New A/N: *comes out from hiding* Heh… well, this was unexpected. I hadn't planned on taking this long to get this epilogue done and I apologize. Some things came up job wise and personally too. So that explains the delay and you won't have to worry about another wait as this is the final chapter. Hopefully… it was worth the wait!

A/N: *Sobs* Here we are! The very last and final conclusion to Heaven by the Sea. I always hate ending a story and this one was an incredible journey that I was fortunate enough to share with you all. And this one was a challenge I made for myself for not only drawing inspiration from a fantastically brilliant novel… but also making it the longest story I have ever written. Over four hundred pages and 180,000 words… I can't believe it lasted this long.

And I know many of you were asking for an extension of what happened in Erik and Christine's life… and well, this is not a last minute thing I decided to do. From the moment this came to me, I knew exactly how I wanted to end this story and I sort of dropped a hint at the very start of the story. I'm sure you will agree that this is much more satisfying.

One last note before you read this chapter—please look for my next story called My Ghost (Love) Story. It is another E/C story (what stories of mine are not?) and this is a supernatural romance with a dash of suspense and mystery. I am still in the process of writing the beginning of the story and won't start posting it until I have a good portion of it done. It's the only way so I can update weekly, but please check my profile page for more information.

Without further ado, let's see what has happened after Manderley burned down.

Epilogue

After I wake from my dream of my visit to the once stately Manderley… I shiver with the thought that the ruins was home now to a graveyard. To think that it once had been a source of deep pain and sadness for me, only for it to awaken the joys and love that were kept hidden from months of misunderstandings and uncertainty. All that misery led to such happiness and then in a blinding flash… everything had turned to ashes.

My memories are all I have left now… that and Erik's stories from his childhood. No one had suffered more than Erik did as he watched his home… the only home he had ever known burn to the ground. His whole life was Manderley. His parents, Ayesha, they were a part of the happier times when he could forget about his face. The love he experienced was what kept him fighting to protect his home and to endure the cruel nature of his peers and Luciana. Like his mask, Manderley was his shield, his outlook of his own world he created with the music he composed.

Gone.

The months that followed were long and difficult. There was so much to consider… the heavy losses and inventory of belongings and personal effects… but while Erik's time was filled up with solicitors and lawyers, he could only focused on the travesty that his music had gone up in the flames. And like him, I felt that loss just as profoundly and acutely. To mourn those precious gifts… the two of us did not sing or listen to music for several months. It was out of respect for those treasures as silly as that may sound to some. Yet, for my husband and me… it was the least we could do.

Slowly, we did start to repair our lives.

It wasn't easy and the road was an arduous one. Especially since we decided it was best to leave England altogether. Manderley could never be rebuilt and it was time we left it to the ghosts who now own the property. It appeared Mrs. Danvers got her way after all. She and Luciana could forever rule the grounds without worrying that I or anyone else would ruin the grandeur.

Yet, I was not terribly saddened by this.

I still had my life, my friends, and of course, Erik. And, although, I had grown to love Manderley… I had other important things to content myself with. It was that resolve that allowed us to move on to better places.

Namely…

We needed to live somewhere that would not remind us of the past, a place that brought nothing but happiness to us at the start of our marriage.

Paris.

It was there when music finally returned to us. Erik woke in the middle of one night with a song in his mind and he had to pen it down right away lest he should forget it. And that one song grew to another and then another. It wasn't long before me, too, was inspired and began to sing once more.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

After arriving in Paris, I decided it was time I presented Erik his final portrait. With so much that happened, I could not find the right time to give it to him and now… well… we had decided this was a time of new beginnings and a new life. It was only fitting that he should see the man I fell in love with.

As Erik gazed upon it… I held my breath, waiting for his reply. With one hand, he lifted and removed his mask and laid his hand against his cheek. At first… I was afraid he didn't like it, but then he began to cry.

