Disclaimer: I do not own anything at all related to the Phantom, except, of course, my written creations that portray a different ending to this timeless drama...

Chapter 5: The Tell-tale Mask

Christine

The food was indeed delicious, and Nadir had not taken long to prepare it. It was very simple fare, in spite of the exotic names. There was lavash, which was a type of Persian bread, spread with a cheese similar to feta, called panir. Then there was sabzi-khordan, which consisted of a large platter of raw vegetables and fresh herbs, such as cilantro and coriander. In the center of the platter were several chunks of the same delicious cheese. Nadir also laid out a small bowl, containing asal (honey), as well as a larger bowl filled with brown rice. Another large platter presented slabs of savory fish. All this was accompanied by fragrantly smelling tea.

Erik chuckled heartily when he saw the various dishes finally displayed on the table. At my request, he had removed his mask, albeit reluctantly. I had nevertheless managed to convince him that it would be more comfortable for him to eat without it.

"You were expecting company, perhaps, my dear daroga?" he pleasantly inquired. "This is indeed a repast! We are honored!"

Nadir emerged from the kitchen, and smiling, bowed.

"I did, of course, have some help," he confessed, as Darius also emerged from the kitchen. He suddenly caught sight of Erik's face, and his own froze in horror.

I immediately looked over at Erik, who was seated on the cushion next to mine. He had straightened up, and was staring back at Darius, his expression rather ominous. I glanced from one to the other, hoping Erik would not erupt in anger.

Erik

It was the first time I had seen him since the days of Mazenderan...

Darius looked at my face, aghast. Indeed, he could not take his eyes off my infernally twisted visage. I could feel the anger rising in me, the wish to take his scrawny little neck in my large killer's hands, and squeeze the life from him. In fact, I could even anticipate the intense pleasure I would feel as I did it. It was then that I became aware of another pair of eyes looking at me, silently pleading -- the eyes of my beloved Christine. I could not betray the innocent trust that still lay in her gaze. I was at once struck by the gut-wrenching knowledge that, were I to harm any human being, I would be harming her as well. At that point, I took a deep breath, and merely contented myself with smiling awkwardly at the apparently mesmerized Darius.

"You have never seen me without my mask, as I remember," I managed to utter. "But perhaps you do not remember me at all."

As if coming out of a trance, the servant nervously nodded. "It is true, Monsieur. I had never seen you without your mask. Ah, but your voice...that is another matter. I would never forget such a distinctive voice."

There was a short, rather strained silence, as I swallowed, not knowing how to answer. Nadir, as always, came to my rescue.

"You do remember, do you not, Darius, how Erik eased my little Reza's departure from this world? For that, I owe him everything."

Darius assented, then, turning to me, softly added, "My apologies, Monsieur, at my reaction. I have seen many marvels in my days, especially at the shah's palace, but none to compare with...well, I do recall the many incredible things you yourself did..." His voice trailed off in embarrasment.

Turning back to Nadir, he muttered, "If you will excuse me, Monsieur, I do have other duties to attend to..."

"Nonsense, man!" exclaimed the daroga, slapping him on the back. "You shall sit and partake of the fruit of our labors! Do not let our dear friend's face intimidate you. You shall get used to it in time."

Nervously, Darius took his seat, trying hard not to stare at me. After a short time, however, he began to relax. I, too, felt my tension begin to dissipate, and actually was able to enjoy the meal. My thoughts returned to my sweet little soprano, who sat at my side. I had heard her sigh of relief as I controlled my rising rage. I had noticed that she sometimes had a calming influence on me. Perhaps, as we spent more time together, my fits of rage would become less and less frequent. After all, happiness, when continually frustrated, turns to angry, bitter, hatred that festers in the soul, ready to erupt at a moment's notice. My happiness had at last arrived, and laid claim to my heart. As I became accustomed to its healing ecstasy, the bitterness and the hatred, I hoped, would finally be purged.

We had just finished our most excellent meal when, quite unexpectedly, there was a rather loud knock at the door. Christine and I exchanged glances, and she grasped my hand. Nadir immediately arose, and putting a finger to his lips, motioned for Christine and I to follow him quickly. Darius remained seated, calmly eating as if nothing unusual were going on.

We followed Nadir into the living room, where he pulled up the large Persian rug that lay right in the middle of it. We looked at him, puzzled. There was nothing but the bare wood floor underneath the rug. Leaning down, he felt along one of the beams of the floor. He seemed to locate something, then his finger momentarily disappeared beneath the beam itself. Incredibly, he pulled up an entire section of the floor, which served as a door. Again we heard the knock, louder this time.

I smiled. "Why, Nadir!" I exclaimed softly in surprise. "Unbeknownst to me, I had acquired an apprentice!"

