Winter had come quickly that year, there was one big snowstorm at the end of November, and before anyone had realized it, Christmas was just around the corner. Christine was getting better and better and with that knowledge, Eponine decided to visit her.
Sure, they weren't that close, but Eponine had wanted to see her for a while. She had never really known anyone to get sick and leave school for anything longer than a couple of weeks, but Christine had been out of school for nearly a month.
Mrs. Daae, a little, Swedish woman who seemed very sad, smiled a bit at the sight of Eponine. "Oh, I'm sure Christine will be happy to see you," she said, leading to a small bedroom at the end of a narrow hallway.
She wasn't sure what she was going to expect, but Christine looked normal. Her nose was a little red and her hair was messy, but she still looked good. Eponine would never understand how some people just always looked nice.
Christine's face perked up a bit at the sight of her friend. "Hey, Eponine!" she called, happy to see someone new. She quickly sat on her friend's bed and the two girls hugged. Eponine really did miss her, and it was definitely good to see she was doing well.
"How do you feel?"
"Oh, a lot better. I'm dying of boredom, actually, it's been awful. I'm coming right back to school once this Christmas break is over. I just have nothing to do!"
"So, you haven't been... you know, having issues?"
"Well, my mother is making me see a therapist. You know, I don't even think I need to go, but you know how mother's are."
Eponine actually didn't have an idea of how a good mother really acted, but let her friend continue.
"But I've been going out and singing and all kinds of things. I'm going to sing a solo for my church's Christmas Eve service," she announced proudly.
"That sounds fun, what time?"
"The eleven o'clock service, you know, it ends at midnight. I'm just excited! It'll be like my official comeback. You should bring your family," Christine offered.
"I would bring Gavroche. Maybe not my parents, though."
"Oh, I understand," Christine said sincerely, "Atheists?"
Eponine hesitated. "Yeah."
"Hey, Courfeyrac!" Raoul called from the bottom of the church. As expected, Raoul had forced all of his friends to come down to the First Church of Alfred, on Christmas Eve, no less.
"What?" he called back, standing to the far left of the church's balcony.
"Can you completely see the big doors in the front?"
"Yes," Courfeyrac responded. Enjolras, Marius and Grantaire (even Grantaire had been convinced to come for the Christmas Eve service) stood beside him, all not really sure what to say.
"Can't we just call the police and be done with this?" Grantaire asked lazily, which only infuriated Raoul more.
"No, we cannot!" he snapped, "Shut up!"
Grantaire opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something as equally nasty back (which they all knew he was capable of), but just made a sour face and resolved to stay quiet.
"Here, Marius," Raoul said, handing him a gun.
Marius, wide-eyed, held the shiny revolver in his hands and wordlessly followed Raoul's finger to where he was pointing.
"Do you have a clear view of the organ?" he asked the shocked boy. Marius nodded. "Remember, when the time comes, shoot. Only if you have to, but shoot to kill."
"But how will I know?"
Raoul looked at him, his entire expression had changed. He was hardly their funny, light-hearted friend anymore. He looked vicious, but also determined. "You'll know," he responded quietly, but with the up most seriousness.
Enjolras looked back and forth, to the scheming Raoul and Marius, who was looking more and more like he wouldn't be able to handle a gun. "Marius, you're not shooting anyone," Enjolras told him, getting increasingly more annoyed. "Where did you even get a gun, Raoul?"
"My dad," he answered. Enjolras sighed.
"Why can't you shoot?"
"Because I'm going to stay near the front, where Christine will be. I wouldn't want to shoot anyone by accident."
"Well, Marius isn't going to kill anyone. Here, I'll do it," he said, taking the weapon away from his younger friend.
"Whatever," Raoul said, dismissing the three of them. They watched as he stormed away, fury still in his eyes.
"Asshole," Grantaire muttered. Marius snickered, but Enjolras just shook his head.
Cosette had successfully convinced her father to come to the Alfred Church's Christmas service. Of course, she wouldn't miss Christine's singing. Actually, she and Meg had even gotten her flowers, which they were going to hide under a pew.
Meg and her mother arrived not much later and sat beside the Valjean's. The Giry's were not 'religious people,' but they usually did attend Christmas and Easter services. Meg and Cosette gushed a little together, excited about Christine's solo.
