Hi everybody,

I am sorry I could not update last weekend and this chapter is therefore late. I hope you will still like it. I am also not quite sure if the next chapter will be posted Saturday or Sunday, we'll see. The only thing I can promise is that the story will be updated eventually.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, for adding to favorites, for putting on alert and most of all, for reviewing this story! I hope you will continue to enjoy it, and I hope you know that it is because of you all that I keep coming up with new ideas for stories about our two star-crossed lovers. Just keep in mind that I do not own those characters...

Chapter 3 – Like yellow parchment is his skin

"What do I do now?" Christine sobbed into Mme. Giry's blouse. She had somehow managed to give a polite reply to Monsieur Firmin and to excuse herself, but once the door to the managers' office had closed behind her, she had run directly to the ballet mistress' room and thrown herself into the older woman's arms.

"They cannot actually mean what I think they said," Christine continued. "I mean they cannot actually tell me to.. to.. "

"They should not," Mme. Giry agreed, "but I suspect it would not be the first time that men have asked a woman to prostitute herself for financial gain..."

"I will not do... that!" Christine exclaimed, horrified. "You are not trying to tell me that I have no choice, or are you?"

"Sh, calm down, Christine," Mme. Giry cooed. "I did not say you should lose your honor like that for professional gain. In fact, I am telling you in no uncertain terms that I forbid you to do anything of that sort. What I was saying is that the managers may think it is their right to ask that of you, but it isn't. They cannot ask you to do anything other than accept an invitation to dinner."

As she saw the shocked expression on Christine's lovely face, she added, "not alone, though, you must be properly chaperoned." She pulled Christine into a tight hug. "I will make sure that you won't be alone with him at any time. The moment the performance ends, I'll be with you in your dressing room, and if he asks you out, I will insist to come along as your chaperone. The sooner that spoiled brat of a Vicomte understands that you are an honorable woman that won't allow him to debase her, the better."

"But what if...," Christine whispered, "what if then he decides he wants to marry me?"

"Then there will still be time to decide whether or not you want to accept his proposal," Mme. Giry commented.

"I... I do not want to marry him!" Christine blurted out.

Mme. Giry closed her eyes. How could Christine be so sure? Had she been right earlier, when she thought that Christine might have developed strong feelings for Erik? She wanted to see clear.

"How can you say that now?" she therefore asked innocently. "You do not really know the Vicomte. It has been years since you last saw him. Maybe if you spend more time with him, you will find him quite likeable. He is rather handsome, after all, and he has a position in society, wealth and influence..."

"No!" Christine was adamant. "I do not want him! I will never want him!" She sighed. Deep down she knew that it was because of Erik. A while ago she had still wondered if the fact that he was disfigured and therefore had to lead a very secluded life combined with his rather violent temper would somehow change her feelings for him, but now she was almost certain that nothing ever would. That her heart belonged to her Angel for all eternity, now more so than ever, since now there actually was a chance for a future together.

Mme. Giry smiled. Christine's reaction was proof enough that the girl's heart was already taken, and there was no doubt who the lucky man was that Christine had chosen. She had suspected for quite some time, that the masked man had fallen in love with his student, and apparently Christine returned those feelings. In a way, Mme. Giry was happy about that development, but on the other hand, she could not help feeling a bit uneasy. What kind of life could Erik offer her young protégée? Could she allow Erik to drag Christine into his underground world? Also, if she chose Erik, Christine could never admit to being married, for her husband would never be able to join her at any official function. So what if Christine got pregnant? Wouldn't she be considered a fallen woman in that case? And how would living underground affect a child? Mme. Giry decided she had to talk to Erik about this. If he was seriously considering to woo Christine, a few things definitely had to change.

"If you don't want to marry the Vicomte, then you won't have to," she hurried to tell Christine. "Now go and wash your face, ballet practice begins in half an hour. You may be excused from it, since you are the prima donna now, but I guess it is better you attend it. First, the exercise will take your mind off such unpleasant thoughts, and second, you won't be alone, in case you-know-who decides to pay the Opéra Populaire another visit."

Christine nodded and quickly left to get ready for ballet.

Xxxx

Raoul was aimlessly wandering around backstage in the hope of running into the object of his desire and making another pass on her. He had tried her dressing room first, but had found it empty. She must therefore be somewhere else. Did she have to attend a rehearsal today maybe, or was she at the dormitory? The managers had told him that Mademoiselle Daaé lived at the Opéra, she therefore couldn't be too far away. She had to be around here somewhere and he was determined to find her.

Unfortunately, he was still new here and did not know the backstage area too well. He had seen the dressing rooms, since those were close to the stage, and he could find his way to the managers' office. As to all the other rooms... he was at a complete loss.

He had already run into a tailor's shop where costumes were being touched up, a large hall where carpenters were working on new sets, a few rooms with pianos, where singers prepared for new roles, but after half an hour of walking around he still had not found the dormitories.

