by LiltingBanshee
A/N: Sorry for the evil cliffie, here's the update:)
She turned around and looked at him, her eyes wet and puffy and the tears came so quickly they gathered and dripped from her chin. She nodded once and turned back to the gravestone.
His head was spinning. His Christine was dead. Dead! Buried in the cold ground and her daughter was working at the Moulin Rouge. No! This was not how it was supposed to be!
He lowered himself to the ground next to the crying girl.
"But…if your mother is Christine Daáe, then your father must be…"
"The Vicomte de Chagny" Adora finished his sentence.
"That was not how things were supposed to be. Whatever happened to your family?" he asked, wiping a few of his own tear away.
Adora didn't answer him, instead she handed him an envelope she had been clutching in her hands.
He looked at her questioningly and she gestured for him to go on. He reached into the envelope and pulled out several handwritten pages. They were worn, as a result of being read many times, but the writing was still as clear as ever.
Adora,
My darling child. When you are reading this I will no longer be by your side to love and protect you, but remember that I will always be watching over you no matter where you go.
Remember your name my love, it means 'beloved' and that is what you will always be to me.
The day you were born light and hope were once again brought into my life and I wish I could have been there to watch your grow up to be the beautiful clever woman I know you will be.
I scared of dying my love, not of death itself, but I am afraid of what will happen to you when I am no longer on this earth. You know I lost my mother before I got to know her, but I was so lucky to have a loving gently father to look after me. I am so truly sorry that I could not provide you with a father who will love and look after you when I am gone.
I did love your father, but I mistook the affections I had for him. He was a part of my childhood, a part of the past that reminded me of the days where my father was alive. In my desperation to once again feel close to my father I believed I was in love with him.
It could have been good if he had not changed so drastically after the wedding and I often wish you had not been forced to live with parents who did not love each other.
You should not have been Raoul de Chagny´s child, my darling girl. You should have been some one else's.
I know you remember the stories I told you about the Angel of Music that turned out to be a man. The man that I truly loved.
You know about the night of the fire at the Opera Populaire and you know that I left my Angel, Erik, behind in the underground lair.
I will forever regret that I did not make a different choice that night and I have lost count of the times I have wished Erik was your father.
I would never have feared to leave you with a father like him.
I do not know where my Erik is today. I know he has been said to be dead, but I refuse to believe that. Till this day I hope he has found happiness somewhere.
I hope that you will one day meet a man like him my dear. A man that loves you unconditionally. If you do, promise me that you will never repeat my mistakes. If you love him do not be afraid to admit it, regardless of what faults he might have. Never judge a person by the way they look on the outside, because they may turn out to have the most beautiful soul.
My beloved daughter, my time is running out. Promise me you will stay the cheerful, caring girl you were born to be.
You are not a de Chagny, you do not belong in that shallow stuck up world.
You are a Daáe. Carry on your family name and know that I will always love you.
Your devoted mother
Christine Daáe.
Erik let the letter fall into his lap, covered his face with his hands and wept.
He cried for years of lost love and for the death of the only woman he had ever truly loved.
He felt a pair of small arms wrap around him.
"Don't cry Erik. She loved you, she really did" Adora soothed.
That only made him cry even harder and he felt her rub his back and trail small kisses down his cheek.
After a while he relaxed and smiled weakly at her as he wiped away his tears.
"So you knew who I was all along?" he sniffed.
She nodded. "The first morning you came to the Moulin Rouge you called out for Christine in your dreams and I knew you were truly the Angel Maman always talked about."
Erik remembered that morning – and the dream. "I dreamt she was unhappy, that her family was taken away from her. I have had dreams like that for years, but I always told myself that she was living happily with the Vicomte" he sighed.
"She was happy at times. Like when I was born and when she was singing while my father was away working. She was also happy when she told me about her life at the opera house and the times she had spent with you" Adora said.
Erik smiled at the memories. "How did she…?" he asked, gesturing at the gravestone.
