This part of the story just seems to be flowing right out of my brain and into Word. So I'm posting quicker. Just want to make sure you all know, fanfic must be having a problem of some sort. Couldn't read reviews for chapter 27 for at least four hours after I posted it…so if you ask a question or something and don't get a response for a bit, just know that it's because fanfic is screwing up and I'm not getting the email alerts.

I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place in present day, blah blah blah, REVIEW


Hiroshi sat behind the desk, looking over the paperwork he'd finished with. Twenty one years had passed so quickly. It seemed only yesterday he had brought her from the hospital to this large estate acquired from a lawyer he'd granted Second Life to. Now she was a full-grown woman. Of course, as a father figure, he made sure never to touch her inappropriately. Remembering Erik's threats all those years ago, Hiroshi had only touched her as much as was absolutely necessary. A rap on the door brought him out of his fond memories of her childhood. "Enter," he said.

"You wanted to see me, Father?" Lenore inquired, walking into the room with all the elegance of a proper lady.

"Yes. It would seem that the Opera Populaire is holding auditions for a new diva. I know how fond you are of singing and thought it would make a nice birthday gift if we had you try out," Hiroshi explained, coming right to the point.

Lenore smiled, one of her brilliant grins that lit up her entire face. She hurriedly made her way behind the desk and hugged him. "Thank you, it's perfect," she whispered.

"Goodness, my little kitten's gone and grown up so fast," Hiroshi sighed, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Father, I'm too old to be called 'kitten' anymore," Lenore informed him, not for the first time.

"I suppose," Hiroshi replied as he always did. "Let's get going, the jet's already waiting."

Hiroshi had a rather affluent existence here on Earth, and he had spared no expense where Lenore was concerned. She'd had a piano instructor at the age of three; Erik had told Hiroshi that her fingers would've been perfect for the piano, and he was quite right. At the age of four, Lenore had begun instruction with a private tutor. She had graduated from Harvard with a master's degree in Divinity as well as a master's in Theology. An interesting choice, considering that her 'father' was immortal. He had arranged vocal training when Lenore turned six; she had the most amazing range. She could sing anywhere from Alto One to Soprano One. She could sometimes manage to delve down into the Alto Two range, but that was a rarity and had to be forced, which every instructor he had spoken with was strictly against.

"He should be pleased," Hiroshi muttered to himself as he walked with Lenore through the corridors of their manor.

"What was that, Father?" Lenore asked.

"Nothing, kitten. Promise me you won't be devastated if some other girl gets the part," Hiroshi replied, knowing full well that any other girl who got the position of diva would meet with quite a nasty end, by Erik's hands or his own.

"Of course I won't be upset. If she gets it, she will obviously have deserved it," Lenore said lightly. "But what will you do if I get the part? I'll have to live in France and you'll be here all alone."

"I could always move to France with you," Hiroshi pointed out.

"Father! That would be embarrassing!"

"Well, I've never known anyone who has died from embarrassment. So if you should perish from it, I'll make sure we put on your tombstone that you were the first victim to suffer death from humiliation."

"You have a strange sense of humor," Lenore giggled.


Ember sighed tiredly. She hated auditions. Thankfully this would be the last year of this. At forty-five, streaks of gray in her black hair, she didn't know how much longer she could manage an Opera House. Rosalyn had suggested they keep running it as a memorial to Lenore, and Lenore's estates had been turned into comfortable getaways for heart patients that didn't have much longer to live.

But I just can't do this any more. God, Erik looks so young every time I see him. Guess that's just a perk of immortality. I'm so tired of this though. I'm more than ready to retire…probably should have retired ten years ago.

Ember never really bothered to listen to those auditioning. Erik always came up and sat in the shadows of Box 5, and Ember and Rosalyn let him have the final say in casting. The girl who had been forcing out a painful rendition of Carmen's aria finally shut her trap.

"Thank you, we'll get in touch with you by the end of the week," Ember sighed tiredly as she put the girl's resume off to the side in the pile of candidates least likely to receive Erik's approval.

"Ember, look at this one," Rosalyn whispered, passing her friend the application of the next auditioner. "You don't think…?"

"How? It's got to be coincidence," Ember said, though she couldn't agree with her words.

"Good day, Madam O'Malley, Madam Johannson. My name is Lenore Aithne Wolfe, and I would like to sing Margarita's invocation to the angels from Faust," the young woman who had taken the previous auditioner's place said politely.

"That would be very pleasant, Miss Wolfe," Rosalyn replied. "Please begin."

