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Warning: None yet.

Chapter 2 – Business Partners

Nicole was sitting, slouched, in a chair in Box Five. This was the place Madame Giry had said that the Phantom would meet her. She was slightly nervous but didn't show it. Nicole had everything planned out now all she needed was the other person to complete it.

XXX

Erik watched Nicolas Leroux surveying the view from Box Five. He was right behind him having come through a secret door that he himself, had built.

Erik wasn't sure what Monsieur Leroux wanted and he didn't much care. Giry had been a little lax in the details. No one except Giry was supposed to know he was alive. If this Leroux character knew of him then he would have to take care of that. Erik grasped the Punjab lasso hidden beneath his cloak tighter.

Then his curiosity got the better of him. I'll see what he wants and if it's to my advantage then I won't kill him.

Erik saw Nicolas turn his head to the left, and seeing his chance, slipped into the seat on his right.

XXX

Nicole turned to look the other way and came face to face with the notorious Phantom of the Opera. She was too shocked to jump or scream or do anything else that frightened people did.

"You must be Monsieur Leroux, correct?" The Phantom asked in a cultured voice.

"Correct, and you must be the Phantom." Nicole replied in a calm manner.

The Phantom nodded. Both could tell that neither was too impressed with the other.

The silence thickened a bit more until Nicole broke it. "Alright, straight to the point. I believe that you and I can work together."

The unmasked side of the Phantom's face grew both amused and curious. "Is that so?"

Nicole nodded. "Yes, I am well aware that I cannot handle this theater by myself…or at least the art half of it."

The Phantom seemed to be considering her words. "So, you wish us to work together…as business partners?"

"That's right. You oversee everything that involves the actors, musicians, stage crew, everything. And I oversee the bills, paperwork, media attention. Basically everything that has to do with the outside world."

The Phantom looked out over the theater with a faraway look in his eyes.

"How did you come to know that I still existed?"

Nicole tried to find a plausible explanation, but couldn't so she told the truth. "Ever since I read about you in the papers about being the cause of the fire and then reported as dead when they couldn't identify a corpse brought from the rubble, I've always known that you were still alive, playing opossum."

The Phantom looked at her sharply, "And why are you trusting an arsonist, or better yet, a murderer?"

Nicole met his eyes unwaveringly, "Because people change, that ands I'm willing to give you 30,000 francs a month as bribery for not killing anyone unless in self-defense."

He blinked and then stood up abruptly and walked closer to the balcony leaning on the edge, then he turned and looked at her.

"I am not a person, I am a god among men and I do not take bribes."

Nicole smiled slightly, "You say you are a god among men because, you need to feel superior. My guess is you were tormented when you were younger and so therefore the only way you can be better than them is claiming you are a god and playing your magic tricks and scaring others then killing them."

The Phantom, instead of getting angry as most people did when Nicole spoke the truth, gained a cocky grin and said, quite calmly, "Are you my psychiatrist now?"

Nicole snorted softly, "So will you take the money, both as a bribe and monthly paycheck?"

The Phantom shook his hand. "You need to put a little bit more on the table for me to play this game."

"Alright, you will also have full rights to Box Five and gull protection from me if the police ever do find you alive. I believe that will at least make you think a bit clearer the next time you decide to burn down an Opera House."

The Phantom seemed to be getting a little more amused. Nicole felt that that was a good sign.

"Deal."

Nicole smiled and stood up and shook hands with him. "Now that that's settled, if there's anything you need, feel free to ask."

And that was how the first meeting went.

XXX

Three weeks went by before Nicole heard from the Phantom. His message came by way of a note she found on her desk in her office.

It read:

Dear Nicolas Leroux,

The following is a lost I have comprised of things we need. Contact me through Madame Giry if you have any questions.

3 Tuba players

1 Bassoon player

4 Flute players

2 Saxophone instruments

1 female lead singer

1 male lead singer

The list went on to include certain statues that needed to be cleaned more thoroughly and other such trivial matters.

Nicole studied 1-6 on the list again to start planning. She would have to hold auditions for 1,2,3,5, and 6. 4 she could easily go to a shop and buy those. Although she wasn't sure what make or model to get…

I wish he had given this to me in person, that way I could ask him questions directly! She saw that he wanted to use Giry as a gopher. Screw that, I'll find him myself."

Nicole wasn't going to search around blindly for him. She had read the papers and they all wrote that he had lived in an underground cave many, many stories beneath the Opera House. So that was where she would start.

Four hours later, she was as lost and confused as ever and was soaked with water from the knees down from all the canals.

She sighed and sat down on stone. She heard a scampering noise to her right and looked over to find a rat.

"Hey little guy. You wouldn't happen to see any phantoms around lately, would you?"

The rat looked at her and tilted its head to the side.

Nicole sighed again, "Didn't think so."

The rat turned and started walking away. A small prick of curiously made her rise and follow him.

The rat kept going and going and Nicole was beginning to wonder if he was just trying to get away from her, but then she turned a corner and found that she had never been this way before so she continued to follow the little rodent.

Just when Nicole felt her feet pound with exhaustion did the rat turn a corner and she came to an iron gate.

XXX

Erik had just finished writing the last few lines to a self-composed melody when, by pure chance, he glanced at the entrance to his cave to see Nicolas Leroux standing there looking apprehensive.

Immediately a storm of anger swelled inside him. He got up from his table and went over to the lever that controlled the gate and lifted it.

The gate opened with the familiar sound of gears grinding and Leroux trudged through the entrance, wading into the shallow lake and came to the foot of the stairs leading up into Erik's furnished dwelling. Nicolas had to look up to meet Erik's eyes, as he was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Did Madame Giry show you how to get here?" Erik wouldn't put it past her. After all, it was she who had shown Raoul where to find Christine.

Nicolas straightened his jacket, probably to regain some dignity after walking many hours worth through sewage. "Actually, it was a rat."

Erik felt the storm roll over into confirm. "A rat?"

"Yes."

A moment of silence then, "I see…why did you not follow my instructions? It would have saved you the trouble…and your clothes."

Nicolas shrugged. "Talking to you in person seemed better that having Madame Giry be the middle man…woman."

Erik shook his head in exasperation. "Monsieur Leroux, you are quite the character."

Nicolas beamed. "Thank you, Phantom."

Erik offered him a seat at the table and they began to discuss the list.

"I want you to be there for the auditions." Nicole said.

The Phantom rose an eyebrow. "For what reason?"

"You said so yourself that I haven't a clue of what I'm doing."

He nodded. "That is true, but how am I to attend? We agreed that the public was not to be aware of my reappearance."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "You're the Phantom! Surely you can think of some way that no one will notice you!"

She saw a hint of cleverness appear in his eyes.

"This is true as well, alright I'll be there. When are the auditions?"

As they worked out the best times for each of the five categories Nicole brought up another subject.

"I have no idea where to get the saxophones from. Is there a particular store you like, a certain brand?"

The Phantom sighed and wrote all the information, she needed on a sheaf of parchment.

"Have Madame Giry accompany you."

Nicole nodded her thanks and when she got up to leave the Phantom stopped her with a warning, "Tell no one of this place."

Nicole promised she wouldn't and left.