A/N: Finally updated this phic, corrected all the grammar mistakes… wow. I put a little poem at the beginning, and I changed the bit where Céleste sings in Chapter 4 the very beginning of I Dreamed a Dream, for many reasons… I replaced it by an extract of Werther, where the role of Charlotte is sung by a mezzo… But since we are in 1870, and that this opera was finished in 1885, I obviously can't use that… So I created a new version of Werther, closer to Goethe's novel, with a totally invented composer. Seriously, immortal and most prudent Charlotte does make me think of Céleste, sometimes, for her strength of character… And Erik? Well, he's Werther, of course!
And by the way, those of you who think Gerard Butler sucks as a singer, to you, I answer: go and listen to Steve Harley. This guy was originally supposed to be the first Phantom, and the Phantom of the Opera music video with Sarah Brightman (which you can easily find on Youtube) had him, and not Michael Crawford, in it. But Andrew Lloyd Webber finally realized he sucked so much he fired him without giving him any reason… So go and listen to Steve Harley singing Phantom of the Opera in the music video, and listen to him singing The Music of the Night. Let's just say he helped me appreciate Michael Crawford a lot more, and compared to him, Gerard Butler is a perfectly decent singer. Really.
Chapter 25
"Well, doctor?" Raoul asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, monsieur," he answered calmly. "Simply, I must tell you that…" the doctor took a deep breath before continuing. "Things are getting a bit… complicated. The baby isn't on the right side. By now, he should have his or her head at the bottom, but he or she is still in the same position."
Raoul's eyes widened. He had trouble understanding what the doctor meant, since, well, babies and all those things were more women matters, to be frank… but he knew well enough this was all serious business.
"Is it… critical, doctor?"
"No, well, not if you follow my instructions carefully. And anyway, your midwife has already faced situations similar to this and even worse. Only, your wife is young and… not very strong, so to say. I believe you will still be able to have more children after this… but don't expect a dozen."
A bitter-sweet grin appeared on Raoul's face, as he remembered that time when Christine and he were about seven years old, and that he had asked her in marriage, a few days after getting her red scarf for her. Just before, he had caught the cold of his life, and when he was finally allowed to go out, he had very solemnly (yes, very solemnly) made his demand, sneezing three times during the process. And Christine had replied, in her high-pitched, bell-like voice: "Yes, but only if we can have ten children."
Then, Daddy Daaé had had one of those big, joyful laughs that absolutely nothing could stop, and to which Christine and Raoul couldn't guess why it came in. But it was such a beautiful thing to hear…
Oh well.
"Now," continued the doctor, "she has to stay in bed until she gives birth. If she can move, it shall be only for the strict necessary. And no useless emotions."
Raoul nodded as the last sentence fell on him like thunder. Christine and he were still the only ones who knew all the drama happening in their family, an invisible one, but still present. They had both been more than reassured when Soliman, one day, had said quite openly that he had just visited Céleste in her convent. What had happened to the Phantom, of course, they didn't know. While Raoul was quite shamelessly reassured, though he strangely hated to admit it to himself, Christine only worried more and more… and the vicomte knew all about it.
And everything was getting quite unbearable, so to say.
He had the certitude that he had Christine's love, of course. But he had to confess that he had trouble understanding why she worried so much about her former tormentor, though he did have a few glimpses of the reason…
All is left is acceptance, I guess.
Just before opening Christine's door, Raoul couldn't help giggling a bit of himself. This misplaced jealousy, which had no reason of being, was ridiculous, compared to so many other things.
He thought of his sister's marriage, for a moment.
He had to tell Philippe everything, and fast.
Well, he couldn't do that. Not with the references he had as a proof.
"Well?" Christine asked softly, her curly hair, her big fawn-like eyes and her ruby lips being the only spots of color in the sea of white she was plunged in.
"You have to rest," Raoul simply said, remembering that she shouldn't be troubled in any matter. "Don't worry about anything, Christine. Please."
