Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. I was away part of the time, and working on Valley of the Night for the other part. I'll be away again next week, but I'll try and make the wait shorter this time.

-.-.-

III. The garish Light of Day

Everything was ready. The horses were stamping their hooves impatiently, snorting and tossing their heads, while Gaston, Serge and Lászlo once again checked the saddlebags. Senta was prancing around them happily, wagging with enthusiasm.

"Did you pack the biscuits?" Meg asked for what probably was the fifth time, and Raoul rolled his eyes at her instead of a reply, which, for some reason, she found funny. Biscuits! Ever since their dismissal from the ballet school, he and Gaston had been busy getting their hands on all the supplies they needed, and all Meg was interested in were the silly biscuits!

He caught Christine's eyes, and they exchanged a silent smile. Once again they were setting out on an adventure together, and this one seemed just as surreal as those they had gone through in the cellars a couple of months ago, far from the light of the sun. Now, in bright daylight, it was more dream than real memory.

This current adventure was not quite as remote as the last, and still… It was an outrageous idea, that was the reason why it seemed surreal to Raoul. It was a crazy, outrageous thing to do that went beyond all imagination.

At the entrance of the Opera House, quite undisturbed by passers-by and some employees as well as a handful of Commune mercenaries, the Phantom was discussing something quietly with Aeternus. He was dressed all in black once again, and Aeternus all in grey, but while Aeternus really had the tendency to make one believe he was about to fade into the background, the Phantom was as obvious as a major landmark. Probably one of them was creating a blind spot for them once again, or otherwise this would be far too risky. But still, Raoul felt an unpleasant tingling sensation at the pit of his stomach. Nervousness. The same nervousness he had felt when he had said goodbye to the ship he had served on, the Rights of Man, to be moved to the cavalry. The same nervousness that had taken him when going into battle.

Briefly his gaze flickered to Christine again. There she sat, bolt upright in the saddle of a patient grey mare they had gotten out of Roger's parents' stables, dressed in some of his clothes and wrapped in his army coat, pale but smiling. She was excited to be out, just like Meg, and certainly glad to smell some fresh air again. But should she be out in times like these? He did not fear for himself, but for her. If anything happened to Christine, he would never forgive himself.

Neither would the Phantom, and this was the most soothing thought Raoul could summon up at the moment. When he did his best to protect his fiancée, he knew that at the same time someone else was ready to sacrifice everything for her just as well. Against all danger, he and the Phantom stood together, shoulder to shoulder.

Sándor came hurrying out of the entrance, slipping past a pair of mercenaries, who did not even follow him with their eyes. Indeed, there must be some blind spot around them all, around every single one of them! As the fair-haired lad made his report to the Phantom and Aeternus, Raoul could not quite suppress a feeling of unease as he imagined those mysterious powers all around him, like a cloak. They must be somewhere around him, or weren't they? Were they just in the Commune's men's heads? He did not quite understand how it worked. Christine did, as it seemed, and Christine was part of this all in a way Raoul did not like at all, but...

The thought slipped away from him and was forgotten as suddenly a slim, dark-haired female figure, dressed in plain dark wool, came straight towards them. She was quite pretty, Raoul noticed, but otherwise he hardly registered her appearance. She was coming towards him and his friends! She could see them!

Automatically he turned his gaze on the Phantom and Aeternus, the memory of Niobe suddenly fresh and chilling in his mind. Aeternus was staying behind, his expression unreadable as ever, while the Phantom had taken a few steps towards the woman, though somewhat uncertainly…

Were they allowing her to see them, for some reason? Raoul wondered while he observed the Phantom's awkward approach. They must, for how should she be able to find them otherwise?

Except if she was one of… them. The Lost Ones. The thought sent a tiny cold chill down his spine, like the tip of a knife gently running down his back.

And then suddenly he understood. So this was the girl, then? The girl from last night? Ah, of course, he should have recognized her straight away. The pretty little singer from the Maxim. He could have guessed so, though his immediate suspicions had run in the direction of one of the Poussepain sisters. So the Phantom had captured his prey of preference after all –

And now she turned up with a little suitcase in each hand and a hat box under one arm. Raoul could have laughed out loud. Perhaps the Phantom should have given this all a little more thought, because, judging from what was visible of his expression beneath his black mask, the idea that she might want to move in with him had never occurred to him. Lord, a girl meaning to move in with the Phantom against his will! It was just too perfectly funny to be true!

