In the afternoon, Christopher walked to the Fantôme Theater while Rachel went shopping at local stores. She liked to buy at least one thing at ever place she traveled, but recently, it's been hundreds of dollars worth of things. He tried to restraint her so many times, but it never worked. The only thing he could control was her drinking, but even that control was limited. Still, times have been tough on her, especially with the news that she was infertile. If only they were able to have a child, she would have not fallen this far down the rabbit hole. However, she did vow that if they were able to adopt a child, she would stop drinking on behalf of the child's health, but as of now, he just had to deal with the life she was living.

He finally arrived to the Fantôme Theater, but it seemed less active than last night, for obvious reasons. He marveled the dark building with posters of various shows, including the one they saw last night: Love's Greatest Sufferings. He kept looking, but was stopped by Monte. "Scusi, sir, but the theater isn't open until six-thirty."

"Oh, sorry, but I was enjoying the architecture of this building. It's quite remarkable," Christopher stated.

"It sure is. This building was designed by our very own Fantôme with some additions from Mister Y."

"Fantôme built this building? Wow, she's amazing!"

"She sure is. Not only is she the manager, but she's also the architect, playwright, and composer. I don't know how she can do it all and raise her child."

"Wait, she's a mother too? I don't know how I could manage all that and raise a child at the same time. I must meet this woman with many talents."

"And may I ask who you are? Fantôme won't just see anyone."

"Oh, my name is Christopher Daaé. I'm an opera singer from-," he said before he was interrupted.

"You're Christopher Daaé?! I can't believe I am talking to the one and only Christopher Daaé! I'm a huge fan of your work," Monte started saying rather loudly.

"Oh, well, thank you."

"I'm almost certain that Fantôme is a huge fan of you too! Whenever she and the Girys talk, they seem to talk about you all the time!"

"Really? Well, can I meet her?"

"Of course; follow me," Monte said as he opened the theater down and let him in. Christopher walked in further and saw some performers rehearsing for the same show they saw last night. Suddenly, Monte said in a booming voice that nearly scared him out of his shoes, "Guys, guess who's here to see Fantôme? It's Christopher Daaé!" They all stopped rehearsing and looked toward the duo by the back rows. All their faces lit up with wonder as they hurriedly ran to the celebrity.

"Aye Dios mío! It is Christopher Daaé. Are you here to see one of the shows," Bianca said with a frantic tone.

"Actually, I saw the show last night and you were all great," Christopher said with a smile.

"I can't believe I picked the perfect night to step in to play the lead role! Oh, these are one of the many perks of being an understudy," she said with a smile.

"Oh, shut your trap, darlin'. You know that Samara was too sick to perform last night. I wonder what's wrong with her," Jackson said.

"I don't care as long as I get the lead role in the meantime. After all, she is Fantôme's favorite ever since she practically gave her a job here instead of that rebuilt Palais Garnier."

"Palais Garnier? Would her last name be Ether by any chance?"

"Yes. Do you know her," Monte asked.

"Actually, yes; I worked with her before the Palais Garnier burned down."

"What a coincidence! You two have to catch up," Bianca said as she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him in a certain direction.

"Is that very wise? I mean, she's been coughing pretty badly lately. I don't want ya to catch what she's got," Jackson said in a genuinely worried tone.

"We'll just keep our distance, but she has to see him at least once before he leaves." She managed to drag him to the infirmary where they saw two women talking amongst themselves while a doctor laid his hand on a blonde woman asleep in a cot. She opened the door and asked, "How is she doing, doctor?"

"Her condition is getting worse," a baritone-voiced doctor said. "She won't be able to perform for another week."

"Is she going to be fine?"

"I really hope so, but I can't tell right now. She'll need to visit my office so I can perform some tests on her, but for now, she'll rest here." Christopher saw that Samara looked ill since there was sweat on her face and her skin was pale.

Bianca looked at the two other people in the room and didn't recognize them. One woman had fair skin, short blonde hair and was wearing a beautiful red dress while the other had pale skin, sleek dark hair, and was wearing slacks, a white collar shirt, and a vest. Both of them had green eyes that were almost otherworldly. "Excuse me, but do I know you two?"

"Oh, we're friends of Samara," one woman said with a smile.

"Funny, I don't recall her mentioning anyone like you two."

