Lady Taevyn: Who wouldn't like Tristan? And yeah, Lenore's definitely going to just love having the immortals for Christmas, lol.

Lethia: The amulets the twins wear are for protection. And don't let Lucas make Lenore immortal you say? Well…we'll see…

Timeflies: Aww, you aren't sure you like Lucas? He's really not too bad…I don't think…I mean, it's not his fault he's a little off.

Hot4Gerry: Glad you like this story despite it's uniqueness.

Aryan-Dark: Yes, you can hug me. And I am so so so so sorry to have kept people waiting so long

Sabriel: Yes!!! Shocky spork for our hater!!! ...you're fun, I like you.

Official Rambler: Welcome aboard! I'm glad you like Hiroshi, and I'm sorry you find Lenore so spineless. But, as said by Erik in Susan Kay's Phantom, "None of us can choose where we will love."

Rosemasquerader: Keep reviewing, and glad you like modern story with old opera ghost.

Phantom of the Opera Fan: Glad you like this story, I'm actually somewhat surprised that so many people do. I figured only my friends would read it, and that'd be the fan base.

I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place about twenty years into the present, blah blah blah, REVIEW


Lucas continued to stare at her, his mind quickly but carefully pulling down the barriers she had thrown up to keep him out. She has to drink it. She just has to.

Lucas hadn't always been so cruel. The world had done it to him. The lost of his parents, slavery, rescue from his enslavement, and then the revelation that his only remaining relative, his sister Ruth, was dead. Being free didn't matter then, there was no reason to be happy about anything. She had to be avenged. That was why he'd asked for immortality. So he could avenge her.

Avenging Ruth had done very little to ease his pain, which only served to anger him. And leave a touch of lunacy in his mind. Over the last millennia, many girls had died at his hands. Because they looked like Ruth, and the lunacy made him believe that they really were his sister.

I never saw a body, there's no proof she's dead. I bet Satan lied to me. That horrible monster lied to me. No, she's alive. I know it. She's standing right in front of me. I must be so blind. But it's been such a long time, and I was so little when we were separated. She probably doesn't recognize me either.

"Ruth, it's me, Lucas," he murmured softly.

"I'm not" – she began to say.

"You don't have to hide anymore. You are safe now, Ruth. I promise. I killed them, they can't hurt you ever again," Lucas told her, stepping closer.

"No, you don't understand, I" –

"I do. I do understand. I know what they did to you. But they can't ever do that again, Ruth. They're dead. I know they are, I put them in Hell myself. You have to believe me!"

"No, I'm not" – she tried again.

"Are you mad at me? For not being able to protect you? How can you be mad at me? You're the one who let go! You're the one who let them drag you away without a fight! I tried so hard to get back to you, and you didn't even call my name! You let go of my hand! You let them separate us! But…it doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that you're alright, and we're together again. This time I know I can keep you safe. And if you drink this, no one can separate us ever again. Drink it, Ruth! You have to!"

"I'm not Ruth!"

Lucas blinked, taken aback by her statement. It cleared his vision, and he realized that she wasn't Ruth…but she looked so much like her.


Lenore could feel Lucas worming his way into her mind. She knew she didn't have too much longer. At least he had stopped calling her Ruth, though. Maybe now he'd stop trying to make her immortal.

"Stop fighting, it's completely useless. You know you'll drink the Elixir, one way or another," Lucas said.

"One way or another, most definitely," a dark voice behind her agreed. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her in place even though she was currently held immobile by Lucas's mind.

"You!" Lenore gasped, realizing the owner of the voice behind her. "What are you – Why are you…? I don't –"

"Because he loves you, you selfish little bitch," Satan hissed in her ear. "You stole what was rightfully mine, and you keep it all to yourself; you never share! You damnable thief!"

"But…I didn't mean to! You're the one who hooked us up in the first place!" Lenore exclaimed in an attempt to reason with him. "You should have known how he would feel, that he would love me instead of you. You could've stopped that! Why can't you just let him go anyway? You've got ten other immortals. Isn't that enough?"

"No. I want him!" Satan snarled.

"Why? Why does he matter so much to you?" Lenore was trembling now; Lucas was feet away with his Elixir.

"Why do you think, you inane mortal? He's provided me with more soul income than all the other immortals put together. He was such a splendid killer in his youth. But he never told you that, did he? All the miserable criminals and low lives he sent to Hell. But now that you've come along, that's all stopped. You're ruining him, killing him, you murderess!"

"Turning me immortal won't solve this. Erik's hatred for you will only increase," Lenore pointed out. Lucas was less than a foot away, now waiting for his master to finish the conversation.

"Maybe, at first. You will, too, but I'm sure I can persuade you to feel otherwise. And as soon as your desire turns to pleasing me, his will as well. He loves you so much, he'll do anything you love to do, so long as he can do it with you," Satan explained. "I lost the one I loved most once before; I won't lose, I refuse to be bested by you mortals again!"

Now inches away, Lucas' eyes were desperate. "Every drop, Ruth, or it won't work. You have to drink every drop," he whispered, pressing the edge of the glass flask to her lips.

"Yes, Ruth," Satan chuckled darkly, "drink every drop. Become mine."

Lenore's mind was struggling now, barely managing to hold onto control. She could hear Thomas and Sonata babbling angrily at Lucas and Satan in their baby talk. Oh God, I don't think I can hold him anymore. Erik, where are you?


