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 all for taking the time to read, review, follow, or favorite my Phanfic. I can't thank you enough for making this story such a success. Without you this story wouldn't be what it is or have made it this far.

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get the next chapter of this story up. I noticed some of you have stopped following this journey but I promise you I have not and will not abandon this story.

Life has gotten in the way everywhere I turn and it has been very hard to find the chance to write.

I know I've said this about other chapters but this one has been the absolute hardest one to write. I had a lot of issues making it flow the way I wanted. I got so frustrated I actually had to step away from it a few times so I could come back to it with fresh eyes. Then of course when I did that, I had to read the previous chapter to reacquaint myself with where I left off so I didn't repeat or mess up anything since it has been so long between updates.

It's amazing how sometimes when you're watching an episode from another fandom you like it can help make things clear. I have to thank Supernatural (S11E11) for helping to fix my plot issues.

I also had to do a little more research for this chapter too, as I seem to do for every chapter. Not that I'm complaining, I love everything I'm learning. I apologize in advance for any liberties I take or inaccuracies there are. Please keep in mind I'm writing in the vein of historical fiction.

I've still been reading this story from the beginning as well and there are definitely things I could have done better and plan to fix. I got a little stuck in that which added to the delay. I've decided to hold off on revision until I finish. I have to remember this is the second fan fic I've written in eight years. All of it is practice, practice, practice.

If it wasn't made clear in the last chapter, by the time the night before the wedding arrives Christine is 6 months or around 25 weeks pregnant. (Figuring out the timeline is something else that took me awhile.) I'm sorry if that wasn't made completely clear before.

The conversations had in this chapter may seem to be all over the place but there is a method to the madness.

There is also a bit more inner dialogue in this chapter then I normally use so it will be in Italics. As always if I go into a characters dream or memory there will be a line break then all Italics.

The songs in this chapter are "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd (some lyrics changed), "Your Eyes" from Rent, "Here I Am" by Bryan Adams (some lyrics changed), "All I ask of You" (with alternate lyrics) and "This is the Moment" from Jekyll and Hyde (with altered lyrics).

Now on with our story!


Closing Painful Doors to the Past

After adding wood and stoking the fire in the fireplace Christine laid awake in the guest room of the cabin while Erik was at the house. She'd been staying there for the past few days so she wouldn't see any of the final arrangements until their wedding day, but tonight was the first night Erik wasn't with her. Meg reminded them both earlier in the day that it was tradition for the bride and groom to spend the night before their wedding apart. They both argued with her but she was adamant. She reminded Christine of Madame Giry when she put her hands on her hips, pursed her lips and looked at them with a familiar stern look in her eyes.

Christine giggled as she pictured Meg but it quickly turned into a groan when she felt the ache in her back and shifted herself to try to get comfortable. She never seemed to have a problem when Erik was with her. She longed to have his strong arms around her and their baby. She jumped when she heard a crack from the fire and sat up letting her legs hang off the side of the bed, her eyes darting around the room. She let out a deep breath when she was certain everything was still the way she left it before she laid down. She'd already locked the windows and drawn the curtains but left the door unlocked. She was tempted to lock it as well but decided to leave it alone. It would only cause problems when she had to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom.

She put her head in her hands. Will this fear and paranoia never end? She wondered. She'd been dealing with it for months but over the past couple weeks it had gotten worse, plaguing her every waking moment. She covered her daily turmoil with a smile and was fairly certain nobody knew, not even Erik. She hated hiding anything from him but was too ashamed to tell him what she'd been dealing with and if she did she'd have to tell him what she thought triggered it. Our wedding is tomorrow. She reminded herself. I refuse to let it be darkened by this. This will stop after we say I do and no one will ever have to know.

She refused to let herself dwell on it any longer and laid back down. She began gently rubbing her belly and smiled when she felt the small movements of their child. You've been more and more active over the past couple weeks, but today I've felt you more than any other little one. Are you as excited for tomorrow as I am? She let her head sink further into her pillow letting herself get lost in her thoughts. This time tomorrow she'd be Erik's wife. She let her eyes close imagining what surprises Erik had in store for her and it wasn't long before she was swept into the land of dreams.


Everyone else in the garden disappeared when Christine looked down the aisle at Erik. She grinned from ear to ear when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. After all we've been through this day has finally come. She thought. A romantic piano ballad began to play and she took her first steps toward him. He took her hand when she reached the end of the aisle and gently kissed it. She looked up in awe at the arch laced with red and white roses they were standing under. "It's just as I dreamed it would be."

"That's because it is a dream." A chilling male voice said from behind her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She noticed Erik narrow his eyes and reach for his sword. She could feel herself shaking as she turned around but then everything around her began to disappear.

She opened her eyes and found herself lying on the bed of an all too familiar bedroom. She was back in Erik's childhood home. She was surprised to find herself unbound and got up to head for the door ignoring the clinking sound behind her. She was about a foot away when she felt the cold metal pulling on her ankle.

She looked down and gasped when she saw the iron shackle. She heard a chuckle from the opposite side of the room and looked up to see Raoul, his lips curled into a smug grin. "The shackle while unfortunate was necessary so you wouldn't hurt the baby in your numerous attempts to escape."

"No, this isn't real." She whispered. "Erik and I are getting married tomorrow. We escaped from here months ago and you were arrested."

"That was quite the dream you had. But you're awake now and it's time for you to come back to reality Little Lotte."

Christine was silent as she looked at him but then saw something out of the corner of her eye, a small wooden crib. She looked around and saw the room was different then she remembered. Half of the room had been turned into a nursery. "What is this?"

Raoul followed her gaze around the room and pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against slowly walking toward her. "We need to be prepared for when our baby comes."

"Our baby?" Christine asked putting a hand protectively over her abdomen. "This baby isn't yours. It's mine and Erik's."

"That's true but, as we agreed, this child will be known as the child of a Vicomte. No one will know that you bore the child of a murder…"

"The child of a Vicomte? I would never agree to that. This child won't be raised by you, a true murderer, a monster who…" She felt the familiar sting of the back of Raoul's hand across her cheek and tasted the blood from her freshly split lip. She tried to back away from him but the shackle on her ankle kept her where she was.

Raoul sighed shaking his head. "See what you make me do when you get mouthy? As I've said you only love him out of pity."

"That's not true." Christine declared straining against the bind that held her. "And you're not here. This is a dream, another nightmare. I'll wake up and find myself comfortable in my bed eagerly awaiting my walk down the aisle."

"The same delusion you've had every day for months." Raoul told her shaking his head. "So, I will once again remind you of the agreement we made. We will stay here until that abomination growing inside you is born and you are both ready to travel. Then we will return to Paris where you will tell the Surete you were mistaken in your account of what happened to Madame Giry and the events at the opera house."

"I would never agree to any of that."

Raoul ignored her and continued. "Once my name is cleared we will be remarried and raise our…"

"I would never remarry you!" Christine screamed.

"You would to save the life of your child, and its father."

"Erik." She whispered. "Where is he? I want to see him."

She watched as he thought it over and felt relief wash over her when he nodded his head. "I guess now is as good a time as any for your weekly visit." He retrieved a key from his pocket and knelt down. Before he freed her ankle he looked up at her. "If you try anything…" He trailed off letting the words hang in the air.

Christine already knew what would happen if she tried anything heroic. She reluctantly took his hand as he led her down the hall. He opened the door and she almost fell to her knees when she saw him.

