Christine's POV

While my child slept, I left him alone to search for Raoul. I walked through the deserted streets of Phantasma, heading towards the bar that was located on the other side. I walked inside, looking at the deserted barstools, already noticing my husband sitting there sipping on a glass of brandy. Oh, why? Why did he always have to drink? Was life not good enough to enjoy without having to drink it away?

"Raoul?" I called his name, causing him to turn and see me standing there. He chugged down the remaining liquor in his glass, spinning around to face me.

"Oh, so has the beast finally died? Is that why you're here, Christine?"

"No, Raoul." I confessed, taking a seat beside him. "I haven't seen you in days, where were you?"

"Here, Christine," he snapped, moving his arms about. "Right here. But where were you? Oh, can I take a guess? At that demon's bedside?"

"Raoul, please. That's over now…It's all over."

"Oh, really, Christine?"

"He told me about the bet. About how he told you to leave if I sang."

"Of course, Christine. Always up to his old tricks… And yet, you believed him, followed behind him like a little lost puppy."

"Raoul, please," I begged. "Enough."

"No, it's never enough, Christine!"

Raoul stood up, overpowering my height.

"You made a bet with him…How could you? Why didn't you just walk away? Why couldn't you have just let me sing and then we could have left."

Raoul grabbed hold of my wrist, causing me to wail out in pain.

"But would you have left, Christine?" he growled. "Would you have left your demon? No, of course not. You would have followed him anywhere he went. Is that not true? It's true that you followed him the night after the Paris disaster, followed him right to some hellhole motel and screwed him. Oh, how could you, Christine? How could you betray me like that?"

"You're drunk." I tried pulling away from him, but Raoul's grasp tightened around my wrist. Oh, how he reeked of alcohol, a drunken anger burning from within him. He often came home smelling like alcohol, attempting to throw his fist my way every once in a while. Erik would never do this to me; Erik would have never swung his fist in my direction.

"Raoul, please." I begged. "I am married to you."

"So, have you made your decision?" he growled. "You wish to return to Paris with me? If so, let us go then."

Raoul was now pulling me right out of the bar. I tried to tug away, but his grasp only became more violent.

"Raoul, stop…Please, stop. I need to find Gustave first."

Raoul stopped in place, turning to face me.

"Gustave? Gustave? Oh, Christine that little bastard can rot in Coney Island for all I care."

"What? Raoul, he is your son…"

"Not by blood he's not. Now I know why you stared at him day after day, looking at him with a smile upon your face. It's because he belonged to that monster! A little part of him was there to be beside you each night and morning. It's over, Christine. Never again will I allow that bastard to wallow around my estate! He can stay here with his real bastard of a father, stay here and live amongst freaks. He is a freak, Christine!"

"Who are you?" I cried. "You're not the man I thought you were."

"I am your husband!" he cried. "I am your husband, Christine. You and I will be returning to Paris alone."

"You're drunk. That's why you're acting like this. Why don't you sober up…Sober up and then come search for me."

I tried to pull away, but Raoul wouldn't let me go. In fact, he was pulling me right towards the pier.

"Raoul, enough!"

I didn't want to hurt my husband, but what other choice did I have?

"I refuse to leave!" I cried. "I refuse to leave my son here. I love him, Raoul, please… Please, let us leave here as a family and find forgiveness in everything that we've done to one another."

"Everything we've done?" he snapped. "I have done nothing!"

We were on the pier now, as he and I fought one another. I was trying to kick him, trying to break free from his grasp. I was at the edge of the pier, with no place else to go… Below me there were roaring waves, crashing against the railing.

"Raoul, let me go!"

I stumbled backwards as he grasped onto my hand, my leg becoming tangled in a heap of heavy rope.

"Never, Christine! You will learn to obey your husband!"

And that's when I bit his hand. The monster let me go, causing me to fall backwards and into the water below the pier. Though, when I fell, the rope came with me. I was tangled, the rope wrapping around my neck and chest.

Gustave's POV

When I woke in that bumper car, I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Mama?" I groggily said her name as I looked around Mister Y's workshop.

"Mama, where are you?"

I crawled out of the bumper car, putting my jacket back on and walking around. My mother was nowhere to be found within the warehouse. Why was she not here? Why had she left me? I was frightened and therefore, I ran back towards Mister Y's home.

"Mister Y!" I called his name as I pounded against his door. "Mister Y, open up!"

It took a few moments, but the door opened, and my father was standing there looking as if he had just woken up.

"Mister Y, I can't find my mother."

"What are you talking about?"

"We spent the night at your workshop…I woke this morning and my mama was gone. Mister Y, did she abandon me?"

