Season's End

1870

Erik

The final show of Hannibal was only moments from beginning. Erik stood proudly by the door to the theater, waiting for his guests while watching the citizens of Paris pour in to fill their seats. After a moment he spotted a stunned George Larson walking through the double doors. The American slowly took off his hat and let out a long whistle as he glanced around the grand lobby, clearly stunned by the grandeur put into a gala finale. The white marble floor had been freshly polished wall to wall and the main doors to the theatre had been lined with golden candles and fine ivy. The finest of French society socialized while servers handed out champagne and a cellist played softly in the corner by the staircase. The opera house resembled nothing of the dark empty building George had seen the other day on late night business, and Erik could tell the doctor was impressed by the transformation.

A woman appeared behind George, smiling and taking hold of the crook of his arm with wide, shinning eyes. Mrs. Larson was a tall and curvy woman, with hair that bounced in long golden waves over her shoulders and a sweet smile that made her appear much younger then Erik assumed she was. Her stomach was very prominent through the tight green dress she wore, and Erik recalled after a moment of confusion that she was pregnant. From the looks of it probably at least six months or so. Two small girls stood right behind her heels, holding hands with one another. The older of the two had fiery auburn hair like her father, and had a spark of wonder in her eyes as she looked about. The younger was blonde like her mother, with small freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks. She seemed overwhelmed, but not in the way the rest of her family did. She instead looked like she might become ill from sensory overload. The noise of hundreds of people in one building seemed to cause her to shrink back into herself as she nervously stepped in closer to her sister's side.

Erik saw George spot him and raise a hand in greeting. Erik dipped his head in response, not being one for making large gestures across such a far space as Americans often did. George guided his family over towards him and Erik shook hands with the good gentleman before turning towards the doctor's wife to introduce himself.

"Mr. Destler, this is truly magnificent place," she beamed, "Thank you kindly for the invitation. The girls and I have never been anywhere like this."

"It's my pleasure, madame Larson," Erik replied.

"Anna-Beth," she corrected him, "Actually, Annie would be even better. That's what our friends all call me. Anna-Beth is a mouthful. Oh, and these two young ladies are our daughters."

Annie gestured to the two girls by her side, who were whispering amongst themselves. They immediately ceased talking when they saw they were being directed to speak and the auburn girl stepped forward and curtsied to him in a way he was sure she must've practiced all the time.

"Angelica Larson, mister," she said in a very mature voice. She turned to the blonde. "This here is my sister, Eliza. She's not much of a talker but she wants you to know she thinks this opera house is the most beautiful place she's ever seen."

Eliza blushed bright red as Erik looked down at her, turning her face into the side of her mother's skirt and burying it in the fabric. The gesture made both her parents laugh.

"Unfortunately, the show was sold out when I made my initial offer George," Erik explained, "But no matter, we will all be able to share my box. If you'll follow me."

Erik led his guests up the staircase to the second floor of the theatre. Each box seat had its own private entrance. Erik's remained locked at all times, for he usually kept booklets of his notes on performances inside. He pulled out a key from the pocket of his overcoat to open it. The extra chairs he'd requested had been brought up the night before, his usual one now on the far right side of the box. Annie and George took a seat in the farthest two left chairs, leaving the children between them. As one of the stagehands went around and began to lower the the lanterns Erik watched as Annie leaned her head against George's shoulder lovingly. His arm went around her and he whispered something that made her giggle with embarrassment. Erik admired the Larsons as a couple. Their family was beautiful and they seemed truly happy with the lives they led, which wasn't something one saw too often.

"Mr. Destler, Eliza can't see over the railing," Angelica whispered harshly to him, leaning across her sisters lap to tug on his jacket.

Erik looked down at his side, where Eliza was staring down at her feet, which didn't even reach the floor. She was such a small thing, like Christine had once been when she was younger. Not wanting to ruin the moment the young girl's parents were sharing by asking them what to do, Erik simply picked up the child and set her on his knee. He noticed a slight smile on her face, though she didn't turn to face him.

