HA/N: Big sorry for the long wait. I had some social events and a friend coming over and couldn't get to finish this one. But hey, at least it's a pretty long one ;-)

Disclaimer: Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. All Phantom related works, as well as lyrics quoted in the story, belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 17 - Truth or dare

When Carlotta returned to the Opera on Monday her strange mood hadn't changed but as the days went by she eventually returned to her usual passionate self and by the end of the week Erik had her pinned to the mirror in her dressing room and begging for more. She regretted nothing, he had no more doubts about that, and yet something must have perturbed her. Perhaps she saw something in his house? Perhaps it was the coffin? Yes, it must have been the coffin!

Reaching that conclusion, Erik made sure to address the coffin subject during one of their encounters, explaining how he used to fear he'd just drop dead in his sleep and no one would care to bury him like a human deserved so, while he was still alive, he'd prepared himself a resting place, complete with candles and a requiem mass that would've never been sung for him. His confession left Carlotta a little confused but surprisingly undisturbed. She said the idea of sleeping in a coffin was no news to her - the goth did it sometimes - and while she found it odd she didn't really mind. She even asked him if she could try it out once, just to see if it was comfortable. So it appeared that it hadn't been the coffin after all. What had it been then?

Erik never found out the answer to that question and with time he just forgot about the whole thing, busy living and loving like he never thought possible.

With the coming of spring, they went on the town more often. A picnic in the Bois du Boulogne, a nighttime visit to the Louvre, a stroll along the Seine, a ride to the top of Tour Eiffel. The possibilities were endless. Sometimes Carlotta insisted that he go with her to a party with her. In the beginning, he was reluctant to go but somehow she always managed to convince him and after a few times, he found himself comfortably inserted into her circle of friends. It didn't even come as such a shock anymore. On the weekends she often invited him to dine at her place. He loved to watch her cook pasta, singing Italian evergreens and dancing around with a pan full of sauce. After dinner they usually lay on the sofa, putting on a movie and letting it play in the background as they burned the calories.

Days went by filled with music and romance and before he knew it summer came and with that the last performance of the season: Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor'.

Ever since the masquerade, Erik had been enjoying himself so much that he'd completely forgotten about his bet with Daroga. His music lessons with Carlotta usually ended with her sprawled on the piano and him with his nonexistent nose in between her thighs. Whenever he thought about getting Julianne conveniently out of the picture Carlotta managed to distract him with some audacious plans for after the show. This way he'd gotten to a point where he was left with one final chance at proving his right.

The day of the final casting, Julianne sang first, and coming off stage she told the other sopranos, "The Opera Ghost is here."

Carlotta peeked at the audience and there he was indeed, sitting right next to a rather unamused Thibault.

Damn! If Erik tried to persuade the Manager to give her the lead in one of his usual ways it could end in some serious mess.

Thibault called her out. Exhaling deeply, she walked on stage and sang her part. When at the end of her performance Erik gave her a thumbs up she knew she did well.

There were a couple more girls trying out for Lucia but knowing Thibault's casting criteria, Carlotta had no doubt about who'd get the part. That said, she was a little surprised, and more than a little concerned, when she later saw her own name written in the leading lady's slot.

The door suddenly opened and Julianne came out of the Manager's office.

"Congratulations," she said, glancing at the cast list.

"Thanks," Carlotta replied without much enthusiasm.

"You don't look too happy."

"I'm only worried Erik had something to do with this."

Julianne rose a brow. "The ghost?"

"What? You thought I'd gotten the part because I slept with Thibault?"

Julianne's cheeks reddened.

Carlotta immediately realized her mistake. "Julianne, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…" she began to say.

The other soprano cut her short. "I slept with Thibault to get the lead and you slept with the ghost," she spat venomously. "What's the difference?"

The accusation hit Carlotta like a boulder. She knew that people gossipped about her relationship with the Opera Ghost but it had never occurred to her that it may be perceived as a cunning move on her part to get his protection.

