"What?" Christine asked, eyeing Raoul in disbelief. Raoul's heart was thumping violently in his chest as he watched his wife. He sighed in defeat.
"When I left after our argument yesterday, I ended up at Meg's doorstep." He explained, avoiding Destler's narrowed eyes. "We…spent the night together."
"Oh my God…" Meg muttered from behind him, leaning her forehead against his back.
"You slept with her?" Christine asked. Destler suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"Yes." Raoul affirmed, weary.
"Oh dear lord…" Christine said, looking away. "I think I'm going to be sick…"
"It was more than that, Christine." Raoul said, trying to ignore the fact that he was shaking. "I've been feeling things in myself that I thought were dead these past few days. Ever since we saw Meg at the port when we arrived, I haven't been able to think about anything else."
"I don't know what to say…" Christine said, staring in bemusement at him. "Meg, I'm so sorry for accusing you of taking Gustave." She said, swallowing. Meg moved around the Raoul's side and looked at her sister miserably.
"I understand." She said in a small voice. "I'm so sorry for…everything."
"It's been over between us longer than I'd care to admit, Christine." Raoul said, taking her hand. "We need to stop deluding ourselves in this marriage, sweetheart."
"This is my fault." Christine said sadly. "I should have told you before we married about, well…" She gestured to Destler. Raoul marveled at the man's composure in a bad situation.
"That was ten years ago." Raoul said, shaking his head. "You were a scared sixteen year old girl. You didn't know what you wanted."
"It's no excuse." Christine replied, full of remorse. "Worst of all, you were my best friend."
"I still am." Raoul argued, unable to hold back a smile. "I love you, Christine. I always have." Christine's face broke.
"I love you too." She said, flinging herself into his arms and breaking down. "I'm so sorry."
"Christine." Erik's voice broke through the tension. She could detect that he was on edge. "It's time to go to the roof."
"We're all coming." Raoul said, reaching for Meg's hand. Her eyes lit up with something Christine had seen before but had never put together.
Meg had always been in love with Raoul.
Christine's heart filled with joy for the two of them, who had somehow found each other through all of this chaos and come out better for it. She wished she could say the same for herself, but instead of everything being so easy now, it conflicted her further. She wanted to be jealous and angry with Raoul for breaking their marriage vows and yet, she wanted nothing more than to go home to Erik's bed and pick up where they left off. She still loved her husband, but even more than that, it was clear now that she really wanted Erik. And that was a relief.
Rather than take Erik's arm, she walked beside him with her arms folder, her mind pounding with worry for Gustave. She wanted nothing more than to have her child back. Erik seemed to have notice her distress when they reached the stairs, when his arm draped over her shoulders and pulled her against his side.
"We'll find him." He assured her. "I'll take care of it."
"Will you kill this person?" Christine asked quietly, looking up into his shimmering green eyes. They were dark.
"If the need arises, yes, I will dispose of this criminal." He replied darkly.
"And if the need doesn't arise?"
"I will simply make the rest of their life a living hell until they beg for death." Erik told her. "And if they've done anything to him, I'll make them wish they were never born."
"I second that." Raoul interjected, surprising Christine.
"Easy boy…just remember to keep your head." Erik warned. "Nobody act out of rash emotion." He stopped the four of them at the door to the roof and turned to face everyone. "Before we see what waits behind this door, you need to listen to me. One, do not panic. Panic does nothing but hinder you." Christine glanced at Meg, whose eyes were wide with fear. "Two," He went on, "Assess the resources you have. And three, be smart."
Light flooded into the hallway as Erik thrust the door open. Christine's breath caught in her throat as she followed Erik out onto the roof of his theater. Meg's hand slid into hers while Raoul and Erik looked around frantically.
"There's nobody here." Raoul said. Erik made a noise of irritation.
"Of course there's no one here. There's no way anyone could have gotten through the theater with a child, much less through my men." Erik growled.
"Wait!" Meg cried, looking down. "Look there!" Christine followed his gaze and looked at the ground. There was an envelope lying there addressed to Christine. She rushed forward and tore it open.
Christine Daaè,
Now you know what it is like to have what you love most taken from you. If you value your son's life, you will not perform tonight and will come to the pier. It is in the boy's best interest.
"He's at the pier!" Christine cried, thrusting the note into Erik's hands. A commotion at the door interrupted them as one of Erik's employees dragged another man out onto the roof.
