Adult-FanFiction.org : Books

No Easy Way	By : secretlysecretly Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 7568 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
Chapter 28

Raoul de Chagny gazed out of the window of his luxurious carriage as the images passed by in a haze, his expression dark and worried. It was not the route back to Rouen with its remarkable landscape which occupied his mind; his wife, his lovely Christine was the only thought which crossed his tormented mind.

Christine had been absent from their home for a long period of time. It was the first time the couple had been apart for so long since they had been married. The air about her, her behavior, her whole disposition had changed; Christine was gradually changing, practically day by day. At first he had thought it was married life which had undoubtedly had an impact on both of them. However, Raoul thought the change would be for their best interest. He was preoccupied with his Christine. He had restlessly anticipated their common life together as a couple, regardless of the obstacles his family had tried to rise in their way in order to stop their marriage.

However he would have none of it. He had been determined to make Christine Daae his wife, despite his family’s threats and the critical way in which high society had regarded their union. A scandal of such proportions as the one involving the infamous Opera Ghost was not something the De Chagny family had ever expected to undergo in the course of their long history. Raoul had done everything in his power to defend Christine and protect her from any kind of attack towards her person. Some time had passed and his family had been unable to convince him in detaching himself from the woman he loved or to make him change his mind about marrying her.

Christine was extremely beautiful, but she was not the descendant of a noble, wealthy family such as his. In the eyes of the world around them she was simply not worthy of him or his family. Following to their marriage however, it had only taken a brief period of time for Christine to become accepted by the circles of Parisian elite. Her radiant beauty, her charm and her exuberant youth were some of the qualities which had been highly appreciated by those around her, giving Christine a great opportunity Raoul had been oblivious to; the opportunity to live a life just as she had imagined it all through her young life.

Very soon, Raoul discovered married life had not turned out quite as he had expected it to be. His mind would still travel back to that fateful night on the rooftop of the Opera Populaire; he would remember how that night he had felt like the happiest man on the face of the earth. That night Christine had reciprocated his love for her when he had asked her to share with him one love, one lifetime. That night the young diva had offered herself willingly to her future husband for the first time.

Unfortunately, three years into their marriage, they still had not managed to procreate any heirs. Raoul thought that perhaps this was the one element missing from their common life together which had contributed vastly to the change of Christine’s character. She had become frigid, avoiding his touch and appearing almost indifferent to all of her husband’s efforts to please her. Raoul had felt an overwhelming sense of desperation wash over him; he couldn’t abandon his marriage, he couldn’t let Christine, his precious wife whom he had saved and conquered from the hands of that monster three years ago, slip right through his fingers. Christine was his life, he couldn’t possibly imagine living without her. He solemnly believed to the holy vows of matrimony they had exchanged and labored under the conviction that he would stay married to his wife happily for the rest of his life… Or so he thought.

The problems they faced, the distance between them growing greater each and every day, tormented Raoul’s mind. He would do anything to bring his Little Lotte back. Therefore, he had decided to convince her to visit his aunt in Rouen. He had thought that the change of scenery would have a beneficial effect on her mood. That would have proven to be the greatest mistake of his life. But how could he possibly have known that the Phantom would reappear in the Rouen countryside of all places after all these years? Raoul felt as if all of the tragic events which had taken place in the Opera Populaire were returning with a vengeance to haunt him and his wife once more.

When he had seen his wife again after two months, he had felt exhilarated as Christine appeared to have taken great benefit from her visit to his aunt’s estate. He had felt so happy to see her again after the long weeks they had spent apart from each other. Through the years, he had traveled a lot on account of his business matters every now and then, but he had never been apart from his wife for such a long period of time. When Raoul had watched his wife enter their house after her travels, he had immediately noticed the difference in her. He had instantly known form the second she had walked up to him that something must have happened to her.

