Chapter 37: Don Juan Approaches
By: PittsBurghFuzz
One month after the wedding, final practices and rehearsals were being done for The Vengeance of Don Juan, and everyone was incredibly nervous, except for Aricin and Raoul. They were sure in their minds that the show would reflect the title of the first show. Don Juan would indeed, triumph at the box office. After one month of living at the old Rouen home, Aricin and Anna finally decided they would return to the opera and help with preparations on the new opera. Anna was selected to play the lead role of Maria, the daughter of the woman who Don Juan lusted over in Don Juan Triumphant. Aricin did select someone to play Don Juan, but only during the prologue and overture scenes. Aricin begins where Don Juan should have left off. Don Juan meets with the statue of the father of the woman he seduced. The stone statue drags Don Juan into hell. Aricin, for the remainder of the show, would play Don Juan, now scarred from the tortures he faced in hell, and deformed by its cruelty. Now Don Juan escapes hell, and goes back to what he does best: seducing women. Raoul was overseeing a rehearsal, when his father came into the theater area, backstage.
"What are you doing here?" Raoul asked his father.
"To tell you that this is a huge mistake. Cancel the show, son." the old man told his son.
"For the last time father, no."
"Please son! Don't be so foolish! This show had bad luck written all over it!" the old de Chagny begged.
"No father. Now get out. Don't you have to meet up with Leblanc today anyway?"
"I do son, I do need to see him."
"That damn drunk." Raoul whispered to himself.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Raoul pouted.
"Whatever. Anyway, just reconsider what you are doing, alright?"
"No. Good day, father."
The old man huffed and rolled his eyes. He left the Garnier, enraged.
Anna was stretching her legs backstage, as Raoul came in the ballet room.
"Was that your father, Raoul?" Anna asked.
Raoul rolled his eyes. I wish I could kill that son of a-"
"Now, now. You and Aricin have open a show next week, you wouldn't want to start the advertising with 'the show produced by a murderer, now do you?"
"I guess not." Raoul laughed. "Where's Audrey?"
"Oh, she's over there, practicing with the other girls."
"Thanks." Raoul walked away.
Audrey was sitting down, and her face was staring at the ground. Raoul came over, and lifted her face by the chin.
"Raoul!" she said, jumping up and hugging him tightly.
"How are things holding over here?" Raoul asked.
"Well, actually. How about you?"
"Alright, I guess."
"Your father-"
Raoul nodded. "He keeps on insisting that this show will be the end of me or something."
"That's crazy!"
"I know! He's so superstitious now! He used to laugh at the thought of ghosts, now its been giving him so much stress, especially on his heart."
"Mm. Oh well."
"Yeah, oh well indeed, because if he dies, I'll be laughing my ass off." Raoul chuckled.
"Raoul! He's your father!" Audrey yelled.
"Exactly! Why shouldn't I be saying these things?"
"I don't think you know how much you really care about him." Audrey said putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll stop now. I'm sorry, I just can't take how much he hates you."
"Don't let that upset you. You, Raoul have an opera to open next week, and you can't let your father's nagging interfere. Understand?"
Raoul nodded. The two lovers shared a small kiss.
"I have to go now, I need to settle some finances and stuff like that."
"Alright, see you later then?"
Raoul nodded, and left.
At the de Chagny residence, Leblanc and the older Raoul were drinking some tea.
"What seems to be the problem, Leblanc?" older Raoul asked.
"Its Annabelle, she doesn't love me." Leblanc admitted.
"Why do you still go after her, when you could have basically have any girl in all of Paris?" Raoul took a sip of his tea.
"She isn't any girl. She's Annabelle Girard!"
"That's what they all say," Raoul said, "damn Christine." he whispered to himself
"Who's Christine?"
"A dreadful memory, my friend. You still want this Girard girl?
Leblanc nodded.
"And she still continues to ignore you/yell at you?"
Leblanc nodded again.
"Then forget her. You don't want to love people from the stage, they're a bit bizarre."
"Annabelle isn't bizarre! She's not like that!"
"Then how come she still rejects you?" Raoul said, grinning.
"Shut up!" Leblanc yelled.
"You still want her?"
Leblanc nodded. "If I can't have her, no one will."
"Alright then. From what I hear, she is to star in the new opera-"
"You mean The Vengeance of-?"
"Yes that one!" Raoul yelled like a child. "You could kill her then."
"Why?"
"For a more dramatic flare. Now, I want you to go to the opera and propose to her again, and if she says yes, forget what I have told you today. If not, then she will be killed."
"Good. I like it." Leblanc said, giving a disgusting grin.