A/N: Thanks Emma-J-Riddle for your review!

Chapter Seven

"The Warning"

All the corpse de Ballet and chorus girls who boarded at L'Opera all ate together in a large room lined with tables. Claire seemed to be the only leading lady boarding at L'Opera, which made her question why she had been forced to leave home. She had asked Mademoiselle Giry about it and she merely said,

"De Opera Ghost thought it best you board here."

It seemed that everything to do with Claire was tied into "the Opera Ghost." Erik was constantly interfering and Claire wanted to know why. And on the note of Erik, Claire had not seen him once since she had arrived at L'Opera Populaire two weeks before. But he still sang to her at night in her dreams.

Rehearsals were going well, they had blocked all of acts one and two. Claire was still bored at rehearsals; her role didn't do much in the first two acts. She wanted to get to act three more then anything!

Amelie's crying fit seemed to have been a one performance show. She was almost nice to be around but she still seemed to have a black cloud floating around her.

After a rather long rehearsal on a Monday Claire stayed around the stage. All the workers and scene-shifters had gone to Dinner leaving Claire completely alone. She walked aimlessly around the stage. She stopped suddenly and gasped as a cold chill filled the room. "Erik!" She called out, she knew he was there. "Let me see you." Pleaded Claire looked around her for some physical sign that Erik was there. She suddenly jerked her head towards Box Five and she could barely make out a shadowy figure standing in it. "Erik!" She called to the figure. It disappeared and warmth filled the room once again.

"Miss Daaé,"

Claire spun around. "Oh… Mademoiselle Giry, it's you." She sighed in relief.

"You are missing dinner, Miss Daaé. You should hurry."

"Yes, ma'am." Claire curtsied and left the stage. But she did not go to dinner instead she wondered the Opera in hopes of finding Erik. She could hear him singing in her head softly, oh so softly. Her feet seemed to be following his song to where she did not know. She found herself in front of a door; she opened it as if by command by someone else. She walked into the room, it was dark but Claire could see a large mirror at the end of the room as if the mirror itself was a light. She was being drawn, pulled towards the mirror by Erik's voice, which now filled the room.

"Come to me, my Angel of Music!"

She was just inches from the mirror.

"Erik, no!"

Claire was stopped by an old but strong hand on her shoulder. She found herself being dragged from the room. "Let me go!" she cried as she could hear Erik's voice fading.

"No." said the voice of someone who sounded like Madam Giry just much older. She pulled Claire from the room and slammed the door with great strength for her age. She then ushered Claire up the hall and into a small plane room.

"What did you do that for?" Demanded Claire turning to the old woman who indeed looked much older then even Madam Giry.

"You cannot go to him." Whispered the old woman urgently.

"What are you talking about?" Claire asked.

"You cannot fall under his spell. It is not you he wants, he is confused but still dangerous." The old woman looked deadly serious.

"Lady, you are not making any sense! Erik is not dangerous." Said Claire firmly. And yet… "Who are you anyway?" Asked Claire still feeling frustrated with the old woman.

"My name is Vianne Giry, I am Meg's mother."

Good God, the place was crawling with Girys! But now that Claire looked at her closely she did indeed look a lot like Madam Meg Giry but much, much older. Vianne had to at least be in her eighties or nineties but she still stood up straight with an air of pride and dignity.

"Mademoiselle, I simply cannot believe Erik too be dangerous." Said Claire after a long pause. "But I do admit him to be…different from any other person I have met." She felt her cheeks tingle slightly. "He is a musical genius but by no means dangerous from what I have seen."

"Please, Miss Daaé," said Vianne looking desperate. "Stay away from him!" and with that she left the room.

Claire stood there for a few moments. "What is going on?" But she was quieted as she heard Erik's voice singing to her again. She closed her eyes and sighed.

The next day a clipping from a newspaper read: Vianne Giry passed away this morning at 1:25 a.m.

Madam Giry and Mademoiselle Giry seemed to have expected it and so took the death rather well. But everyone else who had known Vianne had simply thought that she would never die. They were obviously proved very wrong. But few facts were actually known about Vianne Giry's death. The Police insisted on 'natural causes' but wild rumors were flying around L'Opera. Madam Giry and Mademoiselle Giry refused to speak of the matter causing even more speculation especially in the corps de Ballet.

Claire found herself strangely disheartened by the death of the old woman. What Vianne had said about Erik still seemed to ring in her ears. She knew it to be wrong of course! It was wrong…it was…it had to be. Besides who can trust a crazy old woman anyway?

Amelie, on the other hand, saw Vianne's death as a bad omen and was convinced that they would all suffer the same fate. She went around making the sign of the cross at anyone she passed.

And it was as Claire passed (and was crossed by) Amelie in a hall that she heard two scene-shifters talking in hushed voices.

"It had to have been the Opera Ghost!" Exclaimed one of them who smelled strongly of wig powered.

"For sure! She was found near the cellars after all and people've been saying she was strangled." Said the other. "Bet it was a grudge against old Giry for the last time."

