A New Start

Chapter 24: Escape from the darkness

The group ran, trying to avoid the falling debris that was coming down above their heads. As they neared the top of the vaults, they could hear the storm outside, the wind blowing in gusts. Raoul and Arthur, though both were badly wounded, had picked up Christine and Marie Claire, not wanting them to be hurt, after having been so weakened by the horrific ordeal. Andre and Firmin helped lead Meg and Lizzie, while Madame Giry led the way. She managed to find a small sideways passage that led to the outside of the opera house. They stepped out to find that the storm had calmed down ever so slightly, but nevertheless it was still dangerous. But miraculously, Raoul's carriage still stood under anoverhang beside the opera house. As they reached it, Madame Giry ushered Raoul, Christine, Marie Claire, and Arthur inside, desperatley worried about the state of their health. Meg, Lizzie, and Madame Giry climbed in after them, trying to do anything they could to help while Andre and Firmin calmed the horses and drove the carriage as fast as possible toward the de Chagny estate.
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When they pulled up at the house, the rain and the wind had subsided enough so that the group could get in without getting completely soaked. Andre and Firmin came around the side of the carriage, helping everyone out.

"Oh my god, look at the state of all of you!" cried Andre, distraught at the situation as they watched each person come out.

Lizzie and Meg helped Christine and Marie out as Andre and Firmin helped Arthur and Raoul out, while Madame Giry went to find the stable boy to send for a doctor. But as Raoul's feet hit the ground, all the pain and stress seemed to come to him at once and he passed out, falling into Christine's arms. Chrstine gasped, tears falling once again at the sight of her beloved husband's state. Marie Claire ran from Arthur's warm embrace and over to her father, her tears mixing with the cold, cruel, rain.

"Monsieur Vicomte?" said, Firmin, his eyes widening.

"Raoul?" asked Meg, tears beginning to stream down her own face as Christine held Raoul in her arms while Marie stroked his pale face.

Arthur came over and put his arm around Marie's shaking shoulders. Then after a moment they heard a shrill voice in the air.

"God help you people, why are you sitting in the rain?" said Madame Giry, slapping her hand against her forehead in frustration. "You do not need to be standing in the rain, it will only worsen your conditions, especially the Vicomte's! Come, now let's get you all inside!" she said firmly, even though, the sight of the four made her eyes tear.

Andre and Firmin carried Raoul inside, where he and Arthur were taken to the guest room and commanded by Madame Giry to stay there until the doctor came. Meg and Lizzie helped Marie Claire and Christine up the stairs to change out of their soaked and dirty clothes as Madame Giry had said. Andre and Firmin went downstairs to wait for the doctor, while Madame Giry herself went to sit with Raoul and Arthur, to do anything that she could to help until the doctor came.
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A little while later, Madame Giry heard the door to the guest room creak open slowly, and the soaking wet docotor came in. His name was Doctor Barton, and he was an old family friend of the de Chagny's.

"My dear Madame Giry, what in the blazes has happened? The de Chagny's stable boy came by my office saying that it was urgent." he said as his eyes fell on Arthur and Raoul.

"There has been a terrible ordeal which I will explain to you later. But they are in quite a state at the moment." she said, her eyes filled with worry.

"Yes of course," he said, bending down next to Arthur and cleaning the wound on the young man's head. "Where are Madame Christine and young Madmoiselle Marie Claire? And little Felix?"

"I told them to go change and rest for a little while, they have been through far to much this evening. As for Felix, he is in bed, and had no idea of what has gone on."

The good doctor nodded, thinking he was quite sure of what had happened, for he had heard all about 'the strange affair' of the Phantom of the opera the last time round.

"Well young man, you are in a right state, but with a few days rest, you should be alright." said the doctor as he dabbed some medicine on the cuts on Arthur's neck. "You've got a rather nasty cut on your head, Arthur, so you'd best follow my intructions or it could get infected."

Arthur flinched as the medicine was put on his neck. It felt like it was burning him.

