The D'Arcy townhouse was filled with people. Christine de Chagny had arrived, Meg mere steps behind her, and was kneeling on the floor, embracing her children. Raoul was watching over them protectively, casting occasional uneasy looks at the rest of the group. He clearly wanted to take his family back to Paris on the first available ship.

Madame Giry stood with her hand on her daughter's shoulder, watching everyone else. On her right side was Isabella, who was looking a mixture of smugness for having helped and concerned about what had happened. She kept casting looks across the room at Crutchie, who was staring out the window, ignoring Henri's attempts to speak to him.

Mrs. D'Arcy was not with them, having gone with the doctor upstairs to attend to Katherine. Erik continually cast looks at the open door of the library. He ignored the glass of brandy that was offered to him by Mr. D'Arcy, his hands clenched tight with anxiety.

“Katherine will be fine,” D'Arcy told him, not offended by the man's actions. “The doctor was very optimistic.”

“Before he heard she was hit on the head,” Pip chimed in. “Then, he looked extremely worried.”

“I think we've heard enough from you,” Michaela decided, rushing forward as Erik's entire body became even more tense. She grabbed Pip and steered him away from the men. “Do you have to say everything that comes to mind?”

“I was just saying-!”

Firmly, Michaela clamped her hand over the boy's mouth. Any other day, she knew she would have been amused by Pip, but she didn't have any patience left. An eyebrow raised, Khan stepped over from where he'd been lurking in the shadows, still streaked with soot and smoke. Michaela felt her cheeks flush with a blush as she allowed the tall man to take charge of the very bored Pip.

The only person who had not joined them was the comte de Chagny, though it wasn't from a lack of trying on the man's part. Michaela had watched in astonishment as her typically calm and sensible cousin had sent the man away with sharp, firm words. The comte had bowed his way away from the door with murmured apologies.

“Excuse me, sir,” the butler said as he entered the room. “The police are here.”

There were multiple reactions around the room. Alarm was the most widely emotion shown as Michaela and Christine de Chagny gasped, Madame Giry tightened her grip on her cane, and Jane let out an exclamation of, “No! He couldn't have-!” Raoul protested that he wanted his family to have nothing to do with the local law enforcers.

Everyone looked to Erik. But the man was staring out the window at the dark sky as if he hadn't heard a word. Michaela felt a stab of fear and panic. Katherine would be furious if anything happened to Erik. But no one seemed to know what to do.

“What do they want? Did they say?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard over all the others.

“It is in regards to the fire at Rose Lodge, Miss, and the death that occurred there,” the butler responded. “They wish to speak to Mister Ombra. They have questions.”

Henri shook his head. “You'll have to tell them to come another day,” he insisted. “My son-in-law has had a great shock.”

“When murder is involved, time is something that none of us have,” the policeman moving around the butler spoke up, his tone cold and professional. Jane moved to wrap her arms around Crutchie, who'd begun trembling. Glancing around at the gathered group, the man asked, “Now, which of you is Mr. Ombra.”

Still, Erik made no move, and everyone else was hesitating. Taking a deep breath, Michaela began to move across the room. “Mr. Ombra was injured in the fire, sir,” she said quickly, before anyone could stop her. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. “Dr. Wellston hasn’t had a chance to see how bad the damage is.”

“Oh, I see,” the man responded as everyone stared at the young woman. Boldly, she pressed the flimsy piece of cloth into Erik’s hand and pushed the man’s hand up to his face. It would hide some of his face at least. “I still have questions. Is that Mr. Ombra?”

Squeezing Erik’s hand, Michaela tried to get through to him that he needed to do something but he didn’t react. “It was an unfortunate accident,” Khan spoke up for the first time.

“You call a bullet through the heart an accident?”

Crutchie made a strangled sound, and Jane hugged him tighter. “John Arden was a very disturbed man,” Kahn responded. “You can ask anyone of us here and we will tell you the same thing. He was harassing the Ombras. Jealousy warped his mind when he couldn’t succeed in courting the now Mrs. Ombra. An affair of the heart, you see.”

“Eye witnesses say he almost choked Arden to death with his bare hands.”

Michaela could only be grateful that the policeman seemed content to speak to someone as Erik had yet to show any sign that he knew what was going on around him. Was he in shock? “I think the key word in that statement, is almost, sir,” she responded. “He almost killed Arden with bare hands. But he didn’t, as you know.”

Kahn sent an annoyed look in her direction. “Mr. Ombra believed that Arden had killed his pregnant wife,” he added, keeping his voice persuasive and calm. “He was a grief stricken husband. Any man would have reacted the same, and as Miss D’Arcy has pointed out, he didn’t kill Arden.”

“Someone shot Arden. Its still considered a murder, and I have to find the man responsible.”

“I’m afraid you’ll find little sympathy here,” Mr. D’Arcy informed him. “As Mr. Kahn told you, Arden caused a great deal of trouble. He was quite mad.”

“That’s not an excuse to allow a murderer to go free.”

“Really, allow the children to be taken away before this goes any further,” Raoul said. “Don’t you realize they have been through enough today already?”

For the first time, the policeman looked flustered, seeming to realize that there were in fact children in the room. “Yes, of course,” he conceded. “The women may be excused as well.”