The vicomtesse nodded her head in quiet submission, with a weak smile, like a child who had just been sent to bed without supper. Slowly, she got up, sitting in her bed, despite Raoul's quiet tongue-snapping about her moving too much to his taste, and, softly, lowered her head on her husband's shoulder.
After minutes that seemed like hours, a nervous knock on the door made itself heard. Gesturing gently to Christine to lie down to rest, Raoul got up and headed towards the entrance, to see Philippe, looking worried – no, worried wasn't strong enough of a word, distressed, maybe, like he hadn't been since… since… never, actually. Philippe never seemed to panic for anything. Signaling as calmly as he could to his elder brother to get out, so Christine wouldn't be alarmed about anything (especially that he could guess pretty well what it was all about), Raoul closed their room's door behind him, and immediately, the two brothers headed towards the living-room.
And when the young vicomte saw Soliman, he wondered – quite dramatically, he would admit later with a bit of shame – how the end of the world was like.
"What happened?" Raoul asked, a bit more impulsively than he would have permitted himself.
"I… went to the convent early this morning…" started Soliman, searching for his words for the first time, "and it was all in an uproar. They said that he has abducted her…"
What a flawless actor you are, Raoul couldn't hold himself from thinking.
He knew the truth, of course. At least part of it. It was easy to guess that things had turned sour not only for Erik, but also for Céleste…
Where was she, now?
He trembled at the very thought of it.
"I still can't believe you haven't warned the police," Philippe added, exasperated.
"The first thing I did was to run to your home!" yelled Soliman. "And anyway, to be honest, your French police are composed with nothing more than incompetent fools!"
Of course, Raoul forbid himself from saying.
"Anyway," continued the Shah's brother, "if we warn the police, they will all come in an uproar, and the Angel of Death will be aware of it. And for him, escaping them will be nothing more than a piece of cake."
"So what are we to do?" Philippe asked, with a frustrated smile.
"We'll start by the Opera house, of course." Soliman said.
"He can't have brought her there!" cried Raoul, determined to break the Shah's brother's shield. "It's too easy!"
"Exactly. And anyway, with all those traps, he thinks he's safe. But he doesn't know that I remember how all of them work."
"How do you know about them, anyway?" Raoul continued. For a very, very brief moment, so brief only the vicomte saw it, Soliman's murderous glance fell on him. But quickly, he gained back a sort of assurance.
"We were to use them in war, for embuscades. There were still in an experimental state, and my brother and I were taught to their secrets. He probably thinks I forgot all about them – but he's wrong."
"Now, stop discussing and let's go!" Philippe yelled, his irritation getting more and more intense, to a point Raoul was almost concerned for his sanity. Well, it wasn't the behavior of a madman, of course, not at all… but he had never seen his older brother like this before.
Because, well, despite all misunderstandings that came in from time to time, the Chagnys would have done anything for each other.
It was a matter of minutes before Philippe and Raoul were ready. The vicomte didn't even dare to kiss Christine good-bye, for he was afraid of worrying her out of her mind, something that she absolutely didn't need in such a context.
But he was aware, during their short journey to the Opera Populaire, of Soliman's watchful glare on him.
Hand at the level of your eyes.
Mme Giry's contralto voice seemed to invade him as they strolled towards their destination.
But now, the big villain's name wasn't the Phantom of the Opera anymore.
For now, he seemed more like some lamb captured by the slaughterer.
The big villain's name was Soliman, now.
And the only strange satisfaction Raoul could give himself was that Soliman was with him, and not Christine.
"Maybe we could… sing a song…"
Meg blushed furiously after this statement, especially when Erik's harsh glance fell on her. She had no idea why she had said such a thing – only, the silence had become so heavy it was simply unbearable, now.
"Ah yes, let's sing Au Clair de la Lune so we can forget all this bloody mess. » Erik snapped.
