The Fourth of July was one of Phantasma's busiest days. The boardwalk bustled with extra people out to celebrate America's birth by playing carnival games, enjoying a thrill on the rides or taking in the sights of side shows. While all the evening shows were canceled, members of the brass section of the orchestra played American patriotic songs on the boardwalk. The beach was also full of people taking advantage of the warm sand and cool water.
Christine Daae sat next to her dear friend Daisy Jones in the swan on the Carousel. Thanks to Erik, the zebra was now right in front of it and Charlotte held it tight not giving her mother a second thought.
"You would never know you two are immigrants from the Fourth of July celebration Phantasma has," Daisy took her friend's hand into hers.
"We are just grateful for everything our adopted country has given us; a second chance at love, at building a family, at building a life with theatre and music."
"Christine, this is a carnival, not a theatre. You've only begun to build respectable theatre."
"That's where you're wrong, Daisy," Christine gestured her free arm out. "All of this is theatre for Erik. He was paraded as a circus freak as a teenage boy. Treated terribly. He returned to those roots as the quickest way to earn money here in America but he also wanted control. If you're a performer you get to play a part, maintain your dignity. Boris isn't really Russian; it's a character he plays. Yes, he's that strong but he's really from Mississippi."
"And what about you and your husband?"
Christine chuckled, "You've seen him without his mask. He's really that deformed. But he's not the enigmatic Mr. Y he led everyone to believe. He's an intelligent man who spent so much of his life denied love and human interaction he still fears everyone, myself included, is going to hurt him someday."
The Carousel started to slow and Charlotte turned around, "Again, Mama?"
The Diva sighed and smiled, "One more time."
The girl smiled and turned back around.
Daisy squeezed her friend's hand, "You still didn't tell me about yourself."
Christine adjusted her hat, "And what about me? I spent ten years with my ex-husband living a lie. I only perform now on the stage."
"I would say you perform for crowds. That House of Worth of dress was quite the statement. Ada doesn't even have a dress from his collection."
The Soprano's cheeks redden as she looked away from her friend.
Daisy giggled, "Oh dear have I embarrassed extraordinary Christine Daae?"
Christine touched her hot cheeks with her cool hand, "It's not so much embarrassed…" she sighed and leaned in close to her friend, "I bought that dress with my own money…but now I see we are financially tight and I feel guilty."
Daisy's eyes widened as she let out an uneasy giggle, "What in heaven do you mean? Has Erik not shown you what the opera has brought in? He's paid us back along with interest. And Rose tells me every time she goes to Gustave's show it is a full house."
"You manage your house, Daisy. You know when your books barely break even…" Christine smoothed her skirt. "Or you would. I am worried he's keeping something from me. Raoul drank and gambled everything away, I cannot…"
"Christine," Daisy took her friend's hands into her and looked deep into her eyes. "Erik is not drinking or gambling."
"But then if we do have all this money what is he hiding from me?"
"A surprise maybe? What did he say when you asked?"
"He gave me his keys and told me I could go look at Phantasma's books if I wanted to. I didn't look because I felt like a guilty child after he handed me the keys. If he was really hiding something he wouldn't offered to let me see the books."
"Did you tell him?"
"No. I left his keys where he sat them and when I went back in there they were gone. We haven't spoke about this since."
"Maybe you should ask him tonight if it is really this disconcerting for you."
The Carousel again slowed down and when it came to is jarring stop, Christine stood and exited the swan. "Come on, Charlotte," She walked up beside the zebra and extended her arms.
"One more time?"
"No, I said that was the last. Come on."
"Please, Mama!"
"No. We have to get ready for the firework show."
Daisy walked up beside Christine and smiled at Charlotte, "Your father puts on the best fireworks you don't want to miss it."
"Don't be rude, Charlotte," Christine lifted the girl off of the zebra.
"I was not rude," Charlotte held onto her mother's shoulder as the women walked off the ride.
"Why are we going this way, Christine?" Daisy watched as people walked the opposite direction they were going.
The Diva smiled, "Private party. The view from the top hotel suite is astonishing."
Several of the guests were already drinking and mingling when the two women and girl entered. It was their trusted inner circle: a few fellow actors, performers who had been with Erik from day one of Phantasma, The Mr. Jones and his sister and brother-in-law because they had convinced them produce and they never said anything about Erik appearance. Someone on the brother-in-law's side lost their nose to syphilis and knew first-hand about cruelty.
