Chapter 21: Give Me Back My Child!
Guilliame came down when he saw Caroline faint. Carly and a nearby patron caught her. Lying her down gently, Myrcel approached with something to revive his dancer. Caroline coughed as the smelling salts revived her. "Belle de l'Amour, are you okay?" Myrcel asked. Caroline coughed again but managed to nod.
Caroline turned to Carly and asked chokingly, "What do you mean an inspector has Estella?" Carly was about to reply when Guilliame cut her off.
"What do you mean taking her away?" Caroline heard this, paled even more, and sprinted to the front of Le Cirque Boheme.
"I am her mother, give her back to me," Caroline said, breathless. The inspector shook his head.
"Apparently, you adopted her illegally," the inspector said. "Yes, illegally."
"No, we didn't."
"But her parents have arrived and want to take her back home." The inspector pointed to a couple standing in the shadows. Caroline recognized them immediately.
"Mr. and Mrs. Walsh, you two are still here?" she asked. The inspector looked between the three of them, as if to ask how they knew each other. "They work for the Vicomte de Chagny when he took me to New York. That's where I legally adopted Estella and they know that!"
The inspector shook his head at Caroline's remarks. "They have proof. I'm sorry little Estella belongs to them." With that, the inspector and the Walshes left, bring a terrified Estella with them. Caroline broke down in Guilliame's arms and cried.
"How dare they take my baby girl away!" Caroline shouted. She was no longer crying, and back in the lair with Guilliame. "How dare he!"
"We'll fight this. Maybe your Uncle Max knows somebody," her fiancé said. "He has to know someone."
"Guilliame's right," Carly said. She had wanted to make sure Caroline was all right. "Write to him." Caroline kept pacing the floor.
"I'm too wound up to fight," Caroline said. She just kept pacing back and forth. And back and forth. And back and forth. Finally, everyone grew tired of watching her walk the floor.
"You have to calm down. Here, have some tea," Christine entered the room with a tray of teacups in her hands.
Christine watched as Caroline took a cup and began drinking. She suddenly became very faint. She wavered on her feet and Erik tried to steady her. Would they have two faintings in one night? Luckily, she didn't, but she felt nauseous. "I guess all this stress is making me sick," she said. Erik and Guilliame helped Christine to bed.
The next morning, Madame Giry and Meg visited the four in the lair for Christmas. With disgust they heard the happenings of the previous night. "Oh, how dare they! How much more can Raoul do to you?" Meg asked, comforting Caroline.
"I don't know, but I want Estella back!" Guilliame walked up and comforted Caroline. "We will get her back," she said, looking to him for reassuring. He smiled reassuringly. "Did Erik tell you I'm going to contact my uncle in the morning?"
"Yes, he did. I hope he can get Estella back for us."
"I hope so, too. But let me promise you this: We will get Estella back and be a family together, so help me God!"
A short time later, Madame Giry and Christine emerged from the bathroom. The latter had a huge grin on her face while the former looked steadily at Erik. "Well?" Meg asked, concerned for her friend. "I'm pregnant," Christine said, her smile growing bigger. "What?!" everyone exclaimed with excitement. They all turned and looked to Madame Giry, who just nodded. She never took her eyes off of Erik the whole time.
"Oh my God!" Meg squealed, setting off a whole chain of events. The girl, as well as Caroline, enveloped Christine in a group hug. Guilliame attended to Erik, who had passed out, while Madame Giry just stood there. "We have to plan your wedding," Meg said to Christine.
"Wedding?" Christine and Caroline asked together. "Don't you think that's a bit too much too soon?"
"But, aren't you and Erik planning on getting married?"
"Of course, she is marrying Erik. Soon," Madame Giry interjected.
"Great! Wait, Christine, what if you and Caroline had a double wedding? That would be so lovely!" Meg said, talking rapidly.
"Meg, dear," Caroline said, placing a hand on Meg's arm, "let's slow down a bit. We don't want to overburden Christine. She just found out she's going to have a baby."
"But Caroline, she has to plan this now if you two are going to have a double wedding."
"Meg, I don't think the annulment is going to come through in time for her to be married with me and Guilliame," Caroline said, tossing a look to Christine. "Besides, I think once she gets out of her marriage from hell—don't give me that look Madame Giry—and I think she is going to need a break."
There looked like there would be no end to Caroline and Meg's argument. Madame Giry stepped in to try to conclude it. "She's pregnant and no one is going to believe it is Raoul's. Erik is going to have to marry her, Caroline. She'll never make it as a single mother," Madame Giry argued.
"I have," Caroline said, defiantly. She wasn't going to let Madame Giry force Christine into marriage so soon, even if it was to Erik.
But Madame Giry wasn't ready to give up. "But everyone knew your adopted Estella. Who else has given birth and raised it by herself?"
"Marie-Antoinette. She has a four year old son named Michel."
"Some one who wouldn't be expected to have an illegitimate child," Mme. Giry replied, upsetting Caroline. No one talked about her sisters that way!
"For you information, Blaise isn't an unwed mother. She is a widow. Bet you didn't know that? She does Le Cirque Boheme to support Michel, herself and her mother, who takes care of the boy while his mother works," Caroline said. "And Christine so can pass off the child as Raoul's. We were back in time for it to possibly be his. We've seen it done before."
Madame Giry humphed at this suggestion. This one effect seemed to end their dispute as the older woman marched over to Christine. "I only have you and your child in my heart. Your reputation will be ruined if you give birth to a bastard," she told the Opera singer. "The double wedding is your only option."
"May I remind you she is still technically married to Raoul?"
"Right now, I think we should focus our energy on finding Estella," Erik said, "and leave matters concerning me and Christine to the two of us." Guilliame released a held breath from the intense debate that his fiancée had been in and had no doubt she would've become physical. She was rather overprotective when it came to her fellow dancers at Le Cirque Boheme.
But the mention of Estella calmed her down. "We know where she is, it is just getting her back," Caroline said, the pain coming back. Guilliame held her and remained by her side all day and night.
The next day, Caroline mailed her letter to her uncle. Guilliame accompanied her to her apartment and to the address where she could see Estella. A police inspector met her there to supervise the visit. When Estella saw Caroline and Guilliame enter, she ran towards them. "Maman! Papa! Please say you I can go home now," the little girl said.
Caroline hugged her and tried not to cry. "You have to stay here with the Walshes for a bit longer, I'm afraid," she said. Caroline and Guilliame gave Estella her Christmas gifts. Neither wanted to let her go, and she didn't seem to want them to.
All too soon, the inspector was telling them to leave. "No, Maman! Don't leave me with the bad people, Maman!" Estella cried as Caroline was being escorted out.
"Did you hear that? She doesn't like them!" Guilliame shouted. "You can't leave her there!" The inspector just escorted the two off the premise, no words exchanged on his part. He left them and Caroline broke down crying in Guilliame's arms. The two stood there for some time before returning to the lair. Caroline would not be able to go to Le Cirque Boheme that night.
A/N: Wow. It has been so long since I last updated this…and I am sorry. I got sidetracked by my friend who begged me to start writing Harry Potter fics for her…so blame her…I'm going to forward any flames about this being late to her so she could read…besides, this has a more loyal following than that story…but if you want to read it…go ahead…it's called "Memories of Those Who Mattered"…and I have the next chapter ready, but not typed, but I don't know when it will be…it is my last few weeks of high school and even as a senior, I have all these papers and projects to do…but there will be more romance between some of the other characters soon…what do you think?…and sorry about the length of this note…Mac