"We became friends very recently," the other woman said in a British accent. "My name is Lilliana and this is my dear friend Katia."

"I'm still only a friend to you," she asked in a teasing tone, making Lilliana roll her eyes playfully.

"If you keep acting like that, you might never be more than a friend," she joked.

"That's nice and all, but would you two mind leaving the room right now? Visiting hour is over," the doctor said.

"Fine," Lilliana said in an exaggerated sigh as she and Katia left the room.

The doctor looked at Christopher and Bianca and said, "That means you too."

"But this man is an old friend of Samara's. His name is Christopher Daaé!"

"I don't care who he is. She needs rest and your presence might disrupt that," he said coldly.

"Fine, hombre, we'll come back another time," Bianca said as she and Christopher left the room, but they noticed Lilliana and Katia didn't travel too far from the room. They were surprisingly happy that it left Christopher suspicious.

They walked past them, but he heard them discuss about something unusual. "Why can't we just tell them? We can spare her life," Lilliana asked.

"I'm afraid we can't," Katia said.

"Why not? Where does it say that we can't interfere with human lives?"

"I don't want to break any rules, unlike you."

She chuckled. "I was born like that. It's just in my nature."

"I'm sorry about Samara. She has been feeling ill lately and the doctor is a real stickler about visitors. I hope you can see her another time," Bianca said as they returned back to the stage.

"It's fine, really," Christopher said.

"Bianca! Where have you been, love," Wendy yelled. "You know how Fantôme feels about actors skipping rehearsals without a good reason."

"Lo siento, but I had to guide Señor Daaé to Samara. They have met before."

"Well, that's not a great excuse. Now get your bloody arse up here before she gets on your case about it."

"Fine," she said in an exaggerated sigh as she climbed on stage.

Christopher sat in a seat to watch the rehearsals. It was just like old times; watching people perform their parts while patiently waiting for his scenes. He wondered what Erika did while rehearsals underwent. He never really asked her that. He didn't ask her a lot of questions that he wished he did. Their futures would have been completely different if they confessed sooner, but for now, he lived the life he chose for himself. He looked up at Box 5, but was surprised to see it wasn't vacant. In the box was the little girl he met last night: Diana. She was in glee, which surprised him tremendously. Usually, children would be bored with rehearsals, especially when they weren't actually performing, but she was happy to be there. She then looked at Christopher, but her face changed from happy to surprise. He waved at her, but she slowly backed out of the box. What was going on in her mind?

"Don't mind her. Her mother tells her to stay away from strangers," a female voice said. He turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Meg! What are you doing here," Christopher said as he hugged his best friend from Paris.

"I work here with my mother. Didn't she tell you that last night?"

"She might have, but I was a little preoccupied. I was trying to find Fantôme and talk about maybe getting a job here."

"Oh, I believe my mother told me about that, but I'm afraid we aren't hiring right now."

"I know, but I still want to talk to Fantôme. Is she here?"

Meg hesitated, but said, "I'm afraid she's too busy right now. Maybe another time, perhaps?"

"But isn't she always busy? Is there ever a time when she's not," he asked with disappointment.

"Well, if she is ever free, she spends that time with her daughter," she said before stopping herself sharply.

"Oh, I guess so. I mean, I can't understand how a woman with so many talents has the time to take care of a child. She truly loves her, doesn't she?"

"She truly does. Well, if you will excuse me now, I have to rehearse for the next show. I'll see you real soon," she said as she gave him a parting hug and left his side.

Soon, he finally decided to sneak off and go backstage, but before he could reach the office, he ran into sweet little Diana. She tried to run, but he stopped her by asking, "Why are you running, Diana?"

She turned around and shyly said, "Mother doesn't like me talking to strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger. We met last night," he said gently.

She looked at him and squinted her eyes. "Are you monsieur Daaé?"

His eyes widened. "Yes. How do you know my name?"

"My mother talks a lot about you. She's your biggest fan!"

"Oh, why I'll thank her when I see her. Do you know where she is, by any chance?"

"She's at home right now," she said with a smile. She finally warmed up to the man.

"Oh, can you take me to her?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Mother won't allow me to bring anyone home, especially guests."

"Oh, well, can you guide me to her office? I would like to speak to her."

"About what?"

"I want to work for your mother, even if it's only temporary."

"Oh, then I can talk to her for you about that," she said with glee.

