Author's Note: As promised, all those who reviewed, followed, and fave'd now have my undying love. Merci beaucoup!

crimsonbloodwitch: I gotta admit something ― I'm not going down that route. It's just that I want this fic to be a breath of fresh air where Erik's relationship with an OC isn't founded on the OC's hidden/undeveloped musical talents which will lead to them having interactions during lessons that Erik will offer to the OC. I'm going to do something different with Erik and Jovan! I can guarantee you though that they will still bond over music, Other than that, I'm glad that you shared with me your expectations regarding this fic!

httplou: I'm glad you noticed, thank you so much! I'm mix-mashing elements from Leroux's and Kay's books, the stage musical, and the 2004 film. Another explanation for Erik's slightly different personality here is that we're not yet in the timeline of the 2004 film. The Erik you're currently seeing here is much younger, in his late twenties to be exact, so I think that calls for a less-temperamental and less-pessimistic version of Erik. However, you will be seeing him slowly develop into the character he is in the 2004 film as time goes by, so just watch out for that!

( six )

THE STAR

"Careful, careful!" Gemma Thorpe screamed at the stagehands as they brought onto the rafters above the rolled backdrop. The English painter continued to fret over her work as Jovan and handful of the stagehands rigged the backdrop into place.

Jovan tied the respective knots into their places while Madame Giry tried to soothe Gemma's worry over her work. In no time, the backdrop was put in place and unrolled for the whole theater to see. The sound of clapping bounced off the walls ― it was only the first of many to be painted but it was still progress of which everyone was proud of.

Monsieur Lefèvre proceeded to praise Gemma Thorpe's masterpiece while Monsieur Reyer called for everyone to return to their rehearsals for their newest opera. Mateo and a new stagehand, Ilyes, rushed towards Jovan who stood backstage.

"You know how the pulley system works now, do you?" Mateo asked her.

"Absolutely not." Jovan feigned shock.

"Whatever, you loony. I'll be assisting Ilyes in setting up the cloud carvings."

"Thorpe's done painting them already?" she asked.

Ilyes reached into the sack he hauled beside him and pulled out a flat piece of wood carved into the shape of a cloud, painted blue with swirls. Jovan gave another nod and waved them away with a small smile. "I'll keep an eye on you two."

A few minutes later after setting up, Ilyes hung suspended in the air, tying and hanging the cloud carvings that were handed to him by Mateo while Jovan guarded the ropes and the pulley system that carried Ilyes. Jovan leaned against the railings in the darkness of the rafters as she watched Mateo, from the catwalk, hand Ilyes one of the smaller pieces of wood. Boredom was slowly overtaking her, evident by the way she was drumming her fingers against the wood of the railings.

"Restless, aren't we?" a voice whispered from the darkness behind her. Jovan was quick to recognize the voice and refrained herself from glancing behind her shoulder, reminding herself that it was only Erik, a gentleman who went by the moniker Opera Ghost, but whom she personally knew to be perfectly human. Slowly, she gave a nod of her head.

She heard him gave a hum, making it sound as if he were impressed with her self-control. The sound sent chills down Jovan's spine but she couldn't help but also feel pleased. After all, she knew that if she began stealing glances behind her back when Erik would only be hiding in the dark, it would look like as if she were losing her mind when no one else would be able to see anyone behind her.

"The same condition plagues me, unfortunately," he told her, sounding mopey. "Would you like to hear a story, mademoiselle?"

Jovan didn't know how to respond. She was stupefied by his words. Tell her a story? Since when did the Phantom go to converse with the stagehands when he was bored?

On the catwalk, Mateo shouted at her to move Ilyes a few feet to the right. Jovan made the requested adjustments until the stagehand's desired position was achieved. Ilyes shot her a thumbs up from his new spot.

"Hum for yes, snap your fingers for no," the Phantom's voice spoke behind her. Jovan didn't even hesitate when she gave a soft hum. After all, curiosity was one of her gravest sins.

His voice took on an ethereal quality as he began to tell his tale, the words slipping out of his mouth like silk.