"This is going to be nice," Cosette remarked, "I think she'll do great."
"Yeah, I know!" Meg responded.
They talked a little while longer. It was still about fifteen minutes before the service started, but it was difficult to find a seat for the eleven o'clock service on Christmas Eve. As expected, the church was packed, filled with dozens of people who had just arrived from a nice, Christmas dinner with family.
"Hi, Cosette," the girls heard a voice say and they both turned around. To Meg and Cosette's surprise, it was Marius, who was making his way to sit with them.
"Oh, hello Marius!" Cosette responded and Meg looked in wonder at the couple. Marius was clearly a bit shy to see her, while Cosette looked down shyly and turned a light shade of pink. Weren't they already dating? Meg decided to brush their odd embarrassment aside, because they were very cute together.
"Nice to see you, Marius," Jean Valjean remarked, shaking his hand.
Marius realized- with a jolt- that Jean Valjean was in fact there, at the church. He could only imagine what Raoul would do if he found out.
Enjolras, meanwhile, had hidden Raoul's gun in his coat for the time being as more people entered the church. No matter what his friend wanted, Enjolras wasn't going to be shooting anyone that Christmas Eve.
As all of his friends had been "stationed" in different areas, Enjolras trekked upstairs to sit in the balcony, feeling quite lonely. He now basically just wanted to go back home and wake up the next morning for his last ever Christmas with his family before leaving for college.
"Enjolras?" a voice said. Realizing who it was, he quickly spun around.
"Oh, Eponine!" he responded, in shock. He hadn't seen her since his conversation with Meg in New York and could feel his face getting hot. "Hi."
Considering it was church, Eponine had dressed nicely, in a pretty black skirt and white blouse. Enjolras hadn't noticed it for about seven years or so, but she was very good-looking. It was probably because she had a habit of dressing boyish all the time, but she really was beautiful.
"You look sick. Are you alright?" she asked him bluntly, as Enjolras just noticed that she had brought Gavroche with her. His eyes widened at the thought of blushing because of Eponine and instantly managed to calm down.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
"I don't know, I came to see Christine. I could ask you the same question."
"Oh, I'm here because..." he stumbled. Because he was helping Raoul try and kill a strange, only possibly real man who was after Christine? He was screwed.
"Where are your parents?" she questioned him and quickly wondered aloud (perhaps by accident), "Is Marius here?"
"Marius is here," Eponine said, answering her own question. By leaning slightly over the balcony, she could clearly make out her best friend, but slumped back into her seat when she realized he was with Cosette and her father. "Why aren't you sitting with them?"
"Um... I..." Enjolras was so screwed. "Because, I saw you coming up here, and I wanted to come see you. It's Christmas, after all," he said. Enjolras quietly rewarded himself for coming up with such a good response.
"Oh... Thanks. That's nice of you," she remarked, "But I still don't understand why you came."
Enjolras sighed. There was no point in lying to Eponine. "Well, okay, I'm going to tell you, but you can't tell anyone. And it's just really weird and it won't make a lot of sense, because it doesn't really make sense to me..."
"Well, that's okay," Eponine told him, "You can tell me."
Enjolras opened his mouth, but at the same time, so did the minister. The service was about to start, he would have to explain later.
Erik had been nothing but miserable. He had been crying- and he did not cry. Erik hadn't cried, really cried, since he was a kid, maybe fourteen at most.
Christine. Christine. Christine. The name kept echoing in his mind, almost as much as the name Raoul did. He hated Raoul Chagny. Erik hated him! Why did she love him so much?
He had watched Raoul from a distance quite a few times and it was true, he was very handsome. And as far as he could tell, kind. Oh, he was just too perfect.
But Erik had truly ruined everything a few days ago.
It was on a Sunday, after church, when Christine had gone without her mother to the town's local graveyard, where he realized her father was buried. Curious about her dead father, Erik followed Christine there.
She had gotten very emotional at the large tombstone that read the name: Gustave Daae. Christine touched it gently and laid flowers down. She just stared at the name and cried. It was amazing, Erik thought, to watch how passionately Christine still loved and missed her father. As far as he knew, Gustave Daae had been dead for years.
It sincerely hurt him to see her so sad, because he loved her so much.
