I haven't thanked anyone in a few chapters but if I don't do it every one it is not because I am not thinking of you all who are reading this. I really appreciate each and every one of you and if you are reading this and are silent to me I mean you as well. Thank you especially Brambled13, MarilynKC, TMara, trrmo77, AnnMary (, anc3210, Miss Fleck734, JudyBear 236. Grandma Paula, thank you for both your reviews of this fic, and for my previous one "Love's Redemption." I am both pleased and humbled by your complements regarding my writing abilities and creativity. I wish that you were a member so I could thank you privately but hopefully you will see it here. I am hoping to write these and bring Erik and his world to life, and also to practice my skills so that one day I might see bring one of my own independent fics to life. This one is down to its last chapters. It is getting longer than I first expected because I wanted some of the characters to get their last thoughts in before I end this. Without further ado Chapter 44.

Chapter 44

Erik's POV

I was shocked that the boy was so compliant. In my year of interactions with him he had never shown any signs of accepting any truth that did not conform to both his narrow view of the world and of me. In his world of absolutes I had always been the incarnation of evil. Perhaps I had been unfair to the boy. I still did not understand what Christine had seen in him. There were many equally handsome and wealthy noblemen in Paris who would have courted her with the same fervor. I guess that I would never understand her taste in men, even me; at this point I don't care any longer since she decided to focus her affections on me. Although she had learned to see past my face I still longed to be a handsome suitor that she could be proud to walk beside. I was not sure that even with a prosthetic that I could ever look normal; but nonetheless I would make an extra attempt to appear so for her sake. I would become the social husband that she deserved and not hide in the shadows as I preferred to do. Between her and Christian they would be my teachers. I hoped that I could prove to be as apt a pupil as she was to me. Christine deserved my finest efforts. The doctor and his wife were a good start for me. If I could behave as a normal man did with them then perhaps there would be hope for me in the future.

When Raoul left I excused myself from the others. I wanted to see Christian on my own without Meg or even Christine. We had much to talk about but I did not want to tire him out. I needed to thank him for his sacrifice on my behalf. In my thirty plus years of living no one had ever done such a noble thing for me, not even Nadir or Antoinette. Christian had been willing to trade his life for mine. Despite everything, I was now in his debt. When the stakes were high he had come through for me. I was humbled by his selfless act and needed to tell him so. The sun gilt son of Apollo was not made of lead after all. I knew that I had disappointed him when I failed to include him in our wedding as I had once promised. If he could stand up in two days I would be honored to have him there with us. He was a cousin worthy of my love. I wanted to be worthy of his.

He was still very weak when I approached him. He had been moved to his own more comfortable quarters. He gave me a weak smile when I entered. I pulled up a chair and sat by his side.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." I told him smiling.

"I couldn't leave you alone to pick up the pieces behind me. Who would keep my father under control if I were not there to help? You are also ill equipped to handle the fall harvest. I believe that the weather has been sufficient to produce a great vintage." He told me weakly with only a shadow of his usual buoyancy.

"I am sorry cousin, that I did not trust you. You have proven yourself once more to be a very noble creature - too noble, I did not deserve your gesture. I am awestruck by it," I told him.

"You once again sell yourself short cousin. I believe that you would have done the same for me. I was eager to prove to you that I am loyal, but I would have come to your aid even if I had not felt the need to do so. Your blood and mine is the same and we need to look out for one another. It is what family is supposed to do." He told me softly looking into my eyes.

"I cannot say that I have much experience with family until recently, what little that I knew had taught me that family can betray you worse than anyone else. My mother was horrified by me from the moment that she saw my cursed face. She did not deem me to be a creature worthy of love." I admitted to him sadly recalling my childhood. I could still see the loathing and disgust in my mother's eyes when I thought of her.

"Yet you were not entirely correct even about her Erik. When I saw her in the end she was very sorry for how she had treated you. She said that she was young and mourned the loss of your father greatly. She had felt that you were a poor substitution for her husband's love. She did not realize what she had until you ran away. She searched for you for a long time and wanted to make amends very badly but she could not find you."

"What would have been the point? By the time that she would have reached me it would have been too late for any real relationship." I told him.

He replied. "You sell yourself short Erik. Despite all that has been done to you, you are a good man." He grasped my hand tightly.

"You do not know all of the horror that I have unleashed in my life. The pain that I have caused others or you would not say that. I am unworthy of your sacrifice." I reflected.

He looked at me speculatively "No, you are very worthy. The horrors that you were subjected to shaped your actions. Everyone is worthy of love cousin, and you were starved of it. A hungry man will do anything to appease his appetite; you were starved of love and affection. It is only natural that you would take desperate measures to achieve it. But you are capable of great acts of love and compassion cousin. Your love for Christine and your forgiveness of those who have trespassed against you show me that. You are a most worthy person to receive my sacrifice. I have no regrets about that. You may have thought that I was not conscious when you tried to stem the bleeding from my wounds but I faded in and out of consciousness and could see your efforts to save me. I felt your pain and anguish. You and Meg brought me back from the brink of death. I owe you my life cousin for your quick actions."

