Disclaimer: All original Phantom of the Opera related things belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux.

Chapter Four: Familiar Faces

"Matilda, I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you lately," Angèle said once they were in their room, "I was just really freaked out about the whole thing and for some reason the Phantom, the Angel... whoever he is! He and I always end up fighting and he is way stronger than either of us. If he wanted to hurt us, or anyone else for that matter, he easily could. I've been paranoid since that first encounter and I can't even focus on my music anymore. How trustworthy does he expect us to think he is? He lives in a labyrinth underneath the opera house, hides behind a mask, and has never once told us his name! Plus, I never really belonged here anyway. I never really fit in, you were my only friend. I've always valued my privacy because I never had a friend before coming here and he heard me sing! It was a personal thing, I thought I was alone. That's why I'm leaving. You should stay and learn from him though; you have a good voice and could someday be the next Prima Donna! As for me, I don't think I'll sing again. I did that one time after I knew he heard me to make him feel better, but it just made him angry! Remember? So, you see why I have to leave?"

Matilda looked at her friend. Neither a smile nor a frown could come to her face. She was happy that her friend was so worried about herself and her, but she was also upset that she hadn't trust him. "Angèle, I asked him about that the next time I had visited him. It isn't your fault, you didn't know. Before he was here, he told me that someone he had loved had sung almost those exact words. You just reminded him of her, when he was trying to forget. Please, don't leave. You have an excellent voice!" She smiled at her friend, "Okay, maybe I don't know from hearing you, but if he said you do, then it must be true." A grin spread across her face, trying to make Angèle cheer up and stay.

"Not to mention that you're the best flute player around! You have incredible potential. Don't waste it by giving up and leaving." Matilda hoped that her talk was changing Angèle's mind, but her unchanged face didn't look like such a great sign.

"I wasn't planning on quitting," she replied unconvinced, "I was planning on finding another Opera House somewhere. One that isn't haunted by a Phantom."

But then she remembered how she had felt when he told her that she was a good singer. At this point Angèle was about ready to start slamming her head against the wall.

"Why do I keep contradicting myself about my decisions? What is up with this guy? It's like he's in my mind or something!" she thought to herself.

Then she looked at her friend's forlorn face and sighed, knowing that she had already lost the battle and possibly the war.

"What am I getting myself into?" she thought.

Giving a slight smile she said, "I'm not too fond of the singing lessons so soon after his complete invasion of my privacy... but, I have always wanted to learn how to play the organ."

"Well, then come with me. While he teaches you the organ, he can teach me to sing better. I swear, all will be well," Matilda gave a smile at her friend, happy that she wasn't leaving, or going anywhere else. Above them, unnoticed, he watched with a careful eye. He said he was their guardian, and he would guard them; protect them from all that try to harm; shelter them from all that is bad. As he looked upon them though, something seemed out of place. He tried to deny it, but something had been started, and that thing would not end well.

As the days turned to weeks, Angèle and Matilda had been closer than ever. Angèle was still a bit fretful about the Phantom, but his compassion could not be ignored.


Christine was so excited that almost every part of her body was tingling. She had not been to an Opera in five years. Not since the incident with the Phantom and the Opera Populaire. But this new opera house was said to be marvelous and she was eager to hear voices and see dancers once again. Plus, this opera house was far enough away from the old one. Or so she thought...

"Honey," a male voice whined, "Our son is chewing on my arm again."

Christine laughed, "Ruelle, what have I told you about using your father as a teething ring?"

So laughing and enjoying themselves, the Chagny family entered the Opera a few hours early to speak with old friends that they had kept in touch with from the Opera Populaire.

As the guests took their seats, and the lights dimmed, Christine, Raoul, and Ruelle took their seats in one of the boxes. As the curtain opened, Christine sat awaiting the first song to begin. Although she had continued to sing, she hadn't heard proper opera in the five years she was away. Ruelle sat on Raoul's lap, seemingly just as anxious, but his attention was soon changed to the chairs and everything else around him. The opera that night was called "A Soulful Expression", a story about two men courting the same woman to win her affections. One handsome and successful, the other stern and withdrawn. But at the last moment of redemption, the latter drops on his shelf of loneliness and he expresses the last dream of his soul to the young beauty.

At the beginning of the opera, a young lass is seen within her household, getting ready for a dinner party that she would be attending. She had long, straight brown-red hair, wearing a large sky blue dress. As she sang, her voice captivated the audience, none being able to believe that such a voice could come from one of her age. As the musicians played along, carrying the tune, one musician caught their attention as well.

