A/N: Ok! Ok! You can kill me with Erik's lasso for not writing in forever, if you wish!

"No! No! No! You are singing it all wrong!" Erik screamed at Rose. "You must sing with passion and sorrow. This song is about loving someone you can never have. Bella's heart is ripped open because she loves a man who barely even knows she exists. It cannot be sung flatly. You must open your mind. Become Bella. Think what she thinks, feel what she feels. A true actress becomes a part of their character, if you wish to be an actress, I suggest you start becoming Bella otherwise your wasting my time and yours!" He had been in a foul mood for the past two days. Something had happened with Christine. Something went terribly wrong.

"Maestro, are you alright?" She dared to ask. "You have seemed out of sorts lately."

"Oh and how would you like me to be Mademouiselle Porter? Would you like me to dance around and start singing, pretending the world is wonderful like the rest of your Parisian society friends? Hmm? I did not think so. The world is a dark place Rose, sooner or later you will learn." The fire was burning heavily in his eyes. She knew it would take patience and composure to calm him down.

"What happened with her?" She whispered, regretting the words that escaped from her mouth. For a minute he did not answer. She almost breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he might not have herd her, but when she saw his back shudder, and the almost stifled sob, it was obvious her question carried more weight than she had expected. "Erik?" She walked towards him, as if he were an injured wild animal, though he may be hurt, he still could strike at any moment.

It was almost a whisper, "She saw." She understood completely what he meant. "She saw and… and…screamed. I've never seen such horror in someone's eyes. I have lost her forever. I know it." Her heart ached for the poor, tortured man that stood before her. The excruciating truth was Christine's innocence was Erik's destruction. In the premature stages of Erik's growing infatuation with Christine, Rose had realized that Christine's naïve mind would never be able to understand the depths of his angst-ridden soul or have the strength to see beyond the mangled flesh. She had tried so many times to warn him, to lure him away from Christine, but nothing had worked. He was too engrossed with Christine. "I am doomed for eternity. She was my reason for life, now her disgust of me is my death."

"Oh surely you can't believe…"

"It is true! An angel was never meant to love the devil and that was what I had tried asking of her! I tried to change Fate's web, but have only tangled it further." He turned to look at Rose, but it seemed as if her own beauty was mocking him. Beauty was a cruel thing for it only reminded him of his Angel. Tears began streaming down his tormented face. In that moment he hated the word 'beauty' and what it meant. It was something that he would never have no matter how much he yearned for it. "Go!" He growled not seeing Rose's own rare tears that formed at her eyes.

"What would you prefer? Light blue or pink? Rose? Rose?" The blur motions of a hand in front of her eyes brought her back from her thoughts and to the young golden hair ballerina, Meg Giry.

"I am sorry Meg, what?" She had been thinking of him for the past three days. He had made no attempts to see her and knowing he was still in a foul mood, she dared not attempt to see him either, but she worried terribly about him. The rejection had been a terrible blow to him, one, Rose wasn't sure if he would recover from.

"Which dress do you think would look better?" Meg asked again. She was a sweet girl who was curious about many things, especially when it involved the Phantom of the Opera. When Rose was looking for an adventure she went to Meg knowing she would follow her to the darkest and most dangerous places. They had known one another since birth. Their mothers grew up with one another as well, from when Meg's grandmother and mother had worked as maids for the Cherbourg family. Antoinette, Meg's mother, though quite older had been a dear friend to Charlotte when she was held captive in the Cherbourg Manor to study her Latin and sewing. A sisterly bond that was unbreakable was formed and continued on through Meg and Rose.

"For you Meg, I would have to say pink. You will shine magnificently in it." Pleased by her friends choice, Meg switched to looking at Rose's jewelry.

"Tonight's performance shall be quite interesting. The Opera Ghost demanded that Christine was to play the countess, but after Carlotta having her usual tantrums the managers tore up the note stating that Carlotta would of course be the lead and Christine the page boy," Meg casually gossiped.

"What?" Her friends' gossip had gotten her attention. Noticing Rose's interest, Meg laid down the jewelry and scurried to sit with her friend on the settee to tell more.

"Yes there was quite a fuss about it this morning. Raoul, I mean Monsieur de Chagny came in a rage demanding to know Christine's whereabouts, then Carlotta came stomping in accusing Monsieur de Chagny had something to do with the letter she received, which in fact," Meg's eyes widen with excitement as she spoke, "was from the Phantom! Strangely though Maman had received two notes, one that instructed her to give the other note to the managers, where it had then stated that Carlotta and Christine change roles." 'So he hadn't been sitting in sorrow like I had thought. He has been devising another plan to win her back!' Rose thought.

"So Christine is to play the Countess." Irritation was obvious in Meg's eyes.

"Rose weren't you listening. I said that the managers have decided to have Carlotta continue playing the role of Countess." The managers did not realize that their ignorant decision could cause chaos in the opera house if they were not careful. A heavy price would have to be paid for not listening to the Phantom's demands.

"But how heavy will the price be?" Rose whispered.