Chapter 19: Will this Saga Ever End?
A few months had passed since that night on the roof. Caroline and Guilliame were anxiously planning their wedding while Estella started school. Christine was trying to regain her life while going through the divorce and annulment process. Erik stood by her side the entire time. The Captain and Raoul were tried, convicted and sentenced. Those two weren't going to see the outside of a jail for a long time. Everything finally seemed to be going right in their lives.
"Don't say that!" Caroline screeched, hitting Adellina with a pillow. "But it's true!" the Italian said. "The last time I said that, my crazy ex-lover kidnapped my fiancé," Caroline said. "Jinx!" Olga cried, pointing at Adellina. "I am not a jinx," she retorted. "Yes you are. You just jinxed Caroline," the Gemini said. "Or maybe she just jinxed herself and would you two stop doing that?" Adair stated. "Stop doing what?" the Gemini asked, looking like the cats who ate the canary. Adair just sighed as Adellina squealed, "I did not jinx myself or Caroline. All I said was that everything seemed to be going right in their lives. I was just stating a fact!" She looked around, looking for support. "Double jinx," Marie-Antoinette said. Adellina collapsed on the couch.
"What was going on in here?" Tymara asked a laughing Carly. "Adellina and jinxes," Carly replied. Adellina's muffled "I am not" resounded through the room, causing the girls to break into a fresh bout of giggles. "Wonderful. We go on in an hour and you all have the giggles," Tymara said. "Oh, you would be laughing too if you were here," Adair said. "Yes, you would," the Gemini resounded. Adair grabbed another pillow off the couch and whacked both of them with it.
Adellina popped up from underneath her pillow. "But think about it, Caroline, what more could go wrong?" she asked. Caroline shrugged. "I don't know, but I just have feeling something bad is going to happen. Especially now that you said it again!" She hit the Italian singer with the pillow Adair had used on the Gemini. "Triple jinx," Olga simply stated. "Shut-up!" came Adellina's reply.
After the show, Caroline hailed a carriage ("Hail, Carriage!" a laughing and drunk patron said) and went back to her apartment. Guilliame was there, waiting for her. "How was it tonight?" he asked. "Alright," she answered. "Just alright?"
"Yes, considering all things. Like, the fact we were getting over a really bad case of the giggles before the show. And then the audience seemed to more drunk than usual. I hard Louis, who runs the bar, had to actually close it up before the completion of the first act."
"Giggles and an inebriated audience? Sounds like an adventurous night," Guilliame said. "Oh it was. Especially since Adellina jinxed us," Caroline said, coming out her bedroom.
She was wrapped up in a fluffy bathrobe, and Guilliame drew her into his arms. They both plopped down on the couch. "How did she jinx us?" he asked. "She said that everything seemed to be going fine in our lives," Caroline said. "Yes, and with that, Adellina has invited disaster into our lives," Guilliame said, amused by the whole thing. "Don't joke!" Caroline exclaimed. "The last time I thought that, Raoul broke loose from jail, tortured you and killed Jean and Christophe." Guilliame could see the worry in his fiancée's eyes. He gently kissed her. "Don't worry. What will happen will happen. So, want to tell me the whole story of those giggles?" Caroline smiled and started to recount the events that had occurred earlier.
A few days later, Caroline began to decorate her apartment for Christmas. Estella was eagerly putting up the lights, which meant in essence that she only managed to wrap herself in them. Caroline giggled and began to unwind her daughter, when a knock came at the door. One of her neighbors stood there, holding out a letter. "This came for you," she said. Caroline thanked her and looked at the return address. It was from her Aunt Veronique. She quickly opened the letter, fearing ill news of her uncle. The first lines soon eased this worry. Halfway through the letter, a new worry popped up.
"Joseph Blanc has stopped by here, looking for you. I fear he still carries a torch for you, my dear and wishes to follow through with your previous engagement. I tried to explain that you were engaged, but he would hear none of it. He is heading to Paris and I felt you should know dear."
Caroline finished the letter and called to her daughter. The two prepared to go out and quickly fled to the Lair, much to the little girl's delight. Erik quickly engaged the young girl by playing her some of his music.
"Joseph Blanc is coming here to Paris! Curse Adellina and her jinxes," Caroline cried. "Wait, who is Joseph Blanc and what does Adellina's jinx have to do with this?" Guilliame asked. He lead Caroline over to a chair so she could explain. "Joseph Blanc is best known as Monsieur Boring Jerk. "
"The other fiancé?"
"I didn't like him. He was highly educated and incredibly snotty because of it. He always talked about the most boring topics, ones I knew next to nothing about. He would never discuss music or opera—anything that interested me and that I knew about. We could never hold a single conversation. He felt that because he was university educated and a man, he knew more than me. I couldn't say one thing without him interrupting and injecting his opinion."
"So what does his visit have to do with Adellina's jinx?" Guilliame asked, gently. "According to my aunt, he is still a bachelor and still wants to marry me! Why, heaven only knows," Caroline explained. Guilliame hugged her, tightly. She added, "All because Venus has to go and fire off her mouth about us finally being happy."
"Nice job, Venus!" Elena said to Adellina. Olga threw Elisa's pillow at the Italian. All the dancers were in the Gemini's room, trying to calm a hysterical Caroline. Guilliame had done only so much before she had to leave for Le Cirque Boheme. "Belle, don't worry. You're engaged now to Guilliame. If Monsieur Boring Jerk can't accept it, tough," Marie-Antoinette said. "Nobody can blame me," Adellina said. They all looked at her. "Okay, maybe we can. But I didn't mean for anything bad to happen," she said. "I know, Venus," Caroline said. "Caroline, don't worry about him. You go out there and forget Joseph. Then go home and just continue planning your wedding to Guilliame," Tymara said. "Thanks Chocolate Countess," Caroline hugged her African friend.
After that night's show, Caroline and Carly remained on stage to talk to some of the patrons. One new patron walked up to the stage. "Caroline de Sainte," he said. Caroline stopped dead upon hearing that voice. She looked to see Joseph Blanc, dressed very finely, gray hairs starting to show amongst his black ones. She greeted him as politely as she could. "Why don't we go somewhere more private?" he asked, grabbing Caroline and dragging her to her dressing room. Once there, she made sure her door was slightly ajar, just in case.
"Your aunt didn't tell me you were working at a nightclub," he said. "You probably didn't ask," Caroline responded. "I thought you were working at L'Opera Populaire," Blanc simply stated. "I was. I decided I preferred this career," she said. "You would rather lower yourself with this profession?" he asked, grabbing her hands. "Let me take you away from this god-forsaken place. I can make an honest woman out of you; we were engaged once before. Don't you still have those same feelings for me?"
"Of course, Joseph. One cannot easily forget the contempt one feels for another." Caroline held out her left hand. "See? I am engaged now," she said. Joseph picked up his hat off her couch. "You can't keep up that charade any longer, Caroline," he said. "Good night."
The next day, Guilliame was back with Caroline and Estella. He helped them decorate their small tree, which Caroline had growing on her balcony. "This will be my first real Christmas in a long time," Guilliame said, lifting Estella up to put the star on top of the tree. "Why don't you come with me and Estella to the Christmas party at Le Cirque Boheme's tomorrow? We do a special family Christmas show. Bring Erik and Christine as well," Caroline invited. Guilliame hugged her and agreed to go.
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A/N: I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this is so late. I wanted it out in time before Christmas, but my daddy kept bringing my laptop to work to fix it up. So, here is the Chapter due out over a week ago! ~*Mac*~