"I have to go out for a breath of air, I'll be back shortly," Ember excused herself to Rosalyn.

The moment Ember was out of the auditorium, she fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. It can't be…but it is. She has the same face, the same eyes, the same hair. The voice is a bit different, and she's gotten more buxom, but that's my sister. The beautiful soprano voice began to sing, and Ember was astonished to find that she could hear it outside of the house. Surely no one could project their voice that well.

"Ember, hon, what's wrong?" Patrick asked, coming up the stairs and shocked to find his wife of fifteen years in such a state. He usually dropped by during the day when he wasn't too busy with court cases.

"She's not dead. She's not dead, Patrick. She's in there right now, auditioning," Ember replied, knowing that Patrick probably had no idea who Ember meant when she said 'she'.

"Who's auditioning?" Patrick inquired. "Maybe you shouldn't wait till next year to retire, this is all too stressful for you."

"My sister, Lenore. She's in there, right now. I swear it's her!" Ember insisted, quickly getting to her feet. "I'll show you." She took Patrick's hand and dragged him into the auditorium.

"Mother of God," Patrick whispered. "It's not possible…She's dead. He told us she was dead, he's got her body down there, for the love of Christ!"


"Do you think I did well, Father?" Lenore asked nervously backstage.

"Splendidly, kitten," Hiroshi replied. "You'll get the part, I have no doubt."

"I'm your daughter, you're just biased," Lenore laughed.

"Miss Wolfe, can I speak with you?" Madam O'Malley said, appearing in the wings.

"See? They've already decided to let you have the part, I'm sure," Hiroshi whispered. "Go on."

"What can I do for you, Madam O'Malley?" Lenore inquired once they were in the managers' office.

"Lenore, it's me," the woman said desperately. "I know I'm a lot older than the last time you saw me, but you have to remember me."

"I'm sorry, Madam, you must have confused me with someone else. We've never met," Lenore replied, wondering if the woman was mentally stable.

"Lenore, it's me! Ember, your sister," Madam O'Malley continued. "Can't you remember? I don't know how you're alive, but I know it's you. You have to remember me, you just have to!"

"Madam, maybe you should think of seeing a psychiatrist," Lenore suggested.

"Just hear me out…"


"So what did you think of her?" Hiroshi's voice said behind Erik's current location.

"What did she sacrifice for this?" Erik demanded. She shouldn't be alive, she was supposed to be in Heaven now. If she'd given up Heaven for him…he didn't want her to suffer that loss.

"Nothing," Hiroshi replied. "She chose Second Life."

"Only one out of every five billion souls are offered that, you can't possibly expect me to believe that she was lucky enough to"-

"I arranged it," Hiroshi cut him off.

"Why? What do you get from it?" Erik inquired, tense with worry that Lenore was now eternally damned for her decision. It was all he could do to stay in the seat of Box 5.

Hiroshi came over and sat beside him. "You're my friend, Erik. I wanted you to be happy," the man explained with a tired sigh, thinking that to be quite obvious. "I did what I could to preserve her past image, though I think the breasts and…backside are quite an improvement. Erik…I raised her myself. I did the best I could, I just hope it's enough. She began piano instruction at age three, voice training at six. She's also a Harvard graduate with two Master's Degrees."

"It doesn't matter," Erik reflected sadly. "I won't ruin her life again. I won't put her back in that position. She doesn't remember me, it would only hurt to speak with her, or see her. I'm afraid I can't see fit to cast her at all."

"Don't do this, Erik," Hiroshi said calmly. "Lenore chose Second Life because she couldn't bear the thought of taking the Judgment and spending eternity without you. I know she could have chosen immortality instead, but she wasn't ready to give up Heaven."

"And she will not be ready to give it up this time, either," Erik hissed. "Is it your intention to increase my pain? Take her, and leave. Don't ever bring her here again."

"Do you know what her last words were before her soul passed to her next life? 'Tell Erik that I will always be his, no matter the circumstances.' Don't put up these walls, Erik. She's waiting for you, and if you walk away from her, she won't stop waiting. Ever. She'll die alone, with no husband or children, and then she'll be in Heaven, watching you and wishing you had taken her back."

"She doesn't remember, Hiroshi. She can't wait for someone she doesn't know," Erik snapped.

"She doesn't remember you specifically, that's true. But she remembers the time you two made love. She'll start dreaming of it in a week. Every night, she'll dream of being yours," Hiroshi whispered fiercely. "Don't hurt her like this! Don't force her to live her life belonging to a dream, a shadow of what should be."