Nadir smiled rather smugly, although he made no comment to that. He then pushed me down into the aperture that had opened up for us. There were several steps leading down to...a small storeroom, perhaps? The daroga assisted Christine down after me. We felt him closing the "door" upon us, thrusting us into total darkness. There was not much room to move around in, and we had to kneel very close together in order to fit in the space at all.

The knock had now become a very loud, insistent pounding. We also heard muffled shouts of "Ouvrez la porte! C'est la surete de Paris!" I was not surprised at all. There had been no doubt in my mind that the other shoe would drop, after all. Christine tried to suppress a shriek, and succeeded in turning it into a small squeal. We then heard Nadir undo the bolts on the apartment door, throwing it open.

"Bonjour, messieurs!" he merrily exclaimed. "And how did your incredibly perceptive noses manage to lead you to my bounteous repast?"

The detective who entered must have given him a dour look, for his answer to this greeting was anything but pleasant.

"Come, you fool, let me pass! We want the masked man, and we want him now! Where have you hidden him?"

We heard his booming steps upon the floor. Other steps followed. No doubt the detective was accompanied by one or more gendarmesI was holding Christine's hand, and she suddenly squeezed mine, snuggling closer to me. I protectively put an arm around her. She had started to shake, and I whispered soothingly to her.

"Nadir!" cried another voice at this point. Its owner was evidently surprised to see the daroga. As well he might be, for they knew each other! My heart now began its own furious pounding, and again I felt my anger rise. That voice was hateful to me. It was the voice of one who had almost been able to win my beloved's heart. It was that wretched boy! Christine gasped in surprise as well, but, fortunately, the sound was barely audible.

"This is indeed a surprise, Vicomte," replied Nadir smoothly. I had often thought that he had missed his calling. He was a born diplomat. He should have been commissioned to deal with potentates and dignitaries, instead of supervising police investigations.

The boy, for such I must contemptuously call him, wasted no time on preliminaries. "Is she...here, Nadir?" he inquired breathlessly. Oh, how I hated the agonized tone in his voice! It was the tone of the suffering lover, one I knew quite well! Had I not suffered for the love of the beautiful woman whose heart I now knew was mine? My anger rose still further. No one could possibly have the right to suffer as I had suffered, for the sake of Christine! I stirred uneasily as the extremely cramped condition I was now forced to be in played upon my nerves, along with the little drama that was taking place above my head. Christine felt my discomfort, and laid a soothing hand upon my marred cheek.

The daroga did not hesitate, replying immediately. He did not, however, tell an outright lie. I think him utterly incapable of lying in any way whatsoever.

"She is with Erik," he said effortlessly. "She is safe, I assure you, Monsieur."

The young aristocrat sighed loudly. Apparently he was not quite satisfied with this answer. "How can I know that she is safe, daroga? You know very well what that monster is capable of! She...she left me so suddenly! He must have been exerting his control over her with that damnable voice of his! I don't believe she would have willingly gone to him. I shall not be at ease until he is captured!"

"Monsieur," commented Nadir, in a slightly frosty tone, "I do object to your use of the word 'monster' to describe Erik. I myself have long ceased to refer to him as such. Surely you must be aware of the great love he feels for Christine. He would never harm her. I have known him for quite some time, and I can lay your mind to rest on that matter."

"Lay my mind to rest, you say. daroga?" the wretched boy inquired sarcastically. "She does not belong to him. Why are you speaking thus to me? Have you forgotten the horrors of the torture chamber we both shared?"

Nadir sighed, and I could almost see him shaking his head. "No, indeed, Monsieur, I have not. Yet, I have seen another side of Erik that you obviously have not. I had despaired of ever seeing it again, since my little son..." Here he was unable to continue, and we heard him walk away. The boy's steps followed close behind.

We barely heard the sound of footsteps as the detective and his companions apparently went from room to room of the spacious apartment, looking for clues. Christine whispered something about the trunk full of women's clothing, in Nadir's bedroom, but I was able to quiet her fears. The men who were searching the apartment were aware of the physical needs of a fellow male. They would not raise an eyebrow at the discovery that Nadir had female "friends" who frequently stayed with him for several days...

We heard the detective's voice again, coming closer. "Very well, Monsieur. It does not appear that they were even here in the past few days. I do not understand how we could have been notified that he had been seen entering your building, with a woman in his arms, a woman whom we presumed must be Christine Daae." He shifted uncomfortably. "I must...apologize, Monsieur, for this intrusion. We will continue our search..."

He was interrupted, at that very moment, by a startled exclamation from an adjoining room. It was clearly the voice of the blasted little vicomte. His steps now approached the group standing near the door.

"So, now, daroga!" he exclaimed, triumphantly. "You must truly devise a clever explanation for this! How is it that the Phantom's mask is in your possession?"

Christine and I both gasped, grabbing each other's hands and gripping them tightly. Surely now we would be discovered!