"Thanks you, Mr. Destler," she said, barely an audible sound.

"No problem, little one," he replied as the last of the house lanterns dimmed and the orchestra started to play. The music swelled up as the first act dancers came on stage, moving in near perfect synchronization with one another. Meg Giry led the act, raising her arms in the direction of Garon's grand entrance and introduction as Hannibal himself. As the opening number continued, he saw from the corner of his eye as Angelica stood up, looking positively mesmerized. She rested both her arms over one another on the railing with her chin on top, not moving another inch the rest of the song. The dancing seemed to consume the young girl, much to Erik's delight as he mused how much his sister would love to teach someone so obviously enamored with her art form.

Before Hannibal set off to fight in the war with Rome, he sorrowfully sang a farewell letter to his wife, Elissa. Christine emerged afterwards in her stunning white gown to once again enchant the theater with her beautiful rendition of the aria, Think of Me. As she sang she gazed up longingly into the direction of his box. Though she couldn't see him through the stage lights he knew she always sang this song directly to him, which made him glow inside each and every time. There was a passionate gentleness in her voice as she raised her arms and vocalized the impressive ending notes to the piece. It had been days now since Erik had heard her sing, and he found himself once again not being able to tear his eyes away from her as her voice rose to crescendo for the final note, which almost brought tears to his eyes as it always did.

When the song concluded, the audience roared with applause and, to Erik's horror, whistling. He shuddered at the fact that some men were probably thinking of his Christine in less then appropriate ways, instead of appreciating the perfection of her voice, but he got over the fact quickly. His beloved was beautiful and talented. There would always be admirers, including he himself.

To Erik's surprise, Eliza began to clap along with the crowd. It was the first time she had moved during the entire show. In fact, he had almost forgotten she was sitting with him. She hardly weighed anything, after all. He leaned to the right to look down at her. The young girl was looking at Christine with such a bright smile on her face as she enthusiastically began to cheer aloud. Her parents noticed her whooping and turned to look at her with surprise as the curtains closed on Act I. When Eliza realized she was being stared at she shut down immediately, again turning to look down at her feet, where she tapped her toes together innocently.

"Sweetheart, did you like that song?" her father asked with a laugh. Eliza didn't say a word but nodded her head.

"The song was lovely but did you see the ballerinas?" Angelica proclaimed, turning and taking her mother's hand, using it to hold herself steady as she spun around. "They were amazing! Absolutely breathtaking!"

George looked at Erik then, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. Erik knew he was referring as to whether of not Erik had really meant it when he'd said he could put in a word for his daughter to join the ballet. Erik nearly laughed. His sister was the ballet mistress. Of course Angelica would have a spot if he asked her for one. She trusted his judgement well enough.

"Guaranteed," he told his friend with a nod, watching the man smile in delight as he turned towards his excitable daughter. Angelica and her parents began to talk about ballet as a serious matter and whether or not Angelica would want to pursue it. Erik watched as the young girl jumped up and down happily, throwing her arms around her father's neck and squealing. The shriek made Erik flinch, but smile none the less. He looked down at Eliza, who was fiddling with her hands.

"What about you, Eliza?" he whispered, "Do you want to be a ballerina too?"

The little girl on his lap turned to him and shook her head no with an almost disgusted look on her face. Erik was slightly disappointed but figured the night was still a victory, as one of the Larson children seemed to share in his joy for the arts. He had no doubt Angelica would grow to be a wonderful dancer, with how much energy and enthusiasm she had. He wondered what Eliza would grow to be like. A housewife, like her mother? She was quiet and blonde, and Erik knew those were desirable traits that most men sought after. Eliza answered his question though, sounding nervous as she spoke.

"I 'd rather be a singer," she said quietly, looking up at him, "like Elissa."

Erik felt almost honored hearing the young girl's words. Christine was, after all, his great musical prodigy. Her voice was the peerless instrument he had trained hours on end for many dedicated years. Where the illustrious soprano had once found inspiration in him, she herself had now inspired another. He couldn't be more proud of his beloved.

