Chapter 29: The Phantom Of Manhattan

Raoul smirked at the sight of Claire holding up the leather folder that contained Erik's will and held up a hand, signalling Darius to lower his gun,

"Bravo, Mademoiselle... Name your terms" Raoul encouraged,

"I hand this folder over to you both and no one gets hurt. You let Erik and everyone go unharmed. We'll leave and I'm sure Darius can convince the public that Mister Y has tragically and most suddenly passed away" Claire grumbled with a glare aimed towards Darius whom smirked,

"And... What is to stop us from just shooting you now, taking the will before going to finish off your masked friend?" Raoul mocked but Claire gave her own smirk, pulling a handle by her side causing a fire pit on the stage to ignite; It had been used in a performance of Faust only a few weeks earlier. Claire held up the binder,

"You both can only exit through the back of the concert hall... Would you really rather this binder burn than just taking the money and running whilst you can?" Claire warned,

"It is a very tempting and generous offer... But I actually have a deal for you" Raoul told her with a smirk before pointing upwards causing Claire to look up towards the rafters only to see little Charles tied up,

"Charles..." she murmured with a horrified expression,

"I was Erik's partner for years... Did you really think I didn't know how to get into his office?" Darius mocked with a smirk as Raoul held up a portable breathing device,

"My son suffers from terrible assma when he becomes too nervous or overly excited... I can only imagine how terrified he must be right now" Raoul sneered causing Claire to glare at him,

"HE'S YOUR SON!" she yelled angrily,

"I never asked for him. It was my wife whom wanted children not me?... I guess when you first took him I feared authorities would become suspicious of both my wife's sudden death along with my son's disappearance but it seems the phantom of Manhattan tied him up and left the poor little thing to die... Hand over the binder and I shall give you my son's inhaler" Raoul instructed firmly and Claire glared at him, pulling the mask from her face before tossing the binder at his feet,

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Claire" Raoul told her before tossing the inhaler towards the fire pit,

"NO!" Claire yelled, diving towards it, catching it in her hand just as Darius aimed his gun and shot... The bullet embedding in Claire's stomach,

"Not much of a phantom like your whore of a husband" he mocked as she winced in pain and Raoul picked up the binder, turning away,

"Let's get out of here" he growled to Darius whom followed after his partner quickly.

Claire winced, pressing her hand to the bullet wound as she painfully reached for the handle that turned off the fire pit... She could hear Erik yelling her name from the other side of the steel barrier but she forced herself to stand and climbed the staircase towards the rafters.

Little Charles was coughing badly as she reached him; She winced as she untied him and held him gently before encouraging him to take his inhaler,

"There we go... Good boy" she whispered as his breathing returned to normal and he looked at her sadly,

"Miss Claire... You're hurt" he murmured with his bottom lip trembling sadly but she smiled at him weakly, shaking her head,

"Don't you worry about me... I'm alright" she told him with a sad smile,

"... I had a son whom I never got the chance to meet... But... If I had... I would have wanted him to be as kind and as brave as I know you are despite the short time we have known each other..." she whispered, resting against the wooden railing as she struggled to breathe,

"CLAIRE!" Erik yelled having found his way backstage most likely through one of the passageways that only he knew of; Charles looked over the wooden railing,

"HELP! THE NICE LADY IS HURT!" he yelled and Erik quickly looked up towards the young boy before rushing up to where they were and fell to his knees by Claire's side,

"Claire... Oh god..." Erik murmured, applying pressure to her wound as he allowed her to rest weakly against his chest,

"Where are Raoul and Darius?" he demanded,

"... Most likely discovering that the binder I gave them was filled with nothing but... Playbills" she struggled and Erik gave a sad chuckle when he saw her smile weakly and a tear fell down his cheek,

"You hold on, Claire... Do you hear me?... You hold on" he ordered as she looked up at him tiredly with a weak smile,

"I'll try..." she whispered just as Doctor Gangle joined his employer along with Squelch and Fleck,

"Sir... We need to get Miss Claire to somewhere more appropriate so that I can attempt to help her" Gangle told him causing Erik to nod,

"Fleck. Take the boy. Look after him" Erik instructed before lifting Claire carefully into his arms bridal style as her head laid against his chest.

Claire had actually sent a telegram informing the authorities of Darius and Raoul's crimes so they were arrested as soon as they reached the mainland... Raoul had given an angry cry upon discovering the playbills within the leather binder.

Phantasma's employers sat silently within the concert hall foyer with sad expressions on their faces whilst upstairs; Erik paced back and forth outside of Claire's room... It seemed like forever until Gangle finally emerged and Erik entered the room feeling sick to his stomach until relief washed over him as he saw Claire look towards him with a tired smile; She was ghostly pale but Erik didn't care as he smiled brightly, making his way over to her side and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead before making the same gesture to her hand,

"No more bullet related injuries" he teased causing her to giggle,

"I promise" she teased back,

"She will need rest, sir but within a few weeks she should be back to her normal self in no time" Gangle explained before leaving them both alone, going to tell the rest of the employees the good news... Erik looked at Claire sadly,

"Claire... I... I am so sorry..." he murmured,

"Usually I would make you suffer with weeks of the silent treatment but I just survived a gunshot to the stomach so I'm feeling merciful" she teased lightly and Erik couldn't help but chuckle lightly,

"Claire... I wanted to tell you something..." he tried,

"Don't say it" Claire interrupted him quickly and Erik frowned,

"Why not?" he asked confused,

"Because you're filled with mixed emotions because of all that has happened... One day you can say the words... But not now" she told him gently,

"If not now then when?" Erik asked and watched her take his hand before laying his palm against her heart allowing him to feel the soft repetitive beating beneath,

"Do you know what that is?... It's time... We have so much time, Erik... Save the words for later" Claire told him gently and Erik smiled, moving so that he sat on the bed with her and allowed her to lay her head against his chest before drifting off to sleep.

Review for the final chapter!

Kind Regards,

TheAuthor1996