Rekindling the Music of the Night
By: K.C. Vaillancourt
Disclaimer - You know the drill…I do not own anything associated with The Phantom of the Opera or lyrics of any songs I use.
Author Note – Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites.
I want to reiterate to please forgive me in advance if certain things from the time period such as certain characters ways of speaking, dressing, or ways of life are not correct. I am researching the 1870's as I go to make sure I am as accurate as possible but there still may be somethings that are slightly off.
So I am now adding a World History AU warning to this story.
Just as a quick warning I do edit all my work before I post and have people read my work but there still may be some grammar mistakes. I apologize for them in advance.
Reunion with an Old Friend
The morning sun shined in Paris and after a long journey the Vicomte De Chagny, Anton and the staff arrived at his family's estate. Raoul had pushed everyone including the horses harder than he normally would have to make better time but truly didn't care as long as they found Christine. Raoul stepped out of his carriage and looked around. He immediately went to Gerald. "Have the staff tend to the horses and prepare the house for an extended stay. I want it well stocked with food and other, refreshments. Also cleaned as if no time has passed since it was last lived in."
"Yes, sir." Gerald said and immediately went to carry out the Vicomte's wishes. He knew the staff was tired but they wouldn't be allowed rest until their tasks were completed.
"I thought your brother or one of your sisters might be here." Anton said as he approached Raoul stretching his limbs after their long journey. He was Raoul's best friend but knew family was something he didn't like to discuss so he rarely asked about his siblings.
Raoul shook his head. "This estate hasn't been lived in for a while now. Philippe is off somewhere in France while his wife is at home with their children. My sisters decided to settle in London. I rarely see or hear from them."
"Well, we're here. What do you want to do next?" Anton asked sensing Raoul wanted the subject changed.
Raoul put a hand on Anton's shoulder. "First we go inside and get some rest my friend. Then we will venture into the city and begin to spread the word that Christine is missing. This city will become her prison. You said you have friends here."
"I do." Anton said with a smile.
"We'll put some of those men together and begin a search of Paris for her."
"You realize a search like that could take days, weeks even."
Raoul nodded. "That's why I'm having the staff do what they're doing. I know we won't find her overnight. In all the towns we stopped at not one person we spoke with recognized her coming through. She is better at this than I anticipated." Raoul paused. "Even so, I have no doubt we will find her. When we do she will return and we will make sure she never does anything like this again." Anton smiled and together they made their way toward the house leaving the staff to do their work.
Christine opened her eyes and immediately shivered with fear. Where am I? She thought to herself. She sat up and looked around. As the fog from her sleep lifted she remembered exactly where she was. She lifted the black lace curtain from around the bed and swung her legs over the side. She was surprised that even though she was under the opera house stray rays of sunlight made its way through some of the cracks and crevices in the ceiling of the cavern providing light. She wondered how long she had been asleep.
Her stomach ached with hunger but before she took care of that she had to figure out what she was going to do next. She couldn't aimlessly walk the streets of Paris asking strangers if they knew where Madame or Meg Giry were. It would raise far too many questions. Not to mention someone was bound to recognize her.
She shivered as she thought of being found. What if it was Anton who found her? He would drag her home by her brunette locks kicking and screaming. If she was taken back Raoul would most certainly beat her and lock her away until he had a use for her then return her to her prison so that she could never leave again.
Christine was pulled out of her horrible thoughts when she heard a splash. She listened and heard another. She began to tremble when it dawned on her. She was no longer alone. Could it be him? She wondered and began to calm down as she stood up. She walked as slowly and quietly as she could. Her eyes widened when she saw a hooded figure standing at the edge of the water throwing stray stones into the lake.
She felt her hope fade as she looked at the figure and knew it couldn't be her angel. This person was shorter and even through the cloak she could tell he or she had a much smaller frame. She began to tremble again. Who was this person? Was it possible one of Raoul's men found her already? She walked a few more steps and then slunk back into the shadows when the figure turned around.
