A/N: I do not own any of the characters from phantom of the opera
Natalie shut the heavy metal lattice and slumped to the cold stone floor, barely daring to breathe. She sat paralyzed in fear, listening intently, but could hear nothing apart from the steady drip of rainwater falling from her soaked garment. The beat seemed to crescendo in the calming silence until it filled the woman's mind blocking out thoughts of the horrific events of the previous days, and then darkness took her.
Antoinette Giry could not help smiling as she followed the maze of halls towards the Opera's small chapel. Richard had suggested they meet there for a quick prayer, and leave for the park before things got hectic. The two had been courting for nearly two years, and still their love grew every day. Antoinette quickened her pace, lifting her white lacy skirt, so that the hem did not drag across the floor. She reached the chapel precisely on time, prepared to wait for Richard who was seldom punctual.
Few things surprised Antoinette, for she had seen and experienced far more than most others her age. Nevertheless, she was somewhat startled to see the figure of a young woman crumpled beneath the chapel's window. Antoinette hurried to the girl's side. She was soaking wet and cold to the touch, with bruises painted up and down her arms as well as on her face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow but regular.
Curiously, Antoinette did not recognize her face from the Opera's staff, but when she saw that the window had not been latched shut she suddenly realized why the girl was soaking wet. The window to the chapel was raised only a few feet above the adjacent ally, which still contained numerous puddles from the night's heavy rain. Antoinette could not help but think of the last time someone sought shelter from the cold, cruel world through the exact same window.
"Antoinette! What's going on here? Is she alright?" Richard interrupted her train of thought.
"I think she's going to be fine, but right now she needs medical attention. Let's take her to Marie." Antoinette replied urgently. Richard nodded as he lifted the unconscious girl and followed Antoinette towards the Opera's clinic.
"What happened to her?" Marie questioned automatically when she laid her eyes upon the bruised body stretched out on the cot before her. The couple indicated that they were not aware and the old nurse sent Richard from the room so that she and Antoinette could remove the unconscious girl's damp clothes. They then dressed her in clean spare garments and layered blankets over her.
Marie sighed, "Her injuries seem to be entirely superficial. I will check to make sure she has no internal injury or broken bone, but the bruises will heal with time." Antoinette thanked her, and offered to assist Marie during her day off. Marie shook her head; "I have this completely under control. I am sure you wouldn't want to disappoint that young man outside. Besides I have my own assistants if I need them." She smiled encouragingly at Antoinette, and the young woman reluctantly left.
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Antoinette enjoyed her day off with Richard, but held the event of that morning in the back of her mind throughout the day. When she returned she bathed and dressed for bed, she sat combing her long dark locks out she heard a polite knock, but not from the door. She turned in the seat and spoke, "Come in." She was not perturbed in the slightest as a man seemed to form from the shadows. Erik stood before her, or as he now preferred to be called, the Phantom.
It had been nine years since Antoinette had helped Erik escape from the gypsy fair where he had been cruelly exhibited as a sideshow freak, "The Devil's Child." She had brought the thin and abused boy to the Opera house where she had done her best to take care of and hide him. He had grown in the cellars of the world's very heart of the arts and seemed to have absorbed all it genius, and brought to it much of his own.
"How was your date, Mademoiselle?" Erik asked cordially.
"Lovely, thank you," she responded, "Erik, a young woman arrived at the Opera today."
"I care little for the comings and goings of the countless ladies of this establishment, Antoinette, unless she has considerable talent, or might be fit to replace our late Prima Donna.
"I know nothing of her abilities, but I think, rather, she is seeking refuge, much like you once did. I found her unconscious and hurt beneath the very same window I snuck you into so many years ago."
Erik's face was all indifference; "I take it you got her to the clinic? Then I'm sure she will figure little in the future. Ah, the future, Mademoiselle, is what I wish to discuss! You know of my exploits of late. I have made my presence known, and the superstitious of this place have named me. I am the Opera Ghost, a title I am thrilled to bear. However, the management has completely ignored all the curious incidents, and thinks nothing of me. This, my dear, with your help of course, will soon change."