Love Not Meant to Be

1966-1984 – Venice

"I have to admit, there is one good thing about Erik's reincarnations." Raoul stated as he and Christine took in the new location. The beautiful structures and the canals around them. "We are able to travel to many places we would never have been otherwise."

Christine raised her eyebrow at him. "That's what you're taking from this."

Raoul shrugged as the two of them made their way inside a hospital to go to Erik. "I'm trying, love. Castiel helped me open my eyes but it is hard."

Christine kissed his cheek and pulled back with a small grin. "That's all I hope for."

In this life, Erik was once again loved by his father and hated by his mother. However, Erik's father died a couple months after Erik had turned four and his mother abandoned him, running off to marry another man. Erik was left in the streets, his only companions were Raoul and Christine, whom he could not see but Raoul was certain the child could feel their presence sometimes. When danger was near, Christine would lead him away with her singing. For some reason, in this life Erik was able to hear her more than the previous ones. Raoul and Christine debated whether or not that it had something to do with the fact that in Erik's last life, for the briefest moment, Erik had seen and recognized Christine before he died. Erik confirmed that he could hear them when he began humming a Swedish lullaby that Christine had often used to calm Erik down one time. There was no way for him to have learned the song anywhere else and in their excitement they tried to speak with him. However, it was not to be because Erik never gave any reaction towards their attempts at dialogue.

Still, they were grateful that some form of process had been made.

When Erik was upset, Christine would sing to him and Raoul would hold him. Christine used to be the one to do it but she was able to persuade him to make an attempt and since he promised to try he had reached to wrap his arms around the boy like he had seen Christine do countless times before. Much to his surprise, his arms did not go through Erik but instead stopped a few inches away from making contact just like how it did with Christine. Raoul had looked up startled by the occurrence and saw Christine's ecstatic smile. After that, Raoul was the one in charge of comforting Erik that way. Christine did it too sometimes when Erik was terribly upset and needed both of them, but refrained when he not in that state.

After the initial shock went away, Raoul became fascinated his new ability. For the longest time, Christine had been the only one he was able to touch and while he could not completely do the same to Erik, it was interesting to play with. He learned that when he was not trying to do anything for Erik, he would pass right through him, but when he was trying to do an influence or comfort the child, his hands would stop inches away.

Erik lived on the streets until he was eight years old. He would sit on the sidewalks with a cheap cup out for money. He never stayed in the same place for very long, he would spend a few weeks at most in one area before moving to another part of the city. Raoul was sure that it was because Erik did not want to get picked up by the authorities. He would not steal, but instead earned money doing odd jobs and running errands for the owners of the shops around them. Sometimes those shopkeepers would question Erik about his life and when they did he would lie about having his parents but they were poor. If Erik felt that the owners did not believe him, he would move on.

He would also sing if he did not find jobs to do and was forced to spend the day on the sidewalk with his cup. Most people ignored him, however, as they walked by everyone's pace slowed down, not being able to help themselves with such a lovely voice cutting through the everyday background noise. Some people gave him money, never a lot, but it was enough for Erik to not starve. Raoul often wished that his influencing power would work on other people. He would be able to get them to give more to Erik, he had tried that and it did not work.

It was because of his singing that finally got Erik off the street.

Erik had been singing a song he had created and an older man paused on the sidewalk. The man stared at Erik as he sung for a few minutes then walked away. However, the next day, the man showed up again, and again he stared at Erik for minutes before leaving.

"I'm suspicious about that man." Raoul remarked to Christine on the man's fifth stop. Raoul was standing on one side of Erik, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Christine nodded as she watched the man observe Erik from the corner of her eye. She was sitting on the ground on Erik's other side, petting the air above Erik's head.

"Sadly, there is not much we can do. Erik is going to move soon, maybe that'll break the man's attention."

Raoul nodded but did not take his eyes off the man as he walked away for the day.

On the eighth day since the man began his observation of Erik, Erik was gathering his things to move to his next spot. It was early in the morning, while people were sleeping so that no one noticed Erik's departure. Raoul heard the sharp sound of shoes on the cobblestone sidewalk and whipped his head around. It was the older man and he was walking directly towards Erik.

Raoul stiffened and he felt Christine do the same behind him.

The older man stopped a few feet away from where Raoul stood.

"Moving already?" the deep voice of the man asked.

"What's it to you?" Erik demanded. "I have seen you around before. You might have thought I did not notice but I did. Are you with the police?"

The man held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I assure you I am not. Only a concerned man who wants to help a child who is obviously in need."

Erik snorted. "I do not need help. I'm fine on my own."

"I do not doubt it." The older man reassured. "However, I would like to help. I'm a simple middleclass man and can certainly take care of another child."

Erik suddenly looked unsure. "Another?"