"Wise words cousin. I will think about them and take them to heart. I understand your heroics a little better when you present me with your point of view. Still your actions were unselfish and good. You may have saved Christine's life as well as mine. Who knows who the boy would have hit we were in one another's arms." I told him gratefully.

"I know that you would have been despondent without your Christine, Erik. She really fulfills an empty spot in your soul. I can see an immense improvement in your disposition since she came back into your life. Where you were dead, Christine has revived you. But what did you do to the Vizgraf? Did you use your lasso and string him up or did you show him mercy?" he asked.

I smiled "I would have preferred to choke the life out of his foppish face but Christine believes that there is good in him. I had to use my Punjab on your father to knock a gun out of his hand that he would have eagerly used on the boy. I was the intended target of Vizgraf's murderous plans not you. I could not let your father take care of the problem. I would not stand behind him like a coward and let him handle the boy."

"I understand, Erik. I would feel the same way; but my father must have been displeased with you." Christian observed.

"No offense, but your father's view of me is not important; I have faced many more worthy opponents." I told him bluntly

"Sadly, I know that you have. Your past is no mystery to me cousin. You have survived much and with few allies except for Nadir. You know now that you are not alone any longer at least I hope so." He queried.

"Yes of course Christian. I would do the same for you." I told him.

"What did you do to the boy?" he asked.

"I decided to follow Christine's counsel and tell him about the Gräfin. We have all decided that the best approach to what to do with her is to send her to an asylum. You told me that you know of a good one near Strassburg. We will contact them and pay them to watch over her as a patient. We will keep her identity a secret just in case someone unknown to us decides to free her. She has sunk her teeth into many people over the years mostly through fear and intimidation, but bribery has been part of her game as well." I observed.

I could see that he was getting tired.

"I see that you need your rest cousin, so I will leave you now and dine with the others and then see to my future bride. We would not want to do it without you. there. We would put it off a few days if you do not feel up to doing it, you and Meg can still join us and share our day." I told him.

"Nonsense Erik, we have both waited a half a lifetime to find true love. I would not have your wedding be delayed even an hour to appease me." He smiled weakly.

I stood to leave "Then the date shall stand, but I hope that you will join us."

"No doubt of that cousin. Now go find your bride." He ordered.

I went off and we all dined together. When we were finished Christine and I excused ourselves for we had much still to talk about. When we got to my suite we sat on the terrace looking towards the starry sky. It was beautiful. I could smell the perfume from the rose garden, and heard not a sound but the crickets chirping. I felt the peace of the night settle into my soul. Christine was curled comfortably in my arms looking up at me with complete love and trust. If I could have made time stand still at that moment I would done so. It was a relaxing end to a hectic day; a day where we both had a brush with death.

After a while, Christine turned to me and once again removed my mask and wig lovingly. She gazed into my eyes and smiled. Once again I was shocked yet pleased at the reverence in which she beheld my hideous face. I closed my eyes as she caressed me.

"Thank you Erik for your extreme patience with Raoul and with me. I know that it was hard for you to restrain yourself after what he had done." She told me squeezing my hand.

"You know that I would do anything that you ask of me Christine. I have always been your slave. I found myself unwilling to do what the Comtesse would expect from me, and what Raoul would expect from me. As you said, who would expect a hideous beast such as me to deal with him with compassion and mercy?" I questioned her.

She slapped me playfully. "I did not say it that way. I had no doubt that you would do the right thing Erik. Now that I know you, I could not see you doing otherwise, ange. You are exactly the angel that my father promised me many years ago. I once thought that you deceived me, but it is I who was deceiving me. You are that angel and so much more mon amour. So much more." she whispered seductively.

She continued caressing me as she always did. I responded in the same way. The caressing gave way to passionate kisses. My body responded as it always did throbbing in need of her. I could feel the excitement stirring inside of me. I wanted to light the same flame in her and watch it roar to life as I did. For two people who had only recently discovered the joys of the flesh, we were already deeply attuned to one another. So deep was my hunger for her, that it was hard to maintain my control around her. I had spent so long dreaming of her and starving from my unfulfilled physical need for her. Now she was here before me, without a second thought, willingly desiring me in the same way. I did everything that I knew to increase her pleasure. She was so sweet and so loving. I was most gentle and caring. I couldn't wait for the day that I could truly claim her as my bride and then we would be bound to one another forever.

I turned to Christine and asked her "What do you foresee in our future Christine? What are your hopes and your dreams?"

"What do you mean by the question Erik?" she asked tepidly.

"I only want to know where you see us in the future. What do you want of me? What do you need?" I asked.

She smiled sublimely "Oh that, it is easy. I see us deeply and madly in love. I want to fill this old Chateau with many children, who will all love and care for us as we love and care for each other. I want to make up for each hurt, slight and scar that you ever received and take them away and replace them with my loving touch and kindness; especially the wounds that I inflicted on you mon ange. I want to continue to show you my love so that you might never again question your worthiness of receiving it. Does that answer your question mon amour?"