So it was the Phantom who controlled their cover, or at least it was very probable that it was him. Could he have done it some time back, Raoul suddenly asked himself, or had he learned this only just now?

As the girl realized that she was watched by several others, she hesitated and her stride slowed considerably. For a moment she lowered her head, a blush beginning to crawl over her cheeks, but then she threw it back again decidedly. "Erik," she said in a somewhat weak attempt at a firm voice, "my landlady threw me out. Because of you."

"Oh." If Raoul had ever seen the Phantom looking sheepish, then it was now. "She saw me after all?"

"Yes, she did," the young singer snapped. "You just left and allowed yourself to be seen, and now I'm out on the street."

"I… I'm sorry." Had the Phantom really just stuttered? "I'll try and put it right, but just now… you see, I should… I ought to –"

With a loud thud that made Gaston jump, turn around and join the onlookers, the girl dropped both suitcases on the cobblestones. "You don't really care, or do you?" Her cheeks were pale now, but her chin was thrust out aggressively. "You don't care one bit what happens to me, because all you wanted was…" Here she stopped, and the blush rapidly returned. Her eyes flickered to the ring of spectators and their horses, then she decided to stare at her feet, her lips pressed together to a line, and contented herself with placing the hat box atop the suitcases. Raoul could see that her fingers trembled as she did so.

"Erik…" Everybody looked at Christine as she suddenly spoke up. "If she is your, you know, girlfriend, then you should really take care of this problem."

There was a whispering among the assembled, and Raoul saw how Meg's dark eyes suddenly widened in surprise. Of course, he and Christine were the only ones who knew what had happened last night. But not for long now. Once Meg and Gaston knew, others would know too, and soon, and the news that the Phantom had found a girl would spread like fire in a dry forest.

"Trust me, I will." There was just a hint of impatience in the Phantom's voice. "Listen, I'll find you a new place to live, a lot better than your old room, or I can get you a place with the chorus girls, whatever you want, and if you insist I'll let you stay at my place for now, but I have to be off now. There's a matter of importance we have to attend to, you see…"

"But surely we can wait for a moment," Raoul interjected. God, the poor girl was on the verge of tears! They could not just leave her here and ride away! Honestly, did the Phantom possess no feeling of tact at all? He leapt off his horse, which whickered softly and used the opportunity to nudge him in the shoulder with its muzzle, and let Serge take the reins for him. "I can take her things downstairs," he offered, "that is…" Now this was a question of common politeness. "If you will permit me, mademoiselle?"

The girl actually managed a little smile. She was a pretty one indeed, with fair skin and elegant dark brows, her dark brown hair held up by a set of needles in a style that seemed simple at the same time as elegant.

"Let me do it." At once Gaston was at his shoulder. "A vicomte should not have to carry luggage."

Raoul sighed. "I'm not a vicomte now, keep that in mind. And I can still carry luggage, no matter who my parents are."

Gaston shifted his position grudgingly. "Yes, Monsieur de Chagny."

"That will be Raoul. Thank you. I'm just a violinist, after all."

"Yes, but –" Gaston's gaze flickered over to the young singer, then he fell silent, and his expression became guilty as he realized that he might be endangering Raoul's cover. Not that this girl looked like someone who would report a man to get a reward, but one could never be suspicious enough.

"Well, you just heard it, mademoiselle," he continued, already reaching for the suitcases and not looking at the Phantom, "I'm Raoul, and I'm in the orchestra." It was better if she forget about the rest. "Would you like to audition for the chorus? In this case, Mademoiselle Lachetelle here will be your colleague." And he nodded towards Christine. Damn, he probably sounded ridiculous, but he was doing his best. After all, he was very grateful to this girl for luring the Phantom's hungry attention away from his fiancée.

The two girls smiled at each other, and for a moment Raoul wondered what the Phantom's new acquaintance would feel when she learned that it was Christine her lover truly fancied. But his fiancée would surely be relieved now, or would she? Yes, of course she would. Her smile certainly was welcoming. "I'm Christine," she said. "In the chorus we're on first name terms." And apart from that, she did not particularly enjoy having to assume an alias, Raoul knew.

"Valencienne," the girl answered softly.

