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. This is purely for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others.
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 read, review, follow, or favorite my Phanfic. I love writing this story and working with these characters.
It seems this site might do another purge of stories they feel are not appropriate or violate their rules. If for some reason this story disappears you can find me on AOA under KC_Vaillancourt. I am slowly moving all of my stories over there. For those who don't know what AOA is feel free to PM me.
As many of you know I have tried to keep our main characters in character as best I can while my story unfolds. Hopefully you like my interpretation of who these characters are at their core. Please keep in mind I am not only using them as characters from POTO but real people who lived in that time period which I is why I didn't find it a big leap for Raoul to become who he has as I did research on men and woman in that period in time.
I find I am able to be more creative in my stories when I look at the characters I'm using that way. Not to mention as I've said before it's been six years and people change a lot over time. I am trying my best to stick to the characters you know but I have a feeling I have changed them a bit from who they were in POTO. Thank you to those who have stuck with me this far and continue to support this Phanfic.
An Unanticipated Reunion
Erik and Christine arrived at the Giry home just as the sun was rising the next morning. When they walked in Christine sighed. "She's not here."
"I had my doubts but it was a place to start." Erik said looking around. From the state of the house it looked like no one had been there in days.
Christine turned to look at Erik. "Maybe she'll come back." She frowned when she saw doubt enter his eyes. "She could have stopped somewhere along her way here or she's in town."
"It's possible." Erik said trying to give his beloved some hope. "Why don't we get some rest and then go into town to see if she's been around."
Christine nodded and followed Erik back outside. He thought it would be a better idea to stay in the cabin but Christine disagreed thinking that if they did that and she returned they would miss her. Erik argued that if Meg did come back and was still in the state she was at the cemetery as soon as she walked into her home and saw them she would run. Christine knew he was right and followed him back to the cabin. After some much needed rest they went to town and talked to anyone they could. To their dismay most people they spoke with told them the last time they saw Meg was before or at Madame Giry's funeral.
They stayed in Gisors for a little over a week until they finally decided it was time to move on. They packed their things and at Christine's suggestion traveled to Dijon incase Raoul decided to return there to hide. After days of travel they arrived to find the estate abandoned. She suggested going to the tavern Anton and Raoul frequented. When the men in the bar ignored Erik and began to flirt with Christine she could see a hint of the man she had run from at the opera house emerging. She felt his grip on her become more possessive and could tell he was trying to control the rage building in him at the attention she was getting from the drunks approaching her. Finally one of the men went too far when he tried to proposition Christine in exchange for information Erik could tell he didn't have. He grabbed the man by the throat and pushed him into a wall squeezing until the man was gasping for air. "The lady belongs to me and you will treat her with respect." Erik hissed.
Christine was shocked at his words but didn't have time to deal with her feelings at that moment. She acted quickly pulling Erik away from the man and dragging him out of the tavern before he did something they both would regret. They rode off before the other men in the tavern could come after them. When she felt they were far enough away she told him to stop the carriage. "What's wrong?" He asked turning to face her and could tell she was upset.
"The lady belongs to me." Christine repeated holding back tears as she remembered a time when he said similar words. She pulled her hand away in anger when he tried to touch her and looked at him. "The way you held me. How you acted, what you said. I love you. I am your fiancée but I am not your property. Do you honestly think I would have done anything those pigs asked for only to be lied to?"
"No, of course not." Was all Erik could say and looked away ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry." He felt her hand on his cheek so he was looking at her and could see her chocolate eye's softening. "I love you more than I could ever express in words and I know you're not my possession. Those words never should have passed my lips. I swear to you I will never make you feel the way I did tonight again. I made that mistake once before, I won't repeat it."
"I'm sorry." Christine began feeling that she overacted a bit herself and moved closer to him. "I shouldn't have gotten…"
"You have nothing to apologize for." Erik said pulling her into his arms. "You lived through Raoul and I fighting over what we thought was ours. Then he treated you like he owned you and I did no better tonight. I know there is no excuse for my behavior but I feel I need to explain. It was the way they looked and spoke to you. I saw the hunger for you in their eyes, the lust in their voices…"
"I know." Christine said. "They're like some of the stage hands at the opera house I had to deal with. Living in a world outside of solitude we'll have to deal with those types of people. Women will flirt with you like the ones I saw eyeing you tonight and men will flirt with me but you have to know it means nothing."
