A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I finally completed the last chapter, and I'm already working on the third and final installment of the Phantom saga for those who are interested! I plan on calling it "Punjabbed" and I'll post an Author's Note Update when it's ready so that those of you who want to see it may find it. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah/Holiday/whatever you celebrate, and please let me know what you think of these notices and the final chapter :) See you all soon!

Chapter Twenty-Five – Look Towards the Future

January, 1925

"They made a what?!"

Eddie clutched his stomach as he laughed at Erik's face. The man was practically choking on his supper as he received the news. "They've…made a film…based on Gaston's…story about…your dad- oh, Erik, your face!" He continued to laugh until Madeleine jabbed in in his side, giving him a dirty look.

"That's fascinating!" Odette beamed, holding her little Alexandre in her arms as he blinked in confusion at his father's actions.

"Papa?" he pointed, glancing up at his mother in hopes of an explanation.

"Of all the ridiculous things Leroux's allowed them to do-!" Erik started, ready to fume when Odette placed her hand over his.

"Mon ange, this could be good thing," she said kindly, struggling in vain to blow away a stray strand of her now waist-long midnight locks. "Your father could be acknowledged and accepted in this new form of entertainment-"

"Or scorned and utterly humiliated," he sighed, shaking his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, I am rather curious…and you did say that Leroux offered us tickets to see the film in America."

"As well as passage to and from the States," Eddie nodded, catching his two-year-old son Edouard before he hit the floor. "Gerry and Suri have offered to watch the children while we're away…come, Erik. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When was the last time you vacationed, anyway? Besides, I promised Gaston I'd take you to see it since he's…well, he's not doing so well these days."

Erik nodded, having heard about the writer's ailing health in the past few months. "Very well…Odette, mon Belle, will you come-?"

"Of course I will," she smiled, kissing his skin-masked cheek. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"And there's no chance you're leaving me at home," Madeleine smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," chuckled Eddie, kissing her before tightening his hold on his squirming son. "Then it's settled – we'll leave this Friday afternoon!"

~OG~

Two Weeks Later…

Odette squeezed Erik's hand as they took their seats in the theater in New York. Erik had never imagined he would travel so far from home, even further than when he was away in the war. Now, as he, Odette, Eddie, and Madeleine took their seats in the darkened room, with hundreds of others there for its premiere, he felt his heart thumping wildly. Would anyone see through his disguise? What if this film made a mockery of his family?

He held his breath and waited as the film started, the black and white images flickering on the screen before them while mysterious music played in the background. The credits seemed to go on as though they were molasses, making him strum his fingers upon the armrest impatiently.

"This Chaney fellow, who is he?" he whispered to Eddie to his left.

"He's an actor who's done some incredible make-up jobs," whispered Eddie. "I've heard of him through my letters to my mother – she went to see that 'Hunchback' film back in 1923 and said it was unbelievable. I just wonder what he did for your father's face-"

"SHHH!" someone hushed from the back.

"'SHH' yourself," Eddie hissed back, earning a smack from Madeleine and a grin from Erik.

Erik bit his tongue and forced himself to face the screen once more, waiting as the actors on the screen acted out the parts of Christine and Raoul…at last the moment came to where Christine was with "the Phantom", trapped in his lair as he played on the organ for her. Painstakingly, she reached then withdrew as she tried to take off his mask. Erik held his breath once more, gripping Odette's hand in anxiety as she got closer and closer…

There were screams and gasps of horror when Chaney's face was revealed, some people even falling back into their seats as they fainted. Erik gawked at the screen for a moment, blinking after seeing the man's make-up. "Hm…impressive."

"Goodness," Odette whispered. "It certainly is…impressive. But he doesn't…I mean-"

"He looks nothing like my father," Erik sighed, relieved and disappointed all at once. "Perhaps it's best this way." He felt Odette squeeze his hand, causing him to glance over at her as she leaned to kiss his cheek.

"Don't dwell on it, mon Ange. This is someone else's interpretation of your father's story. No one knows, anyways," she whispered before casting him a heartwarming smile.

He returned the gesture, squeezing her hand, before returning his eyes to the screen and watching the rest of the film.