And then everybody tried to introduce themselves at once, except Meg, who hesitated a little for some reason. Strange, she normally liked making new friends. What could be wrong with her this time? Was she jealous, perhaps? After all, for some time Raoul had suspected that she and the Phantom were lovers… But they weren't, and he should not jump to hasty conclusions. Perhaps Meg had some other reason. Yes, probably she had.

And besides, it was none of his business, anyway.

Surprisingly, the Phantom remained quiet. Not quite looking at the girl, he seemed very awkward, his head lowered, his lips pushed slightly forward as if in a defiant pout. Slipping past Sándor, who showed a certain interest in the girl, Raoul approached him and gently nudged him in the shoulder, giving him a friendly grin. "So that's, you know, last night's company?"

The reaction was more violent than expected. "What business is that of yours?" the Phantom hissed, his bright eyes flashing from beneath the mask. "You take my girl from me, and then you won't even –"

"Erik, stop that," Raoul cut in, softly yet firmly. Like a wounded beast, the Phantom would lash out in any direction, still blind from his past pain. "I'm glad you found yourself a girl, that's all, and you've had a good hand, if I may say so." He winked at him, but the Phantom still glowered. Surely he was ashamed already of his outburst, but he would not admit it, never. Raoul sighed inwardly. At least he had not jumped at him and tried to tear off his head or similar; a couple of months ago Raoul would not have put this kind of thing past him. One day that old wound would be healed, hopefully, and this girl was the first step in that direction. "I know you had a lot of fun last night," he added in a whisper. "You see, girls do want you. And now think of Geneviève and Victorine. It would have worked with them too, no doubt. Or little Cécile Jammes, how's that? That one has an eye on you, I swear."

"On you, rather," the Phantom grumbled, watching grimly how Sándor was already trying to be charming.

"On me? Never!" Or if it was true, Raoul had not yet noticed it. Yet he doubted it was, for Christine would have spotted it straight away and ordered him to stay away from the girl.

He realized that Aeternus was watching them from some distance, and suddenly he wondered if the Lost One was reading someone's mind at the moment, perhaps even his own, to learn what had happened last night…

"He's not," the Phantom said softly, and Raoul did not even ask anymore how he knew what he had been thinking. "We've reached a certain agreement, and part of the terms was that he won't touch some people without my permission. If he were, I would know. I can see it now. I can see the damn lines, bright as daylight." For a moment he bared his teeth in a silent snarl. "And I can hear your every accursed thought, now you're standing so close beside me."

"I don't understand," Raoul admitted. Lines? He had heard about points of light, like stars in the nightly sky when the Phantom closed his eyes, the image of all living things around him. But lines? What lines? And what did this have to do with his own thoughts?

There was no need to form a question. "When someone touches your mind, kid, it forms a temporary connection. I can see it now, like a silver line of twinkling dust particles." This time he did not snarl anymore, but sighed, and suddenly he looked weary. For the first time Raoul wondered if the Phantom might not be quite comfortable with his mysterious powers. "What I mean is, I'm growing stronger. I first saw them this morning, when Aeternus was messing with those filthy Communards. And when someone gets too close to me, I don't even have to try anymore to read his thoughts and feelings. They're just there." He sighed again. "I'm sorry to have scared you, even if it is just a little."

Raoul nodded slowly. "It's fine, don't worry about it." But it truly was eerie, how the Phantom knew all this. Some time ago he had at least not done it all the time. Raoul had known that he might well do it, but mostly he had been kind enough not to. But now…

No. This changes nothing. And I have no secrets I'm trying so hard to keep.

The Phantom gave him a wry smile. "I'll try and learn how to ignore it best."

"Thanks." What was it like for Christine, knowing the Phantom was so closely aware of her all the time? Maybe she felt just like he was feeling now. "Is it…" No, he had better not ask this, it would only cause another little outburst of anger. But then again, the Phantom would probably know all the same, if he asked aloud or not. "Do you think those powers might grow too much to handle? Like, out of control?"

The Phantom pressed his lips together, watching seemingly impassively how Valencienne was introduced to Senta. "I don't know," he said at last. "But now I'm afraid they might."

Such openness was not new, but still not frequent. Friendship was growing slowly, trust needed time. After the briefest consideration, Raoul decided to use the moment. "You've had that nightmare again, haven't you?"

And indeed, the Phantom was honest once again. "Another one. A new one." At first it seemed that he was going to speak about it, but then the circle before them broke up, and Valencienne was approaching them with a somewhat weak attempt at an expression of determination, Christine and Meg right at her shoulders. Heavens, women could sometimes get together and gang up on men without even knowing each other properly! And hadn't Meg seemed hesitant and suspicious just before? God! How was anyone supposed not to get confused around those girls?