"Owww.." he whispered, "Where is Marie Claire?" he asked, his eyes concerned.

"She is resting and I'm sure she will be here in a moment. I have also sent for your parents. Now just lay back and rest." said Madame Giry kindly as she placed a cool cloth on his head.

Then Doctor Barton turned toward Raoul, a serious look on his face. Madame Giry noticed this, and her heart clenched.

"Doctor, is Monsieur Vicomte going to be alright?" she asked in a sad whisper.

"Yes he'll be alright, but it's going to take a lot of rest." he said as he gazed at the pale, unconscious Raoul.

He cleaned and bandanged the cuts on Raoul's wrists and neck, and Raoul flinched and began to whisper in his incoherent state.

"Christine, Marie! No!" he tossed, the trauma apparently getting to him.

Madame Giry placed a cloth on his head, and he seemed to calm down slightly. Then Doctor Barton put an ointment on the bruise on Raoul's face before turning to the sword wound on his back. Just then, the door opened slowly and Christine entered with Meg. Her face was drawn and Meg's arm was around her shaking shoulders. She had changed into dry clothes and had brushed her wet curls back from her face. Her eyes filled with tears as her gaze fell on Raoul. She ran over and took her husband's sword calloused in her small, fragile one.

"Oh Doctor Barton, is he going to be alright? What about Arthur as well?" she asked as she stroked Raoul's face gently.

"He'll be alright Christine, my dear, but he is going to need a a sufficient amount of rest, as will Arthur." he said, feeling her head. "You're burning with fever!" he exclaimed. "You'd best go and rest." he said, but he could tell by the look on her face that she wouldn't rest until she knew that everyone was going to be alright.

He began to clean the infected wound on Raoul's back and Christine sang softly, trying to soothe his tormented sleep. After a few minutes, the sweet sound of his wife's singing woke Raoul, and his blue eyes came slowly open.

"Christine?" he asked, smiling through eyes of pain.

"Yes, I'm here love. Now just rest, Docotor Barton has just finished patching you up." she said, kissing him gently.

"Where is Marie Claire, how is Arthur?" he questioned, trying to sit up, but Christine made him lay back down.

"Arthur is going to be fine, and Marie is resting. She needed to do that. I've never seen her like this before." said Christine, her heart tearing as the thought of her daughter came to mind.

Raoul reached up and stroked Christine's pale face.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer but embraced him gently, her diamond like tears falling onto his shirt, as she cherished the warmth of his arms around her. Just then, Marie Claire came in with Lizzie, her young face darkened with worry.

"Papa, Arthur!" her sweet voice exclaimed in a hoarse whisper, at seeing them both awake.

She ran to Raoul and hugged him gently, breathing in his pipe smoke scent.

"Oh papa, are you alright?" she asked, her blue eyes gazing at the bandages on Raoul's body.

He smiled faintly at his daughter as he kissed her cheek.

"I'll be fine my girl. You just take care of yourself. And I think that there's someone special who wants to see you." he said nodding over at Arthur and grinning.

Marie smiled at her father and gave him and Christine a kiss on the cheek before going to see her fiance. Arthur's eyes brightened as she ran into his warm embrace.

"Oh Arthur, I've never been so frightened in my life." she whispered, burying her head into his shoulder. "I thought I was going to lose you and papa." she said, tears breaking her voice.

He kissed her forehead gently, trying to soothe her.

"Shhh... it's alright. Let's not talk of this now. We're safe now." he said reassuringly.

Doctor Barton spotted Marie Claire and came over to her, giving her the same medicine he had given Christine.

"Now Marie Claire, you must rest over the next few days." he said gently patting her on the shoulder.

She nodded, and he turned to address the whole lot of them.

"You all have been through a lot tonight and you need to heal both emotionally and physically. I suggest that you all take a vacation." he said as he gathered up his coat and smiled kindly, but worriedly upon them all. "I have left medicine with Madame Giry, but I shall return in the morning." he said, waving as he closed the door.