He had been taken aback, to say the least, when Christine had told him that she had also been a guest of his cousin; it wasn’t so much that his wife had been a guest to Marianne’s house, but the fact that she had gone there as a guest in order to attend a ball. He had tried to put an ease to his apprehension at first, but unfortunately his instinct had proven to be correct.

Raoul had felt lightheaded when Christine had recounted tearfully to him how she had met with the infamous Opera Ghost once again. He didn’t know exactly how to react when she started shaking, describing to him all of the advances that monster had made on her that night at the ball, telling him everything, even about the Phantom’s possible attachment to his dear cousin, Marianne.

His mind drifted back to Christine’s narration the night of her return, remembering the horrified expression of her eyes as she had told him everything.

Christine ran towards her husband, hiding herself in his embrace as she began to tremble, tears running down her cheeks. Raoul closed his eyes; the memory of her in his arms had been distant. He enclosed her in his arms and kissed her forehead ever so tenderly.

“Oh, Raoul… It was horrible… Absolutely horrible!...” Christine managed to utter between sobs.

“What happened, my love? Please, Christine, do not worry me so.” Raoul couldn’t possibly imagine what had transpired during her journey to his aunt’s estate. The gentle old woman had always been good natured. In his mind it would have been impossible for the elderly lady to harm Christine in any way.

“Raoul, he has returned!... It is all coming back, that nightmare…” she whispered.

“He?” Raoul muttered, panic rising in his throat. “Please, Christine, stop crying. Try to calm yourself and tell me, who is back?”

“He is back Raoul. I told you he would return and that he would never let me go…” Christine left her husband’s embrace and walked over to one of the large windows of their grand salon. With her back turned to him, she glanced sideways with a slyn look in her eyes and went on with playing what she thought would be the role of a lifetime. This would be the final act and she would be the star; she would get her vengeance either way.

Jealousy had drawn her in its dark, murky waters. Christine couldn’t accept the fact that the Phantom, her Angel of Music, her teacher and mentor had the gal to deny her in such a cruel manner.

For many years, her Angel, who would appear and disappear in a magical way, had offered his guidance to her without asking for anything in return. Even though she had never actually seen him, Christine had listened to his voice coming to her almost mystically. He had expressed his honest opinion on each and every one of their tutorials and he had been the strictest of teachers. The mere fact that she had lived through an experience of the kind, had made her feel unique.

She had not expected him to survive that night. However, not only had he been successful in his escape from the rage of the mob, but he had managed to accomplish so much, single handedly. He was supposed to be dead… Yet, he was alive in every sense of the word, working his way through Rouen’s local society and most importantly, with another woman by his side.

She had never truly been by his side, but she had to admit to herself that there had been various instances when she had felt attracted to him. She had never thought that it would be an option for her to stay with him and be his companion. Her Angel had always encouraged her to try and be the best in everything; perfection was his sole aim and what he fully expected from others as well.

How ironic it was to try and achieve perfection when he knew it would be impossible for him to attain it… nobody in their right mind could ever describe that face as perfect.

Erik had taught her to be the best, to have the confidence that she could accomplish anything she set her mind on. In the end, that had been his gravest mistake. Following to her reunion with Raoul De Chagny, Christine had finally succeeded in putting all the pieces together. She would finally get what she truly wanted. A noble, handsome, rich husband who seemed to be more than eager to provide for anything her heart desired. All those years living in the Opera Populaire, she had dreamt of nothing else but escaping that gloomy atmosphere, flying out of there, away from all the misery.

All through those years, she had watched all of the noble women of high society coming to the Opera, dressed in the finest clothing and adorned with the most beautiful, expensive jewelry she had ever set eyes on. How much she had envied them. In Raoul she had seen her ticket and she would do anything not to miss out on it.

And then, that tragic night when she had finally been presented with an opportunity to show her talent for the whole world to see and have them acknowledge her as a real artist, He had come to her, revealing himself in flesh and blood before her very eyes. Christine had been taken by surprise, to say the least, to see a large manly figure standing behind the mirror of her dressing room.

