Chapter 14

Des stared at the computer screen thinking on how to finish her so-called muse's story.

"I hate unfinished stories. Damn you Jack! Where the hell are you?"

"Here doll."

Her head whipped around to see a yellow-ivory skeleton walk in. des jumped up and wrapped him in a painful sharp bony hug. Before he had the chance to hug her back, she pulled away and shoved him to the floor.

"What was that for?" Jack reached for his leg bone that popped off. He stopped when he saw a purple-socked foot stomp on it. He looked up into the tan face of a very angry young woman.

"Where were you? I needed you. I had so many stories and such with no one to help me." Des folded her arms.

"Doll, you didn't truly miss me. I KNOW you were busy." He smirked up at her and grabbed his leg, causing her to fall. He began to laugh as she let out a yelp and landed on her back.

Sitting up, Des glared at him. "How do you know?"

Popping his leg back in, Jack stood. "Doll, I'm your muse. So how's your job and your boyfriend? Mike, I believe?"

"I thought you knew." She stood up as well.

"I want to hear it from your lovely lips."'

Sighing, Des pulled out her plastic chair. "I love it. 8 hours on the phone trying to convince little old ladies out of stamps or money…telemarketing is great. What do you think?"

Jack sniggered.

"As for Mike…THAT's my business."

Well, it is 2:51 in the morning. You have work and I have a chapter to write. Go to bed and I'll write." He shoved her toward her bed. "Go on."

"I'm so glad I have your consent." She snarled over her shoulder. "Tomorrow…we talk…I hope you're going to stay."

"I'll stay. You sleep. I write." He said sitting down.

Hello! I missed you all! I had some business. I'm back and we're back in business. My little writer has a boyfriend (sniffs) they grow up so fast! Oh and Jam Ras, girl, doll… I was going to stop by, but I was in a hurry to get home. But we'll now get to talk again.

Well enough chit-chat. Time for the story!

Epilogue

And free she was. Once they were outside Persia, Erik offered once more to help her find her way back home, but she declined. Alera told him that her life was with him, that she'll follow him to the ends of the earth. And she did. Followed him and helped him acquire things for him that his face didn't allow him to. When she was turned away because she was a foreigner and a woman, Erik came across a man that proved to be a very humble servant, Jules Bernard.

In Belgium, Erik began work on an opera. He said it needed to be done and called it Don Juan Triumphant. Alera didn't get the cynical indication, but she supported his moods and stayed quiet when he worked on it.

She enjoyed music but had no talent for understanding it. Erik tried to teach her, and she tried to learn, but she seemed to be incapable. She apologized and turned once more to swords. Erik just shook his head, but after seeing her handmade swords, he had to admit that she indeed had talent for it. She made beautiful and elegant swords, some just for decoration, and others for anything else.

Years went by and Erik felt the need to return to return to his home in Boucherville. Alera smiled, and nodded, offering to wait in Belgium. For a month he was gone, then one day in a short letter sent for her. He was moving them to Paris. Once Alera met back up with him, she found out that he had arrived three days after his mother passed away. It was there he learned that they were building an opera house in Paris. He was going to meet with a man named Charles Garnier about the building the man was going to build. Alera raised her eyebrow when she read the childish handwritten letter that he sent her. She never understood his love for music and buildings, but without a word packed and traveled to meet him without a word.

In the years that followed, Erik worked hard with Garnier on the opera house. It was a quarter finished when the Franco-Prusssian broke out. It was also soon after that Alera found out that she was pregnant. Erik, of course, was scared and overjoyed at the same time.

But it was not meant to be. As the war went on, Alera began to have problems. She was 5 months when she suffered a miscarriage. It tore both Erik and Alera up when they saw that the baby was perfectly formed. They buried their son the day the war ended. Knowing that they will never be able to have another child, Erik threw his self in to the Opera, even Alera began to show an interest in the Opera.

When the opera was finished, Charles Garnier pulled strings and had Erik placed as manger over the House. Under his hand the Opera became renown. Operas written by him were performed as well as others.

It was in 1871 when Erik first saw Christine Daae. She was a 7-year-old orphan who just lost her dear father, and was very innocent. Her voice was pure and sweet but raw and untamed. He had Alera approach her, to talk to her. When Alera met her, her old past motherly instincts came back to life and at 34 still wanted a child.

So working it out, and after Christine got over her fear of Erik, came to love them, soon calling them mother and father. Erik became very portative of her, calling her his little blond angel, for he had taught her to sing like one.

When Christine was 16 Erik and Alera both agreed that she was ready for the stage. It was also that night that an old friend of Christine saw her for the first time in years. Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, was a sweet boy of 19, a bit too dimwitted for Erik's taste, but a sweet boy. When Raoul tried to court Christine, Erik gave him a hard time of it for all most a year until Alera told Erik enough, no one could be like him and have all the intelligence. At least the boy would take care of her and he truly did love her, for Raoul had swallowed his fear of Erik and stayed present in trying to court Christine.

Erik had sighed and gave his blessings, so Christine was walked down the aisle by Erik and she and Raoul were married.

Happy years followed and both Erik and Alera lived to be very old, surrounded by their grandchildren and when Alera died at the age 88, Erik died within the year. Both were buried side by side in the cemetery in Perros.