"Oh please, it will just help us not to fall into insanity," Céleste replied, trying very hard to ignore Erik's use of bad words. "Just forget everything… just for a while."
"Anyway, we can all sing, can't we?" asked Meg. "Daroga? Alexandre?"
Nadir retained a chuckle at the idea of him singing, for such a thing had never even crossed his mind, so to say. But Alexandre, on the other side, blushed.
"I can't even sing a note right."
"Oh please, Alexandre, it's just for fun!" begged Meg, with starry eyes that seemed to make the young Goutelin blush even more. "And the acoustics are great, here!"
"You can say that again," muttered Erik, ignoring Céleste glancing at him again.
"Well, if you saw the good side of life a bit more often like Meg does, maybe your life would improve," the young lady snarked.
"I – "
"Oh, do shut up!" cried the Daroga.
The so-dreaded heavy silence installed itself again.
Céleste, for a moment, closed her eyes, trying to forget the tight ropes on her wrists and ankles, which forbade her of any kind of movement. Meg, Alexandre and the Daroga were in the same state as she was, while Soliman had judged that only chains would be enough to handle Erik.
She tried to forget her shock, when, as soon as she had gotten out of the trailer, she had seen, despite the darkness of the night, the Opera Populaire standing in front of her. She had asked restlessly questions about the meaning of everything, receiving no answer from anyone, until they were brought to the chapel, than to the secret passageway that lead to Erik's underground home. Céleste had shivered, and still shivered at the idea that now, Soliman had sort of violated Erik's sanctuary. It was a strange feeling, and she couldn't explain why it was there… but still, she remembered her first impression when Erik had brought her in his lair, and now that it had turned in a gloomy prison, Soliman's only intrusion seemed to have brutally cleared away all the magic, despite the candles still lighting everywhere.
"The chapel's door is locked… it cannot be…"
Soliman shook the door, but it was no use.
"We have no choice," he said, turning towards Raoul and Philippe. "It's the only way we know, and we'll have to force the door…"
"Are you looking for this, Monsieur?"
The three men immediately turned around, to see Mme Giry, staring at them, a set of keys in her hands, her lips tight, standing even straighter than ever.
"Madame, please, open the door…" started Philippe.
"I will, Monsieur, when Monsieur the patron will tell me where my daughter is," snapped the ballet mistress.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Madame," started Soliman calmly.
"Oh, really?"
"Perhaps, Madame, you prefer I inform the police of your complicity with the Opera Ghost? The fact that you have helped the vicomte on the night of the great fire might have saved you from justice, but now, you have nothing to defend yourself… unless you open the door."
This was starting to get a bit too much to bear for Raoul.
"Soliman, please. Mme Giry has been like a mother for Christine, and like you said, she helped me and saved us, Christine and myself. You can't – threaten her like that!"
He sounded like a fool. But he couldn't care less.
"Madame, please," continued Soliman, his voice almost pleading. "Perhaps… maybe your daughter is down there as well…"
"She wouldn't –"
"How do you know? If you want to see her again, this might be your only chance…"
Philippe, or an ordinary observer would have seen nothing more than a man trying to help a mother to find her disappeared daughter. But Mme Giry, and even Raoul could feel all the threat in this simple sentence.
And, with a mournful look, the ballet mistress seized her keys, and opened the chapel's door, leading like a sleepwalker the three men towards the wall which hid the secret tunnel to the undergrounds.
And this time, Antoinette Giry would have to go to the end.
A/N: Yes, this chapter doesn't have much action in it, but the next one will, I promise!