When the figure turned back to the water. Christine began to walk forward again. She picked up a silver candlestick from the ground. She wasn't one to hurt people but she was not going back to Raoul no matter what she had to do. She heard a crunch under her foot and froze. It was now or never. She ran forward intent on hitting whoever it was when the figure turned around and two female screams echoed in the cavern.
Christine lowered the candlestick as she starred at the woman in front of her and the woman starred back at her. "Meg? Meg Giry?"
The woman nodded and her eyes widened. "Christine?"
She nodded and they both squealed in delight. The clunk of the candlestick hitting the ground echoed as they embraced each other. "I have missed you so much." Christine whispered in her ear.
"Not as much as I have missed you." Meg replied hugging her tighter. "I was wondering how the boat got here and who's horse was in the stable. I'm so glad it's you."
They felt like long lost sisters finally reunited and each wiped away tears as they parted. "Meg, what are you doing down here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Then Meg saw the yellow/green healing bruise on her cheek and Christine could see the immediate concern on her face. "What happened to you?"
In their embrace Christine realized the hood to her cloak had come off and she quickly pulled it back up trying to hide her face. "It's nothing."
"Christine your cheek is bruised and from its coloring it wasn't that long ago. That's not nothing. What happened?" Meg pushed.
Christine closed her eyes and held back tears. She put a hand to her cheek and held back a wince of pain as she touched where she had been hit. "Raoul backhanded me, twice."
"What?" Meg asked astonished.
Christine nodded and opened her eyes. "Raoul hit me. He has for the past few years now. Along with being a controlling drunk. About a week ago I finally had had enough. I didn't want to live like that anymore. While he was in his study I packed a suitcase and left."
"And you came, here?" Meg asked with an eye brow raised.
"I didn't know where else to go." Christine said. "Why are you here?"
"I live here." Meg told her. "I work as a waitress down the block and since no one has wanted the opera house after what happened I decided to make this place my home. It's better than living in some commune."
"Where were you last night?"
"Someone didn't come in so I had to cover for them. I ended up sleeping in one of the back rooms." Meg explained. Christine nodded and an awkward silence fell between them. After a few moments Christine broke the silence happy to be able to ask the question that she was burning to know the answer to once she realized it was Meg who was in here with her. "Have you seen him?"
She noticed Meg's mood darken a bit at her question. "Why would you care after the way you left him?"
"I had a feeling if I found you or your mother I would get an icy reception if I brought him up. I only wanted to know if he was alright."
"The last time I spoke with my mother she told me he was doing well." Meg told her.
Christine felt relief wash over her at knowing that he was alive and had not been caught. Better still Meg most likely knew where he was but she also noticed a certain glint in Meg's eyes. "Has he…?" There was no easy way to ask what she wanted to know. "Has he moved on with his life?"
Meg saw the way Christine was looking at her and she couldn't help but laugh. "Christine if you are thinking what I think you are you're very wrong. He and I are not together. In fact I haven't seen him in quite a while. He only goes to see my mother other than her he keeps to himself."
"How did he escape the opera house after I left with Raoul?"
Meg led Christine over to the bed and they sat down. "After both of you disappeared through the trap door mother told Raoul she would…" Meg trailed off remembering the day like it was yesterday.
Her mother had told her not follow her and Raoul but she had caught her quick glance toward her room. She knew what her mother wanted her to do. She saw the mob trying to follow and stopped them as best she could but was overcome quickly.
When she had discovered the secret passage through the mirror in the dressing room her mother told her about the phantom and the secret tunnel's that lay beneath the opera house. She rushed through the door of her mother's room and quickly found the hidden passage that led to the phantom's home. She entered the tunnel and ran as fast as she could. She could hear the mob was getting close. She entered his home and was surprised to find it empty.
She looked around and found the white mask he usually wore sitting on a small table next to what Meg assumed was a music box with a monkey on top that played the symbols. She heard the mob entering his home and quickly hid the mask. They stopped when they saw her. "Mademoiselle Giry where is he?"