"Consumption. When I was 10. It is not just a disease that kills among the outcasts. I think my father brought it back from the brothels he visited…"
"He cheated on her?" Erik exclaimed.
"After I was born Maman said she would not sleep with him anymore. She didn't want to bring more children into an unhappy marriage. She said he could do what he wanted to do, as long as it wasn't with her. They had many fights about it and when he got really bad she would lock the door to her room and we would stay in there singing songs and telling stories until he left" Adora explained.
Erik felt anger rising inside him. That bastard had killed Christine! His beautiful Christine was dead because of her husband's deceit.
"I only hope what he is dead by now too" Adora said, voicing Erik's thoughts.
"Why did he have her buried here? In Montmartre?" Erik asked.
"Montmartre is a sinful place. It was the most unworthy place he could think of. He said she belonged with the other whores and thieves. That is why I came here when he threw me out. I wanted to be close to Maman" Adora said tearfully.
They shared a quiet moment and then Adora turned to him. "Erik I'm really sorry I ripped off your mask. I should never have done that, can you forgive me?" she asked quietly.
"Of course I forgive you, and I apologize for lashing out at you, I didn't mean to" he said.
"All forgiven" she smiled at him.
"Adora I have a confession to make. A few months ago I was walking to my room when I passed your open door. I truly did not mean to do so, but I stole a glance inside and I caught a look at you changing your clothes. I know I shouldn't have and I fully understand if you're angry with me, but I…I saw these" he grabbed her right hand and rolled up her sleeve to reveal the red marks. "I know they cover more of your body and I know you're trying to hide them. I am so ashamed that I looked at you without your consent and…"
"No Erik, don't apologize. I want you to know about them" she cut him off.
"Were you born with them?" he nearly whispered.
She shook her head. "About 9 months after Maman's death I was running through the house. As I came into the kitchen I accidently knocked over a pot of boiling water. It soaked the right side of my dress and ruined the skin" she said.
"Didn't anyone come to help you?" he asked shocked.
"The kitchen maid panicked and just stood there screaming and when my father came to see what the fuss was all about he just looked at me and said that would teach me not to run in the kitchen. Luckily the stable boy heard the screaming and sent for the doctor, but I still got terribly burned. All I wanted was my mother and she wasn't there. When the burns turned to permanent scars my father said he had seen enough scarred creatures in his life and threw me out. I lived on the streets for a few weeks, sleeping here by Maman's grave. Then one day Rosa found me and brought me to the Moulin Rouge where Zidler and his mother took me in. The rest of the story you know" she said, fresh tears running down her cheeks.
Now it was Erik's turn to hug her close to him and comfort her.
"Brave little girl, life has been too cruel to you. Don't fear anymore, I love you, I will take care of you" he whispered.
"Will you?" she hiccupped against his chest.
"Always" he promised.
"Thank you Erik, I love you too" she sniffed.
He felt her reach for his hand and felt something metallic touch his finger. He looked down and saw she had pushed a plain golden band onto his finger.
"What is that?" he asked surprised.
"It is my Grandfather, Gustave Daáe´s, wedding ring. Maman is buried with her mother's ring on her finger. The night before she died she gave this to me and told me that if I ever met you I should give it to you. She couldn't be married to you when she lived, but she wanted to be soin death" Adora whispered.
Erik struggled to hold back the tears, but failed. "Thank you Adora. Thank you for being your mother's daughter and bringing love back in my life" he cried.
She just smiled at him and they sat together till his tears had subsided.
"We should go back. I will help you with your chores so you won't get in trouble" he said.
"Thank you Erik. Zidler's mother rests here as well, I will just go and put a flower on her grave. Would you like a moment alone with your wife?" she asked.
He smiled gratefully at her and she left him alone. He moved over and kissed the gravestone. "Thank you Christine, for coming back to me. I love you with all my heart and always will. You can rest peacefully now; I will take care of your child. I will look out for her, love her and be by her side until the day I shall once again be with you in Heaven."
There will be one more chapter, hope you enjoyed this.