"I don't sleep with Erik for profit," she hissed through gritted teeth, setting off.

"Right," Julianne sneered.

Carlotta turned on her heel and shouted, "Believe it or not but I honestly like the guy!"

She sounded so sincere that it planted a seed of doubt in Julianne's mind. She ran up to her and said, "Don't you mind he's ugly?"

"Thibault is ugly," Carlotta countered, "Erik is just… damaged."

"They say he doesn't have a nose."

"What do I care? He wears his mask all the time anyway."

"Have you ever sneak peeked underneath it?" Julianne asked curiously.

The stories about the phantom's macabre face had always been running around the Opera but it was all based on the lore. Rumor said Daroga the guard had actually seen it but he wouldn't breathe a word about it.

It took Carlotta awfully long to respond but finally, she said, "No. I never saw under his mask."

"Aren't you even a little bit curious?"

"No. With his mask on, he's cute and I want to stick to that."

Julianne thought about it for a moment. The ghost didn't look half as creepy as one might expect, especially when he dressed so fine, yet even with his mask on, she didn't find him attractive in the slightest. Stylish perhaps but certainly not cute.

"He's so slim and has thin lips," she observed. For her, these were absolutely discriminating features in a man.

"I like it that he's slim," Carlotta replied. Personally, she disliked chubby men, same for those who were excessively muscular. "His lips are fine too." They were by no means full but not a straight line either. "He also has nice hair." She loved running her fingers through that hair. "I won't even say anything about his voice."

"I still don't get it," Julianne argued. "You're so pretty. Why waste your time on a disfigured dead guy when you could be with some handsome hunk? How about Pierre, the one from the ballet? He's gorgeous and I heard he's totally into you."

"I already had handsome, the most handsome of them all," Carlotta said, dazing off, "but I dumped him."

"Why? What was wrong with him?"

"He made me feel worthless. Erik, on the contrary, makes me feel precious."

"Doesn't he call you a toad?" Julianne snickered.

"The other guy called me his treasure," Carlotta retorted, "but he eventually treated me like dirt."

"Why? What did he do?"

Speak of the Devil, Carlotta thought when she suddenly spotted no other than Antonio walking the hall.

"Che cavolo ci fai qui?!" she spat.

What the hell was he doing at Palais Garnier? Was he there for her? He'd better be not! She was happy with Erik. The last thing she needed was for Antonio to show up and reopen old wounds. Wounds that, thanks to Erik, had finally begun to heal.

"Sono venuto a vedere un certo Thibault," Antonio replied. "E' possibile che venga ingaggiato qui come solista a partire dalla nuova stagione."

"CHE COSA?!"

Antonio was coming to work at Opera Garnier next season?! She'd moved all the way to Paris to get away from him and now they were going to sing on the same stage again?! No! That couldn't be happening!

"Excuse me guys," Julianne cut in timidly. "I think I will leave you two to your business."

As much as she'd like to know what was going on between Carlotta and the hottie they'd just ran into, listening in on them was useless as she didn't understand a word of Italian.

"I'll see you around little toad," she mocked, walking away.

"Yeah, see ya," Carlotta waved Julianne goodbye, then turned back to Antonio. "How did it ever occur to you to follow me here?!" she hissed.

"I love you and I want to get back with you," Antonio declared solemnly. "What happened last year had been a terrible mistake."

"I believe I said it twice already but I'll repeat it again. Go. To. Hell."

The Italian didn't buy it. "You don't really mean it tesoro," he huffed, stalking closer.

"You've run out of your chances," Carlotta said, backing away. "I have a new boyfriend now, one that really loves me and respects me."

"Who? The masked creeper?" Antonio sneered. "Oh please!"

In a flash, he trapped Carlotta against the wall.

"No matter how much you deny it," he whispered into her ear, "I know you still have feelings for me."

