A/N: I quickly got this done before I go camping this weekend. Boo! Last trip for the season for me! I love camping… as much as I love Phantom. No Phantom beats all. Thank you again to my lovely reviewers! And to my beta Megan for a fabulous job.
This chapter is dedicated to those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. You're never far from our thoughts and prayers. I'm doing what I can to help and I encourage others to do the same. Donate whatever you have for the cause. Thank you.
Chapter 4- An Unexpected SurpriseIt was a clear crisp morning when Raoul de Chagny entered the Opera Garnier. He nodded to a few acquaintances as he made his way into his office to kick off the day with some calls and paperwork.
He checked his clock above his door, noting it was 6:25. It became a habit of his to come in early and be one of the last to leave. It had been like this ever since he bought the theatre four years back. Many would think he was a work-alcoholic, but there was more to it. He wanted to prove to his parents to some degree he could do this without their permission. They weren't thrilled when he told them he planned on buying it and even more so when he did. But it was part of the past. He no longer talked to them and it was fine. He didn't need them but he had this childish hope they would come visit to see how he did.
Raoul found a little memo on his desk from Roberts saying he owed him an apology… blah blah blah… and Christine Dawson was a pleasure to work with. He mentally grinned before placing the note in one of the drawers. Christine Dawson was indeed a pleasure to work with. At least, that's what he was hearing in the halls of the theatre.
For two weeks she was here. Two weeks. And he heard nothing but sincerity from the other employees in regards to the American. Raoul was pleased that his idea worked out well. From the moment he first heard her in New York, he knew she was Marguerite. The part practically screamed her name out.
From their initial meeting, he knew he found the right girl. He never had expected to find a replacement as quickly as he did to replace the Garnier's previous star. But in the end it had been worth it for as far as Raoul was concerned. There was something about her that he couldn't ignore and it wasn't because she had a pretty face.
Oh no, he had his fair share of pretty faces, but this particular girl was different. It was more of a feeling from the heart than a hard-core decision. Christine Dawson had a voice, he admitted, unlike any other singers he ever heard before. Her voice was pure and it could make the audience be filled with any emotions should she wish it on stage. She had that power, which Maria Giovanni lacked in. But there was also something more…
Shaking his head, Raoul went through the other papers he had on his desk left over from last night. He then came across a complaint from one of the stagehands. It didn't say what was wrong only something about the confounded Phantom. Reading this made his mind think back when Christine asked him if he believed in the Opera Ghost. He never gave her a straightforward answer, but how could he when he was still trying to answer that one himself?
Part of him didn't and another part did. It was half and half. In the logical sense, he believed the existence of ghosts and the supernatural was nonexistent. They were more of stories to tell to scare children and keep the imagination alive. But this wasn't some ordinary ghost story. His family shared a history of the man who once lived as the Phantom, one that no one wishes to discuss. He probably would have never known about him if it hadn't been for his curiosity as a child. But the belief he still existed was absurd. Yet working here for four years made him wonder.
He believed in the man but not the lonely spirit haunting the halls that so many claimed. But the Garnier did have its share of strange occurrences that couldn't be explained. Some that could be passed off as mere absentminded mishaps, but then there were some incidents that truly didn't have an explanation. No matter how hard one may looked.
His discovery of the man perpetrating as a Phantom was accidental. From birth, he learned quickly how his family felt about their ancestry. The de Chagnys' were a proud race that led clean and honest lives for centuries. Not one scandal could be found in the Family Archives until the years of 1880-1899. He was told from his parents about his great-great grandfather falling in love with a chorus girl at the opera house. As much as the idea sounded romantic, as they were childhood friends, at the time it was scandalous.
Raoul de Chagny was a Vicomte with a prestigious title and an expected role of him to marry into a well to do family to continue the linage. Well, a chorus girl was nothing more than to have as a mistress not a wife. His parents never elaborated why the match was so abhorred by the family, even though Christine Daae was a sweet-tempered girl with a heart of gold. They told him they were very much in love and led a happy life, which ended abruptly. Both died young, Christine from a heart disease and Raoul from a broken heart as the family said.
But something didn't make sense to the young lad. He understood the marriage being a scandal, but he never saw it as one to make a big deal out of. There had to be more to it than what his parents told him and he was determined to find out what exactly.
