Hey people! finally updating! ok, this chapter was kinda hard for me, becuz its kinda like the turning point becuz raoul gets this little idea in his head and the Giry's come into the story and stuff like that, so it was kinda hard for me. But anyways, i have to thank all my new reviewers and my faithful reviewers who have been with me from the start..and my wonderful beta AngeMusique so, big props to her, as well as Dani, you're awesome. also thanks to Erik's Secret Admirer, Twinkle22, Freakstar, Jamea, and MyDarkAngelErik. you guys are the best!

Dear Madame Giry,
It has come to my attention that the Opera Populaire is in desperate need of both former ballet members and our beloved former ballet mistress.

The Opera was severely damaged by the 'mishap' of the previous month, but repairs are already underway. I am fully aware of the fact that you and your daughter are perfectly content in your current home, but if you return to the opera your transportation and rent at the Populaire will be paid for personally by myself.

As the patron of the opera, it was requested by the managers that I attempt to recruit as many members of our previous house and revive our opera in the hopes that we will all forget about the pains of the past. I hope you will consider my offer, and in return, you- and your daughter- will be bestowed upon with my sincerest gratitude.
Much Respect,
Vicomte De Chagny

Please send your response by mail as quickly as possible to the De Chagny estate, and if you oblige to my offer I shall be in Rome in two day's time.

Madame Giry read the note carefully, wanting to believe the words right in front of her, but unable to stifle the feeling that something was
amiss. Raoul seemed unusually calm and friendly considering the fact that Christine was imprisoned beneath the opera house at that very
moment, and she found it rather unlikely that he would be as blasé as he seemed in the letter, if Christine was still being held captive.

Perhaps Erik had released her and Raoul had married Christine? No, surely not. Madame Giry, for whatever reason, simply could not imagine Christine living a life of such propriety and being happy with it. Regardless of the letter's truth or not, she had agreed and sent her response by the fastest mail possible, as instructed by the letter. Her suitcases were packed and she was prepared as she was going to get, while Meg was still making last minute preparations for the long trip ahead. Madame Giry's heart ached for her young daughter, who had been extremely depressed over the past month, completely convinced Christine was being tortured by the man she considered nothing other than a monster.

She had gotten angry at Madame Giry several times, unable to understand why they had left Christine with that monster. Madame Giry had chosen not to explain, knowing it would be an exploitation of Erik's personal life.

She was thankful they would be returning to their former home, and Meg was as well, no doubt already formulating plans to rescue her friend. As much as she was upset with the fact she had to leave her beautiful home in Rome, that she had bought with her saved funds from her days as the ballet mistress, she longed to be back in the glorious halls of the opera house, to be able to coach the young girls who were as precious o her as daughters, and she knew Meg longed to once again be the lead ballerina, and to be amongst her old friends.

It had been two days now and she knew Raoul would be there any minute. She realized there were things to be discussed. She had never been very fond of the boy; he seemed like nothing more than an aristocrat and a charmer, who's only good attributes were his face and his flirtatious words. However, she would have to cope with him until she got the answers she needed.

With Christine being as much a daughter to her as Meg was, Madame Giry was extremely anxious to learn of her well-being. Was she still living underneath the opera house? Had Erik harmed her? Was she still alive? She shook her head, knowing the answers to the last questions already. The thought that Erik would ever harm her, or that he would let any harm befall her, was completely preposterous. He loved her more than his own life filled with music, and Madame Giry had no doubt in her mind that he would be willing to give his own life for hers.

However, Madame Giry was more worried about the fact that Erik had never had any experience. . .with a woman. She wasn't entirely sure what Christine felt for Erik, but by the way she had acted in Don Juan-before ripping his mask off, she could easily guess. If Christine truly loved him Madame Giry was frightened Erik would not know what to do to show her his own love. He had never been loved by anyone, including his parents, and he might not believe in her claims of love for him. He would yell and rage at her, demanding that she stop what he considered a "pity act". Christine would be heartbroken, perhaps as heartbroken as Erik himself, and sometimes a broken heart hurt more than physical pain. All in all, she was getting rather impatient while she waited for Raoul
to arrive.

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Raoul opened the door to his private carriage, squinting as the sun's rays glared mercilessly upon his tired body, showing his exhaustion
from the ten hour ride from Paris to Rome. Holding up his hand to shield his face, he quickly fished out a few francs and handed them to the driver before instructing him to come back in three days. The driver nodded his grungy head, before turning around and heading towards town.

