Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ghosts of the past.


Passing bells
and sculpted angels,
cold and monumental,
seem, for you,
the wrong companions -
you were warm and gentle . . .

Erik paid the driver and helped Danielle down, out of the carriage.

It was a dark night, however the stars made an appearance by twinkling brightly overhead. Holding a small gloved hand tightly within his own, they walked through the gates of the cemetery and continued on their journey.

"Papa, why did we come here tonight? We came last week, did we not?" Danielle asked him.

"Yes my sweet, but you see, tonight we are not here just to see your mother, I have someone else I must say goodbye, too." he said squeezing the hand as he looked down into her eyes.

"Oh... I'm sorry papa, then may I go see maman by myself then?" She asked.

Erik hesitated. She was so young, but it was not like anyone was going to try to take her away from him in the dead of night. No one could possible be around this late and he was a force to be reckoned with if anyone ever harmed her. He would have to let her out of his sight one of these days.

"Do you know the way there?" He asked her a bit worried.

"Oh yes papa." She said already gently letting go of his hand and skipping a short distance away.

"I will be there in a moment Danielle, do NOT leave the presence of your mother's grave, alright?" He said sternly.

"Yes papa, I promise I won't."

Erik smiled and watched her continue to skip away. Christine's grave was only a short distance from here anyway, it wasn't like he couldn't see her if he looked hard enough.

Turning around he took off the fedora that covered his head and looked down to the grave in front of his feet.



GIRY
1827-1887



"Well Madame, I see I outlasted you, hardly a fate I would of chosen years ago." He said to the stone in front of him.

"I am sorry I could not attend the service, however I'm sure it was full of reverence to this God fellow everyone speaks of highly. Surely you will be able to fill me in if he exists or not, you were always good at keeping me up to date." Slowly he knelt down and placed the flowers he picked up on the ride there from his home.

"You were a good confidante, my old friend; someone I trusted implicitly. I never told you that I forgave you for the night you helped the Vicomte into my home. After all, if you had not, I would have never had her, isn't she beautiful?" He asked and looked far off into the distance to see Danielle standing over a grave talking to herself.

"You always thought she was when you came to me. You were the only mother figure in her life for some time, and she loved your visits, however few and far between they were." He said looking back down to the ground.

"I need to apologize that about Meg. I beg forgiveness from you that I could not find that damned husband of hers and kill him to bring truth to the lie we concealed. And you were right, I daresay, I would never have harmed you. I don't think I could of after all that had happened. I promise I will keep an eye out for her, and her son, Adrienne was it? He is three now, yes? My, how time flies. I promise I will keep a look out for them as you would do for Danielle if anything ever happened to me."

"Goodbye, Claudette Giry, I hope that whatever awaits you is peaceful." He said respectfully and bowed to the grave. Replacing the hat, he turned swiftly and walked towards Christine's resting place. As he drew closer he could hear Danielle's conversation to her mother.

"Papa misses you very much, too. Yesterday, I saw him sitting again by his organ not playing. I know when he does that he is thinking of you, because he once told me that I sing like you." She paused for a moment, and then continued, "Sometimes I really wish I knew you, knew what you looked like. I cannot lie and say I miss you, but I wish I could."

Erik took this opportunity to step out of the shadows and come to the girl's side.

"Are you almost finished, little angel?" He asked her, approaching her side.

"Yes papa, we can go if you like." She said taking his slim hand in her own.

Erik looked down at the tombstone that they were standing in front of. Even in death Raoul had pampered her. A headstone made completely of marble with an angelic statue gracing the top was his last gift to her, his best. He thought it was suitable for the woman he loved, something that Raoul for once, got right.



Christine de Chagny

1860-1883

Loving wife and mother.



Gently Erik kissed the statue and took a step back. He quickly fought back the tears that threatened to fall as the two lonely souls slowly began their trek back to the gates where they would be picked up by the cab.

"Did you have a good talk with your mother?" Erik asked Danielle indulging her a little.

"Oh yes, and you with your friend?" She asked.

"Indeed, what did you and she talk about?" He asked amused.

"Well, she agreed with me it's absurd you still wear the mask."

"Now Danielle..."

"But papa, I see no need for you to hide your face." She stated. "I have seen your face many times before, I do not fear it."

"You may say that Danielle, but you may not mean it." He said bitterly.

"Oh papa, when will you ever learn, I love you for..." The young girl said but Erik stopped dead in his tracks, no longer were they alone.

"Papa what is..."

"Shush..." he gestured and then led her covertly into the shadows by a tree.

Quickly, without thinking, he wrapped himself and Danielle within the darkness of his black cloak. It was then he saw the figure of a man come into sight. Instinctively, he leaned his weight against the trunk of the tree that they were taking shelter under.

He took this opportunity to relax, for he knew they would not be noticed. Nevertheless, if they made the slightest sound all it would take was some careful searching, and Dani and he would be found.

It would be even worse if the person were who Erik thought it was.

As though the man had heard Erik's thoughts, he turned slightly, showing enough of himself to confirm Erik's worst fear. It was like seeing a ghost emerge out of time to live again. It had been five years, five years and three months since he had seen that face. There had been a time when he had feared the power the Vicomte held over him. Raoul was someone of a weaker mind, and yet the young man always had the uncanny aptitude of taking the most precious things away from him.



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_/___\_
(*)_*

Too many years
fighting back tears . . .
Why can't the past
just die . . .?

