Author's Note: Here we are! The long awaited, well-hoped-for Chapter Seven! Please note that the Chapter has three sections (do not ask me why), but all I know is I've been planning this Chapter since the very beginning. I must apologize if it so happens that I have used the word softly too many times... I could not find a better word. You must understand that. :)

The Chapter is very long...which should please you all. I could even say it's a bit too long, or that it could have been split up into three seperate chapters, but... this could not be held in much longer. As I said, I've planned it since the beginning.

As always (I feel like I say that too much), I must Thank the wonderful reviewers... such a wonderful surprise, and an excellent reason for personal reviews, much more than the last chapter! XD -hugs reviewers-

WriterOfWill: Oh my, the cheer shall be interesting. I must say that FGOSM is the most interesting acronym and sounds even better when said. - Don't make the boys dance too much... -sweatdrops-

atheshar: Yes, I must say the Chapter was unusually short... I have a feeling this one will compensate for that. ;D About the hobbity-line, I was thinking on the lines of an elephant (since they make a lot of noise), but I then came to the conclusion that hobbits suited Katherine better. -shrug- Yes, I'm a LoTR fan, and have been for a while... sometimes it gets the better of me. XD Yes, our dear Phantom, he always has something clever to say. Although I have to tell you that he doesn't say much in this Chapter... The funny thing about the cliché is that I didn't even notice it. Isn't that interesting! Hmf. Then again, I have to play at Katherine's clumsiness. It's one of her 'trademarks'. :P Here's Chapter Seven. I hope you enjoy it... and, really, as your review seems to always brighten my day, -hands you another rose, but now the ribbon is half white, and half black- cough

Theresa: I think cliffhangers are my specialty. Enjoy Chapter Seven!

Michelle: Here's Chapter Seven, enjoy it. Unfortunately, I must tell you that the fic is PG-13, so there won't be any offspring. Unless of course, you are hinting at a sequel...

Grace (E.L): I love your reaction... I had to say it. I'm glad it was that surprising. xP Mmf, needless to say, I think you may enjoy this chapter very much, if you enjoy the 'romance element.' -joins you in manical surprise- I think our dear Phantom is a bit more careful about who he punjabs, though.

TheAngel'sMaggie: Welcome, New Reader! I must say I was surprised to see a different name pop up amongst the reviews, but I am very glad. I do that all the time, catch a good story as it moves along (not from the very beginning), but I never thought it would happen to me! I also wonder what Gaston would think of his relative. Hopefully it is not too horrible... hehe! This chapter has just a smidget of humor... but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

♦ ♥ ♦

Opens curtain slowly-

And now, ladies AND gentlemen, (-) Chapter Seven.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN…

some sort of sixth sense that had provoked Madame Giry to look for Katherine. As soon as she saw the maestro ushering everyone away from the Auditorium, she searched through the throng for the young woman's chestnut-colored head. When it was obvious she was not in the throng, Madame Giry approached the ever-faithful conductor for answers.

"Monsieur," she said, moving closer to the man, and shook his wrist for attention. She saw that his eyes were wandering wildly, he was obviously rather spooked.

"Monsieur," she said again, "Where is Mademoiselle Katherine?"

"Madame," he said, finally turning to her, "She's disappeared. She's gone, I say!" He tried very hard to hide the apprehension in his voice, but could not succeed.

"Gone where," asked Madame Giry, keeping composure, "disappeared how?"

"That is the point," the conductor said, nearly stomping his foot in fear and anger, "We do not know where! She was behind her canvas one moment, painting. The next thing we knew, this thundering noise came from behind it, and when it ceased, she was gone!" Having said this in one breath, the conductor shook, trying to relax. Once he regained some composure, he went on to babble about how mysterious that had all been.

Madame Giry listened, for the moment, but, as she turned to face the Auditorium, she felt and odd feeling in her stomach, for it had bubbled unexpectedly. She walked somewhat quickly towards the doors and put her ear on the wood. She heard muffled voices, not actual dialogue.

She knew Katherine was still in the Auditorium.

Throwing the doors open, she yelled, "Katherine!"

The muffled voices had stopped, and, seeing Katherine peek out from behind the large velvet curtain, was only somewhat relieved. "Coming," the young woman had yelled.

