A/N Thank you for the reviews! Now I really feel guilty (because I rarely review)!

Thank you, also, to my betas ... Mandy the O and Musique et Amour ... Y'all are wonderful to work with!


As Antoinette had promised, there was a carriage waiting for Erik outside of her flat. His normally agile brain could still not entirely comprehend the events of the evening, and he moved as if in a fog.

Startled to partial clarity by the waiting driver taking his bags, he watched him while the door to the carriage was opened. Erik pulled himself into the carriage wearily and sank back in the seat, eyes closed.

He started when he heard a familiar chuckle. Opening his eyes, he relaxed slightly and frowned. Antoinette's final 'gift' to Erik was summoning Nadir, a reluctant acquaintance that had turned into a friendship forged out of circumstances. Having no reason to remain in Paris once Erik left, Nadir quickly decided to accompany Erik on his trip to his new life.

"I would hope, Erik, that the events of this evening have convinced you that you must leave your violence behind," Nadir offered dryly.

Erik was too tired to defend himself or argue with his friend. He did not expect Nadir to understand; no one could understand what his life had been like both before the Opera and beyond.

Erik had met Nadir – the Daroga – on a trip to Persia when he was a younger man. Already living in the lair he had created and furnished in the cellars of the Opera House, he ventured to other countries, staying for months at a time when the monotony, the never-ending sameness of the days, threatened to drive him mad. Antoinette was not pleased the first time he had left; but once she realized that he would, in due course, return she had stopped fretting over his travels.

And like Antoinette, Nadir had saved Erik's life, but in that other land. So, it seemed fitting that his friend accompany him.

Once they arrived at the train station, the driver opened the carriage door, and then handed over their bags straight away to the attendant. Being wealthy certainly eased the way for the travelers.

For the first leg of their journey, Erik and Nadir had tickets for the train to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Although they did not have private accommodations, Erik and Nadir settled into the last group of seats and had a modicum of privacy. Erik instinctively faced the rear of the train, keeping his masked side in the shadow.

Nadir noticed and said with a low chuckle, "There is no need to hide, Erik."

Erik ruefully agreed. "It is difficult to break the habits of a lifetime," he admitted quietly.

The train ride was uneventful and they soon found themselves at the docks in Boulogne. Stopping at an inn, they ate breakfast as Nadir was not nearly as willing as Erik was to skip a meal. They were to take the next ferry to England; the timing was such that they did not have long to wait.

Erik was not among the passengers looking back as the ferry pulled away from France. He had learned long ago … he did not look back.

Crossing the English Channel could be treacherous. The port at Dover was inaccessible except during high tide, and double-high tides were not unheard of. Fog and a strong current as the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean met compounded the problem. Fortunately, access to the port at Folkestone was not tide-dependent, and in a matter of hours, Erik and Nadir were settled on the train which would take them to Liverpool.

Although they could be in Liverpool in eight hours, Nadir realized Erik was chomping at the bit over the forced inactivity and so suggested they spend a day or two in London. Their ship to America was not to sail for several days, and Nadir reasoned that Erik would be safer staying in London than Liverpool, a city of cut throats and pickpockets, so Nadir spoke with the conductor and rearranged their itinerary.

Neither man had visited England before, even though their travels had extended far. Nadir was more tolerant of the Britains' behavior than Erik. Erik considered the English and their language to be insufferably boorish, but at Nadir's urging, he hid his distaste. The other choice would be to hide in their hotel room, and although Erik cherished his privacy and craved solitude, he did not care for captivity.

The tourist Season had not yet started, so London was relatively quiet. The two men walked the streets of London by the hour; Erik brooding, Nadir cautiously optimistic that his friend was going to be able to start over. Although not rushing about, the two men walked with purpose and the few beggars who saw them gave them a wide berth, intimidated by their strange appearances and demeanor.

On the third morning as Nadir was enjoying his breakfast and Erik his tea, they heard excited whispers about a tragedy at the Opera House, which ended with the death of the Opera Ghost. Such was the excitement about the news that no one seemed to notice the incongruity of that; how can a ghost die? Erik did not enjoy being gossiped about, but Nadir was pleased with the news. The death of the Opera Ghost meant that the bounty on his head was now lifted. Although Erik's new mask hid his deformities quite well, Nadir admitted to himself that he would breathe easier once he and his friend were settled in San Francisco.

Antoinette had not included a Punjab lasso, for the obvious reasons, nor a knife when replacing Erik's possessions, and he decided he would remedy that at the first possible moment. Had he been traveling alone, a few well-placed coins would have gotten him the information he needed; Nadir's presence complicated the matter, for Erik knew the Daroga would not approve of his plan to obtain weaponry.

