I am so sorry this has taken so long to update! I recently came down with Mono so it will be a while before I update but please be paitent. I promise the chapters will be better as they move on. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Sirrius's Sisterbecause this person is a fantastic reviewer! Thank you for your reviews!

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Chapter 12: Visiting

Time seemed to almost fly for the next few months for Catherine de Chagny. God, she hated that name. That name did not exist yet, she was still Catherine Revue but every day Raoul would push the subject of signing some papers to make her stay permenant. Mark returned to the Americas, watching over the plantation until Cat had made her decision. But true to his word, Cat received her belongings along with a new surprising guest; Fat Hampton.

"No cats! Father! You know how it affects my voice! Get rid of the vile creature!" Delilah complained. She had been this bratty since the moment Cat walked through the de Chagny's door.

Raoul was at Delilah's every beck and call, always taking her side. "Catherine, really, the cat must go," he stated that almost sounded like an order.

Cat sneered at Delilah who only raised her head in defiance. There would always be tension between these two. Cat sighed looked at Fat Hampton who meowed in her lap. Then, an idea rushed over her.

"Oh, don't worry. I have the perfect owner in mind for him," Cat said putting Fat Hampton in a carrying bag while gathering a few more of his items.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Christine offered kindly. Dear Christine, Cat's only friend in this house. Such a gentle soul.

"No. I'll be fine on my own," Cat replied and left the de Chagny residence. She called for a carriage and ordered it to her safehouse. It was the place she had been longing to see once more since Claire's death; the Opera House.

Raoul was cautious when Cat asked for the old Prima Dona room, not even he dared to go near it. But that was when she promised to live with the de Chagny's as they had originally planned. Christine insisted they make her as happy as possible but what was happy when you have an evil step-sister named Delilah? So since no designer dared to enter the room, Cat prepared it herself, never glancing at the mirror or seeing the famous Phantom of the Opera.

And yet, even after the two Opera shows premired with diasterous reviews and numerous rumors, Cat had yet been brave her savior. Her ribs now were healed along with any other injuries that she had obtained, but still she missed the music. Of course, Delilah always got the leading roles and Cat had yet to sing, she enjoyed dancing in front of an audience however.

Entering her room and sitting Fat Hampton on the ground, Cat turned, locking the door behind her. Picking up the Cat, she hurriedly ran in the mirror and down the passageway with eager and excitment.

She came across the boat that Madame Giry put her on to take her out of this haven. This lead directly to his lair, and with that knowledge, they got in the boat.

It was a rather difficult start with the boat and stirring it, but Cat soon got the hang of it after a few strokes. The boat traveled to a large gate, not something Cat had remembered seeing. Pausing the boat only inches from the metal bars, Cat got out to stand in the water and next to the boat.

"Erik! Erik!" Cat called out. The place seemed too quiet, to still for anyone to be alive in such a place. Erik suddenly appeared from behind a fallen curtain. As he walked to the lever to open the gate, Cat got back in the boat and rowed it inside the lair.

"Forgive me Cat. I have not seen you in so long that I thought you might have forgotten me," he stated as he helped her out of the boat.

"Now how could I forget you, the Phantom of the Opera?" Cat asked causing the both of them to grin. They hugged one another, happy to know that someone other then themselves cared for them.

"How have you faired?" Erik asked after a long pause.

Cat sighed heavily. As much as they butted heads the last time she was here, he still acted as a gentleman. "There is so much that has happened these past couple of months but first, I have a gift for you," she said reaching back to the boat.

"Really?" he replied in disbelief. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Cat revealed Fat Hampton.

"Delilah is allergic to cats and since Raoul won't allow cats in his house, I figured it would be alright if he stayed with you," Cat explained quickly as she saw his reaction.

"O-of course," Erik replied shakily and watched the cat run over and sit on the organ chair as Cat placed him down. He then blinked at what Cat just said. "De Chagny's house? What the bloody hell are you doing there? Did you not hear me when I ordered you to stay away from him?"

Cat's face glared at him. "What the hell do you mean ordering me around?" she yelled. "I'm not some child of yours! I have my reasons!"

"They better be good," Erik mumbled angerily.

Cat turned away from him, not wanting to cry in front of man. She hadn't thought about Claire's death with all the preparation to the Prima Dona room. Now the thought of it brought tears to her eyes. Erik frowned by the girl's sudden movements.

"Cat?" he asked.

Cat gasped realizing she had started to cry uncontrollably. "My...my mother...died," she stated rather slowly as the sobs rushed into her system.

Erik, without a second thought, walked over and wrapped his arms around the girl as she now cried into his shoulder. He knew her pain all to well. When his mother abandoned him to the streets he too knew the pain. It was something that could destroy the heart if not cared for properly.

"I'm sorry. Why are with the de Chagny's?" he asked again, much more gentler and full of paitience.

"When...my mom...died...Raoul came in with a lawyer. He ...said Claire...she really...she wasn't my mother," Cat replied. "Christine Daae is."