A/N: Ok folks. It's finally done. Sorry it took so long for the epilogue.

Epilogue

Fifteen Years Later

"Charles, Where are you?" the red-haired girl called out as she searched the area around her. "This isn't funny Charles! Please come out." When her plea was unanswered, her Irish temper flared. Stomping her foot, she yelled out, "Fine. You play your silly games. I'm going home!"

As she turned on her heel to leave, she ran straight into a large wall of man. He towered over her by at least a foot and his frame was solid muscle. A combination which had always made her go weak in the knees, but now as she was playing the rejected and angry woman, was irritating her as it blocked her escape route.

"You looking for me, sugar?" he asked in a lazy drawl with a slow smile spreading across his face. He was rewarded with a defiant glare from the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Charles Apollos, how could you? You left me out in the woods all alone, you brute. Now you let me pass. I'm going home." She tried to get around him but was blocked at every move. Feigning as if she was giving up, she dropped her arms and slumped in defeat. In a quick second, she had lifted her skirts and taken off at a run only to be grabbed a short few feet away by a strong arm around her waist. She was lifted into the air as if she weighed no more than a feather and hauled over Charles's shoulder.

"You let me down! Charles! I am so going to tell your mother on you! Let me down!" She struggled and wiggled trying to get free of his grip, only managing to bring laughter from her captor instead of release.

As Charles rounded the house, he ran straight into the only man that ever managed to dwarf his own form. "What have you got there, son?" Erik asked in mock curiosity.

Hearing the other man's voice, the girl had stopped her struggles and waited to be set down. "Oh this? I believe I have caught me the Lianhan Shee, Papa."

"Ah yes, the Irish love fairy. I suppose you know that if she submits to you, she shall be your slave forever. But if you submit to her, you will be hers. I suggest you act wisely son, no man has ever refused her."

"Uncle Erik, please tell Charles to put me down," the girl pleaded.

"I'm sorry Fiona, but I myself am able to refuse you. You see, my heart has been completely devoted to another for a long time," Erik explained and walked past the duo into the house.

Charles continued hauling Fiona into the garden and deposited her inside of the small, domed key gate that stood in the center. Before she could make a move or open her mouth to speak, Charles had covered her lips with his and wrapped his arms around her tightly. As much as she wanted to fight him, she was powerless to resist and she found herself swept up into the passion of the moment, kissing him back with fervor.

When he at last released her from the kiss, she said, "Oh why do I put up with your foolishness? Why do I love you so?" She searched his face, a face that she had always seen as perfect since she was a small child.

"No woman or even love fairy can resist an Apollos man. And no man can resist your beauty, Fiona," he said as he bent to kiss her again. After the kiss ended, he slowly lowered himself to one knee and held out a small band of gold. "Marry me Princess? Make me the happiest man alive?"

Without hesitation she threw herself into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. "Oh yes. Yes, Charles."

From the window, Christine watched her eldest son promise himself to another woman. A tear of pure joy ran down her cheek and a strong hand wiped it away. She leaned back against her husband, his arms snaking around her waist to hold her. He kissed her hair and she felt the old familiar butterflies in her stomach that she always felt whenever he was close to her.

"He will be a good husband and father," said Erik trying to ease her worry.

"I know he will, darling. He had the greatest teacher." She turned to face him at that and they kissed as they had fifteen years before and every day since. "You have always exceeded my expectations as a husband and father."

She stepped back to look at him, the man she had come to realize had been her destiny all along. He had aged gracefully, his hair now flecked with gray, his face etched with lines that had evolved through years of smiling and laughter. How she loved to trace those lines with her fingers as she watched him sleeping. Every wrinkle was another testament to the happy life they had lived together.

"I supposed it was inevitable that the Stone and Apollos families would merge one day. It is rather fitting don't you think?" he asked her as he watched the young lovers now stroll through the garden hand in hand.

"Very fitting I would say," she said then let out a long sigh.

"What is it, love? I know you love Fiona and are thrilled to see Charles so happy. He was miserable sailing around the world with Michel last year. He told me he couldn't bear another day without her when he returned. I can't say as I blame him. I myself couldn't bear to be without you for so long either."

