(A/N)

I know, I know. I keep beating around the bush to get to the Masquerade Ball scene, but it just seems that every time I write a chapter something new pops up into my mind (like Erik's music ;) ) and I just HAVE to include it in my fan fiction!

Here is the Masquerade Scene! Be prepared for a VERY long chapter!

It makes me so happy that there are still so many Phantom of the Opera fans out there! I do have a question for all the users, so please review with your answer because your answer could determine how the story ends!

Do you believe that Raoul and Meg should have a deeper (more meaningful, like Erik and Christine's relationship in this story) relationship?

And now let's journey back to Paris, France January 1st, 1871 to two different couples preparing for a night of splendor, dancing, and new discoveries…

Chapter 11: The Night of Celebration

Erik reached Antoinette's office before rehearsals were over, like always, and made himself at home. As he sat on the couch in the corner of her room he removed his mask and opened the container of brandy and poured himself a glass, mind you it was more than a normal man usually drank. However, Erik grew to hold a larger tolerance to alcohol than most of the Parisians and he let the warm liquid run down his throat. He eyed his mask on the table and grunted at it disapprovingly, the white piece of leather always gets in the way of doing normal things like eating, drinking, kissing…as soon as the last thought came into his mind Erik shook his head and resumed with the task at hand.

A glass of brandy was exactly what he needed and Erik was glad that he took advantage of this moment. By God he deserved a drink every once in a while and after all the excitement of the previous couple of days he knew that he needed it more than ever! But unlike most men Erik began to feel the symptoms of becoming drunk before it was too late. His fingertips had a buzzing sensation and he felt his equilibrium altering slightly. Only then did he decide that he had had enough to drink for tonight.

The second he had placed the glass back on the tray and replaced his mask Madame Giry walked back into her office after a struggling day with practice. She removed her shoes and put on her usual slippers to help with the arthritis in her feet. Years and years of being the prima ballerina had taken a toll on her toes and ankles.

When she reached her desk she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples trying to subdue the impending headache that she had gained from hearing the managers and Carlotta argue over the fact that Christine was back and rehearsing Carlotta's "role" in the upcoming show of 'Romeo and Juliet'. According the Carlotta it was all Madame Giry's fault that Christine was even here which earned Antoinette and Carlotta a very long argument that concluded with Carlotta vowing she was not going to leave until she regained the position she deserved.

Meg Giry had seen what was happening to her mother and the former leading soprano and rushed over to her mother's aid. As she placed herself between her mother and the Italian woman before her she had been very sweet to Carlotta.

"My God of course you should be return to your rightful position!" Meg exclaimed for all to hear. Many of the cast and crew members found this very interesting, why would Meg Giry stand up for Carlotta Guidicelli? But soon their questions were all answered as Meg continued on.

"You're absolutely right Carlotta," Meg began as Carlotta gave a very smug proud smile for all to see.

"You should be given back the title as Prima Puttana," Meg said with a huge grin as she saw the Italian woman's face change from several different emotions; from false pride, to astonishment, then to anger, and finally blind rage. In her rage Carlotta struck Meg Giry and shrieked in her face causing a large bruise to form along with a small cut by the ballerina's eye.

Of course, no one dared to place the blame on Carlotta so the managers tried to place it on Meg Giry. Thankfully Antoinette was there before any harm was put to her daughter's reputation and Madame Giry gave a very big mouthful to the two idiots who "owned" the opera house. Antoinette came to appreciate Erik's power over the Opera Populaire more and more every day.

Madame Giry finally looked up and saw a masculine figure sitting in her couch ten feet away from her. At first her heart began to race faster than Carlotta's vibrato, but soon it mellowed down when her brain registered that it was, her "adopted brother", Erik. She saw that he had an amused smirk on his face so she automatically knew that whatever it was that he wished to inform her was of good intentions, thank god there weren't any death threats…today.

"So Erik I assume that whatever it is that we will be discussing tonight is of good fortune?" Antoinette asked with a little sarcasm dripping near the end.

"Yes Antoinette, finally your God has looked down upon me and answered a prayer of mine," Erik replied somewhat nervous now.

"Oh? And what can that be?" Antoinette asked innocently, although she had a good feeling that she already knew that it had to do something with Christine. Antoinette saw the young soprano during practice and the way Christine almost skipped around and hummed it almost seemed logical to assume that Erik had been the cause of such a change in attitude.

"I wish to escort Christine to the Masque Ball tomorrow night. I was hoping that she could stay with you tonight so that it would make the plans easier," Erik asked with his voice faltering in the ever so slightest.

Antoinette beamed at the news and nodded her head in consent.

"But of course it's perfectly fine Erik! Yes, well Meg's date will be picking her up around seven so I believe that that would be a good time for you to escort Christine as well?" Madame Giry could not help but be excited for both Christine and Erik. She had always wanted them to discover each other, but she also never pushed the relationship because she believed her intervention would have only driven them apart.

Erik watched, what he had always recognized as, his sister become thrilled about the idea of him escorting her adopted daughter to the masquerade. He was surprised that instead of being excited with her he became nervous instead. Is this how all men feel? Is this normal?