"GET OUT OF MY OPERA HOUSE!" Erik shouted at the annoying man. The boy auditioning on stage stopped in the middle of a word, staring around wildly for the source of the voice before giving a terrified yelp and running for fear of his life. His voice wasn't that good anyway…

"I do everything possible to give you back your precious Lenore, and this is how you repay me?" Hiroshi snarled.


"Please, my father will be wondering where I am," Lenore pleaded. Madam O'Malley was currently dragging her through the Opera House, muttering something along the lines of 'if you've forgotten him…'

Madam O'Malley stopped, opening the door to Box 5 and then shoving Lenore in first.

"…is how you repay me?" her father was hissing into the shadows.

"Father?" Dear God, are they all going mad today?

"Lenore, what perfect timing," Hiroshi said with a grin, grabbing something in the darkness. He hauled a man out of the shadows. "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Erik Dessler."

The man's eyes seemed glued to the floor, for he wouldn't look up and show her his face at all. He was dressed in old-fashioned evening attire, and his dark hair was slicked back.

"It's very nice to meet you, Monsieur Dessler," Lenore greeted the man properly. She held out her hand, fully expecting him to show proper etiquette and give it a quick kiss.

"Erik, don't be shy," Hiroshi said, giving the man a small push towards Lenore.

"I won't bite, Monsieur," Lenore tried to assure the man. "I won't bite. Unless, of course, you ask me to." Lenore was momentarily puzzled. Those words had come from her memory, but she certainly couldn't remember ever having been with a man that possessed such a rich voice and had had the gall to suggest something so inappropriate.

The man came forward, but rather than greeting her properly, he pushed past her quickly, disappearing into the corridor outside.

"You'll have to forgive him, kitten," Hiroshi said. "Your beauty struck him dumb."

"Auditions are over for the day," Madam Johannson said below them. "I've heard enough from all of you. I'll see you again in a week."

The silence in Box 5 was deafening. Lenore stood between her father and Madam O'Malley, wondering what in the world was going on with everyone today. She was beginning to suspect lunacy ran rampant in this Opera House and that it was quite contagious. "Would it be alright if I stay a bit longer, Madam O'Malley? This place is quite beautiful, and I get the strange feeling that I've been here before," Lenore said.

"That's fine," the woman said, her eyes locked on Lenore's father with a smoldering glare.

"If you'll excuse me…" Lenore hurried out before either one decided she could not be excused. She wandered corridors close to the auditorium, not wanting to get horribly lost.


"Who the bleeding hell are you?" Ember snarled when Lenore left, pushing the man down into a chair.

"I'm simply the father of one of the girls auditioning," he replied.

"Don't give me that bullshit," Ember snapped. "You're another immortal, aren't you? What are you doing here? How do you know Erik? And what have you done to my sister?"

"I'm here to see my daughter audition," the man began. "I made Erik immortal, so that's how I know him. And I've done nothing to your sister. She's dead, twenty one years now if I'm correct. The girl with me carries your sister's soul, but she is in no way related to you anymore. Nor does she remember her past life."

"That's my sister," Ember insisted. "I'd know her anywhere."

"Lenore Wolfe is not your sister. Your sister was Lenore Parker, and she died from a rare heart condition. I preserved her soul and gave her a new life. She will never remember you, no matter how much you may want her to. She has extremely vague memories of her lover, so it is rather inconceivable that she would have any recollection of her past family and friends," the man said. "And I warn you to tread carefully, Madam. I've been known to history as Jack the Ripper. I assure you, I don't mind killing you if you annoy me."

Ember sank down into the chair next to him. "There's got to be a way to get her memories back," she reasoned.

"Well, if you figure it out, do let me know. Satan would be delighted to hear someone's finally figured out how to do that," Jack retorted.


Erik stood inside the wall down near the stage. If Hiroshi decided to follow him, he would try the house first. He'd never to think to look for Erik so close to the surface. Why? Why did he have to bring her here? Why did he have to hurt me like that, pulling me into her sight? Maybe she'll forget about me; I didn't say anything…

The beautiful soprano voice Lenore had been gifted with in this second life suddenly rang through the house. She was on the stage, singing in Japanese, and Erik's curiosity got the better of him. Slipping into her mind ever so carefully, he located the translation.

If I meet my love, and we part,
We'll meet again, like we did before.
The sweet darkness I find
Fumbling around deep in my memories,

I can taste the sweetness of the past.
Although you're not anywhere
I'll be alright,
If I close my eyes to that,
Love won't change,
I believe

When the spring light warms, the flowers bloom
In summer, I gaze at the moon floating on the sea
The fall wind, and the winter snow
With that sigh, I wish to be warmed,
Four seasons with your love
Once again.

