Happy New Year to all of my readers! I was going to get this chapter out earlier today but I swear that there was a plot not to let me. Our long awaited reunion is just around the corner but not quite yet.

Chapter 38

Erik and Thevenet settled into their seats in a first class compartment on the Paris bound train. Erik had almost forgotten how lush the Norman countryside could be even in the winter, especially compared to the more arid region around Madison. The French sky was far smaller and more overcast than even the winter Colorado sky, and of course, the Norman hills were far gentler and lower than the towering and cragged Rockies that surrounded Madison. Still, in the past Erik never realized how beautiful that his homeland really was. Perhaps it was because when he lived there he was never given the freedom to enjoy such mundane things. He had an artist's appreciation for the beauty of the land as the train meandered towards Paris. As they sat together in the compartment, conversing about the situation, Erik told Thevenet how he came to be in France at this time. He explained everything to the Minister, what de la Croix had told him about the murders, Raoul and Christine's notes to him, and even about Simone and her betrayal of him to Philippe. Erik then told Francois about his whole misadventure in America, leaving out a few sordid details such as the ease with which he killed Marcus and Lamar. Although both killings were in self-defense, Erik was not overly proud of his ability to kill. Erik realized that he had changed a great deal over the past few years and wallowing in blood had lost what little appeal that it ever held for him.

When he was the Angel of Death in Persia, and then the Phantom of the Opera, Erik did not feel great pain at the prospect of ending someone's life, but Christine's kiss had indelibly altered that part of him. After Christine had made her choice, Erik made his own, to end the insanity that had once almost consumed him. His most recent experience had proven to him that he had vanquished the monster inside of him at last. He had still killed but only in self-defense. For the first time, he did not have to beg for people to come to his aid. People wanted to help him. He felt very grateful to the change in his life, perhaps he could find happiness at last. Francois had been aghast when he found out that Lamar degraded Erik in such a manner as to put him on display. Thevenet admitted that he had visited such fairs and did not enjoy them. After a while, they changed the subject and spoke about more mundane matters. Thevenet told him more about the Boulangist movement, recent French social and political events and also about his family.

On the train ride they had become very friendly to one another. Erik felt that Thevenet understood the situation and was very sympathic. Francoois told Erik that he would be more than happy to assist him directly should his intervention be required. In return, Erik promised the Justice Minister his full cooperation in uncovering any evidence that might both shed some light on the case and help the government mop up the remaining coup plotters. Earlier in the day when Erik had been a prisoner, he never would have believed that the situation would turn around so completely and he would have the resources of the French government on his side. He had never planned for this scenario, and he would have to rethink how to bring down the Comte. He could no longer sacrifice himself to do it. It was, of course, a good development; but it also meant that the Comte's actions would no longer be overt. That made whatever new mischief that the Comte might plan harder for Erik to detect and defend against. On the other hand, if Erik was more in the dark about Philippe then the opposite was true as well. Erik planned on keeping his guard up against whatever Philippe might do. Erik had confidence that he would somehow face it and beat whatever was planned. By early evening they had arrived at the Gare du Montparnasse. Erik thanked Francois for his help and a new police escort brought them all the way to the Hotel Scribe. At that point, the gendarmes were told to wait in the lobby while Francois and Erik went up to Nadir's room. They knocked on the door and Darius answered.

Darius looked curiously at Erik, who was still dressed like a gendarme, and told him. "I almost did not recognize you Erik. I never thought that I would see you dressed in one of those uniforms. I would have expected to find you surrounded by gendarmes instead."

Erik replied wryly "That was the fate that de Chagny had in store for me, but it would appear that Christine and little Meg Giry had other designs."

Nadir and Squelch walked into the room right behind Erik and Francois and for a moment they did not recognize him. "Have you changed professions doostam?" Nadir asked.

Erik replied sardonically "Hardly, I am not sure that the gendarmerie is well disposed towards me, thanks to Philippe. But I do think that, for now, we finally hold the upper hand. It would appear that my brother intervened on my behalf due to some persuasion on my behalf from both Christine and Meg Giry."