"Our story begins with two brothers, the Emperor and the Devil, and a woman, the Star. These two brothers were very powerful men who held the world in their hands, but, even then, even with a thousand men at their feet, they knew that something was missing from their lives. Something that no jewels or no amount of gold could buy. The love of a woman."

Jovan found it easy to lose herself in his story. With his voice alone, the pictures that he painted in her head were exquisite. The music from the orchestra and the maestro's instructions quickly faded to the background as Erik's voice claimed every bit of her attention. Slowly, her hands stopped drumming against the wood as they came to rest by her side.

"Until, one day, they both stumbled upon a woman. A painter, an artist who expressed herself with the colors that surrounded her. The Star. Unfortunately, for the two brothers, they both fell in love with her at the same time. So what they did was they both approached the Star at the same moment and asked her to choose between the two of them."

In the corner of her eye, Jovan saw Mateo gesture for her to adjust the ropes again and she immediately obeyed in order to let Erik resume his story.

"Now, the problem with the woman was that a creative block had been tormenting her for months ― do you perhaps find yourself relating to her plight?"

A small smile of amusement crossed Jovan's lips as she gave a hum.

"I do too, on some days. As I was saying, the Star was low on inspiration and was in dire need of a muse. For no particular reason. however, she chose to court the Emperor first. Unfortunately, the Emperor proved to be too busy to become the lover she needed. He showered her with gifts and riches but these were things that she had no need of. What she needed was a fire from what she had expected to be a passionate relationship. Sadly, the Emperor failed to reach her expectations and it was not long before their courtship ended.

"It was then that she took the Devil as her lover next. And such an ardent courtship that it was. However, as fast as the flames of passion had taken over her, they also quickly wore her out, leaving her desiring for something more than the fervent nights that she shared with the Devil. The Star could see now that both brothers were at the opposite ends of the spectrum, extremes that could not provide her with the balance that she wanted in a lover. On one night, however, she was able to find a solution to her dilemma."

Jovan was unable to stop herself when stole a glance behind her shoulder, a crooked smile resting on her lips. In the dark, she made out the outline of Erik's features and the mask on his face, a stunned look on his face as he met her gaze.

"I can tell this isn't going to end well," she whispered.

"You'll never know how this story ends if you interrupt me one more time," he answered. "Now, be as you were before someone sees you talking to the shadows. They might think you mad."

A smirk curved her lips as she obeyed him, training her gaze back at Mateo and Ilyes as they continued with hanging the cloud carvings.

"It was on one night that the Star decided to have both brothers as her lovers at once, without the other knowing. It was in this way that she was finally able to find the relationship that she'd always dreamed of. Not only that, but she was also able to resume painting again now that she had two muses to fuel her imagination. She was able to keep this 'solution' of hers a secret for some time but, of course, no secret can forever stay in the dark. The Emperor and the Devil soon learned of the Star's deceit, but it was not at her that they directed their anger at, but at each other.

"Thus did the two brothers find a reason to wage war against each other. Some battles were won, some were lost, but in the end, neither won the war. The Emperor managed to secure a part of his brother's realm but it would still never be enough for him. The Devil relished in the pleasure of slaughtering his brother's soldiers but the satisfaction wouldn't last long, it never did."

Erik paused. Jovan heard him release a sigh behind her. Mateo once again gestured for her to adjust the ropes and she tinkered with the pulley system, but her focus remained on the Phantom behind her and the story he was telling. But a moment passed and he was still silent. Jovan chewed on her lip before deciding to speak.

"What happened next?" she whispered. "What happened to the Star?"

She felt his piercing gaze land on her and she quietly waited for his response. Was this a habit of his? Letting the silence linger until it became too much to bear?

He cleared his throat. "The chapel. An hour before midnight. Make sure no one follows you."

Jovan's eyebrows creased in confusion. She was about to shoot a question when she felt his presence leave the darkness. She turned to look behind her to make sure of his absence, and she saw that it was only the shadows that lingered. She heard Mateo request her to move Ilyes again. Silently, she moved as she ignored the dismay that burned up inside her.

Did that just really happen?