Well, I usually try to warn people when the end of my story is coming. So...oops. Here it is I guess. Hopefully you guys noticed it was starting to wind down, seeing as I, the horrible author, forgot to warn you. Sorry bout that. Will you forgive me if I give you a happy ending? You will? Great thanks! Anyway, it's been a fun sixty-five chapters, through all the emotional ups and downs and to me, it only seems fitting that I end this story on the last day of the year. You know, like a symbolic goodbye? Anyway, I thank you all for sticking with me through this feels roller-coaster, and believe me, I had the same feels you did, and I knew they were coming! Please read and review one last time!

~nibblesfan

Fifteen Years Later…

"Vati, it's so beautiful" Belle cried in delight as she stared at the splendor of the newly renovated Opera Populaire. Her cheeks were pink from a combination of cold and excitement. She spun around to face her parents, both of whom were heavily bundled against the winter weather. "You really used to live here Vati?"

"Once, a long, long time ago ma chérie," Erik answered as he pulled up his hood to hide his masked face. "But that was before the fire, nearly twenty years ago." Erik knew it was a white lie, but he was not about to tell his daughter the truth about his past. "Actually, I believe it was reopened only within the past few years."

"What was it like?" Belle demanded. "I'm sure you had to have heard so many of the great operas. And all the stars you must have seen!"

Erik chuckled. "If you can count La Carlotta as a star."

"Did you…"

"Belle, liebling, let your father be," Katja interrupted. "I'm sure you can pester him all about his life in Paris later. But why don't you wait until we arrive at your uncle's?"

"Ja, Mutti," Belle sighed. "But could we see the Eiffel Tower first? Or…or…" She was so excited that she couldn't even get the words out. She had been begging to go on this trip for several years now. Nadir had invited them to visit for a week for Belle's birthday so she could have her wish.

"Not now," Erik replied. "Your uncle is expecting us."

Katja recognized that defiant glint in her daughter's eye. It was the same one she had when she was a teenager, the one she had the night she snuck off to the gypsy fair. She instantly knew that Belle would try to explore the city on her own unless she was somehow appeased. "Tomorrow we'll go wherever you desire. But Paris isn't a place to be out late at night."

"Vati's right here with us. What on earth could ever possibly happen?" Katja instinctively tugged on her sleeves, shielding the white scars that encircled her wrists from view. Belle saw, and her curiosity got the best of her. "What happened to you? How did you get those scars?" she asked for the thousandth time.

"Now's not the time for that story."

"You always say that."

Erik crossed his arms. "Your mother will tell you when and if she chooses to."

"But you won't tell me anything," Belle whined. "Vati, you won't tell me about what it was like when you were a child, you won't tell me why you were in Persia or what you did there. Mutti, you won't tell me why you have those scars. I don't know how you met or fell in love, and honestly you barely tell me what I was like as a baby!"

"Belle, this isn't the time or the place for this discussion," Erik hissed. She opened her mouth to argue further, but he cut her off. "Either drop it, or we're getting on the first train back to Germany. Am I clear?"

She bowed her head in defeat. "Yes Vati."

Katja couldn't blame her daughter's curiosity. They had sheltered her from the truth for her own good, but it left a lot of questions unanswered for her. It wasn't the first time Katja wished that she and Erik had had a normal relationship when they first met, but unfortunately they couldn't change the past. She knew that someday they would have to tell Belle the truth, but for now, they wanted to protect their daughter's innocence for as long as possible. But she didn't want her daughter to be upset, especially so close to her birthday. "Come liebling, before you catch a cold. Besides, I believe there is a surprise waiting for you at your uncle's."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes really. But if you're going to sulk, then I don't think you deserve it," Katja said with a shrug.

"Who's sulking?" Belle asked, her excitement renewed.

"That's what I thought," Katja said with a smirk.

Erik waved down a nearby carriage to take them to Nadir's. Belle turned back to take one last look at the Populaire, and in the process, walked backwards into a handsome young man, only a few years older than her, definitely no older than eighteen. "Oh," she cried in surprise. "I'm so sorry. Forgive me."

"No, it was my fault," the man said apologetically. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm sorry."

"Gustave," a woman's voice called "Gustave, what are you doing?" Katja could hear Erik inhale sharply as he stared at her. She turned and saw a beautiful brunette woman standing in the doorway. Her heart stopped. The next thing she knew, she was twenty years old again and back in Erik's lair, cold and frightened, as she rifled through his desk. Pictures, dozens of pictures, all of the woman standing before them. Katja's surroundings began to spin as the woman's name echoed from the back of her mind: Christine Daaé.

"Are you alright?" Katja heard Erik whisper, bringing her back to reality as he grabbed her arms to keep her on her feet. She couldn't get the words out of her mouth so she just shook her head no. Erik wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her before helping her into the carriage.

Christine was getting impatient. "Gustave!"

"I'm coming Mother," the boy replied before turning back to Belle. "Again, my apologies mademoiselle."

"It's no problem," she said, her facing turning pink as she smiled at him shyly. Erik cleared his throat. "I…uh…have to go," Belle continued as she glanced back at her father. "Goodbye."

"Adieu mademoiselle." He bowed to her, before he turned and dashed up the steps and entered the opera house. Christine stared at Erik for a moment, and as he stared back, he was afraid that she would recognize him even though he knew she couldn't see his mask under his hood. He breathed a sigh of relief as she turned and followed her son into the building.

"Belle, it's time to go." She obediently climbed into the carriage, followed by Erik. "Katja, are you alright?" She closed her eyes and nodded.

