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An Old Fashioned Dream	By : LillyFair Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 3171 -:- 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.

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In the depths of every soul lies fury.

*****

Raoul had always been divided when it came to Christine’s career on stage, part of him wanted to stand up and shout that’s wife isn't she wonderful, but the other part wanted to conceal her voice and her past from the world, because of the notorious reputation of stage women.

The past couple months she looked as if she had been dying on the inside, but now she looked alive and ready to triumph over the world. Maybe she just needed this, after all he had taken her out of everything she had ever known and thrown her into an existence of which she knew nothing.

As he watched from the manager’s box, he observed her empty her heart into the music, but it appeared to be more than her heart. He couldn’t explain the feeling that overcame him while he watched her. It almost was if she was in the middle of a passionate encounter in which he was an intruder, but that was crazy that was impossible. It was at that moment that he realized he didn’t even know his wife intimately. Sure they had engaged in lovemaking but that was only a small portion of real intimacy. He knew nothing of her thoughts, ideas, joys and fears she was but a stranger to him. They had a childhood history but he knew little or nothing of her adult life.

During her standing ovation he decided he was going to get to know his wife, as a lover, as a woman, but most importantly as a person. They would start out fresh and finally put all those atrocious memories behind them, even the ones that he himself have caused.

He grabbed his cloak and seemed to almost fly to her dressing room. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, it was time let Philippe rest in peace and to start to live the life that he had always promised her. He would do anything necessary to make her understand how much he loves her.
He knocked on the door but didn’t hear any response, so he slowly opened the door.

He saw her staring with longing at the mirror while reading a note. She put her hand to the mirror and stroke the glass, and he shuttered at her words.

“Erik, you will always be so much more to me than mere memory.”

Why had he even bothered to “rescue” her from him in the first place, she would run right back to him in a second if she knew where he was. This was too much for his mind to comprehend; his wife didn’t love him, she never had and this proved it. He had to confront her, there was no other choice, he had to find out the truth.

“So once again you have given yourself to that monster.”

“Raoul!” His name came out in a whisper. She could scarcely breath. All of her strength had been knocked out of her at his arrival;. His strong footsteps that echoed through the room reminded her of his fragile state of mind.

“Perhaps you would once again like to steel into the night with your brilliant maestro.“ Raoul's anger was boiling along with his temper, if he could just keep control but his mind, his mind would not allow him to focus on anything but his rival and his wife.

"Raoul please! You don’t understand!” She slowly backed away from him, she felt like Desdemona fleeing Othello as he neared her. Unconsciously she grabbed Erik’s rose and held it in front of her to shield her from his anger which probably wasn’t one of her smartest ideas.

“Well, well, well, look at this a white rose tied with a black ribbon, he was pleased with you once again. You know what amazes me Christine, you haven’t sung a note in over six months, yet you walk onstage and instead of appearing out of practice, it appears that you have only improved; almost as if you had a private instructor.”

Raoul came closer to her and grabbed her by the shoulders to face him. Taking her by surprise she dropped the vase and watched the crystal pieces shatter to the floor.

“Tell me Christine, have you been seeing him behind my back.” Christine looked at him in fear and surprise at what he was accusing her of.

“No! Raoul I have been with you every waking moment, how can you accuse me of that? Read his note if you don’t believe me, I have not seen him since you carried me away.” Raoul walked away from her and read the note. As he read his note his heart leaped for joy he was telling the truth. She hadn’t betrayed him; she had been heavenly true.

Christine left Raoul, who was reading the letter over and over almost trying to burn the words to his memory, and changed out of her costume.
When she had put on her normal clothes she knelt to the floor to try to save the rose and whatever was left of the vase but it was as if fate was against her; for Erik’s ring fell out of her dress and landed directly at Raoul’s feet.

Christine looked up with an expression of terror as Raoul slowly picked it up; she tried to explain how she received the ring but it didn’t matter the little control he had of his mind finally snapped.