The viewers in the theater were not to accepting of the film. Many were left in shock from Chaney's make-up, while others still grumbled at how the director was trying to make this psychotic Phantom look like sympathetic creature. Erik bit his tongue and gripped the armrest, fighting to drown out the insults, all the while his wife kept her hand atop his. At last, the final scenes were displayed on the screen, with the Phantom receiving a redemptive kiss and dying of a broken heart, only to show Christine and Raoul on their blissful honeymoon. The majority of people stood up and walked out, complaining of what a horrid piece of forced sentimentality it was. The Chevaliers and Stubenbauckers were the last to leave, slowly walking out hand in hand.

"I liked it," Eddie said suddenly, a smile growing on his face. "Damn those idiots and their insensitivity! I think it was brilliant!"

"I liked it, too…but it was so sad," Madeleine sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear as they exited the theater and listened to the bustling night-life of New York. Automobiles honked angrily at each other while the blazing advertisement lights blinded those who gazed too long at them. "I suppose that's the closest we'll get to seeing Papa's story told…Monsieur Leroux made sure that the real version was never released, so I suppose Mama will never appear in such a production."

"The anger and hatred those people had for him, though…what would people think if the real version had been released? They abhorred Father in this film, called him a monster…" Erik shook his head, his emotions in turmoil as his considered the consequences of having their family's story revealed. "It must always be kept a secret, for better or for worse."

Odette allowed her husband to wrap his arm around her, her head resting upon his shoulder. "You never know, Erik…perhaps, someday, things will be different, and people will not be so quick to judge you or your father by looks alone. God willing, maybe someday the truth will be revealed…"

~OG~

Paris, France

February, 2015

"My God…!"

The only source of light in her room was from her tablet, the moonlight pouring in through the window panes on that eerily clear night. The young woman's large brown eyes were wide in awe and shock as she finished reading the tantalizing, romantic, and unbelievable accounts that she had snuck out of her brother's employer's office. The documents were authentic, one thick volume signed off by Gaston Leroux, another by a fellow named Edward Stubenbacker, yet another by Augustine Joubert, and the fourth by a fellow named Julien Chevalier.

"This can't be…" she shook her head, uncertain as to grasp the idea that fictional characters were real and had descendants. "There's no way-!"

The windows burst open suddenly, a cry of surprise leaping free from her mouth as she grasped the old documents and quickly tucked them back into their place - an old, battered briefcase from decades before. Her brows furrowed as she began to rise to her feet, finally facing the mysteriously opened window when she felt an imposing presence nearby, a tall, thin shadow looming over her. Spinning around to face the wall of her room, her eyes widened once more that evening as she saw a cloaked figure standing behind her, his golden eyes glaring down in fury at her through his porcelain white mask. Her jaw dropped but no sound came out of her throat, only a strangled gasp.

The terrifying figure bent down suddenly, moving as quickly as a cobra, hissing through his teeth at her as his long, gloved fingers snatched the case from her hands. His wide-brimmed fedora brushed against the top of her head, his concealed nose nearly touching hers as he snarled, "Stay out of the Chevalier family's affairs, mademoiselle, or it shall be your ticket to Hades!"

She was much too stunned to pull away, mesmerized by the burning eyes and melodic, yet sinister, voice that threatened her. He had a faint scent of decay that intermingled with something delicate and beautiful…roses, perhaps?

With a swift motion of his hand, he slammed her touch-screen tablet shut and swirled his cape over her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, raising her arms to protect herself when a sense of calm fell over her, the air finally still and quiet. Daring to peek, she opened one eye and stared before her, seeing the room empty of the frightening, intriguing visitor. Lowering her arms, she arose to her feet, her head whipping to and fro as she searched him out.

"Gone," she breathed. "Gone…just like a ghost."

Turning around, she found that the curtains fluttered lightly as the window was still cracked open. Cautiously, she tiptoed towards the structure, pressing her palm against the frame of the French Doors and poking her head out into the cold night air. Once more, she moved her head from side to side, squinting as she peered into the darkness. Puckering her lips into a pout, she tugged the handle of the window until it clicked shut, her arms moving to cross themselves over her chest.

"Stay away? After that little display you pulled on me?" she pondered, a stubborn smirk growing on her lips. "Not on your life, Erik."

THE END…?