Mister Y grabbed his jacket and walked outside, locking his door right after.

"I've been worried sick about you all night."

"Mama said she needed some time to think."

"Come," he embraced my shoulder. "Let's search. I'm sure she hasn't gotten far."

Erik's POV

Oh, how worried I was about my angel all night long. The moment she left, I went mad, refusing to sleep and wishing that I had kept my mouth shut about the bet Raoul and I had made with one another…Or, the bet I had rather forced upon him. I had thought they were gone for good, but when my son came knocking at my door looking for Christine, my heart stopped within my chest. Why would she leave Gustave unattended? The night before, she had gone mad when he wasn't behind stage waiting for her. So, why would she leave him alone in the morning?

I was surprised when my son allowed me to take his hand into my own as we hurried through the deserted streets of Phantasma. It was still extremely early in the morning, and my park wouldn't be opening for a few more hours.

"Mister Y, where could my mother have gone off to?" my son asked, looking up at me as we walked from ride to ride in my park. But why was I even searching here? Why would Christine be walking through my park? I was just as confused as my son on where to look, and why she would even leave Gustave alone.

"We'll find her, Gustave."

We were at the end of my park now, the piers straight ahead. But something was strange, something was different. There were two people standing on a pier a short distance away. I squinted my eyes, looking ahead to recognize Raoul…But that wasn't all, my angel was there too! Raoul had his hand around Christine's arm and she seemed to be struggling…

"Mama?"

The moment my son whimpered for Christine, I began running, despite the pain in my side. I ran right to the pier, but before I could reach her, I saw my angel stumble backwards and land in the water.

"Christine!" I shouted her name, approaching Raoul, who was just standing there looking towards the end of the pier. How was it that he hadn't jumped in to save her? How was it that he was just staring at her? My angel knew how to swim, but for some reason, she wasn't coming up. And then, my eyes made contact with a rope…the end of a rope that was wrapped around the end of the pier, the rest in the water. Without thinking about my own safety, I tore off my waistcoat and dove into the cold water, swimming against the current to reach my angel. She was struggling, and even though it was hard to see, and the salt water burned my eyes, I noticed that her leg was wrapped in the rope that was tangled in some other garbage that was laying at the bottom of the bay.

I worked quickly, pulling apart the rope just as she stopped moving. After untangling her body, I pulled her to the surface, Gustave's screams already calling for Christine. I was exhausted, but not exhausted enough to pull her to the pier and lay her on her back. That idiot fop was just standing there! Standing there, looking down at me as if he weren't even sure what was going on.

"Mister Y! What's wrong with my mama?"

I brushed my angel's lifeless cheek, tears streaming down my cheeks. Oh, how was I to save her?

"Christine," I called her name, not knowing what to do. I leaned over her, calling her name and slapping her cheeks.

"What did you do to her!" I growled, looking up at Raoul. "What have you done!"

Raoul stumbled back against the railing, sliding down to his knees. Time was running short, time was slipping from my fingers, time to save Christine. I placed my hand against her stomach, pressing my mouth against her own, breathing into her lips. After each breath, I pressedmy palm against her stomach, hoping that she would breathe again.

"Come on, ange…" I begged. "Please, don't leave me. I'm sorry, so so sorry…"

Once more, I breathed into her mouth, begging her not to leave me, praying that God wouldn't take her away from me.

And then, after I breathed into her mouth once more, she turned her head to the side and spit up at least three mouthfuls of bay water.

Christine's POV

I wasn't sure what happened after I fell into the bay, but the next thing I knew life had been given back to me, for when I came to, I threw up salty tasting water, gasping for breath as if taking my first. When I felt someone patting my back, I expected to open my eyes and see Raoul kneeling behind me, but instead, it was Erik. What was he doing here? And where was Raoul?

"Angel?"

Erik wrapped his arms around my body, pressing me close to his own.

"Mama!"

Gustave joined me as I sat there gasping for breath. When I glanced over my shoulder, Raoul was sitting there stunned. Why didn't he jump into save me? Why didn't he even attempt to help me? And how had my angel known where I was? If not for him, I would have died, I would have left my son…

"Erik…"

"Shhh…"

Erik scooped me up into his arms, carrying me as we left the pier with Raoul still kneeling there, silent and as drunk as ever.

"Erik," I weakly nuzzled my head into his chest as he carried me back to the flat, still upset over the events that had taken place during the last few minutes. Raoul had not saved me…So how could I still love him? Erik had been my savior and yet, we were arguing…But not anymore. That was over now. How could I ever return to Raoul when he didn't even save me? No, our marriage was over, our life together had ended and now, it was time to start a new one with Erik.