Erik contemplated how he was feeling while he watched Antoinette discuss times and all the performances that were going to happen. But he couldn't help but watch his mind wander over to how the managers still disobeyed him, and he had promised a disaster beyond their imagination. Perhaps the Phantom could make an appearance at the ball tomorrow night. He knew he would just have to discuss it with Christine.

He continued to nod and grunt in response to everything that Antoinette was telling him as he waited for an appropriate time to bid her goodnight. He caught a moment of silence between the two of them during which Antoinette let out a soft yawn and he took the Que.

"It seems to be getting late Antoinette, I believe it is time for me to return to my home. I bid you goodnight and goodbye until tomorrow evening at seven."

Antoinette nodded at Erik and watched as her brother entered one of his secret passageways behind a curtain in her room. She sighed as she collected the papers she needed to sign for Monday and returned to the stage to walk Meg and Christine back to her home. She smiled as she knew that Erik will bring over Christine's costume before the three women managed to return back to her home.

Christine walked with Meg and Madame Giry back to their Giry's small, but very comfy, home. The home had three bedrooms, all acquainted for each of the women, yet one bath. Christine smiled as she remembered the many occasions where all three ladies could be found waiting for one of the three while she used the bathroom, and now as Christine looked back she realized that she must have put the Giry's through hell when she would cry in the bathroom near the beginning of her mourning of the loss of her father.

Christine opened the door to the bedroom that she had always used as a little girl and was very pleased when she saw that nothing had been moved—it was exactly how she had left it when she moved into the opera house ballerina dormitories. Her dolls where still in the brown chest that lay in front of the quilt covered bed, her small dresses where still hanging in her closet and her diary was still between her pillow and mattress.

As she sat down on her bed and relaxed Christine smiled for a while before she noticed a rose with a note on the bedside table. Carefully leaning over to pick both items up, Christine smelled the rose and was immediately reminded of her Erik. The blood red rose smelled just like him and Christine wished to never be parted from him again, if only she knew how he truly felt about her.

After admiring the beautiful flower Christine laid it back down on the bedside table and opened the note and read it as she felt tears beginning to form around the corners of her eyes.

My Christine,

I do not know how I shall survive being parted from you tonight—but I shall have to survive with the condolences that I will see your radiant smile and beautiful eyes once again tomorrow evening at seven. Every second away from you pains me greatly, but do not worry for my sake, I shall be revived of all the pains once I have you in my arms once again. Sleep well tonight my Christine for I am counting the seconds until we are together once more.

I have something I wish to speak with you about tomorrow evening in the carriage ride to the opera house involving the Phantom. Please do not keep yourself up late tonight, if you need anything to help you sleep ask Antoinette Madame Giry and she will know exactly what to administer.

With all the love in the world,

Erik

Christine's eyes hungrily took in each word that Erik had written to her. After she had read it close to ten times she placed the letter back down on the side table and saw a big mass of clothing peeking out of her closet, however no matter how curious Christine was at that moment it did not matter because sleep caught up with her body and mind. All too soon Christine slumped back against her pillow as she succumbed to the sleep she desperately needed—all the while dreaming of Erik and his music of the night…

She was running through an abandoned hallway in the Opera Populaire when she heard that musical laughter floating behind her. She started laughing as well and Christine realized that she was in a dream and Erik was chasing her! So she did what any other girl would not do and she stopped and hid behind a curtain in that room. Thankfully the curtain was only translucent, thereby giving her enough light to see through the curtain at her chaser.

Erik had ran after Christine but lost her behind a corner, wanting to surprise her he waited a few seconds before jumping out into the open corridor's entrance. But Erik, for the first time, was stunned to see that the person he was chasing was actually gone! He had to give it to himself—Christine has been getting better and he was very proud of that. As he began walking away he wondered where exactly she could be.

Christine took the opportunity when she saw that Erik was becoming distracted with his thinking as he began to left and she matched his footsteps precisely. She knew quite well that Erik would be able to pick up on any rhythms that were out of syncopation. As she drew closer she silently held her breath and grabbed him around the waist causing a large, deep, gasp erupt from Erik's throat.

Christine could not hold it in anymore and began to laugh harder than she had in many many years and because of her laughter she was unaware that she was now the one that was captured. Suddenly she was able to feel everything; from Erik's chest pressed against her back, to his arms wrapped around her waist, his lips against her head, and exactly how her body was reacting to each one of these new discoveries. As she turned around to face him she never would have expected him to do what he just did.

His lips crashed against hers as if they were the last source of oxygen and she returned the sentiment just as strong. For once in his life Erik allowed all the barriers to be broken, all the worries to be released, all the love for this woman to be shown. Christine stopped trying to do the proper thing for once, she let Erik in completely and did not care as she felt her clothes being removed. Yes, finally they were going to show each other what true love really was.

All too soon Erik stopped his ministrations and took Christine by her shoulders and started to shake her as he yelled her name.

