Here we go again. This is my previous fic Shadowdancer, that I, after a very smart review decided to redo a little. I've brought another perspective into the story, and introduced some of the Phantom characters earlier. I probably was foolish not to do it before, but well… I like writing about Tayce. I hope I'm not going to turn her into a Mary Sue, and I'll try REALLY hard not to. I loathe Mary Sues.

Note: This is NOT going to be a EOW. I don't believe I can write it, and I believe that Erik and Christine belong together. My main character and Erik wouldn't fit together at all. And she's not gonna end up with Raoul either. If you noticed the genre of this, it's not romance. That doesn't mean I won't have love in it, but well… You'll just have to see. And I'll have to see too… :O

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Late summer 1882 – The de Chagny Mansion

He bowed over her hand, and held it in his just a moment too long. She laughed, that soft pearly laugh he had heard only a few times, and quickly drew back her hand, feigning ignorance.
My, she was a Beauty! Even quite much pregnant, her eyes shone, and her bosom rose temptingly with every breath she took. He admired it as she laughed. How did she look without clothes, he wondered… That mass of brown, glistening curls was pinned up in a style both innocent and fascinating, and he longed to see it unbound. It showed of her neck and shoulders, leaving them bared for the world to see. He noticed it also left her small, delicate ears exposed. How very intriguing…

He forced himself to look away from his new business partner's lovely wife, delighting only a second on the scent that her rose perfume had left on his hand. Raoul de Chagny. A very intelligent man. No doubt about it. But nearly as innocent as his naïve wife. If he was lucky, as closed the deal with le vicomte de Chagny, he would be so damned filthy rich, he would never have to think about money or sucking up to nobles and their likes… But if sucking up meant flirting with such a dear little creature as Christine de Chagny, he gladly did it. Very gladly, actually, he thought as Christine directed another radiant smile towards him.

The rest of the dinner passed uneventfully. He briefly considered trying to seduce the beautiful madame but decided not to press his luck as he saw Raoul tenderly putting his hand on the slight swelling of his wife's stomach.
A man couldn't have everything at the same time. He reflected on the fact. Oh well, it was always a day tomorrow. And what was urgent now was to find a decent looking whore, quickly.

He excused himself, and promised to return soon. Once again, he deliberately held on to Christine's a moment longer than necessary. As the door closed behind him, he caught a glimpse of the couple embracing, her head resting against his shoulder, and his head resting upon hers. What a sweet, happy ending.

The party had reached the certain level where the guest either moved on to the next party, or calmed down and went into a dirtier mood. He looked around, disheartened by the lack of beautiful invitees. He sighed, and looked around for a glass of brandy when a soft, deep voice interrupted his search.

"Miguel" Hope, anxiety, and something else he couldn't decipher sounded in that voice. He turned around.
"Tayce, dear child." She frowned a little at this. Good.
"I've been looking for you! Where've you been?" accusingly this time.
"None of your business." A deeper frown this time.
"I want to know!" God, but she was childish! He didn't know why he bothered with her. He had pitied her a little, and her badly covered crush on him had amused him. Though it wasn't like she was anything to look at, far from it. But well, he had always liked little sport, and if it meant making this little chit irritated, gladly.

"You wouldn't understand anyway."
"You don't know that…" she pouted. She didn't pout well. He observed her eyes were a little glazed over, and her words a bit slurred. Tayce was obliviously drunk. He couldn't say he minded it. It was a welcome change. There was something in those sharp, perceptive eyes of hers that he didn't like. It made him nervous. He was quite sure she saw right through him at times.
"No matter, darling!" he smiled and pulled her onto his lap as he sat down in a closest unoccupied chair. Tayce complied. She probably was too intoxicated to do anything else. Which meant she most likely wouldn't remember anything in the morning. Perfect. It was time to get rid of Tayce Martineau before she became more of a nuisance to him. Women tended to become that rather quickly.

He pressed a kiss to her yielding lips, and as he had suspected she was too influenced to do anything but to submit. It was strange really, that a girl like Martineau should be interested in him She had some money, and should have been betrothed. He knew a little about her parents (weren't they dead? He thought so, at least. Not that he cared very much, but still) and they had been methodical people, and should have gotten a fiancé for their beloved daughter. He had never heard of one, and suitors didn't really surround her. He almost snorted aloud. Tayce, with suitors fighting for her hand. Never! Mlle Mariana de Bergerac was another matter… The blond beauty made him lick his lips. He would have to pay a visit to her soon… But now he had a different matter to take care of. Not as pleasurable as a visit to Mariana's of course; that woman could have been Aphrodite herself, but not entirely unsatisfactory.

He continued to kiss her slowly. He was winning now, and he knew the perfect way to end this. He quickly buttoned up her bodice, hearing her half moan, half shocked gasp. With quick practiced efficiency, he slipped his hand under her dress, bent forward and pretended to whisper something in her ear. Then he slipped the short girl of his lap, and heard with delight the whispers and murmurs among the chaperone's. He just had a few small words to the right people to say, and then the honour loving little Tayce Martineau would be out of Paris for good.

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Okay, the first new chapter of this fic. I'm putting up the old ones too, and well… You can just review if you like, and it would make me VERY happy.

This is going to be told in Tayce's POV mostly, and I'm not going to change that. Erik and the other will play a very important role (he won't be introduced yet for a few chapters though…) but it's still Tayce's story. And that's that. 

Please, please review and make my day. 