Thank you to all who took the time to read and review. It was really quite a nice surprise this morning to see your reviews in my inbox!

Well, you've met the Phantom. Now it's time for you to meet the other half of the equation.

I should have said this at the beginning of my story, but nothing Phantom related belongs to me.

2. Let the Dream Begin

"Thank you all for coming," said Rosalie with a smile as she concluded her tour. "Please feel free to linger and look around a bit more on your own if you like. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask." She lingered as the crowd dispersed, exchanging pleasantries with the tourists and directing a few to the cafe, or to the gift shop. Finally, she began her walk back to her desk.

She had just completed her favorite part of the day. Giving a tour of the Paris Opera House, or as it is still known,The Palais Garnier, was always a joy. This building was her reason for being in France, the whole point of her traveling to Paris after graduation. Since first reading the story of The Phantom of the Opera as a child, she had felt a strange draw to the opera house-which had only intensified with each movie adaptation she had seen. Her own love of singing had her practicing along with the amazing score of the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical, and had further fanned her desires to visit Charles Garnier's magnificent building. When graduation had loomed with no prospects on either the job or relationship horizon, and after having lost her parents in a devastating car crash, she had submitted an application for the position of paid intern, which would include office work and giving the English speaking tours. She was surprised and delighted to receive a letter accepting her into the internship program, and a few short weeks after graduation, Rosalie was on her way to France, to start her life anew.

Her first visit to the glorious building had been simply breathtaking. She had been overwhelmed by the rich opulence of the foyer and the dizzying grand staircase. Everywhere she looked there were absolute masterpieces of art to see. And there were almost no words to describe the impact of the auditorium, which now mostly hosted ballets, but which had once been the stage for some of the world's most amazing operas. The red velvet seating, the gilded sculptures of angels, the heavy red and gold curtains, and of course, the resplendent chandelier-it was decadent, but it was lovely. In her mind's eye, she could easily imagine the pomp and circumstance of opening night at the Opera, the romantic intrigues that had taken place within these walls-or behind them, as the case may have been. In her training as a tour guide, she had been shown some of the "secret passages" that had given way to the lore of the tortured Phantom's underground labyrinth. The reality was hardly so mysterious. They were merely access points through which to conveniently move props and scenery. Still, her heart had thrilled with excitement to be walking the fabled corridors, regardless of their truly bland nature. Imagination was a wonderful thing.

Though most of her internship was, in fact, office work, her hours walking the Opera, telling the tales of its history and art were a fair recompense. Her favorite moment was always taking her visitors to the entrance of Box 5-or Loge Du Fantome de L'Opera, as it is entitled-explaining that to this day, it is never sold. Adds a little extra titillation to those visiting because they wish to chase a ghost. Her fellow tour guides were, frankly, getting so tired of the old story, but Rosalie could certainly understand its appeal. Her only regret was that access to the underground lake had been boarded off long ago for safety reasons, so there really was no chance to explore the deepest cellars beneath the massive structure. But it was a small disappointment, really. To be here, not only fulfilling her childhood dream of visiting the opera, but having it as a part of her daily life, was really too exciting for words, and she was intent on enjoying every minute of it.

As Rosalie reached her desk, piled high with requests that had arrived while she was off on her tour, she was reminded of the other fringe benefit to working at the Opera. Seated a desk away from her's, speaking politely with a patron on the phone, was Lucas Dumond. Rosalie remembered when Monsieur Bellamy had introduced them the first time. She had been quite flustered to meet this tall, blond man who would be sharing her workspace, but when his deep blue eyes locked with her green ones, and he flashed her his ready smile, Rosalie could not help but smile back. He was so handsome, and sweet, and funny, as she came to discover in their early conversations. His invitation for dinner after work had come as a complete surprise a few days into her internship, as well as when he took her hand in his as they'd walked to the corner cafe. That evening had been filled with laughter, and when he sealed it with a brief kiss after walking her to her apartment, she had been floating on air. Lucas always had a way of making her smile, and as he blew her a kiss, after looking up from his phone conversation, Rosalie could feel her cheeks flush. She could not wait until he hung up the phone, so she could run over and say hello, but it seemed Lucas was stuck with someone a little verbose.