"Christine… this is—I have never," his voice choked and he gazed upon me with a tender smile. "I do not have the words to express my gratitude for this incredible gift. I supposed I was wrong to think it had been finished from when I first saw it in Monte Carlo. This… this is much better."

The portrait was a true likeness of my husband. The problem from the beginning had been his mask, one that I did not noticed before until after I saw Erik's face for the first time in the cottage at Manderley. Once I removed the mask from the paper… it all came together. This was my husband. His true self and while to some may think his appearance was hideous… to me, it was utter perfection.

Now…

He was no longer a man held captive by his secrets. He was a man free from his past and found salvation at last. Everything on his face captured that moment when Erik professed his love for me, his eyes so longer heavy with anguish but light with love and bliss. And his smile! A handsome feature that brightened the green in his eyes and revealed a man who was confident with himself and the way he stood proudly against any adversity.

To my surprise, Erik had the portrait framed and displayed it over our fireplace in the parlor of our new home. He told me it was because he had no reason to be ashamed of himself inside his own home and in front of his friends and family.

It was certainly a big step for him and I was so proud that he decided to do this on his own. The Erik I had met in Monte Carlo and the Erik from the earlier months of our marriage would not have done so. He would have preferred to continue to hide from the rest of the world.

Even Nadir and Ayesha were pleasantly stunned with this transformation, not that they had a reason to complain.

"Perhaps, you should have moved to Paris sooner brother!" Ayesha declared when Erik wanted to do a reveal of his portrait. We only invited those closest to us—Nadir, Ayesha and Giles, Meg and Robert with their newborn, and of course, Anthony was there.

When we decided to move to Paris, we bought a smaller estate on the outskirts of the city. We did not need a large staff like we did in England and we did have to let go most of our servants, but not until we found a suitable place for each one. Meg stayed on as my personal maid until Robert proposed and she left once they were wed. I was sad to have my best friend leave, but I was more than happy for these two and they did not move far.

As a wedding present, Erik bought them a nice home that was a few miles away from us and pulled a few strings to grant Meg an audition to dance at the Paris Opera House. Meg's dream came true and she would eventually become prima ballerina in several years. Even after the birth of her daughter, Meg continued to dance on stage. Her love and skill never faltering or diminishing.

Anthony, however, would not step down when Erik wanted him to retire. He had been serving Erik's family his whole life and he refused to leave when his home was with us. And frankly, I doubt that Erik or I could part from him either. Anthony was a father to the two of us and he was more than just a butler, but a member of our family. Of course, Anthony would not hear of it and insisted he will keep polishing and maintaining order in the household until the day he died.

Believe it or not, Nadir did finally marry. He met a lovely young woman, part-French and part-Persian, by the name of Layla. She was also a dancer at the opera house and our dear friend was instantly besotted by her kindness and dark beauty. They will later have a son, Reza.

As for Ayesha and Giles… they remained in England, but would come to visit us every holiday and at the start of every season at the opera house.

Did I not mention I am the prima donna now?

How silly of me to forget!

Yes… when music returned to us and I took up singing… it was only natural that I would go and audition myself to Mr. Andre and Firmin.

I had expected a part in the chorus at least, which my husband scoffed at the notion, but I didn't want him to use his influence to cast me in a lead role. I wanted to earn it. And indeed I did.

Blown away by my performance, the owners saw there was only one option for a voice like mine and I was tested in a role I was born to play.

Opening night for Faust had been a sold out performance and I received grand reviews as Marguerite. The current prima donna stormed off when she realized her demands were no longer going to be met. I will never forget how she insisted the audience would follow her and the theatre would be ruined…

However, I think the sales and the number of sold out shows spoke for themselves.

The second production would be a new original one by the talented Erik de Winter—new and improved by the way.

