Chapter 12: Phantom's End

"Let go of me!" cried Penelope. She didn't want to be carried away by this crazed fiend. Perry and Peter were angered and at a loss. Perry was the first to take action.

"Let her go!" he growled. He grabbed the Red Sultan's wrist (the one holding the gun) and yanked hard. A snap was heard followed by a bang. Then, everything froze.

"I-I want no part of this anymore," said the Red Sultan, letting the gun fall. He ran off.

Meanwhile, Perry lay on the floor, blood spurting from where he had been shot. "Perry!" cried Penelope. She fell to his side and cradled his head. Tears streamed from her eyes. There was no way they could get to help in time. This was it.

"Pen…" said Perry, reaching a blood-soaked hand to her face. She grabbed his hand. "It's going to be… okay."

"Perry, you can't die like this. Not now," said Penelope.

"You've… made your… decision?" asked Perry.

With tear-soaked cheeks, she stole a look at Peter, who looked sad. "Penelope, whichever of us you choose, I support you fully. Love is not worthwhile if it is not reciprocated," said Peter, seeming to already know her answer.

"I…" Penelope was at a loss. She sobbed.

"It's okay… it's okay…" Perry hushed her soothingly.

"Perry, I choose you, so you cannot die. Please." She brought her beak to his and kissed him fully. This kiss was the last thing Perry was aware of before giving his last breath. He fell limp in her arms, his wounds having bled out.

Penelope sobbed over his body, the picture of a grieving widow. Peter came behind her and held her soothingly. It was sadder than any moment Penelope had ever remembered.

It was then that something unexpected happened. A woman, cloaked in white, appeared before them. She was the one who had caused the curse on Perry. "Dear thing," she said. "I have spent the last century undoing the curses I had laid upon people. This is my last stop."

"Can you save him?" asked Penelope.

"I shall lift his curse and transfer my life source to him. This will bring him back and heal his wounds. This will be the last of my magic though, the last of my life," said the woman.

"If you will do this, I would appreciate it," said Penelope, her expression pleading.

"It shall be done." The woman leaned down and laid a kiss on Perry's forehead. Her form slowly disappeared in a show of gold sparkles. Perry's body began to glow that same color as his wound healed, his body transformed, and he was brought back to life.

He inhaled deeply, shocked at being alive again when he had thought he was dead. Penelope and Peter both gasped in surprise. Perry sat up and looked at Penelope.

"Something is different… were you saying something before I died?" he asked Penelope.

She laughed joyfully in response and tackled him to the ground in a tight embrace. He held her and sat up. "I love you, Perry."

Perry started, not used to that word being used about him. Then, he noticed his hands and noticed how he was no longer as cold as he used to be. "The curse… it's broken?!" He and Penelope looked at him. "I'm-I'm normal," he gasped.

Penelope kissed him on the beak once again and he returned it. The kiss was longer and sweeter than their last because they knew their feelings for each other were mutual. They knew this was love.

"Well, happy to see everything turned out all right and all, but shouldn't we do something about the Red Sultan?" asked Peter.

"He won't make it far," said the Drusselstinian. "I made sure of it." He pulled a small flask from his coat pocket. Only he and Perry knew of the bottle's previous contents: a poison.

"I don't know what to say. You've done so much for me over the years. Thank you," said Perry. He stood now, Penelope close at his side.

The Drusselstinian shrugged. "What else was I supposed to do to show you my gratitude for giving me an excuse to come here? I'm finally free, for the first time in a long time."

"I am happy for you, my friend." Perry hugged the Drusselstinian.

"Peter?" Penelope spoke to her old friend.

"You needn't say anything. I am thankful that you have shown me what love is, truly," said Peter. He hugged her. "I hope you and Perry will be happy together. That is what friends say, right?"

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. You have made your choice with your heart. I wouldn't want less whether you picked him or me."

Penelope smiled.

"We should probably go. I think it'd be best if we restarted life elsewhere," said Perry.

"Right," said Penelope. "Good luck to you, friends. I will miss you." She smiled and went off with Perry, hand-in-hand.

"Well, here we are… alone," said Peter.

"Right… because we're both single," the Drusselstinian replied awkwardly. Secretly, he was dating Cheryl Giry, but he didn't want to make Peter feel any worse than he already felt.

"What is that tone?"

"Nothing! I, uh, I need to go do a thing… somewhere else." The Drusselstinian practically bee-lined out of there.

"Fine. I guess I'll go home to my wealth and my step-brother alone." He sighed.

It was about a year later that Peter received a letter from Penelope about where she was now and how life was treating her. They had both gone back to Australia and were living there happily with a few small children. Peter, meanwhile, had since found someone else, he was happy to report, and he was sure that he would find love in this new girl as well. He knew, however, that it wouldn't nearly compare to the love Penelope had for Perry. It is one thing to love someone for their looks or their personality, but Penelope overcame the social bounds and found love in a man who seemed the least deserving. Thus ends the tale of the Phantom of the Opera.

A little epilogue after this, so stay tuned ;) Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)