Greetings, friends! This is my first attempt at a full length POTO fan fic, so I hope you will find it worth reading. I have never done a fan fic with music lyrics in it, so I hope that this isn't too terribly annoying to everyone.

As usual, I don't own any of the literary characters from Phantom Of The Opera, and I am in no way profiting from these writings. I do this strictly for my own enjoyment and to hopefully entertain and inspire others to do the same. Please R & R—constructive criticism is very welcome!

Restoration Of The Soul Chapter 1: Opportunity Knocks

(Late September…)

"This is a fantastic opportunity, my dear, and you're the only person we have on staff right now with the qualifications to work on this project. The museum can really use the funds, and a good recommendation from such a wealthy client will do wonders for our reputation."

Juliette Phelps looked across the cluttered desk at her employer, still suspicious of this strange offer that had come via express mail to Vinson Gallery in Bremerton, WA one day earlier. "Why us and why me, Mr. Chambers? I'm sure that there are hundreds of art restoration experts who would jump though hoops to work on a job of this magnitude---why request one from halfway around the world? Something about this situation just doesn't feel right to me."

"Our prospective client is a very private man, Jules, and prefers dealing with small companies that can use a helping hand, such as ours. While there are other restorers on staff with greater experience than you, you are the only one who speaks decent French, so the job is yours for the taking. Honestly, Jules.." His tone changed as he looked at his favorite protégé. "I have every confidence that you will do an excellent job…I know you'd never let me or the museum down." He leaned forward, his eyes bright with excitement. "Just think…you'd be working in a chateau in France, with a handsome salary to boot, the museum will get a much needed contribution as well as the prestige, and just think about how good it will look on your resume! Oh, don't give me that look, young lady." He chuckled at her scowl. "You can't tell me your life's ambition is to sit around cleaning paintings til the end of your days. You're a talented woman, and it would give me great pleasure to see you open your own gallery someday." When she rolled her eyes and shook her head, he leaned back with a sigh. This is one argument from past experience that he knew he would never win.

"Never mind, I know when I'm beating a dead horse." He slid a manila folder across the desk to her, and glancing at it she found that it was filled with 8 x 10 photos and documents. "I admit I was thrilled when we got the call…after all, it's not everyday that a gallery like ours get the opportunity to restore a collection of art that's been hidden in a famous French opera house for well over 100 years. Some have suffered considerable smoke damage from the fire of 1883, but here's what I thought would catch your interest. There's sufficient evidence that leads us to believe that some of these works may actually be Louis XIV or even earlier, disguised for their protection during the Revolutionary raids. The cache was discovered when the building was being gutted earlier this year by its new owner." He caught the sudden gleam of interest and had to use all his willpower to hold back a grin….'come on, little fishy……I've set the hook with this nice bait… now it's time to reel you in…' he thought as he studied the 20-something woman for a moment, putting on his most earnest face and leaning forward in his chair once more before continuing. "I know you've been searching for an opportunity to prove yourself and to the world that you're more than David Phelps's daughter." He saw her stiffen and quickly continued. "So, what do you say, Jules? I have the utmost faith in your abilities…..the real question is, do you?"

She was silent for a moment as she looked at the file, then asked him for a day to think about it. She was clearly intrigued by the prospect of working on such a project, and Mr. Chambers was pretty positive that she wouldn't be able to resist such an opportunity. He was not surprised at all when she called early the next morning to accept the job. Moments later, he was smiling like the proverbial Cheshire cat when he had his secretary connect him to a number in Paris.

Grew up in a small town

And when the rain would fall down

I just stared out my window

Dreaming of what could be

And if I'd end up happy

I would pray (I would pray)

Trying hard to reach out

But when I'd try to speak out

Felt like no one could hear me

Wanted to belong here

But something felt so wrong here

So I pray (I would pray)

I could breakaway

Chorus:

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky

I'll make a wish, Take a chance, Make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

But I won't forget all the ones that I loved

I'll take a risk, Take a chance, Make a change

And breakaway

From "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

Juliette looked out the window into the night sky as the jet cruised through the night and sighed at the view. A full moon hung in the sky, reflecting brightly off the pillow-like clouds that prohibited any view of the turbulent Atlantic Ocean far below. Most of her fellow passengers were resting or watching in-flight movies on the mini screens in the back of each seat, but she was too restless to do either.

It was still hard for her to believe that she had accepted the job and was stepping out into the unknown. Had it really only been 7 days since she had accepted the position of restoration artist for the artwork discovered at the infamous Opera Populaire in Paris? The time had flown by quickly as she made arrangements for the purchase of needed materials, secured her work visa, updated her passport, and packed her three large suitcases. She had been concerned about the amount of luggage she was taking at first, but restoration work was very delicate and time consuming. It was likely that she would be at the chateau where the paintings had been moved to for at least 3 months, and she had packed accordingly.

It had been a long day—first the flight to LAX, then LAX to LaGuardia, and now the last and longest leg to Paris. She was going to have one heck of a case of jet lag when she arrived at her final destination. Accepting a diet cola from the stewardess, Juliette looked out the window once more and turned on the CD player again, her thoughts drifting back to the adventure that awaited her.

Mr. Chambers had been right in one regard…..this was too fantastic an opportunity to pass up, and if she was successful at it, she would finally prove to everyone that she was more than just a spoiled little rich girl "going through a phase" where art was concerned.

As a Phelps, she could have her own gallery at any time; it would have been a simple matter of picking up the phone and her family's "people" would have been tripping over themselves to please her. She frankly admitted to one and all that she had been spoiled rotten during her teens and early 20's. "A mall hopping, tennis-playing, trend-setting, cellphone chattin', Mercedes-convertible driving debutante" was a fairly accurate description, but being the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the Northwest didn't come without a price. It had taken only one incident about 2 years after graduation, to prove to her that money couldn't buy happiness.

It was a summer she'd never forget….she was 20 and truly in love for the very first time. The young man that she had given her heart and her virginity to had been deemed unsuitable by her parents, but she had been adamant that they were in love and had refused to break it off with him. It might have been his political beliefs, his radical clothing style or his lack of status and money. But for whatever reason, they had taken it upon themselves to rectify the situation and had "bought off" the young man, sending him out of their daughter's life $50,000 richer, having signed a legal form agreeing not to contact Juliette again. When they showed her the cancelled check to prove her lover's faithlessness, they didn't get the reaction that they had been hoping for. That night, a broken hearted woman-child learned the hard way that she would never be free as long as she let her parent's money control her every move.

From that point on, Juliette had been determined that she was going to make it on her own, and so far, she had been successful. To her parent's shock and dismay, she had turned down the Ivy League education they'd been pressuring her to accept, given them back their Mercedes and instead had earned her degree at Washington State, bussing tables and working part time at a dry cleaners to make ends meet. It hadn't been easy, but to her doing things the right way instead of the easy way was worth it. She had worked hard at Vinson Gallery for the past 3 years and had managed to evade all attempts from her parents to "buy" their way into her life. She was cordial to them, but had never really forgiven them for their actions, not that they had ever apologized for doing what to them was "the right thing."

Yes, life at 27 was good for Juliette Phelps, the former Paris Hilton of Bremerton, Washington, and it looked like it was about to get a whole lot more interesting.…….