Chapter Six: A New Hope

Erik looked down at the crying girl before him in silent disbelief. His beloved Christine was dead, murdered by a bandit for that fop's incompetence. Mixed emotions surged through him Hate, anger, pain, and grief tore at his heart. He had a strong desire to go and kill that worthless Viscount right that very minute, but for now he only stared at the backs of his black gloved hands in numb disbelief.

"Christine, Christine…. My angel, my beautiful Christine….," Erik whispered. "I… I cannot believe that she is… she is gone. I… I should have been there!" Erik stood up quickly, knocking over the piano stool in the process. "That… that stupid worthless Fop! He was no more worthy of Christine than….than… than.." Erik screamed and knocked his music onto the floor. He feel to his knees with his hands in his hair as sobbed. "Christine….Christine…"

Angel watched as the Pha… her father, mourned for her mother. This man who only moments before had seemed cold and intimidating now seemed helpless and small. Angel had the feeling that this man had loved her mother more than the Viscount was capable of.

While it was true that Christine hadn't been much of a mother to Angel after Jonathan had been born, she knew there was a time that her mother had loved her and that deep down, in her own way, Christine had always loved her.

Angel felt tears flood her eyes as she thought of the waste the last sixteen years of her life had been…but her father was what Raoul had said, a murderer.

"Oh lord what am I to do?" she sobbed. The tears streamed down her cheeks again. Once she had never cried, cursing it as a weakness, but in the past few hours it seemed that crying was all she had done. How quickly things could change, one moment had completely changed her life.

Erik looked at his daughter, who was still sitting on the floor and was now crying again. He wasn't really sure he wanted the responsibility of raising a child, but he couldn't very well send her back to that foppish pig of a viscount, especially not after what he had done to her.

"What do you mean 'what am I going to do'?" he said sternly, "Of course you're going to stay with me."

Angel looked up at him, her face was pale and her red-rimmed eyes were puffy, well the normal one was at least, but her eyes now held something more than the empty pain and saddness he had seen at first. They had the same look as those of wounded animal only hers held something more, her eyes had a flicker of hope.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Absolutely Angelique, I rarely ever say anything I don't mean."

She smiled at him and his heart melted. He knew he would do anything for the child, even if it meant dying for her.

"Would you like to know what your name really is?"

She nodded slowly.

"Angelique Marie Orageux."

Angel turned the name over in her mind. She liked it, it was better than De Chagny and the connotations where certainly better. She smiled, at least now she knew who she was. She looked up at her father and smiled at him, a smile full of love and hope, a smile he returned. Then on a moments whim she moved over to him and threw her arms around him in a hug. The hug Raoul had never shared with her.

Erik was caught of guard by his daughters hug, but it only took him a moment, to respond. He threw his arms around her as tears of joy, love, and even hop spilled from both there eyes. She had her love and he his redemption and that was all they needed to move on.

A/N ok so for now that's it. I have nothing after this. If I think of something or if someone suggests something good, then it will go on, If not... then well, I hope that was a satisfying enough ending. Til then- Alexia

PS The last name means stormy in french.