Rekindling the Music of the Night

By: K.C. Vaillancourt

Disclaimer - You know the drill…I do not own anything associated with The Phantom of the Opera and have no affiliation with ALW, Leroux, or Kay. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, and songs are the property of their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author Note – I'm sorry for the delay between chapter posts. I got a nasty cold and it took a while for me to get back on my feet. Now that I am I have jumped back into my story and hope to have a few new chapters up this week. Enjoy!

I do edit all my work before I post and have people read my work but there still may be some grammar mistakes. I apologize for them in advance.


Gone

Raoul sat at his desk tapping his fingers on the wooden surface getting angrier and angrier. He sipped his second brandy as he watched the pendulum of the clock on the wall swing back and forth. Two hours, two hours had passed and Christine still hadn't come down. He figured she was up there blubbering as she did most nights even if she thought he wasn't aware of it. He got up leaving his study and stomped up the stairs. She had more than crossed the line this time. They were far beyond what was considered fashionably late and it was her fault. She had embarrassed him yet again and would pay the price for it. This time he wouldn't stop until the lesson finally sank in he thought as he approached their bedroom door. "Christine how dare you make a fool…"

He stopped talking when he discovered she wasn't in the room. He glanced in the closet but it was so quick he didn't notice anything amiss. After looking in the washroom he left slamming the door behind him. He walked through the mansion shouting her name while looking in other rooms where Christine usually spent her time. He found no sign of his wife. "Gerald!"

"Yes sir." An older gentleman wearing a crisp clean butler's uniform answered as he walked up to his boss.

"Where is the Vicomtess De Chagny?" he asked trying to return to a calm demeanor.

"I do not know sir. The last time I saw her was in the library earlier today." Gerald informed him trying not to roll his eyes as he smelled the liquor coming off his boss's breath.

"Gather the staff in my study, immediately." Raoul ordered. He topped off his brandy as one by one the staff began to gather in the room. Marie was the last person to enter and slid the doors closed behind her.

Raoul paced back and forth letting the tension build before he spoke. When he was satisfied his staff was sufficiently anxious he took a final sip of his brandy placing the empty glass on his desk. "I asked Gerald to gather you all here because the Vicomtess De Chagny does not seem to be in the mansion." He let his eyes sweep over each of them as he spoke. "As I am certain all of you are well aware by now she is not allowed to leave the mansion without myself or an escort. So, I would like to know if any of you, know where she is."

The staff was silent as they began to look at one another waiting for one of them to speak up. "I want an answer!" Raoul demanded making some of the younger women jump.

A mousy looking girl with red hair spoke up. "I have not seen her since after I helped her into her gown for the evening sir." One by one the rest of the staff told similar stories. None of them had seen her since she went to get ready for the evening.

Raoul continued to look at each of them as they answered. His eyes rested on Marie who had not said anything. He walked up to her. "Everyone else has answered me. Have you seen the Vicomtess?"

"No M. Vicomte." Marie answered a little too quickly and took a beat. "I have not seen her."

Raoul noticed she couldn't look him directly in the eye which made him narrow his own. He turned and looked at the rest of the staff. "You are all dismissed." They nodded and quickly left the room. Marie tried to follow but he grabbed her arm. She turned around and pulled her arm out of his grasp. "You have been a maid in this household since I was a little boy. Why are you lying to me Marie?"

"Sir…" Marie began trying to come up with a convincing lie to give the fleeing Vicomtess more time.

"Do not lie to me again!" He shouted and took a deep breath trying to remain calm. "I am not blind to how close you and my wife have become over the years." He brought his face closer to her own and whispered. "If you do not tell me where she is I promise you, Anton will help move your lips along."

Marie involuntarily shivered at the mention of Anton Boucher. He was Raoul's best friend since childhood. Now he served as his right hand man. He handled anything Raoul requested of him including more unsavory acts that Raoul was not man enough to do himself. Please forgive me Christine. Marie thought as she looked up Raoul. "She has left you M. Vicomte."

Raoul immediately felt his blood beginning to boil at her words and grit his teeth. "What do you mean she left me?"

"She packed a suitcase and snuck out through the service entrance." Marie told him.

"And you allowed her to leave?" He whispered resisting the urge to strangle her where she stood.

"I helped her." Marie admitted in a whisper secretly enjoying the look on his face as he took in this new information.

Raoul yelled out something inaudible as he slapped Marie across the face. "How did you help her you traitorous snake?"

Marie stood firm giving Raoul no indication that she was in pain. No one had ever raised a hand to her before. She knew she'd only gotten a small taste of what Christine was put through but it was enough to reinforce in her that she'd done the right thing. She looked up at Raoul with anger clear in her eyes. "When I saw the fresh welt on her face, I can safely assume by your hand, I could not deny her. I helped her load a carriage and last I saw she was riding away toward Bordeaux." Marie explained. She never liked the Vicomte much. As he said she had known him for most of his life and always thought he was a spoiled wretch who felt he was entitled to everything he wanted solely because of his title. She inwardly smiled at herself at the half-truth she told him. She'd watched Christine ride away and knew she was headed for Paris. She hoped she'd bought her more time with this misdirection.

