Author's Note: Yay! finally I post the third chapter! I now have four really cool reviewers, (only 96 to go!) and I am really sorry this took so long to post, I had my first week of senior year, and then broke my right pinky finger in a car- door incident (one handed typing really sucks) so I needed more time to type this up. Please don't hate me! Also want to note that I got a review from BlueBeauty, the writer this fic is dedicated to, Awsomeness!..anyway, to the story...

Lessons, ( for lack of a better name(still need input))

chapter three:

The lair below L'Opéra Populaire, the morning of the Twelfth of May......

Erik knew he should not have sent the rose. Damning his imagination for involving him in

another of his foolish plots, he thought for a moment about his ever-present sense of the

dramatic, the rose was a part of that. Unfortunately, he also could not think of a

better way of announcing his interest, it did not have the flash of appearing behind a mirror,

but it was still elegantly done. On this thought, he sat at a desk in the Louis-Philippe room,

and penned one of his infamous 'notes' in his easily recognizable untidy scrawl; omitting,

however, the use of blood red 'ink' in favor of less shocking black:

My dear Madame de Chagny,

It gives me the greatest pleasure to offer my services as a vocal tutor to your beautiful

daughter. I regret my inability to keep your date for interviews in person. However, as

you are well aware, there is a complication which renders me unable to call upon you. Please

accept my apologies, and send a return post by way of Nadir, stating your intentions for

your daughter's schooling. Until such a time, I remain

Your obedient friend, and former Angel.

O.G.

He hoped with all his heart that even if she had forsaken him herself, she would consider him

a worthy teacher for her lovely daughter....

It took Christine most of the morning to recover from her shock at receiving the rose. This jolt

from her past was quite unexpected and she sat in grim expectation of a disaster. She had to

mentally will herself to get out of the chair she had sunk into upon receiving the flower, and

greet the applicants. By her estimate there were thirty well-qualified people in the parlor,

all had the proper credentials, but something in her mind, (or was it her heart?) told her that

there was only one worthy teacher. She was once again surprised to find a familiar Persian

among the throng, holding a sickeningly familiar-looking note. Upon noticing the familiar

untidy scrawl, she berated herself for expecting Erik to come see her in public. Once again

she found herself thinking of the past: that night in his underground home, and her earlier

wishes to find an equal to Erik. Earlier it had seemed so innocent to wish for him, but now

her childlike attitude had once again led her to the point when her fanciful dreams became

horribly, awfully, real, and the dreadful reality shattered her dream-like thoughts of the last

few days. How could she not accept the offer, he was the best candidate, but her mind

dwelled on his short temper, his deformity, in her naiveté she had seen both, a sight which

made her flee him once. Could she really send her daughter into the same situation she had

faced at l'opéra?

Christine shrugged off the awful thoughts that plagued her, and resolved to think on the matter

at another time, she simply could not bear another moment of the dangerous implications

her mind was making. "Aurora darling?" she called, "Are you interested in visiting

grandpère's grave with me dear child?" A journey to Perros would help her to see what

to do; her father's presence always soothed and calmed her, and made her decisions at least

more bearable, if not truly easier.

Several hours later, as the departure to Perros-Guirec drew nearer, Christine finished

packing her things, and her daughter's as well; "What will Raoul say?" She thought to herself,

inwardly she knew that she had to visit her father, and that Raoul would try very hard to stop

her. The last time she had gone alone to Perros, she had been nearly ensnared by Erik, and

she knew her husband only meant to protect her by keeping her near. Raoul's protective

instincts had saved her before, but what she needed now, was not something he could

provide, she needed solace, and time to think....

Aurora de Chagny contemplated her mother's strange behavior as she rode in the train

compartment, a visit to grandpère Daaé meant Mother had something really important to

decide. Her mother's reaction to a rose, and that strange note in the childish hand, told Aurora

that something had happened that reminded her mother of the past. Usually, when Mother was

in such a state, Aurora heard lovely bedtime stories, stories of angels, music, and Mother's

time at l'Opéra Populaire. These stories were her favorites, full of adventures and rivalries,

singing and dancing. However they seemed to cause Mother great sorrow and she became

despondent after relating the tales. What could Mother possibly have to decide that involved

her past, and Aurora? The bright and inquisitive child wondered silently, as the train sped ever

northward, towards the grave of her maternal grandparent.....

When Raoul returned home that evening, he found a note waiting for him on the calling tray:

"Dearest Raoul,

I have taken our daughter with me to visit my father's grave, we will return to town on or

about the 18th of this month. Until then, dearest, keep the home fire for our return.

Love, and sincere apologies for not telling you myself,

Christine"

He swore silently to himself, and prayed that they would return safely to him. Recalling the

incident of his past, when Christine was drawn to music from the grave, and nearly lost to him,

he soon decided that prayer was not enough. He had to hasten after his beloved wife and child,

for the danger was too great, he could not lose one of them, let alone both, to the clutches of

the scoundrel Erik.

A/N: Liked it? hated it? Please tell me! Review, its the little purple button in the left hand corner of your screen. Press it and tell me what you think! Reviewer comments keep me motivated, so I need as many as I can get!

Review-replies: (Three this time!)

AuronLives - you really think it's ok? I try not to Raoul bash, cause i like him, which makes e/c more tolerable for you I bet.

BlueBeauty - Thanks for taking the time to review my story, even though i kind ofd pushed it in the review... and also thanks for the inspiration, you rock!

Olivia - Don't worry. I don't plan on leaving you all hanging, I just like to threaten to get reviews ( I still want more) reviews make me happy and feel noticed and appreciated, even if I had to extort them from people, and don't worry, the story will continue to develop nicely, unless my muse disappears..

A/N Addendum: my finger hurts! so I hope its enjoyable enough for you that it's worth the pain in it for me...