Erik was slumped on the floor his head laying on his shoulder, his arms outstretched and shackled to the wall. Blood dripped from fresh wounds all over his body but she could see brownish dried blood from older wounds that laid underneath. From what she could see of his face it looked bruised as well. "You truly are a monster." She whispered. Not giving Raoul a chance to respond she pulled her hand out of his and ran to Erik. She kneeled down next to him and cradled his face in her hands ignoring the various cuts and bruises. "Erik."

"Christine." He gasped out. "You…you shouldn't… be here."

"By your side is where I should always be." She said kissing his forehead. Tears escaped her eyes as she watched him try to open his to look at her but were close to swollen shut. She looked him over further. His body was emaciated from lack of food and she couldn't find a part of him that hadn't been tortured by the various instruments that hung on the walls. "Oh my love, what have they done to you."

"Nothing, I can't handle." Erik whispered but knew Christine could see through the façade. "How are you, and the baby?"

"I'm fine." She reassured him. "We're fine and we're going to…"

Before she could say anything more she was pulled to her feet. "Come on." She heard Raoul say. "It's time to return to your suite my dear."

"NO!" Christine exclaimed ripping herself out of Raoul's grasp to return to Erik's side. "I'm not leaving him like this. If this is the life you plan for him after you take me and our child from here, then I will never leave him." She noticed Raoul trying to hold back a grin and the truth of this, deal, became clear. "You don't plan for him to have a life. You know if he were ever to escape he'd never stop looking for us. You'd spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder. You plan to have one of your friends kill him the moment we leave."

"I guess there's no point in denying it." Raoul said. "I'm surprised it never dawned on you sooner."

She looked at Erik caressing his cheek her mind trying to think of some way to escape. She turned back to look up at Raoul and noticed the sword in his scabbard. "My child will never know the kind of hell you've put Erik and I through. I will make sure this baby knows who its real father is." She pushed herself up from the floor and tried to grab the sword but Raoul easily subdued her pushing her to the floor on the other side of the room.

"I tried to be nice." He said throwing his hands in the air. "I kept this monster alive for you. I was willing to allow you to keep your child and raise it with you but, I see now that can never be."

Christine's eyes widened when she saw Raoul pull the sword from its scabbard. "What're you going to do?"

"What I should've done years ago." He said walking toward Erik. "What a pathetic waste of a life. I'll be doing the world a service." Before Christine could stop him he plunged the sword into Erik's chest.

"NO!" Christine screamed running to Erik as Raoul pulled back the sword staring at the crimson blood that stained it. She grabbed a scrap of clothing from the floor pressing it against his wound. "Stay with us." She whispered as blood soaked through the rag covering her hands.

"I'm…sorry…I failed you." Erik choked out while blood began to ooze from his mouth.

"No, no you didn't fail me." She said with tears streaming down her cheeks as she desperately looked around for anything that might help. "We're here. We're together. I'm going to save you."

"You already did." Erik choked out coughing as blood filled his mouth. With all the strength he had left he lifted his head to look at her. "I love you…Chris…"

Christine froze as she felt his chest rise and fall for the final time while blood pooled on the floor underneath him. "No, no Erik you can't leave us." She pleaded and lifted his head to try to get him to look at her but felt it go limp in her hands. He was gone. She shook her head feeling grief overtake her.


Meg ran to the guest room when the silence in the cabin was shattered by Christine's screams. "Christine." Meg said as she entered the room and sat next to her. "Christine, it's alright."

"Erik!" Christine called out as her eyes shot open and she sat up. Her chest was tight causing her breaths to come in short gasps, she was soaked in sweat and tears stained her cheeks. Her eyes adjusted to the soft amber glow in the room as she looked down at her hands. She gasped and closed her eyes when she saw the blood that stained them. No. She thought feeling her chest tighten further while her heart pounded rapidly. It can't be true. I can't be in that place. She forced herself to open her eyes and the blood she'd seen was gone but it did nothing to lessen her panic.

She looked up and instead of seeing the same dilapidated room from Calais, she found herself in the guest room of the cabin. She was in such a state of terror and her eyes were darting around the room so quickly she hadn't noticed Meg next to her until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She expected to see Raoul and felt her panic lessen when she saw Meg. "Where's Erik?" She asked throwing the sheet that covered her aside and trying to get up. "Meg, where is he?"

It took all Meg had to keep Christine in bed so she wouldn't hurt herself or the baby in the state she was in. "Christine." She said. "Christine, you need to calm down. Take deep breathes. You had a night…"

"If it was a nightmare why won't you answer my question!" Christine shouted struggling to push Meg away. "He's dead, isn't he? That's why you won't tell me where he is. Raoul killed him in Calais and somehow you were able to save me."

"What? No. You were both rescu…"

"You're lying. If he were alive, he'd be here." She stopped fighting as the awful truth of her words set in and tears ran faster down her cheeks. "He'd be here."

"Christine, I swear to you, Erik is alive. You're in his cabin in Gisors and he is at my house making sure everything is perfect for your wedding tomorrow." Meg pushed the hair in Christine's face aside so she could look her in the eyes. She tried to wipe away her tears using the handkerchief on the bedside table but found it to be a lost cause. "We have been best friends, as close as sisters since we were children. You know I would never, ever, lie to you about something so horrible."

Christine was silent as she stared into Meg's eyes. "He's alive." She whispered and felt herself calm downing when Meg nodded. "You insisted we spend the night apart."

"That's right." Meg said, relieved to see Christine was coming to her senses. She helped her scooch back adjusting her pillows so she could rest against the headboard before getting up to add wood to the fire then went to get a basin of water and a cloth to wipe the sweat from Christine's brow. "Erik thought this might happen tonight."

Christine closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths. All she wanted to do was run out the room as fast as she could to find Erik. She needed to see him, needed to be certain he was alright but she forced herself to stay put. She knew running around in the dark of night would be no good for her or the baby. She looked at Meg feeling a bit embarrassed. "He told you about my nightmares."

"Before I came back tonight. He thought I should know just in case…" Both of them jumped when they heard the front door burst open.

"Erik!" Christine exclaimed when she saw him rush into the room. She held out her arms and fresh tears came to her eyes. He threw off his cloak and sat down opposite Meg taking her in his arms as she buried her head in his chest. "You came to me." She sobbed holding him tight. "You're alive."

"Shhh, I'm here." Erik whispered cursing himself for not being with her tonight. "I'll always be here when you need me." He glanced at Meg giving her a slight glare but she didn't seem to notice. He returned his attention to Christine gently caressing her hair as she continued to weep. "Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around." He sang. "Nothing's gonna harm you Christine, not while I'm around. Bygone events haunt your every dream, nowadays. I will protect you, you know me, I've got ways. Nightmares cannot hurt you, all they are is fear. I'll never desert you don't you worry yell and I'll be here. Nightmares can haunt you with a smile, for a while, but in time...they will not harm you." He paused feeling her grip on him loosen a bit. "Not while I'm around."

Meg watched as Erik's soothing melody calmed Christine and spoke before she could stop herself. "Erik, I thought we agreed I could handle…"

"I know what we agreed." He said in an angry whisper. "I understand you believe it could bring us bad luck if we don't observe these, pre wedding traditions, but as I said earlier we've had enough bad luck to…"

"Erik please…" Christine murmured and turned to look at Meg her eyes pleading with her to drop the subject. She couldn't handle the argument that was about to ensue, not now.

Meg felt her heart sink when saw Christine's red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life. She thought. It shouldn't start like this. She knew she could've helped Christine but now that Erik was here he wasn't going to leave her side, no matter what she said. She'd insisted they spend the night apart because it was traditional. Since when am I the type to conform to what's traditional? She wondered.

