Ann ran down to Erik's lair. She did not know what he'd done, but somehow she knew he had Madeline.
"Erik!" she roared, "Where is she?"
The masked man looked up from his notes. "Pleased to see you, Ann." He smiled. "Why have you taken the trouble to come all the way down here to see me?" he asked with a grin.
"Erik, bring her to me at once." She said and glared at him.
He only turned and walked over to his grand organ. "I really haven't got the faintest idea what you are talking about."
Ann stalked over to him and said with a warning tone. "Now, Erik! I don't want her to get hurt yet again. And even less by you."
"Oh well, Ann. I guess I can take you to her." He rose from his seat and walked up a little staircase to his admirable bedroom. There, in the great swan-shaped bed, was Madeline.
"Erik! Tell me you two didn't….!" Ann was horrified. She ran over to the bed. "Madeline!" she whispered. "Come now at once! And get some clothes on!"
Madeline yawned. "What is going on?" she asked. What was going on? She looked confused from Ann to Erik. Ann shook her head. "This is what's going on! How could you do this?"
Madeline sat up at the bed. "Do what?" she asked stupidly. She knew what Ann was talking about, but Ann was not her mother, and she could not tell her what to do.
Ann just threw some clothes at Madeline and stalked out, shaking her head in fury. Madeline got to her feet as Erik approached her. "Good morning, beautiful lady," he said. "Slept well?"
Madeline giggled and got dressed. "I'd best go with Ann. Who knows what she can do when she gets mad?"
Erik laughed briefly and suddenly turned serious. "When will you come back?" he asked. His voice sounded sad.
"Just come and get me when she is asleep tonight." She said and straightened up to get out to Ann. In the meanwhile, Ann had gone to get some breakfast. When she came back, the table was set and Madeline was making tea.
"Back so soon?" she asked Ann and took the tea over to the table. She sat down and grabbed a toast.
"You can't pretend that nothing has happened!" said Ann. "What in the world were you thinking following a total stranger to god knows where?" she did not become anymore pleased by Madeline's giggle. "Madeline Giry!" she said firmly.
Madeline's eyes widened. Then she burst into laughter. "Ann, I am old enough to take care of myself! In fact, I would have thought better of you than to try and be my mother!"
This made Ann more and more irritated. "You know I am only trying to help you after the bad experiences you have had! You remember Armand, right? You lost a baby because of him. You can't honestly say that you don't care about that?"
Madeline's eyes filled with tears but she managed to hold them back. "Yes, I remember. Of course I will be more careful, but I would not think that a total stranger and dangerous person would find the way into your bedroom so…Oh what the heck, I didn't think at all! Everything disappeared from my head. Everything just felt so right. How did you know him, by the way?" Madeline asked curiously.
Ann smiled for the first time that day and started to tell Madeline about Erik and when he first cam to the opera house. She told her about Christine and the fire. When she'd finished, Madeline asked, "Did he do anything to Christine? Like with me, you know?" Ann shook her head. "You are the first person that has been allowed to come so close to him. The very first, so there must be something about you."
Madeline smiled. How come he wore that mask? When he'd taken it off last night, she had not noticed any difference. She stayed silent through the rest of the breakfast.
Later that day, Madeline watched the rehearsals for the new opera. Hey niece, Meg, had not been able to speak to her so far that day, because of her mother's strict ways to the ballerinas. As Madeline sat there, she felt a hand at her shoulder. She turned to see Erik standing in the shadows.
"Good afternoon. Care to join me in box five?" he asked her quietly.
She followed him up to the box, and…well, she did not get to see much more of the rehearsals. As soon as the rehearsals finished, Madeline hurried down to where she was supposed to sit and hoped that no one had noticed. She sat down at her chair as if nothing had happened and waited for Meg and Antoinette to come over.
"How where we?" was the first thing Meg said to her aunt as she ran over. Madeline grinned. "You were fabulous! I can't wait until tonight! It will be a marvellous show. Will you be watching it with me, Ann?" she asked Ann as also she joined them. Ann did not reply but only stared at Madeline with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?" asked Madeline with a worried voice. Had Ann seen them?
Meg laughed and said, "It is only your face! What have you done to your lipstick?" Madeline's eyes widened. She blushed and turned away to fix it. Ann came to help her. She started to laugh. "What are you laughing at?" wondered Madeline. She was getting annoyed. Mostly because she was embarrassed by herself.
Ann smiled. "It is just that you are so good at doing things at the wrong time." She grinned. "There. Now you look decent again."
Meg had been waiting with the other ballerinas. "What do you want to do?" she asked her aunt. "I could show you around the opera house. Or I could take you to meet all my best friends! They are really nice! I promise!" Ann approached her daughter saying, "Meg, be a little nice to your aunt. I think she have had enough excitement today." Madeline gave Antoinette a one-more-word-and-you'll-die-look. Then she turned to Meg. "You can come with me and your mother to eat dinner. I am getting quite hungry now. And if it is not too late when we get back, you can show me around."
Meg hugged her aunt and ran to get her coat. "Can you please just not tell anyone, Ann?" Madeline asked when Meg was out of sight. "Oh, I will keep quiet. But you have to admit, that it is a little funny!"
