Ella descended down the stairs to the chapel, hoping she wasn't late. It had been three weeks since her first lesson, and she learned rather quickly that Erik didn't tolerate lateness. The one time she had been, Erik lectured her for nearly ten minutes then sent her away, refusing to teach her that day. "I'm sorry!" she said, running into the room. "Madame Giry wanted us to practice more and we just finished!"

She sighed, realizing the room was empty. Had Erik gotten angry and left? But she was only a few minutes late. Maybe some matter upstairs had distracted him and he was delayed as well. It was probably a better idea to stay and warm up than to risk Erik coming and her not being there.

After running through her warm-ups like Erik taught her, Ella decided to practice the song he was having her learn. If he really had left, then the least she could do to try to appease him later was to be able to prove she was serious and was sorry.

"I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe"

As she was about to begin the second verse, a rich, smooth, masculine voice started the Italian that her part was supposed to be a duet with.

"La luce che tu hai"

It was the most beautiful thing Ella had ever heard. It made her heart sing and her knees weak. She turned and saw Erik standing there, waiting for her to continue. Instead, Ella stared at him, her mouth agape as she struggled to make her voice work. "On stage you'll be expected to sing with others," Erik said. "You need to learn how to sing duets. Now continue." Ella swallowed hard, nodded, and then continued with her part, while Erik replied with the Italian line.

"I pray we'll find your light"
"Nel cuore restera"
"And hold it in our hearts"
"A ricordarci che"
"When stars go out each night"
"Eterna stella sei"

"Let this be our prayer"
"Quanta fede c'e"
"When shadows fill our day"

"We ask that life be kind
And watch us from above
Everyone finds love
We hope each soul will find
Around and inside
Another soul to love
Let this be our prayer"

Erik's song blended with hers for the last refrain. Ella could barely finish, but somehow managed, relying on the confidence that radiated from him.

"Let this be our prayer, just like every child
Need to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe
Need to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe"

When they finished, Ella waited breathlessly for Erik to say something. "You fidget when you sing," he finally said. "You need to learn to control that."

She bowed her head in an attempt to hide her disappointment. "I'll try my best." She tried so hard to please him but he always found some flaw with her. Erik seemed to demand nothing but perfection, a perfection she couldn't provide, no matter how hard she tried.

Erik looked at her sternly. "Do more than try."

After a few moments of waiting for further instruction, but receiving none, she grew brave enough to do something since the moment she met him. "May I ask you a question?" Ella asked cautiously.

"I won't guarantee that you'll receive an answer."

She took a deep breath, unsure how to word her question without infuriating him. "What would happen if I, hypothetically speaking of course, asked you…asked you to take off your mask?"

His jaw visibly clenched, and for a moment, Ella could see a man capable of committing everything the Phantom had been accused of. For that moment, Ella had never been so scared in her life. Then he turned away and exhaled sharply before facing her again, his facial expression calm again, but he was clearly still agitated. "You said this was hypothetical?" Ella nodded quickly. "Well then hypothetically speaking, I wouldn't recommend it." There was enough of a razor in his voice that Ella didn't dare challenge him.

Before either one was willing to break the awkward silence between them, a loud squeal echoed down the staircase, followed by another, and another. Ella glanced at Erik, but he seemed just as surprised as she was. "Go," he ordered. "Whatever it is, it would look suspicious if you remained missing."

"Until next time then," she murmured before leaving. She ran upstairs wondered what all the commotion was about. Already she could hear shrieks and shouts from the ballerinas, but she couldn't make out what they were saying quite yet.

On the middle of the stage, there was a large crowd, mostly ballerinas and chorus members. When she grew closer, she could see an unfamiliar man talking with the managers and shaking hands with Archer. Ella spotted Meg in the crowd and tapped her shoulder. "Meg, what on earth is going on? Who is that?"

Erik made his way through the tunnels, trying to figure out what the uproar was about. After all, the Opera Ghost had been fairly quiet lately, so he knew it wasn't anything he had done. From the safety of the shadows, he watched the crowd that was gathering but couldn't see what was going on, and honestly, he didn't really care. The opera staff got worked up about the littlest things, that's what made his job so easy.

Finding himself bored already, he turned and made his way back to the chapel, Ella on his mind. He was angry that she had asked about his mask, but at least she had the decency to ask instead of ripping it off. And he had a feeling that she had learned her lesson and wouldn't be bringing it up again.

The light sound of footsteps reached his ear. By the sound, he could tell immediately that it was a dancer, but he didn't think it was Ella. He slipped into the passage behind the wall, but instead of leaving, curiosity got the best of him.

When he saw the intruder's face, he felt like he had been struck. She reached up and tucked a few of her wild, chocolate brown curls behind her ear as she scanned the room. "Angel," she whispered. "I know you're here. "

"Christine," he breathed.