The premiere of Don Juan Triumphant was the last performance for the Opera Populaire. The managers announced that the opera house would be closing down. It was understandable, give everything that had happened there, but that one performance was the final straw for them. It wasn't very likely that many people would have continued attending performances after that disaster.

 Francois couldn't say he was too sorry to discover the place was closing down. But the problem was it was that he was left unemployed, and he knew he would no doubt, have trouble finding another job. Not everyone was looking a violinist, but maybe a musician with years of experience like he possessed could help in finding new employment.

 Francois tried for a few weeks, but he couldn't find a permanent job, despite the amount of experience and expertise he had handy. He was going to have to pay rent again soon, and he just barely had enough money for it. He vowed to find a permanent job before he went completely broke. 

 The one true good thing he learned was that Christine was alive and out of the Phantom's clutches. Francois hadn't seen her, but apparently she was alive and well. And, according to the papers, she was engaged to marry the Vicomte de Chagny.

 Francois had no clue where the de Chagny family lived, so he didn't know where he could visit Christine. He kept hoping she would visit him, or at least write to him. But she didn't; he didn't anything at all from her. So, perhaps they had been wrong about being such good friends.

~~~~~~

 Francois went home after another day of fruitless job searching. As soon as he walked in the door, his sister Jeanne said to him, "Francois, your friend Christine is waiting upstairs for you. She absolutely insisted on waiting for you to get back."

 He smiled. "Thank you, Jeanne!"

 He hurried up the stairs to the attic room, and found Christine pacing across the floor.

 "Francois!" She threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Oh, I've missed you."

 "I've missed you, too," he said. "So, you got away from him? Did the Vicomte save you?"

 "Oh, he did come to save me, but I believe I saved him. You see, I got him to show a little kindness for once in his life, and he let us both go."

 "He...just let you go? Where is he now?"

 "Oh, I don't know. I don't believe I'll ever see him again, though. I imagine that would be for the best." 

 "Ah. Um, I saw in the papers that you're marrying the Vicomte. Congratulations, I suppose."

 "Oh." Christine's smile faltered. "Well, that's what I came here to tell you. I broke my engagement to Raoul. I'm not marrying him."

 Francois blinked. "You're not? But I thought you were in love with him."

 "I do care very much about Raoul. But something it all didn't feel right. I don't believe it's the right life for me. Besides, I got an offer. I have the chance to go to America. There's an opera house that would like to take me as a performer if I would accept. I've decided I want to go. But I did ask them a favor."

 "What's that?"

 "I told them I have a friend who is an outstanding violinist who also lost his job when the Opera Populaire closed, and they have agreed to take him on as well. What do you think?"

 "You...want me to go to America with you?" Francois asked slowly.

 "Yes, Francois. Let's go together, you and I. You see, I've realized that...I don't want to be without you. So I want you to go with me."

 "You mean...well, yes, Christine, I'll go with you if you want me to. But...if we're going to do this properly, wouldn't we have to get married first?"

 "Perhaps we would," she answered, a mysterious twinkle in her eye.

 Francois smiled. "Christine, did you come here to ask me to marry you?"

 "I might have. Now, will you or not?"

 "You know I will. I'll marry you and go to America with you, and it doesn't really matter which one comes first."

 "That was what I hoped you would say." Christine gave him a kiss. "Come on, then. We have to tell everyone, and then we have to prepare."

 She took his hand and pulled him down the stairs, but he didn't mind a bit.