Chapter 10

Raoul's decision.

Author's note: This chapter has been bugging me for quite a while now. I think I have changed my ideas at least twenty times. Raoul will be the most important part of this chapter. Now, don't get me wrong: I am all for the ECiyness in my fic, but I get so very tired of Raoul being portrayed out of character a lot, so I have decided to try my best to portray him as I feel he is in the musicals/movies/books.

To draegon-fire: My friend, I know that you sent me a couple of reviews wishing that Raoul could be of some help to the Phantom and Christine. I wanted to address that, but I didn't want to give my story away. I really really hope you like this chapter…I think that it's right up your alley…and there's more to come…GRINS EVILLY

Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera is MINE! And I am also BATMAN! And I can become INVISIBLE!

And now, on with the story.

Two weeks later…

Madam Giry was on her way to look at a house that had just come up for sale. She traveled with the owner of the house, one Nicolas Orleans. Madam Giry had looked at just under twenty houses in 10 days. She was very selective, and she insisted to herself that when she found the right place, it would somehow speak to her. The owner tried to engage her in frivolous small talk, but she didn't respond well. Madam Giry's mind was set on one thing: she was running out of time. She had to find something, and fast. She looked out the carriage window and was surprise to see a lush, dense forest as the backdrop.

"How far is this house from Paris, Monsieur?" She asked politely, giving the house a mental checkpoint.

"It is precisely 10 miles from the outskirts, Madam," the owner replied timidly, "and I don't mind telling you that the location has been a big deterrent to most who view it. But it is a lovely house, this I can guarantee."

"Yes, of course. Tell me a little more about the location, please Monsieur." Madam Giry was starting to feel a little excited. If the house wasn't a complete shack, this may be just the things she was looking for…

"Well for starters, the house is located on a cleared lot. It is surrounded by large, majestic trees, and a small river runs nearby; it is always a treat to take a dip when the weather is hot…"

Madam Giry knew the main was merely just trying to make his home more appealing to a potential buyer; the trees that she was surrounded by were twisted and distorted, and she didn't think that having a rushing river rapid located near one's house was a good thing.

"Is it located on this main road?" Madam Giry inquired.

"No ma'am, it…you have to take a smaller road to reach the house. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, Madam. Think of the privacy, the quietness…"

"And think if I or my child becomes ill, hmmm? You try to sell this place on location, and you lose, Monsieur. Let us hope that the house makes up for it." Madam Giry didn't want to tell the man that a secluded, private location was exactly what she wanted. The man had already said that he was having trouble selling the place. Perhaps Madam Giry could get a better price for Erik if she played down the house's so far wonderful qualities.

"Ah here, Madam, we turn from the main road." Monsieur Orleans said brightly. Madam Giry peered out the window. The forest was as deep as ever, and she could hear the smooth sounds of the nearby river. The carriage turned a corner, and Madam Giry got her first glimpse at Monsieur Orleans' house.

It was a two-story cottage, surrounded by a small fence and gate. A large stable stood nearby. The house appeared to be clean and quaint from the outside, and the owner had been telling the truth about a humble sized clearing that served as yard. Monsieur Orleans beamed at Madam Giry.

"There's a garden in the back as well, Madam. My wife kept it up. The master bedroom has a balcony overlooking it."

The carriage came to a halt in front of the small gate of the house. The driver appeared at the door, and held it opened as he helped Madam Giry out.

"We will be but a moment, Monsieur," she murmured to him as she exited the carriage. The excited Monsieur Orleans was practically dancing as he moved to open the front door for Madam Giry.

"Here is the front entrance; the kitchen is to the left, and a dining room is attached. On the right it-"

"Monsieur Orleans, if you do not mind, I would prefer to look at the house alone. I am quite sure I can determine which rooms are which." Madam Giry interrupted. She wanted to look at the house in peace, away from this annoying man.

