COUNTERPOINTE:

CHARLES & MADELEINE

CHARLES

"I'm sorry...what?" I said, staring down at Maddie, who was shaking horribly. I was wondering if I had even heard her right. She nodded, though.

"I'm having a baby..." When my expression was still blank she rolled her eyes and said, "You know...when a man and a woman love each other..." I laughed nervously.

"No...I heard you...I just can't believe it...it was only that once..." I said and she shrugged.

"Charles...it only takes one time..." I pulled her tightly to me again, just happy to hold her. I leaned down to look at her.

"Are you alright...do you feel alright?" I asked, worried. I didn't really know how women who were with child were supposed to feel. She laughed, crying at the same time.

"I'm fine...I thought I'd never see you again..." She said and I used my thumb to wipe the tears from under her eyes. The audience of course, thought this was all part of the show and was clapping madly.

"I'm an idiot...and I love you...and I am never going to leave you again...enough of this madness...I'm ready to come home and go back to our lives with Dad and Therese and Aunt Meg and everyone." I said, and I was. I'd told the daroga that if he did indeed find the man my mother had loved so much that I would indeed like to meet him, but Madeleine was the most important thing. Two things in life should be held above all else, beauty...and of course, love. I kissed her again, missing the feel of her lips already when I noticed her eyes had gone wide.

"Dupont!" She cried, and I held her for a moment.

"Stay here...do you understand me?" She nodded and I kissed her forehead, looking up to Dad, who had already left the box with my aunt, uncle and cousins. I began to go down to that man who had hurt Maddie but I stopped remembering one of the reasons I had come back tonight and ran back to Madeleine.

"Charles? What..." I kissed her, to quiet her and pulled something out of my pocket. She gasped.

"What's that?" She asked and I smiled.

"I forgot to ask you to marry me!" I said and she took the ring in her trembling hand, placing it gently on her finger.

"Did you even have to ask?" She asked throwing her arms around me and kissing me before I ran back to the stairs, smiling at her one last time, but Dupont was gone. Dad and Gabe came up behind me and thrust a sword into my hand.

"Good to have you back son." He said and I smiled at him.

"Dad, I'm so..." He smiled, looking up at Madeleine.

"Forget it...who is that man?" He asked me referring to Dupont. I sighed.

"The man who abused Madeleine throughout her childhood." Dad nodded.

"Good, we're going to kill him."

Maddie's scream brought us out of our conversation as I saw Dupont trying to get to her. She backed up as far as she could. Gabe strained to see in the dim light. Dad gasped. I tried to see also and turned to Dad, totally confused.

"Dad, that's Dupont, but who the hell is that?"

MADDIE

Oh My God...I thought as I backed away from the man who had haunted my nightmares for the past six years.

"You thought I wouldn't figure it out, did you missy?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Listen you pig...what the hell do you want with me?" I asked and he smiled, revealing his yellow teeth.

"You still belong to me you ungrateful little bitch! You signed a contract!" He said and what he said next would ring through my ears over again. "Not to mention, you've grown into quite a nice little piece of ass!" Rage shot through me and my instincts came through as I scratched him across the face, leaving three red marks on his face. As he grabbed at his face, I spun to run away, running right into the chest of another man.

"Who are you?" I asked, not even looking up.

"A friend." Was the response.

I looked up to see he was wearing a mask that covered half of his face. I knew this man!

"Oh my God...it's you!" I said and he looked down at me with half a smile on his face.

"Christine?" Dupont began to come back toward us.

"I'm sorry, no...actually my name is Madeleine and he is going to kill me!" I said and the man looked around me.

"He's going to do no such thing...don't worry...can you trust me?" He asked, his voice so beautiful I wanted to fall into it. I nodded dumbly and he leaned close.

"Hold on to me and don't let go...are you afraid of heights?" He asked and I looked down.

"A bit." I said weakly and he said.

"Close your eyes..." I did as I was told as he pulled a rope, triggering a trap door through the stage, down, down, down...The last thing I heard was Charles's voice.

"Madeleine!"

CHARLES

Dupont was gone again. Maddie had disappeared through the floor with the man I couldn't see and all of a sudden all hell had broken loose as someone screamed,

"Fire!" Chaos ensued as people flocked to the doors. I looked at Gabe, then at Dad.

"Come on!" He said, motioning for us to follow him. He felt along the corridor, pressing each stone gently. "It's here somewhere..." He muttered when suddenly the wall opened a bit and we went in. We were inside the walls! I could hear Maddie crying softly.

"Maddie!" I called, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes!"

"Are you alright?" Dad asked and we heard her sob.

"The building...it's on fire...It's hard to breathe! Get out before the building collapses!" I became hysterical then, clawing at the wall trying to dig my way to her. "Dupont set it on fire!" She said, "Get out Charles!"