A dark angel appeared before her as, in an almost mystical way, the mirror moved and he held his hand out to her. Christine had felt as if her breath had been stolen from her. For all of the years her Angel had come to her, she couldn’t quite understand who or what was talking to her seemingly through the walls of the building. Finally, she began to understand; but still there was much to learn about this mysterious man.

When Christine had first seen his lair, it was as if she had been transferred to a whole new world. That man lived in a cave, more or less, beneath the Opera House. It had been like a dream world revealed to her eyes at first. Perhaps it was because this was the night of her premier as a real Primadonna, perhaps it was seeing Raoul again after so many years, perhaps it was the appearance of her Angel of Music in flesh and blood before her disbelieving eyes… She had felt lightheaded as she heard his deep sensual voice and looked into her Angel’s eyes.

But, wait… He was no Angel… She made an effort to understand what that strange masked man was trying to say to her, until she saw it; the mannequin which looked exactly like her, dressed in a wedding dress. Now, she was truly scared. She had finally understood what he was asking of her.

Christine couldn’t possibly accept his proposal, it would be unthinkable for her to live in that cave. What on earth was that man thinking? Probably, he wasn’t thinking much, otherwise he would never have brought her to that “home” of his.

Above all certainty, he was her teacher and she owed her success to him. However, that was the end of their “collaboration”, as Christine considered it. On the other hand she couldn’t deny that she owed him much more than the training of her voice. She owed him her sanity for all through those nights when she had been alone, crying, searching desperately for any sort of consolation from her empty solitude. Just then, in her hour of need, her Angel would sing her a song or he would simply call her name in that deep soothing voice of his and suddenly everything would return back to normal once more.

No! That man was not her Angel! Her Angel had to be the most beautiful creature of all and the man before her was not nearly as handsome as she had always imagined him to be. She had figured it out for herself the following morning. She had just walked up to him and removed his mask. She had been consumed by curiosity to see what he was hiding beneath that mask, what his face actually looked like. Perhaps he was right to be as angry as he had been.

The flesh on the right side of his face was horribly mangled! She had only caught one glimpse of it and she was certain she would never find the strength to look at him directly again. How could he possibly think she would ever be able to love him with a face as distorted as his!

Christine couldn’t believe the Phantom had tried to convince her that she could actually get used to his deformity and even manage to love him! What was he thinking? She had almost everything within her grasp; fame, glory, beauty and the prospect of a luxurious life by the side of a noble, young, handsome and rich Viscount. She couldn’t possibly throw all of that away for a man who had nothing to offer her except singing lessons and a good ear for music. Perhaps if he were more… normal? His appearance, his passion, his blatantly obvious infatuation with her, truly enchanted her but scared her nonetheless.

The Phantom had gone to such great lengths to win her favor, he had even composed an opera for her to star in. However, by that time Christine had already made her choice. The young Viscount was hers for the taking and with him she could see materialize before her everything she had ever wanted. Money, power, social stature, extravagant clothing, magnificent jewelry; she would become the object of envy for all women and the aim of desire for men of all ages.

The only problem was that in order to dupe Raoul into marrying her she would have to assist him in plotting her mentor’s demise. Raoul appeared to believe that the Phantom would do anything to keep her as his and in the end he had been proven right. What Christine could now acknowledge as the desperate cry of a lonely man who had only needed someone to call his own had in fact been deciphered as the ravings of a lunatic who had killed a stagehand merely to prove his point. The fact of the matter was that Christine could still remember the desperate cries of some of the girls Bouquet had raped. In reality, the Phantom had finally put an end to the torment of numerous women and Christine had many a time overheard some of those ballet rats say that sick man’s end had been long overdue.

In all honesty, she had not agreed to the plan against the Phantom with a clear conscience. She might have cried in Raoul’s arms, asking to be excluded from his plot, but she had never believed that the Phantom would keep her in his lair forever against her will. After all, her teacher had proven her words wrong when with a kiss from her lips he had allowed her and her lover to go free, granting her her heart’s desire. And Raoul, sweet, gullible Raoul was all Christine could ever have hoped for.

