Chapter Summary: Confronted by the immovable force that is The Phantom, Andrew is forced to reveal – among other things - a long hidden secret earning him Erik's admiration and assistance. And information from Jean-Paul gives the police a place to start searching for Annalise.

(A/N – A personal note – thanks must go to a delightfully evil beta reader who refuses to let my characters be "cardboard cutouts"; insisting, instead, that they be real, imperfect people. This story is just that much better because of it.)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Andrew kept his eyes closed as the pounding in his head descended to a level that he could tolerate. He tried to remember what had happened. Andrew felt something that seemed to be clinging to the side of his head. His brow knitted in concentration as he tried to think of why there would only be something on one side of his head and not the other. He remembered a gunshot. He remembered chasing after a racing coach. He remembered ... Andrew's eyelids flew open. He remembered he had been trying to save Annalise and now he had been sleeping, wasting precious time. Andrew tried to stand and found he could not. He looked down to see a rope wound around his chest and upper arms, binding him to the chair in which he sat.

"I see you have returned to the world of the living," a voice seemed to say from every corner of the room. "Welcome back, monsieur."

Andrew could have sworn there was a smile in those words; he did not find it amusing. "Let me out of this damn thing!" he shouted as he struggled against the rope.

"Why?"

Again that damn tone of voice that suggested the speaker was toying with him. "I have to save her and I cannot do that if I cannot leave!"

"Do you even know if she wants to be saved?" came the question. "Maybe she is happy with the man she is with. Maybe she chose him over you. Maybe she just wants you to walk away and let her be happy."

"Goddamn you, bastard!" Andrew continued to struggle against his bonds.

"He has done that indeed."

"Let me go!"

"Once again, I ask why?"

"Because if you do not let me go now, I shall kill you when you do set me free!"

"Then I fear you shall be spending the rest of your days in that chair for I have no desire to be killed." The amused tone of that disembodied voice changed. It grew darker, more deadly. "And what do you know of killing, little boy?"

"I am not a boy!" Andrew exclaimed. "I have killed before and I would have no compunctions about ending your miserable life if you do not let me out of this chair!"

"Did you enjoy the killing?"

Andrew was momentarily shocked into silence.

"Answer my question."

"No," came the reply.

"Answer my question," the voice ordered.

"I said no!"

"Answer my question." This time it was hissed.

Andrew lifted his eyes towards the ceiling, finding he could not resist that voice. "Yes, alright, yes! Are you happy now?"

"No."

"What the hell do you want from me?" Andrew shouted in anger and desperation.

"Why did you enjoy it?" There was a very pregnant pause. "And do not lie to me for I will know and it will not be pleasant for you."

"Damn you," Andrew whispered to himself, feeling tears of frustration sting at the corners of his eyes. "Damn you." He felt the rope tighten, crushing his ribs.

"Where is my answer, boy?"

"A girl's life is at stake!" Andrew yelled. "Let me go!"

"First - the truth. Consider that if you do not tell me, this girl you seek to save will forever be lost to you and to her family. Think upon that before you speak."

Andrew swallowed, hard, knowing that he would need to say something he had never uttered to another living soul in nearly eight years. He knew he could not do otherwise if he were to have any chance of finding Annalise and bringing her home safely. "I was barely thirteen at the time and it was exciting to know that I had that kind of power over another life just by a simple squeeze of a trigger. It amazed me to see the look on that man's face as he realized his life had been ended by a child." Andrew hung his head, the shame of baring this hidden truth overwhelming him. "I liked the power it gave me. Are you happy now?" Andrew looked in amazement as the rope binding him to the chair fell away.

"Yes," the voice replied. "Yes, I am."

"Then show yourself, coward!" Andrew demanded as he finally stood, looking around dark shadows of the room.

"Men have died for less," the voice told him.

"I am not scared of dying and I am not scared of you!"

"You ought to be, boy."

"I am not! I came to you for help and this is what I get? Is it?" Andrew shook his head in hurt and anger. "Then you can just go back to the depths you crawled from. You do not scare me, Phantom ..." There was an amused chuckle from the shadows. "Oh, I know who you are and I have heard the story of what you did to Annalise's parents. I am not going to stand here and let her suffer the same fate at the hands of your successor!"

