Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Gaston Leroux estate, nor do I pretend to be. Please don't sue me.

Author's Note: This will be the fourth (and longest yet) chapter. Yes, I went a bit overboard. It's quite lengthy. Hopefully it won't be oppressive, though. Thank you so very, very much to all of my wonderful, exceptional, and extremely kind reviewers. I am so grateful for all of your kind words! You lot make my day, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I hope this chapter is satisfactory. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Gabrielle et Pauline

Despite Janette's persistence, the ballet girls refused to believe that she had met the Ghost and found that he had been a nuisance instead of a terror. Meg insisted that, while he could be polite when he wanted to (ignoring the fact that she herself had made up horror stories about him saying otherwise), he was generally frightening. Lisette and Marie flew into near hysterics at the mere mention of him. They thought that Janette was merely trying to appear brave, and that she wasn't telling the absolute truth in her story. Janette denied this, even though it was true. She had conveniently omitted the part of the tale where she had been terrified out of her skin when he first spoke to her. In fact, she had left out the entire part of the Ghost criticizing her singing abilities and merely told the other girls that he just started speaking to her at random in a deliberate attempt to drive her insane.

Of course, the girls didn't believe her for a moment, especially Gabrielle and Pauline. Of all the younger girls in the corps, Gabrielle and Pauline were, without a doubt, the most superstitious, skittish, gullible, and excitable rats in the group. They hung on Meg and Jammes' every word, believing in every lie, fib, and exaggerated story the older girls told. As such, they only believed in Meg and Jammes' interpretations of the Ghost's behavior, and more recently in Marie and Lisette's. Gabrielle thought that Janette was a dim little fool. Pauline thought she was merely an attention-seeking wretch. They never really liked her in the first place.

One of Gabrielle and Pauline's biggest wishes was that they too would meet the Ghost, and that they would one day be able to tell their own tale of ghosts in black masks, bleeding walls, disembodied voices, and talking chairs. They jumped at any chance they could get of wandering the halls alone, but more often than not became afraid and ran right back to the dressing room, giggling and screaming.

Today was different, though. Today, their mothers both had to stay late at the Opera in order to speak with the management (they both believed that their daughters possessed potential and should therefore be made leaders of rows), and they had allowed Gabrielle and Pauline to go off and play on their own. The girls, ecstatic at the thought of being left alone to wander around the vast empire of the Opera, giggled and scurried off as fast as their little legs could carry them.

At first they raced each other to the dancers' lounge, laughing and screaming, "The Ghost is going to get you!" whenever one or the other fell behind. Once they reached the dancers' lounge, they giggled and ran around the room in glee, but they soon became bored after they had stayed there long enough to realize that the Ghost was not present. Then inspiration struck: they would race to the dressing room! Because that was almost where Marie and Lisette's story had taken place, they deigned that maybe they would meet the Ghost near there too.

However, after trial and error, that novel idea proved untrue as well. Put out but not completely discouraged, the girls wandered out toward the stage deciding that if they couldn't find the Ghost, they might as well have some fun while they were all alone. They stood in the wings, nervous because they were about to do something that could get them in trouble if they were caught, and dared each other to take the first step onto the stage and out into the open.

"You go first," Gabrielle said, "You're older."

"I'm only a month older than you are!" Pauline retorted. "That hardly counts!"

"It counts indeed! It's a whole month's difference!"

"Well, I refuse. If anyone's going to get in trouble first, it's you."

"It's wonderful to know you're such a dependable friend."

"Isn't it? Now go on, you silly coward!"

They bantered back and forth for a while, until Gabrielle was finally bullied into going out first. She peeked her head around the curtain to make sure no stray ushers or stagehands were loitering around in the audience, before cautiously stepping out onto the stage and walking to the center. After a few seconds, Pauline followed, giggling the whole way.

Center stage, Gabrielle did a series of pas de bourrees and sautes while Pauline did pirouettes in a large circle around her. The girls giggled and screeched, ecstatic that for once they had the stage all to themselves. They each took turns pretending that they were La Sorelli, and giggled at each other's impressions.

Gabrielle had just walked downstage to take her "final bow" when from out of nowhere, a loud laugh filled the auditorium.

Gabrielle halted in mid-curtsy, her head snapping up and her eyes going wide. Pauline stood frozen behind her, her face going white. The laugh sounded again, more sharply this time, and Gabrielle shot back to Pauline, her hand catching hold of the other girl's. The two little rats stood center stage, terrified and excited all at once.

"It's the Opera Ghost!" Pauline whispered, frightened but still anxious.

"I know. What do we do?" Gabrielle whispered back.

"I don't know," Pauline answered. "We can't run away, we've finally got the chance to meet him!"

"Yes," Gabrielle muttered, her cheeks going as white as a sheet. "But now I'm not so sure that I want to."

"Don't be foolish! You know we've waited--"

"Why, whatever can you two petite rats be discussing now?" a silky voice cut in, halting Pauline's reprimand.

The girls stood stiffly, their hands clinging tightly to each other. The Ghost's voice had seemed far off a moment ago, as if it were coming from Box Five. But now it seemed far closer, as if it were right in front of them.

"W-we... we were just discussing..." Gabrielle began as she glanced frantically around herself, her words halting and frightened. "Well, not t-to be rude, you understand, but we were discussing...."

"Me?" the Ghost finished helpfully.

"Yes," Pauline replied, as Gabrielle seemed almost about to collapse.

"I see. And what is it about me that you were discussing?"

"Well," Pauline began, looking off into the distance and feeling awkward, "We were just saying that we wanted the chance to meet you, to be perfectly honest, monsieur."

The Ghost chuckled deeply, seemingly flattered by her confession. Either flattered or insulted, Gabrielle thought, and he could just be laughing in order to refrain from shouting. That chuckle seemed rather humorless....

