A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter 15

The night flew by so fast, that Erik could hardly believe that it was over. It went very well, he, even at the end got a standing ovation and many flowers to celebrate his first performance. This however was told to him by the people who carried him to yet another dressing room, for the leading tenor. This was due to the fact that he had become overwhelmed at the end of his performance and needed to be carried away to recover from the excitement. He arrived in the room, quite disoriented, and with quite a headache due to the constant bustle and hum of talking throughout the wings and hallways of the Opera House. They set him down and a doctor took a quick look at him.

"There's nothing wrong with you young Sir." The doctor said kindly, "just a little too much excitement made you flush and the blood rushing from your feet to your head made you pass out. You should be fine after a little rest I believe."

"Thanks doctor." Erik replied, still weak. The doctor gave him a small smile and ushered Erik's escort reluctantly out the door. He could hear their protests from outside the door along with many others as he announced that no one should see him for a little while, but promised that he would attend the gala. The door was opened again, and Erik was very surprised to see Mme. Giry standing in the doorway. She heaved the door closed, shutting out many anxious visitors and fans. With a heavy sigh of exertion she turned around and walked over to where Erik was struggling to get up. She sat down just as Erik removed himself from his supine position

"She is pleased with you." Mme. Giry said softly, looking around his room before returning her ever-watchful gaze to his.

Who?" asked Erik confused. Mme. Giry gave a tiny twitch around her mouth, which resembled a tiny smile for the second time. Erik thought he would never really get used to it. She withdrew a rose tied with a black ribbon from the insides of her black dress, Erik wondered how on earth she didn't prick herself, and she handed it to him. Erik took it carefully and examined it before looking back up at Mme. Giry with many questions in his eyes.

"Your Angel Erik." Mme. Giry stood and Erik opened his mouth to speak, but she put a finger to her lips to make sure he was quiet. "I shall keep everyone away from your room, until you are well enough to attend the gala later tonight. Call me if you need anything. I shall hear you." She twirled and exited the room quickly, closing in quietly on the screaming crowd just outside, leaving Erik alone again. He glanced thoughtfully down at the rose again and placed it down on a side table just before the door opened again and he glanced up to see a young woman standing in the doorway framed in light.

"Erik." She said as she smiled brightly. He looked at her, dressed up for a night at the Opera in a beautiful full length red dress, with a white lily tied to her waist, to accentuate her curves, but only slightly. Her dark auburn hair fell around her shoulders, and made her honey coloured eyes stand out like stars in the night. She wore a simple hold locket around her neck and the candles in Erik's new room glinted off it. She began to walk forwards, reached his side and sat down beside him, while taking one of his hands in her own. "I've missed you so." He couldn't take his eyes off her, she was unfamiliar, but something deep within him told him that at one point he had known her. He recognised parts of her, and he threw caution to the winds.

"Rachelle?" he asked in wonder. (A/N: Okay here is something that I DO own. Rachelle, is taking the place of Raoul, since well, Erik can't be gay…so Rachelle is MINE. Do you hear me? MINE!) She smiled even wider and squeezed his hand.

"You do remember me Erik." She cried throwing her arms around him.

"Rachelle, is it really you? It's been…" Erik thought hard.

"14 years exactly." She continued for him. He looked at her again. Yes, there were certainly some things about her, he remembered, but after such a long time, she had grown into quite a beautiful young woman.

"You've been counting?" Erik asked and Rachelle laughed.

"How could I not count? The day we met 14 years ago was the day that my heart was stolen away." Erik pulled back from her gaze, even though she was still smiling.

"…what?" he said softly, quite surprised by her answer and her forwardness. Noting the change in him, Rachelle leaned forward so she could speak a bit softer.

"And think how happy I was that you of all people would be singing here. I was so overjoyed, I always knew you would do well in life. You had a voice that could charm the birds right out of the trees, something which you certainly proved tonight."

"Rachelle, that was 14 years ago…"Erik said, reminding her again kindly.

"Erik Destler, I have thought of no one but you since then." Erik stood up quite suddenly, which startled Rachelle and she glanced up at him. He shook his head and looked at her.

"You can't…I can't…" It was Rachelle's turn to stand up quickly, grasping both Erik's hands this time.

"Erik, listen to me." She took his chin in her hands and turned his face towards hers. "I love you." There was a momentary silence between the two of them, when the noise from outside was the only dialogue that could be heard. Erik removed her hands from his face and looked at her for a long time.

