Angel: Thank you, my loverly reviewers... I like hearing from you guys... Just so y'all know, the Closet sequel has been posted.

Erik: (groans) More humiliation...

Fantine: (grins) More male nudity...

Erik: Sick-o...

Fantine: You'd better believe it!

Angel: Enjoy the chapter!

10. Secret Meetings

Erik returned to the lair where Fantine stood waiting in the main room.

"Did you talk to the girl?" she asked.

"I tried," Erik shrugged. "She claims that she already has a tutor, but really I think she was just trying to get rid of me. And I was a perfect gentleman, too!"

Fantine smirked. "A child like that is bound to be intimidated by the Opera Ghost… Does she have a name?"

"Rose… That's it…"

"Rose? Pretty name. Did she say who her tutor was?"

"No… And I won't bother trying to find out… I'm not that anxious for a new student."

"Eli certainly fancies her. He hasn't stopped talking about her since we got home!"

Erik's eyes grew dark. "Eli…" he muttered. "Excuse me."

He left Fantine where she stood and entered the study, where Eli lay stretched out on the couch with a book.

"Son? A word, please?"

Eli looked up from his book. "Sir?"

"Next time you get the urge to meddle in my business affairs without my consent… don't."

Eli's expression remained calm. "What did you think of her?"

"Mademoiselle Rose? Her voice is good, I'll give you that. I suppose your selection was wise."

Eli's breath caught. "How…? How did you know her name?"

"Oh, I went to her dressing room after the performance to offer my congratulations… Shy girl. Pretty little thing. I offered my help in tutoring her, but she claimed that she already had a teacher." He paused. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Uh… No! No, of course not!"

Erik shrugged. "I thought not. She probably just told me that to get rid of me." Erik hesitated. "Son… you know that if you really want to be more involved in the theatre's affairs, you don't have to sneak around behind my back. Just talk to me. I'd be more than willing to work with you."

"Would you?" Eli scoffed. "Would you even listen to me? Or would you just treat me like an incompetent child?"

Erik sighed. "Eli–"

"Maybe I don't want to work with you! Maybe I want to be independent. Maybe I want you to just trust me for once!"

Erik was at a loss for words. "Son, I… I do trust you."

"No, you don't! You're afraid that I'll cause trouble… That I'll be seen… That I'll do something reckless… I'm not a child anymore! I'm a man!"

Erik closed his eyes. "I know that. God knows I know that! But… I am still your father, and I worry about you… all the time…"

"Please," Eli said imploringly. "I can haunt this theatre as well as you can! Please… let me be involved! I'm younger and faster! I could help you while I learn the rest of the trade. Then when the time comes for me to take over the job, I'll already have experience. Please, let me help you!"

Erik was silent for a moment. "If… that is what you want…"

"I want it more than anything!"

Erik sighed. "Alright… we begin tomorrow…"

Erik left the room then. Eli breathed deeply. He and his father had just had an understanding!

Eli rolled over onto his side. He began to wonder if he would ever find the courage to tell his father the truth about Rose.

XxXxX

The next day, Erik stalked the catwalks with Eli right behind him. They were busy watching the orchestra at rehearsal.

"As a Phantom, it is your duty to ensure that this theatre employs only the best musicians and artists," Erik said. "Now, listen to the orchestra. Tell me what you think."

Eli listened for a moment, concentrating. "That third violinist is nearly a full tone flat," he said finally.

"Right, you are," Erik said. "So… as a Phantom, what should you do about it?"

Eli shrugged. "I suppose we should leave a note with the managers requesting his dismissal."

"You could do that," Erik said. "But then the next few performances would be short one violinist while the managers look for a new one to replace him. Not to mention you would have to listen in on several auditions to ensure that only the best musician is hired. Is there perhaps a way to resolve this problem without resorting to firing this man?"

Eli thought a bit more. "I suppose his playing would be decent enough, if only his instrument were properly tuned," he said finally. "Perhaps we should suggest that one of the other violinists tune it for him before the next performance?"

"An excellent idea," Erik said.

"Erik? Eli?"

The men turned to see Meg Romard cautiously making her way across the catwalks towards them.

"I hate heights," Meg mumbled.

"Why don't you lend your arm to the dear Madame Romard, Elijah?" Erik suggested. "Though we Phantoms are not the most pleasant of creatures, we are still gentlemen."

Eli nodded, slightly annoyed that his father found it necessary to call him 'Elijah' in front of anyone other than his mother. Eli turned about and easily closed the distance between himself and Meg. He held out his arm which she gripped with a strength he hadn't believed her small frame was capable of.

