Me: REJOICE, FOR THE CLIFFHANGER IS TO BE RESOLVED!
Erik: You get hyper when you're tired.
Elsie: Please go to bed after you upload this.
Me: Maybe. By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Foxcat93, whose reviews have helped shape this story, and practically wrote this chapter.
Erik: She knows things about this story that no one else will ever know.
Elsie: Be jealous. Foxcat93, you are amazing!

Disclaimer: I own 'Phantom of the Opera'! NOT! No, I don't. I wish I did, but I don't. So stop reading this disclaimer and go read the chapter!

"Carlotta?"

There she stood, her shawl falling from her shoulders, her normally perfect red hair flying from its curls, unshed tears in her eyes, clutching Elsie's shoulder in a death grip.

"You…you are helping him, aren't you?" She said, her voice cracking.

"Carlotta, what are you talking abo-"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!" She screamed, shoving Elsie back onto the muddy road. "You've been helping him!"

Elsie looked up at her with wide eyes. Did Carlotta know? Well, she obviously knows something. A small voice in her head chided. Elsie chose to ignore it.

"Helping who?"

"The phantom!" Carlotta shrieked. "But not just any phantom, no. MY Phantom! The monster that killed my Ubaldo!"

She's hit the nail on the head. The voice in Elsie's mind said. Elsie was too shocked to listen to it.

"I thought it was suspicious." Carlotta said, pacing up and down in front of Elsie. "The letters, the salary, the saved seat. But I ignored it. I ignored it all because I was so desperate to start over. Giry knew something! And now, so do you!" She stopped her pacing and turned to face the woman on the ground.

"Do you know what he's done?" Carlotta yelled. Elsie was surprised no one heard, but everyone was probably still at the Rat's Nest. "Do you know who he's killed? Or has he not told you that?" Her voice turned to venom as she spat out her words. "Has he kept that part of his past quiet from you? Did he decide not to tell you about that piccolo cagna di una ballerina di fila? Or what about the stagehand? The fire? My husband?"

Elsie looked blankly at her. Carlotta was towering over her, her lips pulled back in a snarl, but her eyes were brimming with tears. Elsie tried to say something, but Carlotta began pacing again and talking so low Elsie had to strain to hear her.

"I thought something was up when the first letter came, and that back drinker, always leaving right after you. But I could explain those away, for the sake of getting over Paris, I could explain it away. But then John was strangled, and you start disappearing after rehearsals for hours on end, and now Raoul, of all people, shows up and you look ready to kill. And then your little back drinker runs out, and you go tearing out after him. And the everything clicked."

Carlotta turned again and glared at Elsie. She had never seemed so angry, so sad, and so broken before. Tears were flowing freely down her eyes now, and though her tone had calmed, she still seemed ready to explode at her any second.

"He is the Opera Ghost, isn't he?"

Elsie looked down at her knees. It would be too cruel to lie to her. She had been caught, and she couldn't keep up the charade any longer.

"Yes, he is."

Carlotta let out a strangled gasp, clutching her heart as she started to sob. She fell to her knees as a choked scream left her lips. Elsie was frozen to the spot. Carlotta looked up at her with red rimmed eyes, and Elsie saw that their fire had gone out. She looked dead.

"But, Elsie." She whispered. "Why?"

Elsie smiled a watery smile. "Because I love him."

Carlotta looked shocked, but remained silent. So Elsie continued. "He told me everything. His past, Christine, even about you Carlotta, and I didn't run screaming. I saw his face and I still stayed. I understood." She remembered that night, and how drunk they had gotten afterwards. The faint recollections still made her smile

"He tried to kill John because he kissed me. He's a jealous person. After I heard, I went to confront him, but he ended up kissing me." She chuckled. It all seemed so simple when she said it like that.

"I love him Carlotta. More than anything. He is a murderer, a thief, and a blackmailer. But he is also my protector, my music teacher, the bane of my existence, the best thing in my life, and my friend. I love him."

Carlotta looked stunned. Elsie was just praying she could see things her way.

"Please Carlotta, you cannot tell anyone. He came here to start over, same as you did. He wants to put everything that happened in Paris behind him. If you tell anyone, he'll be forced to leave, start over somewhere else. And I'd lose him, because I can't leave here. My entire life is here, and if Erik left, a part of my life that I can't live without would just be, gone."

Elsie finished, tears pricking her eyes as she realized something. For all her life, she'd been independent. She had never needed a man around, and now…

You need him. The voice in her head said softly. You need Erik.

"Okay."

Elsie almost missed the quiet voice as she listened to her own thoughts. Her head snapped up as she looked at Carlotta, who was looking at her sadly.

"What?"

"I said, okay." Carlotta said. "I won't tell. As long as he keeps quiet, so will I."

