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

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine took a while to realize what he was talking about. When she did, she turned her head around with such speed that her hair smacked him on the face. "Catherine?" She called, as if she could hear her daughter coming through the water. She jumped up. "Little Cathy, answer me!" She waded through the water as fast as she could to the lever that opened the gate. "I'm going to find her! She's just a girl!" Christine's eyes were gradually getting heavier and heavier with tears. She and the girl had never been separated without knowing where the other was. The gate was up. "I must go!"

 

[Guile]

The Phantom, jumping up in fear at Christine's sudden fright, ran out after her. "Christine, no!" He told her when he finally caught up. "I'll find her and bring her back." He decided. "I told you I don't want you worrying over trivial things - Catherine is a good girl. I'm sure she's just lost track of the time. Please, don't fret, my dear." He knew that Christine felt draw to her daughter and he figured that any second she would protest and ask to go herself. So, he added, "if you must go, at least allow me to go with you." He said, still making his way through the water.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine was still crying as she was locked in the building. Edward had no intention of ever letting his ex fiancee leave without a little pain to go along with it. Chaining her inside, he left and took out a match, setting the shelter ablaze. "Now, rot in hell with your precious father!" Catherine screamed as she saw the smoke come through the windows. "NO! PLEASE!" Christine stood still. "You're right, my love. She needs us both!" She pulled him along as quickly as she could.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom ran quickly beside Christine, holding tight to her hand. When they reached the world above they found Catherine gone, with William still where they left him, looking rather distraught. Without thinking about the consequences of exposing himself he went up to the young boy. "William! You don't know me son, but I'm Catherine's father. I wish to know where she is, please." Fear was starting to creep into his body and he felt rather anxious - as if he needed to find her as quickly as he could.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

William looked up and gasped. Taking a deep breath, he knew who this was, but at the mention of Catherine, he relaxed only slightly, for fear still consumed him. "Edward! Edward snatched her from my grasp!" He felt the hot tears coming forth, but quickly wiped his face. "I'm sorry, sir! Forgive me!" He hadn't addressed Daae. He was too ashamed. "She's in danger."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "It's alright son, I don't blame you - I blame him." He thought about where Edward could have taken her - he wouldn't have taken her to his home because that would be too obvious. After just a few seconds thought, the Phantom knew exactly where he had taken her. "Come, follow me!" He called, taking Christine's hand back in his. "I know where they've gone!" He took off running, pulling Christine gently behind him, towards the old, ramshackle building he himself had hidden in so many years ago.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

As their child continued screaming for her life, Christine became more and more distraught. "What if we can't get there in time? What if she's hurt!" She couldn't bare that either. "I left her alone and it will be all my fault! I allowed that sick Tremaine to take her as his fiancee, this is my fault!" Catherine looked and looked for an escape, until finally passing out from smoke inhalation.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom did his best to console her the best he could as they ran on. "This is not your fault, Christine. It is no one's. We will get there in time - I promise you." He looked back at her and gave her a look that told her he meant what he said: he would get to Catherine in time and save her from harm, or die trying. When they did finally reach the building, the Phantom was horrified to see it engulfed in flames. He eyed Christine, told her forcefully to stay back - he did not want her life in danger as well - and he began to look for a way in. The door was entirely in flames, so that was not an option, but as he circled around the side he found a weak section of the wall that was slightly charred and began to kick out at it. In one final exhausted attempt to break it, he threw his body forcefully at the wood and it broke, mercifully. Immediately, black smoke came rushing out, but he threw himself inside. Amazingly, there were barely any flames on the inside except for near the front door. He searched through the smoke for Catherine and called out to her. He received no response, but found his daughter collapsed on the floor. He hurriedly picked her up in his arms and carried her out through the same hole he had broken open to get in. He carried her - coughing tremendously - far enough away from the burning building so that they would not be in danger of it collapsing on them and laid her out on the cool grass. He immediately looked for signs of life - expecting the worst.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The wait was agonizing as Christine's two greatest loves were inside the building. With God showing her mercy, the Phantom escaped with a bundle in his arms. She saw him lay it down and screamed when she realized that her precious, one and only daughter was not responding. "NO! FATHER, PLEASE DON'T TAKE HER HOME!" Christine held her child to her breast and started weeping incessantly. "NO!" Her whole body shook as her temper rose. Holding her ear to the child's chest, she calmed. "Get her some water!" She set Catherine down at once as she started coughing. "M-Mommy?..."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom ran off, hesitant to leave the two alone, to a small stream nearby. It looked relatively clean and he scooped up some of it in the palm of his hand and tested it himself. Deeming the water safe enough for this emergency, he pulled from his back pocket a small flask and filled it with water. Running back to Christine and Catherine he thought about how horrifying it had been to watch Christine weep for her child that she had feared would die. It had brought tears to his eyes, and he had been stunned into passiveness. He prayed that something like this never happened again. Returning to the two, he kneeled down beside Catherine and placed one hand at the back of her head. Raising her up gently, he held the flask to her lips and slowly poured a little bit of water in her mouth for her to drink.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine drank slowly, until finally she coughed it up. She felt sick, sick enough to puke, but held back. Christine held her daughter's hand to her lips, praying silently. Cathy turned back around to face them. "Y-You came..." she wasn't surprised at that, but of how they discerned where she would be hidden. "Mama, Papa,....I didn't mean to do it. He made me go with him if William were to live." Christine let go as she saw the tiniest scar above Cathy's brow. "Mama, I know it's there " Cathy whispered before finally passing out again.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom placed the back of his hand lightly on his daughter's forehead and brushed her hair out of her face as she spoke. His heart ached for the poor girl and something inside him screamed at him: this all sounded quite familiar. His thoughts drifted back on when he forced Christine to stay with him - marry him - or threatened that Raoul would die. He felt ashamed once again and he shook his head in disgust at himself...and how much he realized Edward was like him. At least I let her be free. I would never have hurt her. He thought to himself - still, his past sickened him. Before he could respond Catherine fainted and he had to check for the rise and fall of her chest to make sure she was alive - however, her breath came out in rasps, which he knew at least he could tell that she was breathing. The tiny scar above his daughter's brow made him want to cry - he couldn't believe that this would ever happen to his daughter - his own flesh and blood. Of course, it was no where near as bad as his, but it was still a resemblance that they shared - a resemblance that the Phantom had never wished for them to share. "My poor little girl..." He cried as he picked up her frail little hand and kissed it.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine merely looked at the scar. This would be an all new factor to familiarize herself with. "Sh-She's alive...that is...all that I can ask for." She watched Catherine's chest rise and fall for a few minutes. "Promise that you will contain yourself and not bring this to attention with Edward. He will kill her if given the chance." Christine held her hand to the Phantom's face. "Swear that you won't do anything that will harm this family."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom looked deep into Christine's eyes. For a minute he wanted to refuse, but he knew that if he did it would harm his family. And he would rather die than have anything happen to them. "Alright, Christine. I won't. You know I would never do anything that could potentially harm any of you."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She stood, with her arms protecting her precious princess. "Come, we must get back quickly." She hid all of Caroline from view of anyone, not wanting ridicule so soon. "How do we get through this? How can she be on stage like this?" This thought pained the young mother.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom reached out his arms. "Here, I'll take her." He said softly, and took Catherine from her mother and into his own arms. He could still hear her breath coming in rasps. "Don't worry." He longed to wrap his arms around his love and console her - hold her close to him in comfort. "We will find a way, my dear. Nothing will change too much - she will still be a beautiful singer and marvelous actress. But, right now we must get her home." He started to walk beside Christine towards home, and though he had meant what he said about Catherine, he had some doubts that he didn't want to admit.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