"Mr. Destler!" He said, "I caught this man loitering up here just a few minutes earlier." Swiftly, Erik glided over to the man and grabbed him by the throat.
"Thank you Dawson." He said, "Talk, you."
"P-Please! I was simply given orders to bring this note to the roof." He gagged.
"By who?"
"There were instructions with it. I assumed it was from you, sir." He explained feverishly. Erik cursed gruffly, dropping the man to the ground.
"I will not be toyed with this way. My theater has been infiltrated with traitors…Dawson!"
"Sir?" The other employee stepped forward.
"Find out who is betraying us. We will be at the pier, retrieving my son." He cleared his throat. "We may have to cancel the performance, but do nothing until you hear my orders."
"What do we do?" Christine asked softly. Erik turned to her.
"We're going to the pier, love." He informed her. "Dawson, get my carriage ready."
"Yes sir."
Erik sat across from the Vicomte in his carriage on the quick ride to the pier. Meg Giry looked like she might be ill at any second and Christine slumped against the window miserably. She looked physically drained. He couldn't help feeling sorry for her. Not only had she lost her son today, she'd had to confess one of her deepest secrets and had found out her husband had fallen in love with her best friend. He was surprised to realize how much he still loved her, even after all this time.
It was hard to try and imagine living a life with her as a normal human. He didn't know how to share a home or how to just enjoy someone's company without worrying that they were going to leave him miserable. The thought of sitting at the dinner table with Christine and Gustave while having a mundane conversation seemed an unobtainable dream. Thinking of Gustave made his stomach clench in fear for the boy. He'd only known for three days that he was a father and he was terrified of losing the only other person he was related to in the world. Someone he'd fallen in love with in an instant.
With a final halt, the carriage stopped. Erik could see the pier out of the window, but no one was in sight. It was after hours now, the sun had set already and it was freezing. Light flurries had begun to swirl down from the sky, catching in the dim light from the street lamp. Erik tore the door open and pulled Christine down into the street. The Vicomte got out and turned to Meg.
"Listen, I want you to stay near the carriage." He said, squeezing her hand.
"No." She told him. Erik could see her trembling. "I'm as much a part of this now as all of you. I'm coming." Ignoring Chagny's hand, she jumped down herself and began walking after them. The viscount stared dumbly at her for a moment before catching up. Erik ran onto the pier, holding Christine's icy hand. Her teeth were chattering with fear and the bitter cold.
"I've been expecting you." A heavily accented voice came from behind them. Erik recognized it in an instant, whirling to face the intruder. A woman, aged by bitterness stood there, holding his son, who was blindfolded, gagged and tied. In her thin hand was clutched a pistol, which she had pressed against his temple. Erik's heart began to beat irregularly. Christine let out an anguished cry.
"Chagny, keep her back!" He barked at the Vicomte. "What do you want, Carlotta?"
"I wait ten years for zis." She hissed, glaring at Christine. She wore a heavy coat of makeup and her once lovely red hair was now limp and faded. Once, she had been a voluptuous woman, now she looked like no more than a skeleton with skin hanging off of her bones. Her cheekbones were too prominent and she seemed to sway on her feet. "You steal my career, Christine Daaè! It is your fault my Piangi is dead!" Her heavily made up eyes fell to the child who was whimpering through his gag. Erik tried to reassure him with his eyes, but the boy was crying. "Well, I find out your little secret when you come…zis!" Glaring at Erik, she shook Gustave. "I take one look at zis boy and know he not ze Vicomte de Chagny's son! I always know zat you were a slut, Christine Daaè!" Cocking the gun, she gave Christine a sneer. "So now you do what I say…I will sing tonight. I will be ze star I should still be!"
"You can have anything you want, just don't hurt my boy!" Christine sobbed, struggling against her husband's grip. "Please give him to me."
"If you move one step closer, I kill him!" Carlotta shrieked.
"Carlotta, let's talk about this calmly." Erik said, looking sharply at Christine. "You're right…" He said soothingly, reaching discreetly into his coat. "Put the gun down...we both know your quarrel is really with me. Not Christine…and not the boy."
"Why should I not?" She challenged, crying. "You kill my love…why should I not kill yours?"
"Because you're better than this, La Carlotta." Erik told her, wrapping his fingers around something.