Sitting down at her own desk, Rosalie began to wade through the papers that had appeared in her absence when her boss, Opera House Manager, Rahim Bellamy, entered their office. Thought of as kind and well liked by all, the older man with the olive skin and the chocolate eyes quickly commanded everyone's attention. "I have an announcement to make," as phone calls were ended, pens lowered, and keyboards silenced. "I am delighted to inform you that in October, the Palais Garnier will be host to a gala celebration in honor of the 30th anniversary of the musical 'The Phantom of the Opera.' There will be much for this office to do. The guest list will be largely by invitation only, but there will still be many accommodations we will have to make. Likewise, expect that we will have to make some special rush orders for supplies and such. It will be a very busy time between now and the gala, and extra hours will likely be required of you. But by way of remuneration, each of you will be invited to be a guest at the performance-which will be an historic one indeed in the world of theater." His eyes glistened as he considered just how historic the event would be. "Good day" he nodded, as he exited out of their office.

Rosalie could barely contain her excitement as she rushed over to Lucas! "Can you believe it?" she gushed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Phantom is coming here!"

Lucas laughed as he extricated himself from her hold. "Some would say-including you-that he's always been here. Isn't that why we lose money every performance by not selling out Box 5?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him, "Oh Lucas, you know what I mean! The musical. It's so exciting!"

Lucas shook his head from side to side. "I swear, Rose, somedays I think you like that ghost more than me!"

"Well," she smiled, "He has a better singing voice. And the mask-it's so mysterious!"

Now it was Lucas's turn to roll his eyes. "It's a good thing you're so adorable, because you're also completely insane!"

"Yeah, yeah, but you knew that when you started dating me." she giggled.

"I swear," he said, raising his right hand in the air with a mock serious expression,"I was in the dark. It was only after you'd stolen my heart that you let your psychosis show." Lucas's phone rang again, which was Rosalie's cue to get back to her desk and leave him to his work. They both had plenty to do to keep them busy, especially with the gala on the way. Besides, she would have plenty of time with Lucas on their date tonight.

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Rosalie handed Lucas a glass of wine as she sat down on the little couch in her apartment. Dinner had been delicious, and they had enjoyed a beautiful stroll through the park on their way back to her place. Once she had taken a sip of her wine and set it on the side table next to the sofa, she snuggled closely into Lucas as he put his arm around her. In the dim lamplight of her apartment, Lucas' blue eyes shone as he reached out to pull her face closer to his. "You are so beautiful," he whispered in a low voice as he placed his lips against hers. Rosalie met his kiss tentatively, shuddering a little as he parted her lips with his tongue and pulled her more tightly against him. She allowed herself to enjoy the sensations he was creating, as she ran her fingers through his silky blond locks. She felt his hands wandering across her back, traveling lower to give her backside a little squeeze. When she squealed a little at that, unnerved, he took it as encouragement. His hands moved to her thighs, kissing her the whole time, gliding up toward her waist and higher still until he brushed her breast with his hand, through her blouse. Rosalie was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't until he began to unfasten one of her buttons that she pushed away and put on the breaks.

"Lucas, stop," she said, out of breath, pulling a little out of his embrace.

"Why?," he whispered, undeterred, continuing his kisses, now to her neck, as his hands made another attempt to unbutton her blouse."

"Lucas, no. We can't." She said, more firmly now, pulling completely away and re-buttoning what he had undone.

"Rosie, come on!" Lucas said, slapping his hands on his knees in irritation. "Why the hell not?"

Rosalie looked away from him, her face reddening in embarrassment. "Lucas, I'm just not ready," she said, with a quavering voice.

"We've been dating for a month now!" Lucas raised his voice slightly, in frustration. "When are you going to be ready?"

"I don't know." She said in a small voice, still not able to look at him.

Lucas stood up, running his fingers through his hair. "Look, I should go," he said, his voice full of aggravation.

"Okay," Rosalie said, still not facing him.

"Bye," he said, as he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

Once Lucas left her apartment, Rosalie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to lock the door. She leaned up against it, not knowing why she kept stopping Lucas. It wasn't as if she didn't like being with him-and she certainly enjoyed it every time he kissed her. She just was not ready to take their relationship to the next level. Such a fool she was, she thought. Lucas was everything she'd ever wanted in a man-handsome, intelligent, funny-and still, she turned him away. "Ah, Rosalie," she asked herself, "What are you waiting for?" Because she truly didn't know. She walked into her small bedroom, quickly undressed, and collapsed, exhausted, on the bed. She only hoped that when she woke up in the morning, Lucas would still want to be by her side.

So, what do you think of our Rose?