Disclaimer: After the last chapter I would say he belongs to Lily, but not me.

Review Responses:

GerrysISUChick04: That was funny. Yes it is about time. Wow you and your boyfriend are the exact opposite of my husband and I. I'm the quiet one. That's freaky. Yes Lily has a temper. A rather nice one.

Collins: Yes sort of sappy, but hopefully tasteful.

IdrilThePirate: Yes my Erik is a little on the soft side. I wanted him to learn from his past, and be more than just the Phantom. Thank you. Lily is the woman that I wished Christine had been when I was watching the movie. A couple times you see a spark of understanding and compassion, but not enough. I cannot claim all the glory for the lyrics. A fellow writer by the name of Mercury Grey helped with those when I was stuck.

Jen Lennon: I'm glad you have such a wild imagination. I do too. Don't think I wasn't thinking it either.

Starlightcrybaby: Someone get some nitro pills. Please just concentrate on the chapter and you will be fine.

Larien: Well I owe the last half of that line to a true poet. Fellow writer Mercury Grey added that little bit when she was helping me with the lyrics. Yes Lily still has issues over her father's death.

XxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx: Thank you. Here you go.

Le Fantome

The run for Hannibal ended the opera season with a flourish showing the opera world what a find the Opera Populaire had in Mademoiselle Lily Giroux. And Lily prayed that whenever the new season began she would be forgotten and Angelique would reprise the role as Prima Donna.

But that was not to be the case. As the next season began Lily was told she again would be cast in the leading role of a new opera that the owners believed would be a hit on its own.

Lily picked up a copy of the script and began to walk to her room. She did not glance at the title until she was seated comfortably on her own bed, happily munching on an apple. She opened the leather bound cover and stopped in mid bite as she saw the title. In bold Letters she read.

Le Fantome

By: Vicomte Raoul de Chagny

She dropped the apple and began thumbing through the pages, reading scene after scene. It was the story of Erik and Christine.

"How could he write this? How could she let him?" Lily whispered in disbelief. "They promised. Oh god, Erik. What will this do to you?"

In the off months between seasons they had very rarely been apart, and they had spent most of their hours discussing things from their pasts. They held nothing back, and Erik had told her the story of he and Christine.

She had to go see him. If he found out about this from anyone else she hated to know what his reaction would be.

When he poled the gondola over to the edge of the lake she could see the smile upon his face. "Taking a break from rehearsal already?" He asked. She knew then that he did not know yet.

"No rehearsal yet." She said as he helped her into the gondola. "I must show you something, Erik." She said swallowing hard holding the script tightly to her chest.

"All right." He answered then began poling them to his lair. After they reached the lair Lily took a seat on the organ bench waiting for him to join her.

"Now what do you wish to show me?" He asked sitting in a chair before her.

"The script for our new opera." She said still holding tight to the script.

"Lily, will you give it to me?" He said holding out his hand.

"Erik, I knew nothing about this. I'm sorry." She whispered handing him the script.

She watched the blood drain from the unmasked side of his face, as he read the title and composer. Then she saw the anger build in his eyes as he flipped through the pages skimming the scenes.

After he was finished he closed the script and dropped it on the ground between them. She could see the look of betrayal cross his face. "It's accurate to say the least." He said sarcastically.

After she realized he would say no more she spoke up. "It's accurate. That's all your going to say."

"What do you want me to say, Lily? Do you want me to say I'm angry? I am. Do you want me to say I feel betrayed? She promised never to tell. I am betrayed. What else should I say?" He said standing and walking to the waters edge. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"I don't know what I would have you say, Erik. If it was me I would probably be throwing things and screaming at the top of my lungs about now. But both of us know that would get you nowhere." She said standing and walking to him. She laid one hand upon his back stroking the tense muscles she felt there. "Will you stop the production?" She finally asked knowing there were many things he could do to sabotage the opera.

"No." Was his only answer. He had decided to put his days as the Opera Ghost behind, and to just be Erik. He didn't want to interfere with the goings on above anymore. He was content to work on his own compositions, and inventions, as long as Lily remained with him.

"No." She repeated. "Well then I will tell Monsieur Blanchet that I will not perform."

"No. You will perform." He said turning to face her.

"What?" She asked believing she had misunderstood him.

"I only trust you to make sure it is laid forth honestly, Lily. You know what happened. You alone know the entire story. You alone can make sure I am portrayed correctly." He explained.

"You want me to play Christine." She still did not believe what he was asking of her.

"Yes. I trust you alone. Please do this for me." He pleaded.