Soon after he left, Andre and Firmin, followed by Arthur's parents, came in the door. Andre looked at the bandanged Raoul and Arthur and the runny nosed Marie and Christine, and shook his gray head.

"You all look like you've been through a war." he said falling down dramatically into a nearby chair.

"How's the opera house?" asked Raoul as he held Christine's hand.

"It looks a lot better that you do." joked Firmin, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, half the roof is blown off, a good number of the windows will have to be replaced, among other things. It will take a few months to repair. Perhaps rebuilding for a third time will be a charm as they say."

All laughed at this, as Madame Giry glared at them like a scolding mother.

"You should all be resting, not up chatting." she said, in her stern French accent. "Meg, Lizzie, and I will be staying here with you tonight. Now to bed, all of you!" she said, going downstairs to see Andre and Firmin out.

"Well she's a firm one." said Arthur's father, chuckling. "Well we'd best get this young man home. But," he said, smiling at Marie Claire, "We will be back tommorow. Take care of yourselves." he said as he stood up to shake Raoul's hand heartily. Madame Page' gave Marie and Christine each a hug before they departed

Marie gave Arthur a soft and gentle kiss goodbye, not wanting to cause him any pain by touching his wounds. A whispered 'I love you' was passed as Arthur was helped out of the room. It was quiet for a moment between the three, as the clock chimed and the last few raindrops splattered softly against the window. Then Marie's soft voice broke the silence.

"Do you think we could all sleep in here tonight." she asked, her normally bright blue eyes dull and tired.

"Of course darling. You just climb into that bed and go to sleep. Papa and I will be right here." said Christine as she tucked her daughter in.

Marie fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the soft feather pillow, looking as sweet as a rose in bloom. Christine climbed in next to Raoul and kissed him goodnight as he wrapped his strong arms around her, and they fell asleep in each other's loving embrace. Madame Giry poked her head in one last time and smiled at them all before turning to her daughter and granddaughter.

"Mother, do you think they'll be alright?" asked Meg, tears of concern on both her and Lizzie's face.

Madame Giry sighed. "They'll be fine, but I daresay it will take a while for them to heal." she said as she closed the door. But as the good and mysterious woman walked down the hall, she couldn't help but wonder where the fifth member of this party had dissapeared to.
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Erik stood in front of the opera house, surveying the damage of the storm, his cloak covering the masked part of his face. he knew that he could not return to his home in the vaults, for he knew that it was far to dangerous and repair men would be in the opera house for months. He turned his gaze away from the sad sight and began to walk towards the only other place he knew; the old Opera Populaire. As he walked, he fumed. He absolutley could not believe that this had happened! But he would not give up, the third time after all, was a charm. He walked through the wet streets of darkened Paris, his black cloak blowing in the wind until he finally reached what had once been the magnificent structure of the Opera Populaire. He looked up at it, knowing that he had been responsible for its demise, slightly wishing that he hadn't burnt it down, merely for the reason that they didn't build opera houses like that anymore. He slipped through the grate and into the depths of the charred opera house, memories flooding his mind. He had after all spent most of his days here. But as he thought of Christine's and Marie Claire's horrified faces, a thought occured to him. Had he perhaps gone to far this time, as the Vicomte had said? He shook his head, brushing off what he considered to be an absurd thought.

"No," he said, his voice an eerie whisper.

He would not give up, not until he had Christine and Marie Claire in his possesion. Why was he thinking such absurd thoughts? Was he losing his touch? No, he wouldn't allow himself to. Christine's and Marie's faces passed fleetingly through his mind, their love for Raoul and Arthur so very clear in their eyes. The faces of Raoul and Arthur passed through his mind, the fiery determination of their fighting and the love in their eyes. But he didn't care, they did not seem to understand that Christine and Marie belonged to him! He had instilled fear in their hearts, and one day he would return, and as far as he was concerned, it wouldn't be long. He shook as emotions took over.

"It's not over yet, the music of the night!"