"Mutti, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Katja lied as she leaned on Erik's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

Soon they arrived at Nadir's estate just outside the city. Katja refused Erik's help to get out of the carriage. Nadir came out to greet them. Belle ran to him and hugged him. She loved her exotic 'uncle' and his stories of faraway Persia, although it frustrated her to no end when he offered her few details about her father's time there.

"I hear you have a surprise for me," Belle said excitedly.

Nadir smiled mischievously. "Perhaps."

"Can I see it?"

He glanced at Erik who nodded. "Impatient are we? Come with me. It's in the stable."

They walked with Nadir to the stables. His manservant, Darius, was waiting for them. He opened the door for them, revealing Nadir's horses. "What is it?" Belle asked, confused by the lack of an obvious present.

"Your pick," Erik replied. "Make your choice."

Belle whirled around, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You mean it, Vati? I can have one of these horses?" She turned to Nadir. "Is it true?" He nodded. She squealed and hugged them and Katja before rushing to inspect the animals. Finally she settled on a gleaming palomino that was nearly white. The horse nuzzled her hair making Belle giggle. "I think I'm going to name him Amadeus."

Erik snorted. "Really?"

"After my favorite composer," she explained as she stroked the horse's nose. "Except you of course Vati. You'll always be my favorite."

He glanced around and noticed his wife was no longer in the stable. "Where'd Katja go?" he asked.

"She said she wasn't feeling well," Nadir explained. "And honestly, she didn't look like she was. Darius escorted her back to the house so she could rest for a while."

Since Belle was occupied with her new horse, Erik decided he was going to go find out what was wrong. "I'm going to go check on Katja. Can you keep an eye on her?" he asked, gesturing towards Belle. Nadir nodded so Erik headed back to the house.

Darius led Erik to the room where Katja was. He walked in and found her lying on the bed, facing away from him. He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. She sat up, but kept her back to him. Erik moved so that he was sitting beside her, but again, Katja turned away. He didn't understand what was wrong. She had been perfectly fine until the opera house and she saw...Christine, he realized. But how could Katja have known it was her? The two had never met before. Then he remembered that fateful day so long ago when he found Katja after she had taken his morphine. She had discovered his pictures of Christine and feared that she would be hurt and abused. "Katja…" Erik started, gently turning her chin towards him.

"Don't touch me," she replied sharply before twisting away. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were puffy and red.

"What's wrong?"

Katja stared at him in disbelief. "We run into your old lover and you have the audacity to ask me what's wrong?!"

He caressed her cheek. "She wasn't my lover, you know that, Katja. She broke my heart, before you came and put it back together."

"Spare me the empty words." This wasn't like Katja. He had never seen her jealous like this before. "All I am to you is just a common whore meant to replace her!"

Erik cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "You know that's not true. If it were true, I would have taken what I wanted from you at the gypsy camp then left you to die. If that were true, I wouldn't have taken care of you once I had rescued you. If that were true, I would have put you on a train to Germany without a second thought. If that were true, I would have left you the moment I found out you were pregnant with Belle. If that were true, I would have never married you."

She buried her face in his chest as he pulled her into his strong embrace. "I know," she sobbed. "It's just that she's so beautiful and talented and perfect, and I'm…"

"Don't say it," Erik ordered. "You promised me that you would never say that word again." He held her tighter and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Listen to me Katja. You are all I want. I love you, more than I ever did Christine. You could have had any man in the world, but you picked me."

Katja huddled closer, twisting her fingers in his vest, clinging to him. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that she's everything I'm not and wish I could be."

"No, you are perfect the way you are," Erik replied. "Every. Single. Thing. About. You. Is. Perfect." He kissed her between every word, hoping to prove to Katja that his love for her was still as strong as ever. They had spent the first few years of their marriage rebuilding each other after suffering so much, and every so often, something like this would happen, and they had to start all over again. "The only thing you could ever change to be any more perfect is to give me a smile."

"I don't think I can right now," Katja whispered dejectedly.

"Bitte," Erik coaxed. "Für mich? You know I love your smile." Finally the corners of her lips twitched upwards. "That's better." He kissed her gently. "Do you know what I felt when I saw Christine?"

Katja swallowed the lump in her throat. "No. What?"

"Honestly Katja, I was scared," Erik admitted. "If she had seen my face…I'm still technically a wanted man. One word from Christine and they would have tried to take me away from you and Belle, or worse."

"No," Katja gasped. "No, they can't do that Erik!"

"And I won't let them," he assured her with a kiss to her forehead. "But they would have tried if Christine had recognized me. However, she didn't, so there is nothing for us to worry about."

There was a knock on the door. On the other side, Darius announced dinner. Erik wiped away Katja's tears. "You might want to wash your face before we go down. Belle will be so upset if she learns that her mother has been crying on her birthday."

"I suppose you're right." Katja replied. She walked into the bathroom and washed her face with cold water. "Did she like her surprise?"

Erik chuckled. "She's already smitten with him as far as I can tell."

"Well, what can I say? She's a romantic, just like her parents."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "I just hope that when she's older, she's as lucky in love as we are."

Katja laughed. "She's going to have to get a man past you first. I have a feeling that that's going to be the most difficult part."

"After what happened to you, forgive me if I want to keep Belle safe."

"I never said you were wrong, I just said it would be difficult," she clarified.

Belle was waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase. "Mutti are you feeling better?" she asked. "Onkel said that you were feeling a bit ill."

She smiled brightly at her daughter. "I'm perfectly fine liebling." Katja put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Now, tell me about your new horse."

The End

German Translations

Bitte. Für mich?- Please. For me?

Onkel-Uncle