"I do believe Madame will bruise my arm," Eli said with a smirk.

"Just don't let me fall," Meg whispered.

Eli helped Meg over to where his father still stood. "If these heights frighten you so much," Erik said, "why do you still insist upon coming up here to see me every time I'm working?"

Meg grinned. "Why not? I did it all the time when I was girl in the Corps du Ballet. All the girls used to dare each other to wander high up into the catwalks in search of the Phantom." Meg gave a little laugh. "Honestly Erik, if it weren't for you, my childhood would have been so dull!" She glanced downwards. "Though I don't remember ever being this uncomfortable up here back then."

Erik smirked. "Indeed, I remember you ballet rats and your antics… And I remember how livid your mother got with me when I actually allowed myself to be seen by Little Jammes."

Meg burst out laughing. "So she did see you? We all figured she was lying!"

"Not at all," Erik said. "But did your mother ever let me have it! Shook her cane at me and everything, threatened to box my ears if I ever scared one of her girls like that again."

"Didn't stop you though, did it?" Eli put in.

Erik looked at his son. "Does anything?"

Meg paused for a moment. "So… Rose did a wonderful job last night…"

"Indeed, she did," Erik said. "Who would have known that such a young child could be so talented?"

"May I ask why you cast her?"

"As much as I'd like to take credit for that," Erik said, "it wasn't my idea. Elijah here decided to surprise his mother and I. He changed my casting orders and had that girl put in the lead role. I was right furious until I heard the little flower sing. He certainly knows how to pick them, doesn't he?"

Meg looked at Eli. "You heard Rose sing? When?"

Eli stumbled for his words. "Well, uh… she… she tends to go to the auditorium during the late hours when no one else is around… She sings for hours!"

"She is quite the discovery," Erik said.

"Almost as good as Christine was," Meg said quietly.

Erik's eyes darkened. "Yes… I suppose… She could be even better if she would just let me teach her… but she refused my services!"

"You offered to teach her?" Meg repeated.

"She's a rare talent," Erik said. "What teacher wouldn't want her as a protégé? But I'm afraid she was rather intimidated by the whole 'Opera Ghost' front." Erik shook his head. "A girl of her age should not let a silly matter as fear stand in the way of her career." He shrugged. "No matter… Her voice is good, nonetheless. I'm actually considering her for the lead role of this house's next opera. She would do well. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her last name the other night." Erik looked at Eli. "What is it, anyway?"

"What?" Eli said.

"Her last name!" Erik said. "What is her last name?"

Eli broke into a cold sweat. "I… don't know…"

"You don't know?" Erik repeated. "Then how on earth did you request her for the role of Elissa?"

Eli's mind raced, quickly thinking up a lie. "I… I simply requested the lovely Mademoiselle Rose from the Corps du Ballet… It's not like there's any other ballerinas employed here named 'Rose.'"

Erik contemplated his son. Finally, he turned to Meg. "Well, I'm certain her ballet mistress would know the girl's name…"

Meg's pulse raced. So Erik didn't know who Rose was! And apparently, neither did Eli. She knew she couldn't give Rose's name away, yet from Erik's tone Meg got the impression that the request for a name was more of an order than a simple question.

Meg gulped. "I, uh… I'm really not sure… of her last name… sorry…"

Erik raised an eyebrow. "She's your student! Surely you should know a simple bit of information as a name!"

Meg shifted on her feet. "Well… I have many girls to look after… And Rose is fairly new… I'm afraid I don't remember every name…"

Erik's gaze shifted between Meg and Eli. "Well," he said finally. "I suppose the identity of the mysterious Mademoiselle Rose will make itself known soon enough. Until then, I'll just have to take a page out of my son's book and request the 'lovely Mademoiselle Rose from the Corps du Ballet' for the lead roles." He crossed his arms. "Though a surname would be much easier."

There was an uneasy silence. Finally, Meg forced a pleasant smile. "I'd best go now." She turned to Eli. "Will you see me down from this perch?"

"Certainly," Eli said quickly. He turned to his father. "I'll be along later. I have something I have to attend to."

"Oh, really?" Erik said. "What might that be?"

"Oh… Just theatre business…"

Erik raised a brow, but he did not question the matter further.

For that, Eli was thankful…

XxXxX

Eli waited for Rose on the roof later that evening. When she arrived, he smiled and ran to her, taking her hand.