"I was just thinking that we would be having an empty nest soon and then what?"

"Empty nest? Christine, have you forgotten that Sarah is merely fourteen years old and Robert is still wet behind the ears at twelve? We will be lucky if we lived to see an empty nest!" She seemed to perk up a bit at his teasing. "Besides, grandchildren won't be too far off, will they now?"

"Grandchildren? Oh Erik! Won't that be wonderful! Babies in the house again." Her face shone and he was pleased that he was able to turn her melancholy mood. He had vowed on their wedding day to make her happy to the best of his ability until they were parted by death. He remembered that day as if it had just passed, every detail still burned into his brain.

After they had moved the family into his townhouse, Erik had begun to make arrangements to change up his life. He envisioned putting together a fleet of freighters to import and export goods from Charleston where he would run the business side of the company. Without much cajoling, he was able to convince Stone to partner up with him to run Apollos Shipping. Christine, Charles and Erik sailed on two additional voyages until it was clear that Christine was carrying their first child, Sarah. From that point on they remained landlocked, raising Charles and Sarah in Charleston.

Apollos Shipping was very successful, due mostly to Erik's knowledge and his demand of excellence. When Michel Stone was of age, he was put in charge of the flagship and has remained in charge of the Fereshteh ever since.

Robert was born two years after Sarah and their family was complete. As the children grew, Erik's love for being a father usurped all of his other passions, including music. The children and Christine were his life's breath, and he was the cornerstone of their lives as well. Under Erik's loving discipline, Charles grew to be a strong and good man. He took his turn in the family business only to find that his passion was not on the ocean as he had hoped, but in creating and he studied architecture as a result. Instead of sailing ships, he hoped one day to be designing and building them.

"Erik, what are you thinking about?" Christine asked with a suspicious look.

"I was thinking how fate put us back together and what has come of it as a result. If you hadn't been on my ship for that voyage, I would have lived alone for the rest of my life. Instead, I was blessed with a family, a life that I can't imagine not having now."

His emotional response flooded Christine with love. She had also never forgotten how close they had both been to never having this life. How close she had come to not having Erik, a choice that she had made once under duress. Many nights she had been unable to sleep and watched his face as he slumbered, wondering what life would have been like had she not left him all those years ago in the cellars of the Opera. But ultimately, she never wished for those years back with him. It would mean that Charles had never been born and she would not have wanted that. The years they had spent apart during her marriage to Raoul, had been necessary. Neither of them would have become the person they were without that time.

Wiping another tear from her cheek, Erik bent to kiss her. They embraced as if neither wanted to ever let go, which was true. Christine broke the silence finally, "Erik, I love you."

"I love you too, darling."

"Are you busy for the next hour or so?"

"No, I have no pressing matters. What do you have in mind?" When his eyes met hers, he saw at once what she had in mind. Christine was still the lusty minx that she had always been with him. Insatiable he had called her on more than one occasion. Not that he minded of course.

He decided to surprise her with his own brazen behavior and turned to the window, closing the curtains and moving to the next one to do the same. He locked the door and turned to give her a predatory look. Her breath caught in her throat at his gaze. He was still so captivating, so dark and mysterious, even though she knew him inside and out. Slowly she walked toward him and enfolded herself in his arms. He lifted her and carried her over to the sofa in the middle of the room.

"Mrs. Apollos, are you ready to sing for me once more?"

"Only for you my Angel."

The End

A/N: Yay! My first fic is done. I will be honest, it is probably my last as well. But you never know. Inspiration may hit me at some later point. Myself, DarkestDreams and PhantomAnn are heading up to NYC at the end of December to catch the Broadway version of POTO, so that could be a great catalyst!

Thank you soooo much to my loyal readers and reviewers. You kept me going, you really did.

And HUGE, HUMONGOUS, TREMENDOUS thanks to PhantomAnn and DarkestDreams for brainstorming sessions, for their gentle suggestions and for not letting me abandon the story at the end. Philippe died well because of you both! Are you happy now? You killed a man!

Cheers