Understanding (Phantom of the Opera AU)

Childhood friends by the sea

A/N. I recently watched and fell in love with the Phantom of the Opera. I love everything about it, except the ending. Now, I don't approve of the Phantom's actions and threats, but I still believe that he deserved a happy ending. Raoul is a nice guy (I know EC lovers love to villainize him) but I don't think he should've had Christine in the end. Christine is the saviour the Phantom needed, without her, he may never get a redemption. So after days of thinking and reading EC fanfics, I've decided to come up with my own universe where all the characters from the musical got a happy ending.

And so, this story was born. I hope you guys enjoy it since I put a lot of effort and love (more than I did in my past stories) into writing. And please, if you have the time, leave a comment. Comments always motivate me to keep writing, which will be good for the readers who do want this story to continue and be completed.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own the Phantom of the Opera. It belongs to Gaston Leroux (original novel) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (musical rendition). Please buy the book or tickets to see the live performance (I know I will one day when I have enough money).

Ch. 1: Childhood friends by the sea

"My scarf!" A young Christine Daae cried as a sudden gust of wind blew her new red scarf from her neck and towards the open sea.

Immediately, a young boy runs after the flying scarf.

"I got it!" He shouts as he dashes into the water to retrieve the scarf, floating a couple of metres away from shore.

"Raoul, be careful!" Christine cried.

The boy in the sea, Raoul, successfully grabs the scarf but another gust of wind causes a large wave to form, pushing the boy off his balance. He tumbles through the water.

Christine shouts for help. And less than a second later, another child enters the scene.

This child, a boy with scruffy dark blonde hair, takes to the water and begins swimming towards a struggling Raoul. He helps Raoul stand up and aids the two of them back to shore.

Soaking wet from head to toe, they made their way to Christine who accepted the wet scarf.

Without a second wasted, she led them back to her house where she called her father.

"Papa! Papa! Please bring down some towels!"

Monsieur Daae exits his practice room and upon seeing the two boys dripping wet on his foyer, rushed to bring them to the living room. He and Christine wrapped them in towels and poured hot water for both of them to drink.

"There, there. It's all ok now," Monsieur Daae comforted as he dried Raoul's hair. "How did this happen?"

"It's my fault, papa!" Christine confessed. "My scarf got blown to the sea and Raoul tried to get it and then..."

Christine trailed off, realizing that she never got the name of the boy who went to the sea to help Raoul.

The boy faced Christine and smiled as he introduced himself.

"Olivier...Olivier Koenig."

Christine and Raoul both looked at Olivier with grateful eyes. Raoul was the first to reach out to him with his hand. "I'm Raoul de Chagny."

"And I'm Christine Daae," Christine chimed in.

"I'm Gustave Daae," Christine's father added. "Where do you live, Olivier? I'll tell your parents about your predicament and for a change of clothes."

"NO! No thank you," Olivier suddenly burst. "I can get back home myself just fine. Thank you, Monsieur. And my apologies for yelling."

Monsieur Daae just smiled and nodded his head. "Ok. Raoul, shall I tell your parents to bring you some clothes?"