Love Never Fades

A Frantic Search

"What do you mean he's gone? Where did he go?" Erica asked the hotel manager. 

"I don't think that is my responsibility to know where Mr. Daae went." He kindly said, looking bored with the conversation. Erica looked down at her stomach, a confused look on her face. The information she had gotten wasn't wrong, just a little bit too late. "If it makes you feel better Madam, he left only 20 minutes ago, and they didn't check out." At that she perked up. 

"Could you tell me the room?" the Phantom asked, the manager shook his head. 

"I'm afraid not, against our policy." he said, and Erica could tell he wanted her to leave the hotel, but she needed to find Christopher, or she would have to raise the child on her own, not that she expected M. Daae to take her back after leaving that night. But what else was she supposed to do? - lie to herself, and to Chris, and say everything was fine with their relationship? No, she wouldn't do that. She only wished to tell him, and see what he would do. 

"Then may I wait here Monsieur? Or is that against the hotel's policy too?" she asked, trying to be as polite as possible, though a little put off at the situation. After three months of searching for Mr. Daae, she finally found him, what would happen now? You could now tell that Erica was pregnant, and she wore trousers with black riding boots, and her usual white blouse, which was tight now with the baby bump. Three months had passed, and she was six months into her pregnancy, and Erica grew anxious for the arrival of her child.  Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in soft curly waves that fell out of the braid she had put it in that morning. 

"No, you may wait here, though, I don't know what time M. and Mme. Daae will be back." Erica smiled a kind smile. 

"I guess that is what I get for leaving him!" she said softly to herself, making the manager confused. "Sorry, and that is fine, I'll just wait." Then the Phantom turned abruptly to sit in a high backed chair across the room in a sort of sitting lounge. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour, then two, and three, four... six hours, still no sign of Christopher Daae or his wife. After about 12 hours of waiting in the small sitting area, the manager came up to her, an annoyed look on his face. 

"You can either get a room Madam, or leave, you have been here too long, and are starting to freak out some of our other guests." Erica nodded, it seemed only natural that they would be freaked out. A short, pregnant woman with a white mask would indeed cause some commotion in the hotel filled with elegant, and renounced guests.  

"May I get a room?" she asked standing, the manager looked pleased. They walked slowly to the counter, where Erica bought a room under her fake name Ms. Y. "Thank you Monsieur, for your kindness." 

"My pleasure Madam, and may I say, have a pleasant night." Erica nodded taking the key from the manager's outstretched hand. A melody, the same melody as when the Phantom was in the doctor's office, came into her mind, and she stood there puzzled at the haunting melody. 

"Do you perhaps, have a piano I may use?" she asked, the song rising and falling with every breath. 

"Yes we do, on the second floor sitting area." 

"May I play it Monsieur?" the Phantom asked, her fingers itching to play. 

"Of course mademoiselle." He said smiling, "The instrument hasn't been used in a while, and it would be wonderful if music filled the halls." Erica smiled bowing her head slightly to say thank you to the man, he nodded back, and she turned to walk up the stairs. 

The piano was beautiful, a baby grand, sleek black, Erica's favorite next to the grand. She sat, adjusting the stool to be more comfortable for playing. And the song took over, nothing else mattered, only the unearthly melody floating from her fingers. The baby kicked a bit, making Erica slump in pain, but continued to play nonetheless. 

"Honey, we need to go right now." A stern female voice said from downstairs. 

"Why, my love?" And instantly, Erica knew the voice of the man who spoke. It was Christopher Daae and his wife Rose. She jumped up from the piano, racing down the stairs, ready to see Chris, ready to apologize to him, except, not ready to hear what he had to say. 

"Can we just check out?" Rose asked tugging Daae's arm. 

"We need our stuff first, and where would we go, my love?" 

"Anywhere but here." she said in a stern voice. Erica caught a glimpse or Christopher's tall form and froze. How could she face him? After what she had done to him. 

"But he needs to know." the Phantom whispered to herself, taking a step into the lobby. "Christopher?" She asked in a soft voice, making him freeze up. "Chris, I have something I need to tell you." Erica said taking a step closer to him. 

"No you don't, you don't have to tell me anything." Christopher's voice was hard and cold, he didn't even turn to look at Erica, who was holding her stomach protectively. 

"Mr. Daae, I am sorry for all I put you through, but I need to tell you something. In private." Erica said stepping, yet again closer to him. Without hesitation, Chris had a hold of Rose's arm, and was dragging her through the door of the hotel, he yelled over his shoulder, 

"Send our bags to the return label of the note I leave you." He said to the Manager standing in shock at what just had happened, and then he was gone. Out the door, not even giving a glance in Erica's direction. She stood there stunned, not knowing what to do. Taking a shaky breath, she went back upstairs, into her room, and cried herself to sleep.

She left the next morning, not speaking a word to the manager who stared as she walked away. Erica got onto a boat heading to America again, and traveled home, not knowing what else to do. "I am sorry my child." she whispered to her stomach, looking over the railing of the boat to the stormy waters below. She had tried to face Christopher, tried to do what she though was right, like she had always done in everything she did.                 

*-*--* 3 months later *--*-*

A scream cut through the silent night. Matt Giry frantically ran down the slick steps into the Phantom's layer. "Erica!" He yelled racing to her bedroom. He entered the room to see the sweaty, pain stricken woman laying on the small bed. She screamed again, holding her stomach painfully. "Erica! Are you okay?" He asked leaning over the small woman.

"The baby is coming!" She screamed, scrunching up her face in the pain. Her mask had fallen off, and her deformity was left in the open. It didn't scare Matt Giry, not anymore, he had fallen to appreciate the struggles the Phantom went through because of it, and said nothing to the woman on the bed. 

"What do you want me to do?" he asked frantically, looking her over. 

"Take my hand." she ordered, and he did as she said without hesitation. Erica squeezed it as hard as she could, hurting Matt's hand in the process, but it helped her get through the pain, and that is what Matt wanted to do for her. After about an hour of excruciating pain, the baby was finally out and wailing loudly. "Bring it to me." Erica said gasping for breath, "I want to see it." Matt did as she said and handed the small baby to the Phantom. 

"It's a girl!" Mr. Giry exclaimed, a large smile spreading across his face. "Congratulations!" he said kneeling next to the small bed. Erica let out a small cry as she held her child to her sweaty chest. 

"She has no deformity, thank you God!" she whispered looking down at the small thing.

"What are you going to name her?" Matt asked laying a hand on the babies head. 

"Her name will be Gabrial Alice." The child hushed it's crying and started to sleep, snuggled in it's mothers protective arms.