Author's Note: I know I haven't updated in awhile, but I have been out of town and been thinking about the next chapter a lot which after a long wait is FINALLY updated! But I must tell you this! The other night was my birthday and I went to see "Phantom" our seats were six rows from the stage, so it was awesome! My sisters, my boyfriend and I left and went in search of a local bar to have some drinks after the show, we came across the stage door and I got the autographs of Gary Mauer, Marie Danvers and John Cudia (Erik, Christine, and Raoul of this year's US Tour Cast) It was a spectacular performance! I told them it was my birthday and they all sang happy birthday to me! How exciting is THAT? Now here is the update for all of you patient reviewers! Hope you all enjoy and have a happy new year!

-Jaimie

Chapter 13

7 years later…

After the baby was born, Erik and Christine remained in love, but grew to remain friends for the sake of Erik's happiness with Gabrielle and for their daughter, Adrienne. Erik remained a concerned father, spending every weekend with his daughter and Adrienne loved being with Erik and Gabrielle. Christine seemed to accept the fact that Erik was no longer hers, but remained in love and hopeful. Gabrielle and Erik remained happy with one another, and Gabrielle finally accepted the fact that Adrienne was not hers and Erik's child, but gave her as much love as she would her own.

It was Friday afternoon at 4:00 O'clock. Gabrielle went upstairs with her hands full of tiny dolls and opened the door to Adrienne's room. She smiled as she entered the room, the pink flowered wallpaper and matching bedspread that covered the full sized white wooden bed always made Gabrielle cheerful. She glanced around the room until she spotted the brand new dollhouse that Erik had finished making for Adrienne's birthday and walked over to it. She knelt down in front of it and arranged the furniture and dolls. Perfect! She thought to herself as she finished. She stood up and left the room walking back downstairs to the kitchen.

"How is the cake coming?" Gabrielle asked the cook.

"Marvelous, Madame." The cook answered as Gabrielle looked over his shoulder. He just started icing the chocolate cake. Gabrielle smiled at it and hoped that this would be Adrienne's best birthday.

"I'll see you tonight then with Sophie and little Brigitte?" Erik asked putting on his cloak and hat in Jean's office.

"Tonight." Jean answered not looking up from his sketching table.

"Goodbye." Erik said walking out of his office and outside. He hailed his driver and headed towards Christine's flat to pick up his daughter.

"Momma, when will Papa be here?" Adrienne asked running from the front window back into the kitchen where Christine and Meg sat at the table sipping at tea.

"Adrienne, calm down! Your Papa will be here soon, we go through this every Friday." Christine said scolding.

"But Momma, it's my birthday and Papa said there's a big surprise for me!" Adrienne shouted unknowingly.

"Adrienne, be quiet!" Adrienne ignored her mother and ran back to the front window of their flat and stared down at the street below.

"Does she know of the party in her honor tonight?" Meg asked Christine.

"No, but only since Adrienne's been born has Erik been such a social butterfly. Her birth has made him into a changed man and now he has more friends than I ever will have. He has made friends with all of his clients and now that he's the new patron of the opera house, everyone there likes him too."

"Oh I know! Nobody knows that he was the Phantom of the Opera since all of the employees are brand new except me and you. He's so popular, everyone likes him. Though some despise of his sarcasm, but he is truly a changed man. It's as if Adrienne's birth brought some magic in his life."

Christine began to laugh hysterically, tears flowed from her eyes.

"My God, what is the matter?" Meg asked staring at her friend as Christine clutched stomach in laughter.

"Nothing, it's just I am thinking of Erik being a social butterfly. He is still reserved, but nothing like he used to be."

Meg began to laugh also,

"I guess he's not as social as I mentioned." Meg said beginning to giggle.

"Momma, Momma! He's here!" Adrienne screeched running into the kitchen. Adrienne began to pull on her coat and gloves. Christine got up from the table to help her daughter. She pulled Adrienne's long, black, curly hair behind her shoulders and put a hat on her head. There was a knock at the door and Adrienne rushed over through the sitting room to the front door and pulled it open revealing Erik.

