They'll Never Do

Having tended to every little medical detail at the Rousseau house, including answering the endless questions posed to him by the anxious new father, Doctor Winston had finally returned to town. He had granted the new little family the favor of delivering a note to the Gate Inn for the Vicomte de Chagny and then returned home to engage in some much needed sleep.

Upon receiving the note from the innkeeper, Raoul had been overwhelmed by a great sense of joy and relief at the happy news, as he had been apprehensive over the entire matter. He had not failed to notice the underlying tension in the air whenever the child had been discussed, and could not begin to imagine the fears that both Christine and her husband were facing. Yet he had understood that no one would have been safe from Erik's grief induced rage had anything happened to Christine or the child.

Raoul waited until late into the afternoon before calling on the new parents, a tiny plush bunny in his grasp. He'd been more than a little uncertain of the proper protocol for such things, and could not help feel that he was the last person who should be intruding into the moment.

Arriving at the house, Raoul was greeted at the door by a beaming Meg who kissed him soundly, ushered him inside, and assured him that he was welcome. Full of happy energy, she dragged him upstairs to meet Angelique, and Raoul was instantly humbled by the tiny babe whose serious blue-green eyes stared up at him from the protective cradle of Christine's arms. All the pain of the past seemed unimportant in the presence of such a miracle.

Raoul gazed at the child in awe. "Christine…she is the very definition of perfection."

Christine beamed at him. "She is, is she not?"

Raoul looked to Erik then, nodding in respect. "You have my sincerest congratulations…Erik."

Erik drew a deep breath and even managed a very slight smile. "Thank you, Vicomte." And for the first time, the title was uttered without disdain.

It was only as Raoul later walked outside alone that a strange mix of happiness and melancholy had overtaken him. He felt quite happy for Christine, certainly, but as the man who had once been engaged to her, he still found it somewhat difficult to see her so thoroughly and completely belonging to another. The little tingle of jealousy he had experienced at first seeing her again several weeks ago had returned. That might have been my daughter, had things been different.

The very thought had him feeling immense guilt. It was not that he still wanted Christine for himself, but more a matter of longing for what she now had without him.

How different our lives might have been had she not found her way back to her angel.

Raoul briefly let his mind wander along the road not taken. He and Christine could well have been ensconced at the de Chagny estate by now, but happy or miserable he could not say. Certainly Erik would have remained a miserable creature condemned to hell. And Meg...Raoul grimaced at the realization that she would have certainly succumbed to Ranier. And Raoul would never have known the mindless passion she inspired in him. Nor the sweet laughter. He smiled, thinking now of the glow on her face as she'd gazed at little Angelique. One day, God willing, she would look at their child in such a way.

It was in the midst of these thoughts that Meg found him in the garden. Her brows drew together in concern, even as she reached for his hand. "Tell me what you are thinking?"

Raoul smiled slowly, answering her in honesty. "I am thinking how very much I am looking forward to starting our own family, my love."

She blushed. "We had best make it through the wedding first, Raoul."

His grin turned wicked. "We could still elope."

She laughing scolded him. "You, sir, are supposed to be a gentleman."

He drew her into his arms. "For you, sweet Meg, I am sorely tempted to be a scoundrel."

xXx

Much later, as Raoul and Meg sat together talking quietly of the day's events, Erik made his way downstairs and into the parlor. Still feeling slightly dazed, he ignored the couple and poured himself a glass of brandy. Christine had finally succumbed to her exhaustion and fallen to sleep, their daughter securely tucked into the bassinet beside the bed.

He could scarcely believe that he'd had any part in making the beautiful life that Christine had struggled to bring into the world. For so many months, he had dreaded this day for fear of all that might go wrong, and now…now he rejoiced in it. His wife. His child. And they were both healthy and beautiful and somehow untouched by his darkness.

"Erik, is Christine finally resting?"

He turned at Meg's question, his eyes quickly taking in the way she sat so close to the boy, their hands entwined. How strange that Fate should have brought them all to this place, this moment of perfect contentment, after all that had passed before.

Pushing aside his musings, he answered Meg. "Mmm…the adrenaline that had been sustaining her finally gave way to exhaustion. Angelique is also sleeping peacefully."

Meg nodded, smiling at the way Erik's face seemed to soften on his daughter's name. "You should rest as well, Erik. You'll likely be getting very little in the future."

His lips turned ever so slightly upwards. "It is fortunate that I rarely sleep."

"At least let me tell Katie to prepare a meal for you. You have not eaten all day."

Erik sighed, Meg was certainly her mother's daughter at times, fearless and tender. He was quite fond of her, really. "I can see to my own meal, Meg. I will leave you and your fiancée to continue enjoying your evening" As he turned to leave, Erik slanted a warning look at Raoul. "But you had best not enjoy yourself too much, Vicomte."

Raoul scowled as Erik disappeared from the room. "I hate that man."

Meg suppressed a laugh. "I am certain he feels the same, my love."

Settling back into a comfortable embrace, Raoul absentmindedly twined his fingers through Meg's loose curls. "At least we have reached a mutual understanding on it. Though I confess he is a great deal more tolerable when he isn't trying to kill me."

Turning her head in surprise at his jest, Meg smiled a bit tremulously. "I am glad you are able to tolerate him, Raoul. You've no idea how very difficult it has been these last months to keep all of this from you."

"We are past that now, sweet Meg. There will be no more secrets between us." Raoul pressed a tender kiss to her lips, and they returned to the task of enjoying their evening.

xXx

For Meg, leaving Dover was bittersweet. She was more eager than she could say to begin her life with Raoul in earnest, but saying goodbye to Christine again was horribly difficult; more so because both women knew it would be quite sometime before they would see one another again. So much would be changed at their next meeting. Meg was returning to Paris to face the scrutiny of Raoul's parents and friends, not a happy task to look forward to. She had been tempted more than once to agree to his suggestion that they elope. At least she might have had Christine at her wedding, an impossibility as it stood now...for so many reasons.

But the friends promised to never be out of touch for long, and everyone agreed that Raoul's appearance in Dover had at least made the possibility of future visits to England less complicated. Erik and Raoul would never be friends, of course, but their wives would never be anything less...and men must make these sacrifices for the women they love.

The return trip to Paris was a far more enjoyable experience for both Meg and Raoul, as the former hadn't the burden of guilt and the latter hadn't the despair of jealousy weighing on them. And certainly Madame Giry had welcomed the company of a far more pleasant traveling companion.

As life would dictate, the brief fairytale happiness of the previous weeks could not be expected to last forever. Reality eagerly met the couple at the Paris station, along with the Comte and Comtess de Chagny.

A/N: Ah, home sweet home...