Chapter Eight: But It's Plain To See
"Your . . ." Erik trailed off. Whatever he had expected, this was the farthest from his imagination!
Gerard nodded, "Yes, shortly after Charles was born, his father died, leaving my mother alone with an infant. He was around five when our mother met my father, and re-married. I came shortly after."
Erik stood, the anger and sadness seeping out through every pore of his body as he stalked to the window and stared out into the snow. His hands fisted themselves up and relaxed numerous times as he attempted to bring his rage under control at this startling new revelation.
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In the drawing room, Marie and Christine had settled into a comfortable camaraderie as Marie recounted events of Erik's earliest childhood. Christine sat poised, her curiosity evident as her eyes widened at some of the more outrageous stories.
"I can't believe Erik could have caused that much mischief," Christine sighed, even as she knew that Marie was leaving out some of the finer points of Erik's childhood. "They were lucky to have such a good friend as you, Madame."
"Marie, please, my dear, call me Marie."
Christine nodded and blushed, "Marie."
"I take it Erik has not told you much about his childhood then?"
Christine shook her head as she spoke, "No, he's strangely quiet about a lot of his past. I do know some things . . ." she trailed off, her hands spreading in a gesture of supplication, "I know he and his mother did not get along well, that he ran away at a rather young age. And I know I look very much like her."
"Yes, you do resemble Madeleine a great deal, yet you have an inner glow that in later years, she lacked. I'm very much afraid that she did not treat Erik well, and yet, the night he ran away would have changed everything for her. After he was gone, she talked about him incessantly, something Erik steadfastly refuses to believe. She always hoped that she could find him, that he would return in time for her to show him her change of heart, for her to show him that she had, indeed come to love him. He did eventually return, but it was too late, she had died three days prior."
Christine's face fell, realizing just how different Erik's last few years could have been if he had only returned sooner.
"And yet, now that the two of you are here, I feel like I will worry less about him. Because now I can see that he has found the love he was so long denied."
Christine blushed now as the smile returned to her face. "Then you did worry about him all these years."
"Yes, I did, even though I could never tell anyone. After he was born, the village shunned Madeleine, and to some extent me as well, as I continued my friendship with her. My mother wouldn't hear anything about it; she tried to pretend the house at the edge of the village did not exist."
Christine's frown returned for thought of the injustices of Erik's past.
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Erik stood unmoving before the window, fearing that his rage would totally overtake him now that he knew that he had been denied once again.
Gerard rose to his feet and stood a few steps behind Erik, full aware of the rage that was coursing through the younger man.
"I should have handled that better. I had not known who you were at first, not until I heard your last name, and asked about your father."
"Does your wife know of our . . . relation?"
"No, I didn't have a chance to tell her. I will likely discuss it with her tonight. I never thought that . . . Erik, I only met your mother once, and that was at her wedding. Your father and I had separated after our mother's death, I was but twelve, and he nineteen, already a man of the world. I had heard that your mother was pregnant, but after he died, I never heard any more. I fear I assumed you dead as well. Until tonight, that is."
Erik's hands balled into fists again and a gain as he tried to assuage his irrational anger toward this startling revelation. "All these years, believing myself to be without a blood tie in the world, only to find out now . . ." he whispered hoarsely. He finally rounded on Gerard, his uncle, and the full measure of anger shone through the eyes behind the mask, his tone accusatory, "And what would you have done if you had known, Monsieur? More likely you would have been like all the rest, like her!"
Gerard took a step back before composing himself, "I can not say what I would have done, Erik. I would like to think I would have shown some care to you, but I know I was a selfish boy, never caring for anyone, really. I can not now say what would have been then, all I can do is try to rectify the future, to perceive things as they are now, and try to be the man I now aspire to be. To claim that I have a nephew, now that I do know." Gerard paused, stepped forward, and laid a gentle hand on Erik's shoulder, then watched as Erik's fists relaxed at the unaccustomed show of emotion. "I wish to help you in the way I could not help my brother. I couldn't even bring myself to attend his funeral. Now perhaps I can right the wrong that I did all those years ago. All I have left is you, and Marie. I had two sons by my late wife, both of whom died at a young age. There is no one else, and I've always desperately craved to have family around. Yes, Erik, even family such as yourself. We all wear masks of one form or another, my boy, yours is merely more obvious. Your face does not scare me, for it's in your heart that true beauty lies, something that Marie took great pains over these past ten years to teach me."
Gerard could see the glimmer of a tear behind the mask, as one formed in his own eyes. "Let me show you the meaning of family, my boy. Run no more from your past, as I know you have been running your whole life. Don't disappear now that we've found each other, now that we've discovered we have a tie in the world yet. Allow me to be an uncle to you, and to your children one day, for I have no doubt you and your young lady are in love and will eventually have children. Let me do this one pure thing, with no strings attached for you to worry over, Erik. Allow me that peace."
Erik stood dumbstruck before his uncle, before slowly nodding his assent.
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Later that evening, Erik sat in the guest room he had been assigned, looking down at his hands in awe.