"Daisy, there you are!" Mr. Jones approached his wife with an additional champagne glass. After a soft kiss, he handed it to her. "Come you must see the view. You can see almost all of Brooklyn if you look this direction."
Daisy removed her hat and handed it to Christine as he wrapped his free hand around her waist he guided her away.
Daisy turned and smiled at Christine as she walked away. The Diva removed her hat and sat both down on the table by the door. She then looked down to see Charlotte was already winding around trousers and skirts looking for her father.
"Dada!" She exclaimed arms up when she found him.
"Darling!" He exclaimed sitting his glass down before bending down to pick her up.
"You're not wearing your mask! But we're not home," She touched his cheek.
"I know, but we are among friends who will not say anything."
Her doe eyes examined the room before embracing her Dada tight.
"And did you have fun today?"
"Mama only let me ride the zebra three times," Charlotte squeezed her eyes and stuck her tongue out.
"What she fails to mention is I allowed Boris to carry her around and we went into The Fantastique Hall of Mirrors," Christine walked up and tapped her daughter on the head. "I even let her lead us and pretended not to know where the illusions where so we were in there a long time."
Charlotte giggled, "Mrs. Jones walked into a mirror."
Christine smiled, "She did."
The suite's door opened and Sarah stormed in, "Mother, I caught Rose and Gustave kissing in the Hall of Mirrors! And Edgar did nothing to help!"
Edgar was the Jones' oldest child; nineteen years old, he had just returned from a year abroad in Europe.
"Passion is fleeting, Sarah. You take it when it is raw! Rose and Gustave are just beginning to understand." The young man ran his fingers through his long brown locks before flinging himself onto the couch. "How you could you leave Paris, Mr. and Mrs. Y? New York is so pedantic after it."
Mr. Jones groaned under his breath, "We should have never sent him abroad."
Gustave and Rose finally walked in, holding hands. However, Rose was clearly blushing and would not look anyone in the room.
Erik adjusted Charlotte in his arms, "Darling, why don't you spend the evening with your brother and his friend Rose. He is to watch you the rest of the night, no questions."
The girl raised her hand to her father's mouth but he quickly stole it away and kissed it instead. "I said no questions. And that means no questions from him either. You tell if he asks questions I will see to it that he has no more dates with Rose the rest of the season, even chaperoned ones."
"What's chaperoned?" The girl's good eyebrow arched.
"Your brother will know," He bent down and sat her back down on the floor.
Charlotte ran off, her green dress fluttering. "Gustave, no questions or you get no chaperone!"
Husband and wife chuckled as they watched her reach her brother and Rose who now had Edgar sitting between them.
"Fall will come soon enough and he will be writing her letters from the all boys school," Erik smiled as he shook his head.
"School?" Christine perked up. "Will that be cheaper than the tutor?"
"Probably not but he's well past the age where he needs to be interacting with his peers. We both agreed he needs to be socialized completely different from how we were."
The Soprano's blue eyes looked around the room as she took a deep breath as she took her husband's hand, "May I have a word with you in private?"
Erik took a sip of his champagne, "Now? It's getting dark, the fireworks are going to start soon."
"If I can have your attention!" Christine spoke up, using her theatre voice. Several people turned towards her. "I need to a moment with Mr. Y so if you could please talk amongst yourselves and enjoy the fireworks when they start. You will find the windows lovely, but the balcony can hold everyone if you wish to go out."
Christine headed into the hotel suite's bedroom, holding the door open for her husband. Erik sighed before following her in. She closed and locked it behind them.
"Did you need to make a damn spectacle?" Erik removed his jacket and tossed it on the bed. "We're supposed to be celebrating the birth of our adopted country and you're hysterical about Gustave going to school in the fall. And now they are out there awkward!"
"I'm the one making a spectacle?" Christine paced back and forth. "If that's a spectacle what did we call everything you did in the Opera House?"
In one swift motion he grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her close to him, "Out with it, Christine."
"Where is the money, Erik?" She splayed her free hand on his chest. "Where is it? Daisy informed me you've already paid them back with interest. And that Gustave's show is sold out. I don't want to be ruined by another man I love!" She buried her face in his chest, feeling the tears running down her cheeks.
