The next morning Cáel was in his office, hands covering his face as Meg brought him some warm tea.

"Thank you", he said and Meg placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. His hand went on top of her and he raised his head to look at her, a smile on his lips. She smiled back, her blue eyes gentle and kind.

They seem to help him calm down and he kissed her hand.

"I can stay if you want"

"No, you have rehearsal. Go"

Meg gave him a kiss on the forehead and gracefully as a prima ballerina was, walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Cáel kept smiling and leaned back on his chair, the light from the candles started to play before dying; allowing the darkness to feel the room.

"You know Monsieur, there is no need for such fancy entrances when it is the two of us", the redhead said and his brown eyes looked left and right in an attempt to spot something that would give away the Phantom's position.

"I have to live up to my name", a voice was heard.

"Very well. You will excuse me then", Cáel said as he stood up and opened his drawer.

He grabbed a box with matches and opened one before light some of the candles, now giving a small illumination to the room. That along with the light of the grey sky from the window, allowed him to see the faint figure and white mask of the visitor.

"How long have you known?", Erik asked as he stood a little in front of his desk like a statue.

"That you and my sister are together? *Erik gives a faint nod* for quite some time. I first noticed the black rose and red ribbon that seem to appear after every show. That triggered Meg's stories about you and the time the Populaire had two very stupid owners; pardon my language"

"Quite alright. They were quite foolish indeed"

"I will be honest with you. I was worried at the beginning *sits on the chair and looks at Erik* However, I saw how happy she was after some time and I even saw a fire in her eyes, a fire I thought she had lost a long time ago. The only explanation behind it is that it happens when someone is in love, I have seen it more than enough times to recognize it. I suspected the count but then again, those two barely see each other and I have noticed how she tries to avoid him"

"Yes, he is a very persistent person. I honestly do not like it"

"Neither do I and I do have some potential future patrons. He causes trouble to my sister and he is a dead man"

Erik would give it to the Irish. He was as a very smart man; he had been watching everything and playing them like fools. He would never say it out loud but he had underestimated him a lot and if it were for someone else, he could be in trouble.

"I am surprised by how calm you have taken it. I will admit it, I didn't expect such a positive reaction from you"

"I told you before monsieur Phantom. You have proven to me that you are a gentle soul. You helped with the Opera, bring it back to its formal glory. You helped my sister, by showing the world the talent she was blessed with and never acknowledged. You became Keegan's first true friend. I see no reason why I shouldn't trust".With those words, Cáel stood up. Erik was about to say something but the Irish interrupted him before words could leave the phantom's mouth. "The past of someone never defines who he is today"

"Wise words", Erik said and assumed it was one of the many great examples and manners their grandfather must have taught them; according to Morgana's story. "Thank you, though. I do promise to take very good care of her"

"I am sure you will"

How are she and Keegan?"

"Keegan fever has dropped and Morgana is still sleeping. I do not know what you did to her or how you did it, but thank you. She really needed that rest"

The two men were now standing in front of each other, same height and both with serious faces but normal voice tone.

"She needs to wake up though and eat"

"I will personally feed her once she is awake. Both of them actually"

Cáel extended his hand and Erik looks at it shocked but hides it. He has finally trained to hide the sudden expression which only the three siblings could bring to the surface. Slowly, he raised his gloved hand and shook his.

A ghost smile appeared on his lips as the remaining of the candles died and through the darkness, Erik slipped and disappeared. The Irish left a sigh and shook his head but kept smiling as he grabbed a new match to light up the candles.

Morgana opened her eyes slowly. Her mouth felt dry and her body as if it is made of lead. She blinked a few times and realized she was on her bed. Trying to remember, a faint angelic voice replays in her mind.

A song and a smile appear on her face, her heart beating faster as she closed her eyes once again and tried to bring back that haunting memory; that memory of their bodies pressed against each other, his hands around hers and his voice singing to her.

She opened them again when she felt something moving. A smile was formed by her dry lips as Keegan rubbed his eyes and yawned. His skin colour back to normal, his cheek no more flushed and he looked much healthier.

The yawn was quickly turned into laughter as Cu jumped on the boy's chest and started to lick his face, causing the boy to laugh and try to push the happy dog off him. Morgana just sat there and watched, her body felt tired but not her mind or her soul.

They were actually flying with a new power. Her eyes went to the mirror and she couldn't wait to be strong enough to see the man she dreamt off.