During the three years of their married life, whenever she would disagree with her husband because he was unwilling to cater to her extravagant desires, all she had to do was remind him of that night at the Opera House when the Phantom had dragged her back to his lair and made her choose between himself and her childhood sweetheart. A few pointed words were all it ever took to stop Raoul from fighting with her and start consoling her for the torment she had undergone to save him from that mad man’s wrath.

She could still remember boarding that boat beside Raoul and the hurt look her fiancée had given her when he had caught a glimpse of the Phantom’s ring on her finger. She had instantly made up her mind then and there. Excusing herself for a second, she had walked back to the broken man who was now weeping bare of his mask, his only shield to the outside world, to give him back his ring, the last remaining symbol of his bond with her.

As she had handed it back to him, the Phantom professed his love for her one last time. Without casting him a second glance, she had turned her back on him, the heart-wrenching figure of a man who had lost his last hope, to follow her future husband towards their joined life together.

That night she had forever been rescued from her poverty, from that sinister place which had served as her home and prison for almost her entire life. In that Opera she had become acquainted with the dark world of the arts, where everyone, especially young girls, had to follow orders of the most peculiar kind. She had to live, work, eat and share the dormitory with every girl in that place. Christine hated that; it was not a suitable place for her to live in. She had always known she had not belonged there. She had always known in her heart she was better than all of them.

Now she had everything she had ever wished for; everything but happiness. She had never felt truly happy, even after the many struggles she and Raoul had undergone to get married; even when her husband surprised her with the finest gowns and jewelry; even when she admired herself in her mirror at night, looking more beautiful than ever, her handsome husband waiting for her in their marital bed.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her reveries as Raoul came behind her and encircled her waist with his strong arms.

“Christine, please talk to me, I cannot bear this any longer. What are you talking about? Who is back?”

“The Phantom. He has returned and he wants me back!” she cried, turning in his embrace and hiding her face against his chest.

Raoul couldn’t believe his ears. How could this be possible? That monster was supposed to be dead and now he had returned to claim his wife back? He frowned and embraced his wife tightly, as if his arms could protect her from any harm.

“Don’t cry, my love.” he whispered softly, trying to console her. “Please, calm yourself and tell me all that has happened.”

Christine recounted to Raoul everything that had transpired up to the night of that fatal ball. When she reached that point, she began to cry miserably once more.

“No, my love, please try not to upset yourself and help me understand what is going on.”

“Oh, Raoul! It was awful! Seeing him again after all those years! I am so afraid!” she whispered between sobs. “He wants me back Raoul. He threatened to abduct me again. I ran as fast as I could and fled that place immediately. I couldn’t stand to be another minute without you. Oh Raoul! Please hold me!” she cried dramatically.

“Shhh, my love, I am here now. You need to worry no more. I will protect you.” Raoul whispered as he held his wife in his arms lovingly.

“Raoul, it’s not only that. I’m afraid he is set out to take his vengeance upon us in any possible way… I am afraid he has cast his spell on your dear cousin, Marianne…” Christine muttered looking down.

“What? What does Marianne have to do with all this?” Raoul demanded, taking hold of her shoulders, as he tried to look into her eyes.

“I think she is in love with him. She was constantly talking about him and… when I tried to warn her before I left her estate she almost threw me out of her house!” Christine stated indignantly.

“It can’t be! Marianne is an intelligent woman; she would never fall in love with a deceitful man such as the Phantom. He is not worthy of her in any way. You must have been mistaken.”

“Well, so I thought at first; our discussions in your aunt’s estate were most interesting and she appeared to be a very logical woman. But, Raoul, you should have seen her when I warned her about… him. She became furious and she wouldn’t even hear another word from me. I felt so… unwanted there, I had to leave that place immediately! I had to be with you, my love!” Christine cried, confessing half the truth to her husband.