Erik let a low growl escape his throat. Anytime Erik suggested he was ready to leave the meeting, Satan had hinted at all the disastrous accidents he might cause to kill Lenore. Erik did not appreciate being stuck in this absurd meeting, having no interest whatsoever in whether or not it would be possible to invade Heaven and start another war with God.

And a few moments ago, Satan had simply disappeared. Granted, his presence wasn't required for the Circle to convene, but it was traditional for him to stay once he'd shown up. The fact that he skipped out implied something dark, something Erik was sure he wouldn't like.

Zakai paused mid-sentence, and turned to look at Erik. "Have I said something unpleasant?" Zakai asked, referring to Erik's growl.

"Are you done talking about the possible weaknesses in Sariel's defense?" Erik snarled.

"No, I am not," Zakai answered.

"Well, that's rather unpleasant," Erik snapped. "Talk faster, I want this meeting over with."

"I shall talk at the speed that pleases me, child," Zakai hissed, his eyes narrowing.

There was a moment of tension in the Circle. Erik had just flagrantly disrespected an elder, something distinctly unprecedented. Erik wasn't about to apologize; he could care less. Zakai was fuming, ready to remind Erik in a rather nasty way that elders were to be respected.

"Zakai, I think you should just let it go," Hiroshi interceded. Erik was surprised; Hiroshi, though considered an adult by the Circle's standards, was still Zakai's junior and was taking quite a risk to stick his neck out like this. Zakai turned his angry glare to Hiroshi, who winced. "I mean…Erik hasn't bedded his wife since…goodness, since their honeymoon, if I recall correctly. The poor man's sexually frustrated, and you're keeping him from getting home to his…luscious, provocative young wife. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind calling this meeting quits and hopping up to Earth to have a little…fun."

"Laddie, ye ought to tell me when ye need a little love," Tristan purred to Erik. "I can satisfy as well as that wife of yours."

"I doubt that," Hiroshi muttered under his breath.

"Perhaps we could call this meeting to a close, gentlemen?" Viktor proposed, shocking everyone. Viktor had never before spoken in a single meeting unless he was spoken to first. At the age of nine hundred and eighty four, Viktor was only sixteen years away from being an elder, and his words would be considered more seriously than Hiroshi's or Erik's.

"I do have research, Zakai," Raghnall pointed out.

Khaldun kept a stony, disinterested silence.

"I still have not finished my discussion," Zakai said sullenly.

Yileen muttered something about the Dreaming, not even mentally with the rest of the group.

"I wouldn't mind gettin' out early to see me sister," Tristan said jovially.

"Out of the three who voted, two hinted that they would like to end this meeting," Hiroshi told Zakai, as if Zakai couldn't count.

"Let the blame lay on Raghnall and Tristan," Zakai snarled. "Master will not have my blood for this!"

"I'll take all the blame," Raghnall offered. "Master beats me so often anyway, it won't make a difference."

"So be it," Zakai sighed angrily.

"Alright, then I declare this meeting closed," Raghnall announced in a chipper voice. "An Iberian Lynx snuffed it when a car hit it earlier this morning, and I've been dying to go research the adorable thing. I only just barely managed to spirit it away before Uriel found it and took that rare kitty to Heaven. I'm so excited, do you have any idea how rare the Iberian Lynx is?" Raghnall continued to ramble about his rare find as he hurried away to his laboratory.


"Oh my god, I am so so so so so so sorry," Tammy wept, proceeding to bash her head against the concrete wall of her dorm room.

"Stop that now, creampuff," Hiroshi chided, gently pulling her away from the wall. "You can't afford head injuries right now."

"But I've kept everyone waiting soo long for another chapter! Like…months….like…" Tammy paused momentarily to check the time of her last update… "almost a whole year!!! Eleven months to be precise!! And I delivered such a short chapter! With hardly any content, as far as I'm concerned!"

"I know that, creampuff, but you couldn't help it," Hiroshi said supportively, sitting her in her computer chair.

"Oh yes I could! I could have played less Sims!"

"You played Sims because you had writer's block, then writer's indecision over what to reveal about Lucas, then writer's block again, then the return to college where you've had far too much homework. Speaking of which, you need to write another paper tomorrow; if you don't, you'll fail the class. Now you see, you can't afford a head injury. There's too much work to do," Hiroshi stated.

"I hate you, you had to remind me of that stupid paper," Tammy moaned.

"Aww, go take a hot shower, creampuff," Hiroshi advised. "I'll take care of the review reminder."

"But…people find you creepy, no one's gonna review when a creepy person asks them to," Tammy reasoned.

"You go," Hiroshi repeated. Tammy trudged off, desperately in need of a good hot shower. "I hope you can forgive the poor girl. Not only has she had all that writer's block to deal with, but she's been entering new fandoms, like Naruto, and Twilight. Her mind has been plagued with Naruto fanfic ideas, though she couldn't seem to write anything down for them either. Poor thing, such horrible writer's block."

Hiroshi reached into the desk drawer and pulled out the Shocky Spork. "You know, she's been rather crabby lately, what with school work, writer's block, and some minor insomnia. I think I'll just keep this safe for a little while." He chuckled darkly. "Let's keep this between us, dear readers. And please do leave a review, or else I might have to let Tammy find out that the hard way that her beloved Shocky Spork is in my possession."