Carlotta was just about to reply that she didn't but Antonio successfully shut her up with a kiss. She tried to push him away but he wouldn't let her, one arm firmly around her waist, the other steadying her head as he ravished her mouth.

Suddenly a pair of hands seized Antonio's shoulders and wrenched him back. A second later a fist connected with his nose.

"Erik, no!" Carlotta cried, tugging at the ghost's arm.

He seemed to lose a bit of his drive and Antonio took the opportunity to strike back. Seconds later they were both on the floor, wrestling mindlessly.

"Stop it both of you!" Carlotta tried to break them apart but it was useless.

Erik didn't care to fight fair. It had never his style. As soon as he saw an opening, his hand grabbed at Antonio's neck, choking him, while the other dug into his pocket. His fingers locked on a syringe and biting off the cap he dove it into the younger man's thigh.

"Ow!" Antonio cried in surprise.

Carlotta leaped to his side. Her face was as white as sheet of paper.

Turning to Erik she raged, "What have you done?!"

"Calm down," he dismissed her. "He's not gonna die".

Had it been meant for Antonio, the syringe might've contained poison but it was only a little something he intended to use on Julianne, had everything else failed.

The Italian paled and his hand went to his stomach. Seeing this, Carlotta took a step back and gave Erik a questioning glance.

"I think he's literally sick of you," the ghost cackled.

That cracked Carlotta up and she burst into laughter.

A sickening agent! Erik had injected him with a sickening agent! This was going to be hilarious! Poor Valentina though if she had to clean up the mess.

"If I were you," she addressed Antonio, "I'd go look for a bathroom."

The Italian sent her a heated glare. "Stronza!" he spat angrily. "You and your masked watchdog are worthy of each other!"

"I only know that you have never been worthy of me," Carlotta replied with poise.

She might have had fallen for Antonio's charm in the past but now she saw clearly what an oaf he was. His ridiculously good looks were really the only thing he had to offer.

"Sfigato!" she summed him up.

"Va fan culo!" he barked, putting a hand on his mouth to stop himself from vomiting and running off.

Carlotta turned back to Erik, meeting his hard stare.

"Now, little toad," the ghost said slowly, "I think you owe me an explanation."

Carlotta nodded. She didn't really want to discuss her past with Antonio but given the situation, she felt she had no other choice.

"Can we go just go somewhere private?" she only asked.

People talked about her a lot as it was. She didn't want to add to the rumors, discussing her past in the middle of a hall, or even in the backstage where she could've been easily eavesdropped on.

"Rooftop," Erik decided.

Daroga was the only one who went there on a regular basis but he only did it in the morning, right before his shift. At this time there shouldnt' be anyone there.

Climbing to the roof, Erik helped Carlotta all the way up to Apollo's Lyre. They sat down on the flat edge and Erik set his eyes on Carlotta, waiting patiently for her to speak.

Eventually, she began, "Antonio and I used to be engaged." Her voice was barely above a whisper and her fingers mindlessly caressed a spot where her ring used to be. "I met him at La Scala," she continued. "He'd moved in from Rome to take an empty tenor spot. All the girls were immediately into him - he was just so handsome - but he picked me."

Erik knew Carlotta well enough to understand what being chosen out must have meant for her. Just like her great-great-grandma, she craved for the spotlight but she had a hard time getting there and sometimes it left her unsure of her own value, not only at work but also on a personal level.

"Almost a year later we were still together and on top of that I was running in for the leading role in the opening performance of the new season and had a pretty good chance at winning," Carlotta recounted. "Everything was perfect and I couldn't have been happier. That was until I heard rumors about Antonio flirting with other girls at the Opera, perhaps even sleeping around."

"Was he?" Erik asked although he felt he already knew the answer.

"When I confronted him about it he denied everything. He blamed it all on envy and I believed him. I was in love and love makes you blind to the obvious sometimes."

Carlotta paused for a moment to blink away tears that threatened to fall.