She sat looking at the couple in front of her and was finally forced to admit the truth behind her insistence. Maman. She thought. I guess it was my way of honoring your feelings about propriety and in some way make you a part of the wedding. Would you still insist they be apart? She wondered. If you could see what I see, I know your compassion would win out. She held back a smile. For the moment at least. She placed a hand on Christine's shoulder. "I'll be in my room if you need me." Christine nodded her thanks and Meg looked at Erik who gave her a half smile as she left the room.

"You don't know how relieved I am that you're here." Christine mumbled after hearing the click of the closing door. "How did you know I needed you?"

"I was feeling restless and went for a walk in the woods when I heard you scream." Erik said shifting his position so his back was resting against the headboard. He put an arm around Christine pulling her close. "Was it the same as the others?"

"No, this was more terrifying then anything I've ever experienced. It felt as real to me as you holding me now. I…I was at our wedding and the ceremony was about to begin. Then…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Then I heard Raoul's voice behind me and I was back in Calais." She took a moment to make sure she could stay composed. "I was shackled to a wall in the bedroom, part of it had been set up as a nursery and of course, Raoul was there. He told me I'd made an agreement with him. He and I would raise the baby in exchange for not only your life but our child's life as well. He took me to see you and…" She closed her eyes trying to force the invading images away. "They had beaten the life out of you. You were so weak you couldn't even look at me. Raoul tried to take me away but a I refused and tried to save us. He pushed me to the floor and before I could stop him, he drew his sword." She looked up at Erik. "He stabbed you in the heart, right in front of me. I tried to help you but…but…" She couldn't get the words out as the image of Erik's lifeless body came to the forefront of her mind. More tears filled her eyes and started trickling down her cheeks.

Erik tried to wipe them away but they were coming too fast as Christine trembled. He laid her head on his chest and began rocking her back and forth. "Shhh, I'm here with you. I'll always be right here. I know this nightmare was worse than any other but like the others it wasn't real. I'm alive and here with you." He was quiet for a moment. "Just breathe mon ange. Remind yourself you've been in this terrified place before and survived. I know these nightmares are painful and debilitating, but eventually they'll fade away and you'll look back at this moment and feel no pain. They will pass. I promise you."

"When he plunged that sword into your…" Christine whispered looking up at him.

"I can only imagine what being trapped in that world was like for you." He said placing her hand over his heart so she could feel the rhythm of its beat. "This is real. I'm alive, we're together and tomorrow we're going to be married." He wiped away a few of her remaining tears before pulling her into a kiss. When they parted Christine laid her head back down on his chest feeling the wetness her tears had left behind on her cheek.

"When will these nightmares stop plaguing me? I know you've said they'll fade away but what if they don't. What if I'm doomed to this life of being a needy, pathetic, weak…"?

"Christine, you aren't any of those things."

"Yes I am. I feel like somewhere along the way I reverted back to the inept naïve girl I was in the opera house. I'm not the same woman who stepped on your porch this past February."

"That's true, you're not. How could you be after everything that's happened? But you're also not the girl you were at the opera house either."

"How can you be sure?"

"I knew the girl you were then and I know the woman you are today. You had the courage to leave your marriage and pursue the life you wanted. You've faced horrors that no one should have to but kept fighting, even when things seemed hopeless. Where other people would give up you persevered. Does that sound like someone who's weak?" Christine shrugged her shoulders. "Keep in mind, Roger told us last week as your pregnancy progresses you could become more emotional, depressed, and on occasion not recognize yourself." He paused. "I don't know how you've handled the more stressful times of the last few months while at the same time adjusting to the changes happening inside you. You do anything you have to do to meet the needs of our baby. I admire you Christine Daae, you are the strongest woman I've ever met."

"I wish I could see myself the way you do." Christine whispered. "I wish I felt like the woman you described."

"I know you don't at the moment but you will again. You're human Christine and there will be times you fall apart but that's not something to be looked at as a bad thing. Sometimes you have to fall in order to find the path that will you lead you to your happiness."

"Maybe I would be more inclined to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel if my nightmares would end."

"They were coming less frequently, until a couple weeks ago." Erik pointed out. "In fact, it was the night you returned from your last visit to Paris when they began haunting you nightly again." He felt Christine stiffen in his arms when he mentioned Paris. "I haven't said anything because I thought it could be your pregnancy and I didn't want to upset you but since that trip you haven't been the same. I've seen how on edge you've been. I've watched as you walk through the days faking smiles, forcing laughs, playing the part you believe you need to play, not wanting to dampen anyone's spirits. There's something you're keeping locked up inside you that is causing these new nightmares. Please…talk to me Christine."

How could I have thought he hadn't seen through my façade? Christine wondered as she pulled herself out of his arms so they were facing each other. I should have told him what happened as soon as I came back. She hated that she'd kept a secret from him and knew it was time to tell him. "When Meg and I went for my last dress fitting with Madame Roche…" Christine began and everything around her melted away as she was consumed by the memory.


Meg had a few errands to run for Erik while they were in Paris and since Madame Roche had finished early Christine sat at a nearby café until she returned. At first she focused on the people passing by and listening to bits of conversations going on around her. She turned around when she heard someone mention Raoul. She tried to catch more of what they were saying but they turned a corner before she could.

As she turned back in her seat she began thinking about what she'd been experiencing the past few months. Meg would be gone for at least another hour or so and Erik wasn't with her to object. This was her chance and she knew she wouldn't get another. She didn't give herself a chance to think about it anymore and left the café. She knew Erik would hate what she was about to do but she was certain her nightmares wouldn't stop until she confronted the man responsible for them.

When she got to Surete headquarters she was relieved to find out it was Javert's day off. She forced herself to focus on the echoes her boots made as she and the officer escorting her walked down the stone steps to the holding cells. She stopped at the bottom and took a few deep breaths to keep herself from trembling. "Would you like me to escort you back upstairs Miss Daae?" The officer offered.

She shook her head. "Take me to see him." The officer nodded and continued on. She held back a gag as the foul mix of odors coming from the cells assaulted her nose. She felt her stomach turn and was grateful she hadn't eaten anything at the café. She paid no attention to the whistles and crude comments from the other prisoners as she passed. They rounded a corner where two officers were standing guard. At the very end of the hall she looked through the iron bars and saw Raoul in his cell. She ignored the smile on his face when he saw who had come to visit him. She stopped a few feet away and stared at the man she once called her husband. She turned to the officer. "Is it possible to have a moment…"

"I'm sorry Miss Daae." The officer cut in. "We are under strict orders to oversee all visits to M. De Chagny."

"I understand." Christine said and turned back to Raoul. She steeled herself refusing to show any fear and took a few more steps toward his cell. She noticed the guard stayed where he was giving them some privacy but in truth she was glad he was still close.

"Hello Raoul."

"Well." Raoul said standing up. "You're the last person I expected to come visit me." He cocked his head. "Has the day come that you regret your decision to leave me already?"

"That day will never come." Christine responded.

"Where is your freak fiancé then? Lurking in the shadows I presume." He held back a laugh when saw the flash of guilt in her eyes. "He doesn't know you're here, does he?." He shook his head. "Deceiving him already. Why am I not surprised?"

"I needed to see you, alone."

"Why?" Raoul asked sauntering closer to the bars.

Christine remained where she was determined to be free of the power he still had over her. "I thought coming here, seeing you, would help me understand."

"Understand what?" Raoul whispered and felt anger light up in him when he glanced down at her growing belly.

