Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera does not belong to me, only my own characters do.

Author's Note: The song in this chapter is properly titled "Bonny Portmore," the first 2 verses and the refrain are traditional lyrics, but the 3rd verse is mine alone.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed; the more you review, the more I write. I plan to post a chapter every week, depending on how busy I am at work. I work at a call center and do my plotting when we're slow. Anyway, on with the next chapter.

Phantom of the Glen

Chapter 2 - Good Morning Monsiuer Phantom!

Erik woke with a start; he could swear he heard the gears of the portcullis that protected his lair grinding ominously. He opened his eyes and at first didn't realize he was no longer in his lair under the Opera Populaire. He looked to where the noise was coming from and saw S'ray asleep in a chair, head back, mouth wide open, and snoring like a demon.

It was then he realized he was no longer sitting in the chair of the night before. He was lying on a down mattress on the floor in front of the now banked fire. Erik sat up and as the blanket moved with him, realized that he was not totally naked. "What the hell happened to my clothes," he demanded, his eyes flashing yellow.

"Huh? What? Who's there?" S'ray asked, Erik's angry outburst having suddenly brought her out of a sound sleep. While glancing around for an intruder, she automatically brought up a pistol she'd been holding her lap.

"You undressed me while I was unconscious," he stated glaring at her.

"Of course I did, those clothes were wet through and you would have caught your death if I hadn't," she explained with a frown.

"You saw me…you saw me…" he sputtered.

"Naked," S'ray finished. "So what?"

Erik didn't know what to say. In all his life he'd never been in this situation before and was not prepared for it. "It's not proper," he finally managed to answer.

S'ray rolled her eyes. "So you'd prefer to be clothed and sick instead of naked and well?"

"Madam, would you please stop bringing my current circumstances into the conversation?"

"Why?"

"It's not proper," he repeated turning the masked portion of his face toward her.

"Not again with the "proper" argument? You're embarrassed aren't you?" she asked moving so she could see the left side of his face. "I don't believe this, the terror of the Opera Populaire is embarrassed because a woman saw him naked. "

Erik narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

"Big deal, I saw you naked. You're not the first man and you certainly won't be the last one that I'll see naked. Good God man, I've got seven brothers," she said standing up and waving her pistol in the air.

"Madame," Erik interrupted keeping an eye on her waving pistol. "Would you kindly stop waving your pistol about like that?"

"Oh, sorry," she said and set the pistol on the table.

"Now, if my clothes are dry, I would like to have them back," he said crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Well, they are not going to be dry so you can't have them back," S'ray answered.

"And why are they not dry?"

"Because I washed them last night, they were filthy. Besides you can't dry wool quickly without shrinking it. Any other fool questions?"

"So I'm to sit here like this till my clothes are dry?"

"Not at all. You can take a hot bath and get the last of the cold out of your bones. I'll even find you some clean, dry clothes to wear when you're done."

"And what of yourself?"

"Oh I took a bath last night when you were asleep. I figured why not as you were asleep and I could watch you from the tub."

Erik was shocked at what she told him and wasn't able to hide it very well. A slight blush colored his face. S'ray noticed and grumbled something about stuffy Victorians under her breath. He considered her offer of a hot bath; he'd never had one before. When he lived under the opera house he'd always used the lake his lair overlooked and that was invariably cold. "Very well," he answered with a nod.

About an hour and a half later, Erik found himself soaking in a hot bath. He leaned his head back on the rim of the tub and closed his eyes. It felt good to just rest and relax, if only for a little while. The phantom knew he'd have to move on in the next couple days or risk endangering S'ray when Raoul came looking for him again. He felt himself slide deeper into the tub and laid his arms on the rim as well. It was too bad he'd waited this long to discover the pleasure of hot bath.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" S'ray asked coming up beside the tub. "I managed to find some clothes that I think will fit you."

"Thank you," he said opening his eyes again.

"When you're done and dressed again, just come around into the kitchen, I'll have something for you to eat," she said setting the clothes down on a stool next to his boots.

At the mention of food, Erik realized how long he'd gone without a meal of any kind. When he was sure she was out of sight, he grabbed the soap she'd left on a small table and replaced it with his mask. Then he quickly washed his face and hair. Using a hand towel he dried his hair as much as possible, then propped up a mirror and shaved his beard off. When he was done, he wiped his face down and put his mask back on.