Bewildered, Erik let go of her arm and pulled her tight to his body. He repeatedly kissed her head, "Oh it's still about this? I thought you looked at Phantasma's books."
"I couldn't bring myself to," She wrapped her arms around her husband and caressed his back. "You just gave me your keys; open and honest as if you had nothing to hide. I felt like a guilty child."
"So why didn't you look? You would see the money is all there, I have just been saving it back."
She looked back up into his eyes, "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I was angry you didn't trust me. That you would really believe I would leave you destitute like he did," The Phantom bent his head so his deformed cheek rested against her hair. "Yes, I've left us a little thin right now but for a good reason…it's a surprise."
Christine rubbed his back faster, "Erik, what kind of surprise? This is our life, our family; we need that money!"
"Don't be so nervous, Angel," He smiled large. "This surprise is for our life, our family, for us. I cannot wait to share it with you."
Christine closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She then felt her husband's fingers on her cheek, slowly trailing down her throat, "You trust me to make the right decision for our family, right Angel? Please say you do."
…he's not the enigmatic Mr. Y he led everyone to believe. He's an intelligent man who spent so much of his life denied love and human interaction he still fears everyone, myself included, is going to hurt him someday.
Christine's own description of the old Phantom of the Opera haunted her in this moment. She opened her blue doe eyes, filled with teas and smiled, "I do. I love you; Erik and I trust you." She pulled him to her and kissed him feverishly.
After a minute, he finally pulled away, "Shall we return? The fireworks will be starting any minute now."
"Not yet," She nuzzled his neck before kissing it and then moving up and kissing his jawline.
"Christine! There are guests on the other side of that door!" He gripped her wrists and removed her hands from the front of his trousers.
"That's never stopped us in my dressing room," She inched closer to the bed, pulling him with her.
"That's different, they were not expecting us…" The Diva interrupted him with a kiss.
A few seconds later, a loud explosion sounded followed by a spread of white light in the sky.
Startled husband and wife jumped and jerked away from each other.
"They're starting!" Sarah was heard exclaiming from the other side of the door.
As more noise filled the evening sky, Phantom and Soprano chuckled.
"I guess we have a few stolen minutes now," Erik resumed his passionate kiss, tongue slipping past her lips, fingers trespassing over the thin linen of her summer gown. This time he did not stop his wife from palming the front of his cotton trousers. A deep throat groan vibrated from his mouth to hers in response.
They were washed in colors from the fireworks as Christine sat down on the edge of the bed. She made quick work of the buttons on The Phantom's fly, pushing the fabric aside so she could pull his erection though.
"This isn't going to work with that damned bustle," In one swift motion, Mr. Y grabbed his wife's wrists and spun her around so she was belly down bent over the edge of the bed. "These damn petticoats and wires!" His words barely audible to her over the fireworks. Once they were past her waist he bent over and whispered in her ear, "I see you're wearing those pretty pantalettes again. I make no promises now."
Christine spread her thighs wider while raising her derriere. She sighed into the duvet as Mr. Y teased her by rubbing the tip of his manhood up down womanhood before circling it a few times on that most pleasurable spot. Then in one guided thrust he was deep in her and wasted no time with a quick passionate love making session. One hand on her waist to keep the layers of dress up, the other on that bud; he pushed swift, deep and hard.
Christine bit her lip to suppress her moans even though all sounds were drowned out by the fireworks spectacular.
Cries of excitement came from the other side of the door along with other words.
"Dada and Mama are missing it."
"I'm sure they are watching it, Charlotte. Your Mama had something very important to talk about with your Dada."
"I'm close, Angel," The Diva panted.
The Phantom rubbed her pleasure mound faster and harder until he felt her womanhood pulse around him. He groaned as he grabbed the base of his member and withdrew just in time to spurt his seed into the left thigh of her pantalettes. He collapsed onto the bed beside her, the deformed side of his face looking at her.
"You owe me new pantalettes, mister," Christine gasped for breath.
"Better those than another child," He too breathed heavy as he smiled at her. He lifted one of his hands and stroked her exposed cheek. "I suggest we wait till the fireworks are over to rejoin the party."