"How we got here. How the kind boy I knew as a child could become the monster I see today?"

"All you have to do is look in the mirror to get the answers you're looking for, you turned me into the man I am today." He narrowed his eyes. "Because you're weak. You could've told me the truth about your feelings for your, angel of music. Instead you led me on, hell you married me. You made me think you loved me."

"I did love you." Christine shot back. "Only, not in the way I thought. Would you have stopped pursuing me if I told you how I felt about Erik?"

"I guess we'll never know." He whispered shrugging his shoulders.

"You didn't care how I felt, you forced me to play along with your plot to trap him knowing how conflicted and confused I was. If I told you how I felt about him, it would have made you fight that much harder to make me your trophy." She sighed. "I know I hurt you and I am truly sorry for that but what I did will never excuse your actions."

"What do you expect me to say Christine? That I'm sorry. That I regret what I did." Raoul's smile widened. "Honestly, I don't carry a single regret over anything I did to you, the Giry's, or that freak. I never will. You were my wife, you were required to honor me and I did what I had to do to attempt to keep you in line. Even living in this hell hole I go to sleep with a smile on my face. I close my eyes and I'm comforted by your screams and the sight of Erik's blood dripping to the floor as we beat him."

"I should have known better than to think you'd change." Christine whispered. She felt tears coming to her eyes and her resolve to remain calm weakening.

"Then go. Marry your freak and give birth to that thing growing inside you. I said it before and I'll say it again. A day will come that you regret what you've made of your life."

Christine was about to turn to leave but stopped as his words echoed in her mind and anger burned inside her. "I was a fool to think you might see the error of your ways, that I might see a glimmer of the man I knew. You disgust me." She paused trying to control herself but knowing he still found comfort in their pain infuriated her. "I have something else for you to think about while you rot here. When we were married, do you remember the times I slept in the next room because I was, unwell?"

Raoul raised an eyebrow confused by her question. "Of course I do but why would I care about those nights…" He noticed her hand graze her abdomen. His eyes widened as the meaning behind her question came to him. "You were…"

"You really are blind to anything that isn't about you. Did you honestly believe that after six years of marriage and all the times you bedded me I never conceived?"

Raoul stiffened at her words and narrowed his eyes. "Salope!" He yelled rushing toward Christine trying to fight through the bars that separated them. He stopped when he noticed the Surete officers removing wooden billy clubs from their belts.

"It's alright." Christine said waving her hand to stop them. "After the first time you beat me I swore to myself I would never bear your child. There were times I feared I was pregnant. Marie knew of remedies to ensure that was not the case." Christine hoped Raoul hadn't seen her tremble as she saw the murderous look in his eyes. "I know what I did was a sin and went against everything I believe in but no child should be subjected to the kind of father you would have been." She forced herself to take a few steps closer so she was inches from his reach. "I want you to know that after I leave her today you will never see me again and I will never allow you to plague my thoughts. Erik and I will live our days free of you and have the life we should have had long ago. But you, you will never be free of us. I suspect you will sit here, trapped, thinking about us every day, until the day you die." She paused leaning in a bit closer and whispered. "Brûle en enfer."


"The officer led me back out while I tried to ignore the obscenities Raoul was screaming from behind me." Christine finished letting two lone tears make a trail down her cheeks as she stared at Erik's blank expression.

Erik sat in silence shocked at what Christine had just told him. He looked passed her staring at the wall. I knew she was hiding something but of all the things I thought it might be this never entered my mind. He thought. She'd gone by herself to see the man who...He could feel the anger welling up inside him at the thought but forced himself to remain calm. He turned his gaze back to Christine and saw the tears she was fighting to hold back. He didn't want to upset her anymore then she already was or have an argument the night before their wedding but he couldn't let it go either. "How…" Erik whispered. "How could you put not only yourself but our child in such a dangerous situation?"

"There were three Surete officers near me and more above us." Christine said. "We weren't in…"

"Any of those men could be bought for the right price." Erik pointed out. "You could have been…" He fell silent deciding there was no point in talking about what could have happened. "Why did you go there?"

"I had to." Christine replied. She felt more tears coming as she looked at him. He was trying to hide it but she could see the anger and disappointment in his eyes. "I needed to see him."

"I don't understand. Why would ever want to lay eyes on…?"

"I wanted the nightmares to stop and I thought seeing him…"

Erik took one of her hands. "Your nightmares will end Christine. You just need to give yourself…"

"Time, I know!" Christine yelled feeling tears once again running down her cheeks. "But time hasn't healed my pain or quieted my fears!" She pulled her hand out of his and stood up feeling her own anger coming to the surface. "I was tired of suffering; you may have seen through my daily facade since Meg and I returned from Paris but the truth is, I've been covering for months!" Erik got up and tried to embrace her but she pushed him away. She saw the hurt look on his face but couldn't let herself fall into his embrace, not yet. She was finally going to unburden herself of everything she'd kept locked up inside. "I don't, I don't only see Raoul in my nightmares. The things he did haunt me all the time. I can feel his presence everywhere I go. Sometimes I can feel his hand around my waist or smell his cologne. I hear his voice in my head, telling me he'll get his freedom and come for me." She paused to take a breath and try to dry her wet cheeks. "It's unrelenting. There are times when I'm alone, I can't breathe. The terror overtakes me and I can physically feel the pain he inflicted. Then every day after the sun would set and the time came for us to go to bed I would dread falling asleep, terrified I was about to enter hell once more."

"Oh Christine." Erik whispered walking up to her and placing a hand on her cheek. "Had I known how much you were suffering…"

"I know you would've tried to help in any way you could but I wasn't ready admit what was happening to me." Christine replied taking his hand from her face but not letting it go. "We were planning our wedding and getting ready for the baby. It's the happiest time in our lives and I didn't want to diminish it with what I was going through. There was nothing I could do about you seeing the nights I woke up screaming, convinced I was still in that house, in that room, but I could spare you the burden of my days. I tried to block it out, lock it away, pretend nothing happened..."

"Christine, you never have spare me from anything." Erik said giving her hand a small squeeze. "I would never think of your pain as a burden. Our lives may have taken us on different paths but in many ways, we're the same. We try to bury our pain, pretend the awful parts of our past don't exist and suffer in silence. I discovered it only made my suffering that much worse and, as you know, drove me to act out in irrational ways. It was when you came back to me that I realized sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us on the path to the most wonderful." As he looked at Christine he found himself thinking back to when they were standing in front of his home in Calais. "But there are times we have to face the places, or people that caused our pain before we can be free of it."

"Yes." Christine said. "That's why I went there. I thought it would give me some sense of closure and help me see that it was over. There were a few times I brought up the idea of going to see him but…"

"I wouldn't listen." Erik finished and sighed. "I never want you to feel like you have to hide things from me but I allowed myself to get so blinded by rage at the mere mention of his name I did just that and didn't see how important this was to you. Even if I didn't agree I should've listened to you, been there to support you, but because of my anger I not only prolonged your suffering but failed to see it. I am so sorry Christine."

"No, don't do that." Christine said. "None of what's happening to me is your fault. In the end it was probably better that you weren't there." She let go of his hand and sat down on the edge of the bed wrapping her arms around herself. "Going there was something I needed to do alone. I hated the power he still had over me and wanted to show him I could stand up to him on my own." She felt the weight of the bed shift as Erik sat down beside her. This time she didn't resist when he wrapped his arms around her and let herself lean into him as she stared at a knot on the floor. "Looking back I understand why you didn't want me to go there. Seeing him again, having his cold blue eyes staring daggers into me brought it all back, even things I thought I'd made peace with. I'd hoped he might have spent enough time in that place to have some remorse for what he did but he had none."