"Christine! Christine! Wake up!" His worried face soon morphed into a familiar blonde girl that Christine knew…

…and another amazingly wonderful dream was to be interrupted by a bystander, thought Christine as she finally came back to the real world. She opened her eyes to see Meg right above her at eye level which Christine had to keep herself from screaming out loud. Christine gazed at her friend as Meg continued on talking.

"Honestly Christine, I don't know how someone can really sleep until twelve in the afternoon. It is beyond me—" Christine grabbed her pillow and quickly swatted her friend with it before Meg was able to get any more out of her mouth. For a whole minute Meg sat her with her mouth opened in the shape of an O and did not blink at Christine. Christine smiled back sweetly and astounded,

"Why Meg! I do believe this is the longest you have gone without talking! I shall inform your mother of a new method to keep you silent," Christine smiled mischievously as she slowly got up to go to the kitchen where she figured Madame Giry would be found sitting at the table drinking her usual black coffee with a croissant while reading the morning's paper.

As Christine turned her head towards the door she felt something hit her with such a great force that it actually pushed her out of the way to the door. When she regained her senses she saw that Meg was blockading the door with her body and her own pillow in her hand while breathing heavily, almost as if she had just finished a great battle.

The two girls looked at each other and themselves for a few minutes before breaking out into a laughing fit as they chucked pillows at each other's heads. For once they acted like they had when they were little, no responsibilities, no rules—just living life to its fullest and greatest.

Antoinette stopped reading her paper as she heard a commotion in the guest bedroom and decided to check on the girls to see if they were beginning to prepare for tonight's Masque Ball. As she neared the doorway she decided she would acknowledge the schedule and time limit the girls had to prepare themselves and opened the door to receive a pillow thrown right at her face. A silence so thick that it could be cut with butter ensued right after the misfire of the throw pillow hit Madame Giry and both girls bowed their heads as they had done in practice when in trouble.

Antoinette knew that she had two options at this point. One, she could be the strict adult figure the girls had grown up with their entire life and she would be able to maintain the sense of authority that should and would never be overthrown. Or two, she could allow herself and the girls this one freedom before the festivities tonight and she would be able to bond closer to the girls that she had loved ever since Meg was born and when Christine had come into their lives. Both options weighed heavily on the older woman but she knew that she could and would have to only pick one and after a few minutes of standing in front of the girls speechless she decided to do the sensible option. She began to laugh.

"Oh my, I haven't participated in a pillow fight since I was you girls' age and still living in the dormitories of the opera house!" Antoinette said as she laughed and replaced all the pillows back onto the bed. The two young performers in the room with her were more stunned than the managers were when they had discovered Christine the night of Hannibal. Madame Giry watched as her two girls stood in front of her very surprised and she immediately went back to option one and hit her cane against the floor to regain their full attention.

"Now that all the fun and games are over with, I think it would be best for the two of you to begin getting ready for the Masquerade tonight. The two young men will be here in," she stopped and looked at the clock in the corner of the room to remind her of the time, "six hours and you two have yet to fill your stomachs with food, bathe, do your hair and makeup and even put your costumes on."

Christine and Meg looked at each other once again and immediately thanked Madame Giry as they began bustling about as they began the tedious process of preparing themselves for a ball. Madame Giry smiled and shook her head as she watched her two children busy themselves so much over two men that Antoinette hoped with all her heart would both take care of the two girls that mean more than life itself.

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Erik sat at his organ and finished the opera "Don Juan Triumphs" that he had been writing for five years now. He flipped through Act 1 all the way to Act 5 and was so pleased with himself that as he was making himself some of his favorite Russian tea he absentmindedly began to sing the tenor lead for the love song between the male and female lead during the last act as they proclaim their love for each other.

He hoped to he would be able to give the managers the script tonight, given that Christine gave him her permission when they'll discuss this in the carriage, and then the Opera Populaire will become even greater.

He glanced over at his Red Death costume and was quite pleased with how the skeleton mask turned out from those endless hours of working on it which had ended a few hours ago leaving him just enough time to finish his life's work. He pulled off his regular half white mask and for the first time in at least five years, Erik pulled out the only mirror in his home and looked at himself.

At first he was disgusted at the tangled web of flesh on the right side of his face, he was indeed a monster. But his mind started to doubt this insult for the first time, and instead of an ugly monster in his mind an image of Christine appeared and she had the most adoring and loving eyes in the entire world. Erik returned to his reflection and began to see what Christine had seen that night so long ago. Maybe he actually just might be…beautiful?

Erik had not given it too much thought after that concluding question and began applying the necessary stage makeup to cover the slight deformity at the bottom of his face to make it seem like it was never there. Once Erik was pleased with the smooth façade he had created he turned to his eyes and applied black all around his eyes to give the appearance that the skeleton mask was indeed the head of a skeleton. Erik chuckled softly as he realized how horrible this costume was, it will frighten a lot of people. But at least they won't know his identity. But what if someone did recognize him? What would he do then?

Erik got up and retrieved his sword, his favorite sword, and dropped it gently on top of the heap that was his costume. He was going to go prepared, armed, in case anyone had any foolish idea to try to unmask him to the world prematurely or try to harm him or Christine. He knew that this was to be a joyous occasion but Erik could not help but be cautious because it seemed that everyone's morals drop far past decent when enough alcohol has been taken in.

