I still need to edit and re-edit these next few chapters until I'm satisfied, but I figured that I might as well post them in the meantime.

Ch. 14

Aurelie hadn't realized just how far her neighbor's acreage had stretched. Seeing the rolling hills between the groves of trees in the horizon made her look on in awe as the sun began to set. Even when her reputation had been in good standing, her family had not owned so much land.

She could see the familiar black horse come into view. As she walked closer, he continued to absentmindedly graze in the field, inching one foot forward to shift his weight.

Only a few feet away, Aurelie smiled at the creature. A thick black mane tumbled over his neck, and an equally-long tail swatted flies away. He lifted his head in curiosity and perked an ear in her direction.

Although she wasn't close enough to touch him, Aurelie reached a hand out in front of her.

"Hello there," she cooed, slowly inching her way toward him so as not to frighten him away. The horse whinnied at her.

"He does not like strangers."

Aurelie's hand instantly fell to her side when she heard his voice. She turned to its source to see him casually leaning against a tree with his arms folded. He wore black yet again, with the same cream-colored ruffled shirt that she had seen him in before. Had he no need for a mask, he would have far outranked any of the men she had laid eyes upon, both in class and appearance.

She wondered how he could always manage to not only find her, but to approach her so quietly that she didn't know he was there until he spoke. Was this why he was called the Opera 'Ghost'?

She shuddered at the thought of him spying on women in their dressing rooms, or watching Ms. Daae sleep at night.

"You are obviously feeling better to be so bold as to disobey me, once more," he noted in an annoyed tone.

As awful as it was to admit it to himself, he was not as angry as he could have been, due to the fact that he had witnessed her failing health only hours ago, and he had expected her to return. The fact that she felt so at-ease around him grated his nerves, but he was more confused as to why she kept exposing herself to him, than anything else. After how frightened she had become the first day that they had met, he would have thought that she would have the sense to avoid him at all costs.

Unless, of course, she wants something, he reminded himself. He groaned inwardly when he thought of how he might have unknowingly offered himself as charity. He should be doing everything that he can to send her away, screaming, so that she would leave him alone, not drawing her to him!

An awkward moment passed as Aurelie thought of what to say to him.

She licked her lips, nervous, and started, "I wanted to thank you for what you did."

Erik could not help but to raise his eyebrows at her. This was certainly an unexpected twist!

"And to ask that you help me one last time," she added.

Ah, so that is her motive!

He knew that she had not experienced some sort of miraculous change in personality or manners, and the fact that she was asking something of him explained it all.

She could see the contempt on his face, and she immediately became defensive.

"No, no, I did not mean it that way!"

She sighed, wondering how she could phrase her words so as not to grovel. It would be pathetic to beg anyone, let alone, him.

"I was wondering if you could offer me employment. I would work very hard to earn my wage," she bit her lip, hoping that he would agree. He was her last chance, and if he wouldn't help her, then she knew that all was hopeless.

Erik snorted. "Have you ever lifted a finger in your life, besides to point it at others?"

While his remark did rub her the wrong way, she maintained her composure. If there was even the slightest chance that he would agree, she did not want to ruin it by losing her temper.

"Circumstances have changed...Please, give me a chance," she pleaded. Tears nipped at the corners of her eyes as the realization that perhaps all hope was truly lost began to set in. If he was at his wit's end of showing mercy to her, then she was exhausted of resources. She would starve to death and rot away in the cottage. No one would find her; no one would even come searching for her.

"And why would I do such a thing?"

Those were the precise words for Aurelie to hear in order to make her break down and cry.

Erik immediately straightened up, unprepared for her reaction and uncertain of what to do. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling akward and a bit remorseful.

Aurelie buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Do you think that false tears will persuade me, Mademoiselle?"

The instant that the words left his mouth, he knew that it was wrong.

Aurelie uncovered her face to reveal swollen, irritated eyes. It was not the striking color of green in them that caught Erik's attention, but the sadness and despair found within them.

"How can you be so cruel as to accuse me of such a thing?" she asked. Tears streamed down her face, but she attempted to calm herself. It was humiliating to have such weak nerves in front of him, as it was.

Erik regretted his behavior. He watched her as her sobs slowed to sniffles, and the tears soon stopped falling.

"I have no food...I have not even a penny to my name...I have no companionship, no friends...I have found that nobody loves me..."

Erik ran his fingers through his hair, wishing that he had never met her. How could he turn his back on her? While he had never found himself in her exact position, he knew what it was like to be calling out for help and to receive no answer. Would he wish that upon another human being, let alone, a woman?

"Before that meal that you so kindly gave me, I had not eaten for days. I do not know how I will manage," she continued. She seemed to be speaking to herself, more than to him. "I will certainly starve-"

"Enough," Erik rose a hand to stop her.

Aurelie looked up at him through wet eyelashes with a confused expression on her face.

"As you might have noticed, I do not employ any servants, and for good reason," he added.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, and despite herself, she found a small bubble of hope rise within her chest.

"Under no circumstances are you allowed inside of my home," his voice was stern, and she knew that he was beginning to second-guess his decision. "But there is one thing that you can do for me."

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and onto her dress, hoping to look as decent as she could at the new-found prospect of his offer.

"As you can imagine, it is a burden to purchase food and supplies. I normally travel by night, so as to avoid suspicion, but this greatly increases the risk of being discovered. If you could run errands for me when I should need them, then I would compensate you well."

Aurelie meekly nodded her head in agreement and folded her hands in front of her, waiting for him to continue. She felt the heavy weight of fatigue and a dull ache in her temples begin to set in from exhausting her emotions, but she attempted to look as cheerful as she could.

"Whenever I should require it, I will leave you instructions under your front door."

"Thank you," she replied softly.

"You will speak to no one about this. Do you understand?"

Again, she nodded, this time a bit more enthusiastically.

Erik dismissed her, sighing at the thought of what he had just done. He could only hope that this agreement of his wouldn't cause more trouble than it already had.

Once Aurelie was out of his view, a grin spread across her face. No longer would she have to worry about each day and how she would get by. No more would she have to go to sleep with the deep ache of hunger. For once in a very long time, she genuinely felt hopeful.

And, despite seeming completely insane and illogical, she could say that she was pleased to be assisting the infamous Opera Ghost.