A/N: Good lord... did anyone else have immense difficulty updating documents on This chapter was finished three days ago. I'm quite upset. But anyway, let me show you one of my favourite quotes: "I don't drink… coffee." Anyone a hard-core Gerard Phan here? Please go now and immediately watch Dracula 2000. It's not as crappy as the title suggests. And those gorgeous, curly locks… ANYWAY, here's the next chapter:


Christine snapped her eyes around to stare bewildered, and more than slightly embarrassed, at the somehow informed woman. Flustered, her eyes darted quickly to the floor, and she wrung her hands in a dazed agitation while Madame Giry gave a curt, knowing nod.

"We must talk about these visits of yours," she stated firmly, and grasped Christine by the elbow, leading her towards the door. Before turning into the shadowed corridor, she looked back to her utterly bemused daughter and shook her head with pursed lips as Meg silently pleaded for inclusion in their strange discussion.

As the two women left the room, Meg sighed loudly and sat back down on Christine's bed in a huff. She was always left out of these mysterious affairs. And it was her own mother, and best friend conspiring together without her this time!

Situations akin to the current one presented themselves quite regularly to Meg, and each time she was left out of some matter she sensed instinctively to be important, her curiosity grew. This time was one too many for the poor girl, and she finally gave in to her more immoral inclinations. She slipped out of the room silently, and followed the faint light of her mother's candle as she and Christine swept along.


As soon as the ornate door had clicked shut behind them, panicky words started tumbling out of Christine's mouth faster than she could control them.

"How… how can you know about the Phantom? His name? When I just found out now!" She paused, eyes widening in horrified realisation, and her mouth dropped open. Her tone flattened when she finally began anew. "You knew, didn't you? You knew that this man was my angel from the start. Every night when I would pray to my angel of music, my last connection to my father, when I would spend hours waiting for the solace of his presence, you knew who it was singing back to me? And you didn't tell me?"

Christine could go no further, too shocked by the unexpected sense of betrayal that was starting to settle into her.

Madame Giry sighed tiredly as she massaged her temples, leaning heavily against the cold unlit fireplace that covered a wall of her tiny private room. She had known for years that there would come a time for these endless accusations, and she had assured herself that she would accept responsibility for her devious part in the entire affair when the time inevitably came. Now she was not sure she had the courage. Christine was like her daughter, and it had been so very long…

The web of deception had continued for far too long, the woman knew that! But once the affair had begun, and both parties had experienced the benefit of their little game of deception, Madame Giry had comfortably replaced the bite of her conscience with romantic, idealistic notions of providing a salvation for both a lonely, bitter man and a heartbroken young girl. What a fool she had been.

And now, finally, came the time for her dreadful confession.

She gripped hard onto the front of the armchair before her as a terrible guilt wracked her, as she saw the shining innocence in Christine's eyes flicker and fade, disappearing to be replaced with the cold, bitter maturity of an adult.


Christine waited numbly for the world to stop spinning around her. She could not accept any of the nonsense her brain was trying to force her to accept. Madame Giry would never put her in knowing danger, not the strict, pragmatic woman who had accepted her maternal role upon her arrival at the Opera House all those years ago.

In the space of a week she had learned three terrible, potentially devastating facts. Firstly her Angel of Music, guide and guardian of seven years, turned out to be the mysterious, dreaded Opera Ghost, whispered about behind palms and wide eyes amongst the ballet girls. Secondly, this suddenly corporeal being somehow loved her, loved her with a fiery passion that bordered on terrifying obsession. Thirdly, Madame Giry had known about the entire affair from the very beginning…

And within a week Christine had learnt that her entire life since entering the Opera House had been a lie.

Nevertheless, shocked and immeasurably hurt as she was, she listened with great intensity, eyes fixed carefully on Madame Giry's stricken, then hastily resolved, face.

With every slow, steady sentence detailing the dreadful truth of Erik's past, Christine dug her nails harder into her palms. Tears began to silently flow from her eyes, the barrier broken, as Madame Giry spoke of Erik's abuse, his first murder, their hurried, desperate escape to the Opera House.

She felt she finally understood her sad angel's circumstances, and the appalling sense of betrayal and fear she had felt for the poor man gave way almost immediately to sympathy. Christine had thought her own past to be a tragedy, orphaned at the age she was by her loving father- but hers was nothing compared to the heartbreak of Erik's life.

"Has he… had contact with anyone… else during his life here?" she whispered, unashamedly allowing tears to blot the front of her white dress.