When Madame Giry had visited him four and a half years ago, that fear had diminished upon hearing of his departure.

He had been dressing the baby Danielle when he heard her calling on the other side of the lake.

"Monsieur le phantom! I know you're still down here; if you had died you would have left me with a goodbye." She said nervously.

Erik sighed and looked down at the small baby smiling up at him. He could certainly call the old woman's bluff, for he knew there was no way she would have been able to cross the icy cold lake without the boat, but the fear in her voice pulled on his empathy strings. She had done so many things for him in her time; why not return the favour once more? After all, he had a child now to care for, what if something tragic happened. He needed at least one contact in the outside world.

"Erik?" She called helplessly and he struggled with what he was going to do. Should he leave Danielle here? Or should he take her with him? He decided it best to put her in her crib and be as quick as possible.

Swiftly, he put Danielle in her crib and went to the door of his home. Not even taking the time to put on a cloak, he quickly rowed over to the distressed woman who was looking for him.

"No fancy appearances tonight?" She asked calmly with a coy smile.

"No need Madame Giry, for what is the point in haunting if no one believes in ghosts?" He asked as he helped her into the small craft.

The row over was a quiet one, for Erik preoccupied with getting back to the house as soon as possible and Madame Giry was trying to figure out how to word her dilemma. Damn Meg ever getting mixed-up with that Audric! Now she was here, with Erik, the infamous opera ghost, trying to fix things up. As they arrived on the other side of the shore, she managed to pull herself out of the boat and wait for him to guide her inside.

He did so with subtle grace and ease making her wonder why he had been so silent as O.G. for so long.

"You seem to be quite cold Mme, would you care for some tea?" he asked briskly.

"No, I want to make this brief as possible, you see..."

Suddenly a small cry came from the bedroom.

"What was that?" Mme Giry's ear's perked.

"Nothing," was Erik's hasty reply only to have another, louder cry follow.

"I distinctly heard something M le phantom!" Mme Giry protested.

Annoyed and knowingly caught, Erik swept by her and headed towards Danielle's room.

Upon entering he found her standing up in her cradle waiting for attention.

"Can you ever be quiet?" he asked her defeated, only to have her giggle and pull off his mask.

"Not now, we have company," He mumbled and put her down to replace his mask. Finally, picking her up, he retreated back to the den to find a stunned Mme Giry.

"That... that..." She stammered.

"Is a child? Yes, I presume it is." He said holding Danielle close.

Angrily, Mme Giry advanced. "What is she doing down here? In a place like this?"

"She is being raised by me, it was Christine's last request, God knows why she would ever intrust her child to me." He said looking down at the soft curls of the twelve-month-old girl in his arms.

"You mean, that is the de Chagny child?" She said growing pale and placing her hand to her throat.

"WAS the de Chagny child Madame, was, now she is Erik's child, one who is properly taken care of." He said frustrated, why was everyone always so judgemental? Sure he had killed a few in his time, but not with good reason! He mused.

"That is not your child Erik, she belongs with her father! Unless..." She said growing paler. "Unless you were the culprit behind the estate fire." She said backing up in fear.

"Oh, for the love of... No! How typical! How ignorant of you, yes, you! I cannot begin to fathom that you of all people would think I would harm the one thing I held dearest. I would never harm a hair on Christine's head and you knew that. I let her go, I watched her like a hawk for one whole year, never jeopardizing my hiding place, never harming anyone. I watched her die!" He yelled tears filling his eyes.

Danielle began to make a whimpering noise like she did when she was about to cry, making Erik hush and calm her.

"I apoligize little angel, I didn't mean to scare you, hush, dearest Danielle." He said stroking her back till she rested her head in the space between his neck and shoulder.

"I watched her die, Mme Giry," He continued on a softer note, "I tried to save her, but the beam was too heavy. I didn't want to leave her, but she begged me to save Danielle." He said looking down at the baby in his arms.

"Well you did Erik, and you have done a wonderful job so far, but she belongs to the Vicomte, it's time to take her back." She said reaching for Danielle.

Erik panicked, no one was going to take her away from him. Quickly, he stepped out of Giry's grasp and walked to the other side of the room. He tried to control the feeling of murderous rage he had controlled for almost two years that was beginning to boil.

"I said I haven't hurt anyone in a year, and I would hate for that to change Madame Giry." He said looking at her with dark eyes.

"You wouldn't dare." She said nervously.

"Only if you try to take this child away from me, yes. I would hate to have to, however nothing is going to separate us, not that abhorrent Vicomte, not even you." He said looking down yet again at the precious girl in his arms.

"Even if I took her back, she wouldn't go to Raoul." The older woman said relaxing her posture and sighed, she held out her arms in a gesture of holding Danielle, and at first Erik hesitated.

"Why? Has that drunken stupor I have heard rumors of finally got the best of him?" He asked cynically. Although he knew deep down inside that if he did not have Danielle to care for, he would of dealt with Christine's death in the same fashion.

"Maybe, I wouldn't know: he left for America three months ago." She said, which made Erik relax enough for Giry to hold Danielle.

"Well then, what brings you to my humble abode?" He asked sarcastically.

"It's about Meg," She said, sitting on the divan.





See? it's a present day/flashback thing....... OH BOY! hehehe... I shouldn't insult you guys by doing that, of course you know its a present day/flashback chapter.

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