During the summer of his tenth year, Raoul spent many hours going through the archives searching for something that would explain something about the marriage. It was briefly mentioned between 1880-81 that Christine Daae was rumored to be in cahoots with a ghost in the Garnier where she worked. It said that the Phantom was obsessed with the young soprano in hopes of making her a rising star until she fell in love and married the Vicomte de Chagny.
The Phantom as described was a raving lunatic, yet a genius to the musical world. He had worked on his masterpiece for his entire life called Don Juan Triumphant, but was never finished. He was also a murderer and suspected of killing an old stagehand by the name of Joseph Buquet and the disappearance of the Comte Philippe de Chagny, the Vicomte's older and admirable brother.
There were some old newspaper clippings he found in some books that went on to say that the remains of the Comte were discovered at the bottom of the underground lake in the theatre about a month afterwards. The whole scandal surrounding Christine Daae, the Vicomte, and the Phantom lasted a few years before it died down and nothing was heard about them except their deaths.
Christine Daae and the then Comte both died in 1899, but the Phantom was reported dead in an evening edition of l'Epoque in 1882, a year after the tragic events. A skeleton was found in one of the basement cellars, which many believed to be the feared Phantom of the Opera.
And that was all he could find. Raoul wanted to know more about the Phantom and his affiliation with his great-great grandmother. Yet the archives held hardly information except that he was a monster that Christine Daae believed him to be an Angel of Music sent by her dead father to coach her. But he knew there had to be more still. Everything he had found wasn't enough. A piece of the story was missing and it had to do with the relationship and possibly the "happy" marriage.
If his search hadn't been as disappointing, then what happened to him from than onto thirteen was something left to contemplate about.
Raoul would start having weird dreams that would end with him screaming. All of them dealt with him drowning in a horrible room with maniacal laughter surrounding him. There would be another with him, pleading and screaming for help. But he could never see the man's face and he barely understood what was being cried out. Eventually, Raoul confided to his younger brother Philip about his nightmares. He was the one who suggested that it might be a sign of some kind wanting Raoul to seek out the answer of what really happened. Raoul laughed outright at the proposal, calling it ridiculous. But the more he thought about it perhaps it wouldn't hurt.
He decided the best way to start was to review the archives once more to see if he could find any hints or loopholes and then try looking for diaries of his great-great grandparents. Surely of something like this it would have been recorded either by one or the other.
The more he investigated the more Raoul wondered if his great-great grandfather wasn't as great as everyone made him out to be. From reading his accounts, Raoul didn't like the airs the Comte gave off. It was obvious he was spiteful to the Phantom and condemned everything the man had done in his life, including his music.
But how would he know what his music was like? He thought. His conclusion would had to be from his great-great grandmother. She was the only person who knew the Phantom and probably would have heard his music. But surprisingly, Christine Daae's diary wasn't kept with the rest of the documents and records of the de Chagny family. He had torn the place apart looking for what could be the missing link, but it was no where to be found.
For a second, he was afraid her diary might be destroyed or lost over time. But as his dreams were becoming intense, Raoul had a feeling he was closer to the truth.
Then the fortunate had occurred. Raoul turned thirteen and that summer his family traveled to their summer home in Southampton. Upon fooling around in the attic, he came across the missing diary he had been looking for two years. He was so excited that he finally had the answer he been striving to seek out for years concerning his family. The book was the key and he finally had it in his hands.
Raoul read the book multiple times. The first time he was shocked, the second he was appalled, and by the third time he was furious. This was his only evidence to prove that the Comte Raoul de Chagny was nothing more than a monster and not the Phantom.
In her diary, Christine Daae was very much in love with the Phantom, though confused in the beginning of her initial feelings. And his great-great grandfather knew it and was the first to recognize that her love for the Ghost was much deeper than what she let on to believe. The pages were filled with warm regards and devotion to the man she thought was her Angel. When Raoul de Chagny entered the scene, her feelings were torn.
She admired her old friend and did love him (to a level of nothing more than a brother), but it was clear her heart belonged to the Phantom. It was pitiful that the Vicomte couldn't honor that and believed she was trapped under some kind of spell. He at first made her believe that what the Phantom was doing with her was wrong and convinced her she should be afraid of him.
