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 or lyrics of any songs I use.

Just as a quick warning 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.

Author Note – Thank you so much to all who have taken the time to review, follow, or favorite my Phanfic. It warms my heart to know so many people like my work.

Also I need to thank Filhound for pointing out that I was calling M. FirmiN, M. FirmiR. I don't know how it happened but I have gone through and fixed them.

Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Life, as it tends to do, got in the way and I found it difficult to take the time to write. I also found a few typos in the last chapter I wanted to fix and after that was finished I got to work on this chapter.

Updates might be a bit slower now that we are so busy and getting closer to summer which means my son will be with me full time once school is out.

I will try to keep up but just want you to know I will not abandon this story. I love it and will finish it.

Just a quick warning I may have taken a few liberties when it comes to Christine, Meg, and Madame Giry's past.

Reminder -

Bold/italic indicates singing

Italic indicates flashbacks, memories, or reading


The Hunter is now the Hunted

Anton walked as fast as he could toward his home. He was muttering under his breath and shaking his head. How could this have happened? He wondered. He saw the iron gates of his estate and picked up his pace. He walked inside and found Raoul with Victor in the dining room. "We have to leave, now."

"What?" Raoul said turning around to look over at him. "Why?"

"I had a friend near the mansion keeping an eye on things. After Rosalie screamed a crowd formed..." Anton recounted everything Will had told him about what happened at the estate including Rosalie's arrest.

When he was finished Raoul sat stunned and furious. "She probably confessed to everything. I should have known that tramp would never hold up under pressure if anything went wrong." He stood up and walked toward Anton. Without a word he balled his right hand into a fist and punched him in the face. Anton stumbled backward but stayed on his feet. He narrowed his eyes ready to fight back. "I never should have listened to you!" Raoul yelled ducking Anton's punch. "Everything we've tried to do has failed and now look at what has become of us."

"How could we have been prepared for Christine to show up and do what she did?" Anton argued fighting the urge to try a second time to return Raoul's punch.

"Exactly." Raoul said. "We have underestimated them every step of the way."

"We would have succeeded if Gerald hadn't come forward. Javert was about to dismiss Christine and Meg's claims until he handed them the proof Javert was looking for because of what you insisted on hiding in the attic."

Raoul was silent for a few moments trying to gather his thoughts. "What do we do now? What do you think will happen when Philippe or my sister's find out the De Chagny name has been shamed because of what you talked me into doing? What is your brilliant plan to get us out of this?"

"Why does the fault or planning lie completely with me?" Anton yelled throwing up his arms. "You're hands have the same blood on them as mine."

Raoul couldn't help but laugh. "You can't be serious."

"Do I look like I am in a joking mood?" Anton said. "You may not have physically killed anyone but that doesn't mean your hands are clean and you know it. Besides, do you think it will matter in the eyes of Javert or the rest of the Surete?"

"You're the one that came up with this damn plan, remember." Raoul pointed out. "I was ready to let Christine go and live my life." He sighed. "Now we either turn ourselves in or run while they are free to do as they please."

Before their argument could continue Victor stepped forward. "Arguing isn't going to do anything to help the current situation. Choices were made and now we have to deal with the consequences. There is nothing we can do about that. We need to figure out what to do next." He looked at Raoul. "What will Christine expect us to do now that we're the ones who are wanted men?"

"She'd expect us to run." Raoul responded.

"And she would be right too." Vincent said as he rushed into the room stopping to catch his breath. He looked at Anton. "Will stopped me on the street." He changed his gaze to Raoul. "After they found nothing more at your estate M. Chevalier directed the Surete to come here. I have no doubt they will be here within the hour."

The other three men in the room raised an eyebrow when they saw a smile form on Raoul's lips. "Christine will expect all of us to flee. They'll figure we'll go to other rich friends to hide us and help us get to another country." He paused for a moment as he saw the flaw in her plan. "With us on the run Christine will think they're free to live in Paris but Erik will still be cautious. He will insist they still leave France."

"Will said he saw Meg as she was leaving the Mansion." Anton said. "She tried to hide it through grief and a blank expression but he saw it in her eyes. She wants blood for blood. She won't simply bury her mother and leave France. She wants revenge."

