Phantom of the Opera One-Shots

Raoul and Christine

{Author's note: Each part will be titled simply with the ship/character/scenario the one-shot is about, unless otherwise stated. For this one-shot, I'm sure many of you will notice that Philippe is alive when he technically shouldn't be, and is unaware of circumstances that, in the novel, he would've been a part of. However, for this particular scenario, I needed him alive and there was no way around this. So yes, it's not canon, but it's just for fun ;) I hope you all enjoy it!}

The rain poured from the sky. How appropriate, Christine thought. After all the tears that had been she that night, it only made sense that the heavens themselves would join in the weeping. She wouldn't have minded the rain, really, if she could've been inside somewhere observing it from a window. It would've felt cleansing after all she had been through. But with her and her husband-to-be outside, alone, and homeless, it was only another problem. Christine was freezing, and Raoul had done all he could to keep her dry, not worrying for a moment about himself, but even so, she was soaked to the bone.
"Raoul, what are we going to do? We can't stay out here all night, we'll both catch our death of colds! We have to find somewhere." Christine said, letting out a pitiful cry as she did, which caused Raoul's heart to break.
Raoul took her hand, gently massaging it with his thumb, and nodded. "Yes, Christine, I know..." He murmured. If only I had more money with me, he thought to himself. But what little money he had left was simply not enough for anything. Money had been a constant struggle ever since he and Christine had become engaged. Had his brother been more understanding of his love for Christine, money wouldn't have been a problem. If only...
And then he realized. His brother. He wouldn't welcome them back home with open arms, of course, but surely, surely he couldn't deny him one night in the house with Christine. Not after everything that had happened. Philippe and his two sisters had practically shunned him when he first announced his engagement to Christine, but this was an emergency. Surely he would still have enough love (or at least, pity) for him to let him stay for one night. The next day, he could go to his friends and borrow enough money to leave. That was all he needed, just enough to get him and Christine safely out of Paris. Away from him. He was confident his brother would comply, making his new plan the best they had.
"Come, Chistine, I know where we can go." He said, tightening his grip on her hand and hurrying briskly down the street, leading her along behind him. Christine was curious, but she was also desperate, and so she followed along and asked no questions.
Finally, they reached the large, wooden door leading to Raoul's family home. Christine instantly felt her stomach drop. She knew Raoul's brother hated her. Even if he let them stay, she would be terribly uncomfortable there, knowing he despised her. But the raindrops pouring on her head and the weight of the soaking wet wedding dress tugging at her hips were worse, so she still kept quiet.
"He'll let us stay here, Christine, I know he will." Raoul assured her, gently squeezing her hand. And with that he raised his fist and knocked loudly on the door. After a few suspenseful moments, it finally opened, and a young maid stood before them. She had been given orders to send Raoul away if he ever arrived with his new bride-to-be, but she took pity on them out in the rain, soaking wet, and clearly desperate, and brought them inside. She sat them down in front of a warm fire in a small sitting room, and then went searching for the Comte. Before long, he appeared in the entry way, looking very displeased to see them. He gave Christine a coldly polite nod and then, without a word, motioned for his younger brother to follow him into an adjoining office. Raoul glanced at Christine worriedly. In truth, he didn't want to leave her alone, not even for a moment. But she nodded her head, assuring him that she would be alright while he and his brother discussed their arrangements. So, Raoul reluctantly went in behind his brother, who then slammed the door behind them. He took a seat at the desk, motioned for Raoul to sit across from him, and let out an exasperated sigh.
"What are you doing here? I told you not to come back here with her."
"Yes, I know, and believe me, I didn't want to," Raoul sighed, running his fingers through his soaking-wet hair. "But you wouldn't believe the night we've had."
With slight hesitation, he began explaining to Philippe about the man who had been stalking Christine, how he'd made their lives miserable for so long, and how on that night everything had reached it's climax.
Meanwhile, Christine moved off the chair in the sitting room to get closer to the fire. Despite being inside for several minutes, she was still drenched, and desperate for the fire's warmth. Her concern for Raoul in the next room kept her mind occupied, and she tried in vain to hear what was being said. She was certain she had heard his brother's voice say, "What are you doing here?" when they had first went in, and she knew that was a bad sign. She assumed, however, that Raoul was explaining everything that had happened that night, and surely the man would have enough compassion in his heart to give them a little room somewhere, just for the night. Christine's heart filled with dread at the thought of returning out into the cold, and she silently prayed that Raoul would be successful in convincing his brother. Before she could even finish her prayer, however, she heard voices being raised in the next room.
