I thought I could leave this story alone for the rest of the night...

guess I was wrong.

Enjoy...

Nico

There was a part of Gerard that remained solely Gerard…a part of him that remained untouched by the Phantom of the Opera's memories and pain, the hollowness that still consumed him so many years later.

And the part of Gerard that was Gerard was screaming at him to turn around and walk back into the mental hospital.

Rae was just ahead of him, her dark form expertly maneuvering the thick brush that separated the hospital from the bustling streets of Paris.

Gerard, against his better judgment, continued to follow.

Eventually, they came to an old gate which rose several feet above both Gerard and Rae's heads. Without hesitation, Rae threw her duffle bag over the gate. It landed on the sidewalk on the other side with a muffled thud.

Gerard's suitcase followed.

"You've done this before," Gerard whispered to Rae, who smiled broadly in the darkness.

"I hope you can climb," Rae replied, quickly ascending the linked gate.

Gerard watched as Rae climbed, unable to avoid allowing his gaze to fall on the bright blue thong straps peeking out from her low-riding jeans.

She arched her head backwards, looking down at him.

"Take a picture," she said, still smiling.

Gerard blushed and quickly climbed over the fence.

It was as if that one small barrier protected a unique, isolated country…a country which varied deeply from the scene before Gerard.

For a moment, the activity in the streets caught him off guard. Cars whizzed by, taxis honked, lights flickered… and everywhere people were talking…laughing…yelling.

Soon, however Gerard found his body ease as it remembered living in these surroundings…drinking and talking and laughing and yelling right along with the rest of the crowd.

He pulled a cigarette out, lighting it with practiced ease.

Rae watched him, one eyebrow raised.

Gerard sighed, handing her a cigarette too.

He watched her light it, the flame illuminating her face for just a moment.

She looked even more beautiful now that they were off hospital grounds.

"Now what?" Gerard asked, clearing his throat and pushing the hair from his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Rae asked, exhaling and beginning to walk down the street.

"Well, we can't exactly go to the Opera House right this instant," Gerard said.

"Why not?" Rae asked.

"It's the middle of the night," Gerard replied, feeling obvious.

"So?" Rae asked, stopping to tie one of her boots, which had come undone.

"So…it's closed," Gerard continued.

"I'm sure there's a way in," Rae replied, standing and continuing her brisk pace.

"Whoa, wait…Rae," Gerard placed a hand on her shoulders, turning the young girl gently towards him. "Listen…I'm not quite ready to break and enter," he said. "I'm not exactly in the position to find trouble with the law…it's bad enough I left the hospital…"

"I leave the hospital all the time," Rae interrupted.

"Yes, but I actually want to be cured."

Rae shrugged out of Gerard's grasp. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked lowly.

Gerard instantly wished he hadn't taken such a cheap shot.

"What do you think I'm trying to do right now, Gerard? Bake a cake? No! I'm trying to rid us of these memories…this emptiness that I have within my chest…and I know you have it too Gerard…I can see it hiding behind your eyes." She moved closer to him, her eye narrowed. "I know the loss you feel for her…you feel it in your very soul…I know because I feel the same loss for him…I mourn him every day…a man I have never met…"

"Rae…stop it," Gerard said softly, seeing the tears brimming on her eyelashes.

"We are not crazy, Gerard," she said forcefully. "I've always known that I'm not…and now that fate has brought us together I am even more convinced that what is happening to us is very, very real…and the sooner you can accept that…and stop looking for a cure and start looking for some answers, we'll both be better off."

Gerard regarded the angered woman before him.

She was right.

Completely right.

"Alright," Gerard relented. "But I still think it's been a long night."

Rae rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you suggest we do? You and I are both Americans...and escaped mental patients…we don't exactly have anywhere to go…"

"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, Rae," Gerard said.

Rae smiled, pleased that Gerard's tone had become somewhat lighter.

"Where do we have to go, Gerard?" Rae asked.

"I'm a rock star, remember?" He replied, his lips curling into a half smile as he took her small hand in his large one. "A rich rock star...

We can go anywhere we want."