"I honestly didn't notice any other woman in the tavern but you." Erik said running his fingers through her curly hair. "I guess it's another thing I will have to get used to and try to keep that part of myself in control."
Christine leaned up to kiss him. "I can't ask any more from you than that. Now, we should be on our way."
"I think we need to begin working from my list." Erik said. Christine nodded in agreement and they were off once more.
Their first stop was to the home of Chandler and Adrien Tasse in Langres. Erik had saved their lives from intruders years ago. Since then they had said they would help him whenever he was in need. They were delighted to meet Christine and were even happier when Erik told them they were to be married. When Chandler met Erik he could tell he was a haunted soul and hoped he could find happiness. As he watched him and Christine together he knew that he had found it in her. Erik asked about Meg describing her to them but unfortunately she hadn't been there. They stayed with the Tasse's for a couple days before they moved on leaving a note for Meg behind telling her to be safe and where they were going next hoping she would come to them.
Christine constantly prayed that as she travelled Meg would come to her senses and realize it was her grief talking at the cemetery but her hope faded as they traveled and found no sign she had been to any of Erik's acquaintances homes. They continued to leave notes for her telling her where they were going next and to please contact them so they could try to work things out. They stopped in many different towns on their journey and when they were talking with strangers Christine noticed Erik let her handle the majority of the conversations. He was becoming comfortable with the outside world quicker than Christine thought he would but he was still a bit awkward and nervous when it came to socializing with complete strangers.
Erik stood petting Cesar deep in thought as he waited for Christine. It's been four months and we are no closer to finding Meg or Raoul then when we left Paris. There's only one place left to go. He sighed as he began to pet Arturo. It was the one place Erik hoped they would never have to go. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Christine emerging from the trees. He noticed her pale skin was glistening with sweat and her hair had fallen out of the braid he helped her put it in. She had been sick again. He thought as he walked quickly to her side and helped her into the carriage. "Are you alright?" He asked while wiping the sweat from her brow with a cloth.
Christine nodded but could tell he wasn't convinced. She leaned forward to rest her hand on his cheek ignoring the dizziness she felt. "I promise, I'm ok."
"You've been getting sick so often, perhaps we should…" Erik began.
"It's the pace of our search and the stress it's causing me." Christine insisted sitting back to rest her head on the seat and sighed. "Four months, how are we ever going to find her?"
"We still have one place left." Erik reminded her and paused. "I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days. If we don't find her there I think it's time we return to Paris and wait for some kind of word to reach us or…"
"Or we leave France and continue with the plans for our life." Christine finished for him. Erik nodded. She sat in silence letting her mind mull over what he was suggesting. "How about we cross that bridge when we get to it? How much further to our destination?"
"A few hours ride." He told her. "Most of it is wooden back roads like this."
"Do you mind if I stay back here to rest?" She asked.
Erik smiled. "I was going to suggest that myself." He kissed her and left the carriage getting back into the driver's seat to continue their journey.
Inside Christine closed her eyes listening to the trot of the horses thinking about Meg. How can we leave without knowing she's ok? She felt like they had been all over France and anyone they spoke with hadn't seen or heard anything about Meg or Raoul. Erik was willing to go back to Paris, but was she? She knew Raoul would never return there, if he was even still in the country. She doubted Meg would give up and go back to Paris either, if she was still alive. Her mind added for her. Christine shook her head. She wouldn't allow herself to think like that. Meg was alright, she had to be. God wouldn't take them both from us. He's not that cruel.
She put a hand to her damp forehead as she felt a headache coming on. She could think about Meg and all the possible situations she was in but knew it would only lead her in circles like all the times before. Instead she thought about how she had been feeling the past several weeks. There wasn't a day that passed that she didn't get sick at least once, she was easily fatigued, emotional and while she didn't tell Erik her breasts felt bigger and were tender to the touch. Although the soreness of her breasts wasn't uncommon before…she opened her eyes sitting up as something hit her. She began to think back and realized she was late. Not just late she had completely missed not one but two of her monthly courses. She had been so focused on their journey she didn't notice.