His loose poet shirt hung open all the way so that his broad chest was revealed. When Erik saw just how dirty he was he decided to take a bath before preparing himself in his costume. He removed his wig and mask and carefully prepared the warm water in his bathtub using a contraption that he had built all the while making sure that none of the stage makeup he had, stupidly, placed on his face earlier got smudged. God forbid he had to look into a mirror again…

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Raoul DeChagny took his time preparing for the Masquerade Ball as he got dressed in his navy uniform that he had been honored with during his time in the navy for those ten years. The uniform was one of the most dignified in the navy and Raoul was going to let everyone know of his accomplishments he achieved during his time in the military. He also decided to wear this to impress Christine and Meg on the side.

The young Vicomte did a once over in the mirror that stood eight feet tall and was impressed at how gorgeous he was, none of the girls will be able to keep their eyes, let alone their hands, off me tonight. The Vicomte continued to proudly praise his beauty and yet wished he would be able to cut the long hair off into a shorter fashion, however his mother would not allow him to do such a thing. According to her it was a longstanding tradition for all the DeChagny men to keep their hair shoulder length and she would rather fall over dead than to see one of their few traditions be ruined by the new fashion of today's generation.

Raoul sighed and sat down at his desk while he tied his glorious mane with a navy blue ribbon to give the appearance of shorter hair. He grabbed his glass of whiskey that was sitting on the edge of his place marker and saw that he had barely any left. Without a second thought he took the last of the alcohol in his mouth and let it sit for ever just a minute as he felt the burning sensation build throughout his body. The adrenaline kicked in and he finally swallowed the substance and retrieved his jacket and bouquet of lilies for Meg.

He went down several hallways before finally making it to the front of his mansion and bid his parents goodbye for they had politely declined the invitation to the Masquerade Ball claiming that they would be too tired after their tour of Italy to attend the event. Raoul, on the other hand, had no choice but to except for two reasons: one, he had already promised Meg Giry that he would go with her for her graciousness in giving him information about Christine and her Angel of Music, and two, he was the patron to the opera house that was hosting the huge event—he had to be there.

He opened the door to the cold December chill and briskly walked down the three sets of stairs to reach the bottom and to finally have the door opened for him in the carriage that would be taking him and Meg Giry directly to the Opera Populaire. They had both agreed that rushing dinner before a long night of drinking wine and dancing would not be the best idea and so they decided to eat an early supper at their own respective houses.

Raoul sat down on the plush dark green velvet lined cushions in the carriage and gently tapped the top of the roof which notified the driver to start their course to the small Giry flat in the busy streets of Paris. Raoul sat in silence, contemplating on how this night was going to go as smoothly as possible without as much interference as possible to distract him from the job he had tonight—to get Meg to trust him more than she even trusted her mother, herself, and even Christine. Raoul knew that if he was ever going to learn more about this Angel of Music or the infamous Phantom of the Opera, then it would be better to how a direct insider of the cast and crew members of the opera house tell him everything he wanted to know than to go to the clueless managers every time he heard of a little gossip. Hell, he knew that Meg Giry would tell him things that the managers will not hear about for weeks on end until it is too late.

He laughed to himself as he began to realize how easy it will be in order to get Meg Giry to do everything he wanted her to do. She was such the typical, clueless, dancer that the Opera Populaire birthed. Raoul knew that all he had to do was say the right words, do the correct actions and sooner or later (hopefully sooner rather than later) Meg would do every whim of his that he sweetly asks of her to do for him.

Raoul peeked through the curtains of his carriage and saw that his driver was beginning to slow down, they must be near the Giry's residence. Raoul prepared himself; he put a gleaming smile on his face, held the bouquet behind his back and walked towards the door with a large boost of confidence. However as Antoinette opened the door he was surprised at what laid inside the house and soon that confidence he once held shattered.

Christine had opened the door expecting that Erik had arrived earlier than expected when she saw that familiar long light brown mop of hair. Her smile faltered ever so slightly, she knew that he wouldn't notice, and welcomed him as nice as possible without him noticing how much she would rather him be on the other side of the world from her in this instant.

Why is he here? Doesn't he have something else better to do than to constantly follow me around? Christine thought. Raoul sat down on the couch in the living room and looked at Christine's prominent figure that was defined in the pale pink Juliet dress she wore tonight. All her curves and assets were larger than he remembered and he couldn't help but look at them. God how he wanted her. His thoughts were cut by Christine clearing her throat.

"I am here to escort Meg Giry to the masquerade ball, I am sure that she told you about it a while back Christine," Raoul explained as he watched her.

Christine suddenly felt horrible for accusing him of following her. She knew that Raoul liked her but she should have realized that he wouldn't have gone to those types of extremes for him to try to get her attention. Then it all came back to her, the memory of Meg rushing into her room telling her that the Vicomte was taking her to the Masque Ball. Christine remembered being happy for her friend and relieved that Raoul didn't like her anymore, but the way his eyes bore into her made Christine feel uncertain that Raoul's feelings for her had changed.

