Homecoming-Christine

By KaitlynRose

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

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Christine followed Linus up the stairs and down a long hallway. She couldn't help but gape at the luxury before her. It was true that the Opera House was very ornate in the public areas, but in the private living quarters it was mostly open timbers and sheets and curtains for walls. Still, she had loved it.

She looked at all of the large portraits on the wall. One picture caught her eye. Linus saw her stare.

"That is the master's mother, Comtesse Caroline de Changy," Linus informed her.

"She is so beautiful," Christine said.

The woman was dressed in emerald green brocade with white lace trimmings. Her hair was rather similar to Christine's, long brown curls with matching brown eyes. Their faces were different however.

"I'm afraid she passed three years ago. It was most sad. I know the Comte still misses her terribly."

Linus walked past two more doors and finally opened the one that led to her new room. She stepped inside and was awestruck. The room was so large. Her small loft at the opera house would have fit twenty times or more in this space.

Linus lit several candles and walked over to the fireplace and in no time the room felt warm and more inviting.

"Odette will be here in just a few minutes to help you," Linus said and pulled the door closed behind him, leaving Christine alone.

She walked over to the full length mirror in the room and was shocked at her reflection. Her dress was actually covered in burn marks where the material had been scorched by the fire, her hair was a long mass of knots, and her skin was covered in dirt and soot. Long streaks ran down her face where her tears had fallen.

She was just about to look for a wash basin when the door opened and a woman stepped in. She was in her late thirties, her hair pulled up into a tight bun, and she was rather large, but she had a pleasant face and a genuine smile that put Christine at ease at once.

"Hello, I am Odette and I see you need a little help. Not to worry. I shall have you fixed up and tucked in, in no time."

"Thank you. My name is Christine. I apologize for looking so frightful. There was a fire."

"Yes, I heard the others talking. Now turn around so I can undo this dress and corset." Odette had a very commanding way about her that Christine was actually grateful for right now. She knew she was in good hands.

Odette undid the fastenings on the back of the dress and then painstakingly untied the corset. "I dare say this dress is beyond saving."

"I don't want it saved. Throw it away. Burn it," Christine said most solemnly.

Odette didn't comment on what Christine had said. It only took one look at the small girl to see she had been through something terrible.

"Come, sit down, and I shall brush out your hair. The maids are still getting the boiling water for your bath and it will probably be easier to bush it out before it gets wet anyway."

Christine did as told. Having her hair brushed out was quite painful, but she bit her lip and kept quiet since it had to be done. There was a knock at the door.

"Come," Odette called.

"Excuse me madam, but the bath is ready," a young girl said.

"Good, we will be right there." Odette opened the wardrobe in the corner and took out a robe for Christine. "Here, put this on."

Christine slipped the robe on over her soiled undergarments and followed Odette across the hall to the water closet. As soon as the door opened Christine smelled the rich scents of lavender and tea roses.

She relaxed completely while Odette washed her hair and then her arms and legs. She came very close to falling asleep in the bath tub but Odette's command to stand up stirred her from her near slumber. Odette quickly wrapped a towel around her and then another around her hair.

Christine dried herself off before slipping back into her robe and walking across the hall to her room once more. She put on a white cotton and lace night gown and sat before the fire as once again Odette brushed out her hair so it could dry.

"Thank you for your kindness," Christine said.

"You're welcome, young one. I dare say you needed a little tender care after the night you have had. How did you meet Master Raoul if I may ask?"

"I first met him when I was a child in Sweden. We were seven. I hadn't seen him since that time until he came to the Opera Populaire about four months ago." She smiled happily. "It was so wonderful to see him again after all those years."

Odette just smiled. She recognized amour when she saw it. Christine was deeply in love with the master.

"Come child. Your hair is dry and you clearly need some rest."

"No. Not yet. Raoul promised to come," Christine said.

"Not to worry. I'm sure he will keep his promise, but you can at least lie down while you wait for him," Odette replied.

Christine looked at the large bed. Like her room, it too was huge. She climbed in and Odette covered her with the thick quilt. Christine felt as if she were lying on clouds, for surely only a cloud could be this soft.

Odette pulled a chair over and sat down next to the bed.

"Promise me if I fall asleep you'll wake me when Raoul comes," Christine asked.

"I promise."

Only about five minutes more passed before there was a soft knock on the door. Christine quickly sat up in the bed just as Raoul peeked his head into the room.

"Raoul!"

He graced her with a happy smile when he saw her. He had also cleaned up and wore fresh clothes, though his hair was still damp. He walked over to the bed and had a seat on the edge. Odette walked off to the side but made a point of staying in the room so nothing improper transpired.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Much better. Mme Odette was very kind."

"I'm glad. Is there anything you need? Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you like your room?"

For the second time that night she silenced him with a finger placed on his lips. "I'm fine. The room is fine. As for anything I need, as long as I have you, then there is nothing else to worry about."

Raoul pulled Christine into a hug. He could hold her all day and all night. He hated to let go, but after a moment he released her since he knew Mme Odette was still in the room.

"You have me," Raoul said, "now and forever. I know you are saddened over the fire, but this is your home now. I've already spoken to my father. As for your singing, I know how much your music means to you. We will look into hiring a private musician for you so you can continue to practice while I have the Opera House rebuilt."

"Raoul, you're going to rebuild it. It will cost a fortune. Not to mention that after everything that happened, well…I understand if…I know it has bad memories now."

"The good out weigh the bad. The Opera House is where I met you again after all these years. It's the place where I first heard you sing. It's the place where I gave you your first kiss. It's the place where I realized that you were the most important person on earth and that I could never live without you."

Christine gazed at him with suck love and adoration. "I love you," she whispered before leaning in to give him a soft kiss.

Odette felt like such an intruder on such a romantic moment. She had hoped to find a love like the one she saw before her, but it had never happened. She was too large, ungainly, almost manly in her physique. Still, the couple before her made her heart stir and she wanted them to be happy forever and ever.

"Now it is time for my Little Lotte to go to sleep and get some rest," Raoul said. Christine slid down in the bed and he tucked the covers around her shoulders. "Pleasant dreams."

"You too," she replied. Unfortunately, pleasant dreams would elude her for some time to come.