Settling their hotel bill, the two men returned to the train-station and boarded for Liverpool. Arriving in Birmingham, they decided to spend the night. While Nadir was distracted making the arrangements for yet another unexpected layover, Erik slipped away.

Birmingham was one of the hubs of the Industrial Revolution in England; but unlike other industrial cities, manufacturing in Birmingham was made up of workshops rather than sprawling factories. Even so, it did not take Erik long to locate a person who would, for a price, obtain the items Erik needed. Once the lasso and the knife were secreted inside his cloak, Erik returned to the hotel in time to accompany Nadir to dinner. Realizing that he could not remember his last meal, Erik reluctantly agreed to eat.

Nadir waited until they were enjoying their after dinner drinks before confronting Erik. "So, my friend, you do not understand the wisdom of changing your ways?"

Erik stared unwaveringly at Nadir, a hint of admiration, yet chagrin, in his eyes. "I won't ask how you know," he began. "But two wealthy men are easy prey for beggars and thieves."

Nadir shook his head. "Violence is not the answer, Erik. Surely you have realized that by now."

"I am not looking for violence. I purchased the items for self-defense."

Sighing, Nadir let the subject drop, but he could not quite hide the disappointment he felt with his old friend.

Liverpool was a bustling seaport and in Erik's opinion, they could not leave soon enough. So many people! So much dirt! So much noise! He silently thanked his friend for arranging their layovers in London and Birmingham; he would have gone mad had he been forced to endure several days in Liverpool.

Erik was relieved to discover that he and Nadir had adjoining staterooms. Much as he enjoyed his friend's company, he missed his solitude. He was strangely saddened by the thought that his days of not speaking to another human being for days at a time had ended.

His stateroom, though small, was comfortably furnished. Erik noticed, with unease, that someone had taken the liberty of unpacking his bags, and he complained vehemently about that to Nadir.

Nadir quickly covered his laughter; Erik was not amused. "Erik, you are a wealthy man. There will be someone around to see to your needs for as long as you wish."

Erik stared at Nadir, dumbfounded. "And who, pray tell, decided it was my wish for my possessions to be disturbed?", he snarled.

Shaking his head, Nadir pressed on. "There will be valets at your beck and call, Erik. The valet will be responsible for cleaning your stateroom, which includes taking care of whatever possessions you have left lying around. There will also be valets on the train we are taking from New York City to San Francisco," Nadir warned him.

Although clearly unhappy with this news, Erik sighed with resignation. He had, after all, caused the disaster – the tragedy – which brought about this need for change. "I apologize, Nadir. I am simply not used to having others around … much less being concerned with my welfare or my wishes."

Knowing how difficult this trip was on Erik, Nadir graciously accepted the apology. "You will do well, my friend," he reassured Erik. "This is not the first time you have had to start over, and you are in a better position than ever to create the life of an ordinary, albeit wealthy, man."

The weather was clear and Erik spent many hours on deck. He made the other passengers uncomfortable, and he was the object of many a gossiping tongue. The women were fascinated and more than one wished for the courage to approach him. The men who did approach him were summarily rebuffed, much to Nadir's dismay. Although he joined Nadir for dinner every evening, his ominous, brooding presence served to dampen the others' spirits. Finally, Nadir could take no more, and on the fifth day at sea, he went to Erik's stateroom and confronted him.

Admitting that he was beyond trying to be patient and understanding, Nadir chided Erik, pointing out that his childish behavior was not helping anyone, least of all himself. Erik stared impassively at Nadir, unmoved by the other's wrath.

"Erik, listen to reason, man!" Nadir continued. "You have been given the rare opportunity to start anew, to build a new life for yourself, in a world where there is no Opera Ghost. Do you wish to squander this gift?"

Erik finally had the grace to look away. "I am not aware that I am … squandering … anything, Nadir. One reason I remained hidden for all these years was because I could not be accepted for who I am … a situation that evidently is not going to change."

"You aren't giving people a chance, Erik," Nadir began.

"Give. People. A. Chance.?" Erik spat out incredulously. "You are asking far too much, Sir!"

"All I am asking, Erik, is that you not sit at dinner tonight and glare at our fellow diners."

With a noncommittal shake of his head, Erik put on his cloak and his fedora and headed out to the deck, where he stood and watched the horizon. He could not forget Nadir's words, though. Perhaps there was a kernel of truth in what Nadir had said. Perhaps he did need to give others a chance. Grimacing at that, Erik began pacing the deck.

Six days after it left Liverpool, the ship docked at the port in New York City. Erik endured going through Customs with rare good grace – something Nadir noted approvingly.