"Let me go get Meg and let her know that her date arrived safely," Christine said quickly and stood up to leave Raoul and search for her friend. Hopefully Meg will be able to keep Raoul busy while I wait for Erik to arrive, oh I wish he was here right now. Christine finally made it to Meg's room after letting Madame Giry know that Raoul had arrived. Christine always knew that Madame Giry was old fashioned and believed that young adults should have a chaperone in the room at all times. Thankfully, Christine desperately wanted Madame Giry in the same room as Raoul as to keep him from doing anything that wasn't honorable or disrespectful towards Christine or Meg while Erik still wasn't here.

Christine knocked on Meg's door and when the blonde dancer opened to see her friend waiting for her she knew that her date must be here and bounded down the hall with Christine in tow.

Once Meg made it back into the living room and saw Raoul sitting on her couch she felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter and she swore she had never seen a more handsome man in her entire life than the one sitting before her now. She saw how his Navy costume complimented his shade of eyes and his tan skin. He gave her an award winning smile and she swore her knees would buckle from the beauty of it.

Raoul stood up and kissed Meg's hand noticing how he was making her swoon and gave her the bouquet of flowers he brought with him. Meg took the flowers while thanking him as profusely as her blush was right now and after she put the flowers into a vase she sat back down on the couch with Christine and her mother and started talking to Raoul about how she and Christine knew each other and how close they were. All the while Christine prayed and prayed for her Erik to come and save her.

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Erik hailed a carriage as he was exiting his entrance to the opera house and made it around to the left side to make it seem less conspicuous. The man that was driving had to be a little older than Christine, most likely twenty five, and stopped his horse right in front of Erik. The boy had lighter colored hair, almost sandy brown, and darker skin that reminded Erik of his friend Nadir Khan. The younger Nadir look alike jumped down from his seat in the carriage and looked at Erik for a moment and bowed his head before he began to talk.

"Good evening sir, my name is Gabriel. Is there anywhere in particular that you wish for me to drive you tonight?"

Erik took out his wallet and found fifty francs to give to the poor lad that had to drive in such bad traffic tonight. Erik didn't miss the way the boy's eyes widened drastically and then went back to normal after a second due to the boys shock. Erik waited patiently while the boy put his money into a wallet of his own before directing the young man where to take him.

"Good evening Gabriel, my name is Monsieur DeNuit. I will be of need of your services to take me to 4597 Rue Serret in Paris. From the house I will be collecting a Mademoiselle Daae and I will like you to address her as such. Be the perfect gentleman and make our drive to the Opera Populaire tonight for the Masquerade smooth and I will promise you more francs for your services," Erik told the young man everything that he needed to know. Erik was afraid of how Christine's quick rise to stardom will cause her reputation with all the people in town to change drastically and he wanted to make sure that at least one person would still treat her the same way.

Erik was sure that Gabriel knew exactly which Daae he was talking about. Of course everyone knew of Gustave Daae and his amazing violin abilities but all for the past months everyone has been talking about Gustave's mysterious daughter rising to fame just like her father had back in his day.

Gabriel reluctantly nodded in assent, he knew all about Christine Daae and had even attended one of her opera's and now he finally got to meet her! But alas, the Monsieur DeNuit told him to treat the Christine Daae just as any other regular person—but she wasn't just any other person! She should, and by God, will be treated like the queen of France if Gabriel had any say in the matter!

After his silent proclamation during Erik's speech Gabriel nodded in consent at the end and opened the door for Erik and waited for the man to get comfortable before closing the door and heading off to the house of which that Erik had told him the address to.

Erik, in the meantime, sat uncomfortably in the dark carriage that brought back dark memories of his past. His hands entwisted around his dress pants and the back of his neck beaded with sweat as his ineer demons from the past came back to haunt him. Once again he could feel the sting of the whip on his back lash over and over again. Once more did he hear his cruel and demented name given to him from the ages of three to twelve: the Devil's Child. Erik touched the leather of his now white mask that covered the top half of his face. His fingers trailed down to the bottom half and felt the skin colored rubber that covered and smoothed out the smaller bottom half of his deformity.

A large sigh escaped from Erik's mouth as he realized that he would look like a regular man attending the masquerade tonight. His Christine was a genius for coming up with the idea, no one would recognize him. Ah, he almost forgot his plan to come to the party as the phantom. Yes, he would be needing to talk to Christine about this plan once she was in the carriage with him. Dear God did he hope that she would agree to such a thing, he needed to keep up his reputation as the Phantom of the Opera—but he respected Christine far more than his unusual career.

Erik felt the carriage begin to slow down and knew that he was coming close to his destination. He looked out his window and saw Antoinette's home coming up in the distance and he quickly smoothed his hair again, grabbed the bouquet of red roses that were tied down with a black ribbon—he had made it himself just for Christine—and made sure that his mask was in place.