The killing rage had been strong within him that night, and he had managed to ignore it. It had occurred to him just how rare that had been in his lifetime.
'These hands, a murderer's hands. This face, this monster's face. And yet this man I do not know from Adam has accepted me, no questions asked, no strings attached. When was the last time that had happened?'
Giovanni had known at a glance what he was, of that he had always been sure, and yet for two years, he had felt the kind of acceptance he felt tonight. That unconditional opening of doors, something he had so rarely encountered in his fifty years.
'Oh, how would my life have been different if it could have been this way all those years ago?'
And yet, he could not find the regret he knew should be there. For he knew that if he had not run away from home, spent time with the Gypsies, and without that, he would never have met Giovanni that day at the building site, and surely, if he had never met Giovanni, he would not have set to work on the Opera house and would never have met Christine!
His mind latched on that one thought, and slowly the realization came to him that if it had not been for the sadness, he would never have found the ecstatic joy he felt at a mere look from Christine.
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"He's what?" Marie asked in surprise as Gerard sat across from her in their bed that night.
Gerard sighed, glad she hadn't screamed at the thought as he had feared she might. "My nephew, Marie. Erik is my nephew."
Marie gasped in shock, as her hand flew once more to her withered breast. "Gerard, if Erik is your nephew, how come you never spoke of him before?"
"I told you of my brother, if you'll remember, but I had no idea that his child still lived, Marie. And apparently neither of us put together that my brother had married your childhood friend."
"You merely called him Charles, Gerard, you do realize just how many men there are in this world with that name?"
"Of course I do."
"How is it possible, though?"
"Charles was my half-brother, Marie. We shared a mother, but his father died when he was an infant. Then, our mother met my father. It is not so uncommon, you know."
"Yes, I know my darling, I just never imagined that Erik . . . what do you intend to do? Are you going to tell him?"
"I already did," Gerard answered simply.
"You already . . ."
"Yes."
"And how did he take the news?"
"Not well at first, but now he seems resigned. Marie, there is something else we need to discuss."
Marie paled, almost as if she sensed what was coming. "What is that?"
Gerard glanced at his hands momentarily before his eyes returned to his wife. "I promised Erik I would help him with his marriage to Mademoiselle Daae."
Marie sighed, "Why should I expect you would do different, Gerard? I know well how you feel about family, how much you miss having your family."
"Then you do not disapprove?"
"Would it make much difference?"
"Doubtful," Gerard answered honestly as he reached out for Marie's hands and encircled them with his own. "I need to make amends to Charles, and to Erik for denying him family all these years, Marie."
"I understand, my darling," Marie replied simply as Gerard reached out to draw her into his arms.
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Christine found sleep did not come easy that night, as she tossed and turned through the night. Dawn came slowly, and she resigned herself to a sleepless night as she climbed out of the comfortable bed and started getting ready for the day.
She looked around the beautiful guest room, and realized why it was she had slept so poorly. Even in their time at the inn in Boscherville, she had known Erik was nearby, even if he refused to sleep in the bed with her on those nights.
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"Traveling is one thing, Christine, but I refuse to take the chance of ruining your reputation here."
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He had been so stout in his decision, even though she knew he longed for the way it had been while they were on the road as much as she did.
'In due time, Christine, in due time,' she reminded herself as she washed.
She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was only a matter of time, and she would be Erik's wife. The thought thrilled her to no end.
Her reverie was interrupted shortly by a soft knocking on the door. She fastened the last button on her dress and drew herself away from the mirror. She opened the door to find Erik, leaning gracefully on the doorjamb. Christine smiled at the sight of him, and stepped back to allow him into the room.
Erik moved with his usual cat-like grace into the room, and waited for her to close the door, which she did quickly, and moved to embrace him.
"We have some things to talk about, Christine," Erik said simply as he kissed the top of her head.
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Author's Notes: Glad to see everyone liked my little surprise, may I say it was a surprise for me as well, I hadn't known I was going to do that until I had Erik and Gerard in the room together in the end of the last chapter.
As for Marie's and Gerard's ages . . . I did a little calculating. I based this phic off of Kay, and we know from both Kay and Leroux that the bulk of the Erik/Christine story happened in 1881. (I'm placing this phic somewhere in Nov-Dec 1881) Based on information found throughout Kay's book, that would put Madeline's year of birth somewhere in 1814, and I am assuming Marie was the same age as they went to school together, which would make Marie in 1881 around 67. For Gerard, I went on the fact that Charles was fifteen years older than Madeline (and Marie) and placed Gerard as being seven years younger than Charles, making him eight years older than Marie, which would mean he is 75. This is not all that impossible, even in 1881 France. Unlikely, maybe, but then again if I'm not mistaken, Queen Victoria of England, who would have been ruling about this time period, lived to nearly 100. Just my two cents.
All of you have been so wonderful in your reviews! You're really making me enjoy posting this story even more. I'm currently working on chapter nine now, hopefully I'll have it ready within a few days.
And as a final note, just to let those of you know that if you add me to author alerts (the option is there in the little drag down menu where the submit review button is) you can, and as I have support services it will work even if you don't!
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