A/N: Sorry about the delay but I hope you enjoy this chapter! The beginning is based on The Beauty and the Beast and then the rest has alot of familiar aspects from the movie! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: We sadly do not own either Phantom or Beauty and the Beast.

She walked over to the white porcelain mask and bent down to pick it up. She stayed crouched as she examined it more closely. The mask was very fragile and yet seemed

well used. The inside was lined with soft, white treated leather. It looked comfortable. At

least as comfortable as a large facial mask could be.

She began to stand when she saw something, or better yet, someone move out of the corner of her eye. She froze out of fear and heard the deep and angered breathing of someone hiding in the shadows.

"What are you doing?" asked a deep and obviously desperately controlled male voice.

"I...I'm just..." she began, still unmoving. She couldn't even turn her head to look at whomever it was.

"I said, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" the voice boomed. Christine screamed and stood quickly. "Get out," the man said, his voice low and furious.

"I'm sorry..."

"GET OUT!"

Startled, Christine dropped the white mask on the cold unforgiving floor, smashing it into pieces.

Her eyes were wide and terrified as she stared into the shadows where the voice had came from. She couldn't see anything, but she heard the deep and heavy breathing of an incredibly angry person. She saw his silhouette, the outline of a human man. His form was large and intimidating. She stepped towards him slightly, only to be met with the sheer force of his voice screaming at her to leave.

"GET OUT!"

Christine screamed again, turned on her heel and ran. She ran back into the bedroom and through the door that led into the hallway, eventually leading back to her room. Instead of heading straight, though, which would take her back to her velvet prison, she took a left and ran swiftly down a dark and empty hallway.

She kept running until she came upon a large stone stairway that seemed to spiral upward for an eternity. She continued running, though, and the stairway kept going. Finally, she found herself on a platform that led into another hallway. She decided that her options were limited and ran down the hallway.

There were unlit candelabras mounted on the walls and the hallway was fairly dry and looked somewhat well used in comparison to the others she had been running down. After so much running, Christine hit a cold smooth surface. Glass?

It was glass. A window to be exact. But instead of the window peering outside, it was a window into a room. A woman's dressing room. Her dressing room!

Christine tried to push the glass window open, but nothing happened, so she tried to slide it to the side and it worked. Christine stepped inside her dressing room and the glass sliding door closed behind her.

She glanced back at the door she had come through and it was nothing more than the guilded mirror that she had gazed at herself in for years. Why was she capable to look through it and see the inside of her dressing room from the other side? What kind of perverse monster was this man who kept her hostage in the cellar? Or was he a man? He couldn't possibly be an angel.

Then it hit her. Perhaps there had never been an Angel of Music and some sick person had taken advantage of her loneliness and played off her childish vulnerability by pretending to be her angel!

She shook her head violently from side to side in an attempt to rid her thoughts of such things. There was an angel, who taught her how to sing and the beauty of her own voice. Her father would never lie to her. Perhaps heaven-sent teachers are just a tad temperamental when you invade their personal space. She laughed slightly to herself and sighed. She only had herself to blame. She had trespassed after he told her not to. He had every right to be mad, although he could have handled it better.

"I could have handled it better. I should have at least tried to talk with him." She sighed, walked over to the small plush couch and laid down.

"I should have talked with him..." she whispered to herself and then exhaustion got the best of her and she fell into a deep slumber.

-o-

The next morning Raoul DeChagny burst through the Opera Populaire's front doors in desperate pursuit for the opera's two overzealous managers. Upon reaching Monsieur Firmin, he demanded to be taken to Christine.

"Well, that wouldn't be very appropriate, Monsieur. Perhaps if we have the Giry girl go up and tell her you are calling for her."

"Monsieur Firmin, I have been calling for her for the past three days and I have yet to see her. She wasn't even present for the gala. I am starting to think that you have no idea where she is!" Rauol bellowed.

"Calm down, Monsieur. There is a perfect explanation for Miss Daae's whereabouts." Richard Firmin tried to reason. The truth is he had no idea where the yound girl was. "Well, you see..."

"Monsieurs," a stern voice sounded behind the three men. Raoul spun around to find the ballet mistress and her daughter standing there. Meg Giry curtsied to the three gentlemen before her as Madame Giry forced a smile. "I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation. Miss Daae is safe and sound. She just needed some rest."

"You have found her, then?" Raoul questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, monseiur," little Meg piped in.

"Why hasn't this been brought to my attention sooner?" Raoul asked angrily.

Madame Giry sighed, "She had just shown up mere hours ago and wished to be left alone. That being said, I trust you will not bother her, Monseiur." Madame Giry smiled politely, but Raoul wasn't going to give up that easily.

As the two women left the foyer of the Opera House and towards the ballet dormitories, Raoul followed in close pursuit. "Where has she been this entire time? I was worried sick," he pressed the stern woman.

"I do not believe I have the liberty to tell you such information. Now, please leave my daughter and I alone." With that said, Madame Giry left the two younger people with a sense of finality.

Raoul desperately turned to Meg, "Little Giry, do you have any idea where Miss Daae had run off to?"

Meg gazed up at the Viscomte dreamy eyed, "Her Angel of Music!"

Raoul looked down at the starry eyed child and shook his head. He walked back to the opera doors and made his way back to his carriage all the while troubled by the thought that there perhaps some perverted fanatic preying on Christines innocence. If so, Raoul vowed to himself as he climed into his large black carriage that he would protect Christine no matter what.

-o-

Erik's frame darkened the small round window at the highest room in the entire opera house. He gazed down as the Vicomtes lush carriage pulled out into the road. What was that stupid boy doing in his Opera House? And better yet what was he doing yelling for his Christine to be brought to him.

His Christine.

Sorry again for taking a long time to update but I've been busy! I just got back from the hospital two days ago! BUt dont worry I am alright, I had a kidney stone of all things and they kept me there to run a million tests it seemed. It's funny though all of the nurses say child birth should be a walk in the park for me now. That puts into perspective how much pain a kidney stone can cause. Ouch! Anyway I will update again as soon as I can. The next few chapters though are going to be mostly character fillers and the development of Raoul's and Christines relationship. But worry not our Erik will make a quite wonderful return! I actually already have that part written. Anyway, R&R!