"I don't know Monsieurs. This place was empty when I got here." They began searching for themselves breaking things as they searched angering Meg at their disregard for another person's possessions. "I told you he is not here!" She yelled.
"Come on." One of the men said. "There were other tunnels we passed on our way. He may be hiding in one of them. We cannot let him escape. He will hang for his crimes."
Meg sighed in relief as they left and hoped they got tripped up in one of his traps. When she was sure they were gone she looked around. She saw the smashed mirrors and the candlestick on the ground. She shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the edge of another mirror but it was covered by a curtain. She pulled it aside and saw another destroyed mirror but this one hid another tunnel. This must be how he escaped. She thought to herself.
She let the curtain fall back over the hidden passage and turned around. She took his mask from its hiding place, found one of his black wigs, and a black cloak. She walked back up to the curtain and pulled it aside walking into the tunnel careful to put the curtain back up in case the mob decided to return.
She started to walk forward and after a few steps she stopped when she heard his hope filled voice behind her. "Christine?"
Meg turned around and saw a clearly heartbroken phantom emerge from the shadows. "Mademoiselle Giry, what are you doing here?" He whispered his disappointment at who was with him clear in his voice.
"Please, call me meg." She said with a smile trying to cheer him up but knew it wouldn't do much good.
"Aren't you afraid of me Meg?" The Phantom asked trying to hide the deformed part of his face in the shadows.
"Is there a particular reason I should be, Erik?"
"How do you know my name?" Erik asked clearly surprised.
"My mother told me all about you and where you came from. I'm not afraid of you. I know you're not going to hurt me." Meg looked behind him when she thought she heard voices. "We don't have much time. My mother sent me to help you escape but we have to go now."
Instead of following her Erik slumped to the ground. Meg kneeled down next to the broken man in front her. "What are you doing? It won't be long before that angry mob finds us."
"I don't care. Let them come for me." Erik said letting his head fall against the stone wall. "You should go."
Meg placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Erik, I know you are heartbroken right now and I can't imagine what that feels like but letting yourself be killed by these people is not the cure for it." Erik didn't say anything content to stay where he was. "I promise you this will get better with time and you will find happiness again but if you let yourself be killed here tonight you will have no life at all." Meg stood up and held out her hand. "Don't you want to know what life you could have beyond this opera house?" Erik remained silent. "I'm not leaving you here to die so if they come for you they are going to get me too. Please come with me."
Erik thought about what she said and sighed. He looked up at the petite blonde in front of him and nodded. He took her hand nearly pulling her to the ground as he stood up. "I brought these for you." Meg told him handing him the mask, wig, and cloak.
When he was finished putting them on he took her hand and together they walked through the tunnel which led out to the stables. Meg helped him saddle up Cesar and he mounted him. He looked down at her giving her a half smile. "Merci Meg."
She nodded her head and smiled. "Vous êtes le bienvenu Erik." She patted Cesar on the head. "He will take you to our old home in Gisors. You'll be safe there. My mother will come as soon as she can with more of your things and help you plan further." Meg looked around. "Now go while everyone is distracted by the fire."
Erik nodded and whipped Cesar's reins. Meg watched as they rode off behind the opera house into the night.
"After he disappeared I ran back through the tunnels and into the opera house. I found my mother and let her know Erik was safe." Meg finished. "Or rather that I hoped he was. He looked so broken and lost when I found him I wasn't sure if he would let Cesar take him where he was headed."
Christine had listened intently to her story and was thankful that they had helped him escape the mob that was after him. She was also racked with guilt when Meg mentioned how broken he was. If it wasn't for Meg her angel would have allowed himself to be killed, because of her. As she sat thinking it dawned on her that as she was listening to Meg she referred to her angel as the phantom only for a short time. "Erik?"
"That's his name." Meg told her.
"I wonder why he never told me." Christine whispered. "Erik." She thought it suited him nicely.
