Chapter 3- The Ghost Is Dead

Christine sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the latest edition of L'Epoque to her chest. Her eyes were dry but her heart wept oceans at the words she had seen on the last page of the paper Raoul had handed to her: ERIK IS DEAD.

"This means we can return to Paris mon cherie. I'm sorry it has taken so long for us to return home but I needed to be sure you would be safe. Now I can be."

It had been a long time. More than three months had passed on their "holiday" despite numerous attempts by Christine to convince Raoul to return home. She sighed and put the paper on the bed.

"You know nothing would make me happier than to return to Paris. Are we to leave soon?"

"Yes, darling, as soon as we are able. The servants have already been instructed to begin packing and if at all possible we will be in France by the weekend. I have received word from my brother that he would like us to stay with him when we return, which can only mean he has finally accepted us."

Raoul's excitement was contagious and Christine couldn't help but smile in return, though hers was for a slightly different reason. She was undoubtedly joyful at the thought of returning to Paris but not so Raoul and her could finally be married. It was to show him how out of place she would be in his world. That was the only way she could see to break off their engagement without hurting him.

She loved Raoul. She would always love Raoul. He was her dearest friend and the only one to whom she could talk about her father. He was her childhood sweetheart and her knight in shining armor. But while she was sure there would never be a day that she did not think of Raoul fondly, she knew she could never love him as a wife should. He would always be living in another's shadow and that would hardly be fair to him.

And even though she knew he was dead now that did not change her feelings. If she could not tell him in life how she felt, she would sing for him, so that in death he would know her soul belonged to him.

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Stalking the streets of Paris in broad daylight was never something he did unless he had to. There were too many chances to be seen. But he knew that Antoinette would never consent to meet him in a back alley at night and going to the opera was, at the moment, quite impossible.

He had only been to the opera house once more since retrieving his money purse and even though it had been over a month since "The Don Juan Disaster" as the papers were calling it (he unconsciously ground his teeth together every time he thought of the phrase) there were still policemen crawling around in his underground home.

Though he had been armed with a new Punjab lasso he hesitated before killing anyone to get access to his home. Once the bodies were discovered the search for him would begin fresh and he couldn't risk being found as he was composing a new opera and spent several days at a time in the same trance as when he'd been composing Don Juan Triumphant.

Now, however, he was not safe in his underground lair with threats to the managers and a frightening reputation to keep people from looking for him. Now he was wanted man. And the police would be much more interested in finding a man than they had been a ghost. Especially a man who had threatened the life of the Vicomte de Chagny.

Besides, he still had Antoinette and once he had reassured her that no harm had come to the Vicomte and his fiance she was willing to help him start again, especially since it was far from the opera. However it had now been over three months and he was past the time of being irritated at how long it was taking to clear the opera house of the police.

"Antoinette?"

"Is that you? Come closer, all I see is a shape in the shadows." She put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as he inched forward.

"I posted your ad in L'Epoque. I think you should encounter no more trouble from the police once they have realized who 'Erik' is. I'm sure the Vicomte will inform them when he returns from his holiday. In any case, his private detective has left the opera so I expect him to return any day now."

"Yes, I'm sure the Vicomte will be very relieved that the monster is dead. I wonder then, do you think that I will be able to gain access to my former home by month's end? I have almost exhausted what little funds I brought with me and I am tired of making this trip to Paris only to leave with nothing." His tone was becoming increasingly sarcastic in relation to the level of his irritation, which had increased ten-fold at mention of the Vicomte.

"I'm sure you are but as you well know, I have done everything I can to help you and until I am sure that you can safely return to collect the rest of your belongings, I can do no more." There was an edge to Antoinette's voice as well, tired as she was of dealing with Erik's problems, which in turn always seemed to create problems for her.

"Leave me then. I must leave before someone sees us. You know how to get word to me?"

She merely nodded in the affirmative and turned back towards the opera.

He crept back into the shadows and disappeared.

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a/n : ok, right now i'm just trying to get them back to the first chapter, but it should only be one or two chapters more until we're there. (: please r&r, it makes my day. special thanks to littlecherub5 and carillon for already doing so (: