Music of the Night: The Phantom of the Opera Returns (Guile & Melody)

[Guile]

The news stunned him into silence for many moments. However, it wasn't a bad thing - inside his heart was just too full for words. His eyes told how dazed and confused he was, but at the same time, how happy - tears started to fall once more down his cheeks. He allowed her to remove his mask and kiss him, to which he was still stunned into passiveness. It took him a few more moments even from then to move or speak, but when he found his body still worked he looked his love dead in the eyes and, through shaky words, told her how he felt. "Christine, my love...this is fantastic news! I just...I wasn't sure I heard you right." He laughed and more tears fell. "I'm so happy...I can't explain..." He cut off his sentence and, with tears still streaming down his face, he placed his hands on both sides of her face and pulled her lips to his in a passionate kiss that he prayed would tell her how he felt better than his words could.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine stuck her tongue out, mouth open in a gag. "Gross! Please wait until I leave to do that!" She hid her face. Forgetting how badly her father was hurt, she flinched at the sight of his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." She sighed as she watched, hoping they saw the apology as being rude toward the kiss.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom pulled back from Christine to look at Catherine. He didn't tell her, but he knew why she was really apologizing. He just smiled at her in understanding and simply said, "it's alright, dear." He turned to face Christine and smiled at her, hinting through his eyes at her not to call attention to the real cause of Catherine's apology - if Christine was aware of the real cause.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine felt immensely guilty now. She had seen him before, why was now any different. In a way, she cursed herself for having the beautiful features she did while the man that gave her these features was in so much pain. Christine understood this too. She had gotten so used to the Phantom being this way. "My love,..." She spoke to her daughter, "you must not be scared." Catherine couldn't look at her father. She had hurt him.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom stepped away from Christine and knelt down near Catherine - allowing enough space between them because he knew how frightening he did look and he didn't want to frighten her by getting so close. He spoke to her in a soft tone, reaching out to her with his words and his hands. "Do not fear me, my child." He asked of her. "I understand if you are disgusted, even a bit unnerved, by my appearance. I will forgive that - how could I not? I know the extent of my deformity - I couldn't ask you to accept it so quickly and easily. I just ask that you not fear me, your father, as a person. I love you and, though my appearance makes me out as a monster, you know I would never hurt you. Don't you?"

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She sank to her own knees, head looking down at the floor and not meeting the man's face. She still felt a stabbing pain in her chest. "I'm guilty of such atrocious feelings toward the man that brought me here." She whimpered quietly. "I'm not scared of y-you." She entwined her fingers with his, finally looking up and still not allowing him any closer. "Please, forgive me. I am still being rude to you after knowing you so long. I know not why I act this way. I have seen you before." She kept a foot of space between them. "To be honest, my love, I was frightened of your father at first." Christine expressed her own feelings as she reminisced taking the Phantom's mask off the third time, how she fell to the ground and stayed there.

 

[Guile]

"Catherine, my child," he held tightly to her hand to comfort her, "it's no sin to be afraid. I understand your feelings, believe me, please. It doesn't upset me. I love you dearly, and I will be glad to wait patiently until the day you can look upon my face and not shy away from me. Until then, I promise to keep my mask on while around you, if that's what you wish."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"But, Father, they did not come from you. They had no reason to feel guilty about this. They had no reason to respect you." She saw his hands shaking and realized that it was not his, but her own hands that were shaking like mad. "I do love you. You know that as well, I'm assuming." She had tears. "Do not hide yourself from me. I must learn to accept your face. It was cruelty that gave you such a disfigurement and I shall rot in hell for sinning against my flesh before I ever believe that they meant you no harm and refused to accept you."