"My mother told me he never used his real name or liked to hear it much. It reminded him too much of the pain of his youth. I don't know if Raoul told you but my mother met Erik when he was a boy being kept by gypsies and exhibited as the devils child. Most people who looked at him laughed or thought he was a monster that should be killed. After each show he was beaten because he would always fight when they took the sack he wore off his head. One night after the show my mother stayed behind and watched horrified as Erik was being beaten. This time Erik defended himself and killed the man beating him. My mother took him with her to hide in the tunnels of the Opera house."
"I never knew." Christine whispered shocked at what Meg had revealed to her about his past. She never got the chance to spend enough time with him for him to open up to her about it. She felt tears clouding her sight. When she had removed his mask during Don Juan she had done to him exactly what the gypsies had. She felt such empathy for him but also intense anger at Raoul for never telling her any of this.
"No one knew but my mother, myself and eventually Raoul. He barely left the opera house after my mother brought him here. He spent most of his time listening to the world above him, alone. My mother visited him when she could but eventually she left and when she did he truly was alone. Until she returned with us. I have a feeling anyone isolated from the world as he was would go a bit mad but he learned to do what he had to do to keep himself sane and to protect himself after his experience with the gypsies. Then one night in the chapel he heard your voice. Maman told me he found it so beautiful he thought he had found his other half."
"Why didn't he come forward and show himself to me then?" Christine wondered aloud.
"If you had been through what he had would you?"
Christine thought the question over before she answered. "I guess not, but showing himself would have been better than allowing himself to become obsessed with me and…well you know the rest of that story."
Meg nodded. "You have to keep in mind he spent most of his life alone. No one but him knows anything about his life before my mother found him. He may be a man but in many ways he was still that same boy who lived with the gypsies. When he saw you he fell so deeply in love with you he didn't know how to handle it. A few years ago I asked him about the murder of Buquet. He told me he didn't want to kill him but Buquet would have exposed him and felt he did what he had to do to protect himself. After what I knew about his past I'm not sure I would have acted any differently."
Meg sat silently letting her friend take in everything she had told her. Christine felt overwhelmed by it all and her need to find him only grew. She looked around. "I noticed his organ and some of his other possessions are gone. How did he manage to move those things?"
"As you know my mother can be a very, convincing, woman when she needs to be. She got some men she trusted to stay silent help her move things out telling them she wanted the items for herself as mementos." Meg shifted a bit on the bed to get herself in a more comfortable position. "Once everything was at our house Erik moved it to his new home when he was ready."
"So you know where he lives now?"
"No. Only my mother knows that." Meg told her.
"Please, you must tell me where your mother is." Christine blurted out. She felt her heart beginning to race again. She was one step closer to finding Erik, her angel.
"Christine, I don't mean to sound rude but you unmasked him in front of a theater full of people. You exposed his deepest shame and what he hates about himself most." Christine was about to speak but Meg continued. "I know that nothing can excuse what he did to you but you left him a broken shell of a man willing to be murdered by a mob. While you rode off with the Vicomte to a life of Luxury. How can I in good conscious help you to find him now?"
Christine ripped off her hood. "Meg, look at me. I have not lived the life of luxury you think I have." She said a bit angered but calmed herself down. She wasn't ready to tell her or anyone else what her life had been like. "I carry immense guilt over what I did."
"I understand leaving your husband because he is a wife beating wretch but you could have left France and been well on your way to a new life. Yet you came here hoping to find Erik when six years ago you told him you hated him and left to be with another man. Before I decide whether or not to help you. I need to know why you want to find him so badly."
Christine sighed Erik must have told Madame Giry what had happened down here before Meg arrived and she in turn told Meg. "I have never allowed myself to admit it to anyone not even myself but I didn't want to leave him that night. I know I was cruel with not only the words I chose to use but my actions as well. All I can say in my defense is that I was young and scared at the time." Christine took a deep breath. Meg was her best friend and she had to tell someone what she had denied herself from acknowledging for six long years. She looked at Meg with unshed tears in her eyes. "I love him Meg. I always have, and I miss him dearly. If I find him and he tells me he doesn't love me anymore I will accept that but I have to know. If I don't it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I also need to let him know how sorry I am for what I did."