"Then I guess we only have one card left to play." Raoul said and took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket revealing a list of addresses. "I know this handwriting. Erik wrote this list for them and I can guarantee you they are safe houses. Meg, Erik and Christine are bound to arrive at one of them. I suggest we venture to this one." He pointed to the last address on the list. Raoul looked at the other three men and they nodded in agreement.

"We will have to stick to unpopular small towns and start getting used to living like the people we step on to get to the top." Anton said.

They all agreed and began to pack as little as possible as fast as they could. Anton emptied his safe making sure they had plenty of money for their journey. They loaded everything onto horses from his stable and rode away as fast as they could into the night.

Raoul listened to the horse hooves hitting the ground as he thought. Anton had said he was the man he was now his whole life but as he was waiting for word of Erik's arrest he spent some time starring at his reflection and knew that it wasn't true. It was a lie he let himself believe to justify their plan to set Erik up. He was a good man before, before Christine Daae. She consumed his heart and mind the moment he saw her again. "What streak of madness lies inside me?" He wondered just above a whisper. "What darker side of me did she reveal? What is, this, strange obsession, that's tearing me apart? Some strange, deranged expression, of what's in my heart? Am I the man that I appear to be? Or am I someone I don't know?"

He heard Anton call his name and whipped the reins realizing he had fallen behind his companions as he tried to shake his thoughts away. They had done this to him, they turned him into a monster. He knew this was his last chance to undo the damage and not only restore his family's good name but who he was before he met that wretched woman again. After what he had done tonight there was nothing that was going to stop him from ridding the world of both of them if it was the only way to regain what he lost.

Less than half an hour after the men had fled the mansion Javert arrived with a dozen officers behind him. He was ready to arrest Raoul and whoever was inside with him. They entered the mansion quietly not wanting to spook its inhabitants. Javert pointed for some of the men to head upstairs while he and the others stayed on the main floor.

"There's no one here." Javert concluded as they entered the dining room after at least an hour of searching. They had found the empty safe in the study along with various items left broken and strewn about. Javert looked at the dying fire. "I should have had someone keeping an eye on the Vicomte at all times as soon as I heard he arrived in Paris." He whispered to no one in particular. Since the moment he knew the Vicomte was here he felt like something was off. He had brushed the feeling aside even when his instincts screamed at him that there was more to the story when the Vicomte had come to him. His wife was always telling him to follow his instincts because they were usually correct. From this day forward he would never ignore them again.

He turned from the fire and saw the half empty glasses on the table. "They were here but judging from the state of the fire and what's left in these glasses they fled not long before we arrived. Someone told them we were coming." He turned to look at his men. The officers who were ordered to the second floor came in as he was about to speak. "If any of you are helping these men…"

"We would never sir." One of them said.

"I should hope not." He paused. "If any of you are I will be sure you are prosecuted to fullest extent of the law. Bribed members of the Surete will not be tolerated." They nodded their heads. Javert was silent as he looked at each of them. It wouldn't surprise him if there was a mole in the Surete. Money can buy you anything these days. He thought to himself. As he looked at the officers in front of him his instincts told him to trust them. "Let's go." He said walking out of the room toward the front door. After having a few men stay behind to guard the mansion. The rest of them mounted their horses. "If luck is on our side we will be able to pick up their trail."

Erik hadn't stopped pacing since Christine and Meg left. Every minute they were gone was torture. I should have gone with them. He thought to himself. His thoughts drifted to what kind of torture they would endure if they were caught. He tried to push the thoughts from his mind trying to think of happier things but then the image of Madame Giry's body consumed his thoughts. His eyes widened as the figure hanging changed…to Christine. He shook his head. He would die before he allowed that to happen to her. He took out his pocket watch. "Three hours." He whispered to himself. "They should be back by now." He didn't care what happened to him he needed to know they were safe. Just as he was about to grab his cloak he stopped. If he revealed himself at the estate and they were safe he would be placed under arrest. They'd lose each other forever. He sat on the bed putting his head in his hands unsure of what to do. "Please return safely to me Christine. I couldn't bare it if I lost you too."

After he spoke her name, like magic he heard one of the doors to the room slide open. He looked up and saw Christine enter the room. He closed the gap between them and without a word took her tightly in his arms sweeping her into a passionate kiss. "I was so worried about you Me Cherie." He whispered.