When the carriage stopped a little too quickly for Erik's pleasure, the boy Gabriel opened the door for him and bowed and held his arm open. Erik stepped down from the carriage and nodded to the boy before walking inside with a nervousness that he didn't realize that he was capable of being. By God he was the Phantom of the Opera! He wasn't scared of anything and here he was frightened to see a little five foot six singer…that he so dearly loved! Shaking his head in stubbornness Erik plastered on a large amount of confidence and knocked three times on the wooden door solidly.

The door swung open right as he was about to knock a fourth time and Erik was welcomed to see Antoinette Giry already dressed in her costume for tonight's ball. Erik smiled warmly at her and kissed her hand when Madame Giry welcomed him into her home.

"You look amazing tonight Antoinette," Erik complimented his adopted sister as he magically made a pink tulip appear out of thin air. Antoinette laughed and thanked Erik as she accepted the rose that he had given her, she continued to smile as it brought back memories of them when they were younger. She loved Erik so much, but she only loved him as a brother. Oh how she was so thankful that Christine was able to love Erik the way she never could have.

"Oh dear Erik, let me take your cloak," Antoinette admonished as she removed the cloak from Erik and put it in their coat closet off in the hallway from the parlor. Erik walked with Antoinette and almost stopped mid step as he heard Christine's melodious laugh reach his ears. Madame Giry heard her laughing as well and ushered Erik into the living room where he found Christine, Meg, and…the same young man that was threatening to hunt him down on the night of Christine's debut!

The bastard had the audacity to sit next to his Christine! Erik felt every bone in his body instantly become protective of the dark haired beauty he looked at right now and saw just how fitting the costume was for her. Christine looked like a goddess in the pale pink dress that he had created for her and when Christine saw him standing there he could have sworn that he had died and gone to heaven.

Christine and Meg had been laughing at a joke when she had heard someone walk into the room. She looked up from Meg and saw that Erik had arrived and immediately her stomach was filled with butterflies. She saw the red dress suit and skeleton mask upon his face and saw just how handsome he looked in it. Oh how she wished that he could hear her thoughts right now, then she knew that he would ask her to be his and Christine would say yes a thousand times over.

Christine ran up to Erik and hugged him tightly as she whispered, only for him to hear, in his ear, "I have missed you so much. Never leave me again." Christine felt Erik's silent laugh course through his body and pulled away from him to look at him better. She looked at his eyes and saw the love he had for her shine through them.

Erik pulled Christine's hand to his mouth and kissed it tenderly as he watched her face redden deeply. No one else in the room mattered at the moment and frankly he didn't give a damn to whoever saw their tender sentiments between each other. Erik continued to amaze Christine when he magically made her bouquet appear and he saw how Christine recognized his traditional way of showing how much she pleased him as he saw her caress the black ribbon that held all her flowers together.

Erik looked at his watch on his wrist and saw that it was time for them to leave to arrive to the masquerade on time. He walked over to Antoinette and kissed her hand again before apologizing.

"Forgive me Antoinette, Christine and I must be leaving now so we can arrive to the Masque Ball on time. I hope to find you there tonight," he told his sister as he slightly bowed his head in her direction. Antoinette smiled as she gave them her consent to leave as she hugged Christine and wished them to have a fun night, but not too fun.

Erik held his arm out for Christine, to which Christine gladly accepted, and they interlaced their arms and walked out to the black carriage. Christine looked up at Erik's piercing dark blue eyes and became excited.

"Oh my! Is that carriage for us?" Christine exclaimed excitedly as they drew near to it. Christine noticed how regal the entire carriage was. At a first glance it looked to be entirely black but now that she looked closer there were dark reds that accessorized the exterior and interior of the carriage. The young man that stood patiently waiting for them was dressed in a suit as well, not as grandeur as Erik's, but still he looked very nice.

Once Erik and Christine made it back to the carriage Erik looked at Gabriel one more time to remind the boy of their discussion from earlier and the young boy made such a slight nod of his head it would go unnoticed by those who weren't looking for it. Once Erik was pleased with the boy's attitude he released Christine's arm and allowed Gabriel to do what his service entitled of him.

Gabriel opened the carriage door before holding out his hand for Christine Daae. He gave her one of his best smiles as he felt her hand slide into his.

"You look lovely tonight Mademoiselle," he complimented her as she blushed slightly as he helped her into the carriage. It took every bit of the self-control that Gabriel possessed to not kiss her hand, let alone kiss her entire body, as he watched her and helped her get into the carriage safely.

Erik then preceded to help himself into the carriage while Gabriel went back to the front to get the horses ready for the trip back to the Opera Populaire. Erik peered out of his window to make sure that Gabriel wasn't eavesdropping before he started to talk to Christine.

"You look amazing tonight Christine, all the angels in heaven are weeping at your beauty tonight." Erik complimented Christine as he kissed her hand. He was amused to see a deep blush appear on his Christine's face and heard her start to falter in her speech—something she never had done.

"Why, umm, thank you. Er umm you look quite dashing yourself," she told Erik as she watched his smile get bigger. She watched him for a couple of seconds and she thought about him. He was simply amazing, he always wrote her beautiful letters…and that reminded her of the letter he had left for her on her bedside table. With a new sense of confidence Christine cleared her throat and began talking again.