Meg was silent for several moments. She looked at friend and knew what she had told her was the truth. She could see it in her eyes. I always knew she loved him. Meg thought to herself. She took Christine's hand and smiled. "Alright, I will help get you to my mother."
"Oh Meg thank you." Christine said as she pulled her into a tight hug.
"I have to warn you she may be a harder person to convince than I am."
"I understand."
"There are a few things we need to do before you leave though."
Christine looked at Meg confused. "What do you mean?"
"Raoul will scour every corner of Paris or all of France until he finds you. I don't know if you are aware of this but you are easily recognized even with a hood over your face. People will be looking for a woman who is trying to hide. I hope you are able to convince my mother because if anyone can hide you from the world it's Erik."
"I have been able to stay hidden so far. What do you think we need to do so I can continue to hide in plain sight?" Christine asked a bit insulted at Meg's skepticism of her abilities but decided to let it pass.
"I think we should cut and dye your hair blonde. You'd be surprised what just changing a person's hair color can do. We can also dye mine brown so we can make anyone who is looking for you think I am you when you do leave."
Christine shook her head. "I can't let you do that Meg. The people Raoul will have looking for me are dangerous. If they find you posing as me you could get hurt, or worse."
"I appreciate your concern but you don't need to worry about me. A while after you leave I'll follow. If I am caught I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Working where I do and walking the streets of Paris I have learned how to deal with unsavory and even dangerous men." Meg tilted her head as she looked at her best friend. "It also wouldn't hurt to change the way you dress. You can wear skirts and dresses again over time of course but it would be good if we got you pants, blouses, and boots. Something you are not known for wearing in public. Kind of like the costume you wore as the page boy only less…"
"Ugly." Christine finished for her. Meg nodded as they laughed thinking of that horrid costume. Christine hated wearing it and she knew that because the managers hadn't listened to Erik's demands there would be consequences. At that moment her stomach gave a loud growl. She felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment.
"When's the last time you've eaten?" Meg asked trying to not laugh.
"Yesterday afternoon. I wanted to get to Paris so I didn't stop for dinner last night."
"I will run out and get us something to eat along with the supplies we'll need to dye our hair." Meg said standing up and pulling her hood up.
"Wait." Christine said as she opened her suitcase. "Here." She handed her some of what little money she had left.
Meg took the money from her and disappeared through the curtain covered tunnel. Christine smiled as she watched her leave. She laid back on the bed waiting for her to return. She was grateful that Meg had agreed to help her and hoped her mother would as well. She began to think about everything Meg had told her. She had never thought about her ange…Erik's life before she met him. He had led such a tortured life. All he wanted was for someone to love him and care for him. He had hoped it would be her. Now she understood why he had gotten so angry when she removed his mask the first time.
If she hadn't gotten scared and ran toward Raoul maybe he would have trusted her enough to tell her. She put her arm over her eyes. She could think about these things in circles all she wanted. The only thing she knew was that now she absolutely needed to find him.
It wasn't long before Meg returned. She handed her a couple fruit pastries and a coffee. Christine began to devour them. "Thank you." She said between bites.
"You're welcome." Meg put down the other bags and began to eat with her. "I got everything we need for now. Today is my day off so I will go out again later to get more food and new clothes for you. You should know when I was walking back I heard a few older women gossiping about the Vicomte De Chagny returning to Paris."
Christine was immediately concerned placing her food down. "I knew he would follow me here but didn't think he would arrive so quickly. Did you hear anything else?"
"I was trying not to show that I was ease dropping but from what I could make out they said you disappeared almost a week ago and that the Vicomte is only concerned for your safe return."