"Raoul, who is that girl? I wish to congratulate her on the opera afterwards."

"Christine, the opera has barely started, are you so sure?"

"Yes. Besides, I was once like her."

"Her name is Matilda Chantel. And that flute player, that's Angèle Souv." Raoul said after looking in the pamphlet that was handed out with the opera's cast and other information.

"Can you be sure?" Christine asked.

"Of course, she's the only one with flue solos," he responded. But just as he was about to look at the other cast members' names, Ruelle grabbed it to tear up and chew on.

After the performance Angèle and Matilda were planning on heading directly to their room where they knew their guardian would be awaiting them. But they were stopped by Christine and her family.

"Hello, my name is Christine," she introduced herself, "I used to be a singer at the Opera Populaire."

"And I am Raoul," the gentlemen said with a small bow, "This is our son Ruelle." The little boy walked out from behind his father.

Angèle got a funny look on her face and whispered to Matilda in a barely audible voice, "Do you think she's that Christine?" Their Angel had spoken of a Christine, but had not told them everything about it.

"Possibly. After all, he did say she went off with a Raoul fellow," she whispered back. Matilda greeted them with open arms in any case, it being the polite thing to do. She still had on the blue dress though, and did her best not to ruin it in any way.

"You did a wonderful job," Christine complimented.

"As did you," Raoul said directed at Angèle. Ruelle clapped for them, even though the performance was over. Everyone laughed at his innocence. They talked for several minutes, but as the night went on, it was becoming clearer to Christine and Raoul that they should be headed to bed. Ruelle lay sleeping in Raoul's arms.

"Well, it was nice meeting and talking with you. I hope you come to other operas," Angèle finally ended the conversation politely.

"I'm sure we will," Christine replied. The four of them waved good-bye to the others, and headed off in their separate directions, Matilda and Angèle walking to their dorm, and Christine and Raoul headed towards the door.

As the two finally reached the dorm to change, Angèle just remembered something and had a look of fright on her face. "I forgot my music!" she carefully placed her flute on her bed, knowing Matilda would guard it. As she ran back, Matilda was humming the tune of the final song in the opera, slowly taking out her ear-rings.

"Bravo, bravo, bravo my Beauty."

Matilda looked up for him, but even after being with him for so long, she was still unable to locate him as he watched from above. As she took a clips out of her hair, she continued humming, and with a swoosh he appeared.

"Heard you," she smirked as the Phantom Angel stood in back of her, taking her hands in the romantic manner that he used to captivate her.

"Did you? Well it seems my musical skills are not the only thing that I have taught you," he took the glittering hair clip which had her hair pinned up. Turning her around quickly, the dress swept against the floor. He scanned her joyous face over with eyes and an expression she had never seen before. The mood was getting too tense and slightly uncomfortable for Matilda though, so to lighten it she stuck her tongue out at him and made a "pfft" sound. He quirked an eyebrow, unamused.

"Do not confuse innocence and playfulness with ignorance and rudeness," he said sternly. Just as he said this, footsteps where heard closing in on the door. He looked towards it quickly, knowing who it was.

"I must leave. You know she likes her privacy." With that, he bowed to Matilda and swiftly scaled the wall leading into the darkness. Matilda would have followed him, plenty of times, but the places to grab were too far apart for her to reach, leaving her to wonder about what he did in his spare time.

Angèle walked in and gave Matilda a funny look, "Did 'You Know Who' come for a little visit again?" she asked.

She looked around the room trying to locate where he might have been and see if he was still listening or not. Judging the room to be empty, aside from Matilda and herself, Angèle told her friend what she was planning.

She took a deep breath before beginning and finally said, "I was thinking about actually singing in public and trying out for a singing part in the next opera." She said this really fast and then added softly, "You know, like a chorus part or something small."

"So," she asked hesitantly, "What do you think?"

"I think it would be a great idea!" Matilda exclaimed in joy, "And you know he'd be very proud of you." The two of them smiled and looked up for him, but he was not there. It didn't bother them though, since they both had to change and get to bed.


Raoul had headed to the hotel with Ruelle, who had needed some sleep. Christine was lucky that she was so fortunate as to have a husband who understood her passion for the music of the Opera. So, he had left her and let her wander around by herself. Presently, she was remembering her first major role as she walked across the abandoned stage. All the cast of the opera were currently off, relaxing after the show. The only ones present besides Christine were a few of the stagehands, doing last minute disassembling the set from the show. Soon, they too, had left and Christine was all alone on the stage.

She sighed as memories came back to her, "Where did my Angel go?" she thought to herself, "Raoul had agreed to name him Ruelle's god father..."