"I was not aware that I was so popular amongst you dancers," the Ghost said, though his tone implied otherwise.

"Well, yes, monsieur, you are," Gabrielle said, her knees beginning to shake. "In fact, Pauline and I were rather hoping, monsieur, that we might be able to see you. I-if you don't mind, that is, monsieur," she added hastily.

The Ghost was silent for a long moment, and the girls grew apprehensive. Gabrielle thought that she had offended him deeply, and was about to begin apologizing for her brashness when he suddenly spoke again.

"I shall grant you this request today because I am in an unusually good mood. But you must never ask it of me again, for I do not often grant silly ballet girls' wishes and I don't want any rumors to get out that I am some kind of genie in a lamp or some such nonsense." The Ghost paused as if to impress this information upon them. "Do you understand?"

The girls nodded quickly and attempted to hide their triumphant grins. They were about to see the Opera Ghost! Oh, how jealous the other girls would be once they told them that the Ghost had done a favor explicitly for them!

"Very well," the Ghost said. "Turn to your left, and look your fill."

Still clasping hands, the girls slowly turned and gazed off into the wings on their left.

They had to squint because of the blackness of the shadows, but they distinctly saw the outline of a man in a black swallow-tailed coat. He appeared to have his back turned to them.

Then he turned sharply, and the girls did a double-take.

His face was not covered by a black mask as Lisette and Marie had said. His face, for all they could see, was a skull. The skin was pulled tight over his cheekbones, causing his cheeks to look hollow and sunken. More terrifying still, he had no nose. In place of it was a gaping black hole, creating a morbid contrast with the paleness of his yellowish skin. His eyes were sunk so deep into the sockets that it appeared that he didn't have any at all. This illusion would have been complete had it not been for the deep, fiery light that could be seen in the black holes of his absent eyes, blazing with an intensity that was even more frightening than his lack of a nose. Gabrielle and Pauline took all of this in within a few moments, because as soon as the Ghost had seen their jaws drop open he must have become invisible again, for all the girls could tell.

Gabrielle's eyes had begun to well up in fear, and Pauline had gone paler than before. Before Gabrielle could understand what had happened, Pauline had collapsed onto the stage beside her in a dead faint. She gasped and knelt down, beginning to shake her friend. Distantly, she heard the Ghost speak to her almost sadly: "Go and get her mother to help her, little Gabrielle. You two should have an adult with you when you wander around the Opera, you know. It's dangerous to be here all alone."

Dimly, Gabrielle nodded. "But I can't leave her alone... what shall I do?"

She heard the Ghost sigh. "I shall see what I can do, I suppose. But this really must be the last favor I do for you, little rat. Nothing but trouble has come from the previous favor I gave you, you understand."

"Y-yes," Gabrielle stuttered, "If you please, monsieur. If it's not too much trouble... I mean, if you would."

The Ghost gave a rueful little laugh. "Yes, I would, mademoiselle."

Moments later, Gabrielle was left alone. She knelt by Pauline and kept her company (as much company as one requires when one is unconscious) until their mothers arrived a few minutes later, followed by the managers, who were looking harassed.

Pauline's mother flew to her daughter's side, smelling salts at the ready. She waved them around under her daughter's nose until the girl's eyes flew open and she began to gasp and cough. She stared around herself wildly, orienting herself to her surroundings, before her eyes finally landed on Gabrielle. She grabbed her friend's hand and stared up at her with frightened eyes.

"What happened to the Ghost? Where did he go?"

Gabrielle was about to reply when her mother cut in. "This is no time to sit and discuss make believe ghosts, girls. Pauline, you need to go home and get some rest at once." The two managers helped raise Pauline to her feet, where she stood wobbling a bit before they set off back towards the hall that would lead them out of the auditorium.

Gabrielle lagged behind, making sure Pauline didn't topple backwards. She wondered how the Ghost had told their mothers that they were in trouble? Surely he hadn't just walked in and reported their situation to them? She wanted so badly to speak with Pauline about it, but that seemed out of the question at the moment as Pauline's mother was currently berating her daughter for not using good judgment, even though Pauline probably understood only half of what was being said to her. Gabrielle knew she would receive the same lecture when she got home.

Right now, Gabrielle wished very much to thank the Ghost for helping her and Pauline, even though it was their own fault that Pauline had fainted. Purposely, Gabrielle silently fell far behind the group, and gazed off into the shadows. Feeling silly, she gave a small curtsy to the wall.

"Thank you for your help, Monsieur le Fantome. You really are quite a nice ghost."

She wasn't entirely sure, but she almost thought she heard a light laugh. Then, seemingly floating upon the air, she heard him reply, "You're quite welcome, little Gabrielle. You really are a very troublesome little rat."

Hearing the light tone in his voice, Gabrielle smiled. "Merci, monsieur."

"De rien, mademoiselle."

Gabrielle decided then that she believed Meg when the other girl said that the Ghost could be polite when he wanted to be. She thought that he was almost downright charming. Almost.

Still smiling, Gabrielle turned and ran to catch up with her mother and the rest of the group.

In his corner, Erik sighed to himself. These girls were just children. He didn't mind if they made up stories about him; that was why he had let these two little rats have a look at his face. They only did it to amuse themselves and impress others. They didn't mean any real harm.

Erik smirked and shook his head, then wandered slowly back to his home. Perhaps he would have to listen in on what kind of exaggerated stories these two girls told about his face.

Surely this was bound to be the best tale ever told in the dancers' dressing room. Who knew? It may even top one of little Meg's.

But, that was slightly hard to believe.

Finis

Author's Note: Like it? Hate it? Tell me. :)