"Would you like to meet her after the show?" Erik asked Eliza gently, watching her face light up in response to his offer.

"I could meet Elissa?" she nearly fell out of his lap as she clapped her hands together in excitement. Erik balanced her with his arms.

"Her name is Christine actually, and she's a very nice person. I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

Eliza nodded with a happy grin as the music started back up and Act II began. By the time in was over, it was nearing nine in the evening. The audience gave a standing ovation and the managers stepped forward to give a closing speech, announcing the upcoming charity performances of Il Muto and the New Years' Masquerade Ball. The stagehands raced around the theatre then, turning up the lanterns so the audience could see their ways out. Annie and George stood up, Annie giving George a quick kiss on his cheek.

"This was so wonderful, dear," she told him, "I can't remember the last time we went out like this."

She turned towards Erik and nodded. "Mr. Destler, the opera was wonderful and I must say, your fiancee's talent is unmatched!"

Erik felt his gut sink, hating to keep up the lie about his engagement but not wanting to let his new friends know he hadn't been honest with the doctor previously.

"That has yet to be announced, actually," he told them smoothly, "and we'd like to keep that way until we decide how to go about the announcement."

George winked at him. "Ah, very good. Don't worry, old sport. We won't say a word. Come along girls."

Angelica stood up and took her mother's hand. Eliza, however, didn't leave Erik's side. She simply stayed quiet, reaching her tiny hand to grab the side of his palm. He was indeed very surprised by the gesture and couldn't help but look down at her in puzzlement.

"I've never seen her warm up like this to anyone other than us," Annie laughed, "but it looks like you've made quite a friend in her."

Eliza nodded her head in firm agreement. "Mr. Destler is going to introduce me to Elissa."

"Christine," he corrected her, looking back up at George, "If that's alright with you."

George nodded. "I'll go and bring the carriage 'round. I'm sure both all three of them would love to meet Miss Daae in the meantime."

Christine

There are a few things Christine had never associated with Erik before. This one had to be near the top of the list. She was standing backstage gushing with Meg over the ending of their first big show together when she'd noticed him slipping through the backstage curtain. She'd wanted to run to him and kiss him with all the excitement that flowed through her, but stopped when she noticed a small child by his side, holding his hand in a nervously tight grip.

"Erik, I never figured you one for liking children," Meg giggled, walking over and squatting down to eye level with the small blonde girl. "Who are you, little one?"

The child turned away from Meg and hid her face in Erik's pant leg. He looked shocked at first by the girl's action, then he leaned down and placed a hand of her back, reassuring her as he looked up at Christine.

"This is Eliza," he told them both, "Dr. Larson's daughter. She wanted to come and meet you. Says she wants to be a singer one day, just like you."

Christine felt herself blush, overwhelmed at the thought that her singing could inspire such a shy child. Meg stood up as the girl's very pregnant mother pushed through the curtain, followed by another child. The woman's name was Annie, Christine learned after a quick introduction.

"Angelica here is going to be joining the youth corps, Meg," Erik proclaimed proudly, introducing the second child as if she were his own daughter, "Perhaps she'd like to go with you a moment and meet the rest of the dancers...?"

Angelica's eyes went wide and Meg's eyes lit up in just the same fashion. She took the little girl by the hand and the two of them disappeared around the corner, Meg's dressing gown flowing behind her as they went.

Erik and Annie began to joke about Angelica taking over the entire troupe, but Christine barely noticed them. Her eyes were on Eliza as the little girl slowly looked up from Erik's side and released her grip on his leg, walking timidly over to stand at the hem of Christine's gown. Her small round face was beautifully accented by large blue eyes, tiny freckles sprinkling her cheeks like stardust. Her blonde hair was a curly mess, just like Christine's had been when she was little.

"Hello there," Christine said kindly, bending over as much as she could in her massive skirt, "my name is Christine. How did you like the show?"

Eliza smiled sweetly, holding her hands behind her back and twisting as she spoke. "It was very good. You were the best though. I'm going to learn to sing like you some day."