Glancing from Kahn to Henri, Michaela reluctantly stepped away from her best friend’s husband. Christine carried Cordelia out of the room, with Meg following closely behind with Gustav’s hand in hers. Madame Giry left the room next, guiding Isabella out and looking displeased with being excluded. Biting her lip, and hoping sincerely that Kahn would see them all through this development, Michaela started across the room.

“I did it.”

Kahn closed his eyes, and Henri winced. Gasping, Jane clamped her hand over Crutchie’s mouth. At the doorway, Michaela spun around in horror. “Excuse us,” Jane said, trying to push the boy to the door. “It has been a terrible day for us all.”

“Hold on, Miss,” the policeman said, holding up his hand. Reluctantly, Jane dropped her hand. “What did you say, young man?”

“I shot Mr. Arden,” Crutchie told him, his eyes wide and his face pale. But there was a resolve in his expression. “I-I don’t remember picking up the gun, but I knew he wouldn’t stop trying to hurt Pip a-and Erik. I pulled the trigger.”

“How old are you?”

“You will speak to me, and not my son, monsieur,” Erik spoke, turning to face the group for the first time. Michaela breathed a sigh of relief that he kept his hand, and her handkerchief, up at his face. His eyes, though, held an expression she’d never seen before, and she found herself taking a step back.

The policeman’s face hardened. “If he is of age, I’ll have to take him in and he will face trial, Mr. Ombra.”

Crutchie swallowed hard. “And what would happen to him if he were to face trial?” Raoul asked, stepping into the conversation and surprising all gathered there. “He’s just a boy.”

“That is not for me to decide,” the policeman responded stiffly. “A jury will decide his guilt.”

“You will not take him,” Erik stated, his tone like stone: cold and hard.

“You have no proof, just a frightened boy’s imagined guilt,” Henri intervened. “No one saw who pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Arden. And I don’t think any man here will say otherwise.”

The policeman glanced around the room and slowly nodded. “I see,” he said slowly. “It seems that I have wasted my time here then.”

Henri moved forward. “We cannot have that,” he said, his tone suddenly gracious. “Let us speak further in the hall.”

Jane blinked as the men went past her. “Is Uncle Henri bribing someone?” she asked.

“I don’t know what you’re speaking of,” Raoul told her. He took a deep breath and approached Erik. He held out his hand. “I’m man enough to admit I was wrong about you, but I hope you won’t be offended when I say I sincerely hope we don’t meet again. No good seems to come to my family when you’re about.”

After a moment, Erik allowed his hand to drop from hiding his face and gripped Raoul’s. “The feeling is mutual,” he responded. The vicomte flinched slightly and was quick to pull his hand free.

“Well, I shall get my wife and children home,” Raoul decided, attempting and failing to sound at ease.

“Erik,” Mrs. D’Arcy called from the doorway. “You should come up now.”

~*~

Propped up by several pillows, Katherine looked as though she was sleeping when Erik rushed into the room. The doctor was putting away his equipment back into his bag. Going to the right side of the bed, Erik knelt down next to his wife. He entwined his fingers around hers, bringing her hand up to his lips. “Katherine,” he said softly, reaching out with his right hand to touch her cheek.

“Erik,” Katherine responded, opening her eyes with a tired smile. Some of the tension in Erik faded. “There you are.”

She closed her eyes again, making Erik lean forward in concern. “Katherine, are you well?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Katherine whispered with another faint smile.

“She needs her rest,” the doctor contradicted. “Mrs. Ombra has been through a great deal, and she is far from well.” He stepped up next the bed, bent down, and lifted up the small bundle that had been cradled by Katherine’s left arm. “Now, Mr. Ombra, I’m pleased to introduce you to your daughter.”

With no warning, the doctor transferred the bundle into Erik’s arms and stepped away. Holding his breath, Erik looked down. From among the folds of the blanket, a scrunched up little face was turned towards him. The baby’s lips parted and a soft sound came out. Amazed, Erik stared at his daughter as she slept.

When he lifted his head, Katherine was smiling at him. “See,” she said softly. “I told you she would fine.”

“She is as beautiful as her mother,” Erik told her, adjusting his position so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward and kissed his wife. “Katherine, I love you.”

“What shall we name her? We never talked about it.”

Eik raised an eyebrow. “You cannot tell me that you didn’t think of something these past nine months,” he responded. “And we are not naming her after any of your friends.”

Katherine laughed softly, and then grimaced as she tried to get more comfortable. “Well, there is one name that I thought would be appropriate,” she answered. “Linette.”

“Linette,” Erik repeated, turning his focus back down at the baby in his arms. “A small songbird.”

Frowning suddenly, Katherine lifted her hand and touched her husband’s arm. “Arden?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear. “Is he-?”

“He will never trouble you again.”

“Erik, you didn’t...”

Lifting his gaze, Erik shook his head. “I didn’t kill him, though I wanted to,” he answered. “We will have to find another home, Katherine. Rose Lodge burned to the ground. It seems to be a pattern with my dwellings.”

“Well, we’ll look for something bigger,” Katherine said, closing her eyes. “We’ll need the space for the school.”

“School?”