"I'm sorry." She whispered back. "I didn't think I would be gone so long."

"I thought Raoul had…" He noticed she had returned alone. "Where's Meg?"

"She didn't want to return with me. She said she needed to be alone." Christine said as she pulled Erik close happy to be back in his arms. She had traveled back with no interference and needed a moment to gather herself before she told him what took place at the mansion.

Erik welcomed her tight embrace as he stroked her hair. "I can't say I'm surprised, but she is out there alone. Perhaps we should…"

Christine shook her head. "She's not alone." Before he could say anything more she looked up so they were face to face. "I know what you walked in on in the study. I'm sure Meg does too. She was…hanging, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was." Erik whispered and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "I know we agreed to tell each other everything but I didn't want to burden either of you with that horrific image of her. I had hoped they would have gotten her down by the time you arrived."

"Her body was on the floor covered with a sheet when we were escorted into the study but I saw the remnants of the rope hanging from the ceiling." Christine told him. "If Meg came to the same conclusion I did I understand why she didn't want to return here and why you didn't tell us." She could still concern, most likely for Meg, in his eyes. "I promise you Meg is in no danger. She left with a Surete escort and M. Firmin."

"M. Firmin?" Erik said with obvious surprise.

"He heard about Madame Giry on the streets and needed to know if it was true." Christine explained. Then she thought about Meg's harsh tone toward her before she left with them. "Do you think its possible Meg blames us for her mother's death?"

"I don't know." Erik answered. While they were gone he had thought the same thing and in the back of his mind wondered how she couldn't blame them but he didn't want to worry Christine with that right now. "She has arrangements to make for her mother but most of all I think she needs a chance to process everything that has happened. I would seek solitude myself." Erik paused. "If you were older when your father passed and it was not of sickness but by foul play would you want people hovering around you asking if you are ok when the answer should be obvious."

"I guess not." Christine responded. "I told her she could lay her mother to rest with my father."

"What did she say to that?"

"She revealed to me Madame Giry had told her it was her wish to be buried there. It makes me wonder if my father and she were closer than I knew when I was a child." She untangled herself from Erik's arms so she could remove her cloak. "What's that?" She heard him ask and felt him pull the envelopes from their secure place in the waistline of her pants. She took them out of his hands and starred at them. She could already feel the tears forming in her eyes and banished them back. She took his hand and they sat together on the bed. "Before I tell you about these I need to tell you something else." She couldn't hold back a smile. "You're free."

"What?" Erik asked clearly confused.

"You don't have to hide anymore." Christine said and went on to tell him the events that took place at the De Chagny estate and that Javert Chevalier himself had told her he was no longer a wanted man in the eyes of the Surete. When she finished Erik sat in stunned silence at what she had done. The longer the silence between them lasted Christine noticed his eyes glance behind her. She placed a hand on his chest. "What's wrong?" She whispered as she felt a tear slide down her cheek. "I thought you'd be happy."

Erik looked back at Christine. "I am."

"You should know by now you can't fool me. Something is troubling you."

"I understand why you did what you did but…" Erik took a moment. "It doesn't feel right that innocent men are being held accountable for my crimes."

"Innocent? After everything Raoul has done he is far from innocent. This is what he deserves." She yelled. She tried to control herself but could feel she was losing that inner battle as her rage came out. "The people's lives you took you did out of self-preservation. You knew if you were exposed you would be tortured until you begged for death." She stood up pacing the room as she continued her tirade. "Raoul got away with everything he did to me before I left him because he's an entitled bastard. He and his, associates, have gotten away with everything they have ever done because they're rich socialites. They're all getting exactly what they deserve." Erik got up to try to calm her but she shook him off and continued. "He sought out the Giry's and you because of me. All three of you were being hunted because of me." She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks now but she still didn't stop. "She and Meg were beaten to within an inch of their lives because of me." She tried to wipe away her tears but they were coming too fast and she let herself fall to her knees. As hard as she tried she could no longer hold back her grief over the loss of Madame Giry. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "She was killed because of me…because of me."

Erik joined Christine and held her in his arms rocking her back and forth as she cried letting out tears of his own. "It's not your fault." He whispered trying to comfort her.