"Erik," Valencienne said, "you can't just go away and leave me here. I have nowhere to go." The other two girls nodded to that, while Gaston and Serge exchanged a bewildered glance. Obviously they had no clue what was going on here, just as Raoul was beginning to feel.

The Phantom sighed. The hardness was gone from what was visible of his features… but then it returned, and Raoul felt a flash of cold fear as he snarled once more. Lord, what was he going to do? What rage, what madness had taken him again?

And had he felt that thought now? God, what would he do?

"So what would you have me do?" the Phantom growled. "Stay with you forever? You've never seen me under the sun, you have no idea who I am!"

"Erik…" Christine moved forward, reaching out for him tentatively, and Raoul cursed himself for bringing up those baleful nightmares. The Phantom had been enough on edge already without him reminding him of something else that would only make it worse!

But the Phantom pulled away from her, fixing Valencienne with his glare, ignoring all others. His voice was harsh now, and on the edge of trembling. "Obviously you haven't quite understood last night. I told you what I did, and you saw my face. Wasn't that warning enough? But no, you wouldn't believe me. You want to come with me? There, think again." And with one swift motion he tore off his mask, uncovering the raw red burn marks that disfigured the right side of his face. "It's your chance to reconsider. Use it well."

Raoul stood frozen, not knowing what to do, all the time feeling that this was all his own fault. Why had he been so stupid to ask? He should have known the Phantom might have another fit of this kind. He should have guessed so! After all, he knew his violent mood swings all too well. And now this poor girl had to face him, and how small and pale she suddenly seemed, how fragile…

Valencienne held his gaze firmly, one hand resting on her hip, pale but determined. "I'm coming with you, and if it is a journey to the end of the world!"

For several seconds they all stood in silence, a heavy, awkward silence that made Raoul want to edge away quietly and hide behind one of the pillars until this all was over. Then the Phantom slowly lowered his head and murmured something that might have been an apology, and Raoul instinctively knew that he was feeling worse than he himself did. When he had been younger, he had had problems with controlling his temper too sometimes, and he had been very embarrassed after each unnecessary fit of fury, especially when his father had been there and seen it, said nothing but still seen it… "It's alright, Erik," he said. The next moment he felt foolish already. But at least he had said something.

There was a pause in which the Phantom said nothing, just put his mask back on in a way that seemed, in comparison to his usual grace, oddly clumsy, and in which Raoul's embarrassment grew. But then, as Raoul already inwardly dreaded that they would stand there and stare at the ground awkwardly forever, Valencienne spoke again. Was that pity on her features, that sudden expression of affection, of… Raoul could not quite put a name to it. "What I told you last night… it still holds true."

Slowly, very slowly the Phantom raised his head, and the light caught in his eyes and made them gleam for a moment. And then he nodded, just the slightest inclination of his head, but a nod nonetheless. "I'll just… I'll take your things down, shall I?"

"But my Lord –" Gaston had already reached for Valencienne's luggage.

"Gaston… no. You wouldn't understand, but…" He spoke very softly suddenly. "It means something to me, right now." Taking up Valencienne's belongings, he gave the others a brief nod. "I'll be back with you in a moment," he said lightly, almost too lightly for it to be authentic. "Aeternus, have an eye on things up here. And stick to our agreement."

"I will keep my word," Aeternus replied calmly, and Valencienne turned her head in surprise, as if she had just noticed him for the first time. Suddenly Raoul wondered if he had introduced himself at all. At least he had not seen him do it, but he had not always watched the others, so perhaps… Bloody Hell, this man was invisible even in the brightest sunlight!

And maybe this was what the Phantom had to get away from for a moment, Raoul thought as his companion passed the guards unheedingly and disappeared through the main entrance. This scene had been embarrassing for the witnesses already. How much worse must it had felt for the Phantom himself! Maybe he needed his darkness again now, just for a little time, to regain his composure.

And as Raoul regarded the plaza before the Opéra Populaire now, this square of cobblestones with its café and the shops and pretty houses, the light of the sun suddenly felt garish to him, too sharp, too bright.

Maybe the night could truly be a warm, soothing blanket. Maybe there was some consolation in the darkness, after all.