"Papa!" She shouted leaping into his arms. Erik caught her and smiled.

"How's my daughter?" Erik asked.

"Great! But I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Erik said putting her down on her feet. Christine smiled and said,

"Adrienne, go to your room and get some of the things you want to take with you." Adrienne rushed down the hall to her bedroom.

"What time tonight?" Christine asked Erik.

"8:00." Erik answered and then asked looking over at Meg,

"Are you and your mother coming too?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Adrienne then came rushing down the hall.

"I'm ready, Papa!" She said clutching her favorite doll.

"All right, let's go." Erik said. Christine kissed Adrienne goodbye and they left the flat. Christine watched from the window as they got into the carriage and left.

"Let's get dressed." She said turning towards Meg.

Erik and Adrienne's carriage pulled up to Erik and Gabrielle's house and stopped in front. Erik got out of the carriage and he opened to door to help his daughter out of it. He led Adrienne into the house where Gabrielle was standing there to meet them.

"Hello dear, Happy Birthday Adrienne." She greeted them. Adrienne smiled and hugged her as Erik came over and kissed her.

"Hello darling." He said low and seductively. Gabrielle smiled and gave him a kiss back. Adrienne couldn't contain her excitement anymore; she wondered what the surprise was that Erik said was waiting for her at his house.

"Papa, Gabrielle, what is this surprise you spoke of? I can no longer contain my excitement!" Erik and Gabrielle laughed.

"All right, it's up in your room. Let's go up there." Erik said grabbing Adrienne's hand and leading her up the stairs as Gabrielle followed behind them. Erik opened the door to her bedroom and told her to wait as he went around the room lighting all of the candles and wall scones until the room was lit up. He then led Adrienne over to a small house that was a replica of Erik's house.

"Oh PAPA!" Adrienne screamed. "It's absolutely PERFECT!" Adrienne hugged Erik and then Gabrielle and looked back at her dollhouse and looked inside at all of the furniture and dolls inside. She then pulled out the adult male doll and held it up.

"The other dolls look like us, but this doesn't look like Papa. The mask is missing." Erik cringed wishing that she wouldn't have noticed that and that he could be looked upon as a normal man instead of one that wears a mask. Gabrielle noticed his uneasiness and took the doll from Adrienne.

"Oh, uh…I'll fix it and have it for you tomorrow." Adrienne smiled and said,

"Thank you." Erik put the remark behind him and decided to concentrate on other things, the party he was hosting tonight.

"Now, Adrienne, tonight, we have decided to have a party for your birthday. All of our friends and some of the young children that learn ballet with you at the opera will be here, so I need you to get dressed."

"Oh! A party for me? Gabrielle will you help me to look pretty?" Gabrielle smiled.

"Of course, my dear. Why don't you get dressed, there is already a new dress in the closet for you and I will be in to help you soon." Adrienne smiled and watched as Erik and Gabrielle left her room.

An hour later, it was 6:45 and Gabrielle had just finished putting her dress on. She noticed that she couldn't tie her corset all the way. She worried about gaining weight and looking unattractive. But she also knew that she was pregnant. She vomited every morning just after breakfast and after Erik left for the office and she hadn't bled in 2 months. The only thing that held her back from telling Erik was her consult with the doctor which was to happen the next day. She was excited about it and could barely resist telling Erik her suspicion, but she was also excited that she was going to be the one to have a child with him, the one he's supposed to have children with.

She chased away her thoughts and jumped back into what was happening now. She checked herself in her vanity mirror and fixed her hair and makeup. Erik finished tying his bowtie and came up behind her kissing her neck. Gabrielle smiled and turned her head to kiss his lips.

"I love you." He whispered.

"And I love you." She whispered back. Erik kissed her quickly and left the room. Gabrielle continued to fix herself up and remembered that she would help Adrienne. She quickly finished and left the room walking down the hall to Adrienne's room. She knocked on the door and opened it.

"I'm sorry I took so long." Gabrielle apologized looking at Adrienne's back as she played with her dollhouse.

"That's all right." Adrienne answered turning around and standing up.

