Disclaimer: I honestly don't own Phantom. . .yet. . .:) Author's Note: I can't allow the throwing of chairs, now can I? Therefore, I must write on to assuage my audience! Much love and many thanks to my reviewers, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Feedback: Always welcome, always appreciated. *Raoul's POV* As the sun rose in the East, it became clear that the upper hand had been lost. Perhaps, I still hoped, perhaps they were still in the cellars, or had not yet attempted to return to that infernal house by the lake from wherever they had gone to last night. Deep down inside, however, I knew that I had little to hope for, that Erik had won again. Deep down inside, I knew that it was for the best. Luckily for my ambition, I had long since learned to ignore my conscience. The drunken trio of would-be murderers came sauntering back into my house around noon. They were defeated, outmatched, as I should have anticipated that they would be. They did, to their credit, look genuinely apologetic, truly ashamed of their failure. The lead man slinked forward, his eyes cast down, his face unreadable. "They must have escaped before we set the fire, Monsieur le Vicomte, for we saw no sign of them above or underground last night and this morning. Surely, the Phantom would not stalk the city broad daylight, Monsieur." "Surely, surely," I repeated busily, redundantly. I stood up, and began pacing about the study like a madman, "but perhaps it is still possible to trap them if. . ." "Vicomte," the man boldly interrupted, although he still avoided eye contact, "the battle is lost. The Phantom has bested us, Monsieur." "Indeed, for now," I said, nodding furiously, my hands beginning to tremble, "but he has hardly won yet, Gentlemen, he has hardly defeated us yet!" "Vicomte," the man said dejectedly, fear obvious in his voice, "they are gone. We don't even have a starting point for a search, much less a feasible plan to defeat the monster." "I see," I said furiously, "I see where your loyalties lie! You ungrateful street urchins! Leave me now!" "But, Vicomte. . ." he muttered, almost helplessly. "Now!" I interrupted, dismissing them with a brusque motion of my arm. They left quickly, silently. As they left me, I realized how completely alone I was, and not knowing what else to do, I grabbed my wallet and tucked my pistol into the waist of my trousers. I might have lost the battle, yes, but no matter what happened, I would not lose the war. *Erik's POV* I awoke early, before the dawn, to prepare for the day ahead. Still, it seemed quite unreal that this day had come at all. Never had I dared imagine that I would find someone who would accept me, much less want me, much less love me. I looked at Christine in the waxing light of the false dawn; never had she seemed more beautiful, more perfect. Her hair was sprawled out across her pillow, her hand lay carelessly on the pillow and her lips were gathered into a pout that made her look utterly angelic. The sight made me smile, and the knowledge that she was mine - that she had chosen me willingly - took my breath away. I left the room unwillingly, forcing myself to turn away from her momentarily so that I could soon turn to her forever. For today, she would become my wife. My wife; words I thought I would never have cause to say, a notion I thought I would never have cause to cherish. Still, it was beginning to feel natural; Christine and I, we were as one. When she kissed me, I felt the pain of my entire life leave me in a flash of light, as if she was the panacea I had always sought out vainly. As if she was the purpose that my life had always lacked. I walked into the sitting room to find Nadir awake, awaiting me; it seemed he knew me to well after all these years. He looked up, and as I moved to sit opposite of him, and he said, "So it seems we shall have a wedding today, at long last?" "Yes," I said, "but. . ." "How did I know that?" He interrupted knowingly, "well, this is a rather small house, and you were rather loud in your excitement, my friend." "I see," I said with a small, exuberant laugh. "I assume you want me to go retrieve a priest who is willing to perform the sacrament and hold his tongue afterwards?" Nadir said, a smile spreading across his face. "Yes," I said eagerly, "yes, that would be. . .wonderful. Indeed, please do." Nadir simply nodded, and stood. He grabbed his overcoat, and without any further word or motion, he left for the nearest church. I sat back against the couch, placing my hands behind my head, a small sigh escaping my lips. The sun was finally coming up now, I could see the orange haze of morning through my closed eyes. I heard a noise in the adjoining room, and I turned towards it, opening my eyes. The door opened, and Christine stepped out, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looked up at me, and she smiled. "Good morning, my love," I said, entranced. "Good morning," she yawned, smoothing the wrinkles in her dress as she sat. Curious, I thought, that this was the morning of her wedding, and she sat in a slept in dress, her hair long ago fallen, her eyes shining through her obvious tiredness. Curious, yes, but marvelous and wonderful, too. "Is Nadir up as well," she asked quietly. "Yes, but he is out," I said simply. "Where has he gone at this hour?" She asked curiously. "To fetch a priest, of course," I said, looking at her with a mix of apprehension, anticipation and adoration. All at once, she seemed quite awake. She smiled and got up, coming to sit beside me. "He has?" she prodded. "Yes," I avowed, "He has." After a moment, she smiled at me. That, it seemed, was the only response I needed. To be continued. . . |
| Light in the Darkness |