It wasn't until the night of her disappearance during Faust when Christine Daae came to the realization she wanted to be with the Phantom. The Vicomte and the Persian (whose name was scratched out) went off after her to rescue her from the Phantom.
Lost in his lovesick mind, the Phantom gave her the choice of becoming his wife or choosing death to her lover and the opera house. She chose him but for some reason the ghost had a change in heart and decided to let her go. Christine made him a promise. She was to tell the Vicomte she could no longer marry him and return to the Phantom.
She then wrote saying she tried to break off her engagement to the Vicomte, but he wouldn't hear of it. Christine Daae was kept locked in her bedroom on account of an illness she had according to her fiancé and they were married there. From that day until her death, she was kept as prisoner to her former friend away from the man she truly loved. That was the true story.
The archives were all lies. There was no fairy-tale marriage; in fact there was no love between them at all. De Chagny raped the beautiful ingénue because of his jealousy and denial. From that moment on, Raoul resented his ancestor. There was no honor in him that he could find in the man.
Exhilarated with the newfound discovery, Raoul presented the diary to his parents. They were outraged by the audacity within its contents, but then quickly covered it up. The former Daae, they claimed, didn't write the diary, but a servant who disliked the family and hoped to ruin them.
Raoul was stunned by his parents' dismissal of the diary. Wouldn't the truth be best to know than to place a worthless man on a pedestal? He was outraged with their ignorance and as the years passed he grew bitter and distant towards them. He realized he could no longer idolize his parents if they still tend to worship de Chagny. It wasn't fair that his great-great grandmother's cruel treatment was being ignored by her own blood, even though she didn't want anything to do with the family. Justice was denied and Raoul felt he owed a duty to his relation to do so. The only good outcome from this was the nightmares ended, which Raoul was surprised that Philip was right about it.
Afterwards, Raoul became obsessed with the Garnier. He wanted to know everything there was about it. He knew his great-great grandfather was the patron and he was the last in the family to ever sponsor the arts. It became the de Chagny's omen to partake in such activities, though the reason was never clear to him or his brother when they were younger. But now, Raoul understood perfectly and made it seem better to start up again. He didn't care if it embarrassed his family or disgrace their name; he wanted to do this for his courageous great-great grandmother.
It was interesting to know the renowned opera house suffered a colorful history. Charles Garnier, the architect, won the commission to build the theatre in a contest in 1860. During the construction (which lasted fourteen years), two major events occurred. The Franco-Prussian War and the Commune (both in 1870) put the building on hold until at last it was opened in 1875.
Messieurs Debienne and Poligny managed the theatre until in 1880 they retired and gave the opera house to Messieurs Moncharmin and Richard. At the time there were rumors about the Phantom, which was a story told by the stagehands to terrify the corps de ballet. Yet strangely enough, the new managers were warned to uphold the orders given by O.G. They thought it was a joke until accidents were happening on a regular basis.
The great chandelier that was in the auditorium fell on the heads of the audience after the request of Christine Daae being in the lead was given to La Carlotta instead. Halfway into the performance, the leading soprano began croaking like a toad and the chandelier came tumbling down. Many were wounded but only one died—a woman who was to replace Madame Antoinette Giry, who was thought to be the Phantom herself.
The auditorium was damaged and the management and patron had enough funds for repairing. After the events surrounding the Phantom, the owners changed and after that the house fell tragically.
Over the years and into the new century, the number of attendants fell. Opera wasn't receiving the usual attention as it did before as new leisure activities were being pursued. As Europe was hit with the depression, the profit dropped dramatically and even more so during World War II. The Garnier was handed over to many different managers, each worse than the previous.
It wasn't until the 1950s when a fire broke out and damaged about half the theatre. The Garnier had to be shut down until it could be rebuilt, but the money was lacking. Finally in the mid-60s a restoration was done to preserve the original construction and rebuild what the fire destroyed. Once it was done, the theatre was still closed to the public until 1982 when it began running shows like it did before.
As the Garnier went through a rebirth so did the Phantom. The stories and rumors were brought up that its ghost was still haunting the theatre, and this time it was a real apparition and not a man. For decades, there been reports of mischievous sightings occurring inside. Some claimed to see a shadow moving around, but there would be no person. Then there was some who said they heard a violin playing when walking by. And some said they would hear a man screaming, yet when they go to help there's no one around.
