A Night at Phantasma
John McCormick and Rebecca Randle were gossiping between shows at Phantasma, their workplace. It was an odd friendship that they had him and her. He, a tall broad manager of the place and she, a petite short showgirl. They had met a few years back when Rebecca had received a job at Phantasma, and they had quickly become friends. She had walked into this dark strange place, known as Coney Island, fearful and timid. Until the manager had leapt out at her and introduced himself. That manager, John, had joked around with her and put her at ease. They were now great friends and they spent their free time between gossiping and pulling small pranks on the other Phantasma workers. Of course there had been miniscule romantic tension before but how could there not be. They were a man and a woman, nothing more nothing less. Nothing would come from it. Though Rebecca was a moderately attractive woman and John was a moderately handsome man they were just friends, as well as gossiping partners. Besides, today there was something bigger on everyone's minds, and today all the workers were gossiping. The famed opera singer Christine Daae was returning to the stage for one night. She was performing at Phantasma tonight and she had arrived this morning. Everyone from the oldest stagehand to the youngest dancer wanted to see her. But not everyone was happy about her arrival. Rebecca's good friend and the leading lady, Meg Giry, was seething with jealousy at her old friend's arrival. They had been childhood friends and had lived and danced together at the old Opera Populaire until it had burned down ten years ago in a mysterious fire. All the showgirls knew that Meg craved the boss' attention but never got any. He never came to any shows but had taken a strange interest in Ms. Daae. He also never came out of his quarters, deep below Phantasma. But since Ms. Daae's arrival he had come out of his quarters and it was rumored that he would be coming to the show the next day, but only to see Ms. Daae sing. Ms. Daae showing up was positively ruining everything for Meg. She was even replacing Meg tomorrow night in the leading lady spot. Meg had been thrown away and replaced like an old toy. Everyone loved her until the shiny new model came out. Suddenly Meg, the leading lady herself, slumped past, in a daze. John leaned into Rebecca. "Is meg okay? She seems, well, sad at Ms. Daae's visit. I would think her best friend returning would make her happy." Rebecca cautiously glanced around to catch any eavesdroppers. The other stagehands sometimes liked to listen to their conversations, spreading rumors and eventually getting them in trouble. They always were careful to not let others hear when they talked. Seeing no eavesdroppers she began to speak. "Well you didn't hear it from me but I know she's jealous. The boss seems to be paying more attention to Ms. Daae then he's given to Meg in the past ten years. I'm sure you've heard. Meg craves his attention. It's a bit of an obsession." Hopefully John would keep this quiet. If word got out that they were gossiping about Meg, or the "Ooh La La Girl" as most people called her, she or John could be fired. John agreed with her. "Yeah, it seems that way. Maybe he'll finally show up to a performance." Rebecca scoffed at the idea that the boss would be there to see her perform. "If he comes it will be only to see Ms. Daae sing and for no other reason. He's not coming for Meg or for any of us showgirls." John seemed to agree. "Well, anyway. I heard that Meg's done some things for him that requires love to do." Rebecca had heard a few sinful stories about Meg but she had never given them a thought. "Well she may love him, or obsess over him, but he doesn't love her back. He seems hung up on Ms. Daae. It's like they have a past or something. Rebecca had on more than one occasion seen Meg pining away for the boss. Meg said that she sung only for him. She did seem obsessed. John smirked. "Well you know how those leading ladies always are, always pining for one or another man's attention." They laughed, but John stopped and covered Rebecca's mouth, dragging her into the shadows. Rebecca looked up at him in confusion and he turned her around slowly so that she could see. A man had walked into the room with a small child. He was in a finely tailored suit and wore a snow white mask over half of his face. It was their boss, Mr. Y! Rebecca recognized the small child as Gustave, Christine Daae's ten year old son. Rebecca then understood that John had led her there so that they could eavesdrop. They began to watch the boss and Gustave singing quietly. "I