As Katherine had turned round to face the man once more, she found herself standing alone. Needless to say, her shoulders drooped slightly as she absentmindedly ran her finger over her hand, the one the Ghost had just kissed. She considered her options. She could run through the corridors, which she was not yet accustomed to and search for the man, but she had already told Madame Giry she was coming. It would not do well to upset her…

"What are you doing!" came none other than the Madame's voice, who had pushed the curtain open to reveal the woman standing in one spot, running one hand over the other.

"Oh," Katherine jumped, surprised, "I was just, just…" she could not seem to think of a good enough answer, but then said, "just hiding."

"From what, pray tell?" the Madame asked, temper rising.

"I'm not sure," she replied, looking into the darkness on the other side of her. She knew the Shadow was not far away, for she felt him watching her.

Unfortunately, Madame Giry seemed to sense someone not far away, also. She took the young woman by the wrist, and said, "I do not know what you were doing, but I won't have any of it!" She dragged her out of the Auditorium. As soon as she closed the door, she turned to Katherine, who was looking rather innocently behind her, and said, less roughly, "I think it best you do not paint until tomorrow, or perhaps the next day." Madame Giry huffed, "It's getting late, off to bed with you."

"Madame," Katherine said, "It is hardly time for sleeping…"

"I don't need you walking about with your head in the clouds. I do not know what went on in there, and neither do I want to know, but I won't allow it. It must not happen again!"

"What must not…?" Katherine asked, genuinely curious.

"Off with you," Madame Giry interrupted, pushing Katherine towards the staircase, "Go on."

She did not take her eyes off her until she saw Katherine was far away enough from the Auditorium.

Katherine, on the other hand, wanted to do anything but go back into her room. She roamed the corridors around the Auditorium, but did not return there.

She walked around until she came to the Chapel, which she had only seen earlier in passing. Now having nothing better to do, she entered the small room and found it empty. A large stained window looked to her as she stood on the stairs, and she examined it willingly.

It was well crafted, and, as she touched it, she saw that it was smooth to the touch – which was not common in stained glass windows. It depicted an angel with long hair, whose wings spread out to the very corners of the glass.

She sat down near it. From far away, a voice came, softly singing, wrapping all around her. The voice was almost whispering, but she clearly heard the words as if they entered only her ears.

"At midnight when

I cannot help but speak aloud,

Of the things I cannot have,

In a voice that does not lie,

I realize,

You'll be happier with him, I know,

Whoever he may be…

For, what am I, but a wanderer?

Just a troubled Ghost,

A shadow that moves

Quieter than the wind,

With me, you can only

Run away from the world,

And forget everything.

With me, we can only disappear, silently…"

Slowly, the voice lulled her to sleep, blanketing her softly, protecting her from the coolness of the Chapel. She slept to what seemed to be a voice from heaven…

When she awoke, though it was not much later, the Chapel was encased in darkness, that is, except for one lone candle that had conveniently been placed near the door.

Rubbing her eyes, she walked over to the candle. She looked back at the stained glass window, where the angel no longer looked so innocent, but dark and night-like. She shrugged. She felt a slight tension on the shoulder she had found herself resting on.

'Napping in the window-frame of a Chapel isn't exactly the best idea,' she thought, massaging it.

All sleepiness had left her, as had the voice, which had earlier sung to her. As she opened the Chapel door, she wondered whom it was that had sung. Was it perhaps the masked man?

The corridors were completely deserted, and all was quiet except for Katherine's footsteps. She walked about aimlessly, not really paying attention to where she was going, nor looking to see where her feet were leading her.

She knew that it wasn't quite late, for thin strips of light could be visible from under doorframes, and she occasionally heard a few muffled voices on the other side of the wood. No one seemed to be bothered by her wandering despite the fact her footsteps made rather hollow noises on the floor.

Katherine turned many times, walked down through countless tunneling corridors, and simply kept on walking. She did not know what exactly she was looking for; perhaps it was her room, perhaps the staircase to the Auditorium; she was not sure. The far away echo of the song that had lulled her to sleep played over in her mind.

As she usually did – and as she got more and more lost, Katherine's steps got noisier. It was a surprise she did not wake any of the people who were hiding in their rooms from the darkness of the night.

Katherine took one more turn and entered a long corridor she could not see the end of. As she stepped into it, her candle blew out from a draft coming from the side she had just wandered from.

All was dark.