"I know you want to see the best in everyone Christine, even him. It's one of the many things I love about you but from what you told me and what I've seen I don't think he'll ever regret what he did in his pursuit to get you back."

"He won't." Christine said and sat up so could look at Erik as a realization dawned on her. "I've been endlessly trying to figure out what it was about seeing him that sent shivers down my spine and I think that's it. He has no remorse. He thinks what he did was right and just. He's comforted by our pain. Even if he were to swear to me he was finished I know his lust for revenge would eventually overtake him and he'd come after us, after our child. We try to deny it but he could still reach out from prison and find people to act on his behalf. We saw what he was able to orchestrate at his trial when he had us called…"

"But that was all he was able to do." Erik said taking her hands in his and caressing them with his thumbs. "If he were capable of hurting us any further than that he would have and if that were to happen you know I would do everything in my power to ensure no harm came to you or our child."

"That's what I've tried to tell myself every day but there is always this little voice, his voice, that creeps in telling me it's a lie."

"I wish you would have told me what you were feeling instead of forcing yourself to face this alone."

"I was ashamed." Christine admitted. "Ashamed that he had any presence in my life and how paralyzed I was by my fears. I survived everything he did and even though he's being watched by people handpicked by Javert I'm still afraid."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. Anyone would be afraid after everything that's happened, but it's over." He caressed her cheek seeing the doubt in her eyes. "It is Christine. We are free to be happy and live…"

"I want to believe that more than you can imagine." Christine said. "But the last time I can remember being this truly happy was with my father and I lost him." She blinked back tears that threatened to spill. "I eventually came to accept that I would never find that kind of happiness again, then you came into my life. That night outside this cabin when I looked into your eyes I knew…I knew I was home, that the happiness I'd been looking for was right in front of me. Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives and it's hard for me to believe that Raoul hasn't found a way for something or someone to sabotage it." She sighed. "I guess in a way he already has, through me."

"That's not true. You've lived the past few months facing this inner turmoil alone, but you still lived your life. You don't see it but Raoul and what he did has less power over you than you think. He's the shape your mind makes your fears appear to be but from what you just said it sounds like your real fear is that the good times won't last, but I have faith ours will. You know the road we traveled to get to where we are today wasn't easy. We fought for it. We bled for it. We were willing to die for it. We've earned this day and all the ones that will follow. You and our child are my entire world and I swear to you, nothing and no one is going to stop me from marrying you."

Christine found herself at a loss for words and felt her lips curling into the first completely genuine smile she could remember having in weeks. She leaned up pulling him into a kiss and as their lips met she could feel any remaining anxiety or tension in the room melting away. "Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you ei…" Her voice trailed off when she felt a thump in her abdomen. It was stronger than anything she'd felt before. She took Erik's hand and placed it on her belly.

Before he could say anything he felt it, a small bump against his palm. "Is that?"

"Yes. That's our baby."

"There…there are no words." Erik's smile widened when he felt the movement of their child again. "It still astonishes me that a child, our child is growing inside of you."

"Before I fell asleep tonight I was hoping you'd be with me to feel this for the first time. I've felt the baby move but never like this." They sat together in silence not wanting to miss the slightest movement. After a while Christine caressed her belly hoping it would get the baby to move a bit more. "I guess our little angel must have gotten comfortable."

"Perhaps we should try to do the same." Erik said kicking off his boots. He adjusted the pillows behind them and laid back in bed. "I know you must be exhausted."

Christine nodded cuddling as close to him as she could and resting a hand on her belly. She felt a twinge of anxiety shoot through her. In all my confusion tonight I never stopped to think about what else I'd reveal to Erik when I told him about seeing Raoul. She thought. She hated to bring all that up again but she needed to know one thing. "Do you think less of me?"

"Of course not." Erik assured her. "Everyone is entitled to go through rough ti…"

"No. It's not about that…" Christine cut in as she sat up. "I told you everything that transpired between Raoul and I, including that there were times I could have been carrying his child. I never knew for sure but…but I could have killed innocent new lives just like the one growing inside me now. What I did went against everything I believe in, everything my father taught me about all life being precious. I think of Raoul as a monster but how does what I did make me any diff…"

Erik put a finger to her lips. "You are nothing like him. After what he'd done to you I can only imagine what you thought he was capable of doing to a child. You did the only thing you could do and what you thought was right at the time. I could never fault you for that and no matter what you do I will never think any less of you." He paused. "Do you remember when I told you what I did to M. Andre?"

"Yes." Christine replied a bit confused.

"You accepted what I'd done and only cared about one thing, that we have no secrets from one another. After everything that's been said tonight that's all I care about as well. I understand why you felt the need to hide what you were feeling and where you went from me but it's over and we can move on. We are about to embark on a wonderful new journey together and the last thing I want is to begin it with secrets between us."

"I couldn't agree more." Christine said leaning in to give him a kiss before settling back into his arms with her head on his chest. "For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel that the worst is behind us. Perhaps those little kicks were our little boy's way of telling us he knows it too."

"Little boy? If I recall, for the past few days our baby was a girl." Erik said with a smile as he thought about what he'd felt moments earlier.

"I know but the week before that I had a feeling our baby was a boy. Honestly, I'll be happy with either. All I care about is that our child is healthy."

"I feel the same way."

"In 3-4 months well now for sure if this bundle of joy is a boy or a girl. I know I've been concerned about what could happen during labor but none of that matters when I think about finally meeting our child. I can't wait to hold him or her in my arms."

"Neither can I." Erik said leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "You know, in all the excitement of the day I forgot to tell you. I finished the furniture."

"For the nursery?"

"Yes." He replied with a laugh. "Unless there was other furniture I was supposed to be building as well."

"You tell me. There are so many things you're doing in secret. Who knows what else my angel of music has up his sleeve?"

"Touché, I just hope everything I have done in secret will be as you dreamed it."

"Of course it will. I love everything you do."

"I do it all for you." Erik smiled pulling her closer to him. "Parce que je t'aime."

"Je t'aime trop, pour toujours." Christine replied while entwining her fingers with his own. She stifled a yawn and felt her eyes growing heavy but fought to stay awake. "How did you do it all?" She asked. "Planning our wedding, helping me set up the nursery and the rest of the house while at the same time being sure to make time for us."

"I think you're giving me a bit too much credit. Meg, Roger, and Marie helped me every step of the way. It also helped that I became accustomed to little or no sleep a long time…" He felt Christine twitch in his arms and her hold on his hand loosen. He looked down and smiled when he saw she was sound asleep. "This is how this night should have ended." He whispered. "Sweet dreams Ma Cherie."

He put his arm under his head and sighed. Sleep wouldn't come for him, not tonight. He thought about the angel in his arms and the torment she'd forced herself to live through. A familiar rage grew inside him and he was tempted to sneak away to give Christine one final wedding gift. If he were dead she would never have to be afraid again. He thought and smiled as he pictured Raoul at the end of his lasso. He shook his head forcing the murderous thoughts from his mind.

He shifted his thoughts to tomorrow and the surprises that awaited his bride. My bride. He thought. An image of Christine in the wedding dress he'd made for her years ago formed in his mind. She was in front of him nearly hip deep in the dark water of the lake that framed his lair, her eyes filled with held in tears as she looked at him. The tears I might have shed for your dark fate, grow cold and turn to tears of hate! The words repeated in his mind and Erik noticed they no longer carried the same sting to his heart that they used to.

