A/N Well as you all know, I sort of left it all hanging. I was not sure if I was going to prolong the agony or not, as it just seemed that Erik had to have one last fight before he was allowed the freedom to live. Oh ye of little faith, you should recognize by now that I am very protective of Christine and Erik. I would not allow Raoul to best them. The show needed to be complete so that the Gendarme would not seek him and Christine out. That was my thinking on this vein. We shall pick up from that point now, and you shall see what I mean. Thank you all so much for your support on this story. You are all the most considerate readers, I am very grateful for your words of encouragement. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for allowing me to entertain you; it has been my honor to do so… Your very grateful writer, Marykate.

Chapter 29

The new beginning

"Erik, help me, someone. Will you please help me; we must get Erik into one of the cottages. I know where the key is to the one farthest from the water. Please use your hansom to bring him to the cottage. He has passed out from his injuries. Meg, you come with me and help me." Christine noticed them going to see if Raoul was alive, she said, "Please, let us tend to the living, he will not be going anywhere. You will be able to bring Raoul back to Paris for Phillippe to bury in the family crypt, you can collect him on the way back out. Erik is alive and needs our ministering. Quick, please…."

The men came over and one brought a blanket for carrying him back up the hill. They placed him in their hansom and Christine and Meg proceeded to get in with Erik. Meg was crying and mumbling about the day and what had happened. Christine was trying to talk to Erik, anything to bring him around. He would open his eyes and say, "Is Raoul dead?" Then drift off again. She knew he had lost blood, but she was loathe to think that it was so much that his life was at stake. There is no way that they would finally get Raoul out of the way and then be parted forever. She would not allow that to happen.

They approached the cottage that Christine and her father had gone to when she was so young, it was a happy memory of that time in her life and she was going to make more now, by saving her one true love in this place. They carefully removed Erik from the hansom and brought him into the cottage, Christine went ahead and got the lock opened having remembered where her father had gotten the key when they arrived so long ago she was so glad she held on to those memories so tightly. They were the last really good memories before her father's rapid decline and death. She would never forget them, no matter how young she was when they were here last.

Erik was placed on a large brass bed, his face so pale and drawn; Christine got tears in her eyes knowing he was suffering much. She instructed Meg to go fetch some water and place it in a basin and then she asked one of the men to please go and get a docteur. As Christine was making this request, one of the men came forward and said that he was a docteur; he would help her tend to Erik. Madame Giry had made sure that he came along; to minister to anyone who she feared certain may be injured in the struggle to free Meg. How insightful of her. She had far reaching connections and was very astute in these matters to have been so prepared. Christine silently thanked her; she probably saved Erik's life by saving the time of fetching a doctor way out here.

The Docteur went about stitching Erik up and gave Christine ointment to see to it that he did not develop an infection. Taking a few moments, he checked her left wrist and wrapped it up, saying it was only a good sprain. She would be alright in a week or so. For Erik's part, he told her to keep close eye on him; the next 24 hours would be the most crucial to his survival. The docteur would come back and check on them both tomorrow. He also instructed that she keep some water going into him about every hour, to keep him flushing his body out to keep the infection away. Erik surprised everyone when he came to that evening, after Christine began mopping his brow with the cloth. The Docteur offered to stay behind in the neighboring cottage so that he could tend to Erik if there were any complications. He also wanted to be sure that he was there in light of Christine's pregnancy, to ensure her safety and well being. Then the 4 remaining men bid adieu to the two women and the docteur, Meg having decided to stay behind and help Christine as well upon hearing that she was with child. She would not let anything happen to her Christine again. She did send a message with the men to tell Mme Giry she was here and she would be back when Erik was better.

After all the men decided that they would exclude Christine and Erik from their accounts of how Raoul met his untimely death, they left the cottages to retrieve the body of the Vicomte de Chagny. Christine was so grateful for their consideration; they all seemed to be forgiving of Christine's state, having understood of their desire to be married yet their inability to do so as course of their at last resolved circumstances did not permit them to publicly accomplish anything before now. They were hopeful that would change as soon as Erik was conscious and able to utter the vows of their sacred union. That was the other reason why Meg was staying with Christine, to be her Maid of honor at their wedding.

Erik was in great pain though and when he finally regained consciousness he was not about to show this fact to Christine, instead asking her to please lay with him.

"Christine, we are free, really free. You do still want to marry me, don't you?"

"You would for even one moment think that I would be as Raoul wanted you to believe I was? You must know that everything in my being is screaming out to be yours, and only yours. I love you and am already married to you in my mind. Do not believe the ravings of a madman. He is gone, his memory needs to be purged from our minds, and then we can go on into our future knowing we are alright."

"Yes, I know, it is just hard for me to believe sometimes, that you would love me above him, it is a miracle to me. I don't want to be arrogant or to assume anything. Come to me and lay by me. Heal me, inside and out with your love."

Christine came to him then after their very long day and a worrisome evening for Christine, realizing this was the first night they had together where they were not being hunted out, nor cursed by a raving madman. They were free and they were happy at last. Erik was still able to warm her with his words, she knew he was weak and sang softly to him, as she soothed his wounds gently with the ointment and cool cloth the docteur had instructed her to use on him. He shuddered when she touched his skin; he was in heaven and could not have dreamt a more beautiful angel. She was really and truly his, at last. She stopped with the cloth and began to kiss him gently near where his wounds lay, trying to comfort him and enjoying the way he would shudder when her lips touched his skin, even weak; he was entranced by her touch. She brought some broth in and fed it to him then, so that he would gain some degree of strength. She spoke softly with him, mostly allowing him to listen to her, talk of the stories her father had told her when they stayed here last. He listened and smiled at her wanting to share herself with him, to keep him connected, as if now that he had regained consciousness he would go anywhere but to her side for the rest of their lives. They fell to sleep happy and relaxed, holding on out of happiness rather than survival this time.

Epilogue:

They were married after Erik recovered and the banns were posted. The wedding was simple, by the seaside; a priest friend of the docteur who had stayed behind came to perform the wedding ceremony. Erik was very quick to recover as he had so much to live for. He wanted to marry Christine before she was too far along in her confinement, so that she would not be too terribly disgraced by their past.

The baby arrived 7-1/2 months later, with much help from Auntie Meg, Mme Giry and her doting father, as they rather became a family and stayed together until the baby came, to ensure Christine and Erik's life would be alright. The little girl was named Fleur de Maitre, as their relationship became love symbolized by a red rose, flower seemed an appropriate name for the mademoiselle de Maitre to bear the name of.

Erik finished building his home for Christine and Fleur and they moved to the house a year after they wed. Erik wrote those scores to couple with Christine's stories from her father. Those precious songs were sung by them to their children in their turn, to be handed down for the de Maitre family to share for all time. They lived off the royalties Erik earned from his brilliant opera's performed all over the world, and they bore more happiness then any family they had ever known could. Erik was a doting father always ready with a hug and a snuggle for his children; they had four children, three girls and one boy. He was the baby and bore Erik for his name as well. The children never knew neglect and were all musically inclined. They thrived and lived, yes, they knew how to live! The End.

That said I wish you all fair dreams of this happy family who fought through so much to achieve a life many of us only dream of. Merci, Adieu!