Katherine stopped. 'What shall I do now?' she whispered to no one in particular. She placed the candle down by the wall.

Her ears pricked up, as did her other senses, as she could not use her eyes in such darkness.

She walked slowly forward, and stopped again. She had heard a noise at the far end of the corridor. Struggling to make as little noise as possible, she walked toward the source of the noise. It sounded as is someone was shuffling from one wall of the corridor to the other.

As she approached, the shuffling stopped. Katherine, however, didn't.

"No matter how hard you try, I can still hear you," said a familiar voice.

Katherine followed the voice now, and, moving farther into the corridor, bumped into something very soft.

She found herself in the arms of a very strong man. For some reason, however, she was not frightened. She felt his breath by her forehead, slow, almost silent.

Neither of them said anything. Katherine pulled away slowly, and tried to identify the man.

Since she could not see, she chose to user her hands. She moved one hand to his, and felt that it was rough, as if it had worked many years. Her hands moved to his chest, which had been where she had bumped into him earlier. She felt his heartbeat slow and steady, and moved her hands farther up, slowly coming to his face.

She felt both sides of his face, covered and not. Slowly, she moved her hand to feel the Ghost's cheek, up to his eye, and forehead. Her hand stopped slowly on the porcelain, and, for a minute, she was afraid of what to do next. She even felt the Ghost tremble slightly.

The Ghost was, unlike Katherine, frozen. He was surprised, and in a very deep shock. No one had ever touched him like this. It stirred a feeling within him that he could not recognize. His heart burned and ached under the innocent touch of her hand. His breath quickened as she moved to the masked side of his face, but he did not stop her. Something inside of him desperately wanted to push her away and forbid her from removing it, but he simply stood, silent, quiet, and only slightly terrified.

She stopped on the porcelain mask, and felt its shape. The porcelain was as smooth as the stained glass window in the Chapel. Slowly and carefully, Katherine removed it, and handed it to the Phantom, who dropped it softly on the ground. Carefully, her fingers moved and caressed the poor skin, which had obviously not seen the light of day often enough to heal – Katherine felt that it could, if it was allowed to. She placed a thumb on his closed eyelid and slowly lowered her hands.

The Ghost was not at all a ghost, but a man, and just a man. Katherine placed her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, which was much quicker than before.

Suddenly, the Ghost found that he was able to move. Slowly, he raised his hands to the woman's head and let her hair dance through his fingers. It was soft, slightly curled, and not very long, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. He could tell, even in the dark.

Trembling, the Ghost placed a finger under her chin and raised it to him, but he found he could not see her face. He raised his hands, and softly searched, running his hands over her eyes, felt her cheeks burn under his touch. His fingers ran across her lips, and, almost instinctively, he raised her head with one hand, and lead his own lips to hers.

Katherine stiffened at first, surprised and frozen just as the Ghost had been moments before. But slowly, as his hand moved to her neck protectively, she let the fear melt from her, and kissed the Man back. She felt as if she had known him for very long, and had just returned to her long lost love. She couldn't understand the feelings the kiss had erupted within her. But, just for the moment, she did not care.

The kiss was innocent, careful, and yet passionate. As the Ghost's hands moved Katherine closer to him, her own went to his neck. For some reason, both found that even in the darkness, they felt safe in each other's arms.

As Katherine hugged him tightly, she felt that his cheek was wet. He wept silently, and she comforted him. She did not, after all, understand it just as he did. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her hand.

"This does not compensate for the fact you cannot dance," he whispered jokingly.

"Oh no?" Katherine laughed, and then asked, "So, who are you?"

He squeezed her hand, and replied, "My name is Erik."

He lowered himself to pick up his mask, and put it back into place. Taking her hand again, he led her down the many corridors she had come from, occasionally squeezing her hand to reassure her of his presence. They stopped at the first sign of light, and Katherine saw that at the far end of the corridor was the door to her room.

Once again, Erik kissed her hand.

"Goodnight, Mademoiselle," he said, moving into the shadows.

"Goodnight… Erik." She replied, walking into her room, not closing the door until she heard the last swoosh of his cape down the hall.

Second Author's Note: There you have it, Chapter Seven. Reviews, please, as always. What will happen now? ...(I almost want you to tell me... xD) You'll have to review to find out! And now, -yawns- I myself am off to bed. Cheers.