My life has taken such an unexpected turn from what I thought it would be after that night. He thought. There were many times over the past couple months he'd find himself staring at something that brought him back to the more unpleasant days that followed that night. It made planning their wedding feel all the more surreal. Even now there was a tiny part of him that couldn't believe Christine Daae, his one and only love was here lying next to him. She loved him, she was carrying his child and tomorrow; she would become his wife.

He let his eyes close and found himself back in the catacombs of the opera house. He could hear the ensuing chaos above him as he watched the boat grow smaller in the distance. He never told Christine he'd watched as she sailed out of his life after returning her ring to him. He saw her look back at what she was leaving behind, the doubt mixed with sadness that clouded her eyes, but he was too broken to stop her. She'd made her choice.


That was the night I'd finally accepted my fate. He thought. I'd live in the world alone with no arms to hold me or a heart to love me. I'd stay in the shadows, haunted by my past, bound to my grief, until death came for me. After what he'd done it seemed like a just end.

Erik sat in a dark corner of the empty dilapidated cabin he'd made his new home. Cobwebs and dust were his only company as he stared blankly into the darkness. His body might have been there but his mind was still in the opera house, watching her float out of his life forever. He sighed putting his head in his hands.

"Your eyes…" He began to sing unconsciously. "When we said our goodbyes. Can't get them out of my mind. And I find I can't hide, from your eyes. The ones that took me by surprise. The night I came into your life where there's moonlight, I see your eyes. Why'd I let you walk away when I'm longing so to hold you. Now I'd die for one more day. There's so much I should have told you. There's so much I should have told you. When I looked into your eyes, why does distance make us wise? You were my song all along and before this song dies. I should tell you, I should tell you. I will always love you. You can see it in my eyes…" He felt the tears streaming down his cheeks and dampen his shirt as an apparition of Christine standing in front of him with her hand reaching out to him appeared. He reached out to her but as soon as his fingers nearly touched hers she began to fade away. "CHRISTINE!" He cried out hoping the vision would stay a bit longer, but she was gone.

He let his head fall back into his hands, his tears falling freely as the unrelenting imagine of his brunette muse stuck out in his mind. He was so immersed in his despair he didn't hear the front door open or the figure kneel down next to him. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Madame Giry by his side. "Leave me alone." He demanded looking away from her.

"I cannot do that Erik." She responded. "Not this time. Let me help you."

"No one can help me."

"That is not true. I can help you. I have helped you." She paused. "It breaks my heart to see you in such pain. Brooding in darkness day after day. Wasting away while you replay the moments that got you here endlessly in your mind."

Erik turned his head to once again tell her to leave but was shocked when he looked at her. Tears were sliding down her cheeks as she looked back at him. He couldn't remember a time in their long friendship that he'd ever seen her cry. "Why? Why would you allow yourself to shed tears for me after what I did?"

"Because I love you, you are like a brother to me and no matter what you've done that will never change." She told him while wiping away a few stray tears from his cheeks. "I know you can find some sliver of happiness in this new life but you have to be willing to open your mind and allow yourself to see it."


Erik stared at the ceiling as the memory faded. He didn't show it but her words and the emotion behind them reached him that day. In a time when I had given up, she continued to fight for me. He thought. He knew after everything she'd done for him he owed it to her to try. From that day on he forced himself to leave the confines of the cabin and explore his surroundings. He was surprised to find the fresh air and trees soothing. After a while it dulled his pain and brought him a sense of peace, something he thought only music could do.

It took time to adjust not only to living above ground but in the daylight. He was happy when night came and for the trees that, for the most part, covered the cabin in shadow. Madame Giry had been ecstatic that her words had gotten through to him. After I restored this cabin to its former glory and was ready to truly make it a home she insisted on getting my things from the opera house. She did her best to continue to help me see that even though I spent much of my time alone, I didn't have to live it haunted and miserable. He thought and sighed as he continued to think of Madame Giry. He felt a small pain in his heart and wished she could be there to see them take their vows.

She'd saved his life, more than once. She was a friend, the sister he never had and was instrumental in reuniting him with Christine. There wasn't a day that went by he didn't think of her but he noticed the pain of losing her to Raoul dulled a little with each passing day. Then, one February night, everything changed when he emerged from the trees, and she was there.


Erik stopped when he saw a cloaked figure at his door. He was immediately ready to activate one of the numerous deadly traps he had constructed around his home to defend himself. Then he saw Cesar tied to the porch and stopped himself. Had Madame Giry told Meg where he lived? The figure turned to face him and even in the darkness of the night he could tell that under the cloak was a woman but not Meg. He stared at the stranger in front of him and she stared back at him.

He let out a gasped as he looked into her dark chocolate brown eyes and she looked back into his light sea green ones. Was it possible? Could she really be here? He thought. No. He stood shaking his head. It was impossible, she was an illusion of his mind like all the others. When he stepped forward to try to touch her she'd disappear. He'd dreamed about her coming back to him so many times after she left him. Then he tried to forget her, especially once Madame Giry told him she planned to go through with her marriage to the Vicomte. The dreams had begun again after the music he played a little more than a week before.

Christine stared at him as her heart raced. She'd found him. She wanted to run forward, leap into his arms and tell him how much she missed him as soon as she saw him but stopped herself. Instead she stepped off the porch and took a few steps closer to him. She saw under the hood of his cloak he looked as if he hadn't aged at all.

He was the same handsome man she remembered and wore the same white mask to cover his deformity. She couldn't see much more than the mask but assumed he was wearing a black wig and still dressed as gentlemanly as he did before. Now that she was face to face with him her thoughts became jumbled. "Hello Erik."

He stayed silent as he continued to stare at her. When he'd imagined her she never spoke. She was here. Christine was here. She was real, and standing in front of him. Now that she was closer to him he could tell by the redness in her eyes she'd been crying. More than anything he wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her but he stopped himself.

He noticed a few strands of blonde hair under the hood of her cloak. Why did she change her beautiful brunette hair? He wondered. Then it dawned on him. She had called him by his first name. He let it repeat in his mind. He never liked hearing his name but loved the way it floated off her lips. As he looked at her his heart began to ache as he remembered the pain he felt when she left him for the Vicomte. The longer the silence between them lasted he could feel the tension building. "Christine?" He finally managed to whisper.

"Yes, it's me."


Thinking back on their reunion now Erik wished he'd handled it better instead of letting his wounded pride overshadow reality. In the opera house she was a naïve young woman whom he'd taken advantage of. He should've been the one asking for her forgiveness for refusing to see the impossible situation he'd put her in and being too blind to see how conflicted she was or what her true feelings were.

Everything I'd dreamed about came true the night you arrived on my porch. He mused pulling Christine a bit closer to him. You could've left Raoul and gone anywhere. But you came to me, hoping we could have a chance at a life together. He looked to his right and smiled as he saw the early morning light creeping into the room through the drawn curtains. Today we close the painful chapters of our lives so we can write new ones together, and they will lead us into forever. He turned back to look at Christine who to his surprise, was awake and greeted him with a beautiful smile of her own. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." She replied moving away from Erik only long enough to stretch and sit up a bit before he pulled her back to him wrapping both of his arms around her. She sighed letting her head fall on his shoulder.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"I did. I dreamt about our wedding, the baby and all the wonderful things that are waiting for us. You were right, the path to get here wasn't easy and I know our future will have its moments, but at least it will be our future." She paused. "I feel like my old self and that a weights been lifted off my shoulders. I think I'm finally free."