I responded with a passionate kiss. She answered me in kind as she always did these days. Neither one of us was shy towards the other anymore; we had no reason to be.

I smiled at the thought of what she told me. I could foresee the happy years that now most assuredly flashed before us. I would devote the rest of my lifetime to pleasing her and making her the happiest bride that she could be. I would shower her with love and material things. In return she would give me the love that I had always been starved for, including children. It would be an unequal trade because that love meant the world to me. Any man might have given her his love and children, she was a creature of beauty; but not any woman would do the same for me. On my best day I was terrifying to look at but my cousin was wise as well as correct. Every creature did deserve love no matter how hideous they might be, even me. Just a small dose of her love had already redeemed me and transformed me from an angry, embittered, and hateful person into a more admirable man. It was this new man who was able to pardon the wretched fop for his crimes against me, and against Christine. Perhaps some might view my actions as a weakness, including my former self, but I pardoned him from a position of strength. I had unwittingly found the power that I once killed to achieve, in those long ago days in Persia, without sacrificing what remained of my soul to do so.

I was not sure that the boy would understand or Otto, what threshold that I had crossed to do so. I didn't care if they did understand. To kill Raoul would have been to admit that I was too weak to coexist in the same world as he did. I might have satisfied my remaining insecurity of my own standing in the world and knowledge of Christine's love. To spare the boy was to show him that his threat to me was no longer relevant to whom I was, or what I was. I was a man who was loved and accepted in my world as a full -fledged man, not feared or reviled as a monster, or a Phantom. The tradeoff was astounding and well worth it. I had never been offered the choice before to live in the world of humanity as a normal man. Yet Christine and Christian gave me access both to the world, and to my own humanity.

August Marie's POV

It was almost dinner time and the boy did not yet reappear. I wondered what happened to him that he would be gone for so long. I could tell that he was going to reconnoiter the Mulheim Chateau but hoped that he would not be stupid enough to reveal himself too soon. My spies had told me that the boy had gone into town yesterday to speak to the police about the Phantom. How foolish could the boy be? We are not in Paris. Rumors become rampant in a town such as Strasbourg where all of the gentry knew of one another. There were so few of us left with all the wars and the revolutions and both of our families stuck out. Everyone was curious about the secretive Baron who had recently claimed his inheritance. Someone making waves about him would most certainly be reported and gossiped about. When he returned, I would have to have a word with him. I almost wish that I had decided to use Christian after all, or even my spy, but thought that my own flesh and blood would do a better job. After all I gave him my entire estate; what little there was to be of it.

I wondered how much more time that I would have left in this world. I knew that with all of my crimes that I might not make it to heaven, but perhaps if I make a confession I could be forgiven for all of it. I am not even Catholic but my husband was and greatly endowed the Church in Haguenau. Perhaps after Raoul kills Erik, I would confess to a priest to hedge my bets. I did like the Catholic concept of confession and repentance. I wonder how many hail Mary's and novenas that would be required of me to return me to the good graces of God. Perhaps they would be enough to insure that I find my father once more in heaven, and get an explanation from him of why he left home to die on the snowy steppes of Russia so long ago. I could still see his handsome face, so like mine and my daughter's, as he said good bye to me and promised to return. I remember his fine feathered chasseur's hat and his sash. How fine he looked on that long ago day; his crisp blue eyes were filled with adoration for me, his only child. Not even my mother excited as much devotion as I did. He would tell me how beautiful I would grow up to be and how I would make a splendid match and become a queen in truth and not just in his heart. He was so tall and good looking and kind. He lived only for me, but then selfishly he died. He was buried in a mass grave somewhere in Russia far from home. I died with him that day.

As I was pondering those thoughts I could hear my grandson finally arrive home. He was not even a shadow of my father. He might have been a handsome man but he was not a bright one. He was utterly forgettable. It was no wonder that the girl chose Erik's hideous grandson over my own grandson. He was too wrapped up in his own handsomeness to understand how to navigate in this world. Perhaps he would find a nice bride, who would be as good looking and useless as himself, to propagate a few more useless de Chagny heirs. If he had any sense he would look for someone with a lot of money, maybe even a rich merchant's daughter, not an opera singer. Unfortunately the days of the landed aristocracy were coming to a close. Soon there would be a new world where we would not matter as much. Is this a trend that I desired? No, but if you looked at France and across the sea to America and to the various anarchists, communards, Marxists and other social movements you could see that the waves of unrest were increasing, threatening to destroy the systems of power that have existed for a thousand years. My grandson would be on the wrong side of history.

I watched him approach me and I smiled contemptuously. "Good evening Raoul." I told him with false warmth. "Won't you hug me? Your old grandmere?"

I could see him hesitate more than usual and wondered what thought might have crossed his mind but he hugged me just the same, obediently as always. He reminded me of my husband's former hunting dog, nice looking and fairly easy to lead, but ultimately useless and disposable once he completed the job that he was trained to do.