When Raoul saw the carriage disappear around the corner, leaving stirred-up dust from the dirt road in its place, he turned to observe his surroundings. It was certainly unlike anything he'd ever seen before. In the entirety of his life, he had never been anywhere other than Paris, and of course Sweden, where he had grown up. But Rome surpassed everything he had ever seen, and everything that he could have imagined. At that moment, he understood what had compelled Madame Giry to live here.

The weather was cold, but that was only to be expected as it was mid-February, he could only imagine how pleasant the weather would be when spring came. Despite the cold, it was not unpleasant in the least. The property he was standing on stretched for miles on either side of the road, and the grass was lush and green under the clear, cloudless skies.

In the distance, he could just make out the city, where large eroding buildings were erected throughout the town, making Raoul feel as if he were in ancient times instead of just modern Rome. He took in a deep breath of the crisp air before starting to tread towards the house situated at the top of the hill.

He trudged on for about ten minutes before reaching the large oak doors of the three-story manor. In the ten minutes that he walked, he
thought of nothing but his plan to get Christine back. The plan still had a lot of holes, as he had conjured it up in the spur of the moment. The outcome depended completely on Christine's emotions. His plan was simple. The letter he had written was a lie, as the managers had never asked him to recruit the old opera crew. He had gone to them and lied through his teeth by saying that Madame Giry and Meg needed somewhere to stay while their house was repaired from a rather nasty storm. He had requested permission for Madame Giry and her daughter to stay at the opera until their home had undergone several repairs, and insisted he paid for the stay. They had agreed, but were a little confused by both his sudden show of such compassion, as well as his wish for them to stay at the burned opera house. Oh, it was definitely being repaired, but the process was going extremely slow. He was a little unconvinced himself, he could hardly believe they bought such a foolish lie but that was in the past, they had agreed, and now his trap was set.

Meg would go back to the opera house with her mother, and would seek Christine out and speak with her. They would have a nice long chat, maybe go out for tea, and Christine would realize her longing for the surfaced life. She would then-he hoped- seek Erik's assent to move back in with civilization. He would refuse, saying he had no wish to leave his home, or reveal himself to the public eye. He was a hunted man, after all.

If Raoul was lucky, they might even argue about it. He grinned and felt a swell of pride at his ingenious plan, before letting his smile fall
as he realized how flawed his plan might be. They would probably argue, Raoul had no doubt of that, but what would happen afterward? Christine claimed to love him, she had given herself to him, so would she settle for living underneath the opera house the rest of her life if it meant she could live with that monster? No. Christine was a creature destined for a life in the sun, and he knew she would not live out her life underground. At least, he hoped. If Erik continued to refuse to leave, Christine might leave herself, and run straight back into Raoul's arms.

Yes, he felt rather confident about his plan now. He felt his smile growing broader as he stepped up onto the stone porch. He could hardly believe Madame Giry could afford such a place, but he guessed that she had a large amount of money saved from her days as the ballet mistress. Raoul observed the home, and realized it was a very wise investment. The building was more beautiful than his own estate, and he could hardly believe Madame Giry had agreed to give it all up to move back to Paris.

He raised a hand to the brass knocker on the door, and gave three sharp knocks. He waited patiently until the door opened with a flourish, and revealed Madame Giry standing before him. She looked as strict as ever, and gave a curt nod before signaling for Raoul to come in. He gave a small smile before stepping into the house, his mouth dropping in awe as he observed the intricate and unique carvings throughout the interior of the house. Madame Giry watched Raoul as he studied the house, clearly in awe. Finally, his mouth closed and he was able to speak.

"It's beautiful," he choked out, having never seen anything as amazing. Madame Giry nodded before turning from him and walking towards the kitchen.

"Yes, Erik designed this house," she called over her shoulder, and smirked as she turned to find Raoul looking at her with an annoyed
expression.

"Yes, Monsieur, it is the Phantom of the Opera's house that you stand in now. Although, he never visits it as he lives underneath the Opera. But you're already aware of that, I can assume. He recently sent me a message stating that he would need the house for the rest of the year, but he is probably only using it for business purposes, such as working on new designs and whatnot. He only comes up here for a week at the most, but usually it is not even that long. He sold it to me for a fair price, saying that he would still need it at times, but was willing to give it to us if we needed a place to stay. He offered to give it to me for free, but I could never take something so beautiful without purchasing it." Raoul simply nodded, and found himself less fond of the house than he was before.

Trying to change the subject, he signaled to the suitcases sitting by the stairs.

"Are you ready?" Madame Giry merely smiled, before giving a slight nod. Raoul bent to grab the large bags, but completely forgot about the luggage as Meg sprinted down the stairs, two large suitcases in her hands and her hair tied into a messy bun. She ran quickly to her mother as if the bags weighed nothing, and was breathing heavily as she stood next to her, staring from her to Raoul with a giddy smile pasted on her face. She gave an enthusiastic greeting to Raoul before turning to her mother.

