Chapter 14

I spent the rest of the day crying and worrying. I made myself so sick I threw up twice. The second time, when I came out of the bathroom, Erik came over to me and helped me sit on the couch.

"You have to stop crying sweetie. This isn't going to help Gustave and you're just making yourself sick." He said.

I nodded and sniffed. "I know, okay? I know."
"Now look at me." He said. "We have to come up with a plain to get Gustave back when we get over there."

I nodded again when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." He said and stood up to walk to the door.

He opened it and Mme Giry came running in.

"Have you seen Meg. I haven't seen her for days and- Christine what's wrong?"

"Your daughter," Erik said. "Has taken our son on a boat to France."

"No, she wouldn't do that."
"Well she has." I said. "We saw her this morning walking away with him. I think she's probably taken him to Raoul." I chocked the last bit out and the tears started to well up again and they started to fall.

"Shh sweetie." Erik said, grabbing the tissues and coming to sit down next to me. "She's been like this all morning." He said.

"I can understand." Mme Giry said.

"No you can't." I said. "Has your daughter ever been kidnaped by someone who you thought was your friend? By someone who had worked for you for ten years?"

Mme Giry just stood there in. She knew I was right and she couldn't understand what I was going through.

"Christine, I am so sorry. I had no idea she would do this. I didn't even know her and Raoul got along." She said handing me a tissue.

"None of us did." I said through sobs.

"Look sweetie," Erik said. "Maybe Mme Giry could help us. She knows Paris better than the rest of us."

"Do I?" She asked.

"Of course. I came to Paris with a travailing circus and Christine grew up in Scandinavia."

"He has a point." I managed to say.

"Right. Well, if she is with Raoul, maybe they have gone to your old place. If not, they may have gone to our old house or maybe even the opera house."

"So, we just need to go to Paris, split up and look everywhere till we find them? Do you know how big Paris is let alone France?" I said still sobbing.

"That's not what I'm saying Christine. What I'm saying is, when you get there, look in the obvious places first then the other places."

I nodded again and sobbed.

"I'll go now. Come and see me if you need anything." She said and let herself out.

"I swear to god if Raoul lays a finger on Gustave I'll… I'll." I had started to cry again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't say stuff like that, he is your husband." That's when it hit me. We had never gotten a devoice.

"Erik, I haven't broken up with Raoul. Not legally anyway."

"And what has that got to do with Gustave missing?"

"Well, The police are more likely to find a 'missing person' if they are married or kin then if there isn't any relation."

"Are you saying we should put Raoul up as a missing person? Meg as well?" Erik asked taking my hand in his.

"Well, we can't do anything about Meg, but if we could convince Mme Giry to do that as well, we could find them and our son."

"Should we tell the police that he has taken Gustave?"
"Yes because then if they don't find him they can put a call out to people to look out for a little boy."

"That's a good idea." He said pulling me closer and kissing me.

"Not really. Just something that came to me when I thought back ten years ago. I was going to send out a missing persons report for you but I didn't."
"And why were you going to do that?" He asked standing up and putting his hand out for me to take.

"Because you left so fast after that night that I was worried something had happened to you. I found out I was having Gustave and dropped the idea." I said standing up and taking his hand.

He stopped for a moment and looked at me with a smile on his face which matched his eyes.

"The first time I saw you Christine, You would have sat in one arm perfectly."
I gave him a puzzled look as he walked me to my room. "What are you talking about? You didn't start teaching me until I was seven and I was a very big seven year old."

"No that's true." He said opening the bedroom door. "But I did know you as a baby. I don't think Mme Giry ever told you but she was great friends with your father so, of course, I knew him to."

"What? Why didn't she tell me?" I said as he shut the bedroom door behind us. He walked over to the bedside lamp in the dark, his eyes already adjusted to the dark from living under the opera house for so long. He turned the light on and I saw my reflection in the full length mirror. I looked a fright. My face was tear stained and my hair was all over the place. I was pale white from throwing up and I looked really tired.

"I don't know sweetie. I don't know. But when your father was ill, he had told me of the Angel of Music and he knew I could project my voice through walls so he asked me to teach you to keep his promise to you. I couldn't keep going with the facade I was living with when I started to fall in love with you so I showed myself." I turned around to look at me. "I can understand if you don't want to talk to me again."

I just stared at him in shock. My Angel of Music had known my dad all along and had helped him keep his promise to me. I wanted to cry again but I couldn't. I had cried too much today and was too tired. I sat down on my bed and thought.

"Erik, did you know my mother?" I said after a long pause.

"Oh yes. She was a lovely woman. Looked just like you."

That's when I started to cry. "I wish I had known her. When she died, Father was divested. He couldn't do anything and I had to look after myself for the first few months. That's why I don't like bloody. I cut myself really bad when I was 4. I was trying to make something for father but I cut the top of my finger off. I've still got the scare." I said showing him my finger.

He kissed the top of my finger and held my hand. "I'm sorry I never told you Christine. I didn't want to hurt you but I guess I have."

"You haven't." I said, kissing his hand. "Tell me, did you make his tomb?"

"Yes I did. I wanted you to have something nice for him to be buried in so I made that for you."

I smiled at him. "You truly are a lovely person Erik. And anyone that tells you any different should mind their tongue."

I saw tears well in his eyes but he bowed his head before I could comment on them. "Let's get you to bed ange." He said standing up. I followed suite and got changed into my night cloths and got into bed. Erik got on the bed next to me and put his arm around me.

"Erik, get into bed." I said, turning my head around to look at him.

"It's okay Christine. I'm fine." He said placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"No, Erik. Please. I'm cold."

So he took his shoes off and jumped into bed next to me and pulled the covers up. His arm came around my body and pulled me close to him.

"Good night, Angel." I said.

"Good night, my love."

And I feel asleep straight away.