Chapter 22

Reality and fantasy combine

It was the 5th day of Raoul's illness, it had subsided a great deal, though he was still given to bouts of high fever. He was lucid most of the time, though his all consuming thoughts were of Christine. He had not heard a thing from the gypsies he had hired to keep watch over the Populaire, more specifically the phantom's lair. He chalked that up to the fact that he had spent some undetermined amount of time delirious with fever according to Phillippe and Meg. He still needed to talk to Mme Giry and see if she knew anything about Christine and her whereabouts. There was no way that she was dead, despite what the Gendarme was saying, he knew it. He saw her in his minds eye, he was sure she was being held captive and he needed to free her. He had to get out of his bed and go look in that repulsive lair, there must be some clue there as to what became of her.

He wearily and weakly rose from his bed, trying to get to his cupboard and draw some clothes out. He was so exhausted from this simple action that he needed to sit down for a few moments to recapture his energy in the least. He rose to try to begin to dress and suddenly he found himself on the floor with Phillippe trying to revive him. He had blacked out and fallen down at the foot of his bed.

Phillippe helped him back to the bed and he gratefully resumed his place in his bed. "Phillippe, I am sorry to be such trouble. I wanted to get out and go to the phantom's lair beneath the Populaire. I guess that I am not quite ready for that trip yet.

"Why in heavens name do you want to go back to that place? Have you not given up on the whole idea of Christine being alive yet? I am sure that if she was still alive, someone would have noticed her by now or she would have contacted you. Don't you think so? We have people all over the city looking out for her, she has not shown up yet, and that is highly unlikely to change. You have to begin the process of getting over her. For God sake's, man, take it like a man, would you?"

Raoul buried his throbbing head in his hands, he was trying hard to keep a hold of reality. He knew he saw Christine leave the lair with the phantom. "Erik", he sneered the word out of his mouth with utter hatred. Christine had called him that last time he heard her voice, he is sure that Erik had her by the arm, he was taking her away from him. He had to save Christine, he had to. Time and fever had clouded his memory so much he could not remember why he was angry with her. His innocent Little Lottie. He needed to find her, he was so sure she was alive, he knew that if she was not, she would have visited him in a dream. By now, with the fever he had raging through him, it would have been the way to answer him with certainty. There was nothing. He knew they were connected deep enough for him to feel whether she was alive or dead. Such were the workings of Raoul's mind in this state the anger, frustration, confusion, denial and fever had caused. The edge was precariously close at this time, Phillippe could sense it and consequently he felt it prudent to try to humor Raoul for the time being.

"What can I do for you Raoul? I know that you have been tortured; it is driving you over the edge. We must convince you that you are mistaking, Christine is gone. Maybe we should have a memorial service? Would that help you put her to rest once and for all?"

Raoul raised his head out of his hands and looked wide eyed at his brother. "What are you crazy, you do not have memorial services for women who leave their fiancé and expect him to go looking everywhere for them. She is an awful little tease; she just wanted my favor to make the Phantom jealous. God, and how stupid could I be. I was not playing, I fell in love. I risked my life for her, and she went off with him, the cheap whore." Suddenly his face contorted in pain as if he had been stabbed "Oh God, forgive me Christine, I know he has you captured and hostage somewhere, just to torture us. You only kissed him cause you thought it would save me, and then I let him take you right out from under me." The tears fell and he began to rant again over how she had run off to be a tease, he should have just bedded her and moved on as Phillippe was accustomed to doing with these Opera Wenches. These were the mania's Raoul was given to, minor hysteria and deep depression in one breath, then anger that consumed his very soul. No telling how much was fever and how much was Raoul going out of his mind. He was totally disconnected with reality, and Phillippe, feeling duty to the de Chagny name was loathe having him committed to the Toussin asylum for the time being. The Gendarme was watching him already, they felt that Raoul was becoming a danger, the fever had loosed their attention but the slow return to health was renewing their interest in him. Phillippe had to go see Mme Giry to see if she had any answers he could give Raoul.

"Raoul, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to go and check myself to see if Christine and the Phantom are down in the house under the Populaire? I would do that if it would satisfy your curiosity. Just say the word."

Thinking about this for a few moments, Raoul replied that would be most prudent of him to do that. Then lying back down in the bed Raoul appeared to fall back to sleep. Phillippe really wondered if Raoul would be alright after such a high fever for so long.

Phillippe decided that he would go and visit Mme Giry now. See what she had to say about Christine for himself. He was not about to go to that place of carnage if he didn't have to. Just what he had heard from the Opera Wenches he had bedded about the O.G. had him sure it was an encounter he did not want to make unprepared. To do so would be folly for sure.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Phillippe went to answer it.