Two days later, everything is back to normal. Morgana was back in her rehearsals, dancing and singing like she never missed 4 days of practice. The premiere was almost a week away and everyone was ready.

Cáel managed to get some proper sleep and rest fully, Meg always by his side.

Keegan found new strength and like his stubborn siblings, he was back in his lessons with the blond ballerina.

The female of the trio walked down the stairs, her boots protecting her from the paddles and making no sound as she walked fast. She finally arrived at the cave and a big smile appeared on her face once she spotted Erik.

In his usual white shirt and black pants, the man was behind his organ. Once spotting her, he stood up and the two of them embraced each other in a warm hug.

"Glad to finally see you standing nightingale", he said as he buried his head on her neck and held her closer, his arms around her frame in a strong protective manner.

"I am glad for it as well"

The two of them looked at each other and chuckled before closing eyes and letting their lips meet and do the rest of the talking. This lasted for about a minute, the two of them exchanging kisses.

"So many things have happened. You will never believe it"

"Try me"

Erik placed the cup of tea in front of her and took the seat next to her on the kitchen table; his own cup already waiting for him. He had just finished telling the redhead about his talk with her brother and how he was aware of their secret relationship.

"I see. I am not surprised honestly"

"I was but I am thankful you have such brother and I have him as my acquaintance"

"Yeah", Morgana agreed and took a few sips of the warm tea, eyes closed as she savoured the strong flavour.

"There is something I have been meaning to ask you", Erik said and took a big sip of the hot liquid in order to calm his nerves. He placed his hand on top of hers and looked at the woman he had feelings for. "He said something about you have been through enough already and I do suspect that it has to do why you went in such extreme measures with Keegan, to reach a point where you harmed yourself"

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she looked at her reflection in the cup.

"Indeed. My past… it is not something I like to think of…to others, it might not sound like something… extreme but to me that I lived it; it is"

"You can tell me, Morgana. I am here to listen, help you take this off your chest", he said as he gently lifted her chin so she could see him.

He hated seeing her like this, so hesitant and afraid. He knew this face, this feeling; embarrassment; a past different from the ones others around you have, a past which affects and chase you to this very day of your life.

"*smiles* Thank you, Erik… Well, let me say it from the beginning. *takes a deep breath* my parents, I told you about them, they worked and they couldn't be happier. However, when I was 9 and Deartháir was 13, our Máthair died. A winter's sickness took her from us and that was the beginning of changes in our lives. After her death, Athair started to drink and mourn. Due to that, the field had no one so it was up to us and some neighbours to take care of it. It was also the reason why I never managed to properly get an education or enjoy my childhood like other girls my age. I had to work on the fields and in winter, we would clean horses and stables of those rick people who came for a visit. 4 years later, Athair met a rich French woman and one way brought the other and the two of them were together. He stopped drinking and he was back to his usual self. This woman though…she didn't care about us or the field and often dragged him with her to her trips in Europe. She would persuade Athair that we could handle the field and he was so blind in love with her, that he forgot about us and agreed with her *turns hand into fist* Then 1 year later, I was 14 at the time, she was pregnant with Keegan and the moment she gave birth; she left him and went to her next trip with Athair. I had to drop from the field in order to take care of him which left Deartháir with more work. Thankfully *smiles* we had many good people who helped us but what this woman did…"

Erik grabbed her hand that she had turned into fist between his own hands and kissed it, giving some reassurance and helping Morgana to calm down.

He agreed with her, a woman leaving her child like this; even his mother didn't dare to do that and he had a very good reason if she had ever decided to do so. Now he realized, where this hard-working, humble and overprotective Morgana came from.

"*takes a deep breath* I raised Keegan and once he was old enough to not need constant attention, I worked at the local Pub where my Máthair used to work. It was hard but it brought food to the table. Around that time, Athair and Keegan's mother died; an accident with the carriage on their way back to us. Keegan was around 4 at that time. We were devastated but we had to work. Thankfully, 6 years later we were approached by a fancy lawyer. This woman was rich, now dead her money would be taken by the government but somehow they didn't and instead went to Keegan as her rightful son. However, due to him being under the proper age; Deartháir and I inherited them instead and somehow we found about the opera and well… here we are"

Erik was silent for a moment, taking in the whole story. Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense to him; all those questions were answered. He could finally understand the mystery behind her; the puzzle was finished, the riddle solved.

Deartháir = brother

Máthair = mother

Athair = father