Chapter seven
Plans
Raoul le Comte De Chagny paced back and forth, his mind reeling and processing thoughts faster than he could even think of them. He smirked as his new maid Julie brought him the bottle of German beer he had requested. He drank a little, and then stopped. He realized then that he was fast becoming an alcoholic. He sat down on the bed his head bowed in shame, since when had he become so bitter? His late brother Philippe would be ashamed of him, he could almost hear his voice shouting at him, 'what kind of a noble are you? Have you no pride?' He decided to drink more, and took a long swig from the open bottle and set it down again.
He paced back and forth thinking, how could he hurt her the most? Even if he took her daughter there was still the matter of her lover. No doubt he would make an attempt on his life, with that damn lasso of his. There was also the problem of getting into the opera house. He was after all no longer the patron. How could he get in without being noticed too much?
Of course! The mangers they hated the phantom just as much as he did if not more. For you see the phantom had ruined their theater and their careers, but also had sent them into exile and shame. He smiled crookedly and picked up the phone. Three rings went by and then Andre's voice rang through, "Hello." Came the voice, and Raoul smiled wickedly to himself,
"I have a proposition for you.' He said and smirked as he explained the whole thing to them. "Come to my mansion at noon we will discuss this over coffee." They agreed and soon the arrangements were set in place.
Two hours later, they arrived and Raoul set them up at a table with three large steaming mugs and sweet cakes put out. "So what's new?" Firmin asked and Raoul just shrugged as if everything were fine,
"Where is your bride Monsieur, if I may be so bold as to ask that of you?" Andre questioned not noticing the way that the young "man's" (Inside joke.) eyes lit up at his question.
"Messieurs, I regret to announce that Christine has been stolen from me." Raoul lied thanking god for his time at the opera house for believe it or not he had acquired some acting skills watching the performances night after night. Now would be a good time to put them to use, for you see he had always possessed a talent for mimic and imitation something he prided himself on and that talent though sometimes troublesome had been his savior before. "He has taken her." Raoul did his best to sound grief-stricken.
The managers believed his act and stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed Raoul smiling inwardly went across the room so that they could not see what he was doing. He then reached into his pocket and pulled a bottle of fake tears and sprinkled them on his eyes. Then slipping the bottle back out of sight in his back coat pocket he turned to them; eyes glistening with the mixture, "oh Christine." He moaned and the managers stood up.
"There, there monsieur." The fool of a manager comforted the young man. "Surely we will find her soon." Andre told him and Firmin agreed.
"Yes, we will save her from that monster." He told the young lord
Raoul smiled he had them right where he wanted them, hook, line and sinker! His fake tears ceased and he gave them a false puppy-dog eye look and made a groaning sound hugging them
Raoul then drew out his plans and let them fill in the blanks, as for him he was making his own plans to deal with Christine and that stupid lover of hers. He hardly heard Andre as he explains the dynamitic of that blasted place as the young man thought of his ex-wife and their past.
He let the two men tell him tell him what he needed to know, and just shook his head in an approving gesture, smiling cruelly to himself, happy with his luck.
- - - - - -
Christine moaned groggily and opened them slowly as she heard her young baby wail all she could feel was the dull and yet pleasant ache in between her legs, Erik was holding her with one arm around her bear waist, the baby wailed more loudly and Christine got out of bed and was careful not to wake her love.
She gathered her child close and murmured, "Hello little one, oh shhhhhh shh, shhhhhh mama has you, mama loves you." She pressed the baby to her chest and let the child feed.
:"Hello my dear." Came Erik's groggy voice as he placed a kiss on his lover's neck and pecked the marred flesh of his daughter's forehead, he then took the child who was once again sleeping sound and contently. Setting her in her bassinet he then turned Christine to him and kissed her hard, she moaned and cupped his hand in her own as his arm and encircled the small of her back.
"You cannot possibly want me again." She said as Erik's cupped her breast with his muscular hand and pinned her against the wall as he pressed his already hard and jutting masculinity, against her finding moist heat and readiness, "Erik!" his name on her kips was a moan, as he sucked her hard," Erik… bed… please!" she moaned as he pressed her to the cold floor
Her mouth went to his cock; so smooth, so hard as he it was so erotic.
They were interrupted when the Vicomte De Chagny burst in wielding a sword and holding the baby who had woken and was crying, Raoul's eyes were cold as he watched his wife, Erik stood and quickly wrapped his arms around Christine who was wide-eyed with horror as Raoul placed his blade to child's throat.