Christine didn't respond. She continued to cry letting everything she had held in since the moment Erik had told them Madame Giry was gone out. She felt him running his fingers through her hair and down her back. She could feel the droplets of his own tears dampening her brunette locks.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed on the floor crying in silence. Eventually they both ran out of tears to shed but still sat in silence each of them in deep thought. "I needed to be strong for her." Christine whispered.

"What?" Erik asked.

"For Meg." Christine said looking up at Erik through red puffy eyes. "I had to be strong for Meg. I was so angry and shocked it helped me bury the grief I felt. Now that it is gone, all I'm left with is a whole in my heart where she used to be. She was like a mother to me." Christine paused. "If I had never gone to her…"

"Stop." Erik said as he adjusted them and took her face in his hands. "If you had never gone to her we would still be apart." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "What happened tonight is not your fault. It's not Meg's fault, or mine. It's Raoul's and the people that helped him. They all must pay for their crimes, and now that I have had a chance to think about it what you did tonight is far better than us hunting them down. Madame Giry was liked by anyone who met her and everyone will be looking for them, you turned the hunters into the hunted not only by the Surete but all of Paris." He smiled as he spoke his next words. "You've also done what I thought was impossible. I am a free man, no longer a fugitive needing to hide. How can I ever repay you for all you've done for me?"

"There is nothing to repay." Christine said. "You've done much more for me then I have ever done for you." She laid her head in the crook of his neck. "I still can't believe she's gone."

"Neither can I." Erik said letting his chin rest on her head.

"We'll never see her again, hear her voice or…" Christine began to whisper.

As he was listening to her Erik got an idea. "There is something I want to show you." He stood up and without a word led her out of the room. They walked through a series of upward tunnels and soon they were on the roof of the opera house.

"Are you sure it's safe to be up here after the fire?" Christine asked.

"I would never put you in danger Ma Cherie." Erik said as he circled his arms around her waist and she laid her head back on his chest. "Look up." He whispered in her ear.

She did as he asked. The late night sky was clear and dotted with countless sparkling stars. "It's beautiful."

"That's not all it is." Erik said. "Madame Giry told me when she was a young woman that she believed when the people we love die their souls travel to the sky and become a new star. She took comfort in knowing the ones she loved were in the sky, watching over her. I believe that as well. All who knew Madame Giry have suffered a terrible loss tonight but it lessens my sadness knowing she is up there, watching over us." He was silent for a moment. "When the sadness is too great, all we have to do is close our eyes and we will hear her even see her. She will live on in our memories because we will always carry her in here." He placed one of his hands over her heart and let his head rest on her shoulder his lips barely an inch away from her ear. He felt Christine shiver when he began to sing. "She'll live in you. She'll live in me. She's watching over, everything we see. And through our music or through your dance. In our reflection, she'll live in us."

Christine turned in his arms letting his words and song comfort her. "When this all began, I knew there'd be a price." She sang quietly a tear rolling down her cheek. She smiled as she felt Erik wipe the tear away. She looked in his eyes and felt the familiar music only they could hear beckon her to continue. "In your eyes I see a gentle glow, and they're where I'll be safe, I know."

"Safe in my arms, close to my heart." Erik sang pulling her in closer.

"But I don't know quite where to start. By looking in your eyes, I can see beyond tomorrow. By looking in your eyes, I can see beyond the sorrow that I feel." Christine continued and wiped a tear from Erik's cheek. "Sadness can't conceal from me, the love in your eyes. I know their every look. They're like an open book. Most of all the look that can hypnotize me."

"Everything worth living for is here, in your eyes." Erik sang placing a hand on her cheek. Christine laced her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest. It wasn't long before she began to sway in his arms urging him to dance with her as their music of the night changed. "You were the angel, the one from my dreams but I never knew it."

Erik took Christine's lead and swayed with her. "I wanted to tell you time and again but I couldn't do it."

"All that you are is all that I need, no more seclusion."

"Now I can be me, you can be you, and we're never ending." He spun her around and took her back in his arms.

"We'll be together. Always together, like birds of a feather forever and ever, we'll be together." Christine laid her head back on Erik's chest as he held her close and they continued dancing under the stars. "Like birds of a feather, forever and ever. We'll be together."

