Chapter 9: The Aftermath
Christine and Raoul sat next to Marie's bed and watched her sleep. Christine pulled the covers over her sleeping form, while Raoul pulled off her shoes. Marie Claire had fallen asleep the minute her head had hit the pillow, clothes and all. The ordeal with the Phantom had taken quite a toll on her. They had decided not to wake her, choosing to talk to her about it in the morning when she was more awake and better able to discuss what had happened. They both gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, turned off her lightand went to their bedroom. As they got ready for bed, they discussed what had happened.
"Christine dear, do you think she's going to be alright? I'm worried." said Raoul, grasping Christine's hands tightly. "I didn't think that he would act this quickly."
Christine squeezed his hand in return.
"I'm sure she'll be alright, but her emotions are in atumble. She's worried about us and herself, but she's also excited about performing. Like you said, I suppose we'll have to take it as it comes." she said, worry clouding her eyes again. "I just hope she can resisit his wayd of inducing trances over people. Its very similar to hypnotism."
"Are you alright?" said Raoul quietly, reffering to Christine's meeting with Erik.
He pulled her gently to him and wrapped his strong arms around her. She cuddled closer to him, feeling the warmth and security gave her. His touch seemed to calm her racing emotions and her beating heart.
"I don't know. After all that happened all those years ago, it was odd to see him again. I was angry that he had taken Marie, but I was also sad to see that he dosen't seem to have changed. It also hurts to see him again. I once thought he was the spirit of my father, and knowing that he's not, and knowing that my father really wasn't there for all of those years, its hard." said Christine, closing her eyes sleepily.
"Every person has it in them to change their ways, I just don't know what it will take to change him. But I know its possible. After all, I know something in him changed after he let us go. We jus have to find that again. But in the meantime, we'll have to be careful." said Raoul, with serious expression on his face.
"Yes, we will," said Christine, yawning, "But I do know that I have you love, and with you here I can make it through anything."
Raoul smiled as he brushed his wife's dark curls from her face.
"I'll always be here for you Christine my love." he said as they shared a gentle kiss. "But we'd better get some sleep, its indeed been a long day."
And so the two fell into a slightly more calm, but still quite dreamfilled and restless sleep, worrried about Marie Claire, and wondering what the Phantom would do next.
Marie Claire woke up with a start the next morning. She looked around relieved to see that she was in her home, in her own room. She slid out of bed, and herbare feet touched the cold wooden floor. She looked out her windowto see that it was snowing, and laughed when she saw Felix outside with Raoul, building a snowman. She smiled. She walked downstairs slowly, thinking. Had her trip to the Phantom's lair been a dream? But as she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw her mother's face, she knew it wasn't a dream. Christine smiled at her daughter, relieved to see that she was up and about, but her face was pale and plauged with worry.
"Hello darling, are you feeling alright?" asked Christine as she gave her daughter a hug.
"I feel fine mama, really I do." said Marie Claire, trying to reassure her mother.
Christine gave Marie an unbelieving look. But their attention was drawn away as the door came open and Raoul and Felix came tumbling in with red cheeks and snow in their hair. Christine and Marie Claire shook their heads and laughed at the sight of them.
"Wow, we built a really big snowman didn't we daddy?" said Felix delighted, his eight year old eyes shining with excitement.
"Why we certainly did son," said Raoul, brushing some of the snow out of Felix's hair that was indeed the same color as his own. "How about you go and sit by the fire for a few minutes while mama and I talk to your sister, then we'll all go and look at the snowman . Okay?"
"Okay." said Felix , hugging his mother, father, and sister all in turn before running to the fire.
Raoul turned to his daughter and motioned for her to sit on the couch. He then sat her on his lap, just as he had done when she was a little girl. Christine sat down next to him and he put his arm around her. Marie leaned her head on her father's shoulder.
"Marie sweetie are you going to be alright?" asked Raoul gently.
Marie hesitated, she didn't know how to answer. She was okay, but not at the same time.
"It's alright dear, go ahead." said Christine, givign her daughter an encouraging look and squeezing her hand.
Marie Claire looked ather parents faces and decided to tell them how she felt.
"I feel frightened because I don't know what to expect. I'm afraid that he'll try to take me away from everything and everyone that I love, and I'll never be able to get back.." Marie's voicce broke, and tears fell down her pale face.
She buried her face in Raoul's shoulder as Raoul and Christine wrapped their arms around her. They all felt connected by this experience, as if each knew what the other was thinking. Then Marie Claire lifted her head, dried her tears, and spoke again.
"But his voice was amazing. It seemed to induce a trance over me, I couldn't seem to control my own actions. The music seemed to surround me, and I sang like I've never sung before."
Christine looked at Marie Claire, remembering feeling these same things.
"I had many of these same feelings when this happened to me all those years ago. If only he would let the real man come out of the monster. But I have a feeling that he is up to something. Ans I refuse to let what happened to me happen to you." said Christine determindley.
"Marie dear," said Raoul, "Do you still want to perform in this show?"
"Yes," said Marie Claire, a determined fire in her eyes, "Its what I've always wanted to do. I won't lety anything happen to me, I promise."
"Alright, but we'll be going with you to rehearsal." said Christine.
"Okay." said Marie, smiling at her mother's concern. When Christine's mind was set on something, there was no changing it.
"I have some buisness with Andre and Firmin today anyway, so it won't be any suspicions as to why we're there." said Raoul, givng his daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Well I believe that Felix is getting fidgety in there." said Christne laughing. "In fact he rather reminds me of another little boy I once knew." she said, looking playfully over at her husband.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" said Raoul, pretending to be insulted.
"It means love, that when we were young, at the house by the sea, whenever we were going out to the ocean, and you were waiting for me to get ready, you would always fidget. I would come down the stairs to only to see you moving about and waiting. I'm very glad that you seem to have gained a little more patience over the years." said Christine, with a sly smile on her face.
Raoul shook his head, a twinkle in his eye.
"I was a very fidgety boy. Couldn't stand still for a minute. Felix seems to have inherited that from me." he said, grinning. "Well let's not make him wait any longer. Let's get our coats and go outside before the snow melts."
Marie Claire smiled brightly as she got her coat. It would all be okay, she was determined that it would be. So she ran out the door, chasing Felix and tryng to tickle him, while Raoul and Christine followed behind, hand in hand, chuckling at their children's antics, their thoughts on the person who was least likely to be playing inthe snow at this moment.
Erik sat at his organ, thinking of what had happened yesterday. Trying to compose music was indeed the only thing that cleared his mind. He still couldn't quite get over the fact that Marie Claire had actually walked out of the lair. It seemed as if she would be harder to put under his spell than Christine had been. Though, he thought, that was probably because she knew what to expect, and because she was not under the impression that Erik was the angel of her father. But no matter, he would soon have her under his spell, and her voice would be his. But first he had to deal with the vicomte, he was always getting in the way. And what to do with Christine... she would do anything to protect Marie and Raoul from him. Seeing her had indeed been shocking, it had hit him like a ton of bricks. He had lost none of his love for her. But he knew she could never love him, she loved Raoul to much. Erik was feeling an emotion that he did not often feel for Christine.. anger. How dare she come down here? He turned his thoughts to Marie Claire. He would have his revenge on her parents and he would have her voice. He sighed heavily and looked about for a moment. Something inside him was telling him that what he was planning was wrong. How he wished he could be normal. How he wished. But he let the anger and the hate take control of him once more, and he turned to his organ, formulating his plan to make the de Chagny family bend to his will.