"Yes, I have my daughter as well. Sadly, no wife but we get by finely."

"Why would you wish to help me?" Erik questioned, his voice soft and Raoul could tell that his hostility was fading into curiosity.

The man pointed at the stack of books that laid at Erik's feet. "Why do you use your money on books instead of food?"

Erik blushed and glanced away from the man. "I-I like learning. It's not like I can attend school, so try to make do with books."

"That's why I want to help you." The man declared with a friendly grin. "I see great things in you, boy. I would see it as a great tragedy to watch it go to waste."

The older man held out his hand to Erik. "Will you let me help you?"

Erik stared at the hand while biting his lip. Raoul shot a look at Christine and saw her also biting her lip. Raoul elbowed her gently in the side and she quit chewing on her lip. He raised his eyebrow at her and she smiled sheepishly at realizing she had accidently been influencing Erik.

Erik stopped biting his lip and reached forward to clasp the older man's hand.

The older man turned out to be the father of this life's Antoinette. As soon as the two met, Erik and she got along splendidly. She was a couple years older than him, but they did not let that matter. Antoinette's father brought Erik into the same school as Antoinette. He was bullied the first couple weeks but then Christine had influenced him to use the strength of wrath while Raoul used the bravery of humility. Erik had won the fight with his bullies and he was not messed with again.

Erik excelled in all his classes and skipped a few levels and by the time he graduated he was in Antoinette's class. Through the years, Erik learned the most about music and would entertain the aging man with the skills he taught himself with his voice. When the older man got sick and Erik and Antoinette knew that he was not going to last must longer was the time Erik got his ring back to him in that life.

"Erik…" the surrogate father had stated softly as he laid in his bed. It was only him and Erik in the room and the older man gestured towards his dresser. "Can you bring me that small black box over on top? Yes that one."

Erik brought over the box and as he made to give it over, the elder shook his head.

"Open it." He instructed and Erik did as he was told.

Raoul saw the familiar onyx ring and wondered how in the world it could have gotten to Erik in this life.

"German man was selling it on the streets." The older man told Erik, who was staring unblinkingly at the ring. "Can you believe that he sold it to me at such a low price? He looked like he was in trouble so I took pity on the man. This ring was the item that caught my eye. Strange how it made me think of you."

"Thank you. I will treasure it always." Erik vowed, pulling the ring out of the box and lifting it into the light.

"I was hoping you would use it as a certain gift for a special someone."

Erik blinked in puzzlement at the man before understanding took over.

"Antoinette." Erik whispered and Raoul's mind went blank and he heard Christine inhale sharply next to him.

The older man nodded and took Erik's hand in his. "I see you as my son, Erik, and wish for you to be part of this family legally. I know Antoinette has affection for you and you with her, is it too much to ask the two of you to be joined together under God's eyes as well?"

Erik shook his head as if trying to clear it, Raoul felt the same.

Antoinette and Erik had formed an incredible bond over the years, but it was not one that was for lovers. When Erik were sixteen they had tried but could not go through with it. It had happened in the backyard of the house one night when Antoinette had brought the subject up. Erik had been curious and the two of them had shared their first kiss with one another. However, Erik had pulled back within a few seconds.

"I can't." he had announced softly, unable to meet Antoinette's eyes.

"Why not?" Antoinette had asked lightly, but Raoul detected a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"I don't know. I just…" Erik frown as he struggled for the right words. "Do not find it pleasant. It's not your fault at all! But I don't think it would work for any girl."

Antoinette's eyes had widen. "Do you mean to say that you…"

Erik's eyes widened in return as he understood the implication. "No, no! I don't think it would work for boys either!"

"You don't think you could ever love me that way then?" Antoinette questioned with a saddened frown. It was her turn to look away.

Erik had quickly grabbed both of her hands in his. "My dear Antoinette, I can assure you that I have never felt such fondness and affection for anyone except for you. I highly doubt anyone would be able to take that away from you, but I will not see you unhappy because I'm a freak."

Antoinette's head jerked up and she yanked her hands out of his grip to grab his face between them.

"Never call yourself a freak!" she hissed at him. "You're a genius, a musician, and a magician. Never a freak!"

"Forgive me." Erik whispered gently, wrapping his hands around her wrists. "However, my lack of desire for such things still remains. I'm sorry, Antoinette."

Antoinette nodded gloomy, taking her hands away. "I understand."

After that, the two of them did not speak of it again and went back to their regular relationship. However, now Antoinette's father was asking Erik to marry his daughter as his last wish.

The older man patted Erik's hand. "If you do not feel that way towards one another, I will understand. I will not force anything on the two of you. However, I think it would be a grand idea for both of you."

Erik nodded and soon left the room with the ring in his hand. To no surprise, Erik almost immediately told Antoinette what her father had said to him. The twenty year old shook her head in fond irritation.