Meg looked up at the opera house as she heard their familiar voices singing together. She had snuck out of M. Firmin's home not long after she arrived. It was so late she couldn't make any arrangements until morning and didn't want to stay cooped up in his house. As she listened to their voices she felt anger building towards the couple. She couldn't make out their words but could only assume that they were reaffirming their love. Her mother was dead. Did they stop to grieve her at all before they returned to their lives and love? She thought to herself, which only fueled her anger further. She felt disgusted as she walked toward the stables.

After getting Cecile she rode back to M. Firmin's home to get her and her mother's satchels. The streets were nearly deserted as she rode aimlessly until she found herself in front of the De Chagny mansion. She starred up at the attic window. "Memory." She sang softly as tears began to make a trail down her cheeks. "All alone in the moonlight. I can smile at the old days. They are all I have left. I'll remember, a time I knew what happiness was and let the memories live again." Meg closed her eyes as fond times of her and her Maman floated across her mind. "Burnt out end of a tragic day. The stale, cold smell of morning. The streetlamps die, another night is over. Another day is dawning. Daylight. I must wait for the sunrise. I must think of a new path. And I will not give in. When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too and a new day will begin." Meg opened her eyes as her voice faded away. "I do have a new life now Maman and a new path." She whispered. "They took away your future and I swear I will get them. No matter what I have to do your death will not go unavenged." She pulled Cecile's reins and rode off.

Morning had come by the time Meg was walking in the front door of her home. She let the door swing open and didn't bother to close it behind her. She put the satchels on the table as she looked around. I'll return to Paris tomorrow to make your funeral arrangements. She thought to herself. She took her mother's journal and letter walked around the house. Every room was filled with memories and each one was like a dagger in her heart.

Her free hand formed a tight fist. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw things to release the anger inside her. She wanted to punch the wall in front of her over and over until the pain was gone but she knew all that would do is cause her more pain. It wouldn't bring her mother back, nothing would. The last room she walked into was her mother's. She sat on her bed and began to flip through the pages of her journal. She stopped at the final entry and began to silently read. "Oh Gustave how I have missed you. I always thought Meg's father was the man I was meant to be with but you showed me what true love could be. Then too quickly you were gone." Meg stopped for a moment. She never knew her mother and Christine's father were anything more than friends. "There was a time when you were kind. When your voice was soft and your words inviting. There was a time our love was blind and the world was a song. And the song was exciting. There was a time, then it all went wrong. I dreamed a dream in time gone by. When hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed our love would never die. I dreamed that God would be forgiving. Then I was young and unafraid. And dreams were made and used and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid, no song unsung, no wine untasted. But the tigers come at night. With their voices soft as thunder. As they tear your hope apart. As they turn my dreams to nightmares. You slept a year by my side. You filled my days with endless wonder. You took our secret in your stride. Then you were gone one autumn day. But I still dream you'll come to me. That we will live the years together. But these are dreams that cannot be and there are storms we cannot weather! I had a dream my life would be, so different from the one I'm living. So different now, from what it seemed..."

Meg put the journal down before her tears stained the pages. Her mother had been in love with Gustave Daae and he had loved her. Did you want this to happen Maman? She wondered to herself. Is that why you wanted me to go with Erik and Christine? Was life becoming too painful for you here alone? Did you want to…? Meg shook her head forcing the thought away.

She got up and went to her mother's closet. After a while she found what she felt was the perfect outfit for her mother to be buried in. She laid it out on the bed and walked to other side sitting down starring at it. She looked down and picked up the letter that was written for her. "I'm sorry Maman." She whispered. "I failed you in life and now in death I can't honor your last wish. There is no comfort for me without you." She felt more tears coming to her eyes. She curled up into a ball on the bed holding the letter close to her heart. Her body shook as it was racked with sobs.

She thought about all the things she'd never hear or see from her mother again. Her voice, her smile, her embrace, her teachings, her endless kindness hidden behind a stern exterior. She would even miss her overprotective nature. Her mind wandered to the future. If she were ever to marry and have children they would never meet their grand Maman. Endless thoughts passed through her mind and made her tears come faster. They did this. She thought. They took her away from me. She held herself tighter as she tried to fight the exhaustion that was overwhelming her. Eventually she could fight it no longer and fell asleep with tears falling from her closed eyes.

