Erik and Christine: Loves Secret (A Phantom of the Opera Story)

Chapter 45

At the Giry's House later that night. Meg notices her mother in the parlor sitting down by the fire. "Mother, what are you doing up so late?" asks Meg.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied.

"Me too."

"Why?"

Meg sits down next to her mother and sighs as she thinks carefully about what to say. "Mother. I need to tell you what happened at the marketplace."

"Ok," she replied as she faced her daughter.

"When Eliza, Christine, and I were at the marketplace, we thought someone was watching us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when we were about to leave, Christine was shaken up by something. When we asked her what was wrong, she said that Erik was there too."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Did he follow you -"

"No, he didn't," Meg interrupted. They glance away by looking at the floor and then back. Madame Giry takes a deep breath and asks, "Do you think he knows about the -"

"I don't think so," she replied. "She was holding to a teddy bear and a basket in her arms and was wearing a coat." Madame Giry looks away as she feels conflicted about the event. Meg lightly touches her mother's shoulder. "Mother, do you think we should tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Erik interrupted.

Madame Giry and Meg turn as they see Erik at the archway of the parlor door. He enters the room and stares at them. "The truth, perhaps?" Erik suggests. "Or some lies about what I must have seen in the marketplace?'

They stare at him, shocked to see him there. Seeing that Erik is angry, Madame Giry calmly asks, "Erik! What are you doing here?"

'Madaline. I want to know the truth! Where is Christine? I know I saw her with Meg!"

Meg turns to her mother as she knows they can't lie to him anymore. "Mother, I think we should tell him. He needs to know the truth.

Madame Giry turns to Meg and replies, "I know, but I promised Christine I wouldn't tell."

"Why?" asks Erik in a rageful tone. "Because she is more like a daughter to you?! I trusted you, Madame!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Madame Giry replies. "If there were a moment to where I could go back and convince her not to leave, I would. This hurts us just as much as it does for you."

"Madame, I'm not going to ask you again..." Erik demands as he walks towards her and gets into her face. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Meg turns to her mother as she sees that she is shedding a tear. Madame Giry looks away from Erik. "She is in Burgundy," Madame Giry replies. Erik takes a step back and is shocked by her answer. Blinking several times and stuttering, "Burgundy? Why?"

"Because she knows there's one place in the entire world where she can feel safe and have people to count on not to hurt her," Meg replied. "Where her childhood began. A place where she feels like home."

"Meg, there are numerous places in Burgundy that she could be hiding."

"Erik, you went to Burgundy even before the marketplace. You went for a wedding and returned the day after she left Raoul."

"I know that, but the only place I can remember going to in Burgundy was..."

He pauses as he has a realization. He turns away. Madame Giry and Meg look at each other. "Wait a minute. She's been living in her uncle's mansion, hasn't she? Why didn't the family open the door?"

"Because they knew about what happened between you and Christine."

"Who else knew about it?"

"Besides us and her uncle, her cousin Charlotte and her husband Alex...and Raoul's stepmother and his father."

Erik looks away briefly, then turns back to Meg and her mother and says, "I'm going to see her but to apologize. I need her to know how much I care about her and tell her how much of an idiot I was for saying those things that I shouldn't have said."

"I think that's a good idea," Meg replied.

"Meg, how is she? Christine?" Erik asks with pleading eyes.

"She's alright, but she does miss you. She just won't say it because she wants to do what is right for herself."

Erik glances down, confused by what Meg meant. Then he heads to the door to leave but turns around to ask another question. "Oh, one last thing. Is there something that she didn't want to tell me?"

Meg hesitates but answers, "Well. There is, but I also promised her that I wouldn't say anything. Just talk to her. She will tell you."

"Ok. Well...goodnight." Erik turns around and leaves them.

"Goodnight, Erik," Madame Giry replies.

"Goodnight," Meg replies.

As soon as Erik leaves, Meg then turns to her mother and takes her hand.

Madame Giry raises her eyebrow at Meg and asks, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"It's something that she needs to tell him herself," Meg replied. "If I told him, he wouldn't probably believe me."

"True. I just hope everything works out for them."

"Me too."

Later on that night, in Erik's lair, Erik is packing a few things when he stops and looks at a drawing of Christine. He sighs and sits down, and prays. "Please help me, Lord my God. I need your guidance more than ever. To prove to Christine how much of a jerk I was to her. I just pray that within time, she will forgive me. I know I don't deserve it. But if it is in your will, just give me the courage to tell her. "

At the same time, in the Daae Mansion, Christine is looking at the moon outside the window. She sighs and then looks down at her stomach as she feels the baby moving. She places her hand on her where the baby is kicking and says, "Oh, my little one. How much I miss your father. I know I shouldn't, but I love him. And I miss him more than anything in the world. I hope that he'll understand why I did what I did."

Later that early morning, under the still pitch-black darkness, Erik is on a horse making his way to the Daae mansion. Hoping that Christine is alright and that he will see her so that he can apologize and get some answers on why she left.