"No opera would hire me, because I work for Opera Populaire…because of you!" She screamed into the night, her voice echoing off the water. "My career was destroyed."
"We can fix that…just put down the gun Carlotta." Looking over at Christine, she was in near hysterics while the Vicomte and Meg Giry tried to hold her still.
"Let him go…" She wept aloud. Erik watched Gustave shake his head frantically unable to see or speak. Erik knew that he was trying to make her stop so that she did not provoke Carlotta any more. Incensed by Christine's outburst, Carlotta dropped Gustave to the ground and pointed the gun at Christine. Erik slowly pulled out what he had been concealing and met the Vicomte's eyes with a nod. Snapping her head, Carlotta looked at him and saw the lasso gripped in his gloved hands. Outraged, she pointed the gun at Gustave once again and pulled the trigger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Vicomte lunge forward, pushing Christine and Meg back out of the way.
In the flurry of movement, Erik released the lasso and caught her around the neck. With one pull, he snapped her neck and she fell to the ground in a sad heap. Forgetting the corpse, he spun around to see what had been done to Gustave and found the Vicomte huddled over him, protectively. An enlarging spot of blood was spreading over the back of Chagny's coat.
"Damn." Erik hissed, gently moving the viscount over to lift up Gustave into his arms while Christine and Meg fell to the ground to see to Raoul. Quickly, Erik untied and removed the gag and blindfold and held the boy, shielding his eyes from the sight of the injured man who had raised him.
"It's in his back!" Christine sobbed, turning him over and cradling his head in her lap. "Oh Raoul, no!"
"Christine," Erik said, "Come see to your son." He rubbed the shivering child's back, trying to comfort him before he set him down beside his mother, who pulled his head into her shoulder and covered his face with her hand. Erik knelt down beside Chagny, looking into his deathly pale face. His eyes were unfocused and his lips were partly open as he panted, but he was breathing regularly, which was a good sign.
"Stay with us, Chagny." Erik demanded, removing his jacket and folding it under his head. "We'll get you help."
"Can't feel my legs…" Raoul whispered. Gustave broke free of his mother and rushed to the opposite side of the Vicomte.
"Don't die, Papa." Gustave said, touching Raoul's cheek. "Please…" Raoul smiled, reaching up to Gustave's face.
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Raoul promised weakly.
"Will you still be my Papa?" Gustave asked, giving Erik a long glance.
"I always be in your life. I swear." Raoul told him. "Nothing changes that." He looked at Christine. "Nothing." She tried to smile at him, but her face contorted and she sobbed instead. Falling to Erik's side, she bent to kiss Raoul's forehead.
"I'm so sorry for everything." Her voice quavered.
"I know." He said, smiling. "Me too."
"I love you, Raoul." Christine whispered.
"I know, Little Lotte. I know." He assured her, looking up to Meg, who was sitting silently beside Gustave. "I love you." He said, grinning at her. Christine moved around Raoul to lift Gustave off the ground and hold him tightly. Erik too rose to give Raoul his moment.
"I've always loved you." Meg said, moving closer and taking his face in her hands.
"Marry me…" Raoul said, drifting off just as the police arrived.
"We had reports of gunfire." One of the officers informed them.
"That woman kidnapped my son." Erik explained. "She said to meet her here."
"And you didn't contact authorities?" The man asked, irritated.
"There was no time." Erik said impatiently. "And that man," He pointed at Raoul, "was shot."
"And the woman?"
"Dead." Erik said firmly. "I—"
"She went crazy and killed herself." Meg Giry interrupted quickly. "She hung herself from the rail after shooting the Vicomte de Chagny. We cut her lose, but it was too late! Her neck was broken."
"That man is the Vicomte de Chagny?" The police officer said, his voice changing to concern. "We'd better get him to the hospital. You're all very lucky." He added, turning to inform the other police officers of the situation. "We need to get this man to the hospital and send for the coroner."
"Is the child well?" The officer asked, eyeing Gustave.
"He is now." Erik agreed.
"Who is going to come to the hospital with the Vicomte?"
"I am." Meg said, looking at Christine. "There's still time before the performance. Go sing." Christine looked up in surprise.
"I'd almost forgotten." She said, meeting Erik's eyes. "Should I?"
"I think Raoul would want that." Meg told her.
"I think so too." Erik agreed. "But we have to hurry."
Uggghhhhhh...