"Oh, you look beautiful in that dress." Gabrielle said eying the girl in a pale blue dress causing her pale skin, dark eyes and dark curly hair stand out.

"Thank you." Adrienne said curtsying at Gabrielle.

"Come on, why don't you come into my room." Gabrielle said smiling and leading Adrienne out of the room and down the hall.

Two hours later, all of the guests had arrived and Adrienne was having a great time playing with her friends. Erik and Gabrielle were having a wonderful time entertaining all of their friends and watching the children run throughout the house playing hide and seek.

Erik and Jean's firm had grown tremendously and now the two men talked with a lot of their employees while their wives talked to one another. Adrienne ran through the house playing hide and seek with her ballet friends, Jean's daughter and some of Erik's employees children.

"Where should we hide next?" Adrienne's best friend, Jean's daughter, Brigitte asked her.

"There's a hidden door beneath the stairs, let's hide in there." Adrienne giggled running toward the back stairs that were off of the kitchen. Brigitte giggled,

"They'll never find us there!" and ran off after Adrienne.

"Oh, Jacques, I know someone who you must meet. You'll just adore her and she'll make you a happy man." Erik said to his employee, Jacques. Jacques is an employee for Erik. He is a construction worker, but the best one that works for Erik. He is also single and unhappy. He is looking for the right woman, but every woman he has been with has always left him. But Erik doesn't know about Jacques unfortunate history with women.

Erik pulled Jacques over to Christine.

"May I introduce you to Miss Christine Daae. Christine is the mother of my child and one of the voice teachers at the Opera Populaire. Christine this is Jacques LeFavre. Jacques is the best construction worker I employ." Erik said introducing the two.

"Pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle." Jacques said kissing Christine's hand. Christine smiled and looked up at Erik with a knowing look on her face. Erik smiled and said,

"Why don't you two get acquainted." He walked away from Christine and Jacques thinking to himself what an idiot he was to set up his love with someone else. But he reminded himself once again that he loved Gabrielle and setting Christine up with someone else would help him love Gabrielle even more. At that moment he spotted his wife talking to another woman and he walked over to her and kissed her.

"I love you." Gabrielle smiled at his surprise and remark.

"I love you too." She said smiling.

"I want you tonight." Erik whispered softly in her ear.

"Not now!" Gabrielle scolded in a loud whisper. Her distorted face then turned soft and she said,

"Keep those thoughts in mind though." Erik smiled and kissed her again.

By the end of the night, Christine and Jacques hit it off pretty well. Christine was beginning to develop a little crush on the man and Jacques really liked Christine. They already planned a date for lunch the next day.

Erik and Gabrielle said goodbye to each guest and when the house was empty, they found Adrienne asleep on one of the sofas in the library. Erik picked up his sleeping daughter and carried her up to her bedroom with Gabrielle following. He laid Adrienne on the bed questioning on how to get her into her nightgown. Gabrielle sensed his uncomfortable level and suggested that she would do it. Erik kissed her and left the room. Gabrielle quickly and quietly undressed the sleeping girl and put her in her nightgown. She brought Erik back in and they tucked her into bed together each kissing her.

Gabrielle and Erik went into their bedroom where they got undressed and into bed. Gabrielle talked to Erik before he went to sleep.

"Erik, there is something I need to tell you."

"What's that darling?" He asked turning toward her and propping himself on his elbow.

"I have the doctor coming to see me tomorrow."

"Are you sick? You don't seem sick to me?" Erik asked in a slight panic.

"No, no, dear. I think I am going to have a baby." Gabrielle said breaking the exciting news to him.

"Wh, what?" Erik asked in a shocked voice.

"I might be having a baby." Gabrielle said smiling at him. Erik continued to stare at her.

"Your baby." Gabrielle said. Erik shook his head and shouted,

"Oh this is great news!"

"Well, darling, I am not certain yet, but my body is giving all the signs of it." Erik smiled and pulled Gabrielle into an embrace and squeezed her.

"Oh I love you." He said rolling her on top of him. He proceeded to kiss her as they quietly and happily made love to one another.