-a few months later, the Opera House's grand opening-

"Alexandra, are you ready? The first guest should be arriving any moment now." Her father knocked on her door.

"I'm coming, Papa." She made doubly sure that the scars on her arm and back were properly covered. After making sure her hair was fixed just right, she made her way to join her father. "Tonight is going to be great, Papa." She smiled even though her nerves were a mess. The Phantom had been sure to leave her little messages since that day in the chapel. He had promised not to cause any trouble for now, and so far he had kept his word.

"Stop fussing, my angel, you look lovely." Her father offered her his arm, but she didn't take it, and the two proceeded to the entrance of the Opera House. At first the crowd seemed small, but after a while there was a line outside. The show wasn't supposed to be very long; the main objective of the night was to let the people see what had been done to the Opera House.

"It seems like a lot of people are interested in what we've done with the place." Alexandra whispered to her father when there was a break in the crowd.

"It would seem so, Miss Alexandra." That voice made her heart stop. She turned to her left and saw the familiar face. It was the Count de Treville and his son. Fear rose as she watched the son look her over. The man had broken her heart but now it was as though he wanted her back.

"Misuer Count, what a pleasant surprise." Alexandra curtsied as she greeted the men. "If you'll excuse me for a moment..." She curtsied again as she headed out of the entrance hall. Her heart was racing and her senses were alert to everything. She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see that the Count's son had followed her.

"Alexandra, it's been a while." He spoke as he got closer… and closer still. Alexandra tried backing away from him only to find herself backed against a wall.

"Philip, it's nice to see you again." She lied as she tried to sound as normal as possible. In the year or so that she'd been some-what herself again, Alexandra had thought back on her relationship with Philip. He had seemed nice enough when they were in a room with others but he was a different person if they were ever alone. He was always standing so close to her; his grip always strong. There were times when she'd been afraid to look him in the eyes because of what she would see. But she had thought herself in love with him… now she wasn't so sure.

"How have you been, my sweet?" He moved so that she was completely trapped. That pet name gave her chills. "It's been too long." He ran a hand up her arm, making her even more uncomfortable.

"That's your own fault, Philip." She stiffened and drew from whatever source the sudden strength and courage came from. She looked him directly in the eye and then pushed him out of the way. Shaken, she hurried to the roof. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall.

"Tears do nothing for you." His voice startled her but at the same time soothed her. "What has caused these tears?" The Phantom wasn't sure what had come over him. He had been watching from the roof and was surprised when Alexandra burst through the door.

"Nothing." She wiped the tears away and straightened. He was walking towards her and she couldn't move. The harder she fought the tears, the more that came.

"You lie." He was really close to her now; closer than he'd ever been before. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned for this woman. There was something about her that drew him to her. "Don't lie to me." He wiped away her tears, but the look in her eyes made him stop. She was sad, afraid, shaken… Before he knew what he was doing he pulled her into him. As he held her, he could feel her body shake from the sobs.

"Alexandra!" An unfamiliar male voice called out. The Phantom felt her stiffen and then pull away from him.

"You best get out of sight." She smiled weakly at him. "But…" She reached out and grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Please, don't go far?" The tone of her voice made him tense. She was pleading with him and he could see in her eyes that she was terrified. He nodded and she released him. He ducked into the shadows, blending in perfectly.

"There you are, my sweet." Alexandra tensed as Philip came close to her. "Your father sent me to find you. He wanted to make sure you were alright."

"You can tell him that I'm fine." She stepped away from him. As he went to grab her, he grabbed the sleeve of her dress and ripped it. As he noticed the scars on her arm, anger shone is his eyes.

"I should have known… should have remembered." Philip hissed before striking her. She stumbled to the ground as he stormed back into the Opera House. Alexandra struggled to get up. Her face stung and tears flowed. She felt strong hands help her to stand and steady her as she faltered.

"Come with me." The Phantom guided her through the dark passage ways down into the catacombs. She didn't say anything and held tight to his arm as she followed. The Phantom still could not understand the power this woman had over him. As he thought back to Christine he stopped dead in his tracks. Anger and resentment filled him and he couldn't focus on anything else. He shoved Alexandra away from him, causing her to stumble and fall. He left her where she fell and hurried back to the confines of his home.

Who will be… there for you…

Comfort… and care…

Alexandra's voice echoed through the passage ways as she tried to stand. Her voice reached the Phantom but did no effect this time.

Never dreamed out in the world

There are arms… to hold you

You've always known… You've always known…

The loneliness of the passage way and the old wound that had ripped open weighed her down. She sobbed as she slid down the wall. "Alexandra, you will forever be alone. You are ugly, get used to a life that is lived alone." Her words reached the Phantom and he snapped from his dark past.

So laugh in your loneliness

Child of the wilderness

Learn to be lonely

Learn to love life that is lived alone

Learn to be lonely

Life can be lived, life can be loved alone

Her voice was still shaky, but stronger as she sang the last stanza. She took a deep breath and as she was about to use the wall to stand, a hand reached out in front of her. She looked up and was surprised to see the Phantom standing before her. She didn't know what had caused the sudden harshness towards her and that frightened her. This fear caused her to be cautious.

"I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was soft and she was mesmerized by what she saw in his eyes. She placed her hand in his and followed as he led her to his home. "That song you were singing… did you write that?" He saw her nodded slightly. He regretted the way he acted… and that confused him even more. He wasn't soft; he didn't feel sympathy for anyone. He wouldn't allow himself to open up to anyone; the world had not been kind to him so why should he be kind to anyone else?

"I'm sorry." He was startled by her voice and her words. "I don't want to bother you… but I just can't go back up there… not while he's here." They reached the Phantom's home and he sat her on a bench. In the bright candle light he could clearly see the scars on her arm and upper back. She tried to cover them when she noticed him staring but he stopped her. He gently traced the red mark that had lingered on her face and his anger grew.

"Who was that man?" He asked as he went to find something that she could change into.

"A former suitor… I thought he loved me for me. After the fire, I knew differently." She looked at the ground as tears stung her eyes. "Tonight is the first I've seen of him since I was in the hospital over two years ago."

"Here, this should fit you." The Phantom handed her a short-sleeved, pale-blue gown. It was something he had found a few weeks ago… he had been meaning to give it to her anyways.

"Thank you." She smiled warmly at him. He showed her where she could change. He was playing a small piano when she came back and he faltered the fingerings when he saw her. She grabbed his cape that was hanging nearby and draped it across her back. "I haven't worn short sleeves since before the fire. I'm afraid I'm not used to showing my arms anymore."

"What happened?" He watched her sit back down on the bench. Pain, sorrow, and darkness descended upon her face as she thought back to that awful day. He regretted asking. Fighting the urge to sit next to her, he gripped the piano bench tightly.

"I'm not sure how it started. Momma and Elizabeth were in the living room. Papa and I were in the study looking over some new sheet music. Before we knew what was happening the back of the house was full of flames and smoke. I could hear Momma and Beth crying out for help, but it was too late. I tried to get to them but the right side of my dress caught on fire. Papa grabbed me and put the fire out before carrying me outside." She stood and walked towards the piano. "There was nothing we could have done for them… Sometimes, I still hear their screams. The doctors had said that I was lucky. The flames never touched my face and the burns were not severe. Philip came to the hospital one day, before the burns had healed… he took one look at me, said that it was over and I never saw him again."