wonder what they're talking about…" John whispered. They strained to hear what the two figures were saying. They didn't seem to see the manager and the showgirl in the shadows, straining to hear their conversation. John apparently heard something. "All I hear is something about the "Beauty Underneath." The boss was always using metaphors. "John, you know how the boss always talks in riddles. I don't even understand him most of the time. He could mean anything." Suddenly the boss pulled off his mask. They gasped at the horror before them. It was the worst thing they had ever seen. The other half of Mr. Y's face was twisted and deformed. It didn't even look like a face. John cringed in horror. "Oh god! Look at his face! There was no beauty underneath!" He shielded their eyes from the horrible sight. Rebecca shivered. "I always wondered why he wore that mask." John was disgusted. "No wonder Madam Giry always used to say, keep your hand at the level of your eyes. Rebecca agreed. "No kidding." When Gustave saw the horrible monstrosity underneath the mask he screamed and ran away. The boss sunk into the shadows, sobbing. Suddenly, Ms. Daae and Meg strode into the room, arm in arm, laughing and chatting the way women often do. John saw them. The boss looked up and saw the two women. He quietly sobbed once more when he saw Ms. Daae. They didn't notice the crying masked man in the shadows. John looked as though he pitied the boss. "The boss is crying." "He has always seemed like the emotional type to me. I would vote to investigate but he kind of scares me." A flurry of emotions then passed over John's face, shock, then disbelief, then solemn understanding. Rebecca looked at John. "John, what's wrong?" "Well, think of it, a mask and Christine Daae. Remember the Opera Populaire, in Paris, the one that burned down ten years ago? Well Phantasma was started ten years ago and our boss has the characteristics of the man that caused that whole mess." Rebecca remembered Meg telling those stories about the strange affair of the phantom of the opera. "Y-Y-You don't think that he's the Phantom of the Opera? Do you?" John looked gravely solemn. "He just might be. Our employer might have been lying to us this whole time. I'm going to check this out. Are you in?" "Of course I'm in! We're a team!" John looked worried though. "If I get caught I could lose my job. Look over there." Rebecca cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the boss. "He's still slumped over crying. But his mask is back on." John looked sad. "Yes I hear Eri- I mean, the boss, crying." What had John just said? He had stuttered before saying the boss. 'John what were you about to say? Don't lie to me." John cautiously checked for eavesdroppers and leaned in close to Rebecca. "Don't tell anyone but the boss' name is Erik." "John I won't tell anyone!" "What is he doing now?" John was forever curious. Rebecca strained to hear but apparently John's hearing was better than hers. "Did he just say my son? I thought Gustave was the Viscount's son?" Rebecca was shocked. Had Christine Daae betrayed her husband for their boss? "Well obviously he's not. Ms. Daae has been lying to us all!" John looked gravely solemn. "Let's at least tell Meg first. She deserves to know." "Shall I tell her or will we both?" John sighed heavily and hung his head. "Were a team, right?" Rebecca looked John in the eye and smiled. "Of course. So I guess we'll tell her together?" John agreed. "Yes. But we'll have to calm her down as fast as we can. You know this is going to crush her, since she's in love with him." Rebecca understood. If people knew that they were talking about Coney's own "Ooh la la girl", they could be fired. After all, it was easy to replace a manager or a show girl, but a leading lady could do whatever she wanted and never be replaced. She was their star. Luckily Meg wasn't prone to tantrums. "Yes, we can't have our leading lady upset." John seemed to think of another reason. "And to keep her from killing herself or someone else, especially Ms. Daae." Rebecca was skeptical. She didn't think that sweet Meg was capable of killing but people can surprise you. "I'm not sure she's capable of that, but we better not take any chances." They had to tell Meg, even though it would crush her. But right now she had to go perform in the new show. "Sorry John, it's time for my performance. I need to go. Find me after the show and we'll go see Meg and get some answers." John smiled understandingly at her. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your job. I think I'll go talk to Madam Giry and see what she knows about this."