"Ah, but of course, Madam Giry. I will await you in the garden…" With that, Monsieur Orleans bowed his way out of the house. Madam Giry stood alone in the entry hall. Was this house the one? Madam Giry looked at the delicate looking staircase that led to the second story. First, this floor, Madam Giry thought. She turned right first. It was a large room, with several windows that overlooked the front of the house. No doubt Christine could use this as a parlor room, Madam Giry thought, satisfied. She turned to leave the room, when a door in the far corner of the room caught her eye. She moved forward and opened the door. There were three small windows located at the top of the wall on the right. It was dark and romantic, and Madam Giry's eyes widened as she saw a beautiful, if a bit run-down, piano located in the back corner of the room. This is perfect, she thought to herself, smiling smugly. She left the room, and continued her tour of the house. The upstairs was spacious and inviting, and the master bedroom did indeed have a balcony. And with two other bedrooms, it seemed just the house that Eric and Christine could…grow into. Madam Giry smiled at the thought. This is the one, she thought confidently, and went to find Monsieur Orleans.

"So Madam Giry, did you find everything satisfactory? I do trust that you saw the wonderful potential of my home…" Monsieur Orleans smiled a huge fake smile when he first saw Madam Giry emerge from the house.

"Bahh! Your house is small, out of the way, and poorly maintained! I can't believe you're asking so much for it!" Madam Giry put on a look of indignation and disgust. The man crumpled under Madam Giry's gaze.

"Look, Madam, let me be frank. I really need to sell this house, and you're the first prospective person to actually arrive to see the house! Please, I am willing to negotiate the price…" The man's tone was pleading and desperate. Madam Giry knew know that she had him exactly as she wanted him.

"Well, Monsieur Orleans, I am not an unreasonably woman. Perhaps we can come to a suitable arrangement." The owner's face lit up, and he reached up to grasp Madam Giry's arm. As he led her back inside the house, Madam Giry smiled.

"And perhaps we can come to an agreement concerning that piano collecting dust in your music room…

"Christine…Christine!" Erik looked wildly about his lair, trying to find his betrothed. He had been, once again, caught in the moment of his music. He had glanced up, realizing that he hadn't heard Christine's voice in quite some time, and discovered her gone. Erik was now frantically moving around, trying to calm his racing heart. Marie and Meg took the boat with them, if she had left, she would have had to swim. Can she even swim? Did someone take her? Frantic thoughts ran through Erik's head, when he heard a muffled sound. He listened more carefully…

"Erik, I'm right here!" called the voice, this time a little bit clearer.

"Where are you?" Erik asked the obvious question. He looked about again, and this time heard the voice coming from a large, heavy pile of his sheet music.

"I'm here!" the pile of sheet music said, and Erik moved forward to find Christine in the very center of 6 rather tall piles of music. They had not only hidden her from view, but they had also muffled her voice. Erik breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why were you hiding? I couldn't find you…" Erik said jokingly, but found quickly that Christine wasn't very amused.

"Well, if I didn't have so much music to sort, you wouldn't have had to worry," Christine said crossly. She held up her grimy hands as proof. "There has to be hundreds of musical compositions here! What are we going to do with them all?"

"Now, wait just a moment. I remember everything that I have ever written. I can't just leave this music here to rot…it's been my life for so long now," Erik said, shame evident on his face.

Christine softened. "My Angel, if you want to take all this music, then of course we will. This is part of your past, and I want it to be a part of our future." Erik looked at the sincerity on her face, and smiled.

"If I wasn't afraid of starting a cave-in, I would kiss you."

"No Erik, stay away! If you cause this to fall, after I have been sorting for so long, I will…" Christine didn't finish the sentence. Erik had reached over, plucked her from the center of the music, and planted a kiss squarely on her lips. She immediately responded to him, and when they pulled away, she was gasping for air.

"Ah, well, never mind then…," she said, a little dazed.

Madam Giry hurried through the Opera House in search of her daughter. She nodded at Firmin, who was standing nearby his office. She reached her daughter's room, and promptly knocked.

"Come in!"

Madam Giry walked in. Her daughter was seated at her bed, reading a novel. At the look on her mother's face, she put the book aside.

"So, do we have good news to celebrate?" Meg asked, knowing the answer.

"Oh, Meg, it is the perfect house! It is a small cottage ten miles from Paris. I even convinced the guy to throw in an old piano he had in a back room. It needs a little restoring, but other than that it will be perfect for our friends," Madam Giry said meaningfully, glancing down at the floor.

"Wonderful Mother! I can't wait to tell them…when can they move?" Meg wasn't sure how she felt about Christine moving so far away from her. She loved her as a sister, and she would miss her terribly.

"The house is completely ready, though not up to our friend's personal tastes, of course. It comes fully furnished! We can have them moved as soon as tonight!"

