The brown eyed girl
by LiltingBanhee
Author´s note: This is the last chapter of my first story ever. Thanks to all of you who commented on it, it really made me happy:)
Glitter Queen of the Ice Show: Thanks, I thought to give Raoul a time-out from the wife beater game. Though he´s not my favourite person he goes through enough bashingin some of the fics I´ve read;)
Enjoy chapter 10.
She gently ran her hands over the white dress to make sure there were no wrinkles in it. It was a beautiful dress. Plain white with lace embroidery at the neck line.
Her dark curls were pulled carefully away from her face and hung loosely down her back.
The little veil was fastened with small diamante hairclips and she felt like a princess.
Admiring herself in the full-length mirror she was interrupted by someone entering the room.
"Are you ready?", a soft voice asked.
She turned around and met a pair of happy brown eyes.
"Yes, I´m ready", she said and grabbed hold of her skirts to make sure not to fall.
"Good, the carriage is here". Erik offered her his arm and she carefully hooked her arm in his.
"You look amazing", he said proudly.
"Thank you, oh I´m so nervous", she said.
"Don´t be my dear. It will all go well. Everyone there loves you and wants the best for you", he smiled at her.
When they arrived at the little church she felt like she was dreaming, but Erik´s steady hold on her arm calmed her. This was real and she was so happy.
As they stood outside the church door Erik squeezed her arm gently.
"Are you ready? It´ll be too late to change your mind in a second", he said.
"I don´t think I´ll be more ready. And I don´t want to change my mind", she smiled reassuringly at him.
As the organ began to play she straightened her back.
"Here we go", Erik whispered as they walked through the doors.
As they walked in she saw the happy faces of all the people she loved.
Meg was standing with tears in her eyes holding her youngest child-a boy.
Matthew was giving her a huge smile and between them sat their five other children, the youngest girl held by a wet-eyed Madame Giry.
She looked to her other side. Raoul stood there smiling at her as well. Softly placed on his arm was Mirabelle Renard´s hand.
When Jean Renard had died of a serious lung infection, Raoul and Mirabelle had grieved together for their lost husband and friend.
In their time of sorrow they had supported each other and found a connection in their hearts.
She smiled happily at them, glad that Raoul had found love at last.
Looking a head of her she met a pair of eyes that held so much love she nearly burst into tears.
The blue eyes of her mother showed so much approval and love and with the assuring grip of her father´s arm in hers, she had no doubts she was doing the right thing.
Stepping up to the alter Erik bent to kiss her cheek.
"I love you my dear child", he whispered.
"I love you too Papa", she whispered back.
Looking out in the church she thought of all the people who had brought her to this moment.
The mother and father who had given her life. The kind man who had made sure she hadn´t lived her life as the town bastard. The loving aunt and uncle who had given her the closest thing to siblings and in the end brought her father back in her life.
At last she turned to the man who was responsible for her being alive to see this day.
André Poulain smiled lovingly at Angeline as he took her hand.
Happily they turned to the priest to pledge their vows.
He found her on the balcony carefully leaning again the banister watching the stars.
"I´m glad you chose to sneak out here on a warm summer night", he said as he came to stand next to her.
She let out a soft chuckle.
"Well, I couldn´t see any handsome young men who might rescue me and I didn´t want to put a strain on your old back if you were to carry me inside", she grinned at him.
In one swift motion Erik lifted her up in his arms and kissed her sweetlty.
"Who are you calling old? I would rescue you at any time", he said with a smile.
"I know", Christine whispered as he lowered her to the ground.
Holding hands they stood together watching the stars.
"What are you thinking about?", he asked after a while.
"Life", she answered. "About Angeline. She is so happy tonight. When I was her age I was in despair. Young, pregnant and had just lost the love of my life and my child´s father".
Erik squeezed her hand softly.
Christine continued while looking at the sky.
"To think if I had gone ahead with my thoughts of killing myself and the child I was carrying. I would never have had this happy day".
Erik saw the tears in her eyes and put his arms around her.
"You thought of killing yourself?", he asked in a chocked voice.
"I saw no reason to live. But then Meg gave me this", she pulled out of his embrace and took something out of her little purse.
She handed him the bundle of black velvet and he gave her a puzzled look.
"What is this?", he asked.
"Have a look", she said softly.
Erik pulled the fabric away and stared at the object in his hands.
Christine curiously watched his face.
"My mask….", he whispered.
Christine smiled. "Meg found it on the night of the fire when you had disappeared. When she gave it to me I knew that you would always be with me, and I had no right to end the life of the part of you that was growing inside of me".
