Now, breathe...the saga continues...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Erik or Christine. They are the wonderful creation of Mr. Leroux – but ALW gave them depth and humanity – as did Kay. I do not own any lyrics that are used; they will be credited at the end of the chapter in which they appear.

I do however; own the plot and any original characters, which appear from the dark caverns of my mind.

Character portraits:

Erik – Gerard Butler (There is no other – not for me!)

Christine - Scarlett Johansson (with violet eyes, and a little more of a mature look)

Meckenzie - Emma Karwandy (from Butterfly on a Wheel)

Vince - Pierce Brosnan (slightly shorter)

Karen - Bette Midler (only about ten year's younger, seven inches taller, and long,brown hair)

Ms. Jennison- Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny from the latest Bond movies)

Mr. Lynch - Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly from the first X-Men movie)

All other original characters, you can use your imagination.

Enjoy.

CHAPTER 26

Ruby Collins chose that particular moment to peak in the door and smile at them both. She scooted in and Erik stood, allowing her to sit in the chair.

"I can see that you two are getting ready to go out, so I will make this brief." She stated.

Her eyes turned to Erik and the smile on her face was a mix of sadness and elation. "I know who you are…well, at least whose you are." She breathed.

Erik raised his head in interest and burrowed his eyes into her, waiting for her to continue.

"Do you believe in fate, destiny…whatever you want to call it?" Ruby asked.

They both just looked at her, without acknowledging a yes or no answer.

"I knew a man once…the most handsome, chivalrous, kind man I had ever met. He swept me off my feet in the fall of 1941." Ruby whispered.

Tears filled her eyes as she thought back to that fall, but the smile on her face was iridescent.

"Aleron was the epitome of everything I thought a man should be…tall, chiseled features, toned musculature, dark, wavy hair and the most beautiful, ocean green eyes I had ever seen."

Her eyes rested on Erik as she spoke, and his stomach twisted in knots.

"He was French - with the accent and everything…" she winked at Christine and they shared a moment of female oneness, "…he was so romantic and made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.

"His family hadn't been in the states for very long, but they were citizens, and they loved this country.

"We fell in love instantly – I was 18 and he was 20." She paused for a moment as memories flooded her mind.

"He asked me to marry him on November 28, 1941, and I eagerly said yes."

Erik and Christine were both engrossed in the story, but neither of them could believe she was 83 years old.

"I immediately started planning the wedding, despite the fact that Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 8 and Aleron had joined the army just months before."

As she spoke, her voice began to crack from the emotions coursing through her. She reached up and wiped the silent tears from her aged eyes.

"He came to me and said he was leaving on December 14 to go to Germany…I cried for days." She smiled weakly and a blush covered her features.

"He never knew I carried his child within me when he left that day…I never told him." The words were barely a whisper. "She was stillborn 7 months after he left."

The pain of that loss still shone in her eyes. Ruby Collins had suffered greatly because of her love for Aleron.

"It was four years before I saw him again, and I was one of the few whose loved one came home." She reflected, "But Aleron had changed and our love suffered the darkness that both surrounded and consumed him."

Her shoulders were trembling from the weight of her pain; it was still so raw after 64 years.

"He had suffered through much and carried the scars on his face and torso to prove it….but I didn't care…he was still beautiful and nothing would change that."

She raised her eyes to look at Erik and then lifted her hand to his chiseled left cheek.

"You probably know him as Alan…they shortened his name in the states and that was the name everyone called him…but I called him Aleron."

Erik felt the color leave his face and the breath escape his body. His grandfather had been Alan Bastian Trudeau, a decorated WW II hero and POW, whose tragic war stories had fascinated him as a child.

Looking back on the man, Erik remembered the scarred face that he had loved so very much; it was a result of torture at the hands of hisprison guards, but Erik hadn't cared. The man was a legend and he had worshipped the ground upon which he walked.

"You could have been my grandson." Ruby stated, as her hand continued to caress his cheek. "You look just like him." She dropped her hand and the tears flowed freely.

"I was never able to have children of my own…the difficulty I had bringing Analee, our stillborn daughter, into the world rendered me sterile." Her chin quivered as she thought about her beautiful infant daughter – cradled in her arms, still and lifeless. "When I finally did marry, some six years later, Lawrence and I adopted."

Erik gathered her in his arms and allowed her to shed her quiet tears into this starched shirt. She was not a frail woman, but she seemed so vulnerable at that moment.

"I loved him – so very much; he allowed his scars and self-doubts to kill our love and eventually he abandoned it." She finally choked out. "I am so happy to know that he found love again and passed his beauty, intelligence, and personality on to another generation."

Erik pulled away and smiled down at her. She could have been his grandmother if fate had allowed it; but it seemed fate had a cruel side.

She stared Erik in the eye and sternly advised him, "Don't allow what you think are insurmountable defects to keep you from love, my son, you are a beautiful man – inside and out – don't let the mistakes of Aleron Trudeau resurface in you…" She smiled at Christine and continued, "…take everything life gives you and make the most of it…chances only present themselves once – and if not acted upon, they become regrets."

She stood up and headed for the door. Erik moved before her and opened it to show her out. She stopped and looked at him one last time.

"You really are his exact image..." she reached up and caressed his cheek once again, "…so beautiful…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

They both just stood there, taking in everything that Ruby had said. Erik hadn't thought about his grandfather in years…but he knew he wouldn't ever forget him again.

Ruby Collins had loved his grandfather despite his scars and darkness. He had abandoned her and given into his darker side, burying his love for her for several years, and finally losing it.

The man Erik had known had beena loving father and grandfather…whatever demons he had carried, he had buried – or learned to control.

Meckenzie had been listening also, but the language and terms were foreign to her. She could feel the mood in the air though, and knew that something major had taken place.

Erik looked up at her and decided to make her smile.

"Meckenzie, as soon as you are all well, I have a treat for you." He announced.

"What's that?" She asked with enthusiasm.

"You once told me that you wanted to visit Disney World and swim with the dolphins…" he watched as her face lit up and tears lined her eyes, "…I have booked a vacation to Florida. We will leave November 26th, and return on December 8th…our school is out early for the holidays and doesn't reopen until after the New Year." He looked at Christine and saw the tears running down her face, "How does that sound?"

Christine nodded; that being all she could do without balling. Meckenzie put her arms out for a hug and Erik came to her side and wrapped her in his arms. He breathed in her fruity shampoo and realized how much he loved this little girl and wanted to make her smile every day, for the rest of his life.

"It's settled then." He whispered and found himself placing a kiss atop her head. "Now, I am going to take your mother to dinner…" he bent down and whispered in her ear, "…maybe, if you're really good, I'll sneak a cheeseburger and fries in to you."

Meckenzie slapped her hands together in exultation, "Yippy!" She exclaimed.

Erik chuckled. He knew how much she loved McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries, so he thought they would stop by and get her some on the way back.

"You're going to spoil her rotten, Erik…" Christine teased, "…there will be no living with her now that you're in her life."

He put his arm around her and walked slowly down the hall. He looked at her, but did not speak, at least not aloud, 'I'm in your life…the both of you.'

He smiled at the possessive tone in his head, 'My, but aren't we being the brave one…she hasn't seen you, old man…wait before you start staking claim to her heart.'

Christine knew he was having another mental debate with himself, but she allowed him his time. She knew that romance and what came with it, was foreign to ERik, and she was willing to see him through it…he was worth it – no matter what.

TBC