Erik's POV

"Mister Y, Mister Y…"

I had laid Christine down in my bed, her body weak and shivering.

"Gustave, don't pester me."

I wrapped all the blankets I could find around my angel's body, rubbing the warmth into her skin.

"Mister Y, will my mother be all right?"

"Yes, Gustave." I said. "Let me just get her warm. Go to the wardrobe and grab some more blankets."

When Gustave was off, I looked down at my angel and began to disrobe her of her wet dress. I left my angel in her undergarments, pressing the blankets closer to her body. When Gustave returned with two more quilts, I draped them over her body and was glad when she finally stopped shaking. Oh, how I stood there over her, looking down at my angel and praying that she was all right. A few moments later, I, myself began to shake. I had gotten my stitches wet and therefore, I needed to change before I got an infection.

"Stay with your mother." I said, leaving Gustave at Christine's bedside.

"Where are you going?" he shrieked.

"Nowhere." I scoffed. "I need to change before I catch my own death."

I hurried to my wardrobe closet and began stripping myself of my wet clothes, throwing them aside to change into a dry shirt. I was afraid that my child would glance at my disgusting body, but getting warm was more important. Oh, how I reeked of salt water…How I smelled like the bay. I turned back to see Gustave standing at my angel's bedside, staring down at her as if she were dead.

I quickly grabbed my clothes and hurried into my bathroom before he seen me. I never rushed through a bath like I did in my entire life. Usually, I took extra precaution in cleaning my body because of all the sensitive flesh and lacerations that would become infected if they weren't washed properly, but at the moment, I didn't care. All that I cared about was Christine and getting back to her side. I wasn't even dry, when I wrapped a new bandage around my aching side and threw on my shirt, walking out into my studio again dripping wet and buttoning my shirt.

"Mister Y, why are you all wet?" Gustave asked, looking up at me as I approached Christine once more.

"I took a shower." Was all I said as I scooped my angel's body up into my arms.

"Erik…" she weakly called my name as I carried her into the bathroom.

"Shh…" I cooed. "I warmed a bath up for you, angel."

Once inside, I placed her down to tend to the water, looking back to see that she was shaking again.

"Oh, Christine,"

"I'm so tired."

"Here," my hands shook as they placed themselves on the top of her blouse. Could I truly do this? Could I really disrobe her of her clothes? Ten years ago I had seen nothing of her body due to the face that we had made love in the dark. But she needed my help… It wasn't even right of me to even look upon her as if she were my property, but this needed to be done.

"Christine, please," I begged. "Trust me."

She made no movement as I unbuttoned her blouse and gently worked her arms out of the sopping wet and foul smelling garment. What made my jaw drop was when I noticed that she was wearing a corset. Oh, how I hated the contraptions with a passion! How many times in the past had I scolded her about wearing such a thing? They not only ruin ones breathing, but also cramp your insides. On the night she had come to me ten years ago, she had been wearing one. It was like a frustrating puzzle, one that took me more time to remove than I had wanted there to be. What made matters worse was that I had to attempt a removal of it in the dark! Oh, how complicated that was. Oh, but not impossible! The Opera Ghost refuses to give up on anything!

"Christine, don't ever wear one of these again." I whispered, removing the final lace to release the blasted object. Oh, how my eyes wanted to gaze down at her exposed chest, but I refused to let my blood start to boil after ten long years. I had restricted myself from ever feeling the joys of the flesh again after that night with Christine. She was all I ever wanted or would ever need. The hell with going to whore houses and brothels! I had bed an angel! She had willingly come to my bed and if I wouldn't have left, she would have then woken to confess her love to me. But I was such a foolish man!

"Here, angel." I lifted her up from where she was sitting, my hand grasping her bare back to hold her in place as I moved her out of her skirts. I always kept my eyes on the ceiling as I lifted her body and placed her into the soapy water. How strange it was to be giving her a bath like a toddler, but I would do anything for her. I rolled up my sleeves and washed her long curls and scrubbed away the grime from her flesh.

Since her clothes were filthy, I decided to dress her in one of my long shirts. I was much taller than she was, and after slipping the garment over her head, I was glad to notice that it came down past her knees. Gustave, being the wonderful child that he was, had changed the bed sheets while I washed Christine. After placing my angel down on my bed, I covered her up, leaving her side to let her sleep.

"Come along, Gustave." I said, gathering up the pile of stinking clothes and sheets. "Let's get this cleaned up."

"Can I help you?"

"Of course…" I paused, not really sure on whether to acknowledge him as my son or not. By calling him just that I wasn't sure if it would upset him or not. "Come along. We'll clean this up and then get you cleaned up as well."

And for once in my life, I didn't feel lonely.

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