Epilogue

Meg's scream tore down the stairs and Raoul jumped again, dropping his glass of wine on the ground. This was the fifth time.

I groaned and started to get down, "no!" Raoul shouted and I gasped. He calmed his voice. "Erik would kill me. you being a few weeks away from delivering yourself."

I rolled my eyes, "if he does, I'll kill him." Raoul rang for the maid and he resumed pacing the floor with terror in his eyes. I laughed at his expression. "why don't you go up there?" I said.

"because I promised Meg I wouldn't." he said. "she's…..funny that way."

He paced the floor, "it'll be over soon." I said.

"it's been eight hours."

"Raoul!" Erik said behind him.

Raoul yelled and spun around. "is she all right? Can I see her?"

Erik nodded. "yes."

Raoul ran up the stairs. Erik rolled his eyes. "I better go up, he's in for a shock."

I gripped his arm and followed him up the stairs. "boy or girl?"

He laughed, "just listen Raoul will be announcing it shortly."

"FOUR!"

I jumped in terror. "four?" I asked.

He yawned, "yes, four babies."

At that moment my water broke. "Erik." I whimpered.

"what?" he said. "I'm tired."

"my water broke."

He froze and stared at me, "you're joking."

I shook my head and a labor pain hit me. "no."

All tiredness left his face and I watched as his eyes lit up. "come on, let's get you in your room."

"can I see the babies first?"

Erik nodded, "sure. We've got seven hours to go."

I entered the room to see Raoul holding Meg's hand. She smiled weakly, "hello."

"hello." I said quietly waddling in, two babies were in the crib and Raoul held the others.

"two boys and two girls." He said.

I shook my head when he offered one. "no. I don't want to drop them."

I hissed and bent over. Erik rubbed my back, "Christine decided to go into labor."

I scowled at him, "and whose fault is it that I'm in labor?"

"yours." He said moving me towards the door.

I groaned, "fine!"

"let's see if we're having triplets."

I rolled my eyes, "no Erik."

"are you sure?" he said.

"I'm sure."

I was wrong. When I awoke the next day, I held four. Erik was so proud his chest almost burst. Erik and I had five children and he started naming them in alphabetical order. He teased that he was going to try to get to twenty-six and I refused.

With Alice, Benjamin, Cassandra, David, Elise and Franklin and Yvonne, I told Erik I didn't want to have anymore. but from the look in his eyes, I knew that wasn't meant to be.

I'd wind up having ten children like my captor had said. People were shocked. Erik, well, he had a lusty appetite for me and I did for him. after Georgina, Hadley, Isabelle and Jacob were born we said we'd be careful and not have anymore. my body was growing weary and the babies were conflicting with Erik's time schedule. But Karen and Luke were born inspite of our precautions.

Meg, she had two more babies. The last birth was so harsh on her, Erik said she wouldn't have anymore children this time. This time, they took the news better and took delight in teasing me in my often-pregnant state.

Erik eventually wrote our story into an opera and 'girl in the tower' was way more successful than phantom of the opera. He kept Meg's rape out of the story and made Raoul 'blind' towards Meg before he falls violently in love with her.

I never did get released from Erik's captivating arms. I was always his prisoner of love. He even gave me the certificate, that he'd signed twenty-five years ago stating I was his servant. But one I reread it, I realized it wasn't for six month, it was for life.

I stared at him, "Erik?"

He kissed my cheek. "I copied Bartlett's writing and rewrote it. he signed it."

I gasped, "so you mean?"

Erik nodded, "yes. I wrote it directly after you sang you raise me up."

"How did you get it?"

he smirked, "I'm a pickpocket."

I shook my head, "devil." Smoothing his graying hair from his face.

"angel." He kissed my cheek. "you'll always be my angel."

"always." I promised. "i'm yours."