He was getting tired. As a Vicomte he was not used to walking all that much, and he was not used to having as little success in his endeavors as he was currently having. Therefore he was only too glad when the smell of fresh coffee lead him to the kitchen and dining area. It could not hurt to sit down for a while, have some coffee, and maybe ask for directions, though he had to be discreet. He somehow had a feeling that a kitchen maid might find it somewhat strange if the new patron directly asked for the diva's room.

He therefore just got himself a coffee and sat down at a table in the corner, thinking about how he could get the information he needed. After a while a large group sat down at another table near him. Raoul counted about five young women, obviously cleaning ladies, who had started work early, making sure that the areas open to the audience, such as the auditorium and huge entrance hall, would be all clean and shining again after last night's celebration. Now these ladies were obviously on a break and each of them was carrying a tray full of food. A rather square, medium aged man was with them and he apparently was telling a story to the giggling women.

"Like yellow parchment is his skin," the man intoned, "a great black hole serves as the nose that never grew ..."

"Eeh!" The women screamed excitedly. "How can you know, Joseph?"

"Because I saw him once," the man explained, dead-serious. "He had been up in the rafters, it was dark, and at first I did not see anything, I just had a feeling as if I were being watched. But then, I saw something glow, like two candle flames, and I knew it was his eyes. At first I thought it was a colleague, up there to do some maintenance, and I asked who was there, when I suddenly heard a diabolical laughter coming from all around. That's when I was sure it was the ghost himself. Though, of course it is no ghost. There are no such things as ghosts. He is a real person, and he obviously dresses all in black, which is why I could not see him clearly in the dark. Those eyes, though, they really burn."

"And how can you know about the color of his skin and the lack of a nose, then?" one of the girls asked. "I mean, if you did not get a good look at him, as you just said?"

The man grew serious. "I just know. Just like I know it is a man," he stated. "And I know that Mme. Giry is his accomplice. Not just, because it is more often than not her who happens to 'find' his notes, but also, because she has given me some veiled warning. I am fairly certain that she was trying to tell me to stay off his tracks. Which means, I will just have to be that much more careful in my endeavors to spy upon him and to find out where his hiding place is. But trust me, nothing in this building escapes Joseph Buquet. Sooner or later, I will flush the ghost out, and then our lives will be much easier."

"But didn't Monsieur Lefevre always say that the ghost has given him some really good advice?" another girl asked shyly. "I guess he did not really mind paying the ghost's salary?"

"He was reluctant enough," Joseph Buquet retorted. "As helpful as some of the ghost's requests might have been, it cannot have been fun not to be able to make your own decisions in your own theater, which is probably why Monsieur Lefevre decided to retire."

Raoul's head spun. Those were indeed important news. Neither Firmin nor André had mentioned the existence of this ghost to him. Apparently somebody had been telling their predecessor how to run the Opéra. Was he still doing the same? Was somebody other than him, the patron, telling those two wanna-be managers what to do? And was that person asking for money in return? It did not seem as if he was a paid advisor, in which case the whole business was probably highly illegal. Raoul had finished his coffee by now, but decided to stay a bit longer and try to learn more about this ghost.

"And if I had not been sure already that Mme. Giry is in league with him, I would certainly be now," Buquet continued. "Or do you think it was a coincidence that that backdrop almost hit Carlotta yesterday? No, no, he intended to scare her away, so that the Daaé-girl could sing the main part. She is Mme. Giry's protégée, remember? I bet he is protecting and promoting her. Her and the little Giry, that dancer. I have heard stories about men trying to … you know, … get to know these two girls a bit …. and being scared off by the ghost."

He did not say that one day he himself had approached Meg Giry in a dark corridor and tried to reach underneath her tutu, when suddenly something heavy had hit him on the temple and he had passed out, thus saving Meg.

Raoul grinned. He absolutely had to talk to this man and learn more about that ghost and the man's theories about the ghost's connections. He was now almost certain that the old hag that had practically told him to get lost in front of Christine's dressing room door last night had been this Mme. Giry. He vaguely remembered having heard that name when Firmin and André had introduced their staff to him. But if Mme. Giry and her protégée Christine were in contact with this mysterious ghost, and if the latter tried to promote Christine by throwing pieces of scenery at the resident prima donna, if he had even scared off men that had tried to … do whatever with her and Giry's daughter, and if he knew enough about running a theater that his so-called requests were deemed sound advice, if all this were true, was it then so inconceivable, that he had been the man in Christine's dressing room the previous night?

Raoul almost had no doubts anymore. It all fit. The ghost was obviously promoting Christine's career and in return she was selling her body to him. He might be doing the same with Mme. Giry's daughter, and the mother seemed to aprove. Raoul snickered. In that case, the old hag could easily become his ally. Surely if she sold the girls to the ghost in order to further their careers, she would have no qualms of doing the same for him, the patron that actually could give them the starring parts.

Xxxx

Slightly before five o'clock Christine quietly slipped into her dressing room and locked the door behind her. She felt nervous and giddy at the same time. She would see Erik again! Oh, how she was looking forward to seeing him! Even though she had known him for close to ten years, seeing him was still so new to her, that the prospect of actually seeing him again – as opposed to only hearing his voice – excited her.