The rest of what happened was almost a blur to him. It all occurred so fast, Erik could hardly recall it. He had tried to kidnap her, Erik tried to convince Christine that he was her father. She was almost going to go with him... he almost had her.
But then Raoul suddenly arrived, out of nowhere, and they both ran away. He may as well have ridden in on a white horse.
Erik was angry, he had been angry. He hated Raoul. Erik had never truly been angry before. Of all the abuse and horrified stares he had received, it only ever lead to sadness. And in turn, his sadness became beautiful music. Anger... but anger was just something he couldn't understand. He couldn't control it, and he had been living with it for days now. It hadn't subsided or gone away, he was still livid, he still hated Raoul.
In his anger, Erik had lost track of time. He hadn't eaten, he barely slept and days had gone by. It was around midnight, he realized, but he could still hear voice from above. Why were people still awake, and at church? Erik quickly remembered what day it was, Christmas Eve. Christine was no longer with him to tell him about the Christmas service.
Christine. He missed her so much. She was like a breath of fresh air to him, a light in his darkness. She was Erik's last and only connection to the world above him, without her he was just a non-existent wretch.
Effortlessly, Erik was able to sneak up above to the church and grab a program for the night's service. He truly was like a ghost and was a seasoned professional at not being noticed.
As he expected, it looked like a typical Christmas Eve service; fairly long and with plenty of dull sermons. Erik wondered who would be leading the service this year as he remembered- without remorse- he had killed the last minister.
His eyes lit up at one name: Christine Daae, soloist. Christine was going to sing a solo? His heart soared. Christine was going to sing a solo!
Erik hadn't even thought to look at what she was singing. "I Wonder as I Wander," was the name of the song, a song he had taught her! Yes, he had taught it to her a while ago, but she was going to sing.
Perhaps she didn't completely hate him. Perhaps she didn't know any good songs he hadn't taught her. Whatever her reasoning was, Erik was going to watch her.
In fact, he couldn't wait.
Christine couldn't help but be nervous. She sat in the choir loft and slowly watched as the entire church filled up with people. Christmas, of course, was always the most popular service, but really... had there always been so many people?
She had expected Raoul and Meg to come see her definitely, but it was also nice of Cosette to come. Christine also noticed Eponine had come with her brother, which was also nice of her. But what was Enjolras doing there? She just barely knew him, they weren't very close. In fact, Raoul had seemed to invite every single one of his friends. At least ten boys from school were randomly scattered through the church. None of the seemed to be sitting with family, either. Even that guy who always got drunk and graduated the year before (Christine couldn't remember his name, Enjolras was good friends with him) was there.
Of course, if she messed up her solo horribly, it would only be in front of a handful of strangers, friendly acquaintances who probably wouldn't mind and her very close circle of friends. Now, Christine felt like she was on display for the entire school to watch her sing.
It wasn't that she was nervous- Christine knew "I Wonder as I Wander" inside and out. The Angel of Music was the one who had taught it to her.
Oh, Erik. She wasn't supposed to, but she missed him. It was just incredible to think about how much he had changed. She missed him, even though he killed Minister Martin. They understood each other, somehow, for some reason. And secretly, deep down, she was hoping that perhaps he might listen to her sing.
Raoul felt sick. His eyes were blurry and his hands trembled, he could barely see the world around him. All of his thoughts were stuck on the Angel of Music, he was looking only for him. From the front of the church, he kept his eyes glued on the organ.
He had barely even noticed it, but Christine was walking up to sing. Raoul smiled. She looked happy, genuinely happy, for the first time in a long time. She didn't seem nervous.
She had a pretty voice. Raoul had always thought so, but she really was very good. Maybe all her dreams of singing opera in famous concert halls weren't just dreams. Even if the Angel of Music was a terrible, evil murderer, he must have been an amazing teacher.
Suddenly, lost in his enjoyment, he realized that every light in the church went dark. One by one, every light on the brand new chandelier turned off. Christine, trying to stay professional, continued to sing, until the church was pitch black.
Before he could react, he heard a scream, a gun shot and the lights went back on again. Christine was gone.
Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry I took so long. I decided to split the end into two parts (could you imagine if that was the end? I wouldn't do that!), but definitely expect the last and final chapter to come very soon. You guys are the best!