"Really, thank you," he said with surprise.

"You're welcome, monsieur," she said with a smile. A moment of silence passed before she continued the conversation. "It's been me and my mother since the very beginning."

"Really? Where's your father," he asked curiously.

"I don't know. Mother doesn't talk about him other than he was a good man. I don't know what happened to him around my birth."

"Oh, that must be difficult for you. I can't imagine what life would be like without a father," he said, but soon stopped when he realized he would be lying if he continued. Although the situation is different, he actually did know what it was like to not have a father.

"Well, I can't complain since I never knew what it felt like in the first place, but I do know he's not dead," she said with a somber tone.

"How do you know?"

"Mother says he is a good man. If he was dead, she would have said he was a good man."

He smiled. "I guess that's a good reason. You're very clever, aren't you?"

She giggled. "Thank you, monsieur."

"Would you mind taking me to your mother's office?"

"Why? I told you she was at home."

"I want to leave a note for your mother and I'm sure she has some ink and paper in her office," Christopher explained. She was hesitant, but reluctantly gestured him to follow her. After running a maze of hallways, they finally reached a wooden door with a sign on it saying "Knock before entering". Diana knocked on the door, causing him to be alarmed. "Why did you knock on the door?"

"It's a habit, I guess," she said, but she seemed to be listening through the door for any noises. Regardless, he opened the door and they both saw that nobody was in there. Diana sighed in relief, catching his attention.

Erika was on the other side of the mirror, just getting up from a nap. Sometimes when work was too stressful, she would seek peace and quiet in their secluded room, but sometimes, she would fall asleep. She felt fully rested and stretched her limbs to try to wake her up. After all, she still had work to do. She walked slowly to the mirror, but was shocked to see a familiar face in her office. In fact, it was the last person she thought she would ever see: Christopher Daaé. She was frozen in place and didn't know how to react to the situation. On one hand, she wanted him far away from her office, let alone, her theater, but on the other hand, she wanted to open the mirror and kiss him. He looked older than she remembered and his clothes were a lot more extravagant due to the wealth he received from his dear wife. However, some things never change. His eyes were still that beautiful emerald green.

"So this is where your mother works?"

"Yes. She's so busy though that I can only see her at night." Christopher looked around and saw all the newspaper articles about Fantôme and the Fantôme Theater. He tried to find a picture of her, but he can only see her covering her face to avoid pictures. He kept reading the articles, but one caught his eye. It was an article about him from some time after the Opera Populaire was built. What further caught his eye was a line that was underlined: Christopher Daaé thanks his "Angel of Music" for the fame he has received. He chuckled. "You said your mother was a big fan of me?"

"Yes, she is. It seems she can't stop talking about you."

"Then I hope that one day we can meet. That's all I ask of her."

"I'll see what I can do," she said while looking at the mirror. He noticed her staring and looked at the mirror. It looked so familiar to him that he had to take a closer look. He walked toward it and admired its beauty. It was taller than him and the black with gold trim frame brought a sense of elegance to it. However, it was all too familiar for him. It was like the one he had in his dressing room a long time ago. He tried to slide the glass over, hoping it somehow opened, but it didn't.

On the other side of the mirror, she was freaking out, thinking that he would find the way in. She couldn't even breathe, thinking he might hear her. She saw him look at the mirror and she knew exactly what he was thinking. She tried to make significant changes to this mirror compared to the one of the past, but somehow, he could still tell. He tried to slide the glass, but luckily for her, that's not the way to open it. He then put his hands on the frame, hoping to find something to open the mirror, but couldn't find anything.

"Monsieur, what are you doing to the mirror," Diana said with a frightened face.

"Sorry; it just reminds me of the one I had a long time ago," he said as he placed a hand on the glass.

Erika saw his palm on the glass and just couldn't help herself; she placed her hand where his hand was. She looked into his eyes and it seemed that he was staring right into hers. However, he wasn't smiling like she was. All she could see was disappointment. She couldn't help but feel guilty for the look in his eyes, but he soon pulled his hand away from the glass.

"Didn't you want to write my mother a note?"

"Oh, yes, that's right. Where does she keep paper and ink?"

"In the drawer in her desk," she said as she walked to the desk and opened the drawer to reveal what he needed. Christopher pulled out a sheet of paper, ink, and a quill and began to write a message.