After Meg had long stopped listening to them Erik noticed Christine beginning to shiver from the cool night air and brought her back to their room. They curled up on the bed together and Christine sighed contently in Erik's arms. She was exhausted and nearly asleep when something she hadn't told Erik about earlier in the evening came back to her. "Were you born in Calais?" She asked. Erik nodded in response. "I always thought you were from Paris."

"I came to Paris with the gypsies. Why the renewed interest in my past?" Erik asked looking down at her.

"After M. Chevalier had an officer take Meg to get her account of what happened to her and her mother he pulled me aside so he could speak with me privately."

"What did he want?" Erik asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"He wanted to be sure he had heard your sur name correctly. When I told him he had he went on to tell me about a young woman he met in Calais, Celine Destler…"

"My mother." Erik whispered.

Christine nodded. "They spent a night together and he found out that she ran away from her wealthy family here in Paris. When he returned here he found out the Destler's had journeyed to America. He tried to find your mother again but never did. As he was telling me all of this I couldn't help but wonder…"

"If he was my father." Erik finished for her. She nodded. "Calais is a port city. I heard the whispers when my mother and I would be out in public together, she had a reputation for bedding any man that crossed her path. Anyone of them could be my father, the odds that it is M. Chevalier…" Erik's voice faded and he sighed. "I gave up on wanting to know about my past a long time ago."

"That was when you thought your mother was all you had." Christine pointed out. "In America you could have more family…" She stopped when she saw the change in Erik's demeanor.

He tried to hide it but knew she could tell the subject was troubling him. "I know you mean well and could be right but this is a bit too much to take in after everything that has happened. I need time to process it all." And decide whether or not I could face their rejection. He finished silently while at the same time giving her a reassuring smile as he changed the subject. "There's something I have always wondered about your past."

"What's that?"

"Why did you end up in the care of Madame Giry? Surely you had other family members who would have taken you in."

"I was only three when my mother died. My father was devastated after her death. He didn't have much family and my mother's side never cared for him much. That's why he decided we were going to travel around Europe. We met Madame Giry not long after we came here and he began to gain popularity for his musical skill. When he became ill he had no desire to send me to live with them. He knew they would stifle my own musical ability and raise me like a lady should be raised. So he asked Madame Giry to…" She swallowed hard holding back tears. "Care for me after he was gone. He knew with her guidance my passion would be fostered." Talking about her father reminded Christine of something else that had been revealed to her tonight. She sat up reaching for the envelopes that were still laying at the end of the bed. She looked at the one addressed to her which held the letter from her father inside. She decided to wait and handed Erik his.

"What's this?" He asked taking the envelope from her. He turned it over and immediately recognized Madame Giry's handwriting.

"Meg found them in Madame Giry's journal. There was one for each of us." Christine explained as Erik opened his letter.


Erik,

Long ago when I rescued you and we ventured down this path I knew there'd be a price to pay. If you are reading this letter then I have paid it. I have lived a happy life and if death is what god has planned next for me I have made peace with that. With that thought in mind when the day comes to put me to rest please do not cry for me or blame yourself for my passing.

When Christine came to my door looking for you after leaving the Vicomte I had no illusions of the danger we all faced. My one regret is that I am not facing this danger alone. It will come to no surprise to you that I asked Meg to go with you and leave me to deal with the Vicomte myself but she would not hear of it.

I feel it bears mentioning again because I know you so well that whatever has happened to me is not your fault. Everyone has a choice between what is right and what is easy. I know in my heart Meg will find her happiness. Just as you and Christine have. These thoughts bring me peace of mind that I made the right choice when I helped her.

I know my final words will not give you, Christine, or my daughter much comfort in your time of grief but eventually you will all heal and continue to live your lives.

As I told you once we never truly lose anyone. They live in our hearts and will always be with us. All you have to do is look up at the stars in the sky and I will be there, watching over you. I loved you like a brother Erik and in that vein I feel my parting gift to you should be one last piece of advice I have learned about life.

There is no future. There is no past. Live every moment as your last. There's only you and this one life. Forget regret or life is yours to miss. No other path. No other way. No day but today. You can't control your destiny. Trust your soul. Your only goal is just to be. There's only now, there's only here. Give in to life or live in fear. No other path. No other way. No day but today.