"No." She whispered shaking her head. "It's the stress of travel throwing my body out of sorts." She repeated that same reasoning over and over in her head trying to convince herself but then thought of something else. Her clothes felt like they were becoming increasingly tighter over the past couple weeks. She thought back to women she had met who were pregnant when she was with Raoul. They had experienced some of the same things before they realized they were going to have a child. She placed a hand on her lower abdomen and gasped when she felt it, a small bump. "I'm pregnant." She said barely above a whispered and couldn't hold back a smile at the thought of carrying Erik's baby. A lullaby her mother and then her father after she passed came into her mind and she began to sing as she rubbed the small bump. "Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine. Little one, when you play, pay no heed what they say…"
She stopped singing as her happiness disappeared and she felt panic setting in. "This will change everything." She said and thought about what Erik mentioned earlier. It was time to either go back to Paris or begin their journey to America. That decision would take priority over everything now, something else dawned on her. They still hadn't talked about having children. What would he say when she told him? She felt herself becoming increasingly panicked and took deep breaths to try to calm herself. "I truly don't know for certain yet." She said. "It still could be stress." But there was a voice in her mind growing louder that told her she was rationalizing the situation and denying what she knew in her heart was true. She was pregnant. She looked down and smiled when she felt her excitement returning. She let her head fall back as she began to think about their child growing inside her. It wasn't long before her eyes slowly closed and she was asleep.
Raoul and Anton sat alone at a rickety wooden table in a dilapidated three bedroom bungalow outside of Calais, France. The few trinkets on the shelves in the room were so covered in cobwebs and dust you could barely make out what they were. Raoul looked down at the cloth mask he had found in one of the bedrooms. Anton sighed as he looked at him. "If this was his home I'm not surprised they didn't return here. Considering the things we found I doubt he has fond memories of this place."
"I don't know why I'm surprised." Raoul said taking his eyes off the mask and letting it fall to the ground. "Luck has not been on our side since we started this madness."
"If they did come here how can we be sure he doesn't have defenses in place like at the opera house?" Anton asked remembering the men they lost to the traps that laid in the tunnels.
Raoul shook his head. "He learned those tricks after…" He stopped as Madame Giry came to his mind remembering what she had told him about Erik. He felt a lump form in his throat and swallowed hard. "All of this was for nothing. We condemned Rosalie to an unknown future for nothing. We killed her, for nothing."
"Every situation has collateral damage." Anton replied.
"You didn't know her." Raoul said. "It's easy for you to look at her death casually but me. I doubt she has haunted your dreams every night since that night."
"Raoul, we can't change what we did. All you can do is learn to live with it and move on." He paused. "Speaking of moving on…"
"Don't." Raoul said putting his head in his hands and rubbing his temples. He couldn't have the same discussion day after day. Anton was beginning to sound like a nagging wife.
But Anton didn't back down. "There has not been a sign or a whisper that they are here. Hell they may never come. It's been weeks Raoul, how much longer do you think we can wait?"
"Like I said yesterday and the day before, as long as it takes." Raoul whispered still not willing to give up on the smallest chance he was right. "They'll come here, they have to."
"I let this go yesterday and the days previous. Allowing you to cling to the hope Erik and Christine would arrive." Anton said trying to stay calm when all he wanted to do was punch Raoul to try and knock some sense into him. It seemed the longer they stayed here the more unhinged he became. "I can't allow you to continue with this delusion any longer."
"What's changed your mind?" Raoul asked lifting his head to look at him.
"Our sins from Paris have caught up with us." Anton told him. "Victor heard people talking this morning about what happened there, who the Surete were looking for, and to be on the lookout."
"We'll pay off the Surete like we did in Moreuil and Arras." Raoul reminded him.
"We're too low on funds. We'll need what we have left to get out of here. Even if we did have the resources it wouldn't work." Anton responded. "It won't be long before all the ports are watched and..."
"How can you be so certain?" Raoul asked. "All Victor heard was gossip. I doubt the Surete here would act on that alone."
