Howdy, well, i know you want longer chapters, but that isn't gonna happen for at least two more. This one and the next are actually rather short, because they were originally one longer one, but i decided that i wanted to be mean and make em into two. My humble apologies for this, but however, please enjoy my oh so devoted readers and reviewers... (ah yes, this gives my own made up version of Erik's past and how he came to be living beneath the Opera Populaire...)

Rebecca

Chapter 7: Temper, Temper II

Erik and Rebecca headed back to the lair to talk about 'what happened to him' before rehearsals finished. The trip down was made in silence, and Rebecca feared that perhaps she had worded her question wrong. She silently kicked herself for not being more sensitive toward him. They sat down in their now usual spots next to the organ, with two cups of tea.

"What happened to me," he contemplated this for several seconds. "Well, I was born to a well off English family. My childhood was normal, my adolescence was normal, and I made the transition into adulthood quite smoothly. I had just turned twenty two when I met your mother in Paris." He paused and seemed to be conjuring up a mental image of Penelope. He shook his head, and continued. "We fell in love at first sight, and immediately began making plans to become married and spend the rest of our lives together. However, she became with child before we could wed and her parents disowned her. Several months passed and then there was the fire. My face was scarred and disfigured."

"Penelope wrote all of this in her letter," interrupted Rebecca.

"Yes, but what she didn't tell you was that I once showed her the burns. She was speechless, and I could see the terror in her eyes. I knew then that we could never stay together if she was so frightened by my appearance."

"That's terrible!"

"Two days later, I left her and simply wandered around Paris for several months. One day, a group of gypsies cornered me in an alley and stripped me of my mask. There was too many of them so I was unable to defend myself; they beat me and made me travel with them as a freak for five years."

Rebecca's blue-gold eyes began to well up with tears, and she moved her chair closer to Erik. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be; I don't want your pity." He took a breath and continued his story. "One day, their travelling show stopped near to the Opera House, and that is how I met Madame Giry. She took pity on me and helped me escape. Unfortunately it involved killing a man, but had I not I would still be a captive of the gypsies. Antoinette would bring me food once a week, and I made a home for myself deep within this old building. Two years later, Christine came to live here."

"Oh gosh, not her again," mumbled Rebecca. "You noticed her when she was seven? Please tell me you did not fall in love with her at that age."

"No, I did not fall in love with her when she was seven," he said, visibly disgusted that Rebecca would even think of that.

"Good."

"May I continue?" he asked mockingly.

"You may."

"I first found the girl when she was praying to her father in the little chapel. She prayed that he would send her an Angel of Music from heaven. I decided that since I had nothing better to do, and had always had a love for music, I would become that secret Angel. For years she believed me to be only the spirit of her dead father. Years passed, she got older, and I fell in love with her. Then, on the night of her debut performance I revealed myself to her." He paused again, and his face took on a pained expression.

"Are you alright?" asked Rebecca, placing her hand on his arm.

"Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "Well, revealing myself to her was a horrible mistake. She ripped off my mask and betrayed my trust. Then, she went off with that awful de Changy fool."

Father and daughter sat in silence. "You know, you can't really say that he stole her from you when she was not entirely yours to begin with," said Rebecca, moving her chair away from his ever so slightly.

Erik turned to her and glared. "Of course she was mine," he said irritably.

"She was not! She was just a harmless, innocent little girl deceived by a creepy pedophile man!" Rebecca stood up from her chair and glared at him.