John walked carefully through the backstage area of Phantasma. Rebecca was performing so he was going to have to take this matter into his own hands. He was going to have to find Madam Giry on his own without the help of Rebecca. God, she was so smart and beautiful, but back to finding Madam Giry. John had already checked the ballet studio and most of the backstage area but she was nowhere to be found. Though he kept running into those creepy clowns. Next he was planning to check the west wing of the backstage area. He casually walked to the west wing, acting like he was only there to see the show. He was a manager though, so he wouldn't look very suspicious backstage. He saw a tall woman with her hair up in a tight bun near the edge. It was Antoinette, though people called her Madam, Giry. He walked up to the woman and lightly tapped her back. She let out a shrill scream and turned around. "Mr. McCormick! How dare you scare me like that! What do you want?!" John motioned for her to walk to the back area with him. She complied, though she had a slight frown and her eyebrows were furrowed. She walked to the back and stared John in the eye. "Speak up, what is it?" "Well, um, Rebecca and I-"Madame Giry sneered. "Now don't you go gallivanting off with Ms. Randle. She has much talent, and she doesn't need to be distracted by the likes of you." John fought back a wave of anger. This woman was just so annoying. But he would have to get over his feelings because he absolutely had to talk to her. "Let me continue, Rebecca and I found out about Mr. Y's true identity. We know that he's the Phantom of the Opera." With that, madam Giry slapped the left side of his face. "Hey! What was that for?" Madam Giry had a look of disgust on her face. "Meg and I have worked too hard to conceal his identity to have the likes of you destroy all that we've worked for. You will never speak of this again! Do you understand me?" John looked her in the eye. "Yes I understand." But that was a lie. They still had to talk to a few people about this new information. Suddenly cheers rang out from the audience as the girl finished their performance. John needed to get to Rebecca's dressing room. It was time to pay a visit to Meg Giry.
(2 Hours until Christine's Performance)
Rebecca was in her dressing room touching up her makeup. She had just finished a new show. She was dancing in this new number called "Bathing Beauty." There wasn't much to it. Just Meg doing a bathing suit striptease. Suddenly there was a knock at her dressing room door. She walked to the door, in her dressing gown, to see John at the door. "Ready to go see Meg?" Rebecca sighed and slowly walked up to John. She quickly pinned up her hair and smiled. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I can't believe I have to do this to poor Meg." John pitied Rebecca. He grabbed her hand and they walked down the hallway. He suddenly turned to her and smiled. "Rebecca, before we do this, I just need to know, will you go out with me?" Rebecca smiled at John and looked into his eyes. She knew that John was going to ask her eventually. "Sure." She replied casually. He smiled. "Great." They then appeared in front of a room marked "Giry". This was Meg's dressing room. John knocked cautiously. "Ms. Giry?" Rebecca called out. "Meg? It's Rebecca and John." The door opened to reveal a very attractive blonde woman. She smiled when she saw Rebecca. "Come in." She was wearing an elaborate dressing gown, her checkered bathing suit from the last show was on underneath. She motioned for the two to sit down. "So, Rebecca, what did you want?" They stayed silent, debating in their minds what to say. Meg stared at them, confused and impatient. The next show was due to start in a few hours. John looked uncomfortable. "Well Meg…um...hmm." Rebecca tried but she couldn't find the words to. She didn't have the heart to crush Meg like this. She looked hopefully at John, hoping that he would do the talking. John sighed and said all that needed to be said in one big breath. "Well Meg, we were eavesdropping and we saw the boss and Gustave and saw the boss' face and found out that Gustave is his son and please don't be angry." Rebecca held her breath, judging Meg's emotions. The blonde gasped and widened her eyes in shock before sobbing loudly. Rebecca put am arm around her friend's shoulders and let her cry. Meg looked up, and the look of pure despair turned into anger. "No! No, this can't be true! But why didn't I figure it out?! Christine, it's always been Christine!" She laughed a bitter laugh before crying again, her fists clenched in anger, her knuckles white. John put an arm around Meg. "Just calm down, Meg, everything will be okay." It didn't seem to help. "Maybe he just wants to see Christine. I