Nadir looked at Erik "Is this your brother?"

Erik looked at his companion "I beg your pardon Monsieur le Ministre I have been remiss in not introducing you. Gentlemen may I present the Minister of Justice Monsieur Francois Thevenet. He has directly involved himself in our little situation here. They sat down for a few minutes where Erik and Francois explained how Erik had come to be released and exonerated.

When they were done Erik asked "Where is Simone? Francois is going to detain her for questioning. He has brought some men with him to take her back to the gendarmerie."

"She is under guard in the McGraw suite next door. That female Pinkerton that you brought over has been a godsend. She has kept her under lock and key since we left the ship. Apparently she does not like Simone." Nadir told him.

"Have you gone down to my lair to see if Christine is still there?" Erik asked.

"I have not. Since we had only just arrived when your telegram was waiting and we knew that you were on your way, we have saved that job for you. I did not want to fall into one of your old traps by making a wrong turn in the labyrinth." Nadir added. "Who knows what they are still capable of doing."

Erik smiled thoughtfully "True, I have not been back since that night. I am sure that most of them still work, but hopefully not my maze. I'm glad that I never had a chance to deactivate them since Christine was forced to seek shelter there."

He looked to Francois "I do not want to detain you further I am sure that your wife will wonder what has become of you. Nadir will accompany you and your men next door while I make myself a bit more, well like myself. I would like to thank you for your help and I will certainly turn over any evidence that we come across directly to you. Hopefully we will wrap this whole matter up quickly."

"Let me know if you need any further assistance Erik. It has truly been a pleasure. You are a most fascinating man." Francois told him.

"Thank you." replied Erik politely, he shook the Minister's hand firmly.

Nadir left to escort Thevenet first to the lobby to summon the gendarmes, and then to the McGraw suite to arrest Simone. He was happy to be done with the task of guarding her.

Erik turned to Squelch "I hope that you still have my prosthesis and wig. It seems as if you are always carrying them for me these days." He added wryly.

"Yes of course I have done as you said. I followed behind at a safe distance until we got here. I rode on the same train as the gendarmes that first detained you. They were not all pleased with the outcome. I could see that Captain eying me and he looked rather distressed" Squelch told him.

"Which is why I asked you to remain with me for at least another day or so as my bodyguard." Erik told him. "I prefer you to a swarm of gendarmes. You have proven that I can trust you."

"You have my word that I will protect you as long as you are in danger. You gave me back my Roberta, and that is all that matters to me. She and I spent a lot of time together on the ship and want to get married when we head back to the US. I hope that you will attend our wedding with Christine." Squelch told him.

Erik was greatly touched by the invitation. He had never before been invited to a wedding. He had over the years heard many people get invited to such events, but never him. No one wanted him around for anything, especially not a festive event. He could not help but to think of that New Year's Masquerade nine years before where he could hear various people celebrating his six month 'absence' from the opera house. To his dismay at the time, even Christine and Antoinette had celebrated the fact that he had been gone. Of course he did not want to dwell upon such matters. He promised Squelch that he would try to attend. Squelch then went into another room, and then came out and handed him back his prosthetic mask and wig. Erik changed into evening wear and then donned them. He felt relief that he no longer had to reveal his face to anyone. The makeshift half-mask opened him up to too much danger. Thevenet had apprised him of the ill-will that was still attached to the image of the Phantom of the Opera and he did not want to appear looking like his old self, particularly so close to the opera house itself. He decided to go there right away to ascertain whether or not Christine was still at the opera house. If she were truly there waiting for him, he did not want to wait another moment to see her.

He told Squelch "Tell Nadir and George that I am going to attend the Opera tonight. It starts in less than an hour. I have decided to walk right in by myself, like a regular customer, and find my way down to the lair. I doubt that anyone will recognize me. The few that know that I am in France would not expect me to appear there so blatantly."