"Erik your letter on my bedside table? I was curious to what you meant by 'I have something I wish to speak with you about tomorrow evening in the carriage ride to the opera house involving the Phantom'" Christine watched a new realization dawn upon Erik by the facial expressions he made. She knew that whatever it was that he needed to tell her was very important so she allowed him as much time as he needed to prepare himself.

Erik cleared his throat before recounting the speech he had prepared for this moment.

"Christine, as you know I possess a…unusual career choice. I have a reputation at the opera house as the infamous opera ghost and lately I have been foregoing from making any appearance as the Phantom. Also, I have recently finished writing my life's work "Don Juan Triumphs", this opera is the key to the Opera Populaire's success because I've written it in such detail that it will allow the cast and crew members to focus on more detail than ever before! So I believe that if I excused myself from your presence to smoke or the use of the restroom then I would be able to reappear but as the Phantom with the script. I would be able to get the managers to understand what I expect of them. I swear that I will not harm a single person, just warn them."

Christine sat in silence as she listened to Erik explain his master plan to appear as the Phantom to tonight's masquerade. She knew that his unexpected entrance would indeed frighten any and all that are attending tonight. They all have heard of the infamous Phantom of the Opera, they've seen what he is capable of and all the tales that are about him, but never have they ever seen him.

Again, Christine agreed that the singers and dancers were beginning to slack in their jobs that they were given in the opera house. Some of them, like Carlotta, have even started mocking the Phantom because he had not shown himself in months. They had began to deliberately slacked in their roles, missed easy notes all because he wasn't threatening them anymore. The managers had even openly made fun of Erik and Christine hated every second that this mockery continued—all he wanted to do was help the opera house and make it successful with his guidance! And these buffoons didn't accept the help because he was a ghost and not human, along with that his help isn't made of money. Christine agreed completely to what Erik was proposing to her, and he even promised her that he would not harm anymore except for their pride.

"Yes, do it," Christine almost whispered to Erik as he sat waiting for her to think the entire situation through. Erik was, to say the least, surprised that she would agree to such a thing as this quite as quickly as she just did. For a few minutes Erik could do nothing but finally he nodded and held her hands. Now that she had agreed to this there was something else he needed of her to do.

"Thank you Christine, you have no idea what this means to me. But now there is one more thing I must ask of you my dear. I need you to act like you don't know me when I am personifying the Phantom. You must be as scared as all the others, I hate to have you act such as a way but it is necessary." Erik yearningly asked this beautiful woman sitting across from him to help with his plan tonight. He knows that it is so much to ask of Christine and he wasn't deserving of this woman but he asked nonetheless.

Christine nodded her head and felt his lips kiss her forehead. Her body relaxed under his touch and she leaned in to kiss him in return when the carriage stopped and Gabriel opened the door to let them know that they had arrived. Christine pulled herself back into her seat and put her mask onto her face before looking back at Erik.

With Christine's mask on her face now he laughed a little to see just how amazing she looked with one on.

"My dear, the mask is a very fitting look on you," he mused. Christine immediately understood the hidden meaning behind his words and smiled in return before bowing to him after she was helped out of the carriage by Gabriel.

Erik walked up to Gabriel and paid him the money that was promised before Gabriel left. The couple then followed the flow of people to the inside of the Opera Populaire as the rest of the important people from the opera house made their way for the masquerade.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Firmin and Andre were walking with their dates when they accidentally bumped into each other. They removed their masks and Firmin looked at his friend.

"M'sieur Andre?" He asked as they walked into the opera house.

"M'sieur Firmin!" Andre replied in excitement as they were welcomed by the lovely gold and white and black that surrounded them. Firmin leaned to stand next to his friend before continuing to talk.

"Dear Andre, what a splendid party!

The prologue to a bright new year!

Quite a night! I'm impressed!

Well, when one does one's best

Here's to us! A toast for the city

What a pity that the Phantom can't be here!"

The two colleagues laughed as they walked into the main foyer of their opera house. They went off to find a few drinks for themselves and their dates while everyone was dancing on the floor. They found a small table and laughed as they talked about what they were going to do with the New Year ahead of them.

Soon the cast members of the Opera Populaire, mainly the chorus and few higher singers, arrived and everyone was enthralled by their dancing that introduced their song for tonight's masquerade ball. Of course Monsieur Reyer was in charge of the choreography and orchestra to make sure everything ran smoothly.

"Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade…

Masquerade!

Hide your face so the world will never find you!

Masquerade!

Every face a different shade

Masquerade!

Look around

There's another mask behind you!

Flash of mauve…splash of puce…

Fool and king…ghoul and goose…

Green and black..Queen and priest…

Trace and rouge…face of beast…

Faces…

Take your turn, take a ride on the merry-go-round…

In an inhuman race…

Eye of gold…thigh of blue…

True is false… who is who…?

Curl of lip…swirl of gown…

Ace of hearts…face of clown…

Faces…

Drink it in, drink it up, till you've drowned

In the light…

In the sound…

But who can name the face…

Masquerade!