"Have you lost all sense of reality!?" Anton yelled but quickly regained control. "You said it yourself we had to pay off the Surete in other towns and this information didn't come from some group of giggling women. He heard it from the Surete patrolling the streets. Javert Chevalier is a well-respected member of this town. I doubt you knew this. He got his start in law enforcement here. Now, Victor was able to secure us passage to Dover but the captain said we have to leave tomorrow night."
Raoul sighed in frustration as he thought over what Anton was proposing. He felt like two different people. The charming young patron of the Opera Populaire who wanted to protect the woman he loved and the ruthless abusive drunk obsessed with keeping what was his. Every day he could feel the inner struggle of these opposing men and wondered if they could ever coexist? He supposed everything that had led him to this moment was proof that they couldn't and it was time for this chapter of his life to come to an end. He thought about Anton and the other men who followed him. They were forced to leave their rich lives and everyone they loved behind. They would never be able to return to the lives they knew, forced to live like common filth all because he didn't kill Erik when he had the chance and keep Christine in line.
He hated to admit it but Anton was right. It was time they all moved on to make new lives for themselves. "You win." He whispered. "Tomorrow we'll leave for Dover." He could see the relief in Anton's face that he had finally seen reason. "What will you do about Collette? I'm sure she's worried about you."
"She knew what I was getting into and where it could lead." Anton explained. "I'll send for her when I'm sure I'm well hidden." He cleared his throat. "You do realize once we reach Dover we'll all have to go our separate ways?"
"I do." Raoul said. "I knew when we left Paris if this day came we would be saying good-bye. I'll travel to my sisters in London and figure out what to do from there. I've thought about traveling to America but I don't know. I'm sure once I'm in London and rested I'll be able to come up with a more complete plan."
"Are you sure you can trust them?" Anton asked.
"The real reason they left Paris to go to London was because they hated how Phillippe lorded his control of the family estate over us not because they fell in love with men they had met during a trip there as we led everyone to believe. They'll help me." Raoul assured him. "What about you? What will you do?"
"I plan to travel north and see where the road leads. I've also thought of America as a final destination because of the possibilities it holds but first I'll have to wait until it's safe to send for Colette. Then I'll go from there."
"I don't think I've told you how thankful I am for all you've done to help me. I'm sorry, for everything you're forced to give up."
"We may not be blood but you know you're the closest thing to a brother I will ever have. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Raoul nodded and they sat in silence until he glanced at the door behind Anton. "I suppose we should go talk to the others."
As they were about to get up Vincent came into the room. "A carriage just pulled up." He told them.
"Get your brother and the other two." Raoul ordered. "Stay close to the front door and keep silent."
Vincent left the room while Raoul and Anton crept to the window in what they charitably called the dining room peering outside. They watched as two black stallions pulling an enclosed carriage approached the house. Raoul's lips curled into a wide sinister grin when he saw the white mask of the driver. Finally some luck at last. Raoul thought and turned to Anton who was smiling as well. "We would be poor hosts if we weren't prepared to greet our guests."
"I couldn't agree more." Anton said following Raoul to join the others.
Erik starred at the bungalow as they rode up. As he expected it looked abandoned and was in disrepair. He stopped the carriage a few feet from the house. He assumed the stables in the back were in the same condition or worse and decided to leave the carriage parked where it was. When he opened the door he smiled when he saw Christine asleep with a faint smile on her face.
Christine's eyes fluttered open when she felt the draft from outside and her smile widened when she saw Erik. "Are we here?" Erik nodded happy that she had gotten some rest and helped her out of the carriage. She stared at the house in front of them. "What is this place?"
Erik turned back to look at the house. "This was my home when I was a child. After I was born my mother moved us out here so no one had to see the horror that was her son. She loathed me so much I'm surprised she never left me here to die of starvation."
Christine put her arm around Erik's waist. He did the same pulling her close and Christine smiled when she felt his hand rest on the small bump that was beginning to grow. She placed her other hand under his incase he was quick to realize what he had felt. "Perhaps she never left because there was a part of her that loved you."
"Maybe." Erik whispered and looked down at Christine. "I know we've never discussed children. I suppose we should have before we became more intimate but it's something that's been on my mind ever since Meg said that you'd bear my children one day."