"Since I am watching over you, shouldn't I go with you?" Squelch asked.

"No offense Seamus, but you are not exactly inconspicuous. I have no one to attend the opera with tonight that would not put me or Gustave at some risk. I have Gustave staying with McGraw specifically to keep his true identity a secret. Unlike on the ship, there are people here who might discover Gustave's true identity if George were to be seen anywhere near me. Nadir is also not an option. He was once well known as a suspected associate of the Phantom."

He took Squelch over to a window from which he could see the Rue Scribe entrance to the opera. "You see that doorway? That will be the way that I will be leaving the opera house. Keep watch over it. If you see anyone or anything unusual there please take care of it."

"I will keep you safe Erik." Squelch promised.

"I know. Erik replied. "Tell Nadir where I have gone. If all goes well I should be back once the performance has concluded, hopefully I won't be alone."

Erik left the room and went across the street to the opera house. He strode right up to the box office and purchased a ticket for the first time ever. The ticket seller did not even bat an eye when he did so. With his prosthetic face he was not going to be mistaken for the half masked Phantom of the Opera. The prosthetic showed a few nicks and scrapes from the rough way in which it had travelled, but the wig covered up the most of the damage to it. As Erik entered and observed the gilt and marble halls before him, he could not help but to be a little nostalgic for the old days. It was in this very building, ten years before, that he had realized that he loved Christine. This building held many memories both good and bad. The memories of those long ago events would always live inside of him, and were a part of who he still was, even if he had retired the Phantom. Ironically, the performance was Hannibal. He listened to a competent, but not inspired, diva sing the role that had once transformed Christine from a chorus girl to a diva. He couldn't help but to wonder whether or not the cosmos had picked that particular performance to haunt his memories. He closed his eyes as the diva sang Christine's aria transporting himself back to that long ago day.

Think of me, think of me fondly when we've said goodbye…

His eyes misted as he thought about all that had ensued from that moment. It had been the night that he had decided to reveal himself to Christine. He had known that he could not masquerade as an angel forever and arranged a true meeting with her. When the aria was over he decided to use the restroom and then an old trapdoor to descend into his old lair.

While inside the restroom he encountered Firmin, who looked at him strangely. "Do I know you Monsieur you remind me of someone but I cannot place you?"

Erik smiled cordially and replied in the worst American accent that he could muster "No parlay Francese Mon Soure. English?"

Firmin replied "I am sorry Sir I know very little English."

Erik could have attended the opera even if her wearing a white half mask and as Erik Destler, and the managers could scarcely do anything about it. He was no longer a wanted man and was under the protection of the Minister of Justice. Still, he did not want anyone to know his identity just yet. He was pleased that his disguise had held. While Erik had never stood so close to Firmin in the past, much could give still him away if Firmen were observant, his height and voice had not changed. But he was not the skeletal creature that he had been when he was the Opera Ghost. He was just as agile as he had been, despite being in his forties. He still knew how to walk and not make a sound, and disappear into the shadows. That was a skill that he had used all of his life and he made use of it once more.

After Firmin left the room Erik went outside and listened. He overheard him speaking to Andre. "I ran into a strange American in the washroom. He reminded me of you know who."

Andre looked at him and rolled his eyes "You think everyone is him. Until recently, we had almost eight years without a sighting and suddenly you claim to see him first in the kitchens, then you wondered about the Vicomte de Rennes, and now in the washroom. Perhaps you should get some help. The creature is either likely dead or long gone despite the headlines. If he were still alive he would definitely have made his presence clearly known. He would never resist telling us what to do about the opera."

Firmin mused "A part of me almost wishes that he were still here if he would forgo the murders, kidnappings, and cutting down chandeliers. Much of what he wanted was good advice. He might have been a lunatic but there is no doubt that he knew much about Opera, and how to run this theatre. We have run this place for ten years now and it is still running less smoothly than it did when he was here, despite his distractions."