"I bet he is." Christine whispered.
"I'm sure when the day is done he will have people looking for you all over Paris. It sounded like there are no leads to your whereabouts so far." Meg informed her. "You could lay low here until the chatter dies down but that could be awhile, if at all."
"They could decide to search the opera house." Christine pointed out.
"Looks like our best bet is to get you out of this city and to my mother's as soon as we can."
Christine nodded in agreement. After they finished eating. Meg began to cut Christine's hair. When she was done Christine looked in one of the mirrors and ran her hands through her now shoulder length hair. "This is going to take some getting used to."
"Wait until you're a blonde." Meg said. "Now it's my turn."
Christine was very careful to cut Meg's hair as close to her new length as possible. When they were finished Christine starred at her freshly dyed blonde hair while Meg admired her now brunette locks. "You're right this is going to take some getting used to."
"There is no reason for you to keep it blonde." Meg pointed out. "Once you're well hidden you can grow it out and cut the blonde away."
Christine looked at Meg and smiled. "I don't know how I will ever repay you for all of your help."
Meg put a hand on her shoulder. "There is nothing to repay. I love you like a sister. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Christine pulled her into a hug. "I love you too. Why don't you come with me when I go to your mother's?"
Meg shook her head. "You need a decoy. Like I said don't worry about me. I promise you, I will be safe."
They sat and talked more about what each of them had done in the years since they had seen each other last. Meg told Christine about how no one would dare approach the opera house after what happened because they felt it carried bad karma. Her mother had left to go help Erik not long after the fire while she stayed behind to keep her mother apprised of any information she could over hear. She didn't want to dance anymore so she became a waitress and took care of Cesar. She left Erik's home the way she did so that if anyone came snooping it would look abandoned. She visited her mother from time to time along with dating a few men on and off but hadn't found anyone she wanted to settle down with.
Christine told her about the endless parties she had been taken to and the people she had met. She left out the parts about the fights she had with Raoul along with the scars and other bruises she carried.
As Meg listened she could tell Christine hated every moment of it. She remembered when she saw Christine on her wedding day. She didn't seem like the glowing happy bride that her other friends had been when they got married. She also knew Christine was leaving things out. She never mentioned when Raoul had started to become a controlling abusive drunk. Meg hoped she never came face to face with him again because she may not be able to control herself from hitting him in a man's most sensitive area. "How did you stay with him for so long?"
"I thought things would get better and that I would learn to love him like I thought I did. He also kept me so isolated I felt like I had nowhere to go." Christine explained shrugging her shoulders and decided to change the subject. "Is there a place where I can wash up or at least change my clothes?"
Meg nodded and led her to a hallway then to the washroom. Christine washed herself as best she could and changed into clean clothes. When she came back out to the main room she noticed Meg was gone. Christine went back down the hall where the washroom was and began to explore it further. She found a bedroom and assumed that's where Meg slept. There was a small room lined with bookshelves, she guessed it used to be a library. By its ransacked look she assumed the mob had returned here to see if there were more passageways Erik could have been hiding in. She picked up a book from the floor and skimmed through the pages.
It was a black leather bound book with parchment pages. She saw the beautiful black script writing inside with various dates and knew it was Erik's. She sat on his bed and started reading the journal from the beginning. As she read through the pages she felt herself welling up with tears once more at what he had written. She wiped her eyes not wanting to stain his journal with her tears. He described in great detail the immense sadness and loneliness he felt.
His one wish was to be a part of the world above him but knew it would never be possible. He looked like a monster and knew no one would ever accept him never mind love him because of it. He resigned himself to the fact that he would always have to remain hidden from the world. Living his life in darkness, alone.
The date of the last journal entry was just before she moved into the opera house. She went back to the library but could not find any other journals. She put the one she had read in her suitcase and wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes wincing again as she accidently touched the bruised area of her cheek. She hoped that he would allow her back into his life so she could show him he didn't have to live the remaining years of his life alone, in darkness.