Disclaimer: I tried to kidnap the Phantom, but failed. Therefore, I do not own him. I don't own Manistee, either, since it's a real place; I am only using it b/c it's a great town I love very dearly.
AN: This is it, the end of the story! Sorry, there will be no sequel to this fic. For more amusement written by me, please check my bio page to see what I've added. Thanks for all of your love and support, you people rock my world!
Epilogue: When Everything Comes Together:
I was extremely tense as I held little Bianca in my arms, pacing back and forth in the main hallway of the villa. My parents would soon be arriving from America to visit, and they were bringing my brother Philip along, most likely to act as mediator between the two families. I felt terrible about that being put on my poor little brother's shoulders, but he was a bright boy and could take it all in stride.
"Clara, you're starting to aggravate Bianca," Erik said, emerging from the music room. "You're even beginning to aggravate me, and I was in the next room!"
I turned and glared at him. "And how would you know if I'm annoying her?" I asked, clutching my baby girl even closer to me as I paced some more.
"Because I can hear her snuffling and whining from the music room," was my husband's calm reply.
My steps faltered as I stopped walking, my gaze going down to look at my daughter currently lying in my arms. Her green eyes stared up at me, and her lips were turned down into a pout as she began to wave her tiny fists in the air. I knew that she was going to start crying if I didn't calm down, so I began to gently coo to her in a soothing voice, saying all sorts of nonsense and affectionate gibberish as I rocked her and patted her back. Bianca's reaction at my attempts to calm her was what I expected: her frightened or disturbed cries faded, and she quickly became the bright and happy baby that she normally was.
'Well, she's happy until she's hungry or I need to put her down for a nap,' I thought, barely keeping myself from rolling my eyes. 'Honestly, the moment I set her down, she wants to be picked back up!'
"I know that look," Erik teasingly said as he came up beside me, his head resting on my right shoulder as his arms slipped around my waist. "It's the one you used whenever I spent too much time coddling you while you were with child."
I laughed, which in turn caused Bianca to giggle and wave her hands even harder; for some reason, every time someone else laughed, Bianca needed to laugh, too. I looked down at the tiny head lying comfortably in the crook of my left elbow. "You're a silly little girl, aren't you?" I cooed to her. "And spoiled, too, since your daddy doesn't like putting you down any more than you like it."
Erik chuckled as he lifted his right hand, his fingers going to caress our daughter's cheek. "I have every right to spoil our little cherub," he declared, letting his forefinger move to caress Bianca's thick lock of dark hair. "It's a father's right to spoil his daughter."
"Just as long as you don't spoil her rotten," I chided him in a teasing voice. "I refuse to be the horrible, evilly firm parent of the house!"
My husband let out a burst of laughter. "No fear of that, my love," he replied as he moved to hug me closer to him. His green eyes drifted down to the sleepy form lying in my arms. "Although, I do have a feeling you will keep us both in our place, no matter what."
We both shared a quiet bit of laughter as Erik escorted me to the parlor tucked into the back of the house, which had a wooden cradle in the center of the room between the couches. Besides what would eventually be Bianca's future playroom upstairs, this was our favorite room in the entire villa. It was a tremendously large room, easily having enough space for the piano, the cradle, the traditional tables and chairs, and the mountains of toys that were strewn all over. Most of the toys were given to Bianca by a dozen or so family friends, as well as admirers of Erik's musical works. It was fairly messy, but this was a room that only we Rousseau's would enter, so it did not matter. I lay my baby girl in her cradle and began to gently rock it back and forth with my foot while I picked up a book to read.
"She will be quite the beauty when she grows up," I whispered happily as I turned my eyes to check on Bianca.
"Oh, no doubt about that," Erik said as he took a seat at the piano, his fingers playing a soft tune to help us relax. "With your beauty, she will be a famed beauty known across Italy before she can walk!"