Christine felt herself tense a bit and hoped Erik didn't notice. "What are your thoughts on the subject?"
"I would love nothing more than to have a child with you, but I'm not sure it's fair to bring a child into the world that could inherit this face." He admitted hoping that he had not just shattered her heart but felt guilt consume him when he saw tears filling her eyes. Christine could feel her heart pounding as she thought of the child she was carrying. She felt the tears in her eyes but didn't allow herself to shed them. Was there a possibility that if she told Erik she was carrying his child he wouldn't want it? She was about to say something but Erik spoke first. "I'm sorry I know I've upset you and I know you don't see my face as monstrous but I think there will always be a part of me that does." He looked back at the house. "Every day she told me what a monster I was and seeing this house again brings back memories I had long buried..."
Celine Destler looked across the dinner table at her five year old son with disgust clear in her eyes. She could still see his grotesque features even with the cloth mask she made him wear. She had never had the best reputation in town but with the other women that earned a living the way she did it never mattered to her. Now all everyone could talk about when they saw her was how she had given birth to a cursed child. She swallowed the bite she was eating and could once again no longer keep her thoughts to herself. "I will never understand why god punished me with you for a son. What did I do to deserve such an abomination?" She could see tears filling the little boy's eyes but didn't care. "If you shed a single tear you know what the consequences will be."
"If you hate me why do you keep me mama?" Little Erik asked keeping his tears at bay remembering the whipping he received the last time he allowed himself to cry in front of her.
"Don't think I haven't thought about that." She responded. "I have thought about leaving you here to starve or drowning you to rid the world of you since you have no place in it. If I did either of those things I would be branded a monster instead of hailed as a hero. You will live here and grow until the day comes that you are old enough to live on your own. Then I will leave, unchaining myself from this burden. I will get a fresh start but you, you will always be a monster that people will fear. Other parents will tell their children stories about you so they will behave. No one will ever love you or show you sympathy. The only thought that gets me through these days is that when it is your time you will die alone in the darkness, like you deserve…"
He was pulled out of the memory when he felt Christine shaking him. "Erik." He looked down at her and saw the concern in her eyes. "Where did you go?"
"There was a time when I was a young boy well, one of many times. My mother and I were sitting for dinner. She had decided to once again rant about how much she hated me and that I was a monster who deserved to die alone in darkness."
"She was wrong." Christine said immediately.
"I know." Erik replied in a distant voice.
Christine turned and placed both of her hands on his face looking into his eyes. "No, you don't." She said with a sigh. "You still think her words are the truth, don't you?"
He rested a palm on her cheek. "Yes. Not only because of my face but because of what I've done. I've killed people Christine. My keeper at the gypsy camp, Bouquet, Piangi, but they aren't the only ones." He sighed. "You may have gotten the Surete to believe the last two were Raoul and Anton but there were other's Christine. There were men I didn't willingly show myself to and they died at my hand when they discovered me. The faces of my victims haunt me to this day because I became the very monster my mother predicted. I try to hide it but there are still times I wonder if I deserve…"
"Deserve what?" Christine asked. "To be imprisoned and die alone? To never know what it's like to be loved?"
"Look at me Christine." Erik said. "Even through my mask really look and think about the things I've done. Can you honestly tell me part of you doesn't see a monster?"
"All I see, all I will ever see is the man I love." Christine replied without a second thought. Erik was about to say something but she put a finger to his lips. "No. You need to hear me. I'm not blind to what you've done but it doesn't make you a monster and I accept all of you."
From inside the house Victor looked at Raoul. "Do you think they're going to come in or should we…?"
"They'll come in." Raoul said. "I can feel it. They won't leave without checking to see if Meg is here. If we confront them out there they could ride away."
"We could stop them." Anton said.
"Even if we did it will give Erik a chance to defend them. Even six to one he could overcome the odds. Plus if my encounter at the cemetery is any indication Christine has learned how to defend herself as well." Raoul paused narrowing his eyes as he watched them. "We stay here, for now."
Outside Erik and Christine continued their conversation. "How can you accept me without question after what I put you through?"