Maddy rolled her eyes and gave Ann an offer. "Do you care to join us in box five tonight for the show?"
Ann agreed and put on a smile as Meg returned. "Are you two coming?" she asked the older women as she walked towards the exit.
The dinner was lovely and the three of them had a nice talk. Meg told Maddy all about her life at the Opera Populaire and Madeline told Meg all about her live in Nice.
Later.
The evening had appeared so quickly and the show was about to start. Up in box five sat Madeline and Antoinette awaiting Erik. The two women were talking about private business when suddenly Meg was there. "Meg? Are you not supposed to be down there, preparing?" asked her mother.
Meg looked at them. "Well, I was just set to give you this." Meg gave Ann a note. Ann recognized it at once as once of Erik's famous notes. "What does he want now?" she said abnormally annoyed as Meg ran back to the backstage area to prepare.
"Oh, wonderful!" she sighed. "He wants to know what kind of flowers you prefer, Maddy."
"Roses!" said Madeline simply and sat back into her seat. "I'll be right back," said Ann. "I just need to return this."
Madeline nodded and saw Ann leaving. "What a good idea!" she laughed. "Yes, was it not? What a perfect distraction!" said Erik as he appeared behind Madeline. She rose to greet him, and indeed she did. Antoinette cam back in and saw them kissing. She blushed and muttered, "Can you two please stop before anyone sees you? The show is starting."
The ballet-girls danced beautifully and the Opera Populaire's new soprano was even better that Christine had been. Shortly, the show was a great success. At the end of the show, Ann wanted to take Madeline back with her. "Just go. I will be with you in a minute. I promise I will be." She said. Ann left with a big sigh.
"I want to talk to you." She said to Erik. "Why will you not be seen by people? There is nothing wrong with you. And please do loose that mask."
Erik turned away from her. "I can't. I have never been truly loved by anyone but you and Ann before. Everyone who sees me draw back in fear. They despise me. I know why."
Madeline sighed heavily. "Maybe they are afraid of you because of different reasons than your face? I have heard the stories, and I know what lies in the past. Maybe if people saw the true you, like I see you, they would not be so scared!"
Erik thought for a while. "Would you be there all the time? And would you hold my hand, and let me hide behind you?" he asked her, taking her hand.
"Of course I would. Once you have revealed yourself to some of them, you will feel so much freer." She said stepping closer to him and resting her head at his chest. They stood there, completely still for ten minutes before Erik broke the silence.
"So, who will you introduce me to first?" he whispered. "How about Meg? She would probably help you a lot too." She replied smiling beautifully.
They went down to meet Ann. "We have decided it is time to reveal Erik to the rest of the world." Said Madeline. Ann's eyes widened so badly that Madeline was afraid that they would pop out any minute. "But, I have tried to persuade you into doing that for years now, Erik, failing several times. How in the world could she do it in just ten minutes?"
Erik took Antoinette aside a little. "I think I might love her, Ann. And this not at all like with Christine. This is real. This is like I felt for you when you brought me here, only thousand times bigger. This is how you felt like with Pierre."
Ann did not know what to say, but she could see in the Phantom's eye that he really meant it. "Oh, well. I will go get Meg. She has always asked me about you."
Erik grinned and returned to Madeline's side. "That was easy." He said and kissed her.
"Oh mother look!" said Meg. She was so surprised to see Erik that she hid behind Ann. The same thing did Erik, only he hid behind Madeline.
Both Madeline and Antoinette rolled their eyes. "C'mon, Erik!" said Madeline. She tried desperately to move him in front of her. "Meg, he is not dangerous. You have been curious for all these years, so now you can speak to him yourself!"
Meg took a couple of steps towards Erik, and him towards her. "Hello, Mr. Opera Ghost." She said carefully. Erik blushed and replied. "You can call me Erik. And hello dear Meg Giry,"
Madeline stepped over to Erik and carefully removed his mask. He grabbed for it, but she had already thrown it away. He hid his face in his hands. Meg felt so sorry for the man that she stepped over to him and removed his hands. She hugged him and he returned the hug.
"You are not so bad after all." She said. She had heard scary stories about him for many years, but now she forgot them all and smiled at him.
Erik's lips formed slowly into a big smile and he straightened up. Madeline shed a few tears and walked over to him. "How do you feel?" she asked, almost whispering. "Good." He said in her ear.
"Mother? Are they together?" wondered Meg, but since Ann did not do anything else then smile sheepishly, Meg would have to take Madeline and Erik's kiss for an answer.
"Go to bed now, Meg. I will come with you and get the other girls to bed too. I am sure that Joseph is there by now." Ann and Meg left.
"Will you stay up here from now on?" Madeline smiled at the man in front of her. "If you want to help me move my things up here."
Both laughed. "I think I best stay here tonight with Ann." Said Madeline after a moment. Erik became sad. He did not want to leave Madeline so soon. "Do you mind if I stay here?" he asked.
"I really need some sleep, Erik. And I don't know how Ann will feel about it." Ann stepped out of the shadows behind them. "Oh I have no problem with it," she said. "As long as you actually do sleep."
Erik smiled. He really needed to be by Madeline's side all the time.
All three of them wandered into the room where they soon were fast asleep.