"And Daaé's daughter showing up…that's a sure sign." But unfortunately for Claire it was at that moment that the scene-shifters noticed her and stopped talking.

Claire hurried away. They were just superstitious fools that's all! Erik could not have had anything to do with Vianne's death! But then Vianne had stood up to him and the way she talked of him…but then Erik's voice flooded her mind chasing away all other thoughts.

"Come to me, my Angel of Music!

Fate links thee to me forever and a day

Believe in me

We must be one

To live to be"

She could feel her senses, all of them, tingle at the sound of Erik's voice calling her, calling her as all faded to black. She did not know wither she went nor did she care. But still something in her mind was screaming 'no!' an invisible line was being crossed. But her body kept feeling its way closer to where ever Erik was.

'You cannot go to him.'

"Save me from the dark

Allow me to live"

'You cannot fall under his spell.'

"Before I come undone

Save me from this nothingness!"

'It is not you he wants.'

"I know you hear me

Closing your eyes to fade away

You pray your dreams will bring you here

To me"

'He's confused but still dangerous.'

The light of a giant mirror broke the darkness. Claire paused, hesitated. Somehow she knew if she kept going there would be no turning back.

"Don't turn away

Don't try to hide from me

Turn out the light

Come find me, my Angel!"

She moved forward beckoned by his angelic voice. The mirror seemed to melt away as she passed through it. She was in a dark corridor; she walked down it as if forced to and yet willingly.

"Don't be afraid

Come to me, come to me

As we fade to one"

Down halls and stairs she followed that mesmerizing voice of the Heavens. Until she came to a lake and there he was, singing to her. "Erik…" She moaned his name unknown longings hidden in it.

"Make me real

Bring me to you

Come to me"

He reached out his hand towards her. Even through her muddled thoughts she could feel that something was different about this meeting between them. Something had changed. And yet she took his hand as he helped her into a small boat that stood on the brink of the water. He began to row them across the lake with long powerful strokes but still singing.

"I look in the mirror Why do I see your face?"

Claire, weak as she was from starring into Erik's deep hypnotizing eyes, opened her mouth and sang a reply to him.

"How can you see into me?

Leading me down

Where we can be one"

Then they both sang together.

"On my own I'm so cold

Until you found me

Now my heart burns!"

They reached the shore; Erik helped Claire out of the boat. She was breathless as she saw the site before her. A massive cavern, filled with natural levels, was lit by literally thousands of candles. Drapes and rugs filled the space and a pipe organ—the most beautiful organ—sat perched up on a natural platform. But then something happened, she felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dropped on her. She regained full control of herself now that Erik was not singing. She turned to him. "Why have you brought me here?"

He did not answer but just walked to the organ and began to play softly.

"Erik?" She walked towards him. "You said all you wanted was to teach me music," Her mind wondered back to how she had arrived at this place. "So why did you bring me here?"

Again Erik did not answer but continued playing.

Claire now stood behind him. "Answer me, Erik."

"I brought you here to continue our lessons." He answered in his soft voice.

"You could have taught me without bringing me here like that." Her cheeks tingled from the memory. The man she had once trusted heart and soul she now found herself doubting his intentions.

Then Erik stopped playing and began to sing softly.

Claire felt her senses slipping again; she tried to fight it off.

Erik stood and turned to her looking her in the eyes.

She suddenly reached out a hand and placed it over his mouth. "Stop…please, don't." She dropped her hand and turned away. What was wrong with her? He just wanted to teach her that was all. She had to believe that was the truth otherwise…she might begin to fall. "Could we just start the lesson?" Asked Claire still not daring to look at Erik.

"Of course, my angel."

His new insistence on calling her his angel made Claire's insides squirm.

Erik sat back down at the organ playing out cords.

Claire followed along with her voice, slowly hitting higher notes then lower then higher again.

After a few more scales Erik stopped. He began to play a tune that was new to Claire.

"Sing, my angel." He urged.

Claire panicked for a few moments. Not knowing if this was a test or not. She shyly began to sing. She did not know what to sing so she sang the thoughts that were running through her head.

"In sleep you sang to me

In dreams you came

That voice which calls to me

And speaks my name

And do I dream again?

For now I find

The phantom of the opera

Is there inside my mind

Why do you hide your face

Behind that mask?

Am I the mask you wear?

Is it us they hear?

My spirit and my voice in one combined

The phantom of the opera

Is there inside my mind"

Erik suddenly stopped playing; he placed his head in his hands.

"I-I'm sorry!" Said Claire. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No…" Whispered Erik but not looking up.

Claire placed a shaking hand on his shoulder. "Then what is wrong?" She asked just above a whisper.

"Nothing." Said Erik looking up again.

Claire did not believe him, something was definitely wrong and she could not shake the feeling that is was her fault. As Erik began to play softly again Claire found herself becoming tired. And when she awoke the next morning she was lying on her bed in her room with Amelie snoring in the bed next to her.