Christine touched her fingertip to Eliza's nose, making the child giggle. "Well, I'd love to sing with you sometime. Would you like that?"

Eliza nodded enthusiastically before letting out a large, sleepy yawn. Christine smiled, assuming it was well past the child's bedtime. Her mother noticed her child growing weary and picked her up, letting her rest her head over her shoulder. Christine was impressed by how easily the pregnant woman balanced the child on her hip. Christine hadn't met many pregnant women personally before, but she'd seen them in town from time to time struggling to carry even the smallest of parcels. Annie called out to Angelica, who came back around the corner laughing and smiling as she twirled a bright blue ribbon in the air. Christine noticed it to be a shorter version of the ones Meg used to practice with when they were younger. As Angelica spun it around herself in a flawless circle Christine knew Meg was going to have quite the prodigy in her some day.

"It was wonderful to meet you," Annie said to Christine with a polite nod, "I hope one of these days we can get together, just us girls."

"I'd love that Annie," she said, saying goodbye to the girls as Dr. Larson came to get them. The doctor gave Christine a polite nod, and she replied just the same. She found she didn't have anything to say to him though. After all, it was odd to try and see Dr. Larson as anything other than the doctor who had come to her aide that dreadful night. She was almost embarrassed actually, looking at him and knowing he had seen her nearly half-naked during her examination.

Yet if he were to be Erik's friend, he would Christine's friend as well, and she would simply push aside her self-conscious thoughts. After all, the man was a professional. He most likely didn't even remember her with all the patients he saw. Plus, it was nice to see Erik making friends outside the business and Christine had to admit she was delighted by the doctor's musically inclined children, especially when she saw Eliza reach up and take Erik's hand as they walked. The little girl proceed to ask him questions regarding the theatre and Erik patiently and enthusiastically answered every question she had, smiling down at her the entire time.

Something inside Christine warmed with delight at seeing the way Eliza and Erik interacted. Erik had never mentioned to her whether or not he liked the idea of children, but she supposed she had an answer to that now. As she walked back to her dressing room she pondered what he would be like one day as a father to his own children. He would be protective no doubt, especially if he had daughters. He would make an excellent parent though, she realized. After all, he loved to teach and children loved to learn. She could picture himself at his piano, laughing and cringing as a small child in his lap happily banged on the keys. There would be adoration in his eyes for such a child. Adoration and such pride.

Christine blushed as she realized she was daydreaming of Erik as a father. Why, they weren't even married yet, and here she was-

Married. As the thought crossed Christine's mind she giggled, losing her train of thought as she turned the knob of her dressing room door and stepped inside. She wondered when he would ask her to marry him. It was obvious things were heading in that direction, yet he hadn't given her the slightest idea as to when to expect it. She was both extremely nervous and excited for that day to arrive. Erik was a very clever man, no doubt he would ask her when she least expected it. She expected it would be a simple and sweet surprise, as their little date in the woods had been. She unlaced her skirt and corset and pulled over her plain blue day dress, smoothing out the fabric as it fell to her ankles. She reached up to start taking the pins out of her hair when she paused, a smile playing on her lips. She decided she would wait and let Erik help her with the pins, since this was the last time she would ever wear them.

A knock sounded at the door, and Christine eagerly turned on her vanity bench, expecting Erik's smiling face to grace her presence. Her face fell though when she realized the man walking through the door to be the arrogant blonde thorn in her side that had once barged in before. He stepped in and closed the door behind himself, a dashing smile spread across his face and a bouquet of white lilies in his hands.

"They matched your dress," he remarked, setting the flowers down near the many others displays before meeting her eyes. "Ah, I know that look. Disappointment. Excuse me for not being monsieur Destler. I presume that's who you were waiting on."

"As a matter of fact yes, Raoul," she stated, standing up so he couldn't talk down to her, "so if you don't mind, I'm going to kindly ask you to leave. As I've stated before, I have no interest in your courtship and it isn't proper for you to be inside my personal dressing room."