I have already written my letters to Meg and Christine but I realize as I write this letter to you there are things I have said that they should read as well. As my last request of you please do me the honor of sharing these words with them.

Allow yourself to be happy and do not dwell on those who are no longer among the living. You have the chance at the life I always felt you deserved. Take it and never let it go.

Love,

Antoinette


As he finished he stared down at her parting words. You knew. He thought to himself as he looked at Christine. I have found my happiness thanks to you Antoinette and I swear I will never let it go. Your last requests of me will be honored. After his silent vow he took Christine's face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

When they parted Christine smiled and then glanced down at the letter in his hand. "May I?"

He handed her the letter and watched as Christine's eyes filled with tears as she read but didn't let them fall. Madame Giry asked me not to cry over her passing and he knew Christine would honor that request as well.

When she was finished Christine looked up at him. "This is beautiful. Although I am surprised she didn't reveal to you what my father requested of her."

"What request would that be?" Erik asked.

Christine held out the envelope addressed to her. "Please, read them."

Erik took the letters from her. He read Madame Giry's letter first and went on to read the one from her father. "He…he wanted me to be your angel of music." He whispered when he was finished. "He never met me. How could he possibly have known we would…why would he make such a…"

He stopped talking when he felt Christine's hand on his cheek. "He knew enough from what Madame Giry told him about you that you were the man he wanted for his daughter, and he was right. You are my other half, my angel of music."

"I wonder why she never followed through with his request. Why allow me to put on the charade I did?"

"Her reasons were her own. Perhaps she thought I was too young at the time and I would reject your comfort. Even after her explanation. As she said, there is no past, from this day forward we have to live each moment as our last. It is the only way to honor her, especially now that we are free to live our lives without looking over our shoulder."

"That is a lovely thought and I hate to ruin it but Raoul is still out there with who knows how many companions. They may be on the run but they will want revenge after what you've accomplished tonight."

"We will have to stay in Paris until after the funeral of course but then I want to help in the search for Raoul. Once he and all who helped him are brought to justice we can journey to America as we planned. There our life will truly begin."

"I thought there was a possibility you would want to stay in Paris after they were found."

"Paris even France itself is tainted by innocent blood that never should have been spilled. It's not my home anymore. I don't think it ever was." She was quiet for a moment. "Do you want to stay?"

Erik shook his head. "You're right. After everything that has happened here we need a fresh start. Something you told me earlier still peaks my interest though."

"What might that be?"

"What Raoul had planned with what he took from the opera house?"

Christine shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps as part of another set up. Bring back the fear of the phantom by imitating you. Maybe they thought it would draw you out to prove that there is only one true phantom." Christine knew sleep would not come for either of them tonight and got an idea. "Would you help me with something?"

"Anything?" Erik responded.

She got up and held out her hand. "I want to do something special to honor Madame Giry at her funeral and I happen to know an angel of music who can help me do that." She took his hand in hers and led him toward the music room closing the door behind them.


Author Note – When Meg is traveling and after she falls sleep when I transition back to Erik and Christine it is still that same night, not the next day. Meg's part of the story is happening during that time as well. So I guess we kind of do a little time travel there. :)

For those wondering part of Madame Giry's journal entry was "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

I know this chapter was a bit song heavy whether sung or used in thought. This is most likely the only chapter that will happen. They flowed in the chapter and story so well I had to use them when inspiration struck.

When Erik and Christine are up on the roof they are singing parts of four different songs. Here is what they are if you want to know the melody.

He Lives in You – The Lion King

Once Upon a Dream – Jekyll and Hyde (Very short)

In His Eyes – Jekyll and Hyde

We'll be Together – Grease 2 (Yes it's modern but I loved how it came out in the chapter.)

I have used other songs in this and earlier chapters if you want to know what they are so you know the tune please PM me. I will be happy to let you know.

I know the grief the three of them are going through seems to be all over the place. It might even seem that Erik and Christine aren't grieving enough because they aren't falling apart. As everyone knows people grieve differently and they are grieving her loss but also honoring her wishes at the same time to be happy.

I firmly believe there is "no day but today" and while we grieve the people we lose we can't drown in it. It's not what our loved ones would want, my grandmother told me when her time came to mourn that she wasn't with me anymore but also to be happy that she was reunited with my grandfather and the rest of her family.