Andre replied "Yes but he is back in the news. It is hard to believe that he killed Christine Daae. That was one person that I would never have expected for him to hurt…"

"We better go in the lights are flashing. Firmin told him.

"Are you sure that it is time to do so? Perhaps it is the opera ghost trying to send a message to you once again. Perhaps you should grab an Ouija board and hold a séance." Andre teased.

"Very funny." Firmin replied impatiently "But I tell you that someday you will find that he is still here."

Erik listened to every word and was amused by much of it. Perhaps when the danger has passed he could play a trick or two on them for old time sake. He would not want to disappoint Firmin. When the restroom was emptied he opened a trap door and slipped through. He saw that one of his old torches was still there but it had not been used in a long time. The corridor was covered in cobwebs and dust. A single rat scurried across his path. He had forgotten how dark cold and damp that his old home could get. He had not shown Christine this particular path because it would have been inappropriate for her to end up in the men's washroom. He doubted that anyone had entered this particular tunnel in years. He walked slowly to make sure that it was still stable. The ground below might have shifted over the years and without him to maintain them they could be a little perilous.

Erik thought about the past as he made his way down. The aria that he had just heard reminded him how sure he had once been that he could win Christine's love, only to have the boy come back into her life on the same day. He had prepared for everything to be absolutely perfect, and romantic. He even composed a song for her. He knew how much that she loved his voice, but in the end, despite all of his hopes and preparation, he could not perfect his face. Like everyone else, she had to know what lay behind the mask. It ruined all of his carefully laid plans to woo his angel. It had taken him months to summon the courage to reveal himself to her and only moments for everything to go so badly.

At the end of the labyrinth he took a pathway to his house, the same one that he had used to escape after the fire. It was one of the few where he did not have to use the gondola to gain entrance to his house. He could see his old house up ahead, and inside there were lights. He hoped to find Christine there waiting for him. His heart raced in anticipation of the long awaited event.

"Christine" he whispered. He could hear his voice echo over and over again. How could he have forgotten that he had created certain places where his voice could echo as one of his traps. It was meant to scare the intruder away by letting him believe that the ghost was nearby and mocking them. A moment later a woman leapt out with a derringer in her hand. She was lithe, like a dancer, but she was not Christine. He immediately recognized her as Meg Giry or the Baronesse de Castelot-Barbezac as she was now styled. She looked older and wiser but she still was recognizable as his old friend's daughter.

He removed his derby hat and bowed to her gracefully. "Little Giry don't you recognize me? Is Christine here as well?" He asked, hopefully.

"Who are you and how did you get here?" She asked in a shaky and mistrustful voice.

Erik laughed his rich tenor voice was laced with amusement "I could ask you the same thing Baronesse, but I suppose that I do have you at a disadvantage. You look the same as ever. Underneath your layer of false bravado, you have same look of fear in your eyes that you have always shown me. Do you even know how to use that weapon? If not I suggest that you put it down before you hurt someone with it, most likely you."

A slow dawning of understanding came across Meg's face and she did indeed lower the gun. She recognized his eyes the same eyes as his brother's and she could see that there was some sort of material over his face. She lowered the derringer.

"Erik?" she asked tentatively. "My God it is you! You look so different than you did before."

"How would you know? You feared me too greatly to come close enough to see my face back in the old days. Trust me when I tell you that the years have not been any kinder to me. Beneath my prosthetic I look the same, hideous." He admitted wryly.

For a moment she shuddered as she remembered the only time that she saw what was beneath his mask. It was a face that one would hope to see only in nightmares.

Erik caught the slight aura of fear he chuckled softly "You need not be afraid of me Marguerite, I have known you since you were born, and at times, at your mother's behest, I would watch over you to keep you safe from the other less obvious monsters haunting this place. I was never the only one. Still, you always feared me when I was the Phantom of the Opera. You were always the first of the ballet rats to scream when I came near."

"Forgive me Erik, I know that now. I was very young and immature back then. My mother later told me how much you had done for us over the years. I am most thankful to you for all of it." She told him.