She stepped past him to open the door. As she did though, he walked straight past her, chuckling and running a hand down her costume skirt that hung over the spare chair. The sight of him touching her skirt, even with it not on her, made her nauseous, for she knew what he was thinking even without him saying it aloud. His eyes told stories of the the fantasies playing through his mind.

"I just don't understand, Lotte. What has Destler got that I don't?" he asked.

He took a step towards her nightstand, opening the top drawer and rummaging through it with disinterest as he spoke. In the second drawer of that vanity where the ribbons from the roses Erik left her. She felt her face flush hot with protectiveness over the small pieces of satin as he closed the first drawer and reached for the second knob. Annoyance flared up inside Christine. Who gave the viscount the right to rummage through her dressing room as if it were no more than his own bedroom?

"Well, for one he's a gentleman," Christine sneered, reaching past Raoul to hold the second drawer shut. Raoul looked down at her with a dubious smile. He took her wrist in a tight grip and walked her backwards towards the wall.

"What are you insinuating, mademoiselle?" He spoke in a low and sultry voice. "That I am not one? That I wouldn't be gentle with you?"

All the bravery in Christine melted away at she felt the small of her back pressing farther and farther into the plaster of the wall. She thought of a thousand and one snarky replies to tell at him, yet her tongue was dry in her mouth as he took a step closer into her. A dreadful feeling began to creep up inside her as images of Buquet flashed through her mind. Raoul's eyes held the same darkened look the stagehand's had that night. She wanted to scream, to shove him away, but couldn't. Instead she felt her eyes swelling with tears as she stood paralyzed in fear as he continued to speak.

"That's what I thought," he stated firmly, "You've got nothing to say. So why don't you just admit your feelings for me then, Christine? I know you've got them. Somewhere in that pretty little head of yours, you picture me when you kiss Destler. You wish it were my hands on you instead of his."

Christine felt a single tear stream down her cheek as she held her breath and shut her eyes, turning away. She felt Raoul's hand fall to her waist and squeeze it tightly. Then she felt nothing. The weight of Raoul disappeared completely. She heard him let out a yelp of surprise and opened her eyes to see that he had been thrown into the opposite wall by a very furious Erik, who now stood menacingly in front of her as he faced him. Christine took a much needed breath as she slid down the wall and let herself cry. She knew she should've been stronger in that moment, but she couldn't be. The way Raoul had held her. She just kept picturing again and again Buquet's hot breath on her neck as her head collided with the floor. The disgusting way his hands had trailed over her body and pinned her down. She whimpered and put her head between her knees, trying to shake the images from her vision.

She faintly heard the door to her dressing room burst open as Mme. Giry and M. Firmin stepped inside. She forced her head up to see the Madame giving her a look of motherly concern as the woman rushed to her aide.

"What the hell is going on in here?" M. Firmin inquired angrily as he watched viscount struggle to collect himself and stand. Christine saw Erik turn to M. Firmin and grab the lapel of his jacket roughly, pointing with his other hand towards Raoul.

"This piece of shit happened!" Erik yelled, "He had Christine pinned to the damn wall when I walked in!"

"This man is a liar!" the viscount proclaimed as he straightened his jacket, "I would never do such a thing! I simply came in here to congratulate Christine on her performance and found her like this. Destler here just can't stand the thought of any other man besides himself consoling her."

Christine clenched her fists by her side tightly, anger coursing through her. She would not sit by helplessly and listen to Raoul's filthy lies, especially directed towards the man she loved. She rose to her feet and crossed over to him, stopping just a meter away. She then struck him across his face as hard as she could, the sound echoing throughout the dressing room's now eerie silence.

"Get out of my sight," she sneered darkly.

"Why you little viper-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Erik and M. Firmin took either side of his arms, pushing him towards the door. Raoul snaked out of their grasp, straightening his collar with a smirk as he met Christine's gaze from the doorway.

"Until next time then, little Lotte. And there will be a next time, have no doubt of that."

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Pssttt...this is a great place to leave a review! Just saying!

xoxo,

Nicole