A/N: So who missed me? Lol. Well, here comes the next installment of my little story. Thanks for sticking with me!

Nothing can save you now, except perhaps Christine. Start a new life with me, buy his freedom with your love. Refuse me and you send your lover to his death! This is the choice, this is the point of no return!

Once again the nightmare had pervaded his sleep. Before the delirium of the torture chamber set in, he had heard his captor speak those words to Christine. Not a day went by when he didn't feel the heavy weight of guilt over what she had been forced to do that night. Raoul blamed himself for putting her through that ordeal. If only he had been strong enough to just take his fiancée and walk away. Raoul wished he could amend his past mistakes, removing the scars that the tribulation had left upon both he and Christine. Although she would never voice it to him, Raoul knew that she had still thought of her other suitor. But whether the thoughts were fond recollections or frightened memories, he was unsure.

Glancing out the window of his carriage he saw the outline of the manor drawing nearer. His heart ached at the thought that Christine would not be there to greet him at the gate, as she would whenever he returned from business that required him to leave her. He pulled his son in tighter to him, burying his tears in the boy's soft hair. He hardly waited for the carriage to stop before he stepped from it, Christophe in his arms. He carried him up the stairs and laid him in the bassinet of the master bedroom. Raoul took a momentary look at the bed that he had shared with Christine and knew that he would not find peace there that night. Too many doubts and bad memories filled his head for sleep to once again claim him. Noiselessly closing the doors, he instructed Henriette to keep an eye on his son. She wanted to ask where he was going, but his dark eyes warned her not to.

Like a stray cat, Raoul moved silently through the empty streets. For hours he wandered the city, his eyes fixated on the ground beneath him. He didn't even look up when he heard a carriage approaching behind him. He stepped to the side, feeling a cold rush of wind as the carriage passed him. Pulling his coat tighter around him, he suddenly caught the scent of vanilla on the air. His stomach lurched as he looked up to see dark curls floating on the breeze. He tried to cry out, but the sound died in his throat. His legs felt useless, cemented to the spot where he stood. He gasped as the carriage began to vanish from his sight.

Hardly able to breathe, Raoul burst into a sprint. As if in a nightmare, it seemed the faster he ran the farther the carriage got. He watched in anguish as it turned a corner. Raoul finally reached the spot where he had seen the carriage disappear, only to find that he couldn't possibly know which way it had gone. He screamed Christine's name, hoping the night air would carry it to her. He strained his ears, wishing to hear her cry back, but he was met with an eerily tragic silence. Raoul ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Had he really seen her? Yes, he was sure of it. No matter how much time had passed, his heart would always recognize Christine's presence. But where could she have gone? Where was he now? Looming above the small houses that surrounded him was the Opera Populaire. Raoul felt a lump rise in his throat as he found that his suspicions had been correct. The doubt that had lingered in his mind was gone, replaced with the joy of knowing that Christine was alive, and fury that the Phantom had once again forced his way into her life. With a determined step, he ran once more to his old friend, desperate for help to save his wife.

He began to speak, his words mingling together in a frantic speech, "She's alive, Reinard! Alive! He has something to do with this, I know he does. I saw her, and then she was gone. It happened near the Opera house. He must still be there. I knew he would haunt us all our lives, and now he's taken her once more. We must go to her immediately! Who knows what atrocities she's had to endure!"

Raoul shuddered at the thought of Christine trapped in the dank lair, imagining what the Phantom might already have attempted. His eyes met with Reinard's and he saw the confusion they contained.

"Haven't you been listening to a damn word I've been saying?" he screamed. "She's alive, Christine's alive. And I know he has her!"

"Who has her mon amie?"

"The Phantom of the Opera!" he cried in frustration.

"A phantom?" Reinard asked condescendingly.

"He's not really a phantom, he's only a man," Raoul answered in an irritated voice. "But he is real. And he's in love with Christine," he replied, his voice becoming soft and weak. "He has been for years. His love and obsession drove him to kidnap her once, and now I believe he has done it again."

"Calm down, Raoul. Give me some time and I will meet you at your home where we can discuss this further."

"There is no time for discussion. Don't you see? We must act now!" he replied, his aggravation growing.

"If you want my help, we must prepare a plan. Go now and I will be there shortly," Reinard commanded.

Raoul sat and pondered Reinard's words for a moment. The last time he had rushed to Christine's rescue unprepared, he had put them both in even more danger. It would be ill-advised for him to venture into the Phantom's lair on his own. He had no choice but to succumb to the inspector's demands.

"Very well. I anxiously await your arrival. But please, for my wife's sake, do not tarry," Raoul gave his resigned answer and left the inspector alone at his desk.

The journey home seemed agonizingly endless to Raoul. He knew where Christine was, so how could his feet be leading him in the opposite direction? He felt his tearing anew; the only pain worse than believing that she was gone was knowing that she was near and yet out of his reach. He paced uneasily in front of the door, constantly looking out the window at any sound, only to find them resonating form within his own mind. Finally he heard the approach of several horses and a carriage. He rushed out to greet his friend and partner.

"So, you brought the cavalry? Good. We'll need all the strength we can muster to fight this thing. If you come inside I can tell you how we plan to enter and any traps I am aware of," Raoul spoke as the men dismounted.

"Raoul, I would like you to meet Dr. Bridot," Reinard began, gesturing to a man at his side.

"A doctor? I don't understand."

Reinard nodded toward the house and a woman Raoul had not noticed before entered through the front door. Raoul turned to follow her, but felt his arms being pulled behind him; two men had him in a tight grip.

"What is the meaning of this?" He struggled for a moment, but froze in shock when he saw the woman emerge with the sleeping Christophe in her arms.

"What are you doing with my son? You can't take him from me! Please!" Raoul struggled violently against the powerful arms that held him.

Dr. Bridot stepped forward with a syringe in his hands. He tapped the side before plunging it into Raoul's arm. "This should help you relax."

"I'm sorry, old friend. I wish I had some other alternative, but you should have heard yourself; you were hysterical. All this talk of your wife being the prisoner of some opera ghost…" Reinard trailed off.

Raoul's eyes became heavy as the sedative began to set in. His muscles started to relax and his limbs went limp.

"Don't fear for Christophe. We have found a suitable home that has agreed to take him in. He shall be well tended to."

At the doctor's order, Raoul was lifted into the carriage where he soon lost consciousness.