~ November 1906 ~

"I've been thinking -"

"That's worrying."

Erik turned to Celeste with a deadpan look, which she just responded to with a grin.

"Carry on," she said, somewhat enjoying being the one to tease him for a change.

"I've been thinking about opening up an Opera House," he continued simply.

Her eyebrows rose and she sat up a little straighter, the bedclothes shifting around her. "Darling, we live in the middle of nowhere."

"I know," he said, waving a hand as he slid into the bed beside her. "But, if I took over the music hall in town, I'm certain I could triple its audience within a month. It wouldn't be as big as you're used to, I know, but we could get back to really making music together: I can make you a star again." His eyes lit up eagerly as he spoke, an excited grin catching his lips.

His enthusiasm was infectious, and Celeste found herself smiling too. "You've already done that once."

"And I know people would come from far and wide to hear you! When you sang for my birthday, I remembered what it was like to see you really perform back in Paris, what it was like to perform together." He took her hands in his. "It's lovely when we do the odd piece at the music hall now, but imagine what we could do if I owned it. You could be Prima Donna again, and sing whatever we wanted."

Her smile widened at his increasing excitement, and she leant into his chest, feeling his arms slide automatically around her and his chin rest on top of her head. "I think that's called nepotism."

"I could play with you," Erik continued, ignoring her comment. "I could write music for you… maybe even sing it with you."

At this, Celeste shifted again, craning her neck to look up into his face. "Would you really do that?"

"I would love to," he murmured hopefully, stroking a finger down her cheek.

She couldn't help smiling again. "I suppose the children are old enough to be looked after by a tutor…"

"And it would give us something to work on together…"

"Alright," she conceded, though his idea was starting to infect her too. "Alright, we can at least look into the idea. Let's do it."

Erik grinned down at her. "Let's make an Opera House."

~ September 1907 ~

It was surprisingly easy for Erik to acquire the local music hall, affluent and persuasive as he was. He may have been uncomfortable with public situations, but he was growing more confident with every passing year, and could be incredibly charming when he wanted to. He could easily be very intimidating too, but thankfully he hadn't resorted to threats or manipulation.

Once the building was in his possession, he analysed it from top to bottom, deciding for himself what areas needed refurbishing or replacing entirely. His gift for architecture, as well as his genius of invention, meant the hall was soon improved beyond measure. It was quickly full of all the modern fittings possible, and many aspects were well beyond the standard of other theatres.

Next, he set himself to managing his new venture, evaluating staff for every level of operation, from stagehands to musicians, from cleaners to dancers. His long experience of watching the running of the Opera Garnier meant he knew many of the common pitfalls that the parade of managers had made over the years, including any weaknesses he had exploited himself or ordered them to correct.

He decided relatively early that, at least at first, he would focus on the management and directing rather than singing or playing: there was no point scrabbling for his five minutes of fame if the hall fell apart before the first performance. Instead, he whipped every employee into shape and perfected everything he could.

Erik held auditions for cast members but, even had he not been biased, Celeste was easily chosen to lead the company. She outshone all others by a mile, both in voice and performance, and had the added benefit of experience and prestige.

He chose Hannibal as the first show they would perform, taking them back to where it had all begun for him and Celeste. He also reasoned that they needed to begin with established operas - writing and putting on his own music would come later, as with so much else, once they were on their way.

Between the building works, management and rehearsals, it was almost a year from deciding on the venture to the night of the first performance. It was an incredibly fast turnaround, all things considered; a testament to Erik's skill and drive.

So it was that Celeste stood once more in a dressing room tailor-built for her by Erik, ready to put his guidance and teaching into practice again.

She stared at herself in the large mirror that covered one wall, noting the slight differences in her appearance since the last time she had performed in this opera - the costume designed for her rather than simply altered; the subtle hints of lines creeping onto her face, the fullness added to her figure.

For better or for worse, she had changed over time, and she smiled nevertheless. The mirror was a pleasant reminder of all the hours spent in her old dressing room, and the mysteries and delight she eventually found behind the glass. In fact, a lot of the room reminded her of her previous dressing room, small touches she was delighted Erik had thought of.

Celeste ran her hands over her costume, hands still trembling a little after all these years. She remembered how terrified she had been when she first stepped into this role, engulfed by the impressive costume and pale under the garish makeup. She had felt incredibly small and scared and inadequate, and the only thing that calmed her was thinking of Erik, then still just her Angel of Music.

Now, however, she was stronger, surer. She was confident in her ability, and this time there was no hostility among the company, no lack of faith from management. She had Erik behind her, plus more to her life than success on stage. Besides, her last proper performance had been cut short by a falling chandelier - this could hardly go much worse.

As though conjured by her thoughts, there was a knock on the door and a moment later Erik entered, a smile lighting up his face as soon as he set eyes on her. "You look radiant, my little angel," he said warmly, but her response was cut off when Matthieu and Belle appeared from behind him and burst into the room with much squealing and jumping around.

When they were calmed a little, Celeste hugged them both before smoothing down their hair and straightening their clothes. Both were in their smartest attire, and had been allowed a special night out past bedtime to watch the performance. Both she and Erik were certain they wanted the theatre to be a large part of their upbringing, whether or not they showed the talent or inclination to perform themselves. The appreciation and the experience were what was important.

Celeste straightened up again and Erik stepped closer, holding the golden crown that was the final part of her costume. He fitted it gently into her dark hair, where it shone like a star.

"Good luck tonight," he said and kissed her, beaming proudly when he pulled back. "You'll be incredible."

"Well, I did have an excellent teacher," she responded, eyes twinkling fondly up at him.

"I do have one last surprise to show you," Erik admitted and stepped out of her embrace. He moved to the mirror, sliding a hand down one side and pressing something she couldn't see. A moment later, the glass slid open to reveal a cosy space tucked behind it, a sumptuous sofa in the centre and unlit lamps around the walls. "Just in case you ever need some time to yourself here. I'll bring in anything you'd like."

Celeste gave a delighted laugh and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek and not caring about whether she smudged her makeup or got it on him. "Monsieur le Phantom."

Erik quickly herded the children back out of the dressing room to allow Celeste to finish preparing for the performance. He could have remained backstage, managing and critiquing, but just for tonight he didn't want to be part of the crew. He wanted to be a proud husband, watching his amazing wife.

With that in mind, he had reserved a box for himself and the children, and led them in its direction. Excited as they were, they remained obediently by his side and kept the volume of their chatter low.

Despite their efforts to behave well, Erik could see many disapproving glances being cast their way, along with grumbles of someone bringing children to the theatre. He would have loved to give them a piece of his mind, especially given he owned the building they were in. He knew the sort of people who muttered like that were almost invariably also the sort that talked through performances, and always caused some fuss or another.

Nevertheless, he kept his head high and held his children's hands proudly. It would not be a good start to shout at patrons at the first performance ever, and he had better things to be doing. As hard as he had worked to get the music hall to this stage, despite all the effort he had put into producing this show, this was not his night. He would not go unnoticed, of course, but tonight he was not the star of the stage.

Heart full of anticipation and pride, Erik took a seat beside his beautiful, well-behaved children in Box 5, in his theatre, and prepared to watch Celeste become Prima Donna once more.