When he got to the door he was pleasantly surprised to see Meg Giry and her house mistress Gina at the door.

"Ah, Mademoiselle Megan Giry, Mistress Gina, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Phillippe" Meg began, "Mother is not home tonight, it is late and we grew worried, is she perhaps tending to Raoul with you?"

"No, I am afraid it is just Raoul and I tonight. There is a matter that must be tended to and I regret I have to leave for a bit. Shall I enquire as to her whereabouts while I am out? Damn, he thought to himself, now he would have to go to that awful opera house and see if there were any answers in that house or lair or whatever Raoul called that thing the O.G. lived in.

"Oh, Phillippe, would you? Please? I know that there is nothing to worry about, except…. " Meg allowed the rest of what she was about to say drift off. She didn't know if she should say anything of her reservations to Phillippe, after all that Raoul has been suspicious of, it was probably better not to. So she quickly covered with a cough and continued "Well, there have been so many cold nights, and I cannot imagine my cousin needing mother all night like this. She wrote me and told me she was going to my cousin Larue's house tonight to help her. She is old, a second cousin, and she is in need of some nursing this night as her regular caregiver is gone. She was not there and the nurse was there when we arrived to see Mother. Imagine my puzzlement at that."

"Yes, if I find her whereabouts I shall tell her you enquired after her. The matter I must see to would be easier if you would be willing to kindly stay with Raoul for a time. Would you be so kind, sweet Meg, Gina?"

"We will be most happy to, Phillippe." Meg primly curtsied to him. She really didn't know what effect she could have on his poor heart, did she? Phillippe thought to himself.

Phillippe left the house forthwith and sought the Rue De Scribe entrance to Populaire. The lock having been destroyed by looters after the Populaire disaster. He had to track down Mme Giry after he checked here to see if there was anyone down there. He dismounted his horse, tied him up to the post near the door and walked through the door. Black met him all around. He could not see anything and there was no way he would be able to find his way around this place. He turned to leave and thought he heard Mme Giry's voice. He strained to see where it might be coming from, anything that he could walk towards. Nothing. Well, now he knew he had to find a way to see where he was going and get back to this damnable place. What business did Madame Giry have to bring her down there? Maybe he was going mad, too? For it made no sense to him that she would be here and not let Meg and Gina know. He pondered this as he walked back through the doors. He found a lantern on a parked livery coach across the cobblestone Rue De Scribe. Grabbing it and lighting it with a piece of hay and the oil street lamp flame, he was able to find light hastily.

Solving that problem, Phillippe re-entered the Populaire and began his arduous journey down to the bowels of the Opera house. God he hated this, there had better be something good to find out here, or he will throttle Raoul once he nursed him back to health the rest of the way.

Suddenly the lake revealed itself to him, he was very careful to avoid any trip wires or any devices he may have found suspect. His years in the Navy had served him well on finding things not always to be as simple as they may seem.

He stopped when he reached the shores of the lake. The one device he couldn't know about Erik had by the head of his bed. Upon hearing Phillippe come down to the lake, he pulled a lever by his bed which removed the false floor in the lake and revealed the true depth of the lake.

Madame Giry moved and Erik heard a most unwelcome sound, she had a loaded musket, he could hear her load it. He quietly got out of bed, away from Christine's warm embrace and with the prowess of a cat, he slinked silently over to where Mme Giry was. He whispered to her, "GiGi, I have handled it, we have the boat on this side and I released the false floor to the lake, it is very deep, he shall not get far. Do not fear, and please unload that gun, no bloodshed here, I promised Christine."

Madame Giry gratefully allowed Erik to take the musket from her hands. She had never shot a gun before, but she would have gladly done it tonight to protect them. She looked at Erik and sat quietly back down, to wait and see if they needed to do anymore.

Erik moved inaudibly back to his bed, he felt that if he and Christine stayed out of sight, whoever was there would not know of their whereabouts, he blew out the one candle remaining lit in the bedchamber as he hoped maybe Raoul would give up and start over. He was sure it was either Raoul or someone whom he had sent.

Phillippe tried to cross the lake, he didn't get far. Four steps into the lake, suddenly the floor of the lake disappeared. He didn't see that coming and he was under water and flailing trying to get back to the top for a breath of air, a gasp, anything. Was this the way it was going to end, he went under, he tried and could not breathe at all. Just as he lost consciousness and resolved that this was it; he was going to die, Erik arrived to his side unnoticed. Somehow, he had been so busy flailing about that Erik had gotten all the way over there and was pulling Phillippe to shore without being noticed at all.