Answers to reviews:
PhantomFan01: Don't ya like me cliffhangers? *I'm outta here*
michellecarriveau: Sorry, but looks like you've got a sadistic author on the loose! Mwahahaha! Well, sorry if I say a spoiler, but…
*IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST EPISODE OF SEASON 3 of OUAT, DON'T READ WHAT FOLLOWS*
*I'VE WARNED YOU*
Elsa does appear in the last episode of season 3, and what I've read about her is that she's going to be some sort of villain, but more a misunderstood character. So why not bring in Erik also? Seriously, I think I'm going to write a POTO/OUAT crossover. Seriously. Maybe not soon, but eventually. ;)
*END OF SPOILER*
And yeah, I agree with you. Erik and Christine had their chance and they blew it.
inujisan: You can say that again. XD
TheCrimsonPen: Because I'm evil. MWAHAHAHA!
Lydia the tygeropean: Isn't it? Thanks for your opinion! ;)
EvaAuthor: Hey! Are you the one who asked me in marriage in my "What not to do in POTO list"? ;P
Well, yes, Meg is innocent and pure, but she isn't as naïve as Christine is, and for what we have seen of her, she's strong-willed and intelligent. Seriously, the Erik/Meg pairing is just so underated… (obsession, guys, I'm obsessed, I need help) Some think it's random to pair Erik with Meg just so the former can get his happy ending, and I understand why… but one thing that has always bugged me genuinely since the very first time I saw the movie, and way before I actually became a Merik shipper, was Meg being the first to enter the lair and finding the Phantom's mask. The musical and more especially the movie are both so symbolic that I can't believe it's nothing more than a hazard…
But hey, thank you so, so much for your kind review! You know, it's just the kind of thing that brings me a rather stupid smile on the face. I mean, seriously, Elsa/Erik rocks. ;)
Igenlode Wordsmith: I mean, seriously… teaching something about music to the Phantom of the Opera himself… XD And Gregorian music is always, always religious, so I don't think Erik would have ever touched that. Well, according to Kay, his mother was a good Catholic, and since she couldn't even get out of her house because of her child anymore, the village priest would come at their home and say Mass, so Erik did attend Mass when he was a little boy… but then again, it couldn't have been a High Mass (or a sung mass, if you prefer), so it was a Low Mass, and then… okay, Erik never actually had the occasion of studying Gregorian music, and it mustn't have been his priority either, so to say…
If you play a musical instrument, you can actually bring it with you – well, it depends which order you enter, but you can. For example, Saint Therese of Avila, who reformed the Carmelite order, actually encouraged her nuns to theater and music during their recreations. And that's in 1550, in Spain… Well, nothing profane, of course, but still. And since Céleste *could* eventually change her mind (not just on the mental/vocational plan, but because of an illness or something like that, they can send you back in the world), it's better that her possessions don't all go away…
And yes, Erik is partly not agreeing because it's not his idea, because he's an obsessed micro-manager mastermind, but also… he wants to keep an eye on Céleste… partly because he's an obsessed micro-manager mastermind, and for another reason… that I will not explain because I think everyone including you knows what it is… XD
Darius "is" the Daroga's servant… only, he isn't quite the same character as in Leroux/Kay… Both way, he appears for like ten seconds and gets even less character development than the freak trio in LND, so… I kind of gave him a bit of backstory and adapted his character for this story. ;)
The trailer is supposed to be some sort of "closed" wagon. I just had no idea how I could call it since I need coffee and more sleep…
About "talking to Erik meant suicide… He couldn't do much anyway", it simply means… don't talk to Erik when he's in a very, very, VERY bad mood. But he's chained, so… at least he can't strangle you or anything… XD
So Soliman knew that Erik was certainly with Céleste, and she was in the convent. The Daroga… maybe, maybe not. But he had a suspicion that the Girys, being accomplices with Erik, would know something. He started out with Meg, since Antoinette is probably a lot less easy to torture, so to say… at least in appearance. But Soliman wanted to have the Daroga and Erik all at the same time… for very twisted reasons that will be revealed not in this chapter, but in the next one.
And question of the day: Actually, for the next few chapters, I'm going to ask you to um… ask me a question! It can be about this phanfic, it can be about POTO-universe, it can be about my life… everything you want (well, almost everything, of course)!