Thanks for reviews, and jtbwriter - thanks again for the idea you gave me...

Oh yeah, sorry about all sentences which make no sense and spelling errors!

Chapter 2

Elisa opened her eyes and gasped. She was laying on cold floor and staring to the half masked face, where blue eyes were staring back to her. Elisa was flustered and afraid. She didn't usually get scared easily and she certainly didn't use to faint, not in any situations. But now she was so scared that she couldn't move, so the man and beautiful blonde young woman just watched to each others for few minutes.

"Christine." The man whispered with a husky voice.

Elisa couldn't still speak, but she got slowly up and the man backed few steps.

"You're not her." There was hint of disappointment in his voice, and when he didn't move, Elisa turned on her heels and ran away from this sceary man only to stumble on something and she fell down to floor again. When she got up, her ankle twisted a little and she gasped of pain taking a hold of first thing which she got her hand on, and it was his arm. He was standing only inches from her.

"Did you hurt yourself?" The man asked.

Elisa didn't answer, instead she tried to take few steps away him, but she felt a stab of pain in her ankle again.

Erik realized that this young woman, who reminded him so much of his beloved Christine, was very scared of him and he tried a take a calming smile on his lips.

"Let me help you. You are hurt."

"No, no." Finally Elisa could speak. "I have to go home..."

"It is dark already. And there is a curfew."

"Germans aren't bombing anymore." Elisa commented, because she had realized that there didn't come any plane or bombing voices from outside.

"You can't walk with that ankle. Let me help you."

Elisa backed few steps when the man tried to take her arm and watched him her eyes wide. This can't be true. This can't be that man... He looks so young... But he looks like the man grandpa and Meg described me... I have to be dreaming. But he said Christine's name...

Erik gave out a heavy sigh and sat down to bench watching closely this young beautiful woman, who had a voice of an angel, just like Christine had had. This woman also looked a lot like her and he was also a little flustered, but he didn't show it.

"You might be arrested if you leave now. I have heard that the police is very strict what it comes to being out after the dark has come. Specially in time like this..." He spoke with a soft voice and saw that the woman started slowly to agree with him.

"Maybe you are right." Elisa sighed. "But Thomas will be so worried. He'll think that something has happened to me."

Why do I even talk to him? I'm still dreaming, right?

"Thomas?" The man raised his visible eye brow.

"My boyfriend." Elisa replied simply and tried to put some weight on her ankle, which only made her to gasp again.

"You can explain everything to him tomorrow. But you should really let me strap that ankle."

Elisa could swear that she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"No, no. I'll be alright."

"Don't be stubborn." Erik barked and Elisa got scared again. She had relaxed a little earlier, but his voice got her to tense again and she took few careful steps towards the exit.

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled to you. It's just that your ankle can get worse, if nothing is done to it." He watched Elisa straight to her eyes. "Please, let me help you."

Elisa hesitated few seconds, but then she sat down to the closest bench. Why I do like he asks? I could just run out of this place. But maybe he is right, my ankle should be strapped...

Elisa shivered a little when the man touched gently her ankle and took her shoe off, then he fingered the ankle and looked up to Elisa.

"It's not bad. I'll just get something to strap it with."

Elisa just nodded and watched how the man got up and ripped a piece of material off the top of one bench. Then he bent down again.

"You have a beautiful voice. You sing like an angel." He commented.

Elisa shivered again, she knew that the Phantom had said exactly same words to her grandmother.

"I'm studying in the Academy of Music." She said simply.

"Your voice reminds me of someone."

What the hell, I can tell him from who I have inherited my voice. It's not like he is that man...

"My mother and grandmother had both a beautiful voice. My grandmother used to sing in theatre." Elisa said quietly and almost fell on her back when the man jumped up. He just stared at her for a moment and Elisa got a very uncomfortable feeling.

"If you are ready, I can leave... I'm not too far from home..." Elisa stood up, but she was gently pulled back on the seat.

"No. Please, listen to me. It's not safe to leave now." Erik said with a firm voice.

"But my boyfriend..."

"He will understand when you tell him, that you were in safe place." Erik interruped her.

I'm not so sure if I'm safe here. This man scares me a little. But I guess it's not safe outside either.

"I guess he will." Elisa admitted quietly.

"I won't bother you. You can sleep in one of the old dressing room. But rooms aren't in condition which they used to be... Maybe sleeping here isn't so comfortable..."

"I'll manage." Elisa had now confidence in her voice.

"I'm sure you will." Erik said.

"If I stay, you have to tell me who you are." Elisa watched defiantly to his eyes. Somehow she felt that she safe with this strange man, but still her common sense yelled that she should be careful.

"My name is Erik." The man said quietly after a short hesitation.

Erik... His name was Erik. But it is just not possible that this man is he. He should be at least 90 by now and this man looks like he is in his mid 30's.

Again Elisa just stared at the man, who touched gently her arm.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Elisa... Elisa LeCheval." She said quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Elisa. So, you told that your grandmother was a opera singer. What was her name? Maybe I have heard about her."

While he was watching Elisa, she tried to figure what to tell him. If he really is the Phantom of the Opera, what will he do when I tell him who is my grandmother? Will he go crazy? After all, he was the one who lost his love. Will he kill me? He has killed before. Come on, Elisa! This isn't THAT Erik! Different thoughts went trough Elisa's mind, when he watched this man, who was sceary and interesting at the same time.

"Her name was Christine..." Elisa pulled away from the man whose expressions changed rapidly on his face. Then he stood up and paced on the aisle for a moment trying to calm down. When she stood infront Elisa, who watched him fear in her eyes, he said with hoarse voice.