True, it was a bit disconcerting to think that the right side of his face was disfigured, and according to Mme. Giry rather heavily so, but did it really make a difference? Christine did not think so. But then, she had not really seen it. She had been too shocked by his raging outburst to pay any attention to his face. For the moment she would have to let it be. She needed to regain Erik's trust first.

But,... She blushed. Should things proceed as she hoped and should he one day ask her to marry him, she would have to ask him to show his face to her. He could not always wear the mask. That could not be healthy for his skin anyway. He would have to take it off every now and then, probably for hours, in order to let his skin breath. Therefore Christine would need to know what his face looked like, should they decide to get married. Maybe it was a good idea to ask Mme. Giry for details of his disfigurement, in order to be prepared for the day she would ask him to remove his mask and let her see the real him.

Christine's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the moving mirror, and as she turned around, the man she had been thinking about, was standing right before her. He was dressed in black like the previous night, and wearing a long, black cloak. The white half-mask still covered the right side of his face and in Christine's opinion, it gave him quite a distinguished look.

His eyes looked at her in wonder. "You came," he whispered. His beautiful voice sounded overwhelmed and relieved.

Christine smiled. How glad she was to see him! Though he apparently still had had doubts that she wanted to see him again. His insecurity was so endearing! How could he, the warm-hearted, intelligent, knowledgeable Erik doubt that Christine wanted to see him, to continue her friendship with him!

"I promised I would be here," she said, blushing. "And I am glad we can finally meet like that, and really get to know each other."

She turned an even darker shade of red. Had she said too much? Had she shown her joy at actually being face to face with him again too openly? Would he now consider her a wanton woman?

Erik drank in her appearance. How lovely she was! She was wearing a dress that he had always liked on her, since it accentuated her body in all the right places, while the bluish-green color of the dress made her brown eyes shine even more.

"You look stunning," he finally managed to say.

Christine was feeling hot, her cheeks burning. She had gone to great lengths to make herself as pretty as possible, in order to please him, and obviously her efforts had paid off.

"I... I thought this is a special occasion," she mumbled. "The first time we actually have an appointment. I wanted to celebrate this by dressing up a bit..."

Erik's eyes widened. "You... you wanted to look at your best... for me? The hot-tempered beast?"

His insecurity returned Christine's confidence. "You are no beast, Erik,"she told him. "And I do not want to hear you referring to yourself in such a way ever again. You are the man that has been my Angel of Music for so many years, my very best and dearest friend, well, maybe except for Meg Giry, but that is different, Meg is practically my sister. And..."

She looked down, unsure again if she had said too much, if he might think now that she was throwing herself at him. Why was this so hard? Why could she not talk to him the way she had always done? Why was she now constantly thinking what it might be like if he took her into his arms and kissed her?

"Maybe... we should start with our lesson now?" she nervously suggested.

Erik nodded. Music was safe ground. That's what he understood, whereas this courtship business... He felt like a fish out of water. He had no clue what was expected of him in such a situation. Of course, his senses screamed to him to just take Christine into his arms and kiss her senseless and then ask her if she would do him the honor of accepting his marriage proposal. But that would be too fast, would it not?

"A lesson... yes... I suppose … that is a good idea," he stammered. "Maybe we shall begin with discussing your performance last night?"

He suddenly was a different person. Now that he could focus on music, he once again was the knowledgeable teacher, who could give Christine a few hints as to how improve her singing even more. The two of them were so engulfed in their music, that they did not realize how long they had been working together, when they heard the key in the lock turn.

"I do not want to interrupt you two," Mme. Giry smiled at them, locking the door behind her again with her spare key. "But it is time for Christine to get changed for tonight's performance."

She was deeply moved as she observed the looks her two protégés exchanged. It was obvious that they both were deeply in love, but had not quite found the courage to tell each other so. She clearly would have to talk to Erik about this, and soon.

"I will have to take my leave then, Christine, Antoinette," Erik said. "You will excel tonight, Christine, even more so than last night, since now you know that you can do it, and you won't be as nervous anymore!"

They looked deep into each other's eyes. "Will you come to me again tonight, after the performance?" Christine asked huskily, wishing he would lower his lips to hers and kiss her good-bye.

Mme. Giry cleared her throat. "I do not think that would be wise," she interrupted. "The Vicomte will certainly stop by again and try to invite you to dinner, Christine."

"The Vicomte?" Erik asked, anger rising within him. "The new patron?"

As nervous as Christine was about having to see Raoul again and go out for dinner with him, she sensed Erik's anger and knew she had to calm him. "It is quite harmless," she therefore explained to him. "Raoul is a childhood friend of mine. Of course he wants to renew our friendship. But of course it is not proper for me to go with him all on my own, so Mme. Giry has offered to accompany and chaperon me." She smiled at him. "I will be perfectly save," she added, trying to make him understand that he was the only man she was interested in.

"Promise that this is only a harmless friendship," Erik groaned. "The Vicomte has a certain reputation..."

Christine reached for Erik's hand and squeezed it. "I promise you that I am not interested in him in that way," she said, looking at Erik with love.