Andrew made to move towards the door to the room only to find that he was grabbed from behind and pushed into the nearest wall. Strong hands turned him around, one grabbing his throat and applying just enough pressure so that he could breathe but could not move. Andrew found himself staring into the glowing eyes of The Phantom.

"You do not know anything about me, boy!" Erik told him, his voice soft and deadly. "So do not presume that you do. And if you ever say anything about Annalise's mother in that tone again, I shall rip your throat out. Do you understand me?"

Andrew found that he could only nod.

Erik leaned close to Andrew so that their faces were nearly touching. "How hard are you willing to fight for Annalise? Hmmm? Are you willing to kill for her?" Erik cocked his head. "Are you willing to make me the first victim?"

Andrew lost his temper, bringing up his hands, grabbing at Erik's, ripping them away from his body. He did not even stop to catch his breath but used the leverage he had gained by holding those hands and pushed Erik backwards. Andrew watched as Erik took two faltering steps backwards and raised his fist, letting it fly in the direction of the older man. It would never connect. Something hit Andrew just below the knees and he dropped to all fours. He found his airway cutoff by something pressing across his neck.

"Well done," Erik breathed into his ear. "I am going to release my cane and you will stand. If you try anything else I shall slit your throat. Do you understand me?"

Andrew nodded and the bar across his throat was released. He coughed, staying on the floor for a moment. When he looked up, there was a hand waiting for him. He took it and allowed Erik to help him get back to his feet.

"You are insane," Andrew breathed.

"So I have been told."

"Why did I ever think to come to you for help?"

"Because you are smarter then I would give you credit for," Erik told him, pointing to a chair. "You will have a seat and you will listen to what I have to say."

Andrew did as he was told.

Erik remained on his feet. "I needed to see just how far you were willing to go to save my little angel. Any man who would willingly attack the infamous Phantom of the Opera to save another is either very stupid or very brave." He thought for a moment. "Perhaps it is both." Erik shrugged. "Either way you have proven yourself worthy of my help."

"What?" Andrew asked in amazement. "You did all of that to find out if I am worthy of your help? You are insane!"

"Do not even think of standing," Erik warned him, a small smile on his face as he noticed the change in body posture. "I know of only one other man who has ever dared to confront me as you have done and lived to tell of it." He noticed the question on Andrew's face and managed a brief laugh. "So you do not know as much as you think you do. If you did know the whole ugly truth of what I had done you would know that the other man is Annalise's father." Erik's voice grew softer for a moment. "Although he did not save the girl, the girl saved him." Erik ran appraising eyes over Andrew, causing the younger man to look away. "But you are different from him; you have a harder core to you. You are more like me."

That remark caused Andrew to raise his eyes. "I am nothing like you!" he spat back.

"Be thankful you are," Erik told him without missing a beat. "You will need that hardness if you hope to get Annalise back." He raised an eyebrow at Andrew. "And what if she does not wish to come with you?"

"You were not there," Andrew told him, shaking his head. "You did not hear her screams. You did not see the look on her face. I wish to God that I had not." There was a silence in the room. "It does not matter what I want, does it? Once I find her, I will do whatever Annalise wishes. If she wants me to walk away then I shall do so."

"What is it that you want?"

There was not a chance of lying to the man in front of him; Andrew had learned that lesson quickly. "I want to marry her," he said simply.

"Regardless of what may happen to her?"

"What do you mean ..." Knowledge crossed Andrew's face and he grew angry. "You bastard."

"Sit down!" Erik commanded as Andrew had started to stand. "I know more of this world than you could ever possibly hope to know. I am not blind as to what could happen to a young woman in the power of a madman." He laughed that awful laugh again. "I know for I had those thoughts many years ago."

"I don't care," Andrew said. "I love her soul and her spirit and ..." he shook his head, burying his face in his hands. "I just love her. I want her back."

"Well done, young man," Erik said under his breath and more loudly, "Oh, you shall get her back, that I promise you," Erik told him. "You ought to know that I would go to the ends of the Earth to find this child. I would do it for her mother because I know that this is tearing my angel apart. And I would do it for Annalise because she accepted me without question and without fear." Erik's voice lowered and softened. "I have been paying penance for sins - real and imagined - for my entire life. Perhaps if I can help return Annalise to her family, my debt will have been paid."

Andrew raised his head. "Then we must go!"

