Chapter Two

                                    

                                          
"To the Opera Populaire, good monsieur," Raoul said as he climbed into a stage coach with the now silent infant in his arms.
                          
"That's over an hour's-" the coachman began to complain, but silenced when Raoul held out to him a bag with many jingling coins, "Yes, of course sir..."
                          
"Thank you," Raoul said, glancing at the child in his arms, then looking away as he realised it was still wide awake.
                          
" Is that a baby you have?" the coachman asked. Raoul looked to see he was looking back at him with a bit of concern in his eyes. "Are you sure it will be okay in this long ride?"
                          
"She will be just fine," Raoul said, trying to keep his voice level as his anger flared a bit within him, "Just please, may we start with the journey?" The coachman only nodded in response and snapped the reigns of the two large horses attached to the carriage.
                          
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"A coach is approaching the opera house," a female voice informed him. Looking around, the Phantom saw her standing out of the water's reach looking at himself who was on a small boat making its way through the ravine that went to his home of sorts.
                          
"Do you believe it's them, Madame?" asked the Phantom, making the boat stop by pushing down on the long rod he used to steer it with so the wood sank into the mud on the bottom of the ravine. Madame Giry nodded.
                          
"No one else would approach the opera house," she assured him, "It is basically in ruins, after all."
                          
"Very well then," the Phantom said, steering the boat back to where Madame Giry stood, "I shall go great our guests. Be sure no one will disturb us."
                          
"As you wish," she nodded, and hurried off down the passage she had come. The Phantom followed for a distance, then turned off an almost hidden passage. His torch did not burn as bright any longer as it had, but it was enough where he could see where the exit was...
                          

                          
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"I will only be a moment," Raoul confirmed to the coachman as he stopped in front of the large opera house, "Please just wait here for me."
                          
"I wouldn't dream of leaving monsieur," the coachman guaranteed.  Raoul bowed his head, then left from the coach and started down the path towards the grand doors. He knocked a few times on them, expecting no one to answer as the day had faded away during the ride from the de Changy home to the Opera Populaire. One of the doors, however, swung open on its hinges with a loud creak that seemed to echo through the opera house.
                          
Raoul walked into the dark entrance hall, looking to and fro for performers that may have still boarded there. If there were any, they all were elsewhere or sleeping for no one was in the hall. A humming noise, though, was resounding in the large room.
                          
"Monsieur, I bid you welcome," a low voice resonated, "to my opera house." Raoul couldn't help but let a snort escape him. The Phantom's Opera. Ridiculous. If the two who had owned it a year ago had sold it, it would not have been to the opera ghost. "I see you got my wedding present," the voice then hissed. Raoul looked down at the infant he held and had an urge to throw the child, but he didn't.
                          
"You had to do this, didn't you?" Raoul growled to what seemed empty air, "Do you know what you have done to Christine? She is distraught! She-"
                          
"Could have kept the child," the voice said back innocently, then turning cold continued, "You are the one returning it."