Raoul looked at Marie who stepped back when she saw the murderous look in his eyes. "You're fired." He said resisting the homicidal thoughts that came to his mind. "Pack your things and be on your way in the next 10 minutes." Marie was about to leave when he grabbed her. "Be grateful that all I am doing to you is firing you." He let her go pushing her toward the door. "Now get out of my sight." Marie left the room before her former boss could say or do anything else to her but Raoul followed her out of the room.

He was tempted to go up the stairs and beat her until she was a bloody mess but instead stormed out the front door. When he got to the stables he saw Christine's horse and a small chaise carriage were gone. He wanted to scream until his lungs burst but knew that would get him nowhere. He'd usually have called on a stable hand but didn't have the time or want so he saddled up his chestnut stallion and rode as fast as he could into Dijon. He needed advice and knew where to get it. He rode to the bar where Anton spent most of his nights. He took a few deep breathes to calm himself before he walked in. He smiled when he saw Anton sitting on his usual bar stool. He was tall and his muscular frame was hidden under a well pressed black suit. He had sandy brown hair that grazed his shoulders and matching eyes.

Anton looked over when he heard someone enter the bar. "Raoul." He greeted him with a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

"You wouldn't have if my lovely wife hadn't decided to strike out on her own." Raoul informed him in a whisper as he sat next to him.

"What?" Anton asked in disbelief.

"She left me." Raoul told him trying to keep his voice down. "My traitorous ex maid Marie helped her hitch up her horse and disappear into the night."

Anton looked Raoul over. He could see the anger in him itching to be set free but decided to let it go, for now. He thought about Christine, he would never admit it to Raoul but he admired her bravery for leaving considering what would be waiting for her when she was returned. He began to imagine the things Raoul would allow him to do to her in addition to what Raoul himself had in store even if he hadn't voiced it yet. He forced himself to stop and pull his mind back to the current situation. "Where do you suppose she would go?" He asked as he took a swig of his beer. "You made sure to isolate her. She has no friends here."

"Marie told me she was headed toward Bordeaux but Christine wouldn't know anyone there that would help her. No, I have a feeling she is headed to Paris. If there is anyone in France that would help her disappear from me it would be Madame or Meg Giry. Friends, well more like family, of hers from her days at the opera house. You met them at our wedding. I haven't spoken to them in years. I don't know whether or not they still live in Paris but it's a start." Raoul knew there was one other person she could be searching for but he wasn't going to tell Anton about him. Not yet. His mind began to drift back to what he did to her six years ago and wondered if Christine would really go to him. Then he remembered the look he saw in her eyes tonight, he couldn't deny she would.

"A start to what?" Anton asked pulling Raoul back to the present.

"Finding her and bringing her back of course. What else could that mean?" He signaled the bartender who immediately served him a beer of his own. They sat in silence, Raoul could feel doubt creeping into him. As much as he wanted to teach Christine a lesson for leaving him part of him wondered if this was a path better left untraveled. He sighed putting his stein down. "Perhaps I should let her go and be done with it." He noticed Anton raise an eyebrow. "We sat on these same stools last week when I told you the problems we were still having. She'd fallen out of love with me years ago. If she ever loved me at all." He shook his head. "Let her go to Paris, Bordeaux, or wherever she decides to venture off to. I'll have our marriage annulled..."

"That's it." Anton said disgusted at the idea of a woman of her true station getting the better of a man of his. "Look." He said as he leaned in. "This isn't about her falling out of love with you. It's about your image, your pride, your reputation." He held back a smile. He knew exactly what to do to fuel the fire inside Raoul that was begging to be set free. "Do you realize what it would do to your family name if you allowed your wife to leave you and have your marriage annulled?"

"Since when do you care about the sanctity of a family name?" Raoul asked Anton but continued before he could respond. "If I let her go it would be a plague on the De Chagny name that we would never be able to shake. It's no secret my brother was against the marriage. He knew Christine wasn't cut out for the world of high society and I hate to say it but he was right. She never fit in with the other women who knew their place. He told me before the wedding began that if I was determined to go through with it there would be no turning back. I would be stuck with her, forever."

"If that was the case, why did you go through with it?" Anton asked. "There were plenty of proper women that would have jumped through whatever hoops you put in their path to marry you. Hell you could have kept Christine on the side and wed a woman who knew what her place was."

Raoul sat staring into his beer mulling over what Anton said and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I was bewitched by her or rather who I thought she was. She changed after we were married." Raoul looked over at Anton. "But you're right. If I let her go and the rumors begin I will never hear the end of it. There is no other choice but to find her and bring her back."

Anton gave Raoul a pat on the back. "I'm with you for whatever you need." He was excited by the idea of this venture. His life had been a bit too dull for his taste lately. "I have friends in Paris who will help as well." Anton told him. "When do we leave?"

"Make whatever arrangements you have to then meet me at my stables at dawn." Raoul said.

"I'll tell my wife I am leaving for business. She knows better than to question my true motives." He paused. "You know you won't be able to keep this quiet for long."