"Oh, Erik. I don't know if I can force myself to do what she did to you." Lily said shaking her head.

"It will not be me on that stage. It will be another actor. You can do this." He said showing complete faith in her.

"For you, I will." She said wishing she could refuse him. But she had soon learned she could refuse him nothing.

"Thank you, my little Lily." He said taking her in his arms and kissing her brow.

As rehearsals began Lily found herself more and more often working with Anton the actor who would play Erik. She wanted him to be portrayed, as he really was, not as the way another would see him. Many times she realized that she must seem bossy to the young actor, but she insisted on having her own way.

Madame Giry had begun to watch her closely seeing how much time she was spending perfecting both her and Anton's performances. After all the gossip she had heard concerning Lily and the Phantom she was not surprised.

After rehearsals had finished on one day shortly before opening night Lily had tiredly made her way to her dressing room, wanting to slip into a clean outfit and make her way down to see Erik. She knew she was pushing herself and Anton too hard to perfect the performance, but she felt she owed it to Erik.

When she entered her dressing room she was surprised to see a strange woman standing staring in the mirror. "Excuse me. This is my dressing room. Can I help you?" Lily asked angrily that her privacy had been invaded.

"You are good. Very good. If I didn't know better, I'd say that was me I saw earlier on that stage." The woman answered.

"And who are you?" Lily asked even though she thought she knew.

"Christine de Chagny. Formerly Christine Daae." She answered.

"I thought so. What are you doing here?" Lily said rudely.

"Well I was never as rude as you are." Christine said turning and leaning against the mirror.

"That's rather debatable." Lily answered closing the door behind her and leaning against it.

Christine wondered at her statement, but decided to drop it. "I came to compliment you. I'm assuming you don't want my compliments then."

"You have nerve coming back here." Lily said shaking her head.

"Why do you say that?" Christine asked.

"You promised him, you would keep his secrets. How could you break that promise spreading his secrets to all?" Lily accused.

"Are you going by what is in my husbands play, or are you speaking from your own knowledge of the situation?" Christine asked.

"What do you think?" Lily spat bitterly.

"What do you know about him?" Christine asked. Madame Giry had told her of the strange events that surrounded the new Prima Donna, and she wondered if the Phantom had been up to his old seductive tricks. That's why she had asked her husband to compose the opera. She did not want anyone else to fall into that trap.

"More than you ever did. What is his name, Christine?" Lily asked wanting to prove her point.

"I don't know. He never spoke it." Christine answered.

"Do you know what his childhood was like?" Lily asked yet another question.

"Very little." Christine answered.

"Do you know anything about him, other than the fact that he can sing?" Lily asked. "Did you even bother to try to understand the man behind the mask?"

"No. But I'm assuming you have." Christine said realizing that Lily did not need saving from the Phantom.

"Yes. I understand him. And you know what else. I love him." Lily watched as Christine's eyes widened in shock. "I have given him what you would not."

"Is he happy?" Christine asked surprising Lily.

"Yes. For the first time in his life, I believe he is." Lily answered.

"And are you?" Christine surprised her yet again.

"Never before have I felt so much happiness." She answered.

"Tell him I did not break my promise wanting to hurt him. I thought I was helping a young singer who had been seduced by his music. I see now that I was wrong about you. I am happy for you." Christine said walking over to her and waited for Lily to move so she could leave the room.

Christine's words had shocked Lily. She had been holding so much anger for the woman since she met Erik, but then she realized that if Christine had not rejected Erik she herself would be lonely and miserable for the rest of her life. Maybe she needed to rethink the woman who was Christine.

She looked to the mirror and watched, as it swung open. Erik stood there inside the tunnel. She could see the sad look on his face. "She thought I was going to hurt you." He whispered.

She rushed to him wrapping her arms around him. "Erik, she never took the time to know you. She did not know your soul as I do." She tried to reassure him.

"I never let her. I was so afraid of her reaction to this." He said pointing at his face. "That I never let her know the true me. I shrouded myself in mystery, and in return frightened her from me."

"You learned from your mistakes, Erik." Lily said looking into his eyes. "I know the true you. You let me in."

"Yes I did, and for that I thank all of heaven." He said taking her hand in his and placing a tender kiss there. "I could not bear if you did not want me."

"You will never have to suffer that fate, Erik."

Author's Note: For those of you who truly like Christine I apologize for the way Lily treated her, but I have been angry with her ever since she rejected Erik. So my own feelings are interfering with this chapter. At least I'm making Lily rethink her reaction to her. But it's hard.