Hello fellow Phantom fans! This is my second attempt at a phanfic - much longer and more detailed than my first. This story is based primarily on the 2004 movie, but you may notice a couple of Leroux references here and there. Please read and respond, but once again, no flames please. This is my baby, so please be kind. Also, remember that the first chapters are laying the groundwork for what is to come. There is a lot of Christine to start, but gradually more and more Erik. In fact, the second half of the story is almost entirely Erik, so don't give up. I love him far too much to abandon him for long. Anyway, without giving up too much of the surprises to come, please keep reading beyond the first chapters. The thick of the action is in the middle – lots of twists and turns for our star-crossed lovers. There is a tiny bit of R/C and a little E/OW, but I am a fervent E/C shipper, so know that in the end "all will be made right".
By word of explanation for the events to come, I have always viewed Erik as a tragic character, full of unlimited potential that is sadly never realized. My premise for this story is the question of what he could become if the sad circumstances of his life were altered. To me, Erik's true tragedy is what could have been. How would he change if his tragic circumstances changed? Could the damage done in the past be undone? You will understand by the end.
Our story begins on the night of Don Juan Triumphant, and the fateful events beneath the Opera Populaire. (PS – Pretend the whole graveyard scene at the end never happened.) This story starts right after Christine sails off with Raoul and the Phantom escapes through the mirror.
Also, I pushed the timeline of the movie events back to 1869 instead of 1870. There is apparently this big controversy because the movie is set mainly in 1870, but that would have placed its events during the end of the Franco-German war and the siege of Paris by the Commune. Anyway, I moved the timeline back to make it more historically plausible and also because the war fits nicely into my storyline following the opera fire. You will understand later...Bwoohoohahaha! (Laughs mysteriously)
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the rights to any of the Phantom characters. The quoted lyrics to the songs "Think of Me" and "Point of No Return by Andrew Lloyd Webber are the inspired work of Mr. Charles Hart. Any other lyrics are my own.
Voyage dans la Lumiére (Journey into the Light)
1. Secrets
Christine stared unseeing out the carriage window. Her mind was a jumble of emotions, each playing to her heart in turn, then coursing through her veins to assail her thoughts once more. She leaned her head back against the elegant leather of the carriage seat and closed her eyes. Her exhaustion was nearly unbearable. She shook with cold and her limbs ached, cramping with the chill of night and the long ride. Underneath her heavy cloak, her clothing was still damp from all that had transpired mere hours before.
She lifted her head and looked down at the fine white that peeked out from beneath the hem of her cloak. The dress she was wearing, once a lovely vision of white silks and lace was stained and torn – ruined. That was how she herself felt at this very moment. Her eyes flooded with tears and her small frame began to rack with sobs.
She cried at last for everything – for the loss of her father and of her dream, for the beloved illusions that had been shattered, for the deceit and the death she had witnessed, for her own unforgivable betrayal, for the love she had gained...and the one she had lost. She poured it all into her tears, willing these terrible demons to be washed away and plague her no more.
As her sobs subsided, she felt the carriage slow and finally draw to a halt before the familiar manor. She wiped her eyes hurriedly on her cloak as the door opened. Raoul's hand reached for hers and he sought her eyes, but seemed to sense that she was not yet ready to share her grief. Christine gave him a weak smile as he helped her from the carriage. It was the least she could offer him after all that he had done for her. He had risked his own life more than once for hers, even offering it in exchange for her freedom. She owed him so much, and yet at this moment she had nothing left to give.
Raoul held out his arm to steady her as they climbed the stone steps leading up to the grand front entrance. Before he could knock, the heavy mahogany door swung open, and Christine found herself wrapped in the comforting, motherly arms of her father's former benefactress.
"Hello, my dear. It is so good to see you. I have missed you," Madame Valerius said kindly. As she returned the embrace, Christine knew they had been right to come here. This would be a place where she could sort through all that had happened in the past months and attempt to regain the strength she would need to rebuild her life. As Madame Valerius drew back at last, her warm, friendly eyes sought Christine's. The pain in their youthful depths was glaringly obvious. Grasping Christine's small hands in her own she instructed, "A warm bath, I think, first of all, then a hot cup of tea and some dry clothes, and of course, a good night's sleep." Her voice was gentle, but firm, and her sympathetic, knowing smile seemed to say, and we will sort the rest out later. A young maid appeared to lead Christine upstairs to her suite. Christine smiled warmly in return, her eyes grateful for both the old woman's kindness and discretion.
With Christine taken care of, the intelligent blue eyes turned to the exhausted young man, still standing on her doorstep. "Monsieur Vicomte, I thank you for all you have done to ensure Christine's safety. It was right of you to bring her here. Might I offer you in return the hospitality of my home for the remainder of the night?"
Raoul replied with a polite bow, "Thank you Madame, but that is not necessary. My family has a country home nearby, and it would perhaps be more appropriate for me to stay there for the time being until Christine is recovered. But I do ask permission of you to visit her often while she is here, and I entreat you to let me know at once if there is anything at all she requires."
He straightened to meet her kind, yet questioning gaze. In his eyes too she felt she saw something - a sadness, a regret...she knew not. As he turned to leave, her soft voice stopped him, "You truly love her. And yet there is more to the story, no? Ah well, good Vicomte, it need not all be sorted out this night. I will ask no more questions of either of you until you are ready." Raoul turned back slowly, but he did not deny her words. With another short bow, he hurried down the steps to the waiting carriage.
Madame Valerius watched his carriage disappear, and then gently closed the door. Her eyes traveled thoughtfully to the top of the stairs. Whatever Christine's secrets, tonight they will remain her own. She sighed, and stepped over to the elegant grand piano in the corner of the room, the lavender silk of her dress rustling softly with her movements. Her fingers paused for a moment to touch a small, silver-framed portrait that rested there. As if to the dark-eyed man in the frame, she whispered softly, "But those secrets that are most closely guarded are often the very ones that destroy us from within." Her bejeweled hand dropped to her side once more, and her gaze returned to the closed door of Christine's suite. This time, she spoke only to herself as she said aloud, "Tomorrow, after the body has been tended to, we will begin to work out the matters of the heart...before they become your undoing child." she said softly, "As they were mine."