They had finally made it twenty minutes later. Elizabeth was in ruins at the thought of her best friend dead. William felt a surge of guilt. "Monsiuer Phantom was very understanding with me." He spoke to himself. Elizabeth's heart sank to her stomach, almost as though wrestling with it. "She's not dead!" They didn't know what Edward had accomplished. Christine walked ahead of the Phantom, hiding her family. "Catherine has come home, but she is very sick. She cannot sing tonight." At the sound of that, Catie started to squirm, similar to a fussy infant trying to get her mother's attention. "N-No...."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom walked on past William and Elizabeth - both of which he gave a nod to in silent greeting - with Catherine hidden in his arms. When she started to move and object the Phantom silenced her softly. "Hush, child," he whispered, "everything will soon be back to normal soon..." He wished he could believe what he was telling his daughter.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

William made a gesture to move with them, but Elizabeth held him back. "She needs rest. Don't go to her just yet." Will sighed. "Very well, tonight, then."


The young girl moved the blanket from her mouth. "Papa,..." again she looked at his scar. "We're just the same now." She said this as a joke, trying to lighten the mood. After all, it wasn't as bad as her daddy's. "I just wish we had known how evil Tremaine really was." Christine felt exceedingly guilty about her daughter's plight. "Mama, don't say that." Catherine reached for the angel voiced woman.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom stroked his daughter's hair and smiled at her. For Catherine's sake he let out a half-hearted chuckle at her attempt to lighten the mood, but inside he wished he could turn back the time and stop all of this from happening. "I wish I could have done something about him before all of this..." He sighed disheartened, but then smiled at his daughter, trying to change this sad subject. "So..." he began, "about this friend of yours...William, I believe it is." He joked, his smile coming easier now and not so forced. "I hear he really likes you." He teased. "And...something tells me you really like him."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine, hearing this talk about her child's lover, smiled. "Are you wishing to gain something from this? She isn't a little girl anymore." Daae spoke in her mind. "You aren't going to be one of those over protective types of fathers that still think their daughters are babies, are you?" Catherine asked, her arms now around her father's neck. "I'm not a baby." She added.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom smiled - he had heard Christine's thoughts, but he just laughed. "No, darling," he said to Catherine, "however, I am going to be one of those fathers that teases. Oh!...and of course I'll threaten your pretty boy with his life - maybe scare him a few times - just to make sure he doesn't do anything wrong." He was silent for a few seconds, waiting for her reaction, before laughing at his joke. Of course, he wouldn't really do that - William seemed like a good young man.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

With her burn throbbing, it was difficult for Catherine to laugh, but she did. "Don't worry about him." She assured. "He is nothing like Edward. You can feel free to give us space." She smiled at this, knowing that it probably wouldn't work for her to be alone with a boy right now. At long last, they were home. "We need to care for your injury quickly, Catherine." Christine's voice, soft out of habit, was magnified across the walls. "Mama, I'm alright. I promise." Catherine argued as she tried to look over her father's arm at her home.

 

[Guile]

"Ah, yes, but your mother is right, my dear." He lay her down on the bed before going off and finding a clean cloth of some sort. When he found one that was suitable he went back and sat on a chair near the bed. He soaked the cloth with the water he still had left from the flask and lightly dabbed at her burn - doing his best not to hurt her too badly. This wasn't the most effective way to care for her burn, but at least it was better than doing nothing.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine held Catherine's head in place as gently as she could, singing a lullaby, her favorite song, All I ask of you. This worked for a while, long enough for her father to finish his work. "Sh sh sh..." Christine whispered to her. "It will be done soon." Catherine tried to hold still, but kept trying to turn her head, hide her face, or curl up on the bed in Christine's grasp, whimpering. "No...no....no" she muttered.