I gave a soft chuckle. "You forget that she has your eyes, dear husband," I teased. "I have a feeling that she will be incredibly bright, since she seems to share your love of all things musical." I couldn't hold back a mischievous grin. "In fact, I can easily see all of the eligible young men in Italy lining up at our door after I introduce her to society."
Erik tried to glare at me over the edge of the composition book he held in front of him. "And I have every intention of interrogating each and every one of them, too," he said. "I will not have my daughter marry an Italian fop!"
Though I was halfway across the room from him, I knew he could hear me chuckle at him as he began to play the piano. Soon, the three of us happily settled into the soft, beautiful moment that was filled with family and happiness, knowing that we had both found what we were searching for in life.
"Miss Clara, you'd better hurry!" Penny exclaimed as she rushed into the kitchen. "They're coming!"
Bianca began to fuss in her chair, clearly unhappy that her beloved feeding time was being interrupted. I sighed and scooped up another spoonful of food for her; today was an experiment of Erik's creation, a mixture of a creamy tomato sauce and porridge that was soft enough for Bianca to eat, yet still rich enough to help her grow. She seemed to like it a great deal, and was now more than halfway through the bowl, with most of it actually in her stomach as opposed to it being on the floor.
"Alright, sweetness, let's finish up your din-din and go meet Grandma and Grandpa, what do you say?" I asked as I put the loaded spoon to her mouth.
She merely grinned at me as she accepted the food and swallowed it down without complaint. I dug another bit from the bowl and offered it to her; instead, Bianca's head turned away as she tried to gaze out the window at a bird fluttering through the yard. I sighed and motioned for Penny to pick her up, signaling that mealtime was over. Penny nodded and scooped her up before heading upstairs to dress and prepare Bianca for her introduction to her grandparents.
I took off the apron I was wearing and began heading towards the front door. It had probably been a bad idea to wear a fine silk gown while feeding the baby, but we didn't know what time my parents and brother would be arriving, so I had dressed early and put an apron on for protection against any thrown food. Now that my daughter was no longer providing a distraction from my nervousness, I felt my hands go to the dark blue silk of my gown, smoothing out the ruffles and lace that trimmed it as I made my way to the main hall. Erik was already there, trying to do his cravat.
A small snicker of amusement escaped my lips as I slid up in front of him. He merely snorted and allowed me to help straighten him out. Once that was done, Erik wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close to him, neither one of us saying a word as we comforted one another. I sighed, savoring the moment as the sound of a carriage coming up the driveway caught our ears. We both took a deep breath and separated, focusing our eyes on the front door as our butler, Roberto, opened it.
Erik slid an arm around his wife's waist as the carriage door opened and her brother leaped out. Once he caught sight of his sister, Philip raced up the marble steps and threw his arms around Clara, Erik having to duck out of the way to save himself from a concussion. Tearing his eyes away from the happily embracing siblings, Erik turned towards the two Savoy's he was least looking forward to seeing: Richard and Camilla, his in-laws. Taking a deep breath, Erik moved down the steps to greet them.
"Welcome to our home," he said with a polite bow. "Would you mind following us inside for something to eat and drink?"
Erik watched as both of the elder Savoy's nodded, their eyes not moving from the incredibly large Italian villa before them. It was two levels, and a partial third for a sort of attic or private room, should they wish it. The second floor held the bedrooms and the large playroom that was for when Bianca and any future siblings of hers grew older; the lower level held the dining rooms, kitchen, the private family parlor, the public parlor, a music room, and a vast library. It was at least twice the size of the Savoy plantation, and they clearly knew it. Erik couldn't hold back a smirk at that idea as his wife came up to slip her arm through his.
"Mama, Papa, please come inside," Clara requested in a soft, polite, and clearly formal voice. "There will be food and drinks waiting in the parlor, and you can take a small rest there while we wait for Penny to bring down Bianca."
"Bianca?" her mother said, obviously unfamiliar with the name.