Erik grabbed his robe and flung it on, then he threw Christine hers so could shield her own nakedness from her ex-lover who obviously intended harm, "So." The young lord sneered, "This is how I find my wife fornicating with another man behind my back? Oh how foolish of me, to think that poor innocent Christine had repented for her sins! How stupid of me to want to forgive and forget! For a moment there, I thought that maybe she could love me, that there might be some remnant of my little Lotte left!"
"When you are done with your rant Monsieur." Erik said boldly and then was taken aback by Raoul's sudden burst of maniacal laughter as he threw his head and let out a cackle that echoed off the walls of Erik's home, the sound maid Erik give Christine the 'he-is-completely-out-of-his-right-mind' look and he tapped the side of his head with his index finger to prove his point. Christine cocked her head raising her eyebrows.
She then stage whispered to her love," why did I marry him again?" Erik rolled and replied in a stage whisper, "I haven't any clue."
"When you two are done acting like mimes. I will be taking my wife home for you see my dear either you come back with me or this wretch you call a child dies!" Raoul smiled evilly as Christine approached him
SMACK
The sound echoed off the wall and Raoul stumbled backwards as the ring Christine wore cut into his cheek. She took the sobbing child from in her arms and turned back to Erik who just stood there open mouthed and wide-eyed, "what?" she asked. Her lover did not respond and she had to try hard to keep herself from bursting with laughter at the dumbfounded look on his face.
The mood turned dark once more however as Raoul recovered his strength and yanked Christine up by the arm and spit right in her face, "you little trollop!" he cried and then sneered wickedly and forced his sour alcohol flavored mouth to hers and she felt her stomach lurch.
Erik stepped forward and pushed Raoul away from her and kissed her gently knowing how traumatized she must be to have her childhood sweetheart forcing himself on her, "Raoul have you gone mad?" Christine asked and the young man ignored her and yanked the crying babe from her arms, "Christi!" she cried reaching for her child.
"Your choice has been made by your actions!" Raoul cried and then turning to Erik said, "say good-bye to your offspring monster!" just as he put the blade to her neck Erik came forward.0
"No." he told him, "take me instead." Those three words made the room go as still as a breath of wind in the desert, Raoul stood still gazing in awe at his arch rival. What had he just said, was he really going to die for her? "Raoul, may I call you by your name?" the masked man asked and all the other man could do was nod his head slowly, "no less than six months ago you came to the gates my home and pleaded with me to release the woman you loved, is that not correct?" he asked Raoul nodded, "do you know why I let you go?" Raoul could do nothing nut shake his head, "it was because I knew or thought I knew that I was giving her to a better man.
Do you know what I see before me now, let me tell you. A sniveling and conniving excuse for a man. You swore to shelter and to love her for eternity and to its end, if you love why did you reject her child? I would have given her and my babe to you, but no you cannot stand to look at a deformed child.
Why Raoul if you love her and want her as you say you do, would you kill her child? Yes she was born out of wedlock, no she is not an heir and no she is not the most beauteous sight pf face, but why would you a nobleman of high respect and prestige kill an innocent child.
No as much as you make me sick with your actions late I will not let you stain your reputation further if you are going to blame anyone blame me. Be the savior that she always thought you were as a child and rescue her from this agony, let me die and then you will have everything. Just let me say god-bye to my family before you do, and promise me one thing:
"Say you'll share with her, one love one lifetime.Lead her, save her from her solitude.
Say you want her with you here beside you.
Anywhere you go… let her go too!
Raoul that's all I'll plead of you!"
Raoul watched and nodded as he suddenly saw his enemy in a new light, no longer a monster but a man with a lost but poetic heart and a broken and tormented soul. He watched Erik walk to his now sobbing love as she pleaded with him not to leave her. He kissed her and held her close telling her that she had to be strong. The sight turned Raoul's heart over as he took his six-month –old daughter in his arms.
Erik had to try hard to keep his composure as he looked at the child with a face like his own. As he held her to his chest his little one said her first word and it made a single tear flow down his unmasked cheek. "Dada." Christine at that point could no longer bear it; she broke down into tears and ran from the room. Erik then turned to Raoul and began to walk slowly towards the young man and came to a halt in front of him, "all right monsieur." He said undoing his robe at the chest, and with a sigh said, "I am ready, end it now."