A/N: Well, POTO doesn't belong to me, so whatever. Are disclaimers really necessary on a FANFICTION website?

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Erik's eyes opened to discover a dark room. It wasn't his, one candle was kept lit and he saw the room was a lot smaller than his bedroom. He turned his head, and searing pain shot through his body. He hissed and growled at the pain. He propped himself up on his elbows and turned his head slowly to look around. The candlelight revealed a cupboard, a fireplace, a trunk and a mirror. He had been here before. It was in the small hospital they had in the upstairs dormitories.

He turned his head to find a person sleeping in a chair. The shadows from their hair hid their face. Phantom coughed and the sleeping person awoke. It was Joanna Giry, the ballet instructor. She smiled at him through tired eyes and said, "Evening, Erik."

Phantom's eyes furrowed. How does SHE know my name? The pain surged through his head again. He jerked back into the position he woke up in. He winced at the cloth she used to wipe away some sweat on his forehead. He heard her walk to the cupboard. He sat up straight again, curious to what she was doing. She walked back toward him and gave him some medicine (the bottle said Advil) and some water.

"You might wonder what happened and how I know your name. First, my family often speaks of you and my grandmother, Madame Giry. My mother was the young Meg Giry you remember. Yes, I know you are the same Phantom. But, it is a secret, no? And second, Antonio, the jealous fool, hit you in the head with a metal gun! The coward…" She muttered to herself as she returned the bottle and glass to the cupboard. "You know my daughter, Laure Giry?"

Phantom nodded, not really paying attention. So, that really did happen. Damn, I thought it was simply a nightmare. C'est la vie, I suppose. And Erik… She called me Erik! Madeline! What happened to her? And why the hell am I wearing different clothing? He glanced down at the cotton t-shirt. He shook his head.

"Ah, you are wondering about your change of clothes. Well, and I'm sorry if this frightens you, your costume was soaked with blood. Thankfully, the costume was red, so no damage. But, Marcus changed your clothes, and that's all he had to spare. I almost forgot… Can you still speak?" Her mood swings told Phantom she was definitely getting older. She looked about 70 as it was.

"I-I think so. What happened to Madeline?" Phantom was surprised at his voice. It was a bit rough, not his usual melodic spell he used to charm girls. He tried to clear his throat, but it stung.

"Take it easy, Monsieur. You won't be singing for a while. And Mademoiselle Madeline is fine. She is coming to see you tomorrow morning before she leaves for her vacation. Now, back to sleep!" She pulled the blankets around him and left. Phantom blew out the candle and slept, his dreams full of music.

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Phantom's eyes stayed shut as he was awakened by a kiss. He caressed her cheek and opened his eyes. Her face looked tired, but beautiful. "Good morning, Angel." He nodded, but kept his mouth shut. She fell in love with his voice, no sense in destroying it now. "C'mon Erik, Madame Giry told me you could talk. What, am I not special enough to you? Am I no longer worthy?" she turned from him and said, obviously upset, "And after I saved your life, you don't want to speak to me. How terrible can you get?"

Phantom panicked. He had upset her by not saying anything? "No! I didn't mean it! It's just-" He caught himself, and glared at her. "You tricked me, you manipulating girl."

She turned back to him, smiling devilishly, "Gotcha! And you overused your voice yesterday with all the shouting, that's why your voice is so scratchy. You apparently were screaming in your sleep." She suddenly kissed him deeply, her hands intertwined with his. "I have to leave Erik. I'll be back on the sixth, I promise. I love you dearly."

Phantom's eyes were sad, but he nodded and whispered, "I love you too. I'll miss you." She embraced him sweetly and kissed his cheek. When she did, he realized his mask was gone. She left reluctantly and he laid his head back in a mixture of sadness, disappointment, happiness and ecstasy.

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Madeline stared out the window of the mansion, seemingly into space. Marcus knew her thoughts were far away. She needed this vacation, needed to be away from him. It was more for Marcus's peace of mind. If they hadn't come, she would spend her time with him. And who knows what they do at night? A chill ran up Marcus's spine.

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Marcus stood there, staring at her. She ignored him and her mind began to wander. Hmm… I wonder what Kevin's doing right now. Sounds like he's playing the piano. Piano…STOP. You are not going to think about him. Nope. No way. What is Kevin playing? Yeah, focus on that. Oh God. Is that…? No! Past the Point of No Return? She sighed, giving up on her plan to not think about him. She saw the impossibility of it.

She felt cold arms around embracing her. She had hope and turned, only to see it was Bruce, her old friend. Actually, he used to be a lot like the Phantom. He was cold, distant, always off in his own world. Ever since she had dated him, he was a lot more fun to be around. The intimacy between them was sweet, but not passionate. She felt her ears grow warm as he kissed her cheek. They began talking and she had a little more fun, but her masked lover haunted the back for her mind.

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Phantom leaned back in a chair, his feet on the railing. He relaxed, grinning at his third favor sound in the world: Silence. He liked music and applause more, but both had their down sides. At least silence could only be ruined by someone breaking it.

"Phan-om, my owd friend! Izzit smart for ya te be usin' da opera houwse durin' da day?" a voice called.

Phantom smiled smugly and said, "Do not worry, Philippe! No one is in this theatre except you and I! I saw the managers leave, and they can't leave until everyone is gone." He pulled himself up so he sat on the railing, looking down at the man.

Philippe was a superstitious handyman the city hired to fix up the opera house. He was about 30, and had an eight-year-old son named Acelin. His wife had died a few years back, but he was well off. He had messy, brown hair that stuck out in all directions and green eyes. He always wore the same paint-stained t-shirt and jeans whenever he came to work. He carried a big toolbox with him to fix up whatever it was that needed it.