"Mother, are we going now? Will we get to see Christine again!" She had a hopeful smile on her face, and was bouncing on her toes as she waited for her mother's response. Her mother chuckled before hugging her daughter, but her daughter's smile fell as Madame Giry turned to Raoul.

"I need to speak with the Vicomte first, ma cherie."She looked ready to object, but simply gave an obedient nod before gliding from the room, heading upstairs to comb her hair. Raoul studied her as she sprinted up the stairs, unable to believe that was Meg Giry, the same little ballet rat he had seen only a month ago. She had somehow, in a way Raoul was unable to fathom, matured into a woman in the space of one month. Her eyes were harder than before, and her body seemed stronger and more rigid, as if she had experienced all the hardships of life. Raoul couldn't help but notice that she was a beautiful girl, with midnight blue eyes and flowing flaxen tresses that Raoul guessed fell to her mid-back when her hair was down. She had a small innocent mouth, and gracefully high cheekbones that made her seem always cheery. She was still a child at heart, Raoul could tell, and found himself admiring her ability to retain her youth. She had a gorgeous dancer's body, and Raoul found himself still thinking about her as Madame Giry's voice rang through his thoughts.

"Monsieur?" He turned, startled, to the strict woman standing at the threshold to the foyer. She was leaning against the framing, one eyebrow arched and her mouth set in a thin line.

"Monsieur, if you are finished scrutinizing my daughter, may we precede into the main foyer? There are some things I would like to discuss." He simply nodded, the blood rushing to his cheeks as he pushed the image of Meg from his mind. He followed Madame Giry into the foyer, and seated himself directly across from her in a large deep red armchair, while she sat on the matching sofa placed across from him. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of Meg scurrying about upstairs, clearly impatient and ready to leave. Raoul chuckled quietly to himself as he heard a loud bump, and the sound of Meg's tiny curse. Finally Madame Giry broke the uncomfortable silence. "I'm guessing Christine is still well?" Raoul's head snapped to her, and his eyes burned into hers. She didn't flinch. He tried to put a defiant look on his face, but he collapsed under Madame Giry's piercing gaze.

"Yes, she's fine," he whispered. He turned away from Madame Giry's confused face and stared out the window at the elegant landscape laid out beyond the glass. Madame Giry was silent for a moment more, before continuing.

"Is she still with Erik? How is he treating her?" Raoul's abrupt answer made her jump in shock. Her mouth fell open as Raoul leapt from his chair and began to tell about Christine and Erik's 'pleasurable' time together. Madame Giry gulped as Raoul once again collapsed in a chair, burying his head in her hands. She couldn't believe it! Christine and Erik had. . .lain together? And Christine had done it willingly? And she had told Raoul? Well, this was certainly a turn of events.

There would be plenty of time to think about things on the ride back to Paris, she decided, and called upstairs for Meg to come down. Meg bounded into the room five seconds later, out of breath and hopping up and down impatiently with her suitcases once more in her tiny grasp. Not wanting to upset Raoul any further, she easily changed the subject to who would be responsible for bringing out her bags. Raoul, being the gentlemen, instantly forgot his outburst and offered to get them. Madame Giry smiled at him but simply shook her head, and carried two of them while ordering one of the servants to take the other out to the carriage.

Meg raced out to the carriage, and ignoring the driver walked over to open the door for her and lunging into the seat. She set the suitcases at her feet, and began to fiddle with her fingers while she waited for Madame Giry and Raoul to reach the carriage. Raoul certainly seems older, Meg thought as she studied the way he held himself, and noticed his hair was messy as if his hands had been running through it a lot in the past, and there were small lines at the corners of his eyes. She felt her heart ache for the poor man. He must be really aching over Christine, Meg decided, but pushed all thought of him from her mind as she imagined herself going down to the Phantom's lair and rescuing her from that monster. Oh, how Christine would praise me! Madame Giry and Raoul piled into the carriage after the driver heaped their luggage in the back and climbed into the front.

As the carriage pulled from the drive, Meg looked back at her home, and realized that magnificent home was nothing compared to the joy she would feel at being back in her real home, the Opera Populaire.
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k i have to explain a few things. first of all, u remember the last chapter where it said that erik went into the post office and sent a letter to the ouskirts of PARIS? yeah, that was a mistake of mine, and it should have been that he sent a letter to ROME. he was sending a letter to tell madame giry he wanted to share the house for a little while, becuz he knew christine wanted to live somewhere other than that dark lair thing. get it now? any questions, ask em in a review. please please please review! I LOVE YOU GUYS!