Most nonbelievers dismissed the Phantom's existence despite the stories told from near-death experiences. In one story, a man was actually found dead in one of the early dressing rooms. From the autopsy report showed the man was strangled to death yet there was no sign of the weapon or killer at the scene. Some said they would see a face resembling that of a dancing corpse with fire for eyes in the shadows, but it could never be proven.
But those stories were told from construction workers or passersby. The ones that were more concrete came from the actual employees themselves.
When the theatre was reopened in 1982, all of the dressing rooms were put to use for the dancers and singers. Everything was fine until it was closing time. A couple of girls went missing and it wasn't known until the following day. A few days later, one of them emerged, white as a sheet. She was in such a state of shock that she couldn't remember what happened to her the past several days. Her friend was later found dead in the dressing room at the end of the hallway. That dressing room was the one formerly used by Christine Daae.
Certain incidents occurred similar to the first either with the victims found nearly dead or deceased. Those that were found alive couldn't relay what happened to them. But they would look to the darkest of shadows, frightened and trembling.
Some people were beginning to quit in fear they would be next. It wasn't until a suggestion was made, that if the perpetrator was the "Phantom", perhaps he was telling them something through these crimes. It was a laughable notion but one ballet mistress highly suggested they would keep away from the old dressing rooms and stay to the newer ones. After a few shakes and "it would never work" they tried it out for a month and no one went missing.
That former hallway was soon labeled the "Death Crossing" with the dressing room used by Christine Daae called the "Dressing Room from Hell".
That day forth, no one ever dared to walk through the hallway or go to any of the rooms in fear they would be caught by the Phantom.
Raoul found the entire story fascinating and it made him want to own the theatre even more. He talked to Philip about buying it and his brother supported him immeasurably.
The parents were a different story.
They scoffed at the notion, especially when Raoul's father wanted to pass down the title of Vicomte to him. Raoul made up his mind long ago he wouldn't want anything to do with the family responsibilities, including the title and power. The idea of being Vicomte didn't appeal to him. He wanted to do something more and useful in his life. He wanted to own the theatre that "ruined" his family and make it the best the world as ever seen. His parents foolishly thought if they gave him the title he would stop the charade. It didn't.
Philip told Raoul he would back him up if he should need it, and the old bastard did, he thought.
As Raoul refused to back down, his parents started to threaten him. His father told him he would disown him and take away his allowance if he did not fulfilled his duty. Raoul told his old man he didn't give a rat's ass about being Vicomte and if he wanted to own the Garnier then he shall with or without his blessings.
To add on to the insult, Raoul announced the deal was sealed and he was now the owner of the Garnier. He was twenty-two at the time and began to take charge of his own life.
The media went haywire when news broke out that Raoul de Chagny refused his title and was disowned by it. Philip got the title and the de Chagny fortune much to his chagrin.
The scandal went further with the family feud when Raoul openly came out to the public about his great-great grandfather. He denounced him as a liar, cheat, and adulterer. The severe humiliation had its toll on his parents, especially when he was named after the condemned.
Raoul's father took his son to court, but Philip intervened before things became too ugly. They were able to compromise with Raoul apologizing to his father privately. But despite how Raoul felt he was defeated in his cause, he kept his head raised high and went on with his life.
He became immune to the media and he didn't let any of their headlines get to him. Raoul wouldn't deny his belief how much of a louse his great-great grandfather was, but he had the dignity not to say so in public. Yes he didn't care about his parents, but he wouldn't bring shame to his brother. He respected Philip too much and he continued to keep communication with him. Philip was the only relative Raoul would acknowledge and keep in touch with. The rest of the family on their own accord excommunicated him, which didn't bother him in the least. He had what he wanted—the Opera Garnier.
It was hard strenuous work but Raoul was able to do what he dreamed to do. He brought the worldwide attention back to the theatre and renewed the old reputation of being the best. But it didn't mean he didn't have any trouble getting there.
Rumors still existed about the Phantom but now it became an age-old tradition to dish the tale out when fresh meat appears. The gossipers of the theatre were Stacey Carter and little Jamie. The latter enjoyed scaring visitors about the Opera Ghost since she came to train in the ballet.
