The Match©2006

By Phantasmarose

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to any of the original POTO characters such as Erik, Christine, Meg, Raoul, and Madame Giry. These belong to Leroux, and ALW. The settings outside the lair and all original characters to this story belong to me.

Bishop to Knights' level 5

Lucette, had been through too much with Erik to let him get away with this attempted suicide. For too many years she had ignored the drugs she knew he used. She had excused him because of the pain she knew dwelt in his soul, this however, was inexcusable.

When she had first brought him to the opera house, he was a little boy, and she had been a young adolescent in the corps de ballet. There weren't that many years between them, but the nature of their relationship was established from day one. Maybe it was the fact, that from the moment she saved him she saw herself as responsible for the wild boy in the recesses of the opera house. Her new self-imposed responsibilities made her gain a mature outlook on life, and her nature did not let her see them as an added burden. Not much more than a child herself, Lucette took on a mother's responsibilities before she actually became one.

Christine took a sip of her tea and put her cup down. She satforwardin her seat and waited to hear Lucette's story.

"When I first brought him to the Opera House from the gypsy fair, he had nothing but lice and some rags on his body. The mangle of fresh wounds and old scars on his body was visible through his rags." She paused to swallow. "I cured him as best I could but..." She sighed heavily.

"He was only eight or nine Christine!" Lucette fought for control, and then continued. "I found him discarded clothing in the theatre and food. Erik refused to give up the filthy sack the gypsy had given him to cover his head. So eventually, I sewed him a small mask, so he would feel more comfortable. It was a simple thing really, just a little curtain that tied behind his head, and fell over half his face. As time passed I made him quite a few. I made them out of any scrap I could find, sometimes even silk. I wish I had been older myself. I could have done more for him."

When he played pranks on the younger ballet rats, she reprimanded him and on occasion swatted his backside. Erik always respected her opinions and took her reprimands with the utmost seriousness.

"He never called me by my name alone, but always referred to me as Mademoiselle Lucette." She liked the respect he gave her, and came to expect it. Even as the ragamuffin turned into a gangly six-footer, she continued to exert the only authority in his life. After she married, he always addressed her as Madame.

"When Erik did something really wrong he would hide in the tunnels for days hoping I would forget." Christine shook her head and smiled. "Me, forget? Bah!" Christine nodded in agreement remembering herself that the ballet mistress never forgot!

"I knew from the beginning that he was a genius. I taught him to read quickly. I began to bring him books to read, but he consumed them at a speed that I could not keep up with. When I saw his library grow faster than I could bring him books, I knew he was escaping and stealing. When I reprimanded him he confessed that he knew of over twenty-five ways to leave the opera house through the tunnels."

"I saved up my francs and one day I bought him a little flute and by the end of that day he was playing tunes. I wasn't shocked when the second flutist found his instrument had one day disappeared. The same thing happened to the first violinist and the cellist. I should have done or said something. To this day I have no idea and don't want to know how he acquired a church organ!"

What she did consider a failure though was that as much as she had tried to bring him to God, it was a lost cause. Madame brought him a bible and stories of saints, He read them all but questioned the teaching therein with the same irreverence he had for any other piece of literature. She even taught him prayers, but she was certain that he only memorized them to please her. He had told her about some events from his past. It seemed that his early years with his wretch of a mother, and then with the gypsy fair had left emotional scars beyond repair.

"There are some things you can't forget, Christine. Some wounds which never cure, and the pain never goes away. It's those festering wounds, which keep him from developing into the man he should be. In many ways, Erik never grew up, not fully. He became a man in age and body, but the things he wanted, and how he went about acquiring them never changed."

"My Jules died soon after Meg's birth. Before I became ballet mistress, Erik took it upon himself to make sure Meg had everything she needed. He supported us for over two years. How he got the money, I don't know, I never inquired? By the time I became ballet mistress he had developed his O.G. identity."

Leaning forward, Madame took Christine's hands in her own and said,

"Christine, you have to be sure my child, if you do decide to stay with him you have to realize that you will need to guide him, always. He is a man, but in many ways, he will always remain a boy. Are you willing to carry that burden? Do you love him enough? Christine was about to answer when the older woman interrupted her. "Choose well Christine, because if you change your mind, and leave him it will be his end."

When Christine walked back into Erik's room, she noticed he was wearing his mask. His demeanor had changed as it always did when he wore the mask. It had been a while since she had seen this side of him. He looked like the phantom but she did not fear him now, she knew that he was still her Erik.

She sat on the bed with him, and took his hand in hers, her head on his shoulder.

"You care for her don't you Erik?"

He looked down at her in surprise. "How could I not?"

"But you never talk about her."

"Why should I?"

"Oh, Erik."

Erik had always felt genuine affection and the utmost respect for Madame Giry. "It was thanks to Madame's intervention that I didn't die in a cage, or forgotten in a dungeon somewhere. Madame gave me food, clothing, and a safe home. She also gave me my first education. She introduced me to literature, dance and music…she taught me to bathe."

"I have to thank her for that," Christine giggled and gave him a peck on his uncovered cheek. "Oh, and she told me about making little masks for you."

He rolled his eyes and said, "then she must have told you she once made one out of some pink flowered material." He shuddered and Christine put her hand up to cover her giggle. "No, she hadn't."

"I owe her my life Christine. She is the only person that has always been on my side, as a mother should be. Besides, she brought you to me." He wanted to say, brought you for me, but he did not. "Marie gave birth to me, but Lucette brought me up."

For the first time Christine began to realize the similarities between Erik and Madame Giry, his erect proud carriage was exactly like Madame's ballet stance. His clear precise language, as well as his commanding presence. Erik was like his mother after all. She was mistress upstairs and he was master of the cellars.

Authors Note: What do you think of the Madame Giry/Erik (mother/son) relationship? I think Erik needs someone strong like that in his life - he needs a mother. The EC part of the story needs a little fluff in future so forgive me and enjoy! Please Read and Review I need the motivation to keep up the pace of regular updates.