don't think they love each other anyway. It had been ten years after all." Meg frowned, her eyes flashing in rage. "That could be a possibility. I don't know if you've noticed though, but these ten years all he's done is pine over her! She's all he cares about." Meg began sobbing again. Rebecca gave her friend a quick comforting hug. "Meg, John's right. You need to calm down. Everything is going to be okay." Meg looked at Rebecca and began to calm down. John nervously began to tie his blue tie. "Um…Rebecca? I hate to drag you away from here, but we need to go find the boss. Um…Meg? Are you going to be okay?" The pair cast their eyes on Meg as the woman dried her tears and straightened her dress. "I'll be fine. I just can't believe it." John smiled at Meg. "In my opinion you are just as good of a singer as Ms. Daae." Meg smiled at that. "Really, do you really think so?" Meg looked so hopeful. Obviously praise was important to her. Rebecca laughed. "Of course, you are a great singer." Meg smiled. "Thank you." John stood up. "Are you ready Rebecca?" Rebecca gave Meg one last hug and walked out as the blonde woman began fixing her hair for the next show. As they walked out Rebecca's smile fell. John looked concerned. "What's wrong? I thought that went well." Rebecca shook her head. "I hope it did. Meg is known to hide her feelings. She's like a labyrinth, if you try to understand her you'll never get out, ever. I suggest we watch her closely." John nodded. "Let's go see the boss then. He has some explaining to do." John, being his assistant, knew the way to his office. "I wonder why his office is so deep in Phantasma." Rebecca saw a sort of logic in his office placement. "Well I can tell he wants to be alone, and no one really wants to come down here. Also, he probably wants to live low like he did when he was the Phantom. It probably provides some nostalgia." John agreed. "Makes sense. Speaking of Paris, I wonder why he came to America instead of escaping to another part of Europe." This also had been puzzling Rebecca. "Well he wouldn't be recognized in America probably." John seemed to agree, but he added his own piece to the puzzle. "Well, also, lots of people came to America from the European coast for our little "Land of Opportunity". Rebecca laughed. "You are probably right." They then reached a large black door with an ornate skull knocker. Rebecca realized that they had talked for the entire trip. John grabbed the eerie carved skull and rapped it lightly on the door. "Boss? Sir, are you there?" They stood there for a few minutes but the door never opened. Suddenly, right when they had started walking back, the door slowly creaked open. The boss stood there. "Mr. McCormick, Mademoiselle Randle, come in come in." He ushered them into his dark quarters. The boss began tapping his foot. "This must be important for you to disturb me like this." Rebecca was terrified. Their boss was even scarier up close. And they didn't know how he would react to them finding out his secret. He could fire them, or even kill them. John looked the boss in the eye. "Boss, we know." He looked amused. Something told Rebecca that the boss couldn't fathom what they were talking about. "What do you know young one?" Rebecca looked up. "We know EVERYTHING." The boss laughed a deep throaty laugh. "Do you mean the tax shortcuts?" John sighed. "No, that's not it." Rebecca finally found the courage to speak again. "We know about your, identity." The boss looked shocked and furious. He self-consciously touched his mask. "You mean about…" The boss began sobbing uncontrollably, probably remembering the past he had tried so hard to put behind him. John interrupted. "Not just that. We also know about your son." The boss kept sobbing. "Gustave!" John looked as though he pitied the man. John looked at Rebecca. "We really need to go talk to Ms. Daae now." She sighed. "I know. I just feel kind of bad leaving him like this." John looked like he felt the same way. "I know, but we have to. He has lived a lifetime of pain. He'll have to live with this. Hopefully he'll be okay." The boss looked up at the mention of Christine. "Go now. She's the only one you can tell. Leave me alone or I'll bring out my trusty lasso." Hopefully he wouldn't find out that they told Meg. Rebecca backed up, hands in front of her. "Okay...okay…we're leaving." She and John backed away slowly and quickly walked through the passageways. They only had another hour to talk to Ms. Daae before her performance. John started laughing. "You want to talk to Ms. Daae? I need to regain my sanity first." Rebecca was fine with that. "Sure, if you want me to talk to her." John laughed again. "I was kidding. We're a team, remember?" He stuck out his hand. Rebecca grabbed it. "Always."