"It's Italian," Erik replied as he put a hand over his wife's, which lay in the crook of his elbow. "Since we live in Italy and she was born here, we decided to give her an Italian name."
"It's a good one," Philip said, casting a glare at his parents, who, amazingly, looked away.
"Shall we go inside?" Clara said, waving for their guests to follow.
As he led them all into the house, Erik held his head high, proud of his new home and family as he led his one-time foes into the parlor.
Tea was amazingly quiet after we settled in with our refreshments. Mama and Papa sent occasional glares towards me while sipping their tea, but Philip chattered away on what had happened to him while I had been gone. He had met a lovely girl and they were actively courting, causing me to believe that I would soon have a sister-in-law by next year.
When Philip was done talking, I told him (and indirectly, my parents) what I had seen and been to during our travels. I told of the temples of Athena and Apollo in Greece, of seeing the Vatican in Rome, and the astounding artwork adorning numerous museums and palaces in Italy. I saw my brother's eyes widen with each description, his eyes darting to the murals and paintings covering the walls of the villa. I told him that most of the works on our walls were from the home's original owners, but the rest were pieces that Erik had put together. One of Erik's pride and joys was a family portrait presently hanging in his music room right next to his piano, which he hoped to add more to once our family expanded.
"I didn't know he could paint until he saw some open spaces along the walls and decided to paint a few portraits," I said with a light chuckle, causing Philip to burst into laughter.
A knock sounded at the door and Penny's voice called through the wood. "Mr. and Mrs. Rousseau?"
"Come in, Penny," I said, both Erik and I eagerly setting aside our cups and rising to greet her.
My maid, presently nursemaid to Bianca, entered the room with a carefully wrapped bundle in her arms. I couldn't hold back a proud smile as she handed me my little girl, Bianca letting out a small giggle of joy at seeing me again. Praying that she would be accepted by her grandparents, I brought her over to the couch which held my mother and father.
"Mama, Papa, here is your granddaughter, Bianca Angelica Rousseau" I said in a soft voice, gently holding her so that they could see her.
The two of them rose from their chairs after setting aside their cups, their hands visibly shaking as they leaned forward over the squirming bundle in my arms. It was quiet for a few moments as Philip, Erik and I waited for my parents to say something…anything at all…
"She is the little beauty," Papa finally said, a tiny, but proud, smile pulling at his lips. "She's got the greenest eyes I ever did see!"
"And her skin is so pale, like snow!" Mama gasped with joy as Bianca smiled up at her and crowed. "Oh, aren't you the little darling?" she cooed, stroking my baby's small hands with a finger.
Happy with all of the attention she was getting, my daughter began happily waving her arms and feet around as three new people cooed all sorts of nonsense and praise to her. Meanwhile, Erik and I stood beside one another, my husband's arm tightly wound around my waist as he silently offered love and support. Out of the corner of my eye, I could clearly see a pleased smile pulling at his lips.
With evening drifting in, Philip Savoy watched as his father told Bianca bedtime stories and Mother helped Clara make sew more baby clothes. In the hours that had passed since their reunion, he had witnessed his family unite in a form of togetherness that he hadn't seen since Clara's last night in Rockford. Both he and Clara had expected, at best, a large and dramatic verbal fight; however, after seeing little Bianca smile up at them with her bright eyes and contagious giggles, both of the older Savoy's had lost their hearts to their little granddaughter. There would be a great deal of spoiling when it came to buying gifts for little Bianca and her future brothers and sisters.
'Which is as it should be,' Philip thought, thoroughly satisfied as he sipped his lemonade.
The past was over and done with, and all that mattered was the future. Life was good.
AN: The end! Sadly, there will be no sequel. Someone wanted me to have Christine and Raoul show up for a huge smackdown/confrontation, but it's already been to the point of becoming a cliché. I guess you'll have to use your imaginations on what happens in Clara's and Erik's future.