"Pretty," Meg murmurs as she stares at the new chandelier. "No more Phantom to shatter it." She walks off the stage brusquely to her dressing room. She now reigns as the prima donna, Christine and Carlotta had taken timely exits.
Carlotta left subdued after her lover's demise. Meg shudders at the memory of finding the body. As for Christine… ah, Christine. They are still best friends, but Meg never mentions the Phantom. She avoids even saying angel in her friend's presence. Christine always gets a faraway look and then more often than not starts crying. Then, Meg is ushered out of the house by Raoul who always returns to comfort his wife.
Wife… Meg remembers their wedding, too. It was a joyous day, and Meg stood right by her friend's side through it all. Christine was radiant, but there were not many festives after it. Perhaps the pair had enough of singing and dancing in the opera.
Christine never comes to see Meg perform, never sets foot in the rebuilt Opera House. Meg understands, she recalls searching the Phantom's lair and seeing the wax figure of Christine, and the discarded noose. But only one thing did she take from the den.
Meg removes the bottom drawer from her dresser and then kneels down to peer inside. She removes a false bottom and then gingerly removes her prize. It gleams white in the candlelight, casting eerie shadows all about the room. Meg's fingers dance upon the ebony surface before replacing it back in its chamber.
After replacing the drawer she straightens, and brushes off her dress. She has little time before rehearsal, barely enough for reminiscing of such a long ignored past. Everyone from the former cast left awhile back; some just could not take the memories. Meg's mother was the first to retire, not long before Carlotta resigned. They all filed out soundly by then.
Meg is the only one left. The only one who knows the true story of the mask. She sees the chorus girls watching her curiously as they try to riddle out the tale of the Phantom of the Opera.
Meg fondly remembers the time when Christine and she were those chorus girls. They dreamed of taking Carlotta's place and the Phantom was merely a tale to explain the inexplicable. At least, that was all he was to Meg. In retrospect, Christine probably knew much more about the Phantom or her angel.
Meg closes her eyes for a minute and recalls the last opera the girls preformed together. The Phantom's voice was… angelic. But no one is allowed to like him, not after Piangi. His score was never preformed again. Meg doubts it was discarded, old fears of the composer forbade that, but merely hidden in a bottom drawer gathering dust.
She shrugs and leaves the dressing room to attend rehearsal. They are starting a new opera today, and no one has been told what it is. As she walks among the fretful dancers escaping their ballet mistress she smiles in recollection. Maybe she will pay her mother's grave a visit later. Tell her the Phantom has not yet appeared after that night. Madame Giry never did stop fearing the man, or rather wraith.
Sometimes, in Madame's later days, Meg would find her mother feverishly muttering to herself, "Keep your hand at the level of your eyes." It would take ages to calm her down again. Meg never did learn what information her mother knew about the Phantom. If Christine went into hysterics at the mention of the name, then Madame Giry went into a fever. Even as dementia took her, the fear never subsided.
Meg sighs to herself as she processes onto the stage. The opera owner is new, there have been several since André and Firmin's departure. Every new owner of the opera house believes in the Phantom less and less. The last owner even went as far as to say it was a hoax. Meg only partly regrets chewing him out in front of the whole cast, and then calling Raoul. That owner sold the opera house in record time.
Meg stands in front of the stage manager as the owner struts on. "Well, I was looking through the files for a new production and I found a particular score that seemed rather interesting," he starts. Meg feels a chill run down her spine and suddenly she knows the score. "I present this season's opera to you, Don Juan Triumphant!" Meg collapses onto the stage in a dead faint.
Author's Note: Ok, I know I kind of made that ending obvious. I'm considering leaving it as an one-shot, what do you think? Or will that be risking my life? Well, without reviews I guess I can leave it ;). Hope you enjoyed it!