Disclaimer: Nothing in the Phantom's world belongs to me. I make no profit from this fic. I am just borrowing the characters for a short time and will return them in good order at a later date.

Author's Note: This fic is based mostly on the recent Phantom of the Opera movie. It has been a long time since I have seen a live production of the story, so if I make any mistakes in references to the original story please forgive me and correct me. I take great pride in sticking to the particulars, and would hope that you all keep me in line. Now on to the story.

Story Summary: It has been five years since the disaster at the opera house. When the phantom finds a beaten and bruised young woman collapsed on the stage will he learn compassion?

The Opera Reopens

Antoinette Giry stood alone on the main stage of the newly remodeled Opera Populaire. It had been five years since the disaster that nearly destroyed the structure. Madame Giry had not been back to the opera house in that time. She had been working a smaller house on the outskirts of Paris. But this was her home. It had been since she was a small girl and she would return for the grand reopening. Things would be different this time. She knew not whether he was still residing in the catacombs below the opera house, but even if he did things would be different. Christine was gone. He had no reason to interfere this time. And she would see that no such disaster befell her home again, just as she should have done before.

She turned as she heard the entrance of the hopefuls that would audition for the ballet and chorus. She would choose the dancers, and their new conductor Monsieur Roulet would chose the singers. The owners would choose the rest of the crew.

She could see a few of the girls that she had been working with at the smaller opera house, but other than her Meg there were none from the former cast of this house. But she had not expected to see any old faces that day. There were too many disturbing memories for most.

As the auditions began she noticed a hauntingly beautiful girl standing in the background watching, but not interacting with the others. She crossed over to the girl and looked her up and down. Her attire was old and worn, but kept in good condition. "Which are you auditioning for?" She asked the girl.

The girl looked down to the stage floor in an uncharacteristic shy movement for opera hopefuls. "Neither Madame. I'm sorry for intruding. I have been hired by the owners to make costumes. I just wanted to get acquainted with the opera house before I started my job."

Madame Giry's eyes raised in surprise. The girl was more beautiful than anyone on the stage. She could be a star if she had talent. "Do you not perform at all?"

"No. I am not a dancer, and have no talent for singing." The girl swallowed hard forming the words.

"I am Madame Giry. What name do you go by?" The older woman asked.

"Lily." Was the girl's only reply.

"Lily…." Antoinette asked.

"Just Lily, Madame." The girl said looking down again.

"Do you have a place to stay Lily?" Antoinette asked, realizing that the girl must not have any family.

Lily thought of the one room she resided in on the seedier side of Paris. It was not a home. Just a place to stay that she could not afford to pay for. She knew she would be out on the streets unless she could get an advance on her wages soon. "I am staying somewhere, but it is far from the opera house." She did not want to say the name of the street that was little more than an alley where prostitutes plied their wares.

"There is extra room in the dancers dormitory if you wish to move in here." Antoinette suggested.

A broad smile crossed Lily's face. "Oh please you are too kind Madame. I thank you." The girl said giving a gracious curtsy to the woman before turning to rush from the opera house to retrieve her few personal items from the room she was staying in.

When Lily entered the room she had stayed in for the past six months she was thrilled that it would be the last time she would have to see it. She did not see the figure sitting on the chair in the corner. She quickly grabbed a patched and warn bag and started stuffing her few belongings in it.

"Going somewhere ma petite cherie?" A voice called from the corner.

Lily startled by the words dropped the bag she was packing. She backed up to the wardrobe behind her waiting to see who had spoken. "Who's there?"

"Just I, your faithful landlord." The voice said standing and moving forward into the candlelight.

"Monsieur. You frightened me." She stuttered.

"Are you leaving?" He asked walking around the small bed in the center of the room.

She looked down at the bag she had dropped. "I have found employment at the opera house. I promise I will pay you what I owe when I receive my first months wages." She said bending and picking up her bag.

"I see. Well I'm sorry but that will not do." The man said coming closer to her.

She looked to him in confusion. "I'm sorry sir, but I have not the money to pay you yet."

"Well since you are leaving I will have to have something else as payment." He suggested standing close enough to run his finger down her bare arm.

"No." She pulled her arm away from him. "I am not a common street strumpet." She said as the blush came to her cheeks.

"Come now little one. This won't take long, and you might even like it." He said grasping both of her forearms pulling her closer to him. She tried to again pull her arms away from him, but his vice like grip would not allow it.

"Never." She said lifting her knee sharply into his groin. He let go of her arms bending over in pain.

She grabbed her bag and started to flee the room. She had just made the door when a hand tangled in her long dark curls from behind, pulling her backwards. She let out a small strangled sound as her hair was roughly yanked.

"Not so fast, whore." He said pulling her back and tossing her to the bed. Before she could gain her feet he was on top of her, holding her down.

"I am no whore you beast." She yelled struggling to free her arms that he held pinned above her head.

"For the right amount of money, you all are." He smiled down at her.

She gave him a glare that she hoped looked deadly and then spit in his face. The next moment one of his hands let go of hers so he could strike her cheek. She felt pain spread over her face and saw stars dance before her eyes. But this only made her struggle more, which brought more strikes to her face. She could taste blood flowing from her busted lip.

Once he had exhausted her with the beating he began to rip at her dress, but stopped as he heard a shrill whistle outside in the street. He looked to the woman and realized his mistake. He had not gagged her. A piercing scream could be heard down the street.

"Damn you, wench." He said getting off of her and making his way to the back door and slipping out, but not before a warning. "This is not over."

She lay panting on the bed not believing her luck. A moment later the door was busted open and a member of the police strode in taking in her appearance. She pointed to the back door and the officer left immediately in pursuit of her attacker. She did not wait around to see if he would be caught. She grabbed her small bag of belongings and left the room for the last time.

It was late when she entered the door that the employees used at the opera house. She knew it would be locked soon. She knew not where she was going, and was still slightly in shock after the beating she had taken.

She made her way to the only place in the opera house that she was familiar with. She walked onto the stage looking around the auditorium. She went to the middle of the stage and sunk to her knees. She knew that all the dancers and singers would be in the dormitory, wherever that was. She knew not where else to go. So she kneeled there trying to regroup her senses. She had narrowly escaped a fate worse than death as far as she could see. She was shaken as the thoughts brought back painful memories from her past. She did not realize when she had begun to cry, but only realized she was when she was ripped from her memories by her own soft sobs.

She curled into herself laying on the cold stage letting the painful emotions sweep over her until she finally succumbed to darkness, whether in sleep or unconsciousness she was not sure.

She never saw the figure that stood alone in the flies, watching her. He could see her body racked with sobs, but with uncaring eyes did nothing but watch, and listen. After she stopped crying and he was sure that she slept he made his way to the stage to take a better look at the girl who had invaded his domain at his time of night.

She was lying on her side with one arm tucked under her head. He approached her from behind. He slipped around in front of her and his breath caught in his throat for a moment at the sight he saw. Her face was smeared with blood, and her right eye was swollen. She had bruises forming on her cheeks and forehead. He reached out to her placing one hand in front of her face feeling her breathing on his hand. She lived. He had seen atrocities in his life, and had committed a few himself, but never had he struck a woman, over and over until she was not recognizable. And they called him a monster.

He bent down and picked the woman's light body up deciding immediately what to do with her. He made his way to Madame Giry's room placing her on the floor in front of the door. He reached down one last time stroking the swollen right side of her face, and then reached up touching his mask covering the right side of his own face. He stood and rapped on the door and then fled into the shadows.

Author's Note: Well this is the first Phantom story that I have written so any and all comments or corrections would be appreciated. Thank you.