"Rose!" he cried excitedly. "You won't believe what happened today! My father and I haunted the theatre together. We haven't done anything together since I was a child! He taught me more about the business. He said that I'm going be a great Phantom! Even better than him! After all these years, he's starting to feel more like a father again!"

"That's nice, Eli…" Her voice was deadpan. Eli knew immediately that something was wrong.

"Rose? What is it?"

Rose closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just had a bad day."

"What happened?"

"It's David."

"The pretty-boy?" Eli felt his anger flare at just the thought of him.

Rose looked at the ground. "He… he was angry that I blew him off… So he spread this rumour about me… He told the other girls that I…"

"What did he say?" Eli prodded.

"He… told the girls that I'm… a homosexual…"

Eli could hardly believe his ears. "What?"

Rose wrung her hands. "I told him that I wasn't interested in boys right now. He twisted that around and made it sound like I prefer girls. I was so humiliated at rehearsal today! No one wanted to be my partner for the warm-ups, and then everyone would whisper whenever I walked by. I felt like a freak!"

"Oh, Rose…" Eli whispered as he pulled her into his arms.

"And your father…" she whispered. "He was in my dressing room last night… He was acting so strangely… Like he had every right to be there! I was so scared… Scared that he would somehow know who I am… If he discovers my identity, he'll kill me! I just know it!"

Eli stroked her hair. "That will never happen… My father is not a killer…"

Rose looked up at him. "But… the stories–"

"Are just that! Stories! My father is not a demon or a ghost. He is just a man. Albeit, deformed. But he is not a monster. He has never killed anyone. He never could! My mother was never beautiful. She wasn't a dancer. My parents may make a lot of threats, but they would never cause serious harm to anyone!" Eli sighed. "That's the plain truth. The Phantoms are just an ugly man and an ugly woman making a living for themselves as well as they know how… The stories also say that I am deformed. But that is not true either." He reached up and removed his mask. "See? Nothing scary. Just me."

Rose said nothing for the longest time, just staring at him.

"What is it?" he asked finally.

"Eli… you've… you've grown so handsome!"

Eli felt a warm feeling rise in the pit of his stomach. Before he could stop himself, he raised a hand and cupped Rose's cheek. She pressed her face into his palm. Eli leaned down close to her, until his lips were just a whisper away from hers. But then he drew back completely, severing all contact, and turned his back to her.

"Eli?" He felt her hand touch his shoulder.

"I… I'm sorry, Rose… I have offended you enough… I have no right to… to touch you so informally… especially when I know how much you've been hurt before…" He turned to face her once again. "I can't help the way I feel… But a gentleman should be able to demonstrate a little more restraint… I'm sorry…" He closed his eyes. "Perhaps we should just forget it… You go back to your life, I'll go back to mine… We'll do just fine…"

"But I don't want to…" Her reply surprised him.

"But… but…" he sputtered. "If our parents find out what we've been up to, they'll be furious! Already my father has grown curious about you. It will only be a matter of time before he figures out who you are! Don't you see? In the end we'll both get hurt. Is that what you want?"

Rose neared him and put her arms around his waist. "What does your heart want?" she asked him.

Eli was silent for a long time. "It… It's madness… We knew each other for less than a day when we were children, and yet for seven years I couldn't stop thinking about you! And now that you have come back into my life, my whole being aches for you when we're apart. And when we're together, I'm happier than I have ever been before. It's insanity! But I know… I just know… I want to be with you… I need to be with you…"

Rose smiled. "Then you have not offended me… Because I need to be with you, too."

Eli said nothing. He couldn't believe his ears. Then Rose stood up on tiptoe, craned her neck, and planted her lips against his.

Eli froze. She was kissing him! He had never experienced anything like this before. He found himself responding to her instinctively, relying on his sense of touch, allowing his emotions to guide him.

Finally, Rose broke the kiss, but remained in his arms, which had somehow wrapped themselves around her back, holding her tight against his chest. Rose sighed contentedly, her breath tickling the bare skin of his neck. She looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes.

"Sing to me, Eli?" she pleaded.

He could not refuse her anything. He tried to think of a song. He recalled a song he had often heard his father sing to his mother.

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime…"

XxXxX

Angel: Sorry, Mrs. Butler... Definite RoseEli fluff here... Hey, wouldn't be much of a story if they didn't fall in love, now would it?

Erik: (growls) Why, that little...

Fantine: I think it's cute!

Angel: E-cookies await reviewers!