter's shoulder was clenched into a fist. Questioningly Ilisandra took the hand off her shoulder and pried it open to find a simply gold ring lying in her hand. Seeing Ilisandra holding the ring seemed to bring Christine out of the trance that she had gone into while singing. Suddenly she was unsure of why she had come, and her heart faltered as reality took a strong hold upon her. She was no longer a chorus girl of the Paris Opera House, she was the wife of Le Vicomte de Chagny, coming here had been a mistake. Defiantly she ignored the part of her mind which told her that coming here had brought her peace, that releasing the music which she had kept locked up for so long had let her soar on the wings of freedom for those few brief moments.

"Ilisandra give that back to me." Relinquishing the ring without protest Ilisandra looked up at her mother, wanting to know why. "We should leave now love, promise me you won't tell your father I brought you here?" Ilisandra nodded. The rest didn't matter now, she had heard her mother sing, and now she knew that 'mama' was an angel.

***

For Erik It had been seven desolate years, seven years of not knowing, of never leaving his layer he had at last seen the one ray of light that had been shed upon his life. He had held on to that ring for seven years hoping that she would one day return, that one day she might sing for him once more, and today she had. For but a second he had allowed her to see him as she dropped the ring into her hand. His heart had broken open as he heard her sing, and once again his entire being had been laid before the majesty of the music she brought into his very soul. He had seen her tears as she came across the lake, and it brought back all of the wraith he had once almost bestowed upon Raoul. She was unhappy, he knew that, and it hurt him beyond words. Erik watched as Christine walked out of the labyrinth with her beautiful talented daughter and knew that he could not let his heart rest until she was again soaring with the melody of her music. "And so Christine, it begins anew."

Authors Notes: I hope you liked this, if you do, write reviews and I'll finish it. If not, I'll remove it from your presence. I've never written Phantom Fic. Before so if this isn't satisfactory. I won't be surprised.