Raoul admitted her tales were amusing and if he was to catch her ranting about the ghost, he would grin to himself and continue on with his work. He never stopped Stacey from telling others of her great-great grandmother having an affair with his great-great uncle. After what he found out about his family, he wouldn't be surprised if this affair was true.
But that wasn't the trouble he faced.
Raoul shuddered as he remembered the first time he had a close encounter with the being he thought wasn't real.
He heard of the stories and accidents that took place in the "Death Crossing" way before he bought the Garnier, but it didn't stop him from taking a walk down there to visit the room his great-great grandmother inhabited.
Once he step foot down the hallway, he felt a cool draft set in. He shrugged it off, thinking nothing by it, as he proceeded to go down to the last room at the end. Before he reached the door, Raoul was forcefully pushed against a wall. He started to yell at whomever did that and found he was alone. Raoul was positive somebody pushed him, but whatever it was he wasn't going to let it stop him. As he went inside, everything blacked out. But he indistinctly remembered feeling a pair of invisible hands wrapped around his throat before he fell unconscious.
When Raoul woke he was propped against his office's door with a note on his lap. The message was scrawled in crimson ink by the looks of a clumsy, childish hand, which read:
THat wAs A waRnINg. NeXt TiMe You wOn'T Be lUCkY.
He couldn't decide after this if he should be terrified or what, but Raoul was a sensible man and he wasn't going to let something or somebody scare him off. He threw the note out and went about with his business. He would now and then paused at the hallway, wondering if he did came across the Phantom. Raoul had no doubt of his existence before but now he wasn't sure. Ghosts don't exist. Plain as day they don't. But could one in this case?
Raoul didn't tell anyone what happened to him and he thought it practical for him to stay away from the "Death Crossing". So he did but whatever presence he met wouldn't give up on him.
A few times he walked into his office to find it trashed. A couple of times he had to buy a new computer, but the last time he had to get the walls refurnished. There were scratches on the wall in that same childish print he found in the note. Though this time it read:
LEAve nOw dE ChAgNy.
After that Raoul was infuriated. It was clear to him that someone wanted him gone and he had the sneaky suspicions it had to deal with his father. He confronted him about it and his father told Raoul he would never do such an act to anyone, not even kin. The last remark made them both uncomfortable and Raoul didn't question him further on it.
He tried to stay away from what the others might say if they knew they're manager was being threatened. But he couldn't escape from one woman who had close ties to the theatre—Adele Garrison.
He had never met a woman quite like her ever in his life. She was the ballet mistress there since the reopening and never left her post when everyone else was leaving at the time of the missing chorus girls. She helped advise Raoul in running the theatre when he first came and then she took her leave to do her job. They never had reason to speak to each other again, except when Raoul was experiencing difficulties with the ghost.
He knew that Adele's ties with the Garnier ran back into the very first opening as her great-great grandmother, Antoinette Giry, worked there as the first ballet mistress. There were stories of her possibly linked to the Phantom, but it could never be proven. Marguerite Giry, formerly known as Meg, became the Prima Ballerina until she married and became a Baroness. One of her children returned to the opera house and took up the position of ballet mistress and since then her family had always had a part in the ballet or rebuilding when it was necessary.
Adele found out about his vandalized office and right away had a word with him. She knew who was responsible for it and when she told Raoul he had a good laugh until he was quickly silence from her famous cold stares. Adele informed him it would be in his best interests he shouldn't take the matter lightly. The Phantom was one figure that shouldn't be messed with for it was a fool's errand to mess with life and death.
She told Raoul she liked him from the moment they met and would hate to see anything happen to him. So Adele had Raoul write out that he means no harm to him and that he would agree to any ideas that he should come up with. Raoul did it to humor her and Adele placed the letter by Christine Daae's dressing room. Raoul was with her when she did this and both witnessed the letter being sucked up from under the door.
Never again had Raoul questioned Adele and both fell into a comfortable friendship. Peace with the Phantom was settled and all that remained was to find a leading lady.
Raoul found Maria Giovanni by chance of luck. Philip invited him to a party and there the Italian singer sang to the guests. Right there Raoul knew he found the right soprano for the Garnier. She had a decent voice, easy on the ears, but she lacked the feeling in the music. But she was well known and at the moment that's all that mattered.
Maria was thrilled to be part of the Garnier as her idol Carlotta Giudicelli sang there. She was hired right away but there came some demands that had to be followed if she were to sing.