Erik gave her a gentle squeeze. "Perhaps letting out everything you had bottled up inside you put your fears to rest."

"I should have let it out a long time ago. I still might have had some fears but your unwavering faith that everything would be alright could have made it easier." She looked up to face him. "Because of my unwavering faith in you."

Erik leaned in and kissed her soft lips. "Here we are, this is us." He sang softly. "There's nowhere else on Earth I'd rather be. Here we are, it's just me and you. Today we make our dream come true. It's a new world, it's a new start. It's alive like the beating of, our hearts. It's a new day, it's a new chance. We've been waiting for this. Here we are." He paused caressing her cheek. "Here we are, we've just begun and after all this time our time has come. Here we are, still going strong right here in the place where we belong. It's a new world, it's a new start. It's alive like the beating of our hearts. It's a new day, it's a new chance. We've been waiting for this; here we are."

"That was beautiful." Christine said wiping the tears from her eyes. "When did you write it?"

"I didn't. I never have to write music when I'm with you. You inspire it to flow freely from my heart."

Christine could feel more tears coming but held them back. "I wish time would stop when I'm in your arms. It's the best feeling in the world and I'll never get tired of it."

"And I'll never get tired of holding you." Erik responded. "Right now I think we should enjoy our time together while we can. I have a feeling Meg is going to burst in here any moment to escort me back to the house."

"I doubt it. Since it was, suggested, I spend the past few days here while you continued your mysterious wedding plans I noticed she's rarely up before ten." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We still have a couple hours. Did you get much sleep?"

"No." Erik admitted. "I was too excited about our impending nuptials."

Christine was silent for a moment before pulling herself out of Erik's embrace. "I know I said it was still early, and I'd love nothing more than to lay back in your arms but I think you should go back to the house."

"Are you sure?" Erik asked caught off guard by her request.

"You've spent so much time making sure this day is perfect for us, I'd rather not start it with Meg hurrying you out of here."

"As long as you'll be ok, I'll go."

"I'll be fine. Like you said, nothing and no one is going to ruin this day for us." Christine said her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Then I'll see you at the end of the aisle." Erik pulled her into a kiss and as he did he felt a familiar melody filling his heart. "Today we'll vow to spend one love, one lifetime. You came and saved me from my solitude. I'll always be here with you right, beside you. Anywhere you go, I'll be there too. Christine, that's my vow to you."

"Today we'll vow to spend one love, one lifetime. Speaking words of love and tenderness." Christine sang.

"We'll share each day as one, each night, each morning."

"Say you love me."

"You know I do."

"Love me, that's all I need from you." They sang before Erik took her face in his hands and their lips came together in a kiss filled with such passion neither of them wanted to break it. When they did part Erik smiled when he felt a bump against his palm. He was so lost in their kiss he hadn't realized one of his hands had moved from her cheek to her belly. "Good morning to you as well my little one." He said and forced himself to get up before he lost his resolve to leave.

After one final kiss Christine watched Erik go before laying back down grinning as she thought about the day to come. "Love is all I ever I wanted to show you." She whispered and watched the minute hand of the clock slowly tick away before the pressure on her bladder became too much and a loud growl from her stomach told her it was time to get up.

As she'd predicted Meg didn't come out of her room until half past ten. She was surprised to find Christine sitting by the fire reading a book and Erik nowhere to be found. After she made her breakfast they sat together chatting until it was time for Christine to begin getting ready.

A couple of dancers Christine had reconnected with arrived just as Meg was helping her out of the bath. They all talked excitedly about the day as they did Christine's hair and makeup. She felt like a prima donna with the way they were doting on her but she put it out of her mind and let herself enjoy the attention. She laughed when the girls squealed with delight the first time they felt the baby kick and were constantly taking turns placing their hands on her belly wanting to feel it again. Their child seemed to be more active today than any other she could remember and was happy to share that with her friends. Are you as happy about today as I am? She wondered caressing her belly. It was a bit bigger then she expected it to be and hoped when it came time her dress would still fit properly.

"All that's left is to put on your gown." Meg said. "Do you want to put it on now or wait until after we get ready?"

Christine thought for a moment. "I think I'd like to put it on now." She laughed as Meg and the rest of the girls rushed out the room buzzing with excitement. As she waited she felt butterflies form in her stomach. Her dress was the one thing about their wedding she was certain Erik knew nothing about. She'd designed it herself and worked Madame Roche, one of the most talented seamstresses in Paris. She'd made it exactly to Christine's specifications along with various maternity pants, blouses, and dresses.

It wasn't long before Meg, with her bridesmaids in toe, returned and Christine was in her wedding dress, which to her delight fit perfectly. Each of them gushed at how beautiful she looked before leaving the room so they could get themselves ready.

Christine stared at herself in the mirror. She was glad to have some time alone and found herself getting lost in her reflection. Her curly chocolate locks were pinned back into a loose ponytail with white silk ribbon woven in and out of it creating a braided effect that was accented with stems of fresh baby's breath. Her dress was made of pure white silk with a sheer chiffon overlay. It had a square neckline and gathered bodice. Cap sleeves covered her shoulders and a high empire waist hid a modified corset to accommodate the baby.

Madame Roche suggested adding a white silk jacket that attached just under her bust with long poet sleeves. At first Christine resisted the idea. As her pregnancy progressed into the cooler months she noticed her body wasn't effected by the cold as it usually was. She found herself breaking out into sweats on nights that normally would have left her freezing. However she knew Erik would be concerned about the coolness of the season and looking at herself now she was happy she agreed to the addition. It accented the dress perfectly and a simple court train pulled it all together.

As she looked at herself she couldn't help but think about how different today felt compared to her first wedding day. She was genuinely happy, not putting on a façade for everyone around her. She had her friends with her, not maids fussing over every inch of her to make sure she looked like a proper Vicomtess to be. She was in her dream dress not the over the top ball gown Raoul insisted she wear or being married in that stone prison he called a cathedral. Then there was the endless parade of strangers she had to greet and the etiquette she had to be sure to show at all times so she didn't offend anyone. Even though she tried to push it away there was always a nagging feeling in the back of her mind she was being indoctrinated into a world she didn't belong in and there were some in attendance that weren't shy about showing that that was indeed the case.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Raoul and their wedding was the last thing she wanted to think about today but found herself unable to force either out of her mind. She froze when she opened her eyes and saw her reflection had changed. Raoul was standing behind her as she pretended to gush over the gown he'd had commissioned for her.

She could feel the familiar tightness in her chest as she looked at the apparition in the mirror. She knew it was a trick of her mind and this time she didn't try to push it away. "I can't pretend our marriage didn't exist or anything that happened before or after. It will always be a part of me but I don't have to let it define me. No matter what your future is it will have nothing to do with mine. You won't darken this day and can't hurt me anymore." As the words left her mouth she smiled and felt herself calming down as the false reflection faded away. That's the past. She thought as she put on her chiffon veil. This is my future.

She placed a hand on her stomach. "Are you ready little one?" She giggled when she felt the bump against her palm. "I'll take that as a ye..." She felt something behind her and turned around but found that she was still alone. I could've sworn I felt Erik's presence. She thought turning back to the mirror. "This is the moment." She began to sing.

At the house, after checking with everyone for the fifth or sixth time that everything was being set up to his satisfaction Erik went upstairs to get ready. He made sure to lock the door behind him so no one could walk in on him while he was unmasked.

