Corrected January 2007

Ending

Christmas 1867/2006

Emily and Tom arrived in 1866 Paris in January wanting nothing more than to return to their lives in the 21st century. Now in December 1867, 24 months after their arrival, they were both happily married. One to the prima ballerina of the Opera Populare and expecting a baby mid-June 1868. The other married to the opera ghost himself, with an adopted daughter, and another child due in May 1868.

Over the past year and a half the two families had renovated the catacombs of the opera house to make them more livable. The once lair was now a home. The stonewalls and candelabras remained, but the broken mirrors had been removed for safety. After much pleading and cough favors Emily had convinced Erik to dismantle the torture room, it was now used for storage. But Emily was thinking of having it reassembled right around the time of Christine's 16th birthday. There was no way her daughter was going to marry a pesky, pompous Vicomte.

They had also added 3 bedrooms. One for Tom and Meg , and the other two for the upcoming bundles of joy. Emily's old room had been redecorated for Christine.

Christine was flourishing in her new home. She still acted younger than her 13 years perhaps because she never really had the opportunity to be a kid. But Erik and Emily didn't mind. Both had suffered hardships and were more than happy to let Christine re-live her lost childhood. She had math, reading, and history lessons with Emily in the mornings. Vocal lessons with Erik in the afternoons. And she spent her evenings with her adoptive parents watching many fine operas from box 5.

Erik was the happiest he had ever been. Needless to say Emily and Christine had him wrapped around their collective fingers.

It was because of this that Erik was in his current state of torment.

"Mon ange, why is there a tree in the music room?" Erik asked Emily bewildered.

"It's a Christmas tree love." Emily replied distracted by the string of garland that her and Meg were trying to wrap around the candelabras.

"What is the point in keeping a live tree indoors?" Erik asked "And what is that plant hanging over my organ?"

Tom who was trying and failing to get his pregnant wife to sit down started laughing. "You two put the mistletoe above the organ?" He gasped out between laughs.

Emily and Meg looked at each other.

"We haven't hung the mistletoe yet." Meg said

"I did it." Christine said coming into the room holding a few gifts that she had been wrapping in her bedroom.

"Why did you put it there sweetheart?" Emily asked, stepping away from the candelabra and garland.

"Well it's where you and father kiss anyway." Christine had taken to calling Erik father and Emily mother. She never called Erik papa out of respect to her late biological father.

Erik's cheeks reddened at his daughters comment. He cleared his throat "Christine, what does a plant have to do with kissing?"

Christine sighed. Even though this was there second Christmas as a family. It was their first traditional Christmas with a tree and decorations. The previous year there was so much construction going on in the catacombs they couldn't decorate and had instead had a small, simple holiday. So she as well as her mother, Tom, and Meg had spent a great deal of time explaining holiday traditions to Erik who had never had a proper Christmas.

"Father, mistletoe is another Christmas tradition. When two people are under it they have to kiss"

Erik turned and started to make his way towards the music room.

"Love where are you going?" Emily called.

"To remove the mistletoe."

Later that night after saying goodnight to Tom and Meg and tucking Christine into bed Emily made her way into Erik and her bedroom.

"Wait mon ange. Stay there." Erik said once Emily was in the doorway.

"Erik my back is killing me and my feet are swollen. I just want to sit down." Emily moaned.

Erik smiled and wrapped his arms around Emily slightly protruding stomach letting her rest her weight against him.

"Look up" He whispered in her ear sending shivers down her spin and reminding her just HOW she had gotten into her current state.

Emily looked up to see a string of mistletoe hanging above them. The same string of mistletoe that had earlier hung above Erik's organ in the music room.

Emily smiled and reached up and removed Erik's mask. She placed a soft kiss on his marred cheek as she always did when she took his mask off. She smirked and pulled him to her crashing her lips to his

REST OF THIS SCENE CUT DUE TO SITE RULES

The next morning the couple awoke to a hyper 13 year old bouncing on their bed. Erik was silently thanking God that Emily and him had put cloths on after their session of love making the previous night.

"Come on Father, come on Mother get up its Christmas!" Christine squealed.

Erik garbed her and gently pulled her to sit on the bed.

"Christine, you can't bounce around like that around your mother. You could hurt the baby." He gently scolded.

"Sorry father." Christine replied softly.

"It's okay sweetheart. Just be careful next time." Emily said sitting up. No sooner had she said this than Tom came bounding into the room and pounced on the bed.

"Good morning." He smirked gently bouncing up and down.

Emily groaned "Tom your grounded."

Tom pouted "I am not a child."

"I beg to differ" Came the voice of his wife at the doorway "Come June I will have two children to look after."

"You guys are mean." Tom said in a voice like a two year old.

"Yes but you love us." Emily smirked.

Erik watched his family in awe. He never would have expected for his life to turn out like this. But he felt blessed that he had been granted his only wish...a family. He softly kissed his wife as they made there way to the Christmas tree. She smiled at him and his heart took flight.

The following year Emily gave birth to a baby boy. A healthy, perfect, baby boy that the couple named Harrison Charles Destler.

A short time later Meg gave birth to a baby girl named Angel Marie Butler.

The two couples lived happily until their deaths in the early 1920's.

PARIS 1925

"Hello I'm Gaston Leroux, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Destler?" A portly man asked the couple who had just walked into his Paris office. He turned to the other couple that had followed the first in. "And you two must be Mr. and Mrs. Radcliffe?"

The man with green eyes and graying blond hair smiled. "Please call me Harrison. This is my wife Angel. My sister Christine and my brother in law Ronald."

"Well are you ready to tell your parents story to the world?" Gaston asked.

"Of course." Christine smiled.

The End

I hope you all have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I am sad and a bit relieved that it is finished. I am sorry to those who wanted me too keep the story going, but I was fresh out of ideas. And my life is pretty hectic. I hope you enjoyed Gaston Leroux's cameo in the story. I mean he is the genius who created the beloved story of the opera ghost. And yes I know that The Phantom Of The Opera was published in 1911, but I also know that there is no such thing as time travel and that appeared in this story as well so to anyone who might complain sticks tongue out at you lol