It is only a few seconds between life and death, when drowning, that someone can still pull you back and spare your life. Erik knew of this well. Such an effective torture, near drowning, the feeling of suffocation, being able to see images and distortions to disorient your senses, feeling that you should just about be to the top now, air was not far away, only to be dashed away by cold harsh currents of death around you, kissing you and tormenting your lungs until you sought refuge in the unconscious release of death.

"What do we do now Erik? Phillippe will know that you are alive and tell Raoul."

"Do not fear Madame Giry, I have a room he nor Raoul have seen, if they should look for me here, I shall be ready to drive them to insanity, then we shall get them out of the picture once and for all." With that said, Mme Giry told him to go to bed, she would wake Phillippe and convince him to leave here with her.

Erik went back to the bed, but he sat on the side, he was sore more than any alcohol could deaden, he was cold and wet from the lake, and he wanted to curl around Christine to warm up, but he was not willing to risk waking her.

Mme Giry got Phillippe to stir. She woke him and told him that they must get home, she was done saying her farewells. She wanted to say good bye to Christine and the opera house this night, that was why she came here. It was done now, and she was ready to go.

Phillippe, quite dazed and confused by the events that had transpired, merely took up the lantern he had gotten from the livery cart and followed Mme Giry. After following for some time, he found his voice. "I was looking for you, I have to know if you know anything more of Christine or the phantom, Erik, as Raoul called him tonight? I imagine you have proof of their demise? I hope so, then we can get Raoul to stop this charade! It is growing tedious for me. I told him I would find him someone to replace her. He merely gets mad at me and renews his ranting."

"No, Monsieur, I have no news for you other than the assumption they are dead from the opera fire. Sorry Monsieur."

"Ah, well, that is just the life of an older brother. Shall we accompany one another to my home, there you shall find Meg and Gina. They came over to me assuming you had come over to the house to help me with the work he has required of me."

"Monsieur, I know it has been a long illness, it is almost over, no?"

"Yes, it is, finally. He seems to have survived well, if you don't have conversations with him. Madame Giry, I fear that he is losing his mind, this illness was poorly timed, and it was so hard on him. He is in for a long road to recovery."

They had gone up the tunnel on the other side of the lake and walked clear to Phillippes house, horse reigns in hand and conversation on the situations currently preoccupying them.

Mme Giry arrived to gather Meg and Gina, they got the cart and the three of them returned home.

Phillippe went to bed, tired and cold and not quite sure why he was still alive, he drifted off to sleep.

Raoul waited, he was sure that he would be able to get out of bed soon, that was when he would find them. It was so tedious being ill. He really had to get to them and end this before Erik stole her soul. He had to save her.

"I am the angel of music,

I will keep Christine with me.

She will sing for me forever

Your power has no hold on me.

Nor on her still. She is mine

Give up on finding her

She lives neither in your land

Nor in your heart.

She is not yours to have.

The angel of music has been granted a gift

Christine is my gift sent from above.

Move on and find somebody new

Woe to thee should you do not do

Just what the Phantom tells you to!

Raoul de Chagny, your reckless hold on Mademoiselle Daae was the cause of her ultimate destruction. You could have had any woman in the world, why was it her

You chose to hunt for your selfish pleasure? Let this quest go for she is gone, up in heaven where she doth belong. I go to join her, listen to me, head my warnings or

Death it shall be!"

With that Erik seemed to absorb back into the shadows, the whole time he stood there and spoke, all Raoul could do was to stare at him in total befuddlement. What did he mean, what did he say? His befuddled mind could not do that. He was falling, he didn't know why, he felt a snap somewhere and all he could do is try to rise out of bed. He had to tell Phillippe where to look. He knew where she would be. He had to listen to him. He could find them at last. Regain respect and stop the insanity nonsense. Just then someone hit him over the head. He was out. Just like that.

Erik left the house and went back to Christine, the stage was set. Would he fall at last? He had to get this over with.

Christine stirred and asked where he had been when Erik climbed into the bed, after re-lighting the candle, along side her. He was so cold, she was chilled to lay next to him. He was glad to cuddle up to her again, he had discarded his clothes and had his robe on. Apparently she had missed something here. That woke her the rest of the way up immediately, she looked at him and said, "When we went to sleep you were dry and warm, slightly tipsy, now you are cold and your clothes seem to have vanished, what happened? If I may be so bold as to ask you that."

"Certainly, you may always ask, whether you find out will remain to be seen." He smiled a devilish smile, though she could tell by the purse of his lips even in smile, that he was in great pain. She decided that he could be gently cuddled with, as long as he slept. So she positioned herself with him to the left and down from her sternum gently once more. He sighed a 'contented once more' sigh and closed his eyes.

Christine thought that there would be some interesting things to find out when morning arrived, though it was not important for now. She drifted off to sleep safe in the knowledge that Erik would not let anything happen anymore.