He finished washing himself, taking more time than he would have normally in the cold waters of the underground lake. Then standing up, he wrapped a sheet around himself and stepped out of the now rapidly cooling bath. Erik rubbed himself dry vigorously and then dressed. The leather breeches she'd provided, if a bit short, fit him surprisingly well. The shirt, though out of fashion by over 40 years, also fit him well. As he was pulling on his boots, he swore he heard music. It was very quiet and when he paused to listen, it stopped. He stood again and picked up the small mirror in which he inspected his appearance. Except for the clothes and dark circle beneath his unmasked eye, he almost looked himself again.

"O Bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see,
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree.
For it stood on your shore for many's the long day,
Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away."

Erik froze as he was tying the laces on his shirt, now this was truly unexpected. The song was mournful and the voice hadn't had much in the way of proper training, but he found himself drawn to it anyway. He picked up the vest and kept his movements quiet so he could listen.

"All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep,
Saying 'where shall we shelter, where shall we sleep?'
For the Oak and the Ash they are all cutten down
And the walls of Bonny Portmore are all down to the ground."

Finishing, he silently walked to the kitchen and stood in the doorway. He was surprised, but then realized that he really shouldn't be, the voice belonged to S'ray. She was singing while she finished preparing the meal. He leaned against the doorframe and listened, not wishing to interrupt her song. As she sang he found himself mentally noting the music and lyrics. It was an old habit and one that even after Christine's betrayal he'd found impossible to break.

"The creatures of the wood, they woefully cry,
Weeping, 'Where shall our young hide, where shall we lie?'
For the Elm and the Oak are all hewn away
And the shelter of Bonny Portmore is all gone today."

As he listened he realized that the longer she sang, the better her voice became. He encountered this with several singers at the opera, some with lower voices needed longer to warm up before performing. However, to the best of his recollection they'd all been male, Senor Piangi being foremost among them.

"Oh Bonny Portmore you shine where you stand,
And the more I think on you, the more I think long.
If I had you now as I had once before,
All the lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore."

"Bravo, bravo," he said clapping his hands after she'd finished.

"Oh!" she exclaimed turning around slightly embarrassed. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Not at all Madame, I enjoyed your song."

"Really?"

He nodded yes as he entered the room. "Very much, and your voice…"

"I know, pretty horrid eh?"

"Horrid?"

"I've never been able to sing like my sisters, I always end up sounding like my brothers instead. I promise I'll try to keep it down next time, but that song always starts out quiet and get's louder as it goes on," she said bringing a plate of roast meat over to the table.

"No, that's not what I mean at all," he said standing on the opposite side of the table from her.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I was going to say that your voice is very nice, it's got a quality to it that I've never heard before. And to tell the truth, I'm not sure that I can even describe or pin down what makes it unique," he explained.

"Ah, in that case we can discuss it further after you've had something to eat. Please, sit down," she said gesturing to the chair he stood beside.

After the meal was over, Erik stayed in the kitchen while she cleared the table. "I'm curious, since you live this deep in the forest, how do you keep up with what is happening in Paris?" he asked.

"Simple, I actually have a paper delivered to the Fransisca and pick them up," she replied putting dishes back in the cupboard.

"Named for the axe you carry as well," he nodded.

"That old thing? I actually carry several, it helps to have a couple spares after you throw the first one," she smiled as she put leftovers back in the larder.

"And how did you know where to find me?"

"Simple, as I said last night, this is my forest and I know what goes on in it," she replied. "And besides that stupid nobleman left a trail a blind man could follow. Do you think he'll figure you froze in the storm last night?"

"No, Raoul won't give up till he actually sees me dead for himself," the phantom answered shaking his head.

"As I said last night, he will forever regret it if he ventures this far into my forest," she said putting away the silver utensils.

Erik only nodded in acknowledgement to her statement; he was pondering the mystery of S'ray. She was unlike any woman he had ever encountered. She carried a man's weapon and was quite good with it. She was also stronger than any woman he'd ever known, even the dancers at the opera. S'ray also didn't dress like any woman he'd ever seen, she wore men's clothing. But it wasn't exactly men's clothing either, it seemed to have been made for her and didn't follow any fashion he was familiar with. Adding all these items up with her obvious confidence and self-reliance made her a woodsman, albeit an obviously female one.

"What's got you so lost in thought all of a sudden?" she asked waving her hand in front of his eyes to get his attention.

"Just thinking about that song you sang," he lied, not wanting to reveal his curiosity about her yet. That would wait, he would watch her and ask appropriate questions to figure out exactly who and what she was in due time. "I was trying to make sure I can remember the music so I can write it down when I get a chance."

"If you want paper and ink, why didn't you just ask? I've got some in the study, come on," she said going to the door and waiting for him to follow. "Besides, I think we have a few other things to discuss besides Bonny Portmore."

Erik stood and followed her out of the kitchen and into the study.

Next in Chapter 3 - An Intertwined Past