"Well, let's go spread our good news then, shall we?" Meg laughed at the look of happiness on her mother's face. Her mother did not want to let Erik down, and she had worried so over his and Christine's safety.

"All right, but we must keep it brief, my dear. It can't look suspicious." With that, mother and daughter left the room.

Raoul was lost in his own thoughts. He walked through the Opera House, seemingly to inspect where his considerable funds were being used, but in reality his thoughts were on but one thing: Christine. The ache in his heart reminded him of her choice, but he found that all he needed to move on was to concentrate on the fact that Christine was happy. She wasn't a child anymore, not a precious porcelain doll to be protected and cared for. He knew that, knew it now more than ever. What if he had treated her differently? Would she still be with him now? No, his heart said, her love belonged to another before your love for her…He sighed and cleared his head. He concentrated on the beginnings of the new stage and auditorium. Worked started officially in a few days, but already some demolition was taking place. Looking around, he found Andre in the corner, talking excitedly to a man that he did not recognize. He started toward him. As he approached, both men looked up, and the man Andre was talking to gave his goodbyes. Andre beaconed at Raoul.

"Vicomte de Chagny! What a surprise! How are you on this fine day?" Andre beamed and moved forward, extending his hand.

"I am well indeed, good Monsieur. How go things here?" Raoul accepted his firm handshake, and waved his hand to emphasize his point.

"Oh, very well, of course. Everything is moving according to plan. Once again, Vicomte, I would like to say how much your patronage is appreciated. With all that has happened, we had expected a different reaction." Andre said seriously.

"Well, I assume Monsieur, that you will have no more problems with the Opera Ghost," Raoul said, watching Andre flinch when he said 'opera ghost'.

"We are actually, erm, rectifying that problem. As a matter of fact…would you care to talk privately a moment, Monsieur?" Andre guided him to his office, and locked the door behind him.

"We know that the Opera Ghost still resides below, in the catacombs," Andre said excitedly.

Raoul pretended to be shocked, while horror was playing through his mind, "You don't say…how did you come to this conclusion, Monsieur? I heard that the mob returned with a dead body, and it was released in the paper that the culprit behind the fire was killed…" Raoul said this as nonchalantly as possible. Andre winced.

"Yes well, you can imagine the publicity we would get, if the public knew that the mob that went to catch a murderer ended up murdering one of their own! No, dear Vicomte, we have a more positive way of knowing that the Phantom is still among the living…"

Raoul's breath caught in his throat. He didn't like how this was going. "And what, pray tell, is this way?"

"Madam Giry!" Andre smiled a triumphant beam, and leaned back in his chair.

Raoul groaned inwardly. So they really do know that the Phantom still lives. "And how did Madam Giry become the key to this Phantom riddle?"

"Well, as you know, she always seemed to have certain…sympathies with the Phantom. She always seemed to have his letters; his messages. Firmin and I had suspected that she knew more than she was letting on, so we have been having her followed. She goes into the secret catacombs by means of a large mirror in one of the dressing rooms. Her tail has followed her all the way to the underground lake. We know that the Phantom's lair is beyond that lake, and all we have to do is find it, and we will have our man!" Andre was excited, and at his final words he burst forth from his chair and did a little dance of joy. If Raoul wasn't so dismayed, he might have laughed at the sight.

"Monsieur Andre, when will you go to fetch the Phantom? Will you deliver him to police, or carry out your own justice?" Raoul asked many questions at once, hoping to get the one he really needed answered first.

"We intend to go tonight! And let me be frank, dear Vicomte, it will be very easy to say that the man…attacked me…if you catch my meaning," Andre winked an eye at Raoul.

"Of course, Monsieur. I value your great intelligence and planning. No more will this Ghost threaten our beloved Opera House!" Raoul said passionately, flattering Andre at the same time.

"If you will forgive me, I find myself late for an appointment. I will meet you again tomorrow morning, to share your great triumph over this man!" Raoul stood and bowed, and quickly left the office.