Phantom had met him one afternoon when Phantom's boat broke. He needed tools to fix it, but the storage closets were locked tight. They had gotten combination locks, so Phantom couldn't get in. He had attempted to take some tools from Phillip, but he was caught. Philippe helped fix his boat and from that point on were allies.

"What 'appened to ya 'ead, boy? You git in a tumble? Git down 'ere and tell me wha 'appened!" He commanded.

Phantom rolled his eyes and made his way down. Philippe may not have had the best diction, but he was wise. He knew many things about any subject, mostly from overhearing conversations when the clients were too oblivious to notice. If the mayor had an affair, Philippe would know. Philippe is smart, but how the hell does he know about my injury? Why is it that everyone knows things about me?

"I'm fine, Philippe. Antonio, the arrogant little bastard I told you about, got a little jealous of my relationship with Madeline. He hit me once, but he swung like an assassin." Phantom's fingers went to his temples. "I still have a headache from that unfortunate encounter."

Philippe smiled and began inspecting the stage. He found a board that was loose and began to fix it. "That 'minds me of a few good tumbles I gots meself in when I was a youngin. How's yur gurl, that Miss Madeline?"

Phantom smiled at the thought of her. "Last time I saw her, she was apologizing for not being able to stay for the holidays. I'm sure after the wedding that'll change-" Phantom abruptly stopped his sentence and looked at the floor shamefully. "Philippe, I just thought of something. Before I got hurt, Madeline was wearing the ring I gave her on a necklace. But when she came to see me, she didn't have it. What does that insinuate?"

Philippe shrugged. "I dunno, kid. Maybe she pack'd away in 'er suitcase. O' maybe she don wanna be wid you no moe." He turned to see Phantom's upset expression. "Wait just a gosh darn second! Maybe dat Antonyo feller took it! Din dat 'appen b'fore?"

Phantom recoiled at the memory. He still felt a little bad about his actions toward Christine. He nodded at the possibility. "You're probably right, Philippe. Madeline's not the type of person who would stop loving someone without at least telling them. But how in God's name am I going to get that ring back if he does have it?"

"Aw, cheer up. U'll git it back, promise. My great-granddaddy always told me, 'If da time is right and yur heart's a-light, things'll work out fine.'"

His attention was diverted to a small blur of energy that came blasting through the door. "Well, if it ain't lit'le Aceboy 'imself! Come 'ere you little vaurien!" (French for rascal)

"Good morning, Papa! Bon'jour Monsieur Phantom! Your head feeling okay?" Acelin asked innocently. Phantom raised his eyebrows and Philippe shrugged. The small boy saw the masked man's expression and said devilishly, "I was listening at the door."

Phantom laughed and tousled Acelin's hair. He looked a lot like Raoul, which wasn't surprising as he was related to him. It was a complicated relationship, and it ended up with his last name 'de Chagny'. He had soft brown hair in a short ponytail, and he always reminded Phantom of what boys looked like during the American Revolution, a subject he had studied when he had been locked in a library once. He had Raoul's eyes and a charming smile. Phantom loved Acelin as if he was his own son. He was always excited to hear Phantom's music or stories from when he was in the circus.

"Phantom? Can you play me a song from your new play? Please?" Acelin begged. He had that face you just couldn't say no to.

"Alright, Alright. The score is on the piano. Go set it up, okay?" Phantom gestured to the satchel on the grand piano. The score for his new opera, The Greatest Act Ever Seen, was about the circus and one man's attempt to become the ringleader. Acelin carefully set up the score for the piano and flipped through the pages, looking a song he liked.

"Your son, shouldn't he be in school?" Phantom inquired, looking over at his father.

"Nah, he gots vacation now, so won be in school, fow a week 'er so." Philippe shrugged and went back to fixing the stage.

"I found one! Phantom!" Acelin called excitedly.

Phantom went to him and saw he had picked the song where the woman is trying to convince the dark character to change and go out into the open. He had written this one after Madeline suggested that he put his music into the play, without keeping the lyrics. He agreed, he liked his private work, but Music of the Night was a song between him and his lover. He changed the lyrics with Madeline's help, and made it sound, well, lighter.

Music of the Light

Day-time sharpens, 


Heightens each sensation . . .


Brightness stirs and


Wakes realization . . .


Silently the senses


Switch on their defenses . . .



Slowly, gently


Light unfurls its splendor . . .

Grasp it, sense it -


So beautiful yet tender . . .

Turn your face away

Keep your darkest mind at bay,

Turn your thoughts away

From warm, securing night -


And listen to

The music of the light . . .



Open eyes


And surrender to the


Brightest streams!

Purge your thoughts


Of the life


You knew before! 


Open eyes, 


Let your spirit


Start to soar! 


And you'll live


As you've never


Lived before . . .



Softly, deftly, 


Color shall caress you . . .


Hear it, feel it,

Secretly possess you . . .

Open up your eyes, 


Let reality unwind, 


In this daytime which


You know you cannot fight -


The comfort of


The music of the light . . .



Let your mind


Start a journey through a


Strange new world! 


Leave all thoughts


Of the life


You knew before! 


Let your soul


Take you where you


Long to be! 


Only then


Can you belong


To me . . .


You alone can make my heart take flight…

Help me make the music of the light…

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Okay, just letting you all know, I think Music of the Night is awesome as it is, but I thought it would be cute if Acelin picked Phantom's favorite song as the one he wanted to hear. Now, I know this was sorta a transition chapter, but it introduced two new characters and just showed Phantom's everyday life a little more. Next chappie will be amazing!