Erik smiled benignly "I would never have harmed the daughter of my surrogate mother. Nadir informed me that she is dead. I hope that her death was both peaceful and painless. I have missed her much over the years. At times I was tempted to send for her, to ask both of you to pay a visit to an old friend but I was not sure of my reception. I did so many regrettable things back then and your mother bore the brunt of most of them. "

Meg replied sadly "She died in her sleep a year ago, very peacefully, but she would have loved to see you one more time before she did. She loved you as much as she loved Christine and I. Still she understood why you would turn your back on the past and respected that decision."

"Did she ever say anything else to you about me?" he asked gently.

She looked at him and smiled "She told me a great deal of things about you, mostly about the good that existed in you just below the surface. She claimed that down beneath your hard exterior that you had one of the kindest hearts of anyone that she had ever known. She begged me to promise that if you ever had need of me, I should help you."

He looked at her in surprise, but then mused mournfully "She always did see the good inside of me, even when I couldn't see it myself. She was a good friend. I'm not sure that I ever told her that. At the time I was too wrapped up in my own problems to think of anyone else and to thank her for all that she did."

Meg looked at him "She knew how you felt about her. Her only regret was talking you out of taking Christine with you to America. She thought that Christine was too immature to know her own heart, and would regret leaving Raoul to travel with you into the unknown with the police on your trail. After you sent Maman a great deal of money, she knew that you had done alright over there. You gave her enough to live on for the rest of her life. She was very proud of you."

"I put her out of a job, for a while, with my insane need to possess Christine and to control this theatre. I have had many years to think of my actions at that time. For most of them I cannot find one redeeming unselfish action at all." He told her guiltily, adding "I am still surprised even with your promise to your Maman that you would want to help me at all. I was truly a monster when I haunted this place. My actions were reprehensible."

"You judge yourself too harshly, just as Maman told me. There was much good in what you did back then, as well as the bad. You gave Christine her voice and the confidence to use it. You watched over many of us including me to make sure that we were safe. We all found out later how dangerous Joseph Buquet truly was. Your 'suggestions' to the managers were usually correct ones. This place has not been the same since you gave up on haunting it." She told him.

A ghost of a smile showed on his lips "Not quite, I ran into Firmin in the washroom. He told me that I looked familiar to him but he couldn't quite place me. Apparently I still haunt this place, at least a little bit."

Meg giggled "Perhaps you should have scared him. It would have been amusing to see his face."

Erik smiled and observed lightly "I'm a father these days. I have outgrown most of my pranks. I have to set a good example for Gustave."

Meg shot him a relieved look "Then de la Croix did find you and bring Gustave to you. Christine was worried, especially after she found out that de la Croix had been murdered."

"She did not suspect me of doing it did she?" Erik asked.

"No, of course not." Meg replied. "Both of us believed that you were innocent all along. Christine even testified on your behalf."

"Yes. I know." Erik replied softly "I am not pleased with that. She was taking an unacceptable risk of discovery, as you are now, by being here, Meg Giry." He chided. "How did my brother get involved with this matter?"

"Christine and I went into your room and saw what you had put on the coffin." She told him.

Erik sighed "I suppose that it was a little morbid of me to sleep in a coffin, but at the time I truly thought that no one would care enough about me to bury me."

"As if my mother would have not of cared, or your Persian friend? You were never alone Monsieur le Fantome." She told him.

"You sound a lot like your mother little Giry. But I am still not sure that contacting my brother was a wise idea. My family had little use for me when I was a child." He admonished.

"We were worried about you. The Comte de Chagny had been spreading terrible lies about you, and we were afraid that you would step off the ship into an ambush." She told him.

"I was ambushed several times, including the time when I got off the ship. Henri's friend did rescue me from the gendarmes. Now I fear that Philippe will try something worse that will endanger either Christine or Gustave or both. It is not worth saving a monster like me, if it would cost either one of them their lives, or yours, for that matter." Erik told her.