 

[Guile]

"Catherine, please, don't say such a thing!" He whispered, tears forming at finally seeing the extent of his daughter's grief. Chancing rejection, he inched closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, keeping the deformed side of his face turned away from her the best he could. "I know you love me and I love you too much to see you so filled with grief as you are. Please, darling, do not feel bad - there is no need for you to fret. I beg of you, do not dwell on this. I know one day you shall accept me, and I promise that I will love you the same then as I do now: unconditionally."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She froze, feeling slightly uncomfortable with how close this wretched scar was. She was furious with herself. "No, Father. Not this side." She said with finality. She released him slightly, kissed his forehead, eyed Christine's smile and pressed her cheek to his burned cheek. "This side is just perfect for this situation." She reached her arms around him, hugged her father, kissed his cheek and felt Christine do the same from the opposite side. "Catherine?!?" Someone called from round a corner. It was the boy that had been watching her at the ball, but she didn't pay him any mind. "Papa, hide, please!"

 

[Guile]

The Phantom was lost in the touch of the two most important women in his life. He couldn't have been more happy. He kissed his daughter on the head and kissed Christine on the forehead, his love for them pouring out of his heart and overflowing through his body. When, suddenly, someone called out to Catherine. Confused, the Phantom wished to stay and question Catherine about her visitor, but thought it wise to listen to her. He hid a ways down the hall in the shadows.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The brunette haired, green eyed sixteen year old came quickly to embrace the girl. "My God! Are you alright?" He asked, concerned as he searched her arms and skin for bruising. "Yes." Catherine answered awkwardly. "Um, if you wouldn't mind my asking, who are you?" The boy didn't look surprised. "I wouldn't expect you to remember me. We were so young when I had to go with my mother." Christine, hiding behind her lover, smiled. She knew who this was. It took the child a while longer to register this. "William!" Catherine jumped into the boy's arms and he spun her.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom watched this exchange with confusion in his eyes. He glanced back at Christine with a look that asked her who that boy was - as he could see in her eyes that she knew - but he knew they couldn't speak, for fear of being found out. He looked back at the boy once again, spinning his daughter around - he knew he had never seen him before in his life. He already liked him a lot better than Edward, however, he had to admit it still stung a little to see his daughter in a young man's arms.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

He stopped spinning her long enough to let her adjust her eyes and mind again. He set her down on the ground. "I've missed you more than anything." He entwined his fingers into her hair and leaned in to kiss Catherine. Her heart went a thousand miles an hour as his lips pressed against hers. "I've missed you even more than that, William." She laid her head on his chest and shut her eyes. Christine's voice was soft. "William van Sergey. Childhood friend." She giggled to herself. "It looks like more than a friend/friend relationship now, though. Your little one is growing up right in front of your eyes."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom listened closely to Christine, but could not take his eyes off of William and Catherine. His heart ached for his little girl - who was turning out to be not so little after all - but he also saw how happy she was with William. He didn't know this boy too well, but Christine seemed to and he trusted her judgement. She was a good mother and would not knowingly allow some boy that did not deserve her daughter to kiss her. The Phantom didn't know why, but he liked this William fellow, though inside he had to admit he wasn't ready for his little girl to be grown up just yet. He had just gotten accustomed to holding her in his arms - he didn't know if he was ready to let her go so soon.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I've waited a long time to hold you in my arms again." von Sergey whispered in Catherine's ear. The daughter of the Opera Ghost and Miss Daae blushed and kissed him back, letting her tongue in. This was much better than her Juliet kiss. "I've missed you as well, my love." Catherine answered through her kiss. "Should I stop them?" Christine had her hands on the Phantom's shoulders, ready to take action. "I saw your exquisite performance as Juliet and couldn't believe that this beautiful creature is the same curly haired, freckle faced child that threw me in the mud." Catherine looked down, then up as a blush came to her cheeks. "You must get over that."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom gazed out over the two with a devious twinkle in his eye: he knew exactly how this moment felt for both of them. As much as he wanted to keep his daughter to himself and Christine, he knew he had to let her live her life. If this was the boy she chose to be with, then so be it - he seemed like a decent young man. The Phantom shook his head and looked at Christine. "No..." he whispered, "I think we should let them be." He smiled at her. "Let them have their moment."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine smiled at them as well. "Very well, let us go home then." "I would be glad to stay here with you." Catherine smirked. "You took my doll from me and pulled my hair." William returned this look. "You must get over that, dear." He argued.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom almost let out a laugh at the two - bickering sweetly and flirting with one another - but he stopped himself. He took Christine's hand in his and wrapped his other arm around her as he led her further down the hall, through the shadows, and back home. He couldn't stop thinking about how bittersweet this all was: in the same day he felt he had just lost a child, he had also learned his love was expecting another.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine, being led by her lover, blushed. "What do you want to do?" She picked up some glass and trash that laid on the ground and tossed it onto a pile of trash in the corner. "It won't be safe for a baby here with this mess." She picked up still more trash. Catherine kept talking and joking with William, until, of course, Edward had to make an appearance and glared at William, who stood protecting Catherine. "Make a single move toward this girl and I will smite you where you stand." Will glared sideways, standing between the two and looking down the hall as he spoke. Edward laughed. "If it's a fight for Daae you want, a fight it shall be!"

