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Destiny Takes Time	By : GueritaSalome Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 19824 -:- 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
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Chapter 30 – Freedom

A smile instantly formed on Christine’s lips when she awoke to find Elaine next to her on the bed, squirming and alert. She touched her daughter’s forehead and was relieved to discover that the fever had left her.

“He did it,” she said softly as she caressed her baby’s cheek. “You’re going to be all right, darling.”

Christine instinctively looked around for Erik, but he had already gotten up and left them in the room alone. She propped herself up on one elbow to feed the baby, who had gotten her appetite back. Just as Elaine had finished nursing, he returned, apparently to check on them.

“I see that she is better,” he said with a warm, satisfied expression.

“Yes, she is. Thank you again for everything you’ve…”

“Seeing that she is well is thanks enough,” he interrupted, though gently, his eyes showing his sincerity.

Christine fixed her gaze on Erik so lovingly that he glanced down, unable to deal with the emotion she awoke in him. Damn it. How was it that she could still get to him so easily with only a smile and a simple look?

“I have food ready for you whenever you wish to eat and be on your way,” Erik said, not unkindly, but giving the impression that he felt she needed to leave and the sooner, the better.

“Thank you. I will have something now,” she said and eased herself up from the bed.

Elaine was now looking at Erik and continued to stare at him as Christine picked her up and carried her toward where he stood. He was glad that he had his mask in place, as he had no desire to scare the child after he may very well have just saved her life. His breath caught in his throat as Christine paused in front of him just before reaching the door. It was at this moment that Elaine leaned forward and held out her arms to him. Erik was so surprised that he didn’t know what to say or do. Christine sensed his uneasiness.

“She wants you to hold her,” she urged sweetly.

“Are you sure that it is all right if I do?” He was still practically petrified. What if he picked her up the wrong way, or she cried after going to him? It was natural that he should be nervous; he had not held a baby in many years.

“Yes, Erik, it’s fine. Actually, if you don’t take her, I think she will get upset, and you don’t want to hear her when she does,” she told him with an encouraging smile.

He gave a slight nod, and Christine placed her daughter in the safety of his outstretched arms. Glowing with happiness, she observed how carefully he took Elaine and held her near to him. He was still unsure of himself, but the baby looked content, placing her hand on his lips, trying to get to know him. Christine wondered if their daughter had wanted to be near him in recognition of his voice, or if perhaps it was the bond of blood, which called. The sight made tears well up in her eyes, and she turned her head so that he couldn’t see.

“Do you mind holding her just long enough for me to eat?” she asked as she took a step toward the door.

“It would be my pleasure,” he answered, clearly smitten with affection for the child in his arms.

Just then, Elaine knocked his mask to the floor. Erik froze, waiting for her to cry.
He was about to bend down to retrieve it when, to his amazement, she only laughed playfully.

“I don’t think you’ll need that, Erik,” Christine said, turning to briefly touch the right side of his face affectionately.

What a wonderful thing was the innocence of a child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine arrived back to the upper levels of the opera house without anyone noticing except Lynette.

“Madame, I was looking for you. How is Elaine?” asked Lynette, rushing to greet her when she saw her coming down the hall.

“Oh, she’s much better. Thank you for asking. Has anyone been inquiring as to my whereabouts?” Christine looked for the most part relieved, but at the same time, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was a little nervous.

“No, but I expect that you will be needed soon. I can take the baby for you now if you want.”

Christine handed Elaine to Lynette. She could tell that the girl was curious as to where she could have gone so early in the morning, even though she refrained from asking questions. No doubt, the relationship between her employer and Raoul had also seemed strange to her, but she never questioned that, either. If things got ugly, Christine felt that she could be trusted with the truth. After all of the time that they had spent together, she considered Lynette to be more of a friend than a maid.

Christine had been in her dressing room only for a little while when Raoul arrived.

“How is Elaine doing? I know you were very worried about her when I left yesterday.”

“She is better now, thank you,” she answered coolly while throwing him a disdainful glare.

“Don’t look at me like that, Christine. Whether you believe me or not, I do care what happens to your daughter.”

She turned away and didn’t reply. He could tell there was something about her that suggested her mind was elsewhere.

“Have you seen Erik again?” He couldn’t help but ask, although he wasn’t certain that he wanted to hear the answer.

“Why do you want to know? Is it just so that you can make good on your threat?”

“You have, haven’t you?”

When she didn’t answer, Raoul turned and left the room, not caring that he closed the door rather loudly behind him.