Christine wandered around the stage and performed some of her old dance moves and songs. She sighed happily, she felt at home on the stage once again. She walked slowly across the stage, looking out to where the audience would be and eventually her gaze wandered to Box 5, where he had sat at the old opera house.

"Angel of Music, Guide and Guardian..." she sang softly, "Angel of Music..." Christine continued to sing to herself, "Hide no longer... Come to me strange Angel..." An unexpected, whispering response came from above, startling Christine.

"Christine... Christine..." she looked up, shocked.

"No, it can't be. I must be hearing things. Yes, that's it, the memories of the stage have simply gone to my head," she said to herself, holding her head.

"Christine... I gave you my music... I loved you..."

"Angel if you are still here, please show yourself," Christine cried, "Angel I still need you." Her request was denied though. Even with all her might to locate him, he remained hidden, covered by darkness. At long last she removed herself from the stage and went back to her room with Raoul to tell him about her encounter.


Soon the sun was completely down and the silvery moon glowed in the night-time sky. The stars were visible as well, but none shown as bright as the moon. Matilda and Angèle were both wide awake, still excited from that night's performance. The two talked in the dark, both staring at the moon through the window in their dorm room.

"What do you think he does?"

"Huh?"

"In his spare time..." Matilda had always wondered what he did, but had never asked him, "Or where he came from. Or what he's covering with his mask."

"I don't know. But as for the mask, I bet it's nothing good. It's never good when people are trying to hide something," Angèle responded.

"Maybe, but things aren't always as they seem."

"Yeah, sometimes. But what else could be under there but something bad?" she challenged Matilda's logic with normal logic.

"I don't know. But there's still a chance it's something good. Either way, it doesn't matter. He never removes it." There was a long pause between the two as they thought of what it could be. Finally Matilda spoke.

"I'm going to sleep now, it's way late. Talk to you in the morning Angèle." With that she turned over, pulling her blanket up as well.

Angèle was too nervous to sleep. She had not sung since the Phantom had caught her at it in her dorm room. As quietly as possible, she got up, got dressed, and crept out of the room. She was lucky that Matilda did not wake up.

"Hm," she thought, "Maybe it's my shoes..."

Angèle had been determined since the day that she had gotten lost in the labyrinth to one day sneak up on the Phantom without him noticing her. Not a very realistic goal, but hey, she had to have something to do with her free time.

She walked quietly out on the stage and stood at first off to the side and found herself thinking how foolish that was. There wasn't even anyone there at that time of night. So, she walked to the center and began to sing softly at first, but gaining confidence as she went.

(Sung to "Learn To Be Lonely" by Minnie Driver)
"Child of the wildness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find the way in darkness

Who will be there for you?
Comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion

Ever dream out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You've always known
Your heart was on its own

So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love
Life that is lived alone

Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived
Life can be loved
Alone."

As she sang she looked around, looking for him. Her voice rang through the opera's theatre, but it still did not wake those who were sleeping.

Up in Box 5, he sat and watched, unnoticed. His marvelous eyes watched her as she sang with her voice like a lark. Although it did still need some fine tuning, so did every singer's voice when they sing without a tutor. He wondered why she did not sing publicly.

When she finished her song, sadness filled his mind, but he ignored it. What she had sang he could relate to, and he knew that's why she sang it.

"Bravo. Bravo young Savior of Symphony." His voice echoed throughout the room, making it difficult to locate where exactly it was coming from. Angèle looked around the theatre, but was unable to see him.

"Why must you hide? Why must you fear? Angel of loneliness, I am here," Angèle responded in song, trying to make him reveal himself. But alas, her attempts were wasted. He had learned for too long to hide in shadows when others were near.

"Angel please," she pleaded, "I learned to trust you despite whatever secrets you may hide, why do you not trust me?"

She still looked for him, and then suddenly, she knew right where he was. Part of the column shadow in Box 5 was not the right shape.

"Angel you are getting sloppy," she called to him, "You are not far enough in the shadows, part of your shadow is exposed."

He stepped forward, if only for a moment. He looked down upon her with a stern face, tears in his eyes. Immediately after though, he turned around and exited, leaving only the swooshing of his cape to echo behind him.

Angèle raced up the isles to get to Box 5 and try to catch him, even though she knew it'd be rather hard. As she ran up the stairs, she ran to Box 5 and looked out over it all, hoping to get a glimpse of his shadow in the background. Unsuccessful though, she sat down in the chair that he had sat in. Only then did she notice a note on the floor in the corner of the box.