"I swear that man. Trying to play the matchmaker this late into his illness." She sighed as she folded laundry in her bedroom. One pile in front of her on the bed with a set of folded items next to the pile.

"I think he has always wished for us to end up together." Erik replied with a frown as he sat on her bed facing her, taking one of his clothes items to help her.

"I wouldn't doubt it." Antoinette huffed as she shook a towel. "How do you feel about the idea?"

Erik looked up from his growing pile of folded items. "I'm more concern for you. You know I don't feel the same things as others do, would you really commit your life to such a thing for the sake of your father? He said he wouldn't mind if we denied him."

"To have you by my side in the eyes of the law and God? I would gladly do it." Antoinette stated simply enough that it took a second for Raoul to comprehend what she said.

Erik also appeared dumbfounded when the meaning of his friend's words got through to him. He blinked a couple times before leaning forward and grabbing Antoinette's hand to stop her folding.

"Truly?" Erik inquired in awe, his golden eyes showing a hint of worry that he had heard wrong.

Antoinette brought the hand that Erik held up and used it to cup his face and smiled. "I have never cared for your appearance Erik. My love for you resides in the beauty that comes from your heart. I love you, Erik."

If Raoul had a working heart, he knew that it would have skipped a beat at Antoinette's confession. The woman was looking down at Erik with such love that Raoul could not deny the truth in her statement. But for some reason, it hurt.

"I love you too, Antoinette." Erik replied with such sincerity that Raoul flinched back and ended up colliding into Christine.

He turned to look at her and saw a single tear slide down her cheek, her expression heartbroken. Hastily, he wrapped his arms around her and turned her away from the scene. He watched as Erik and Antoinette smiled brightly at each other and Erik pulled out the box that held the ring in it. Opening it, he presented the ring to Antoinette.

"I believe there is only one thing left to do." Erik began, taking Antoinette's free hand in his. "Dear Antoinette, will you marry me?"

Raoul's chest ache at the question and felt Christine cringe in his arms at the sound of Erik's voice. She let out a tiny whimper but refused to lift her head.

"Yes!" Antoinette exclaimed happily before grabbing Erik's face again and kissing him on the lips.

At that point, Raoul had to turn away.

The wedding was scheduled to take place that fall, shortly after Erik was to turn nineteen. Antoinette's father was of course overjoyed when he had found out that Erik and Antoinette were going to get married. The excitement seemed to prolong his life because of the energy the enthusiasm brought. It was planned to be a small wedding, one that only selective friends and family were invited to. Antoinette made Erik help with the planning, to which he was reluctant to do at first, but when he realized how much creativeness went into it he eagerly jumped in, much to Raoul's and Christine's dismay.

They hated the fact that their third was getting married, but could not do much about it. Christine had tried but then her guilt would make her stop. So they watched Erik and Antoinette prepare for the wedding. The only good thing about the whole thing was that Antoinette refused to wear Erik's ring.

Erik had asked her why and she shrugged.

"I feel like it wasn't meant to be worn by me, if that makes any sense. I tried and will wear it for the ceremony but I think you should be the one to wear it." She explained.

Erik took her word for it and began wearing the ring on his left pinkie like he's done previously.

A month before the wedding, a week before Erik's nineteenth birthday tragedy struck.

Erik and Antoinette were walking down the street at night when there was a squeal of tires from nowhere. At the sound, Erik grabbed Antoinette to push her out of the way, but it was too late. A car slammed into Erik and Antoinette and they both crumpled underneath.

Christine let out a cry of horror and Raoul and she raced to the couple. The car stopped a few meters away and a man around their age climbed out and rushed over to them. Antoinette was lying unconscious, or at least Raoul hoped was unconscious, and Erik was struggling to speak to the man.

"My wife…look…my wife." Erik stuttered at the man who was calling for help.

More people showed up and a couple looked over Antoinette. Raoul could see them shaking their heads and he realized that Antoinette was dead. Because of this, people tried to focus on Erik but Erik just kept repeating 'my wife' refusing to take the help.

Erik's golden eyes blinked once more, then his breathing stopped completely.

Antoinette and Erik's hands were still clasped together when the two left the earth realm.

And…we're done with part one! This chapter ending up being a lot longer than my normal updates, but I don't think you'll see that as a bad thing. The whole reason why I published this fic when I did was just so that I could have this chapter up on V-day. I thought it was a good chapter to have on the holiday.

Anyway, part one is now complete. Hope you enjoyed it. Part two will be up soon, and it'll be a lot more like my usual style, with a few twists in, of course. Ought to be fun! Hope to see you all there!

Don't forget to leave a review and I would love to hear what your favorite, or most emotional chapter was and why! I would love to hear my readers' thoughts! See ya in part two!

Happy Valentine's Day.