"Maddie!" I cried, as Dad pulled me away when we smelled smoke.

MADDIE

The man led me down into the underground home through a different corridor.

"I'll be right back..." He said walking into the bedroom as I stood on the shore of the lake. Suddenly I was pinned against the wall with a large hand over my mouth.

"Thought you'd escaped with your friend, you little tramp? Louis Dupont's foul breathe was everywhere.

"Oh my God...please...don't hurt me...you don't have to do this!" I sobbed, tears pouring down my face. "Please...I'm begging you...I'm pregnant!" I cried and he laughed.

"You think I care about you or your child? When I saw Il Muto I knew I'd found you. I'd just presumed you were dead...but then I found you and I wanted you back. Your Daddy sent the police to the café to arrest me, but I got away...and now you're going to pay for it!" He said, his eyes wide with rage.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" I said, looking toward the bedroom, horror filling me.

"Yes, I'm going to kill the little whore..." He said, grinning.

"You think so, do you?" A voice came from behind him, startling him as he let go of my neck. I fell to the floor, struggling for air and ran to the man who'd saved me. He held me against his side tightly. He smirked and removed the mask as Dupont recoiled in horror.

"Bloody Christ...it's a monster!" He said and I became angry.

"You're the monster, you piece of trash!" I said clenching my fists. The man leaned down to look at me and I got my first glimpse of his face. I won't lie and say I didn't gasp because I did. It was the most tragic face I had ever seen, but I didn't cringe and for that I am forever proud of myself.

"Stay here girl." He said and I nodded.

"Be careful!" I said holding his arm and he patted my hand wading into the water to where Dupont had back into.

"Madeleine, was it?" He said, looking back up at me. I nodded and he smiled. Surprisingly, even though he was horribly deformed, his smile had a beauty to it that I had to smile back. "Can you throw me that rope there?" He asked. I followed his point to the pile of rope near my feet. I picked it up quickly and heaved it down to him. "Good girl." Dupont snorted.

"What, is she your little whore too?" He asked and the man became extremely angry.

"You sick son of a bitch..." He whispered. Dupont took out a gun as I screamed.

"He's got a gun!" Before he could even reach for the trigger, I noticed the man had tied the rope into a noose and had flung it expertly over Dupont's neck, practically breaking it as he pulled it back to tighten it. My hands flew to my mouth. The gun fell down into the water and the man who had hurt me all those years fell with it, surely on his way to Hell.

The man walked back to me and inspected my face to make sure I wasn't hurt.

"You're pregnant?" He asked and I nodded. He sat me down a moment, checking me over for bruises or broken bones.

"You're him aren't you? You're Erik...the opera ghost and all that nonsense..." He smiled again.

"Nonsense, yes...it was nonsense. I can see little Giry's stories carried over time." I was confused.

"Little Giry?" I asked and he smiled.

"Meg?" I brightened.

"Madame Bennett!" He nodded. I sighed.

"You're the one who loved Charles's mother Christine..." He nodded, but darkened a bit.

"Correction I love her." He said and I bit my lip. He didn't know...

"Oh you poor man...I am so, so sorry..." I said and his face lost color.

"Oh no...don't tell me..." He said putting his head in his hands. I nodded, taking one of his hands.

"She died...nine years ago...cancer." I said and he buried his face in both of his hands.

"Oh I am such a fool...why did I let her leave again?" He asked no one and I didn't know what to say. "She has children you said?" I nodded.

"Well, she has a son...but that is all." He looked at me incredulously.

"You are not her daughter?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Not quite...you see Raoul de Chagny is my father." I said and rage came into his eyes.

"He promised me...He promised he would take care of her!" He said and panic came into my chest.

"It isn't what you think...you see Charles, her son, is not my brother..." Erik looked confused but some sort of recognition came into his green eyes, identical to Charles's.

"Oh I see..." He said, clasping his hands together in his lap. I patted his arm, sympathetic.

"She loved you too..." I said and he looked up at me in wonder.

"You are something Madeleine..." He said with a small smile. "Aren't you afraid...look at me." I laughed out loud.

"I am looking at you...you saved my life sir!"

Smoke began to fill the room everywhere and his head looked around. We'd forgotten the fire.

"Come on Madeleine...we have to get you out of here...you aren't feeling well and the smoke will kill us both before the building collapses." I nodded, taking his hand. "Come through here...I designed this building, I know every way out..." He said, putting his mask back on.

We got as far as the dressing room before I began to feel dizzy. Smoke was everywhere.

"I can't...breathe..." I stuttered, shaking violently. I felt myself begin to fall as everything became fuzzy. He caught me and carried me as the smoke engulfed us. I could hear him faintly.

"I've got you Madeleine...don't worry...I wouldn't let you die." He carried me through the mirror and stopped just in the dressing room.

"It's like I've gone back in time..." I didn't hear anything else after that.