(1 Hour until Christine's Performance)
They walked through the dormitories given to performers until they came to one that had a nameplate that read "DAAE". Rebecca rapped on the door. "Ms. Daae?" The door quickly opened to reveal a gorgeous thirty-something woman in an elaborate stage gown with long brown curls. It was Christine Daae. She smiled and stood aside. "Come in, come in. Whoa are you?" They walked into the room and sat down on a soft red couch. John bowed. "I am Mr. Y's assistant, you may call me John." Rebecca curtsied. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Daae. I'm a showgirl, Rebecca." Ms. Daae smiled. "And I'm Christine. What have you come here for?" John looked at Rebecca. "Rebecca, you can tell her this time." Rebecca looked Christine in the eye. "Well Christine, Mr. Y is the phantom of the opera and we know that your son Gustave is his son." Christine gasped. "H-How do you know that?" John looked sheepish. "We were eavesdropping." Rebecca looked at Christine. "Just tell us the truth." Christine grabbed the young showgirl's hand. "The night before I wed Raoul I went to visit the Phantom, to tell him goodbye. One thing led to another. I still love him but he abandoned me that night. And I never want anyone to know that Gustave is his son. But I'm assuming he knows." John looked apologetic. "Yeah, and Meg also knows." Christine smiled at that. "Oh Meg, my dear old friend. Well I guess its fine that she knows" John looked skeptical. "Well, I know your new here. Meg is kind of..um…mmm…Rebecca?" It was up to Rebecca to heartbreakingly explain that Meg was not herself at the moment. "Well, Meg is a little unstable at the moment. She is sort of in love and obsessed with the boss and when we told her your secret she freaked out. She calmed down and said she was okay but I'm not sure if she's telling the truth." Christine looked sad. "I hope Meg can forgive me." John smiled at her. "I hope so too." Christine seemed to be staring off into space. John looked concerned. "Christine are you going to be okay?" She smiled and stood up. "I think I will. I'm just sort of rethinking some things." Rebecca and John walked out of Christine's dressing room. John looked at Rebecca as they walked out of the room. "Damn Rebecca, this is really hard." Rebecca looked up at John. "I know, John, but we'll get through this together." He smiled at Rebecca and took her hand. "This one is going to be hard. We have to tell Gustave. Hopefully he won't freak out." Rebecca knew though, that Gustave was not going to react well. "Hopefully. He will probably react negatively. I mean, he's only ten. I would be angry too if I learned that my whole life was a lie. Though he did seem to take a liking to the boss. Maybe he'll accept it and move on." John look unsure. "Maybe, but he did run away from the boss once he saw his face." Rebecca realized that this was going to be harder than they thought. "Well, let's just think positive for now. Let's just focus on finding Gustave."
(30 Minutes Until Performance)
Rebecca and John had searched everywhere for Gustave but they could not find him anywhere. They had searched all the dormitories, had asked everyone they saw, but all that had led nowhere. She and John were frantically searching backstage with thirty minutes until the big show. Everyone was in their costumes and backstage was a bustle of energy. And that's exactly where one would suspect a ten year old boy to go. Rebecca had all but given up. "John, where is the kid? I don't think we're going to find him." John looked her in the eye. "We can't give up hope. Look behind that crate." Rebecca walked towards a medium sized crate. There seemed to be giggling coming from behind it. "John come here." She whispered as not to disturb whatever was behind the crate. John cautiously walked over and lifted the crate. There was Gustave, sitting right behind the crate! Rebecca leaned down to him. She had always been good with children. "Hi, I'm Rebecca and this is