"Oh, Carlotta." Elsie said, hugging the redhead tightly. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"I do." Carlotta whispered, hugging her back. "You love him, just the same as I loved Ubaldo. I'm not going to take that love from you Elsie, even if it is with the person who took my love from me." She pulled away, and looked into Elsie's eyes. "We can't choose love. I learned that the hard way."

Elsie smiled and stood up, helping Carlotta to her feet as well. The two women walked out from the alley arm-in-arm, a new understanding between them.

She's right you know. The voice said. You can't choose love.

And for once, Elsie agreed with it.

*POTO*POTO*POTO*

Elsie woke up early the next day and rode down to the opera house before the sun had even begun to rise. She left Red in the entrance of the passage and rushed down to see Erik. When she reached the bottom of the spiral staircase she saw Erik was brushing Phantom. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps and grinned, abandoning the task and walking over to envelop Elsie in a hug.

"What brings you here so early?" He asked, pushing her away slightly so he could look her in the eye

Elsie sighed. "Erik, I have to tell you something."

Erik frowned. "What is it?"

"Carlotta found out. About you."

Erik's eyes widened. "What?"

"She pieced it together. She caught me last night."

Erik's jaw dropped slightly, his eyes as wide a dinner plates. He got over it soon, and turned away, muttering about taking care of the problem.

"Erik, wait." Elsie said. "She promised to keep her yap shut."

Erik turned back. "Really?"

"Yes really." She said. "As long as you keep quiet, she will too."

"What do you mean, 'keep quiet'?"

"She means no funny business." Elsie said. "She doesn't want a repeat of Paris."

"Neither do I." Erik grumbled, his face darkening.

"I know. But she doesn't know you like I do. If there's the slightest whisper of trouble, she'll go to the police. And this time, it won't just be you going to jail. It'll be me too."

"I know." Erik said. "I know that already Elsie."

"Then you'll understand when I say that I think you shouldn't go to the Rat's Nest anymore."

Erik nodded. "They've seen me. The horse rats have, at least. If Carlotta can put it together, one of them will do it again soon."

Elsie nodded back. "And when John comes back, if he sees you…"

"I understand." Erik said. He walked back over to Elsie and hugged her again. Elsie stood tall and kissed him sweetly. When they broke apart, there was a silent understanding between them.

They had been caught. The danger of Erik and Elsie being brought to justice was now very real. They would have to watch their steps, and cover their track carefully. But somehow, it didn't matter. They had each other, and as long as that was true they would be okay.

"I've got Red here." Elsie said, cracking a smile. "Want to saddle up Phantom and go riding?"

"Is that your idea of staying low?" Erik smirked and Elsie laughed.

"There's always the forest. I've been riding out there loads of times. I'd say it's two hours until dawn. No one would see us. Especially you, with you fixation with black clothes."

"How is one supposed to be a phantom if one stands out?" Erik said, waving his hand as he walked over to Phantom's stall.

"One question; how are we supposed to get him out of here?" Elsie asked. "He can't go up the stairs."

"You underestimate me ma chére. Erik said, leading his horse to a wall covered by red cloth. He moved the cloth and pressed on one of the bricks. The wall swung back, revealing a passage.

"Wow." Elsie breathed as she followed Erik inside. "This place has more secrets than I thought."

"Too true." Erik said. "I think I've found most of the passages, and they all seem to converge on the old gear room."

Erik led Phantom down the passages, Elsie by his side. After a few minutes, they came to a wooden stretch of wall. Erik pushed on it and it swung up, showing Red waiting patiently for his mistress.

"Well, that was unexpected." Elsie said.

"I'm lucky I found this one." Erik said happily. "Phantom was going stir-crazy before I did."

Elsie opened the passage and pulled herself on her horse. The two slipped out into the night, riding down the alley and moving swiftly toward the forest. As they rode through the trees, Erik following closely behind Elsie to avoid crashing into a tree, Elsie knew she couldn't live without these moments.

My dear, you're turning into one of those hopeless romantics.

"Oh shut up." She muttered at the voice, but she couldn't help but smile.

Me: AWWWW!
Erik: You should go see someone for that voice in your head.
Elsie: And you shouldn't?
Erik: I had a tortured childhood, the voices in my head are justified.
Me: On screen, they're the perfect couple. Off screen, they're this.
Elsie: My voice is my snarky conscience! Your voices are evil!
Erik: So now you're calling me evil?
Elsie: No, I'm calling your voices evil. You are an all-around good person.
Erik: You insult the voices, you insult me.
Me: *Sigh* For those of you wondering, 'piccolo cagna di una ballerina di fila' means 'little bitch of a chorus girl', obviously referring to Christine.
Elsie: You see? That's why I like her!
Me: 'Ma chére' means 'my dear'. If I got it wrong, blame Google translate. Don't forget to review!
Erik: Every time you do, we shave off a hunk of Raoul's hair!
Raoul: *Tied to a chair* No! Please! Anything but that!
Me: SILENCE!
Raoul: Okay.