Don Juan Triumphant became an instant hit and people all over were clamoring to come to Paris to hear Erik's music. Erik would say it was because they wanted to hear me sing as Aminta, while I insisted it was his genius that brought them to us. It was a battle that we couldn't win (not that we wanted to) and his opera led to future operas that will continue to win audiences time and time again.

But Don Juan would always be Erik's greatest work and it was written the way it was meant to be written. The way Erik had always intended it to be since he first put pen to paper. But there was one new song that was added in that had not been part of the original score… a song that Erik and I had composed together that Aminta and Don Juan sang when they were reunited in heaven. It had a nice lyrical way about it and "Love Never Dies" became a popular one for Erik and me to sing at gatherings and parties amongst our patrons and friends.

As I looked back… I do not regret a single second of our life together. It was just as I always dreamt it would be and more.

But now… after dreaming of Manderley… I now know that we did leave a part of us behind. Erik and I have not spoken about it, but it has always been there in the back of our minds. It would be a part we would never get back, but it was something we could live without. Luciana was dead and buried, the same with Mrs. Danvers. And from what I understand from Ayesha, Raoul eventually met his end during a bloody brawl in a bar. I suppose the truth was too much for him to bear and he spent many countless hours getting drunk and stirring up trouble.

Inevitably, his fate wasn't a pretty one and I did mourn the news when I heard of it. While I could not bear the sight of Raoul after all that he had done and tried to do to us… I could not help but feel only pity in my heart that he was nothing more than a pawn in Luciana's eyes. No one… not even a man like Raoul de Chagny deserved to be treated so unfairly when all he ever wanted was to love and marry the girl he believed was to be his.

Erik told me countless times that I must be an angel in disguised. For no other person could still feel for a dubious and vain creature and shed a few tears for his passing. Perhaps, I could not help but compare him to the life my husband might have had if something were to happen to me. Erik had said he wouldn't be able to live without me and the last thing I would want my husband to do is rot the rest of his life away in a bar in hopes we might see each other again.

That and I did feel sorry for Raoul.

But did I forgive him? Not entirely. He tried to turn Erik's misfortune into a profit and have him locked up for life.

Yet, did I wish he was in love with another woman?

Yes.

Everyone deserves a little chance at happiness. Even the wicked and dark-hearted ones.

However, I doubted Luciana would ever be happy. Even if she had married Raoul, I think she would ruin his life like she tried to do to Erik. And who knows what she might have done or attempted to do to another poor soul?

Then my mind turns back to Manderley.

While we had never returned to England (and never will), I wondered if Manderley continued to remain as it did in my dream. Was it still a graveyard or did someone build a new home with new hopes and dreams?

Somehow, I think if anyone were to build a home… the ghosts might have a say in the matter.

But the time has longed past for me to ponder over such things. Manderley is no more and will stay that way in my memory. I said my goodbyes in my dream and I am ready to move on once and for all.

"Five minutes to curtains Mrs. de Winter."

Gazing into my mirror I patted my hair once more and stood.

While the past might try to haunt us, there is nothing it can do to hurt Erik and I. We are stronger now more than ever.

Tonight was another successful opening night and the rest of the cast was gathering on stage for their final bows. My turn was quickly approaching. I took one last deep breath before I walked out to the standing ovation and thunderous applause.

I could never get over the reality of this magical moment I felt every time I graced the stage.

This was where I belonged.

As I bowed once more, I caught sight of a red rose lying there among the flowers tossed on stage. I could not contain the smile on my face as I picked up the long stem, the glossy black ribbon sliding between my fingers.

Lifting my eyes, I sought out his face above the stage… standing in our box, applauding the loudest.

A tingling sensation crawled down my spine as I recognized this scene. Years ago I had a vision of this happening and the man I was looking for was my Angel of Music but his face had been covered in the shadows.

As I gaze into box five, I saw Erik cheering and applauding the loudest of them all.

I could not help but smile in return as I placed my hand over my belly.

Yes… I have found heaven and I know we will continue to be blest for the years to come.

The End