"You were told before you ever got involved with her that the two of you would not be welcome in this home!" Philippe shouted, causing Christine to cringe.
"I understand that, I'm not asking you to welcome us with open arms! All I'm asking for is a room, for one night! We have nowhere else to go, don't you see?" Raoul replied, not quite as loudly.
"You brought this situation on yourself, Raoul, and I will not bail you out so you can throw your life away with that girl!" His brother replied, and Christine's heart dropped as she wondered... Was he really throwing his life away with her?
"If we were strangers off the street you would've had compassion and let us stay... And yet you feel nothing for us? For me, your own brother?!" Raoul asked desperately. Christine heard the hurt in his voice, and realized for the first time just how hard it was for him to lose his brother. He had always been close to him in the past, and now he would lose him forever. "And it's all my fault..." She murmured softly. She wondered how Raoul could love her so much, when she was taking away the only family he had.
The arguing in the next room continued, voices being raised louder and louder every minute. Christine felt like she was going mad, and she desperately covered her ears in a pitiful attempt to block out the shouts. She was overwhelmed with guilt that this fight was entirely because of her... She was the reason that Raoul was miserable in the other room at that moment. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
A small writing desk sat across the room, and she went to it, searching the drawers until she found a little piece of scrap paper and a pen, and began writing. Five minutes later, she had finished her note. Setting it neatly on the chair where she had been when Raoul had gone back, she took one last, longing look in the direction where his shouts were coming from... And then she left.
Before long, Raoul had enough of his brother saying such horrible things about Christine, and he angrily stormed out of the office, saying, "Alright, fine. You don't want us here, so we'll leave. Gladly."
But when he came out of the office into the sitting room, Christine was nowhere to be seen. In the spot where he'd left her sat a folded up note. His hands began shaking as he picked it up, his mind filling with dread. I knew I shouldn't have left her alone... He thought. Now what could she have gotten herself into?
He nervously unfolded her note and began to quietly read aloud, mumbling the words under his breath.
"My dear Raoul,
Tonight I realized for the first time just how much you're giving up by marrying me. I know how much your family means to you, and I've thought about it and decided I can't let you lose them because of me. Philippe is right. You'd be throwing your life away with me. I can't let you do that. So I'm leaving. It's better this way. I love you... And I always will.
Goodbye, my love.
Christine"
Raoul's frustration with himself was nearly too much to bear. How had he not realized Christine could hear every word that was being said? That the argument would upset her? He turned to Philippe, shoving the note into his hands.
"Christine heard us arguing and now she's run off. I've got to find her... She isn't herself tonight, there's no telling what she might do. Philippe, I know you don't want me to marry her, but please, you have to help me. Just loan me the carriage so I can look for her, that's all I ask. Please, if you have any compassion at all."
After a moment of hesitation, the Comte finally nodded his head and quickly called a servant, giving the order to prepare the carriage.
"I don't approve of your marriage to her at all, but even so, I wouldn't want the girl out there hurting herself."
Raoul shuddered at the thought, and he tried not to imagine what Christine might be doing. After saying a quick "Thank you," he ran outside as quickly as he could to the waiting carriage. At first he told the driver just to drive down the street- perhaps she hadn't gotten far. But she was nowhere to be seen and it became evident that she was probably a good distance away.
"Where could she be?" He asked himself, overwhelmed with anxiety, frustration, and, most of all, fear. He closed his eyes and tried to think, Where would Christine go if she were alone, overwhelmed, and upset? He was about to give up, until one memory came to him.
When Christine was afraid to sing for the Phantom's opera and had run away crying, she had fled to the roof of the opera house for comfort. She had said she was trying to recapture, or at least remember, the moments when they had professed their love, when she had forgotten her problems and everything seemed perfect.
Finding her there now would be a long shot- the chances of her going back to the opera house after everything that had happened there that night were slim- but it was the only idea Raoul had, and so he reluctantly told the driver to head toward the opera house.
"Are you sure you want to go there, sir? Rumor is there's a crazy man there on a bit of a rampage." The driver warned, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, I know, I was there. But my fiancée may be there. And we need to hurry so please, go!" Raoul ordered, growing more anxious by the moment. If she was there, there was a chance that he could be lurking.
