Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, all element belong to their respective creators.

Madame Giry choked back a scream of grief as her tears splashed down her wrinkled cheeks onto the newspapers black ink.

Three words leapt from the page and branded her heart. "Erik is dead"

Erik...the Opera Ghost...dead. Erik, that name, she'd only recently learned it from the babbling of poor De Chagny.

She cried out as though in mortal pain. A saber of guilt plunged through her heart. She'd told them, she'd told the managers his secrets...secrets he had entrusted her to keep safe...she betrayed him!

"Monsieur Phantom, forgive me!" She sobbed into her gnarled hands. "I-I...Oh, forgive me!..." Her voice trailed off into harsh cries of grief.

Slowly, her cries subsided till all that was left were the salty tears sliding down her face. It was too late now...there was no use...

Her gaze caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, Madame Giry stared for a moment at the hag in her mirror: the sunken dull eyes, dirty, graying hair and splotched withered skin...ugly.

No man would ever love her. There was no longer a chance. She would forever be alone...he was gone.

Still crying, Madame Giry looked again at the words printed in the paper.

Oh, he'd thought she was fooled, Erik had thought she believed he was a ghost! What nonsense! He was quite plainly a man, for what would a ghost want with 20,000 francs?

"O.G...you fool..." She sobbed, rereading the words. "...You had no need to court the young diva... I could have loved you..." She whispered. "I would not have cared...!" Madame Giry sobbed, remembering his face, the face of a corpse, a face she had seen only once by accident.

"I...I did not care!" She cried suddenly, throwing herself over the boudoir as the tears came harder. "But it was not I, never! Not I! Not I who has always served you well and faithfully! No! It was her! Her that you pursued!" She continued to cry caught in a wave of her memories.

"Monsieur Phantom!" Madame Giry cried clutching the newspaper to her heart. "Erik!" She screamed with all her might. "I LOVED YOU!"

Authors Note: I would appreciate it if you would take the time to review.

I've never seen the Leroux versions of Erik and Madame Giry paired so I decided to give it a shot