After fastening his black and grey pin striped cravat and buttoning his waistcoat he walked over to the full length mirror to make sure his wig and mask were secure. He buttoned his jacket and smiled as he took in his reflection. He hadn't worn a full suit since his days at the opera house. He'd asked Meg to give him a hint about what Christine's wedding dress looked like but she refused to tell him anything. She would only assure him that the black and white three-piece suit he'd had tailor made would complement her dress perfectly.

As he stared at his reflection he couldn't help but think about the night he got himself ready to bring Christine to his home for the first time. He was as meticulous with his appearance today as he'd been that night, making sure every piece of clothing he put on or the makeup he applied to help cover his deformity was flawless. As he combed back a few stray hairs from his wig he found himself thinking back to another wedding day. He wondered if Christine was as well.

How couldn't she be. He thought. The marriage of Vicomte Raoul De Chagny and Christine Daae was a bigger spectacle then any opera he'd secretly attended. Madame Giry had tried to persuade him not to go but being the stubborn man he was he refused to listen. He remembered watching from the bell tower of the cathedral as his beautiful angel pledged her life to Raoul. After they were pronounced man and wife and started making their way back down the aisle he noticed Christine glance in his direction. He wondered if she knew he was there, if somehow their connection still existed but dismissed it when he watched Raoul pull her into a passionate kiss.

After watching the ceremony and seeing the passion they shared any remaining hope he'd held onto that Christine would come back to him was lost. Even after all this time there was still a part of him that thought any moment he would wake up to find this had all been an elaborate dream. He looked down at his hand remembering what it felt like to feel the movement of their child. "That was real. This life is real." He whispered and felt a tear slide down his cheek. Today he was going to become a husband and in a few months he would be a father. He looked deeper into his reflection and could see that the phantom who haunted the halls of the opera house and thought would drown in his loneliness was no longer there. All he could see was a man, a man who not only came out of the shadows to become a part of a world he thought would shun him but was going to have the life he always dreamed of. He'd have a family, something most people in the world took for granted because they didn't know what the possibility of never having one was like. He was pulled out of his thoughts and looked behind him. He could feel the familiar pull of Christine's spirit with him and began to sing. "This is the day."

"When we send any remaining demons, on their way." Christine continued from the cabin.

"Every endeavor, we have made, ever, has led us to this day, it's here and now, today." They sang in perfect unison even though they were apart. "This is the moment, this is the time, when the momentum and the moment are in rhyme. This is our moment, this joyful day. No more living in the past, we're breaking free at last! This is the moment, our wish comes true, no more day dreaming, this day we finally become one! This is our day, it will sparkle and shine. When all we've fought for becomes ours. For too many years, we've faced the world alone, and now the time has come we'll never have to face life, on our own. This is the moment; our dream comes true. The happy ending, we never thought we'd get! We won't look back, we will not fall. This is our moment, the sweetest moment of them all. This is the moment; we beat the odds. This means forever, we'll pledge our love before god. When we look back, we will always recall, moment for moment, this was the moment, the sweetest moment of them all."

Christine sat down on the bed breathing heavily. She'd let herself get lost in the music and didn't realize the toll it would take on her. She was certain everyone in the cabin had heard her and was surprised Meg hadn't come barging in to stop her, not that it would have done any good. She looked down and began stroking her belly. "I wish you were here to see this day, but I know you're not ready to leave your comfy place inside me yet. When the day does come that you make your entrance into this world it could very well rival today as the happiest of mine and your father's lives. I promise whether you're growing inside me or after you've come into the world you'll share in every precious moment to come, mon petit ange."

Erik checked himself over one more time before leaving the room. He noticed a few people staring at him as he made his way through the house and held back a grin when he heard a couple of young girls whispering about the angelic voice that had echoed through the house. Everything inside was being taken care of so he made his way out to the garden. He was fairly certain he'd created the dream wedding Christine described to him but wouldn't know for sure until he saw her face. He turned around when he heard Roger calling his name.

"Pere Lambert and a few guests have started to arrive." He told him.

"Could you ask Nadir to have Darius show them to their seats? I'll greet them as their coming in."

"Of course." Roger responded looking around. "Christine's going to love what you've done."

"I never could've gotten any of this finished without you, Meg, and Marie to help me. I can't thank you enough for your assistance."

"It was my pleasure. Besides if it wasn't for you and Christine I never would've met Meg. I should be thanking you."

"Have you set a date yet?"

Roger laughed. "Meg refuses to discuss our wedding plans until after today. She doesn't want anything to overshadow you or Christine on your special day."

"So I can safely assume we wouldn't have found out until after the wedding that you were engaged if we hadn't walked in on the proposal." Erik said.

"Did I ever tell you that after you and Christine left that night she gave me hell for picking the sitting room of the cabin to propose?"

"I don't think so, but it doesn't surprise me. She's more like her mother then she realizes when it comes to things like making a day meant for someone else about yourself. Even when that's not the case."

"If it makes her happy it's alright with me." Roger said pulling out his pocket watch. "I better go see Nadir. It's not long before the ceremony's set to begin."

Christine was so lost in her thoughts she jumped when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She smiled when Meg walked into the room. She was wearing a rose red silk A-line bridesmaids dress with long bell sleeves and a scoop neckline. Her blonde hair was styled into a classic French braid with a few curled tendrils pulled out. She looked beautiful but Christine noticed there was something missing. "Where's your engagement ring?"

"In my jewelry box."

"It should be on your finger." Christine said and without another word got up and went to Meg's room.

"Christine, this is yours and Erik's day. I don't want…"

"This may be our day but it wouldn't have been possible without you. And it wouldn't be right if my maid of honor wasn't wearing her engagement ring." She placed the ring in Meg's hand and closed her fingers around it. "It's the symbol of the love you share with Roger. People will congratulate you and ask about your plans but that's ok. I want you both to share in this day with us."

Meg put her ring on and pulled Christine into a hug. "I don't think I could ask for a better friend then you." She whispered and stepped back looking her over. "You look gorgeous. You're going to take his breath away."

Christine could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "I hope so. You know, when I left Erik at the opera house I never imagined this day would come and now that it's here, I can't imagine my life turning out any other way. My only wish is that your mother and my…"

Meg could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I know." She whispered and took Christine's hand. "As much as we will always miss them and wish they could be here today; we can take some comfort in knowing they're looking down on us from heaven and smi…"

They both looked up when they heard a knock on the open door. Marie, who had been up at the house helping to make sure everyone Erik hired was doing their jobs, was standing in the doorway unable to hold back an ear to ear smile when she saw Christine. "It's time."

Meg turned to Christine. "Well, are you ready to become Madame Destler?"

Christine took a deep breath and nodded. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."


Author Note – I know I hit on a touchy subject in terms of Christine and abortion in this chapter. First and for most I want you to know this in NO WAY reflects my own views on the subject. I also am not trying to offend or begin a debate on the subject with anyone it was strictly for story purposes.

I did find in my research it was something that was done back then but never discussed or admitted.

Second, I am aware it is something that is highly out of character for Christine. However, as I was writing I realized it seemed unlikely that Raoul and Christine could have been married for as long as they were and she never conceived a child. As Christine said she never knew for certain she was pregnant and she is very aware it goes against her character. She does say that it went against everything she believes in but ultimately she did what she thought was right given the situation.

I went back and forth in my decision to address this subject but ultimately decided to go the way I did because I put myself in Christine's position at the time. She was in an abusive marriage with no way out and couldn't fathom bringing a child into the world with such an unstable man as the father.

I hope you understand my rational for including this in this chapter and why I chose to make such a bold character move. Please feel free to PM me to share your thoughts if you like and I hope you continue with me on this journey.

We are getting close to the finish line now.