Madame Giry shook her head solemnly. "I have kept in contact with him through the years he has lived here," she said quietly, a hint of a waver in her voice. "I have been his closest companion- but you could not call us friends."

The woman slipped out from behind the armchair and knelt next to where Christine sat slumped on the floor. "Ma chérie, you must understand that I never meant for you to be caught up in the terrible truth of this bizarre situation. I hope that someday you might forgive me, that you might understand the pity I felt for you both, and that I thought that I was helping you both, giving you a companion, a friend." She laughed harshly, quietly, closed her eyelids wearily. "I never meant for him to fall in love with you."

Christine cringed, still discomfited by the fact that Madame Giry could say such things so blatantly. That she even knew of his intentions. She shook her head miserably, gazing up at the moonlight touching the wall before her.

They remained silent for a moment. It was not an uncomfortable silence, nor a companionable one, more a necessary sort of hush, for them both to think things through.

When a shrill, terrified scream erupted on the other side of the closed door, both women leapt up and warily fixed their eyes on the motionless handle. Madame Giry took a step forward, and thrust open the door strongly.

There sat Meg, flat on her behind, facing towards the door with a petrified (but still guilty) look upon her pretty face. It was clear that the silly girl had been listening to their conversation with her ear pressed to the hard wooden door, but what on earth had scared her so?

"What is i-" Christine began, then dropped to her knees, her heart racing madly. She reached forward towards Meg, and gingerly picked up the rose that was lying on the floor before her. She stroked the bow of the silky black ribbon with one trembling finger, then looked up enquiringly at Meg's confounded face.

"It fell onto me from the ceiling," Meg stammered, climbing shakily to her feet, her eyes fixed on the floor.

Madame Giry stepped forward and took her disobedient daughter by the arm roughly. Before sweeping off furiously in the direction of their dormitory, she looked down at Christine's wondering face and spoke calmly.

"He hopes that you will forgive him. I myself shall beg for clemency tonight."


A/N: Ta da! I'm actually not too unhappy with this chapter; I thought I would be when I first started, but there you go. I really liked the last few paragraphs. ;)

Oh, and I just thought I'd add, in case anyone was confused as to my habit of answering people's reviews at the end of a chapter, I do this because I really appreciate the fact that you've spent some of your time offering me inspiration and encouragement, and want to give some of that back. So, here we go:

XPhantomzAngelX: Thanks for the review! Such a simple thing to say: you like the plot. But to me it makes writing this worthwhile. :)

Mira-Jade: Wow, you've read all my other stories? Even the freakish star wars "funny" ones? Lol, I hope for your sake you meant the Phantom ones. By the way, if anyone's interested in reading some bizarre humour, read my phic "Angel of Mute". He he. I too am a complete sap, hence the soppy paras in the story. Keep enjoying! Thanks.

UndermyAngelofMusic'swings: Thank you so much for the detailed response! I hope you keep reading, both for you and me. :) I'm glad you liked the first chapter; I hope the quality hasn't dropped at all since then!

Maya Clearwater: Thank you for the encouragement, it really makes writing this worthwhile. I will indeed try to keep up the quality (if not the length ;)) of the chapters!

Tifa: Lol, I couldn't just leave the most Raoul/Christine scene untouched and allowed, could I? That would be… foppish. Very foppish. And anti-EC, which is never good. This is indeed what should have happened… had Christine coughhad a braincough. :) Thanks for the comments on the writing!

The Mouse in the Opera House: See, see how they're eventually regaining trust! It's all part of the great internal plan! Mwah ha ha! Or, I could just stop it all now, and do some kind of freakish Christine/Raoul reunion. shudder Thanks for the review!

Gothic Tiger: Damn it, I want a Spanish poltergeist! All I got is this one lousy French Phant… oh, it's you, Erik! Well, that's okay then. ;) But still, Spanish accents are sexy… have you seen that episode of Fairly Odd Parents with Wandissimo? Coz that is pure SEX man! glances around furtively then RUNS AWAY!

Creedy's Only Fan: Your name is a lie (as I've already said ;))- you know, ever since I saw your name a couple of days ago, I keep mentioning Creedy… I think that might possibly be because I was with my good friend, also obsessed with Gerard, but still… Anyway, thanks for the review!

PhantomFan07: You know, after seeing how fast you update, I feel kind of bad for all readers of this story… :) Yay to this story's number one phan! I hope this chapter is captivating enough for you!

Hope you enjoyed that everyone, now tell me how much! Or how not much :)