The Phantom's Daughter (Book 2)

Beneath A Moonless Sky

Elise watched from the shadows inside the hotel, and waited until Raoul left the suite. She followed him down to the bar, and once satisfied that he wasn't going to leave any time soon, she gave her father the go ahead to visit Christine.
Although Elise wanted to be in the room with them, because she wanted to see Christine. She knew better than to eavesdrop on her father's conversation with Christine. Whatever they had to say to each other, was private, so Elise didn't want to interfere.
The next morning she headed straight for Erik's office, to enquire as to how well his visit with Christine went.
"Well?" Asked Elise.
"Well what?" Questioned Erik.
"How did it go with Christine? I expect she was shocked to see you"
"Shocked is an understatement, she passed out for a few moments when she first saw me".

"Wow, I expect you must have made quite the entrance then" admitted Elise.
"I may have made it rather dramatic, I admit" replied Erik.
"But she wasn't angry at you was she? She is still planning to sing tomorrow at the premiere, right?" Asked Elise, who was terrified that Christine would want to turn and run the minute she saw the phantom of the opera.
"She was angry at me for leaving her, but she will be singing tomorrow"
"That's good... When you say that she was angry at you for leaving, what do you mean? I thought she left you".
Erik sighed, "You remember that night, the day before Christine was to marry, when she saw you in town, and you brought her to me".
"Of course I remember that night. That was the last time I ever spoke to her" replied Elise.

10 years earlier, Christine had seen through one of the disguises she had been wearing in town, and insisted that Elise bring her to Erik.
When the 2 were reunited, Elise could tell that they wanted to be left alone. So she headed to another one of their safe houses for the night.
The next morning she was awoken by her father, who told her that they had to leave.
Elise had never asked what happened that night, because she did not want to know.

"Well, that night, me and Christine shared something special, beneath a moonless sky" revealed Erik.
Elise crinkled her nose in disgust, not wanting to know the details of what they got up to, "You don't have to say any more".
"Fine. After it was done, I watched her sleeping, and realised that I had nothing to offer her. I was also too ashamed of my face and what I was, so I left her, without saying goodbye" admitted Erik.
"Oh... So, she actually wanted to stay with you, but you were too embarrassed because you weren't as good looking as Raoul, so you just left her there"
"I wouldn't put it quite like that-"
"You've been pining all these years for her, when you were the one who left her. You could've had her by your side all this time, but you chose not to"
"I couldn't have had her back then. I had no way of supporting her. But everything is different now, and I am in a much better position than I was before".

"Things are different now, yes, because now, Christine is married and she has a son. Even if she loved you before, she would not give up her son now, to be with you. Of that I am quite sure. I may not have experienced a mothers love, but from what I've seen, it's the strongest thing out there. She will not choose you over her child. So I don't want you getting your hopes up, that she will abandon it all and come running into your open arms" admitted Elise.
"You don't know her like I do" frowned Erik.
"And you don't know her like I do. I shared a room with her for years. We hung out together every single day, discussing our thoughts and fears. You just stalked her from afar, there's a difference. I don't doubt that she cares for you, but I don't think she loves you more than her family".

"You know nothing of love. You are still very young" said Erik coldly.
"I am older than Christine was when you confessed your love for her and kidnapped her several times" snapped Elise.
"That was a long time ago" mumbled Erik.
"Yes, I know. Which is why you need to let it go. What happened back then, happened in the past. It cannot be changed or relived. What's done is done. You made your bed, when you left Christine, and now you have to lie in it. Christine is happy, she has a life, and I don't want you ruining it, to fulfil your own selfish desires. You have to let her go".

Erik said nothing, and Elise feared that she had gone too far.
"But, now that she is here, I take it that I can see her now" continued Elise.
"Do whatever you like. Don't let me stop you" muttered Erik.
"Thank you... I'm sorry it has to be this way. But maybe its for the better"
"Maybe".
Taking this as her cue to leave, Elise left her father's office and headed towards Christine's room.
But when she arrived, she found that the family had already left earlier that morning.
After asking around, she was directed to the rehearsal stage, where Christine had been heading.
So Elise took off, desperate to reconnect with her friend, after so many years.