Later that day, while Christine was busy with rehearsals, Raoul seized the opportunity and returned to her room alone. Luckily for him, she never kept the door locked. He slipped in unnoticed and went to the mirror. He had seen Erik leave through it once. There must be a way to get it open from both sides. Without much trouble, he found the small mechanism along the outside of the frame and pressed it. The mirror released instantly, and he slowly slid it back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erik sat at his desk sketching a drawing when the soft sound of lapping water coming nearer caused him to raise his head. Someone was on the lake. This was most unusual, since Christine and Anne used another path when they came to see him. He turned in his chair to be greeted by the sight of De Chagny paddling the gondola. Regrettably, the portcullis was open, and the young man had already slipped by.

“Is there something that I can do for you, Monsieur?” Erik asked calmly.

The Vicomte didn’t speak until he had moored the boat and stepped out.

“What have you been doing with Christine?” Raoul asked, as he strode over to where Erik was seated and glanced at the picture he was drawing. It was of Christine and Elaine.

“Nothing,” he replied simply. “Why do you ask?”

His calmness was unnerving to Raoul who’d expected him to cower in fear at the gun that hung at his waist.

“Because she is my wife and I have reason to believe that you have been seeing her.”

Erik furrowed his eyebrow. “Why don’t you ask her these questions? Don’t you trust her to be honest with you?”

Though he refused to show it, Erik was quite pained. Christine had betrayed him by leading him to believe that she had truly loved him. Could she have been so cruel as to reveal his whereabouts to her husband as well? He could think of no way that Raoul could have simply found his way into the lair.

“I do trust her,” the vicomte answered bitterly. “It’s you I don’t trust. Besides, if you haven’t seen her then why are you drawing her picture? Just can’t get her out of your mind, I suppose?”

“If you’re so concerned, where were you when your child was ill?”

Erik reasoned that there was no use to continue pretending that he hadn’t seen Christine. If the man was going to kill him, then let it be so. He didn’t have anything to lose anymore. What he’d once believed was his had been lost from him in the cruelest way.

“I had business to attend to. I suppose that you were there keeping watch over Elaine?” Raoul asked, haughtily.

“As a matter of fact, I was,” Erik replied casually as he continued to draw.

This was clearly not what the Vicomte had expected to hear. “You were?”

“Christine came to me because the remedy the doctor gave her daughter didn’t work. She hoped that I could help her.”

“And you did?”

“Didn’t you see that Elaine is much better now? Of course I did,” he answered, as though the answer were obvious.

“And Christine didn’t…tell you anything?”

At this, Erik looked up with a puzzled expression. “What would she have to tell me? Her child was very ill, and I helped her.”

Raoul was silent for a moment as he considered what he’d just heard. It seemed that the man still had no idea that Christine’s child was also his own, and yet, he had helped her unselfishly. The young man felt a twinge of shame at the thought. Erik had lived for years in seclusion and darkness, and when he’d found someone who cared for him, he’d lost her, believing that she had simply abandoned him.

“I…I see,” Raoul said, somewhat calmly. “I think I’ve found out what I wanted to know.”

Erik only looked at him strangely as he left and couldn’t help but wonder why Raoul had decided to leave him alone. Could there be something more that the Vicomte and Christine were keeping from him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raoul burst into Christine’s dressing room later that afternoon without knocking.

“What is it?” she asked, startled.

“I paid a little visit to Erik,” he began.

Her eyes widened in horror. “You didn’t kill him did you? Please say that you did not harm him! What did you…?”

“Christine, please!” he interrupted when he saw that she was so upset. “He’s fine. We only talked.”

“You aren’t just telling me that, are you? You assure me that Erik is unharmed?”

“Yes, please listen to me. I think you will be interested in what I have to say.”

“All right then,” she answered, still worried.

“He told me what happened with Elaine, that you went to him hoping that he could make her better, and he did. Is that correct?”

She nodded.

“You did not tell him that she is his daughter?”

“Of course not,” she answered.

“Well, perhaps it is time that you did.”

“What…did you say?” she asked, certain that she’d misunderstood.

“He helped Elaine because she was yours. He is not the selfish monster that I had believed him to be. You really do love him, don’t you?”

Could she really be hearing this?

“Yes, I do,” she answered softly, looking down at the ground with tears in her eyes.

“You should tell him the truth. I release you, Christine.”

“Do you really mean it?” tears welled up in her eyes.

“Yes, and I hope that you will someday find it in your heart to forgive me for hurting you so. I promise that I will not bother you or try to interfere with the choices that you make from now on.”

She nodded, and he took this to mean that she would at least attempt to forgive him. He turned to leave, but she stopped him.

“Wait. I won’t be needing this anymore,” she said as she removed the ring from her finger and held it out to him.

He took it. “Good-bye, Christine.”
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Destiny Takes Time