"We were only kids…" he said sadly.

"Is that all you can say?" she asked almost furious. Erik glanced around and pulled her arm so that they both knelt on the ground.

"Rachelle." He said with happiness, swelling within him. He lowered her voice to that she leaned forward and they were almost touching lips. Her eyes were filled with confusion and concern. "No one has cared about me like that before. However, I must insist that we take this no further."

"Why Erik?"

"My Angel of Music is coming to visit me tonight."

"That old legend that your father used to tell us?"

"Yes."

"Erik, that's just a story."

"No it's not Rachelle. She's spoken to me before, she's been in my dreams and sang to me. I can't deny her this. My father would have wanted me to learn from her." Rachelle nodded, clearly not believing Erik at all, as a new idea came into her head.

"Listen get changed. We'll go out to diner before the gala and then make a grand entrance. I know you have many new adoring fans that would love to see you there." She stood up now excited. Erik's heart sank, he did return her feelings, but only wished that she had listened to him. They had known each other for a few years, then after his father died, he withdrew from any human contact and lived only in the orphanage. His father, never really having enough money to support them, travelled around with him and they either played duets on the violin in order to get money or his father played and Erik sang. Erik's father was too proud to beg for money. He looked back up at Rachelle who had, by this time, made her way to the door and was just about to open the door again.

"Rachelle, no wait! We can't go, the Angel of Music is very strict." Erik said to her back, and she threw her gaze over her shoulder with a playful look in her eye.

"Two minutes Erik." And with that last word she heaved open the door and disappeared into the mass of people, pushing to get in. He sighed heavily, why hadn't she listened? He couldn't go, not with his Angel of Music coming to visit him. He slumped back down onto the chair, completely forgetting that his fingers and his head were throbbing and he felt like throwing up. He glanced down at the rose, which lay on the table and then looked up to the door. What was he supposed to do? He thought angrily, and for once in his life, Erik's little voice was dead silent. He wrung his hands nervously, debating his options.

Option number one: He could go with Rachelle to dinner and then the gala and forget about his Angel of Music. She didn't say exactly when she was coming, Erik just figured that it would be after his great triumph. She would want to congratulate him, and correct him on the things he did wrong.

Option number two: He could stay here, forget about Rachelle, and wait for his Angel. He had seen her, he knew that she wouldn't want him to miss their first meeting, and neither would his father. Curiosity begged him to stay as well as reason, he and Rachelle had been so long ago, he was just chasing false hope. He should stay here.

Erik sighed deeply and it was many moments of muted shouts from outside before he stood. Erik had made his decision. Forgetting the rose on the table, he made his way over to the screen and changed out of his costume and into a nice, clean, black diner suit. He brushed his untidy hair and was all ready to reach the door and leave. He laid his hand on the doorknob and all of a sudden, the noise outside his door was quiet and all the candles in his room blew out in one smooth and fast sweep of wind. He heard a soft click just outside the door and fearfully, Erik pushed hard against it, but found to his utter horror that it had been locked from the outside. He banged on the door, and hoped that someone would hear him, but all was quiet. He turned about and faced his foreign, dark dressing room. The odd gust of wind had not left his room, instead it caressed his face and slipped around his body, trying to almost coax him into the middle of the room. He took a few steps forward and examined the room even more closely in the dark, even though he could hardly see. He was trembling in fear, and it was threatening to consume him and make him go insane. He struggled to maintain hold of himself, knowing that if he lost it, there would be no hope for him to get out of here. His eyes frantically swept the room until he heard a soft melody playing from within the walls. He listened intently to the angelic music, which was beginning to get louder and louder as the time past. He glanced towards the door, but quickly realised that the music wasn't coming from there, it was coming from somewhere else in the room. He put his ear up against wall, and followed the music, which eventually led him to be pressing up against the mirror in his room. He took a step back and examined it. It was a full-length mirror, which reflected his pale, sweaty, scared face. It was lavishly carved around the frame and held an inscription on the top, but in a language that Erik did not understand. As he waited in the dark, listening to this unearthly music, someone began to sing. The sweet sound filled Erik's ears and made him relax quite quickly, due to the fact he should be terrified still. He took a few steps back from the mirror and focused his eyes in the middle of the smooth glass as a smile came to his lips. He would know the tone, and the sound of that voice anywhere. It was his Angel of Music.

And she was here.

A/N: Hope you liked this one, R&R, plus sorry about the cliff hanger, I just love 'em!