“You did the right thing Christine.” Raoul took her hands into his and kissed them tenderly. “I cannot believe Marianne would behave in such an abhorrent manner towards you… I simply cannot believe it…” Raoul muttered.

‘Oh you will, my love… I will convince you. It will not be that hard anyway! Your cousin is so in love with my Angel, no one will believe her word against mine!’ Christine thought to herself, leaving her place beside Raoul and holding her head high while she walked towards the fire place. ‘No one will dare to speak to me in that manner ever again! I will take my vengeance on both of them. Erik has chosen her over me! Who? That fat, ugly, old hag will not have Erik… even if it kills them both! I will not stand for this!’

She turned her attention back to Raoul, who was now sitting on the sofa, looking more troubled than ever.

“I have to do something about all this.” he said as calmly as he could muster, looking up to her. “I have to go there! I have to end this madness once and for all!” he cried as he stood up and strode over to where Christine was standing.

“My love, please, I beg you to reconsider your actions… I cannot bear the thought of losing you again from the hand of that… monster!” she continued, playing her role perfectly.

“There is nothing to reconsider, Christine. You are in danger again! From what you tell me that beast has almost caught Marianne in his claws! I cannot just stay here and wait for the worst to happen! Don’t you see that?” he cried, almost losing his temper, a little hurt from Christine’s lack of confidence in him. “I will go to Rouen!”

‘This is it… everything is going as planned… yes, my love, go and destroy them! They deserve it!’ she thought, the worried expression never leaving her face.

“Oh, Raoul, please… But, if that’s what you consider as the best course of action, go! I have faith in you! Be careful though! I believe he’s more dangerous than ever! And I don’t mean that in a physical way…” she paused for a few seconds, Erik’s manly, powerful figure dominating her mind once again. “You will hear terrible things from Marianne’s mouth! She is so enchanted with him, I am sure she will utter horrible things, even about me!”

“What could Marianne possibly say about you?” Raoul inquired, taken aback by Christine’s words.

“Well… she became outraged when I tried to convince her about the imminent danger she was facing by befriending such a deranged man, she openly accused me of something horrible…” Christine lowered her face and tried to appear hurt at the memory of Marianne’s words.

“Marianne accused you? Of what?” Now he was truly apprehensive.

“She accused me of wanting him in my life again! Can you believe that! She accused me of something even more terrifying Raoul… She believes that having seen him again, I want to leave you and go to him! She has gone mad, Raoul! And it is all his fault!” Christine hid her face in her palms and started crying once more. Could it possibly get better than this? Acting was not so difficult after all, and apparently she was a natural talent!

Raoul approached his wife and encircled her in his arms. Of course he believed her. Every time she became upset or nervous, he knew it was due to that awful experience she had gone through three years ago. He kissed her forehead ever so lightly and spoke softly.

“You need to worry no longer, my love. I would never let something like that happen to you for a second time. I assure you, I will take care of the matter. There is only one way to be done with him, once and for all!”

“Please Raoul, be careful! I cannot live without you!” Christine took him by surprise, as she kissed him as passionately as she could. She broke their kiss and looked deep into her husband’s eyes. “I have missed you Raoul…” she whispered in an inviting manner, kissing against his neck softly. “I need you so…”

He was taken aback by her actions, giving in to her charm. “Oh, Christine, it has been so long… I want you…” he lowered the sleeve of her dress so that he could get better access to her perfect, creamy shoulder.

As that night Raoul made tender love to her, Christine’s mind screamed only one name.

Erik.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: We would like to thank BlackRosePhantom once again for her reviews and her suggestions/corrections and to all of you who take time to read our story.

BRP thank you for the warning, but since our story is not very... Christine-friendly (although we decided to "transform" her character into an evil one, we enjoy very much reading good E/C stories; blame it on our imagination...) we don't think that anyone would like to copy it...
- 27
- 28
- 29
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

No Easy Way