“This is Erik’s ring is it not! Tell me how you got it.” He kept repeating those words over and over. She watched his eyes gloss over, she knew he didn’t know what he was doing, but she couldn’t defend herself, he started to shake her so violently that she could not do anything but scream.

At the sound of her high-pitched scream Raoul was jolted back to reality, unfortunately the shock made him throw her backwards directly into the mirror. She crashed into the mirror her head causing the glass to shatter. Her eyes stared straight forward and closed before she fell to the ground causing the shattered pieces of crystal and glass to pierce her delicate ivory skin.

Raoul collapsed at the floor to look at her lifeless bleeding body on the floor, and he began to shake as so many emotions ran through him at once. He couldn’t have killed her, he didn’t mean to.

“Christine…no” He tried to pull out some of the glass, but it was just causing her to bleed even more.

He still held Erik’s ring in his hand, its brilliant sparkle began to mock him as if to say that he had rescued her from a monster only to be given to another and now she is dead.

Tears fell from his face how had he allowed his mind to fall so far, how could it have been possible. Only a year before he had been carefree begging his brother to let him marry Christine. When did he turn, when did he become nothing more than the creature he vowed to hate?

Sitting next to his bleeding wife, his tormented mind returned to when it had all begun.

*****************************Flashback**********************************

" We must hurry", replied Raoul, "We really must leave." Raoul tried to listen to what Erik said but the sound was so muffled that he couldn't make it out. His first priority was Christine, he wanted to take her as far away from Erik as he possibly could.

After being with Erik in his house he realized that his emotions and feelings were far too unstable, he could change his mind and refuse to let them leave at any moment. Why the Persian wanted to stay with him was totally beyond him.

As if it was to obey his wish Christine slowly but reluctantly turned toward Raoul and walked toward the exit. The moment she stepped toward him he grabbed her arm tightly causing Christine to gasp with pain. When they were safely out of Erik's house and on the shore of the lake, he pulled her close.

"I'm so sorry Christine I just want to leave and get out of here as fast as we can."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave Raoul?" Raoul just stared at her in disbelief, he couldn’t believe that she was saying this to him, he nearly drowned in a torture chamber and watched his future wife in the arms of another man, and she wanted to know why he was in a hurry to leave.

"Why am I in . . ."Raoul lowered his voice just in case Erik would overhear them.

"Christine, my love, how can you be so calm about all of this. You know as well as anyone how that monster is. After what he has done tonight you know that he is beyond the edge of reason." Christine turned to Raoul in anger not knowing from where it came.

"You know absolutely nothing of Erik. Erik is the most kind and gentle person I have ever met. How dare you even think that he is insane? Erik is and has been a good man and a good friend. I will never think anything otherwise.” Raoul realized that Christine, being through a heavy ordeal herself, was not thinking very rationally at the moment, so he did the only thing he was able to do; he again took her into his arms.

" Christine, I never meant to hurt your feelings. I know Erik has been your friend for a very long time but I can't help being jealous of that. I have never been sure of anything in my life but I am sure of my love for you. That is why I can't stand you being close to any other man besides me. No one has been secure in my life but I want you to be. I will not rest until you are hopelessly and completely mine."

"I love you Raoul and I always will no one will ever change that. After we leave here together I will belong to you for the rest of my life but I can’t erase the past because you can’t handle it. Christine slid her arms down his chest and raised herself to kiss him, but before she did she noticed that she still wore Erik’s ring.
"Raoul, before we leave there is one more thing I must do here first." Raoul was curious and at the same time angry.

"Christine what the bloody hell must you do now!" Christine was already by the door that led to Erik’s home.

"I must go to Erik one last time."

"No, Christine! Please, at least let me come with you!" Christine motioned for him to stay there.

“No Raoul, this is something that I must do alone.” With that she disappeared into the house leaving Raoul baffled, angry, and curious before he decided to follow her.

"I am sorry, my love, but I just can not trust your good friend Erik."