John. We want to talk to you." Gustave smiled. "Hi. You're pretty. Want to play hide and go seek with me?" Rebecca smiled at the ten year olds games. "No, no. But we need to talk to you. It's important." Gustave eyed the pair warily. To Rebecca, it didn't look like the kid was going to talk to them. John looked nervous. He awkwardly pulled a crisp dollar bill out of his pocket. "Uh…hey kid…want a dollar?" Gustave eagerly reached out to take the dollar but Rebecca slapped John's hands down. "John! No bribery! He should speak with his own free will, not because we bribed him to." Gustave tapped Rebecca's hand. "Excuse me, what are your names again." Rebecca smiled at the young boy. "I'm Rebeca and this is John." The boy smiled. "Well Ms. Rebecca, I guess I should invite you to sit down." Gustave pulled two crates from the pile which his own sat beside. They all sat in a circle on the crates. "Gustave looked intently at Rebecca. "So what did you want to tell me?" Rebecca gingerly grabbed one of the boy's hands. "Gustave, remember, everything we tell you is true and very important. Do you understand?" Gustave nodded, transfixed on the young woman. "Well, the Viscount is not your real father. Mr. Y is. I'm sorry I had to be the one to deliver this news." Gustave wrenched out of Rebecca's grasp with a look of shock in his eyes. "No! You're all liars! This isn't true! You're not my friends at all!" With that the boy jumped off his crate and ran into the maze which was Phantasma. Rebecca hung her head in her hands. "I can't believe I just did that. I just destroyed his whole world." John patted Rebecca on the back. "He deserved to know. This wasn't your doing. He would've found out eventually. Maybe finding out now will lessen the burden." Rebecca nodded. "We have to go find him! He might get lost!" John shook his head. "No, let him live in peace, if not truth." Rebecca sighed and realized she was going to have to let the boy go. "Okay, I just, what if he gets lost?" John patted Rebecca's shoulder. "He seems to know his way around. Don't worry, he'll be fine." Rebecca sighed, I hope so, she thought.
(Ten Minutes until Christine's Performance)
Rebecca and John were anxiously awaiting Christine's performance. They weren't much into opera but, hey, she was a legendary singer. Who wouldn't want to see that. The day had been stressful, having to spill the boss' secrets, and tension was in the air. John pulled out the flask he always carried with him and took a swig. He held it out to Rebecca. "Hey Rebecca, want some?" Rebecca prided herself on not drinking, ever. She had seen how liquor could affect some girls and she did not want to be a part of that. "Well I don't really drink but I can make an exception. It's been a stressful day." With that she grabbed the flask from John and took a long gulp of the bitter alcohol. John stopped her. "Whoa, whoa, we're going to need you sober for this." Rebecca giggled, fuzzy from the drink, and handed John his flask back. John looked around. "I wonder where Meg is. I wouldn't think that she would miss her old friend's performance, even if she was angry." As if by magic, a tired looking Meg walked past. Her hair was perfect, her dress exquisite, but her eyes cast her emotions. Rebecca could tell that she was devastated from the news. Meg saw Rebecca and walked back to her. "Do you know where Christine is? I must wish her good luck." John pointed the way Meg had been heading. "I believe she's in her dressing room. Tell her good luck from us." Meg smiled and said, "I will." There was a strange glimmer in her eyes as she walked away. John looked at Rebecca. "So, I talked to Madam Giry and well, I don't think she's very fond of me. Can you try to talk to her?" Rebecca nodded and looked around. "There she is over there." Madam Giry was donned in an ornate black gown. She was looking around, probably for Meg or the boss. The two walked over to Madam Giry. She turned to them. "Mr. McCormick, Ms. Randle, hello!" Rebecca