One heart's darkness

Disclaimer: My plan to finally own POTO is still in the making, but just you wait... eventually...

Now do look at this! Another update! Don't you just want to hug me?

Erik? I always hug you! Nothing special...

Me: I know, you're a sweetheart, but I wasn't talking to you, dear!

Erik: Oh, sorry.

Me: That's quite alright.

THANKS to my faithful and loyal reviewers! This chapter might seem a little rushed again, if it does, I apologize. But the story was just dragging along, and all this information that ... someone... gives and that seemes sort of skipped over is just more boring dialogue that would have needed a setting, so just take it as it is, it gets explained later, I swear!

Chapter Fourteen

Jean hurried up the steps of the Opera foyer. He groaned as he heard Monsieur Richard call his name behind him, but stopped and turned to face the older man.

"Before you say anything," he cut off the manager's attempt to speak, "I will not help you! I refuse to sell a lovely woman's confidence. If you wish to go through with your plan, you will have to find a different pawn!"

Richard listened intently, then shut his mouth, which had been hanging open.

He smoothed the strawberry coloured waistcoat over his ample belly and scratched his grey hair.

"Well," he said with an almost apologetic smile at Jean, who towered over him, "I was going to tell you the deal was cancelled, as well, although my reason was not as… noble. The Vicomte de Chagny has informed me that he will no longer support the Opera Populaire if the 'Ghosts' should come to harm."

Jean nodded curtly and walked away without a greeting.

Suzette was waiting for him at the top of the staircase and together, they left the opera and went out for dinner.

At a rather luxurious restaurant they dined at once every two months – they couldn't afford to go more often- it didn't take long for Suzette to realise that something was wrong with her brother.

She put down her fork so resolutely that Jean flinched at the sound of silver on china.

"What?" he asked, his pleasant baritone voice innocent.

"You can't fool me, Jean," Suzette said dryly, moving her gaze from her brother's eyes only for a second to scowl at the waitress who had passed their table for the fourth time in a minute, shooting dreamy glances at the handsome man. Jean, however, ignored the woman completely.

"What would I want to fool you about?" he asked his sister.

Suzette, though being the younger sibling, had always endeavoured to keep her brother sheltered, an impossibility since the death of their father.

"How would I know?" she replied and brushed her dark curly hair out of her face impatiently. She was not quite as good-looking as her brother. Her nose was slightly too long and her lips too thin, but her eyes were of the same stormy colour. She was the tallest a ballerina could be and always held strict diet, lest she would be unable to go on dancing.

Jean tried and failed to elude the question. "Fine," he resigned, "I met this woman…" and he proceeded to tell Suzette about what happened, even mentioning that said woman had admitted to being the female Phantom of the Opera.

Suzette frowned when he had finished his tale.

"But why in the world did you say you lied? Wasn't that before you were approached by Moncharmin and Richard?"

Jean nodded, but shrugged in the same movement.

"Still, I don't think I could have just told her, 'no, I didn't lie, I just decided later, oh, why not sell the angel out to the managers!'"

"And now?"

"Now nothing! She'll forget."

Suzette regarded him calmly. "You won't though. You would get past her face, wouldn't you?"

He groaned a little. "Suzette, don't start, please! I had almost convinced myself that love at first sight was impossible!"

OoOoO

Christine creased her forehead in concentration. Her small hand hovered over a chess piece, but the knowing smirk on Erik's face told her that the move she was about to make would be a bad one. She pulled her hand back.

Madeleine, who was sitting in an armchair next to them, looked up from the embroidery she was working on and smiled at her mother.

"Don't be fooled," she warned, "Papa always grins like that, whether the move is right or not!"

Christine cast her daughter a thankful glance, while Erik swatted her playfully.

"You're not supposed to give away my secrets!"

The family atmosphere was lovely. The Opera Ghost smiled. It still seemed amazing to him how fast everyone had adjusted to the new situation.

They had already moved most of Christine's belongings into the underground house and the next day, they would be wed before a judge. They would be married! It still seemed surreal to Erik, so he leaned back in his chair, while Christine pondered over her next move, and watched her.

How he loved everything about her, down to the fine lines around her eyes and mouth. Most of them had been caused by laughter, only a few by grief. He was glad about that, it pleased him to know that her life with Raoul had been happy.

The Vicomte was another enigma to Erik. He had come to terms with losing his wife to his former rival, apparently, and assigned himself the duty to look out for the little family. Madeleine had –grudgingly at first- forgiven him and, to everyone's amazement, formed something of a soft spot for the man. After Erik had learned about Raoul's letter to the managers, he had asked him about that and the man's answer had left him amazed.

"Look," the Vicomte had said, "Christine is a part of my family, and if you are to be with her, that means you are, too, and Madeleine as well. I will continue to look out for you, Erik, like it or not. You can consider me your annoying little brother from now on!"

When Madeleine had heard him say that, her dry response had been, "Oh, you as my uncle… well, I can picture that family picnic… lovely…"

OoOoO

Erik was pacing the anteroom of the judge's office nervously. Nadir had long since sat down in one of the overstuffed chintz armchairs, but the nervous composer was not to be calmed down.

"She is late, Nadir," he growled.

Nadir, who was dressed up for the occasion in a suit he had only worn twice before and which was just a little tight across the chest, didn't look up from the book he was perusing.

