A/N: Hello, my friends! Here is chapter thirty-six. I apologize so much for the lack-of-good-writing in this chapter. I just sort of zipped through it. Yes, by the end of the chapter you can probably guess that the ending is indeed in sight. Very soon 'A Fallen Rose' will not be updated any longer :)

Enjoy! Despite my frightfully under-descriptive writing!

{R.D.}

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX—

This had not been Raoul's intention. He had never wanted to hurt Christine. He had never wanted to do anything to her. Everything had gotten out of hand. But now there was no reversing it. Everybody had done things shameful. Everybody wanted to erase their sins.

But none did so much as Raoul.

Now, he thought back of when Christine loved him. Where he held her in his arms and the two were engaged. Then, everything was perfect. Everything would have gone well, and he and Christine could be living happily at this very moment. If only one thing had not gotten in their way.

Erik.

He had ruined everything. He was the reason everybody was being pushed to their limits. Were he gone, it would all be at peace. He would have a loving wife, and friends. And perhaps he could of fixed things with Jade.

But now everything was broken beyond repair.

And it was that damned Erik's entire fault.

Raoul grimaced. There wasn't anything he could do anymore. He couldn't save Christine. Now she was imprisoned. Taken over by Erik. By that beast. Such a dark angel, he was.

And now Christine was hurt. She had lost her child, and could have been dying.

Outside the door, Raoul heard scuttling about. Who could that be? He asked himself. He stood and went toward the door. He flung the door open, to see Jade halfway down the hall.

"Jade!" He called behind her.

Jade turned and once seeing Raoul, scowled. She ran toward him, "What do you want?"

"What are you doing?"
Jade did not look at Raoul. "Looking for someone."

"Who?"

Jade stared at Raoul, he eyes cutting into him, "I wouldn't think you'd care, so long as I'm away from you."

Raoul sighed, "Sister-"

"Please." Jade interrupted, holding up her hand, "I have not intention of any sort of reconciliation. Nor of speaking with you now. Good evening." She turned on her heels and began to run away, but Raoul grabbed her shoulders.

"Damn it, Jade, stop running away from me!"

Jade turned around to face Raoul, her hands tense at her side, "Running away from you? You think that's what I'm doing? I didn't run away from home, Raoul, you sent me away!" Her face was twisted in livid exasperation that Raoul had never seen before. And it startled him. "You sent me to the living hell where no matter what I said people thought I was insane. You sent me to a madhouse, because I found out the truth!"

Raoul sighed. For the first time he did not see his half-sister as that little girl that was so easy to manipulate. She was a woman. One who hated him with such forcefulness it was difficult to even comprehend. "Jade… please, come in." He gestured to his bedroom door. He opened it and waited for Jade to enter.

She walked into the room and faced him.

"Did you ever stop to think twice that perhaps I was afraid of the truth? Don't you see how we're all being pushed to the edge? Jade, if you can ever forgive me—"

"Forgive you?" Jade spat. "For the rest of my life the man Raoul DeChagney shall be spurned! You shall only be remembered to me as an insignificant bastard who sent me away from my family! Who destroyed all my teenage years! You will pay for what you did to me, and to our family, Raoul, I promise you that!"

"Jade—"

"How dare you even speak to me of forgiveness? After all the grief you have caused! After all the heartache and horror."

"Jade. You are my sister. We have hated one another in the past, but now more than ever both of us is in need of an ally. You do not need to forget the past… but if you could ever forgive me. If you could ever look at me as a brother. I am not the only one who has done unspeakable things, Jade. All of us have." Raoul reasoned.

Jade was silent for a moment. Finally, she looked up at Raoul. "You are not sorry." She was quietly. "You do not feel any remorse for the grief you have caused. You merely want to be forgiven so you can hurt us all again. You are willing to do anything so long as you remain rich and handsome, and lead a good life. Perhaps you are all those things in life Raoul, but in death you will be living in hell. As I was for three years."

"Jade—"

"You are a cursed man. Who will live a cursed afterlife. I can only free myself of you, to have any chance of salvation. You are not and never have been a brother to me. Nor a brother to Philippe. Philippe is my brother. He is kind and gentle, all that you are not."

Raoul stared at Jade for a moment. "You really think that of me, do you not?"

Jade began to back toward the door, "God help you Raoul. Because no man or woman could ever be capable of helping one so vile as you. You have hurt so many… will forever hurt. But… I forgive you. And I know Christine does, too. Just leave. Leave the opera and try to repent. Never turn back." Jade left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Raoul stood there for a moment, completely shocked. He went over and sat on his desk, a stunned expression still on his face. But one second later, he was face-down on his desk, sobbing. All of this was never suppose to happen. The cruelty of life and love had forced him into doing such sins. He himself was innocent. Wasn't he? Or was no man entirely innocent of anything? Was God ever really there? Had he just stood there and let Raoul—a man with such hopes and a good beginning in life—crumble?

Tears trickling down his cheeks, Raoul got out a piece of parchment, and began to write.

"Erik!" Christine ran into the lair, her eyes darting across the lair.

Erik came out from the other side, and immediately ran to Christine. He pulled her toward him, dipping her into an immediate kiss. "Christine, you're well?"

Christine nodded, "I just… I'm tired is all. How is Meg?"

Erik sighed, "Fine. She's always fussing over Izzy."

"How is Izzy?" Christine walked over to the cradle and picked up a half-asleep Isabelle. "She's growing."

Erik kissed Izzy's forehead, "She doesn't stop growing."

Izzy's green eyes opened and she stared at Erik for a moment. Her chubby hands reached out and touched Erik's unmasked face. "Da-ddy."

Erik smiled widely, "That's right, darling." He whispered, "I'm your daddy."

Christine smiled, and handed Izzy to Erik, "She loves you so much."

Erik saw Christine's watery smile and tear-stained face. "You'll have a child someday," He promised.

"Somehow… I don't think that's possible."

"You were under stress," Erik put Izzy back in her cradle and set his hand on her stomach gently. "That could have caused you to loose the baby. It doesn't mean that you're unable to have children."

Christine shook her head, her eyes not meeting Erik's, "I'm just tired."

"ERIK!" A voice boomed from the other side of the gate.

Christine turned to see Jade standing there.

"Jade?" Erik frowned. He pulled the lever, and Jade rushed in.

"Explain this to me!" She shoved the red envelope in his face. "I knew I'd seen you before…"

Erik grabbed the letter from Jade's hand. His voice was harsh, "Where did you get this?"

"Your desk."

"What the hell were you doing in my desk?"

Jade smirked, "It's a good thing I did, Erik. I knew I'd seen you someone before. And now I know."

"What are you two talking about?" Christine asked, bewildered.

"Yes, Erik. Show her." Jade said intimidatingly.

Erik looked between the two, without saying a word.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps running toward the lair. "Erik! Come quickly!" It was Meg. Tears were running down her face and she had a piece of parchment clutched in her hand. Meg flung herself into Christine's arms, sobbing.

"Meg? What is it?" Christine asked urgently.

Meg handed Christine the piece of parchment. Her voice was cracked and hot tears were unrelenting. "I-it's Raoul DeChagney. He's dead."

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