"Because I love you." Christine declared. "It's this house and the memories that it brings back that is making you doubt yourself again. We agreed to put the events of the opera house in the past and let them rest there." She reminded him before continuing. "You killed the people you did to protect yourself, anyone who lived the life you did would do the same. All your life you were told people were a threat and would never accept you as part of their world. I've said it before, people you've encountered in the course of your life only solidified those words as truth. In recent years you've changed and proved them all wrong. You've seen that the world and the people in it will accept you. All the time we've spent traveling France no one has encountered you with fear, no one has been put off by the mask you wear. It should prove to you that you're not a monster, you never were. You have to let go of the guilt and self-loathing you carry. You are worthy of love. You deserve it. You deserve everything the world has to offer. You were born with an imperfect face to a horrible mother who refused to see past it to love her son unconditionally as a mother should." She was quiet for a moment wondering if she should tell him but decided to wait. "In spite of the cruelty you endured you grew to be a brilliant man who is capable of deep love. A man I am proud to call my fiancée. We promised Madame Giry we would be happy and if Meg is not in that house, I think it's time we move on."
"To where?" Erik asked still processing everything else she had said.
"I pray that Meg is safe but we can't continue on this path. We don't know if she is still in the country. It could take years to find her and when we do if she still wants nothing to do with us this entire journey was for nothing. As hard as it is for me to say, this is the last place to look and if she's not here…I want to begin our journey to America." It's not only what's best for us but the child I'm carrying she thought. "Once we're settled the first thing I want to do is be married. I want us to be one, body and soul. I can't wait any longer for the day to come where I can be called Madame Christine Destler." She couldn't hold back a smile as she said what would be her married name for the first time.
Erik leaned down and pulled Christine into a long passionate kiss. He let his forehead rest against hers. "I love you more than I can ever say. I'm grateful every day to have you by my side and love me in return." He pulled her into a tight embrace. When he let her go they both looked back toward the house.
"I'm assuming no one lives here." Christine said.
"No. I don't think anyone has since my mother and me. It's why I left it for last. I was hoping when we came to Calais it would be to leave." Erik told her.
"We have been out here for so long if anyone was inside they would have come out." Christine reasoned. "Do you want to leave?"
"No, we should make sure no one is here. As much as I loath this place night is coming and I don't want you to have to sleep in the carriage again." Erik said.
"It wasn't that bad." Christine said. "I'm sure there is a place to stay in town with all the people that travel through here. I don't want you to stay somewhere that brings up such painful feelings."
"I'll be alright." Erik assured her. "But before we leave tomorrow…I want to turn this place to ashes. I think knowing it's gone I will feel more at peace and finally be able to lay my past to rest."
"If that's what it takes to lay your demons to rest then that's what we'll do." Christine agreed. Through their entire conversation she fought back and forth on whether or not now was the time to tell him. With everything he was feeling she finally decided it wasn't and to wait until they left this horrible place behind.
After unhitching Cesar and Arturo from the carriage. They led them to a large overgrown area that was fenced in to the right of the house where they would be free to roam. Erik tried to keep his hand from trembling as they approached the front door and opened it. No sooner did they step inside Erik heard Christine scream. He turned around and saw Raoul with his arms around her waist pulling her away from him. "Erik, look out." She screamed as she struggled to get free. Before he could react he felt something hard hit him over the head and fell to the ground unconscious. The last thing he heard was Christine screaming his name.
She continued to fight as Raoul tightened his grip on her waist. She hadn't noticed the other men around them and dug her nails into his arms. He yelled out in pain and for a moment loosened his grip giving her a chance to escape. She ran but was caught by Anton who placed an arm around her neck and the other behind her head. She tried to fight him as she gasped for air but soon joined Erik in unconsciousness, leaving both of them at the mercy of their hosts.
Author Note – I know I haven't written about the intimate part of Erik and Christine's relationship except for the first time they made love. I felt it was safe to assume my readers would infer that they made love more than the one time.
Plus in that time birth control was in its infancy and a highly debated topic. Some women used herbs and natural remedies to avoid pregnancy. The majority of men and women had unprotected sex which as we know can result in pregnancy.