The opera house was several miles away, but sensing the urgency, the driver got them there quickly. Before the carriage had even come to a full stop, Raoul jumped out and hurried up the steps to the giant door. But the door had been locked; everyone else had gone home, much too afraid to stay where the Phantom still was. He craned his neck and tried to look up, to see if he could get any glimpse of the rooftop, but it was far too high, and with the pouring rain, it was impossible to see. Losing hope, he began backing down the stairs, but as he was about to turn around, he noticed something: a broken window. True, it could've been broken during all of the havoc earlier that evening, but it could've also been Christine. Without a second thought, he climbed through the window and squinted to see in the dark hallway of the opera house until he vaguely spotted the staircase. He ran up the many flights of stairs as fast as he could in the dark, and finally reached the top floor. Down the hallway was another staircase, the little wooden one leading to the roof. The door at the top was open. Breathing a sigh of relief, Raoul raced up the stairs, and there she was. Huddled up beside the angel statue and crying her heart out. She looked up when she heard Raoul's footsteps, and once she saw him, she was unable to hold herself back from running into his arms. For a few moments, they just stood there, weeping together, neither one saying a word.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Christine!" Raoul finally said, not pulling back for fear that she might vanish from his arms.
"I'm sorry, Raoul, but didn't you find my note?" Christine asked, having to choke out the words between sobs.
"Oh, I found it, but I refused to accept it."
"But your brother-"
"Nevermind my brother!" Raoul interrupted, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Christine, forget about my family. Forget all of them. I don't need them. I need you, and if I have to lose them to have you, then so be it."
Christine smiled through her tears- the first time Raoul had seen her smile that night. "Raoul, do you mean that?"
"I've never been more sincere about anything in my life." Raoul assured her, gently rubbing her shoulders. "Now come on. You're going to get sick if you're out in this rain much longer."
"But we still have nowhere to go." Christine murmured dejectedly.
Raoul let out a sigh and nodded. "We will figure something out. But for now, we have a carriage. It'll be dry in there, at least. I have to return it to Philippe, but perhaps he'll let you sit by the fire for a few moments to warm up before he sends us away."
Christine nodded silently, too weak, cold, and exhausted to argue. Raoul led her down through the opera house, being as silent as possible, lest the Phantom hear their footsteps.
They rode silently in the carriage back to the house. Raoul watched Christine intently the whole way, but she hardly noticed. She was completely lost in thought, staring out the window at nothing in particular. It worried Raoul, seeing her so lost and exhausted. How he wished he could take better care of her that night...
When they finally arrived at the house, he took her hand and led her out of the carriage, and to their surprise, Philippe was waiting for them in the doorway. One look at Christine, soaking wet, sniffling, and exhausted, and he called for a maid.
"Take her upstairs and dry her off. She is unwell, put her to bed immediately." He ordered. The maid obeyed, gently touching Christine's arm and motioning for her to follow her. Christine, confused, looked to Raoul for direction, and he nodded, signaling her to go. She was far too exhausted to ask for a further explanation, and the idea of a warm bed was too appealing to argue. Once she was upstairs and out of sight, Raoul turned to his brother for an explanation.
"Philippe, what is this about?"
"I had a change of heart," Philippe replied quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I realized for the first time tonight just how much you care for the girl. I always thought you were only following through with your plan to marry her because you were too stubborn to back down, but tonight, when you found that note and thought you'd lost her... It became clear to me for the first time how much you love her. And I'll admit, I'm still not thrilled with it, but... I will support you. In fact, you have my blessing."
Raoul was hardly able to contain his joy or his gratitude. Though he wouldn't have told Christine or anyone else, losing his brother truly was hard on him- harder than anything he had ever faced. Now that he had his brother's support it was as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Philippe, thank you, that means more to me than anything." He said sincerely, smiling eagerly.
After giving a brief recap of what had happened- where Christine had been, how he found her, and how he convinced her to come back- Raoul said goodnight and retired to bed. Earlier that night, things had seemed so bleak. But now... With Christine safely asleep just across the hall from him and his brother's blessing on their marriage, things finally appeared to be looking up.
In all the excitement of the night, Raoul hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. It was so late, that it was actually early into the next morning, and a small smile appeared on his face as he glanced out the window and noticed the sun just peeking out from the horizon. It seemed to be saying, "Have hope. Everything will be okay now."
And as he drifted off to sleep in his bed, he knew that was true.
Everything would be just fine.