"We cannot go anywhere until Tomas gets back. Or had you forgotten about him?" Erik saw the telltale memory cross Andrew's face. "I thought as much. Tomas comes from the same place as I do - the depths of the world you and Annalise inhabit. Whereas it would be difficult for me to leave this place and move about freely, Tomas does not share those fetters. If you care to recall, you will remember that I sent him out of here earlier. He is seeking out his contacts and learning what he can. If there is any trace of Annalise to be found, Tomas and his friends will know of it. We can do nothing but wait at this point."

"Very well," Andrew said as he looked to the side and away from Erik.

"You do not like my answer? No? But you accept it. It is just as well that you do for I will help you but I will not tolerate any questioning of my actions. That is understood." There was no answer. "Yes?" Erik asked emphatically.

"Yes!"

"Good. Now," Erik continued, "who else would begin to know where to look for me?"

Andrew closed his eyes and thought of Katherine.

"There is someone," Erik said. "Who is it?" There was no answer. "Do not try my patience, boy."

Andrew looked at him, fire in his eyes. "My name is Andrew!"

"Who is it, then, Andrew?" Erik asked in mockingly polite tone of voice.

"It is my sister, Kitt," Andrew shook his head, "- Katherine; she and Annalise shared secrets. I know that Annalise told her of you because Kitt let it slip one day."

Erik crossed his arms and smirked at the young man. "You made her tell, did you not?"

Andrew was growing tired of the way that Erik seemed to know his truths. "Yes, I made her tell me everything she knew after she let your name slip."

"Who else knows?"

"No one of whom I am aware," Andrew replied. "And do not even think of going near my sister!" he warned Erik.

"Do not exert yourself on that matter," Erik told him with a smile. "I just wanted to know if there was any chance of the gendarmes breaking down my door before Tomas had a chance to get back." He thought for a moment. "I suppose I ought to feed you and then you should get some more rest."

"But Annalise ..." Andrew tried.

"Tomas," Erik reminded him and was pleased to see that Andrew nodded. "So you can listen when someone tells you something. You continue to raise yourself in my eyes. You will stay here and rest while I go see what Tomas has left in our meager pantry." Erik's eyes glittered dangerously. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Andrew told him, leaving back into the chair and reaching up to touch the bandage that covered his head wound. "Thank you for this," he told Erik as he winced, finally acknowledging the pain that he had been trying to ignore.

"You're welcome," Erik said. "Now stay where you are and I shall return in a few moments."

Andrew managed a nod and listened to the sound of retreating footsteps. "Oh God, don't let this be the biggest mistake of my life," he breathed. His thoughts returned to the woman he loved. "I will find you," he promised into the quiet room.

"We will find her," Inspector Berube was promising Annalise's father at the same time. He closed his notebook, "now that we know where to begin."

Raoul nodded, too tired to manage much else.

The inspector turned to look at Jean-Paul. "Thank you for his Paris address; it gives us a place to start looking. Do you know of any other properties to which he may have access?"

"His parents had a country home," Jean-Paul furrowed his brow as he tried to remember, "in Rouen but it was destroyed in a fire." He turned to look at his father. "You do not ..."

"Do not even think that," Raoul said as another frightening image was added to his nightmares.

"If he headed towards Rouen that could mean he was trying to get to Le Havre," the inspector thought out loud. "Does he own a boat?"

Jean-Paul cast a worried look at the inspector. "I don't know!"

"It would not be hard to hire one," the inspector told him. "From Le Havre he could go anywhere."

"Oh Lord," Raoul whispered as he closed his eyes; another nightmare added.

"I would tell you not to worry but that would be useless," the inspector said. "I will go now but I will send word as soon as we know something. I promise to keep you informed as to what is happening. Please give my regards to the Comtesse and assure her that we will find your daughter. Know that our prayers are with Mademoiselle."

"Thank you," Raoul told him.

Jean-Paul extended his hand, "Come, Inspector, and I shall show you out." He gave his father a wan smile as he led the inspector from the room.

Raoul barely heard the door open and shut. He struggled to find the strength to stand - he wanted to go and look in on his son and his wife - but found he lacked energy for anything but the fear that held him in its grip. Raoul fought against the sleep that tried to claim his exhausted body for the knowledge of the nightmares that sleep would bring. It was a losing battle and as his eyes closed, his body giving in, his final coherent thought was of a tiny infant held close one autumn afternoon so many years ago.

"Annalise," he breathed as sleep, at last, claimed him