"Thank you for your concern, and for your selflessness in wishing to sacrifice your own safety for ours. It makes me even more resolute in helping you. I know now that you were never a monster, even back then. We blamed everything on you but we were unfair to you. Don't you dare try to deny it" She admonished.

"Again you sound like your mother. Changing the subject, you never answered my first question where is Christine?" he queried. "Obviously she is not here."

"She is safe. Henri took her to Brittany, to your family Chateau. Henri promised us that she would be safe there." Meg told him.

He gave her a stricken look "If my mother is still alive then it is not safe there. If she knows that Christine is my intended she could be tempted to harm her. She is not a stable woman. She hates every fiber of my being. She is the one who brought the gypsies down on me" he stopped and stared off like a zombie. For a moment he was overcome with anxiety.

Meg was afraid for him. Before she knew it she put her arms around him and comforted him like a child. "It is alright Erik. Your brother is a very kind and competent man. He truly cares about you and wants to make amends for the past. He will keep Christine safe. He promised me. Christine wired me earlier and asked me to come here to wait for you. She knows that you are coming for her and she wanted me to let you know where she is and how to find her."

"My brother should bring her here, back to me. I can protect her once she is with me. I brought a number of trusted people with me to help me protect both her and Gustave." Erik told her anxiously.

"No Erik she claimed that he was very specific he wanted you to come to your Chateau." He claims that it is his one request. It is his one expectation for helping you." She told him.

"Why? Because he wants to trap me, and take me out of the picture so he might inherit everything? He can have it. He doesn't need me to come, for me to sign it over to him. I would gladly do so. I live in America and do not need a title, and I am wealthy in my own right. Your mother was right I did extremely well in America."

"He is not asking that you abdicate your claim. In fact it was he who insisted on making sure that you were recognized as the Comte de Rennes. His wife is the daughter of a Duke, and he too has little need for the wealth. He gave me the impression that he wants to make amends for all of the wrongs done to you. Give him a chance." She pleaded.

"You believe this person. Why should it be so important to him? No one has ever cared about either me or the wrongs done to me up until now. Why would he care? I let him believe that I was dead for many years. He must know that I had no intention of making a claim." He told her.

"Perhaps he just wants to know you. He seems like a good person Erik. He resembles you in many ways." she told him.

He looked away from her "I don't know Meg. He is her son and my father's too. They raised him think of me as a monster, not a man."

"But you are the child of the same people and yet you mean him no harm. Why can you not give him the benefit of the doubt?" she asked.

"Because if you are wrong then Christine and I, and maybe even Gustave, will be in more danger than before. My mother is many things but stupid is not one of them." He told her.

She thought about the brilliance of both Erik and Henri. "I can see that, Erik, in both you and Henri. But please give him a chance. Christine is waiting for you in Brittany."

"Will you come with us then? Christine might need a friend. I am travelling with a large entourage. You would make another fine addition to it." He asked.

"If you need me to Erik, I will do so happily. I stayed behind to wait for you." she told him.

"Well I am here. In the meantime let me see you home safely tonight. You should not be out here alone at night." He told her.

"My driver is nearby." She informed him.

"Despite that I will accompany you home and can return via a hansom." He insisted.

Erik took a few minutes to look around his old home. He could make out a faint scent of Christine. The first time that he could do so in a long time. She had restored it to a semblance of what it was. It was at least neat and tidy despite the obvious damage from the mob. For a moment he sat at the seat of his organ and touched its keys like caressing an old and dear friend.

Meg observed "Christine said that you used to call it sweet music's throne. It was the seat of your kingdom down here."

He closed his eyes in remembrance and then played a chord. He turned to her and told her "It is horribly out of tune but still functions. Perhaps it is a bit like me, in need of some attention to sharpen the good inside of its damaged interior. Let us depart from my former kingdom and leave it behind. This may be my last visit here ever. I have chosen to dwell upon the future not the past. This place holds some great memories for me, but it was also my self-imposed prison. "

He took a last look around and blew out the candles and then they both departed.