Grinning yellows, spinning reds…

Masquerade!

Take your fill

Let the spectacle astound you!

Masquerade!

Burning glances, turning heads…

Masquerade!

Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!

Masquerade!

Seething shadows, breathing lies…

Masquerade!

You can fool any friend who ever knew you!

Masquerade!

Leering satyrs, peering eyes…

Masquerade!

Run and hide

But a face will still pursue you!"

Firmin and Andre stopped Carlotta, Piangi and Antoinette Giry along with her daughter Meg and Raoul DeChagny and decided to join them in tonight's celebration. As they shook the men's hands and kissed the women's knuckles they all laughed together as Carlotta and Piangi began to sing with the group joining in all together soon afterwards.

"What a night!

What a crowd!

Makes you proud!

All the crème de la crème!

Watching us watching them!

And all our fears are in the past!

Three months…

Of relief!

Of delight!

Of Elysian peace!

And we can breathe at last!

No more notes!

No more ghosts!

Here's to health!

Here's a toast: to a prosperous year!

To all our friends that can hear!

To the new chandelier

And may its splendor never fade!

Three months!

What a joy!

What a change!

What a blessed release!

And what a masquerade!"

The group laughed with one and each other while Raoul kept an eye on everything and everyone around him. He was sure that he will find a way to get Meg to give him more information sooner or later if he had any say in the matter.

Christine and Erik finally made it inside the opera house and Christine pulled Erik off to the side as she realized the meaning of all that they have been through—they were actually courting!

"Think of it! A secret courtship! Look—your future fiancée! Just think of it!" Christine grinned at Erik as she told him of her discovery. Erik knew all along that what they did would be considered courting to society, and they both acted as if they were courting, but they never spoke of it and he did have plans to ask her in the proper way soon this week. However, he still wanted everyone to know that she was his in some way or another. He didn't want anyone trying to take her away from him with lies and threats.

"But why is it secret? What have we to hide? You promised me…" Erik leaned down to kiss Christine as he reminded her of so long ago when she promised him that she would never hide anything about them ever again. He remembered her vow of love and he will never forget that even after he dies.

"No Erik, please don't do this. They'll see," Christine became anxious of the distance between the two of them. She looked around to see if anyone had taken notice of what the two of them were doing in plain sight. But thankfully for Christine it seemed as if they have gone unnoticed. Erik, on the other hand, was not faltered by Christine's reasoning as he kissed her neck.

"Well then let them see. It's a courtship, not a crime! Christine what are you afraid of," Erik cooed in her ear as they walked towards the dance floor.

"Let's not argue/Let's not argue

Please pretend…You will…/I can only hope I'll...

Understand in time!"

Erik and Christine finally made it to the dance floor and Erik swept Christine into a waltz as the music played on. For the five minutes that they danced no one else in the room mattered and it seemed as if they were the only two in the world. They spun and danced around the room without a care in the world and finished were they began at ending the dance with a long kiss as they watched the entertainment finish their song as they smiled and laughed.

"Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade!

Masquerade!

Hide your face so the world will never find you!

Masquerade!

Every face a different shade!

Masquerade!

Look around

There's another mask behind you!

Masquerade!

Burning glances turning heads…

Masquerade!

Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!

Masquerade!

Grinning yellows, spinning reds…

Masquerade!

Take your fill—

Let the spectacle astound you!

Masquerade!"

The song ended on a high note and everyone in the crowd cheered. Erik and Christine went over to a counter to get something to drink. Christine ended up choosing a chilled tea and Erik chose a stronger type of brandy that Christine had never heard of. After they found a place to sit Christine watched Erik sip at the brandy in his glass. She found it strange that the waiter only filled the glass up a third way and was curious about the brown substance in the crystal glass.

Erik sipped away at the brandy noticing how much easier it was to do normal human things with this different mask on. He appreciated the freedoms that came along with it and looked over at Christine. Even through her mask he was able to notice that she was curious about what he was doing and he only assumed that it was the drink that she was eyeing so carefully. He titled the glass in her direction before speaking.

"Do you want to try the brandy Christine? I'm sure you have never had a sip of alcohol in your life!" Erik teased her as he watched her eye the drink again. Christine nodded and took a sip of the strong drink and immediately scrunched up her nose as she felt the alcohol burn her throat even from the small amount she allotted in her mouth!

"Thank you Erik, but I think I will stick to drinking my tea from now on," Christine said as politely as possible which earned her a booming laugh from Erik in return. The couple sat there as they watched the dancing couples and singers, clapping when appropriate. But soon after the final singer for tonight was over and Erik was finished telling Christine how she herself was far better than any other sing er tonight, Meg came bounding over to their table with Raoul following closely after her.

Meg and Christine hugged and chatted while Erik and Raoul held a very civil (and tense) conversation about politics, the opera house, and many other aristocratic conversation topics. After a while Erik stood up and excused himself for the bathroom to which Christine nodded. She knew however that he wasn't really going to be using the bathroom and prepared herself for tonight's real entertainment that was going to begin shortly.