The promise of that only wish
Fades away when time passes.
Can you feel me underneath the skin?
If feelings again happened that way,
We'll be alright,
If I just believe,
No matter how far away you are,
Stay with me.

The spring flowers sleep as we meet in the night.
I leave a message in the sandy beaches of summer.
The fall rain, the winter tears,
With a show of love, I wish to be warmed,
Four seasons with your love
In a dream.

Time flows into my heart,
And truthfully,
Our every day is nearer to a memory,
Love and dreams may be things forgotten
one day, but, my wish is to be warmed.
Four seasons with your love,
Within my heart.

Foreseen, four seasons,

Foreseen, I'll be alright.

Foreseen, four seasons,

Stay with me.

Erik began to hate himself with a level of self-loathing that surpassed all that had come before. She was waiting for him. And he had walked away from her. But she's dead. I have her body in a glass coffin…Yet, she chose to live again. I can't just let her leave without ever saying a single word to her, can I?

Not sure why he was doing this, Erik called out to her from the walls.

Wandering child, so lost, so helpless

Yearning for my guidance.

Your angel, your lover,

Friend and Phantom.

For me you are starving.

Have you forgotten your angel?

Now as I speak, your endless longings

Echo in my whisper.

Too long you've wandered in winter,

Far from my far-reaching gaze.

Wildly your mind beats against me,

But your soul obeys.

My darling, my love,

I denied you,

Turning from true beauty.

Now hear my voice,

I'll not shun you.

Come to your lost angel.

Lenore began to scan the house with her eyes, but Erik couldn't reveal himself to her. The moment she saw him, she gave up every hope of a normal life. I've been an angel before…I'll do it once again. Lenore beseeched him in song.

Father did speak of an angel.

I never dreamed he'd appear.

Now as I sing, I can sense you

And I know you're here.

Here in this room, you call so softly

Somewhere inside, hiding.

Somehow I've known you're always with me.

Brilliant, unseen genius.

But no, I must just be dreaming.

Stories like this don't come true.

Now my head's full of riddles,

What should I do?

Angel of Music, guide and guardian,

Grant to me your glory.

Angel of Music, hide no longer.

Come to me, strange angel.


"Go to her, Erik," Ember and Hiroshi whispered at the same time. They glared at each other briefly for voicing the same thought at the same moment.

"What is wrong with the man? Is he stupid?" Ember grumbled.

"I'm beginning to wonder about his intelligence myself," Hiroshi admitted. "I went to all the trouble of raising her and he's not the slightest bit grateful. Do you realize how much I spent on music lessons and private tutors? How much I spent on Harvard? If I'd known it would be such a waste, I would've never bothered with any of it. Did you know she would have been an orphan if not for me claiming her as my own?"

"Instead of thanking you and taking her back, he wallows in grief in the walls, singing to her rather than just appearing and whisking her away," Ember added. "Who knew Erik was so spineless that he can't even face a woman who loves him?"

"If I'd only known he'd react this way, I would've kept her for my sex toy," Hiroshi commented.

"Pervert! That's my sister you're talking about," Ember said in shock. "And you've been a father figure to her, which makes it entirely wrong."

"I assure you that many fathers are physically intimate with their daughters," Hiroshi replied absently. "And she's not your sister."

"She is too," Ember muttered.

"We may need to take drastic measures, muffin," Hiroshi said decisively. "Are any of your boys brave enough to face almost-certain death?"

"Are you suggesting I have one of my sons court my little sister?"

"No, I'm suggesting you have one of your sons court my daughter."

"Okay…but why would I want any of my children to date the girl Erik loves?"

"Stop being silly, muffin. Erik's the jealous type; if we try to get Lenore interested in another man, Erik will storm out of the woodwork in self-righteous fury," Hiroshi explained.

"I already knew that. I'm more concerned about the part where he slits the other man's throat with his rapier," Ember snarled.

"What's life if you don't take risks now and again, hm?" Hiroshi said with a sadistic smirk. "Honestly, it's not your life you'll be risking anyway."

"True, but I'm kinda attached to my sons. I mean, I only gave birth to them."

"A mere trifle," Hiroshi declared. "If you lose a son, I'll get you another one. I'll even let you have a purebred demon from Hell, if you like. They're very expensive, highly valuable. A good trade, if you ask me."

"You're creepy," Ember mumbled.