"Aren't women mostly late, especially to their wedding?"

"How would I know?" Erik snapped, but then he sighed and calmed a little, "I'm sorry, my nerves are just... I am afraid that she might still change her mind!"

"Nonsense," Raoul, the only other occupant of the small room, put in, "she wouldn't! And why should she?" He stood at the window, his shoulder leaning comfortably against the frame. His long brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail, something Madeleine teased him about often, calling it his last attempt at appearing young. The man gave off an air of complete confidence and comfort, something Erik found in particular disconcerting as it was his ex-wife he was supposed to marry. But he had insisted on being there for the wedding. After all, he had reminded Erik, he had once demanded an invitation for his wedding as well.

"Why indeed," Erik muttered.

Raoul straightened up. "They're here."

The sun had set already as Christine, Madeleine and Julie hurried up the stairs, their long gowns dragging behind them.

"Fina..." Erik had been about to say 'finally', but the word got stuck in his throat when he beheld Christine. She looked beautiful. As this was her second wedding, she didn't wear white, but a magnificent silk gown of forget-me-not blue, with lovely gold lace trimming at the edges of the skirts and the sleeves, and a tight bodice with a still modestly low neckline which was decorated with dozens of small pearls. Her dark mass of curls had been pulled up and braided into an elaborate crown, with only one loose curl that lay over her porcelain shoulder.

Madeleine and Julie followed her, both in matching dresses of dove grey satin. Their hair had been left open and one white rose each was tucked into the curls.

The younger girl was giggling at the besotted expressions on the adults' faces, while her older sister watched it with a slightly melancholy smile.

Raoul broke the spell Erik was under by announcing, "It is time!"

The masked man was sure it was all a dream, as he was standing with Christine in a cramped little office that smelled of old wood and candle smoke and repeated the words that would bind the woman of his dreams to him.

"Monsieur and Madame Lescaut ... my congratulations." The portly little man smiled at the newlyweds over the rim of his spectacles.

Erik and Christine stared at each other, completely enraptured and Julie couldn't help but giggle again. The judge, a good friend of the de Chagny family, had disregarded the masks Madeleine and her father wore, but she had not failed to notice the compassionate smile he had given her. For once, she did not care.

She just smiled back and made a nice curtsey before turning toward the door.

The small crowd left, Raoul complimenting the judge on his service as the others filed out of the room.

Erik, dressed in a fine new black suit with a crisp white silk shirt, a cravat that was tucked in just so and a midnight blue brocade waistcoat, held her hand tightly as they walked out onto the street, his eyes wandering from the golden wedding band on her hand to her face and back again.

"You will trip if you don't start looking at where you're going," Christine teased him gently, "and you wouldn't want to miss the party, after Meg went through so much trouble to prepare dinner!"

Erik nodded, until something occurred to him.

"You still haven't told me where this 'party' is going to happen. Not in our house, surely."
"No, don't worry. But since there are no performances today and the Opera is empty already..."

OoOoO

"…on the STAGE? Heavens, whose idea was that?" Raoul exclaimed with a laugh as he saw the large table set for seven, with an equal number of chairs and the four candelabras on the large stage of the Opera Populaire. The curtains were drawn back and Julie squealed in delight and ran to up and down the grand space, leaping and twirling in her best impression of a ballet dancer.

"Mine," Madeleine said with a smile, "after all, it's here Papa first saw Mother, so I thought it would be a nice idea."

"It is," Raoul agreed, "but you know you'll have to sing for us later tonight."

Madeleine shrugged. Singing in front of these people didn't frighten her in the least.

Erik, meanwhile, was examining the table, which was groaning under the weight of the dishes Meg had prepared.

"How many guests are you expecting, mademoiselle?" he quipped.

The food was excellent. Christine wiped her mouth on her napkin after having finished the dessert, a very nicely done 'crème brûlée', and complimented Meg, "My dear friend, you have not followed your true calling, you have wasted your time on ballet when you should have become a chef!"

Meg laughed. "Oh, a very nice introduction! Now that we're talking about true calling, you and Monsieur Erik have to sing for us!"

Erik held up his hand. "Not for another half hour, at least, dear Meg. It does not do to sing on an overstuffed stomach, I would sound like Piangi!"

The other adults laughed at that, the two girls exchanged smiles Julie raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," she called, "if you will not sing, then Maddy has to!"

Madeleine nodded in agreement, placing her napkin back upon the table and standing up. She walked a few steps away from the table and silence fell over the gathering.

Then she began to sing, her voice a silken caress of sound, as soft as feather and as strong as the foundations of the earth, again carrying all the emotions of her passionate heart.

"Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
No longer lonely
Light has found your heart in darkness She will be there for you!
Comfort and care for you!
No longer lonely
Light has found your heart in darkness Used to dream that out in the world
No one's arms would hold you
You should have known
Her heart was like your own So laugh out of joyfulness
Child of the wilderness
No longer lonely
Light has found your heart in darkness No longer lonely
Life can be lived
No need just to live alone."

A/N: So, bet you didn't see it coming... euh... oh well, bet you wouldn't have guessed they would get married ALREADY! Anyway. I hope you caught Erik's last name there! As for Jean/Madeleine, more of that to come in next chapter. Some angst, too, I think. Alright, let me know your thoughts on the chappie, see you soon, adieu!

Love you all!

P.F.A.