Raoul stood in the shadow of the doorway and watched Erik and Christine. He watched Christine give back Erik's ring to him. Then he saw her throw herself into Erik's arms and engage in an embrace that was so much more than a goodbye. Raoul couldn't bear the first kiss and that had only been to save his life, or so he had thought, now it looked as if she really did love him.

He could not watch any longer; he left them and returned to the shore of the lake, contemplating weather he should leave her or not. Christine arrived moments later her eyes full of tears.

"I am ready to go Raoul,"

"Good!" Raoul took hold of Christine's arm. This time when he heard her startled cry he did not relinquish his hold upon her.

************************End Flashback******************************
Raoul’s mind returned to the present, where he sat next to his bleeding wife.

"Well Philippe it appears you were right, marrying her did cause me nothing but heartache. That monster has taken you from me, and now he has taken her. He shall not go unpunished.” Raoul gathered Christine’s body treating it as if she were a sacred temple. He cleaned up the glass and the blood, and prepared to carry her out into the night unnoticed. Dismissing the carriage driver for the evening, he drove the carriage himself to carry out his mission.

“Well my dear, you may not have known what happened to Erik, but fortunately for me I do.”

Raoul had known for months where Erik had been. Being in a social circle where everyone knows everything about one another has its advantage. The big mystery was that the old abandoned estate outside of Paris had been purchased, renovated, and lived in but no one had ever seen the owner. It was only when a friend’s severant’s daughter had seen him and spoke of a white mask did he decide to find out the truth.

With a few coins to the servants of the house he found out all the information that was needed. They told him that their master was never seen, and that they were employed and paid by a man named Jules. Raoul was sure that the owner had been Erik, there was no mistaking it.

Erik didn’t appear to be doing any harm, so he left him alone. If he would have killed Erik, surely Christine would have found out about it, and it would have caused her pain. As much as he had hated him, he didn’t want to hurt her.

Now he has killed her, and that knowledge brought fresh tears to the young man’s face.

"Erik will pay for destroying our lives."

"Well my dear Christine since the romantic demon loves you so much he shall finally have you, but not in the way he would have chosen.”

Raoul parked the carriage a good distance away from the house and carried her body on foot. He had to put her someplace where Erik would truly find her, and that’s when he saw the rose garden, the perfect place for her. The bushes were dead because of the upcoming winter and some of them were covered. He laid her body in the midst of them.

“I’m sorry my love, it is I who has betrayed you by my anger. I have been angry with him for so long that I took my anger out on you, the one person that meant more to me than life itself, but fear not. Wherever you are angel, I will get even with him; bringing him your body is just the beginning. I will make right by avenging your death.

Raoul took out Erik’s ring and placed it upon her finger, then he fired a gunshot into the air and vanished into the night as the first snow of winter began to fall.

Erik flew out of his house Punjab Lasso in hand and ran toward the direction of the sound, when he got to the garden he stopped and nearly collapsed when he saw her body.

“Christine! Oh my God! Christine! Erik flew to her side and tried to help her. The snow that started to fall landed on her body and instantly became saturated in the warm liquid. Her body was once again bleeding; he could not see her breath in the cold, nor feel warmth in her body.

"Oh Christine, you are now one with God’s angels. He bent over her and tenderly kissed her bloodstained lips but stopped when he felt warm in them, she was not gone, not just yet.

“Whoever left you here to die will pay dearly with their life.” He gently lifted her from the rose bushes and felt her stir in his arms. She looked up into his eyes startled by the warmth of his arms; she thought she was dreaming.

“Dare I dream, can it be my Erik, my love.” That was all she managed to say before she again lost consciousness.

She must be delirious thought Erik and he carried her into his house and up to her room determined to keep this angel on earth with him.

******

Thank you to everyone who reviewed....aren't you glad that I didn't end it with a major cliff Hanger.

Angel Marie I love constructive criticism I think it really helps me as a writer. Thank you
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An Old Fashioned Dream