"I don't know why everyone thinks that…" Hiroshi lazily glanced down at the stage neither of the two had been watching for the past few minutes. "Maybe we won't have to resort to drastic measures after all; it seems my little kitten's gone missing…"


Lenore opened the door to the diva's suite cautiously. She was following the voice, and this was the last place she'd heard it coming from. "Are you in here?" she whispered.

"Come in, and close that door behind you. I can improve your voice, ma petite," the disembodied voice promised her. "Do you wish me to teach you?"

"Yes, please," Lenore said, trying not to be too eager. It wasn't proper to seem over-eager. "If there's anything you can teach me, I'd love to learn."

There was a sudden knock on the door before it was flung open to admit Madam O'Malley and her father. "What are you doing in here, Lenore?" Madam O'Malley inquired, though the inquiry sounded like a prayer, full of hope.

"I was…" I can't say I followed a disembodied voice, they'll think I've gone 'round the bend. Though they've both been acting as if they're already in the nut house… "I was looking at the diva's suite, to see if I liked it. In case you decide to give me the position."

"Are you sure you don't have any ulterior motives?"

"None whatsoever," Lenore replied with an air of innocence.

"Oh, you perfect little scoundrel," her father mumbled good-naturedly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Father, did you just call me a scoundrel?"

"No, I did not," he said dismissively before turning to Madam O'Malley. "You don't mind if Lenore stays here with you for a bit, right muffin? Unless she didn't make the cut…"

"Well, actually, we were going to ask her to be our diva," Madam O'Malley confessed.

"This works out perfectly then, doesn't it kitten? I'll be in a suite in the Hotel Scribe, not too far away if you feel the need to see me," Hiroshi said. "And remember that you have to ask for Jack Wolfe, not Father."

"I was only eight when that happened," Lenore replied, blushing fiercely at the memory. She'd been angry at him that day when they were visiting London and had stormed out to traipse around by herself. He'd refused to take her to the zoo, because she refused to take her lessons on what she had considered a vacation. When someone had finally been kind enough to see her back to her hotel, she didn't know what suite they were staying in and had asked one of the men at the counter which suite her father was in. She had wanted to go up by herself in the elevator, prove that she was a big girl and could come back on her own.

Once she managed to get everyone out of the room, she quickly locked the door. "Are you still there?" she asked.

"I am here whenever you require me. I will come at your convenience. Would you like to set a particular time for your lessons, or would you rather have them sporadically?" the voice replied.

"We should set a time. How about every night at one? No one would be awake at that time," Lenore proposed.

"We'll try it. If I feel that you aren't getting enough rest, though, we will reschedule our little meetings."


"This is rather dull," Hiroshi muttered to himself, sitting in the largest suite the Hotel Scribe had. They'd been in France for almost a month now, and Lenore had yet to visit him. Darius and Erik hadn't stopped by either. "After I went to all that trouble and embarrassed Lenore in front of muffin to make sure Erik would know how to find me."

There was very little for Hiroshi to do with his time in France, and going out for a string of homicides was becoming rather enticing. At least Lenore would be performing in tonight's performance of Carmen. Muffin had tried to hold off on letting Lenore take the stage in the attempts to have Erik whisk the girl away out of frustration that his precious pupil was not being properly fussed over.

"You don't understand, muffin," Hiroshi declared. "Erik's decided to hide in the shadows and content himself with watching her life in secret. He won't take her or even come out of the darkness, unless something threatens his possession over his little darling."

But it did no good, of course. The woman wasn't there to hear that, didn't realize that every effort she was making to have Erik kidnap Lenore would never work.

I'll have to take things into my own hands, it seems.


"Finally, the violence doth cease," the authoress crowed with joy.

"If you don't untie me this instant, I'll get rather rough with you when I get loose, mademoiselle," Erik snarled from his position on the floor.

"Ooo, promise you'll be rough?" the authoress said, a naughty gleam in her eye.

"I swear, God has some sort of vendetta against me," Erik mumbled.

"God is love," the authoress proclaimed.

"Creampuff, can I suggest you don't take any more medication today?" Hiroshi advised. "I know you're trying to make that Chronic Rhinitis thing bearable, and the cold you caught is only making it worse, but you really need to cut down on the meds. I think it's affecting your brain."

"Oh, fiddle faddle," the authoress said brightly. "Not affecting my brain at all. I can still limp a relatively straight line. And I haven't had any blackouts yet."

"This is going to be a long night," Hiroshi stated. "Please distract the woman with reviews, dear readers. Otherwise Erik and I might have to kill her. And that would really put a damper on the story."