Disclaimer: I do not own POTO or Elisabeth.
A/N: I want to take a moment to thank you all again for the wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming!
Chapter Nineteen
In Which Decisions Are Made
As soon as breakfast was completed, Christine ran back up to her room and fetched her carpetbag.
"Are you going to fly away so soon?" Mrs. Ruel asked, her voice low with sadness.
"Unfortunately," Christine replied. "You have been a most gracious hostess. Thank you." She fished her purse out of her carpetbag. "How much do I owe you for board?"
"Nothing, dear. I lied to you, and the least I can offer is free board."
"No such of a thing." Several times Christine attempted to give Mrs. Ruel the money due for the board. Eventually, Christine relented, but she slipped her remaining sous on the table as she walked out the door.
When she walked through the streets toward the dock, Christine couldn't help but notice that more dead filled the streets than living. Last night, Death had most certainly reaped the souls of more than just that of the Ruel boy. Strangely, Christine didn't shiver, as she normally would have. Dying. It was the natural end to everything. It was the one thing that there was no possible escape from. She shook her head, as if to banish such morbid thoughts from her brain.
She reached the dock and boarded the ferry. It was crowded. No wonder, considering that there must be a mile-long line to get out of the cholera-infested city. The ferry started the few hour journey across the English Channel. During those passing few hours, she further thought over her plan.
The ferry docked in Dover, and Christine hurried out on to the streets with a sudden burst of energy. All the happiness she had felt when she first had found out that Raoul and Vladen were in Dover returned. It didn't take her long to discover were she could find the mansion that Raoul had purchased after asking around a bit. Her English wasn't perfect, but it served its purpose even though sometimes she had to repeat her request several times.
The towering manor didn't have anything in common with the de Chagny mansion in Paris besides the fact that they both were enormous. The English mansion was obviously quite old, built most likely during the Tudor era, although all of the original details were beautifully preserved. It was built of warm red brick and had multiple chimneys visible. The mansion in Paris had been made of cold white marble in the Greek Revival style with massive columns and no visible chimneys. Even with the cozy brick, the place seemed twice as cold as the Paris mansion, and it looked as if it had seen much more sorrow.
Christine took hold of the gothic brass knocker and rapped it several times against the door.
A mousy little maid opened it and snapped, "The count will not see anyone today."
"I am sure he'll see me. Tell him Christine is here." The maid's eyes shot open in shock, and she said that she would get him. Soon the other servants who were working were buzzing like locusts, "Christine Daae!" The passed by and gawked at her. Apparently, legends of her and spread as far as Dover, and now wouldn't they tell all their friends that they had seen the Count de Chagny's former wife in person. The mousy maid returned.
"The count will see you now." The servants' gazes followed her up the staircase leading no doubt to Raoul's office. Just as the maid opened the door, a young boy with a mass of golden curls atop his head ran down the hallway.
"Mamma!" he cried, wrapping his arms around Christine.
"Oh Vladen, my darling!" she rejoined.
"Why didn't you come? I was all alone. I called on Ami and he didn't come. I don't like this place. Have you come to take me back home?"
"I'm sorry, Vladen. Yes, perhaps we shall go home."
"Perhaps?"
"Christine!" Raoul's voice called. He jumped up from his desk and hurried out into the hallway. "I've missed so you much." He went to embrace her, but Christine took a step back.
"Raoul, I'm here on business."
"Oh. Well, please come into my office." Raoul went in, and Christine went to follow him. Vladen gripped at her skirts.
"Mamma! Don't go!" She knelt down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
"I'm only going to talk with Papa for a moment. Be a good boy and Mamma will come play with you in a few minutes. All right?"
"Yes, Mamma."
"I suppose you're here about Vladen, aren't you?" Raoul asked, closing the door to his office.
"What else would bring me across the channel?" Christine rejoined.
He collapsed into his chair and sighed, "I still love you, Christine." For a moment, she thought about setting her master plan into motion, but didn't. She couldn't be so unkind to Raoul. It would be so wrong, teasing him in such a way. So she bottled her feminine wiles away.
"I know," she replied gently.
"Will you give me another chance? Dacio, she completely manipulated me. I see that now. Could we start over?"
"No, Raoul."
Hoping that the answer wasn't what he was thinking it would be, Raoul asked, "Is there someone else?" Christine thought for a moment.
"You could say that. But enough talk about this, I want custody over Vladen."
"I can't refuse you, Christine. Vladen hates me. The only love he wants is from you. I'll settle all of the legal issues, and I'll contact you if you need to sign anything."
"Thank you, Raoul." She rose and then said, "I hope you find someone else who can truly make you happy, Raoul. I want my friend to be happy."
"May you be happy, too, Christine, with whoever the lucky man is who has captured your love." Holding back the bittersweet tears, a song came to Christine's mind, and she began to sing involuntarily,
"Love can do alot,
but sometimes, love is not enough
Faith is strong, but sometimes
it is also self deception
We wanted miracles, but they didn't happen
It is about time that we see things more clearly
We are like two boats in the night
Every boat has its own destination and its own cargo
We meet each other on the ocean,
and then we are sad to part,
but what's left of our rendezvous
isn't for us to decide."
She finished the little song. Her voice was a little rusty, but the emotion had returned to it for the first time since that fateful night when she'd disappeared from the stage of the Opera Garnier.
"Good-bye, Raoul."
"Good-bye, Christine."
When Christine opened the door, Vladen was anxiously waiting at the door.
"Are you going home, Mamma?"
"Yes."
XXX
Finding Christine at the Ruel household had been both a pleasant and awful surprise for Erik. Seeing her, fast asleep in the guest room, he wanted to run up beside her, to gaze upon her face again. She had made her decision though. She didn't want to go with him. And so he began trying to stop loving her, stop wanting her, but old habits die hard. He had long since realized that turning his back on Christine would be as hard as it would be if he turned his back on music. It was impossible! Yet, he denied to truth and as each day dawned in the mortal world, he convinced himself that he was better off without her.
One of the souls who were bound to serve him, chosen ever so carefully by God and Lucifer, came up to him with a piece of parchment, on which the names of those who were to die that day were inscribed. Indifferently, he glanced down the page, and his eyes widened disbelief at one of the names:
Christine Daae"This… This cannot be correct," Erik bellowed, although his voice was quivering. He would not believe it. It was just a tease, some trick of his eyes.
"I will have it double-checked, but I am most confident in the fact that nothing will change," the soul replied.
"Have it checked anyway!" As the soul ran away with the paper, he repeated her name echoed in his head like some sort of chant.
Christine Daae…Christine Daae…
Christine Daae…
A/N: The song is "Boote in der Nacht" ("Boats in the Night") from Elisabeth. Many thanks to Stacy's Musical Village for the English translation!