First off, her understudy had to go. She would accept no other except her cousin, Catarina Giovanni. Secondly, she demanded for any leave time if she should wish it. And lastly, she wanted someone to attend to her parrot Carlotta.
Two of the three requests were done. Catarina became her understudy (the first one was bumped back into chorus with a raise) and she had her time off whenever she wanted, as long as it didn't jeopardize a show.
Raoul felt terrible about firing the understudy, but the girl didn't mind it as much when she was offered the raise. All he wanted was to keep the peace and he did so successfully.
The next several years passed and Raoul didn't have much trouble with the Phantom until recently. Maria did a wonderful job despite she was a bitch to the other cast members. Cat wasn't quite as bad as her cousin, though both women possessed the same fiery temper. She was a few years younger than Maria and far lovelier.
Yet when the Phantom began to mess with Maria, both women quit. Maria was superstitious so it didn't take much for her to run off and Cat left in fear the same would happen to her.
Losing his prime singers didn't make Raoul's day so it was then Adele recommend he should take a vacation to settle his nerves.
There comes New York and in enters Christine Dawson.
A rap came at the door and Raoul admitted in Adele. The older woman came in and took a seat.
Raoul took a moment to study her. She was stern with the girls, but with him only if he deserved it. It was surprising that after he was threatened, Adele became like a second mother to him. A better one, he thought. He took delight in the relationship they created for each other and wouldn't change it for the world. There was more to the hard-hearted woman then she lets on to be, and he always took advantage to show she was like any other human being.
It was then he noticed a few silver streaks beginning to show through her honey-brown hair. He couldn't resist.
"So Adele, come across any ghosts lately? You looked like you had quite a fright."
"Oh, M. de Chagny, I never dare venture into places haunted by tales."
Even though, she insisted everyone to call her Adele she could never do the same to her colleagues. No matter how many countless times Raoul asked her to use his first name, she insisted on formalities on her part.
Raoul chuckled. "It's unlike you Adele to let your age show through. How else can I explain that my love is much younger than me?"
"Me? Ha! You wish sir but keep up with the old jokes and I'll whack you to Kingdom come." She smirked, crossing her leg over.
Raoul put on a wounded look. "Ouch. No doubt you'll will. Apologies Madame."
Adele glared at him and he quickly sobered. "Right. What's wrong Adele? You usually don't mind a little playful banter."
She sighed. "I've been thinking of Christine Dawson. She's good, I understand, but this is far different from what she's used to sing."
"What does Roberts say?" Raoul asked, flexing his shoulder.
"Roberts has no problem with her. Didn't he leave you a memo about it?"
"Yeah I got it. So there's no problem, I know she can do this. She has the energy and potential. There's nothing for you to worry about Adele."
Adele raised an eyebrow. "You're not saying this because she's pretty, huh?"
"What? Adele please! I learned my lesson from last time and I don't want to go down that road again. Besides, she might have a boyfriend back in New York."
"Meg didn't tell me she had one…"
Raoul's face blushed a deep shade of red. "Okay, I'll admit she's attractive looking, but we're going to remain on professional terms."
"You sound like she's already made a move on you." Now she was teasing.
"Adele," Raoul groaned. "If this has to do with my lack of a love life then don't. I'm not going to get involve with any of singers and that's it. You act like I'm in love with her already."
Adele snorted. "You had to see it from my point of view when you two were introduced to each other. But I'm not saying anything. You say you don't have an interest in her, okay. Then she probably doesn't have an interest in you."
"Why? Did she say she didn't?" Catching her grin, Raoul cleared his throat and looked away. "Don't say a word Adele."
"I won't. Have you been down to the rehearsals yet? I know you don't normally do, but I think you should bend your own rules this once. Who knows what could happen—"
The door flew opened as a woman came busting through. She was panting heavily from running, her wavy black tresses sticking to her sweaty face, as her almond-shaped olive green eyes darted from Adele to Raoul. Her ivory complexion became beet red as she fixated on him.
Raoul gulped.
TBC…
Next chapter starts the excitement! Please don't forget to review you guys! Remember, any comments are welcome, as long as they're not "I hate this and I hate you" flames. If you don't like it then don't review. But if you do please and any suggestions are welcome! I want to make this as well as I possibly can.