Dear Fantôme,

I received a letter from you saying that you would like to hire me, but I was informed that you didn't send me the letter. Regardless, I still want to speak to you about a possible job at your theater. It doesn't have to be an opera; it can just be a song. I just want to speak to you in person to speak about this job opportunity. Please try to see me as soon as possible. I am staying in a motel on Penny Street by a spice shop that I believe your friend, Nadir Khan, works. I'm sure Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg, know where I live if you ever decide to meet me in person. Thank you and I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Christopher Daaé

Once he finished, he left the note out to dry and then left the desk. A nosy Diana looked at the note and then at the mirror, but she didn't say a word. "Make sure your mother sees that note," Christopher said.

"Oh, yes monsieur," she said with a slight bow. Christopher left the room, leaving her alone, but not completely.

On the other side of the mirror, Erika was curled into a ball, crying. She had a feeling that this day would come, but she was never prepared for it. How could she? It was already nerve wrecking for her to even know he was around, let alone see him. To make matters worse, he was speaking to his daughter without even knowing that she's his. Luckily, he was talking to her with a kind voice like he normally would, which made her smile. As time passed and with her tears dried, she pressed the button to slide the glass doors automatically. Diana saw her mother and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine for now. What did you think of monsieur Daaé?"

"He seems nice. He really wants to see you. It's clear in his note," she said as she pointed at the note. Erika quickly scanned it and didn't know what to think. "Are you going to see him?"

"I . . . I don't know. I'll have to think about it," she said hesitantly.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a knock on the door. "Fantôme, may I come in," Erik asked.

"Of course," she said, quickly pressing the button to close the mirror. Erik walked in the room and barely got to see the mirror close.

He chuckled. "You have one too?"

"Of course I would. It's my safe haven away from the outside world."

He looked at Diana and said, "Hello Ms. Destler."

"Hello Mr. Y," she said with glee. "When can I go back to Phantasma?"

"Actually, that's what I came to discuss with your mother," he said as he looked at Erika. "How are you today?"

"I've had better days. Why do you ask?"

"On my way here, I saw monsieur Daaé and he looked rather . . . disappointed. Also, I can see that you were just crying before I got here."

She wiped the dried streaks of tears on her face and then said, "What could I do? If he saw me, I don't know how he would react. In fact, I didn't know how I would react before he came in the office. I was filled with all these emotions, some I haven't felt in years, and I'm happy I was behind the mirror so he wouldn't be able to see me. However, he wants to see Fantôme so badly. What do I do?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I'm sure I would feel the same way if I knew Christine was here and got to see her before she knew of my whereabouts."

"Mister Y, you said you wanted to talk to my mother about Phantasma, correct," Diana asked. She was so excited about Phantasma that she wanted to know what he wanted to say.

"Oh, right. Well, I heard your mother was stressed out lately that I thought maybe she would like to perform for my audience at a small concert hall in Phantasma," he said.

"Oh, are you sure? I mean, I bet I don't even sound good. There's a reason why I won't perform on stage for my own shows," she said with a slightly embarrassed tone.

"That's not the main reason and you know it. It's the same reason why I don't perform," he said with a smile.

"Well, I guess you're right, but what should I play?"

"Play? Oh, no. I want you to sing a song for my audience."

"Sing? Are you sure?"

"Of course! You have a lovely voice, Fantôme!"

"Yes you do, mother," Diana agreed.

She looked at her daughter and smiled. "Fine, I'll sing something as long as my daughter gets a private tour with her favorite ring leader."

"Please," Diana begged Erik.

He laughed. "All right. After your mother is done with her performance, we can look around and see everything you want."

"Thank you," Diana said as she hugged the tall man.

"When do you want me perform," Erika asked.

"When are you available," he asked.

"I can move some things around and perform tomorrow night, if that's okay with you."

"That's great! I'll make the announcement tonight!"

"All right then," she said with a sad smile.

He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's going to be all right. I'm sure that you'll forget all about this ordeal tomorrow night."

"I hope so," she said, but she was sure that she wouldn't be able to forget. Sure, it would help her forget for a few minutes, but this ordeal will be stressful until Christopher was gone.

There are two characters in this chapter (Lilliana and Katia) from a different story: One Hell of a Reaper. If you're curious about their back story, go ahead and check it out, but I must warn you, it is rated M.