"Christine…", Erik said with tears running down his cheeks.
Carefully she lifted her hand and pulled the black mask away from his face.
"I meant to give it to you on the day we were married, but I never really got around to it. I want you to know that you should never feel obliged to wear a mask in front of me, but when you´re wearing it I think the white one suits your mood much better now", she smiled at him.
Erik said nothing, but bent down and claimed her lips with his.
In a flash Christine was 16 years old again. Kissing the unmasked face of the man she loved. However this time she knew she would never loose him.
He kissed her nose softly and rested his forehead against hers.
"There are no words for the love I feel for you", he whispered
"You tell me with everything you do. Just having you in my life make all doubts vanish from my mind", she whispered back.
"To think we could have been here 17 years ago if I had just listened to you", he said.
"Don´t ever think that way. Things might have been very different. We should be happy and enjoy all the years ahead of us. The years with our daughter, our son-in-law and your future grandchildren", Christine said.
Carefully he placed the white mask in his face and took Christine´s hand to lead her inside to take part in their daughter´s happiness.
Erik looked into the big brown eyes that stared back at him.
He expected the soft little bundle in his arms to begin to wail at any minute, but the baby just yawned and settled comfortably in his arms.
Erik smiled and felt his heart swell with love. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to his daughter.
"She is absolutely beautiful my darling", he said and kissed Angeline´s cheek proudly.
"Thank you Papa, she seems very fond of you", Angeline smiled and took in the look of her father holding his granddaughter as if she would break any second.
A sad look flickered across Erik´s eyes and Angeline knew what he was thinking.
"Papa, I know you missed all my baby years, but André and I would like to ask you and Mamma to be Elina´s God parents. We want you to be close to her and take care of her if anything should happen to us", Angeline said.
"We would love to do that my angel", Erik said happily.
"And Papa, I want you to teach her to sing. To make her a great singer like you did with Mamma. Would you do that?", Angeline asked.
"My dear, I would be honoured to teach her to sing", he said delighted. "I´m sorry I weren´t there to tutor you when you were little".
"Oh, don´t worry about that Papa, Mamma did her best, I just didn´t have the talent", Angeline laughed.
"Or maybe she didn´t have the tutorial talent", Erik said with a teasing look in his eyes.
"Are you questioning my talents?", came a voice.
Both Erik and Angeline turned to see Christine standing in the doorway attempting to look insulted.
"No my love, we would never do such thing", Erik said innocently as he went to place a soft kiss in his wife´s hair.
Christine smiled and gave her daughter a loving hug before turning her attention to the sleeping form in her husband´s arms.
"How is my little angel?", she said and softly stroked Elina´s cheek.
Erik handed her the baby who opened her eyes and began to whimper before showing off the full force of her lungs.
"Oh, she´s definitely her mother´s daughter", Christine laughed. "You did exactly the same thing when I picked you up for the first time",she said to Angeline.
"I´m sorry Mamma, she´s probably just hungry", Angeline said and offered her arms to take the baby from her mother.
But Christine didn´t give up this time. Softly she began to sing and instantly the baby´s crying subsided.
"See, she knows a great voice when she hears one", Erik smiled at Angeline.
Later that night, after they had had dinner and Angeline, André and Elina had gone to their own home, Erik was sitting at the piano playing softly.
He felt Christine place her hands on his shoulders and her soft voice melted his heart as it had done so many times over the years.
When the song finished she placed a kiss to his ear.
"I´m going to bed, would you care to join me?", she whispered seductively.
Erik didn´t need to be asked twice.
Christine rested her head on Erik´s shoulder and gently stroked her fingers across his chest.
"I love you", she whispered.
"I love you too", he said and kissed her hair.
"You know, your voice fascinated me for years, but when I looked into your eyes on the night you brought me to your lair for the first time I knew I was safe. Whenever I felt frightened or uncertain of your emotions, I would look into your eyes and know that no harm would ever come to me when I was with you", Christine said.
"When Angeline looked into your eyes that night at Meg´s party, she instantly knew who you were. No matter what mask you try to hide behind I can always see through you in your eyes. Promise me that´ll never change".
"I can deny you nothing. You´ve given me your love and a wonderful daughter. You´ve given me the family I never dreamed I could have. I would never hide from you", Erik said and rolled over to pin her to the bed beneath him.
She kissed him deeply. "Good, because if you try to I will do anything to find you".
He kissed her back and began to make sweet love to her. He kept his eyes locked with hers the whole time. They held a look of love and a promise to never leave her for the rest of their lives.
Hope you liked my story, thanks for your support though the chapters:)