smiled and nodded her hello. John looked seriously at Madam Giry. "You forgot the other half of my face." Madam Giry frowned at him. "You deserved it." Rebecca looked at Madam Giry in surprise. "You slapped him?" Madam Giry smiled. "He deserved it." Rebecca laughed. John shook his head. "You say one thing in this town and bam, a slap in the face!" Rebecca giggled. Madam Giry turned to her with a sharp look. "Rebecca, stop that incompetent giggling! And stand up straight, you're a dancer for heaven's sake! Have some good posture!" Rebecca shot up and straightened her spine. "Now, Mr. McCormick, what do you want?" John backed up. "I'm going to let Rebecca talk to you. Rebecca, I'll be over here when you're done." With that he walked over to the east wing and began to sip from his flask again. Madam Giry turned to Rebecca and stared her in the eye. "Well Rebecca, what is it?" Rebecca nervously looked around, avoiding Madam Giry's piercing gaze. "Um…" Madam Giry yelled. "Rebecca, why do you congregate with such annoyance?" Rebecca contemplated her thoughts. "Well we found out Mr. Y's true identity and that Gustave is his son." Madam Giry sighed. "I should've known. That boy looks exactly like him, except for the deformity. Who have you told?" Rebecca looked ashamed. Madam Giry would be so mad when she found out that they had told a number of people. "Well we told him, Christine, Gustave, and…Meg." Madame Giry looked up and sighed at the mention of her daughter. "Oh, you told Meg. Well, she must be devastated. Did that stupid man tell you to do this?" Rebecca wondered why Madam Giry was so cold to John. "No, I did this of my own free will." Madam Giry frowned. "Well, be on your guard. I don't trust him. And tell no one else." Rebecca nodded and rushed back to John. "How did it go?" He had seen the entire conversation and heard it, because of his exceptional hearing, so he knew how horrible it was. "Well, she basically nagged me the entire time." John smiled at her. "Oh, how horrendous." They laughed until John looked seriously at Rebecca. "I think it's time we pay a visit to the Viscount." Rebecca nodded. "Let's go then." They saw the Viscount standing near Christine's dressing room, obviously waiting to wish her luck. Rebecca called out. "Excuse me Mr. de Chagny!" The Viscount turned to see them. "Ah, hello. Who are you?" John smiled and bowed. "I am the manager, John, and this is Rebecca, she's a showgirl." The Viscount nodded to each of them in turn. "Well, hello there, what did you want?" John looked the Viscount in the eye. "Well, buddy, we have something to tell you about your son.' The Viscount looked surprised. "My son? Tell me what's wrong." John and Rebecca led the Viscount over to a small couch. "You're going to need to sit down for this." John seemed to be trying to give the Viscount a little comfort. "Sit down? Fine. This must be serious." The Viscount looked at John patiently. John seemed to dread delivering the news. "Well, Mr. is the Phantom of the Opera and Gustave is his son." The Viscount looked shocked, but then seemed to understand. "I should've known. I look nothing like my son." John shot the man a pity smile. "You want a drink? Rebecca, the flask?" Rebecca diligently handed the flask over to him as the Viscount looked at them in shock. "Rebecca, how did you get that? You look only eighteen." Rebecca politely shook her head at the man. She couldn't help that everyone thought she was so young. She did look less than her age. "I'm twenty, sir." The Viscount nodded and took a long drink from the flask. "I-I need to get out of here for a while. But I'll be back for Christine's performance." Rebecca nodded. "Goodbye." The man stumbled away, still holding their flask. "John, I think he took your flask." John shook his head in amusement. "He needs it more than I do. That went better than expected." Rebecca nodded, not really listening. The performance of the year was coming, and nothing could prepare them for what would happen.