"I would be a fool to think I could. Once we arrive in Paris and start to search word will spread like wild fire. As long as the problem is fixed what people say in the meantime doesn't matter to me." They sat together awhile longer finishing their beers and discussing plans before Raoul returned home determined to bring Christine back. He knew talking to Anton would help clear his mind and set him on the correct path. The moment he entered the front door he yelled for Gerald.

"Yes sir." He answered coming down the stairs. "What can I do for you?"

"Ready the staff, our things, and carriages. We will be leaving for the Paris mansion at dawn." Raoul ordered and went into his study.

Gerald bowed his head and immediately began rousing the staff to get what they needed ready for the journey. He could hear the grumbles as they worked but hushed them when he saw Raoul come out of his study and make his way upstairs.

He entered the room he shared with Christine and saw two maids hastily packing. He waited in the doorway as they finished and without a word left the room bowing their heads to him. He closed the door behind them and walked over to his wife's vanity. It was then he noticed some of her make-up was missing. Then something else came to his mind. He pushed back the false bottom of her vanity drawer. "You are going to find him." He said to himself and felt his resolve to find her grow. The rose he discovered earlier in the evening was gone. As he looked at the empty drawer. He thought back to the last time he'd seen a rose like that.


Buquet had been murdered and the opera house was in chaos. His only care was to find Christine. He smiled when he saw her but could see the terror on her face as she grabbed his hand. "Are you alright?"

"Raoul, we're not safe here." She told him as she pulled him onto the stairs and before he knew it they were on the roof.

"Why have you brought me here?" Raoul asked as he looked around.

"We can't go back there!"

"We must return!"

"He'll kill you! His eyes will find us there!"

"Christine, don't say that."

"Those eyes that burn!"

"Don't even think it."

"And if he has to kill a thousand men."

"Forget this waking nightmare."

"The Phantom of the Opera will kill"

"This phantom is a fable, believe me."

"...and kill again!"

Raoul looked into her terrified eyes. "There is no Phantom of the Opera."

"My God, who is this man?" Christine sang not hearing him.

"My God, who is this man?"

"...who hunts to kill?"

"...this mask of death?"

"I can't escape from him."

"Whose is this voice you hear?"

"...I never will!"

"...with every breath?"

"And in this labyrinth, where light is blind. The Phantom of the Opera is here/there
inside your/my mind.
"

"There is no Phantom of the Opera." Raoul said to her again and it seemed that this time she had heard him.

Christine took a deep breath and admitted to him what she had told no one. "Raoul, I've been there, to his world of unending night. To a world where the daylight dissolves into darkness, darkness. Raoul, I've seen him! Can I ever forget that sight? Can I ever escape from that face? So distorted, deformed, it was hardly a face, in the darkness, darkness. But his voice filled my spirit with a strange, sweet sound. In that night there was music in my mind and through music my soul began to soar! And I heard as I'd never heard before."

"What you heard was a dream and nothing more." Raoul responded figuring exhaustion was driving her delusional story.

"Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world. Those pleading eyes, that both threaten and adore."

"Christine, Christine." Raoul sang shaking his head.

"Christine." A ghostly voice sang from the shadows.

"What was that?" Christine asked as she looked around.

Raoul put a hand on her chin and smiled. "No more talk of darkness. Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you. Let me be your freedom. Let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to guide you."

"Say you'll love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of summer time. Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you." Christine begged.

"Let me be your shelter. Let me be your light. You're safe, no one will find you. Your fears are far behind you."

"All I want is freedom. A world with no more night and you, always beside me to hold me and to hide me."

"Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too
Christine, that's all I ask of you.
"

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you."

"Share each day with me, each night, each morning."

"Say you love me."

"You know I do."

"Love me, that's all I ask of you."

Their lips touched and Raoul lifted Christine off her feet and spun her around. They smiled at each other as their lips parted but Raoul still kept hold of her.

"Anywhere you go, let me go too. Love me, that's all I ask of you."


He thought he knew her then, thought he knew what she wanted and that she loved him. Had it ever been real? He thought himself. She seemed to want what he offered her at the time but perhaps it was all a great act. He looked at the mirror resisting the urge to smash it and turned around to lay down on the bed. By leaving at dawn Christine would have a wide head start on them but it didn't matter. Every bone in his body told him she would be in Paris. Once he and Anton were there they would have more people to help force his fleeing wife into the open.

His wife. He thought to himself. He looked at the gold wedding band on his left ring finger and slowly twisted it. Seeing that rose tonight cemented for him once and for all that she did indeed have feelings for that monster. He felt his intense anger returning. He clenched his fists as the truth dawned on him. Perhaps she felt something for me at one time but the night we left the opera house behind it wasn't because she wanted to be with me. It was to protect him. He thought as punched his fists into the bed. She had used him as a distraction so that freak could escape and get to safety. He looked up at the ceiling and swore to himself that if he found Christine with him he would finally meet his end. A smile crossed his face at that thought and he went about his evening routine, turning in early for a change. He would need to be well rested for their journey to Paris and whatever laid beyond.


Author Note – Sorry for the short chapter. I promise longer and quicker ones to come.