 

[Guile]

Unaware of the fight going on above, the Phantom slid his arms around Christine from behind her and kissed her neck. "I know, darling. I don't want you to worry yourself over it - I will clean it up myself. You don't need to be doing that for me." He told her with a smile on his lips, though he was serious. He had never dealt with a pregnant woman before and didn't want her exerting herself too much.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She breathed deeply and held his face to her neck and turned into his body. She laid against him, curled up on his lap, and thought about her future. "I am not too far along. I can help you for a little while, my teacher." Both boys had swords at their hips. They were definitely real, for they glinted in the light above. "I will give you a warning once again. After that, you get nothing." William laughed. "Leave us." Edward knew he was outmatched, but cared not. "Stop!" She stood between them and kissed Edward. "I'll go with you, but, d-don't hurt him!" The blonde considered her. "We have a deal, my love." Edward kissed her neck.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom held her close to him, smiling. "Not a chance, my dear." He chuckled as he kissed her softly on the lips. "I wish for you to do no more work than what is required in keeping our child healthy." He ran his hand down and over her stomach - though there was no obvious sign that she was pregnant, the Phantom could swear that he could sense his child within her. A thought crossed his mind that had not before and a stroke of fear overtook him. "Christine?" He asked her, concern seeping into his tone. "Catherine is a beautiful young woman. Well, what I mean to say is that she's..." he didn't know how to put his fear into words, "normal - like you." He swallowed hard, wishing he could take back his words. He didn't want to frighten Christine, but now he had to confess what was on his mind - she was a smart woman, she had probably already figured it out. "What if this child ends up...looking like me?" The last sentence or so came out in a forced whisper - he couldn't bare to think of the guilt he would feel if that were to happen. He didn't want to be the reason his child grew up hated just like he had - he wanted them to live normally, like Catherine and Christine.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine was confused. "The only thing he would inherit from his father is everything beautiful about him. His voice and his kindness and love of music and looks other than what humans have cursed him with." She put her hand on his. "Do not despair, my Phantom." She kissed his cheek. In the other hand was her lover's mask, which dangled loosely at her side.


Catherine was led away. Looking back at William, she had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She was pulled outside of her home and into a carriage. The vehicle rode on to the same shack that had previously housed Edward's sister, Anastasia. "You will stay here until Annie receives your part from you, then we can stay together." He got ever closer and kissed her. "Forever."

 

[Guile]

'You are too wonderful, my darling." He told her with a smile. His thoughts drifted from her, to their youngest child, to Catherine. When, suddenly, he realized that he didn't know why she hadn't come back to them yet. "Christine?...Do you think Catherine will be back soon?" He sounded concerned - certainly she wouldn't...go off with William and...well, he couldn't bare to think of that. She was too young!