Raoul's mind danced with emotions, thoughts, and scenes until becoming fixed on only one thing: the bastard of a Phantom! He had put Christine in danger. I knew it! He cares nothing for her…part of his mind was starting to think evil thoughts: what if he accompanied Andre and Firmin to the catacombs; he could apprehend the Phantom, and rescue the woman he loved…she would love him again, and the Phantom would rot in whatever Hell would take him. But then he saw Christine's face before him, as it had been when she had told him the truth: "Father is dead Raoul, and when he died, Little Lotte, the girl that you loved, died as well. You don't know me enough to know if you want to marry me… I have to follow my heart, and I can't marry you. I'm sorry" Christine would never accept him merely because the Phantom wasn't around. Would that be the kind of love he wanted in the first place? Second place? No, his heart said. She loves the Phantom, no matter how much I hate it…Even knowing this, Raoul knew he had to protect Christine. And to protect her…His mind was coming to a sharp conclusion, one that was hurting every inch of his being: to help the woman he loved, he would have to help the man he hated. Ah, fate is cruel, Raoul thought, as he went to find Madam Giry.

Madam Giry, Meg, Christine, and Erik were all loading the last bit of supplies to leave the lair. The majority was sheet music that Erik could not part with, though he had made several sacrifices. It wasn't much at all; over the past weeks they had basically moved everything piece by piece, so as not to attract attention. Erik didn't own much to begin with, but what little he had was precious to him. He looked at his destroyed lair, and then looked at Christine. I'm trading one life for another, he realized. He smiled. Christine noticed, and touched his arm.

"Why so happy, Erik?" Christine mirrored his smile, and Erik reached his hands around her waist, pulling her to him.

"I…just realized that I am looking forward to our new life together, Christine. One more night in this place is all I have to hold on to. After tomorrow, I will never look back." Erik knew in his heart his words were true. Christine nodded.

"Well you two, we will finish loading your carriage tonight, and will come for you at sunset tomorrow," Madam Giry informed the couple. Meg and Madam Giry said their goodbyes, and continued to travel the lake.

"One day, I hope to find love like that…," Meg said wistfully, and with a touch of jealousy.

"You will, my dear. Never doubt it!" Madam Giry said hugging her daughter tightly. "After all, I found your father…What in good gracious!" Madam Giry exclaimed suddenly. Meg turned to see what her mother was talking about. There was a man waiting for them, near the platform where they docked their gondola…

My style is begging me to end the chapter here, but just for Son Kat, I'm going on. :)

"Who are you? What do you what with us?" Madam Giry called out shrilly. She couldn't make out much of the man's features in the dark, but she saw him rise from his sitting position. His profile still in darkness, the man bowed low.

"Madam Giry, Mademoiselle Giry, always a pleasure…" Raoul de Chagny said, with a slight smile playing on his lips.

Madam Giry stared at Raoul in horror. "So you mean that every time I have come down here to the depths of the Opera House, someone has followed me? I have led them to him…What are we going to do? How much time do we have?" Madam Giry was starting to let the panic in her heartspread to her voice. After all their planning, everything was meaningless. Christine and Erik would be caught. Madam Giry put her head in her hands.

"Calm down,Madam. I know that the situation seems hopeless, but it is far from it. It is still three o'clock in the afternoon. We have roughly four hours left before nightfall. Christine and the Phantom must not be discovered; Andre is mad: he intends to shoot to kill. We simply must accelerate your plans…" Raoul touched Madam Giry's shoulder. She looked up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this, Raoul? Why do you risk everything to save a life that you hate, and with cause?"

"I do this because I love Christine, Madam, no matter who she gives her heart to. I don't want to see her hurt in anyway. But let me explain something to you. If, for one second, it appears that Christine won't make it out of this labyrinth, I am prepared to do what I need to ensure her safety. If it means turning the Phantom over, I will. Don't think that I won't." Raoul's eyes were cold and calculating. Madam Giry shivered.

"What do we do now?" Meg asked in a small voice, her arms hugging her body.

"You and your mother continue up this path. Gather what things you will need for a few days from the Opera House; I don't anticipate you being able to return right away. Go and secure the carriage that you have been loading. Wait there until night fall. I will go to Christine and…the Phantom, and explain everything. They will meet you…be safe, and silent, ladies. The odds are against us, but perhaps we can pull this off…" Raoul spoke powerfully and confidently. Madam Giry nodded.

"Good luck, Vicomte. I fear you will need it…"

"Be safe, Madam…and remember what I have said…"

Madam Giry and Meg hurried up the path. Raoul turned and entered the boat.

Here comes the fun part, he thought sardonically.