(1 Minute until Christine's Performance)
Rebecca and John were with a nervous Christine backstage, giving her a sort of pep talk. John smiled at her. "Good luck Christine. I think you'll do great." Rebecca smiled. "Yeah, you'll be perfect." Christine seemed to be less nervous now. "Thanks. I hope I'll be as good as I've used to be." Suddenly, her name was announced. The audience was positively screaming as Christine walked onstage and began singing. John whispered in Rebecca's ear. "I haven't seen Meg. I wonder where she is. How about we go on that date after the show?" Rebecca smiled. Finally she would be going out with John. "Sure, and I don't know where Meg is either. Let's look for her." They parted ways and Rebecca scoured the entire backstage and ran back to where they had been standing before. John was there. He looked frantic. "Did you have any luck finding her?" Rebecca panted, out of breath. "No, she wasn't backstage. What about you?" John shook his head. "Nowhere. But I saw the oddest thing. Her dressing room mirror was broken." This puzzled Rebecca. "She must have flown into a rage. She could be anywhere by now!" Suddenly, Christine's performance ended. Cheers erupted then turned to screams. John looked at Rebecca. "I think we might have just found Meg." They ran towards the stage to see a horrifying sight unfolding in front of them. Christine was at one end of the stage, white with shock. Meg was at the other end, with a knife to Gustave's throat, raving about Christine. "Christine, it was always Christine! He always loved her! And now this boy is going to get everything that should be mine! He deserves to die! And so does your little Christine!" The boss rushed to the stage, followed by Madame Giry and the Viscount. "Meg, no, don't do this. Don't do this please!" Madam Giry was near hysterics. "Oh my Meg!" Rebecca looked up at John, face white in shock. "John this is our fault! We told her the secret! If he dies it will be our entire fault!" John hugged Rebecca, comforting her and contemplating a plan. Suddenly, he wrenched out of Rebecca's grasp and leapt out onstage. Meg was tackled and Gustave ran to his mother. Rebecca watched with alarm as they wrestled. Christine enveloped her son in a hug as he buried his face in her stomach. Meg was acting like a crazy person. "Aaaaahhhhh! Get off of me!" Suddenly John rolled over and Madam Giry hauled Meg off of the stage. "What the hell!" John was bleeding. The audience gasped as Rebecca ran to the stage and kneeled beside John. "John, no, she stabbed you! Someone go get help!" John was grimacing in pain as blood flowed from under his left rib. He had both hands clasped over it but the blood flowed like a river. John looked at her. "Bring me the kid. Please." Rebecca shot a pleading look at Christine, who pushed her son over to John. Gustave kneeled down next to Rebecca. "Mr. John, are you going to be okay?" John grimaced. "I don't know kid. But listen, trust in your father, both of them, that's something I never had." Gustave began crying. "I will, I will, I promise." He ran back to his mother who led him off the stage. John smiled. "No, no, Christine you come back here. I have something to tell you also." Christine hesitantly left her son and walked over to John, choosing to stand instead of kneeling. "I don't know what happened, but it doesn't matter who Gustave's father is. All that matters is that you're his mother." Christine began crying and walked back to her son, together they walked into the wings. John looked up again, shuddering in pain. "B-B-bring me the boss." Mr. Y apparently heard and he walked up onstage. "Oh John, you have always been my favorite manager. What a pity." Rebecca screamed. "No, he's not dying!" john looked at Mr. Y with a look of hatred. "You bastard. Your son is one of the greatest things you could ever have, and all you worry about is your face." He then coughed up blood. Mr. Y shook his head. "You're right John, you always did have good judgment." He walked off the stage with a swish of his cape, and then he was gone, mysterious as always. John looked at Rebecca with a look so full of pain she wanted to die. "G-get me Giry. Both of them!" Rebecca wasn't sure. "But John, she stabbed you!" John shook his head. "I don't care. Get them." Rebecca called out for them and Madame Giry walked on the stage, supporting a sobbing Meg. Meg may have been Rebecca's friend but right now she wanted to crush the life out of her. John smiled. "Meg, you may not be world renowned but you are just as good as a singer as Christine, and I forgive you for stabbing me. Madame Giry, friends?" he held out his hand and, reluctant as always, Madame Giry shook it. They walked off of the stage leaving John grimacing. Finally, bring me the Viscount. The Viscount de Chagny walked on stage with grace. "Whatever do you need me for?" John looked at him. "Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. Psalms 34:14." With that he ushered the Viscount offstage leaving just him and Rebecca. He looked at her in admiration and pulled out a gold heart locket. "Rebecca, pass this down through your family for generations to come. Remember me." Rebecca began sobbing even more. "No, John, you're not dying on me! You're my best friend and perhaps even more!" John, always the comedian, smiled at Rebecca, despite the pain. "Prove it." She leaned down and kissed him. When they pulled apart John smiled and took his final breath. Rebecca knew he was gone and she began sobbing. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Christine. She pulled Rebecca up and looked her in the eye. Rebecca cried. "What am I supposed to do now?" Christine smiled. "Just live life the way he wanted you too, happily."