"I knew once a woman called Christine... She sang in this theatre."

No! You are lying! Elisa yelled in her mind, she still didn't believe that this mas was the Phantom of the Opera, from who she had heard so much stories, both bad and good.

"My grandmother sang also here before the fire." Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she continued. "Her last name was de Chagny or actually it was Daae when she sang here. She married my grandfather after she left this place."

Elisa didn't know what was going to happen when she had said those words. Some where in her mind she was waiting this man to hit her or start yelling to her, but after few minutes nothing had happened and she dared to open her eyes again. She saw Erik staring at her, he was speechless and seemed like he had frozen. Both of them just stared at each others in disbelief.

He looks like he is serious. But if this is that man, who once loved Christine so badly, what has happened to him? Why he looks so young? He isn't a ghost, right? If he was, I couldn't touch him and he couldn't touch me.

Elisa had always been very practical but now she started to second question her beliefs. It this man was some kind of copycat of the Phantom, he wouldn't had looked like that. There was so much sorrow in his eyes and he looked like he had really known Christine.

"You have her voice and you look a lot like her." He said after a moment and stroke gently Elisa's curly hair. Elisa realized that she couldn't pull away from him without falling down from her seat, so she sat silently watching her green eyes wide to this man.

"I... I..." She started, but squinted then. "Who are you really?"

"Don't you know already? I am the Phantom of the Opera." Erik said with a voice, which got Elisa jump up from her seat, but again she felt a little pain in her ankle and leaned on the seat infront her.

"You can't be... It's not just possible." She stammered.

"Believe me, it is possible." Erik said sounding now sarcastic and sad.

"But it was tens of years ago... How you can look so young? How can you be alive?" Elisa questioned, when she saw that Erik was rather calm again and she wasn't so afraid of him. He just looked at Elisa and it seemed like his mind was far away.

"I have heard so much about you..." Then Elisa noticed that this man wasn't listening him. "Erik?" She said carefully.

Erik shrugged a little and smiled slightly to her.

"Yes?"

"I said that I've heard a lot of stories about you."

I can't believe, that I really believe him when he says that he is that Erik of who grandmother once loved for short period... But maybe things like this happen after all.

"I'm sure you have. And not so good ones." Erik said dryly.

"Actually Meg and Madame Giry spoke very highly of you. Despite they both were also afraid of you. And I heard that Christine didn't say a bad word about you, not even once. I heard that she didn't forget you...But grandpapa..."

"I remember Meg and Madame Giry very well." Erik said thoughfully, but then he sounded sarcastic again. "I'm sure Monsieur Vicomte didn't have anything good to say about me."

Erik didn't want to ask how did she know that Chistine hadn't forgotten him. Maybe it was obvious that she hadn't forgotten him after all he had said and done, but he wasn't sure if he believed Elisa when she said that her grandmother had never said a bad word about him. She had all the rights to hate and loathe him.

"I can't actually blame him. I know what happened." Elisa watched defiantly to Erik.

"Yes, I believe you do... But did you hear Christine's side of the story?"

"She died before I was born." Elisa said quietly. "But my she told it to her daughter Sara, who is my mother. And she has told about it to me."

"I don't want to talk about her anymore." Erik said turning his eyes from Elisa, who took few steps towards him. Why I am doing this? I can't trust this man. If he really is the Phantom, like he says, I should be running away from him. But I can't...

"I understand." She said quietly and put her hand on his arm. Erik turned again to watch at her and Elisa saw confusion in his eyes. When the man didn't say anything, she continued.

"What are you? I mean you should be dead already, but you look so young..." Then she took a deep breath. "Are you a ghost?"

"Ghost? People do call me the Opera Ghost, but no. I'm not a ghost." Erik said and his corner of the mouth was twitching.

"A vampire?" Elisa asked then.

"A vampire?" Erik echoed and started to laugh. "Do I look like a vampire?"

Actually if you took that mask of yours off you might look a bit like a vampire. Or so I've heard. Elisa thought when she sat down again, because her hurt ankle couldn't take her weight anymore.

"No, I'm not a vampire either. You should know that those creatures doesn't exist. They are just creations of human's mind."

"Are you just a creature of my mind?" Elisa asked quietly.

"No, I'm not. I'm as real as you are, Elisa LeCheval." Erik said gently.

"What are you then?" Elisa repeated her earlier question. Then she started to feel very tired and yawned.

"Let's just say that I am a lost soul. That is all you need to know for now." He took gently Elisa by her arm and helped her up on her feets. "You are tired. I can look a place for you to sleep."

Elisa let him lead her to the backstage, where he opened one door. Elisa saw that it was indeed an old dressing room. It was dusty and there was spider webs, but with the help of Erik she cleaned there so that she could settle herself on the divan. For her slight surprise Erik gave her his jacket so that she could use it as her duvet. Despite she had thought that she couldn't sleep because she had had sceary and exciting evening, she was asleep almost immediately.

Erik watched silently the sleeping woman, who reminded so much of her grandmother. She had similar voice, she looked a lot like her, but Erik reminded himself that this young woman wasn't Christine. He was still flustered about the fact that the granddaughter of his beloved Christine had come to him. Maybe she was the one who could free him from the destiny he had, but she had appeared in the worst possible time.

When two hours had passed Erik heard steps from the aisle. He stood up and glanced to sleeping Elisa, then he went to greet the two men which had appeared silently to the open dressingroom door. Elisa was half waken in one point of the night and she thought that she heard silent voices outside the room, but she was too tired to open her eyes. She didn't even wonder the voices, she just turned to her other side and was in deep sleep again.