Regaining control over herself, she picked up on the story. "I got the lead," she said, "I'd won against Giorgia Vellieri - you know, the girl we met at La Scala back in December - and I was going to take center stage next to Antonio. Then at the season-opening reception, right after I was announced as the new primadonna, he proposed to me in front of the whole Opera House, not to mention the patrons and the press. I was so shocked I'd said yes without even thinking about it."

Sly move, Erik thought. It must have put Carlotta's suspicions to rest, at least for the time being.

"The night before the performance I had to come back to the Opera and…" Carlotta's voice broke for a moment, "...and I caught him having sex with Giorgia. He was so engrossed in it he never even noticed me. She did though and the next day she approached me and told me I shouldn't act so offended. He was banging half the Opera House, what difference did one more singer make?"

It must have made all the difference in the world to be cheated on only days after being proposed to and with your very rival.

"Ten minutes to curtain call I called it quits. I just couldn't go on stage and sing a love duet with Antonio, knowing what he'd done. I gave him the ring back and fled. A few days later I was on a plane to Paris."

Now that explained a lot. Poor little toad, she had been in love with that douche and after he'd disrespected her like that, she must have been devastated. No wonder she had a hard time putting some heart into her singing.

Taking Carlotta's hands in his, Erik said seriously, "You're mine now and I would never do what he did."

Carlotta smiled. Erik's words were unyielding and tender at the same time and she really liked the combo.

"You know, Antonio tried to get back with me several times," she confessed. "He wrote me dozens of messages saying that he missed me, that I was his only one and other such sugary crap."

Erik agreed in his mind. Antonio's messaging style was cheesier than a cheap romance novel.

"It's not like it didn't affect me," Carlotta continued. "It did. Antonio was my ideal boyfriend, and a part of me wanted to forget everything and go back to him. It was thanks to you if I didn't. You kept me engaged and the more I thought about you the less I cared about him."

"So what happened on New Year's Eve?"

Erik had never asked Carlotta about it - it didn't seem to matter since she'd eventually chosen to stay with him - but now he really wanted to know.

"You saw us?" Carlotta asked, horrified.

He nodded. "Oh yes, I did."

"Antonio tried to convince me to come back to Milan and get back with him, just like he did earlier today. At one point he kissed me and I just let him."

"Why?"

"I was vulnerable. You pushed me away the other night and I just… I just wanted to feel… loved."

"My foolish little toad." Erik pulled Carlotta in. "He never loved you but I did. I loved you and I wanted you like I've never wanted anyone in my life."

"You asked me to stay friends."

"I just didn't know what better term to use."

Carlotta laughed through the tears. "And I thought… Nevermind!"

The past didn't matter anymore. What was important was the present: the light breeze of summer air, the low hum of the street below and the sensation of Erik's hands and lips on her as he kissed all her pain away. She felt she had finally found her place and she had finally found her love.

"Erik, I forgot to tell you!" she exclaimed, breaking away. "I got the lead! I'm going to sing Lucia"

That was great news, Erik thought, especially after he'd wasted the nauseating drug on Antonio.

"I'm so proud of you. It was about time your singing skills were appreciated."

Carlotta rose a brow. "Don't act like you had nothing to do with it."

"I may have said a word or two to Thibault but I didn't think he'd actually listen."

"Well, he did!"

Now that had to be a first.

3 more chapters to go!

Next chapter: Carlotta is about to go on stage as Lucia of Lammermoor but things get awry. Will she sing? Will she flee?

What was it in Erik's house that got her so spooked? Any ideas?

Lucky Antonio that drug wasn't really meant for him :D

How did you like his and Carlotta's backstory? Is he a douche or is he a super douche?

Looks like in this pairing the "wipe my pain away" thing is not as unidirectional as it might have been expected.

Be so kind and leave a review!

Also, check my Tumblr: jadeite-art for drawings, sketches, comics and other fun stuff.