A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry. A million times sorry. Here's another chapter to keep you until Julian comes. This chapter got too long after some additions and I had to chop it in half. I'm almost done with the second half and I'll be posted as soon as possible. Well, anyway, enjoy!

Beyond More Boundaries

June

It was an everyday gesture, that I had always taken for granted, but apparently, the affect of it on Erik had been quite profound. I should have known better. I should have been more careful.

But I'm so happy!

After the hug-fiasco of appreciation, he slowly turned on his heels, breaking our awkward, locked gazes and disappeared into his room. The door shut quickly behind, leaving me to my befuddled thoughts, blinking dumbly in the midst of his drawing-room.

Left alone, I began yet another mental conversation with myself as I paced in front of the lit fireplace, unable to decide whether to let my arms hang or to fold them.

Great, June. You've caused a moping episode!

It was just a hug!

A hug that is inappropriate even if he were a friend! Did you forget that it's 1881?

It must have slipped my mind. I really hope this doesn't affect me being in the Chorus!

Good God, June you're so selfish!

Am not! My time is running out!

Well why do you think you're even here? To be in the Chorus?

No, to meet Erik

Well?

Well what?

What's more important, Erik or the Chorus?

They both are! Oh my God, he got me into the Chorus!

Yes, so be grateful!

Yes, that's why I hugged him!

Something tells me Julian is going to have a fit!

Oh God. How many rules have I broken?

Oh…just a couple. No biggie…

Geez, you don't even know what the consequences are for breaking ONE. But two?

Well whatever the cost, it's just double!

You can't really die twice, can you?

Oh God, could the price be my life?

Could be, you weren't paying a whole lot of attention when he listed the rules!

It was boring! Plus, Erik was distracting me!

Yes, I know, with his mere presence.

Oh, isn't he beautiful?

Oh, yes.

Just as the two sides of my mental dialogue came to an understanding, Erik's door opened and in a cool, reserved air, he walked out, his attention focused solely across the room on the entrance to his home.

Stopping for a moment when he reached me; with a lengthy, pondering side-glance, his pleading but ominous eyes bore into me as he spoke rather stiffly in a gentle yet chillingly hollow tone, once taking in a steeling breath through the nose of the mask.

"Never do that again, Mademoiselle."

No calling you Erik. No hugs. Got it.

It was only when I nodded in affirmation that his eyes left mine, and while purposely averting his glance from my face he commanded me to turn around.

"Why?" I inquired, unintentionally sounding rather cheeky.

"I need to blindfold you." The Phantom replied, matter-of-factly.

I was just about to pose another question but he smoothly interceded in a nonchalant manner, "Unless you prefer the chloroform, though you may have some trouble concentrating at rehearsal with its remnants in your system."

My jaw dropped at his flippant remark, as I glared at his non-expressive mask in disbelief. To my unseen enjoyment, ever so gracefully, he tipped his head, as though genuinely waiting for me to make my choice. Sighing in resignation, I turned around; daring a slight rolling of my eyes only because I knew that he wasn't looking.

As his fingers worked with the soft cloth over my eyes, a scent-combination of leather and something dizzyingly musky hit my nose; I couldn't help myself but smile. When he tied the material behind my head, some hairs were pulled ever so slightly, the tickle sending pleasant prickles up my neck.

In that second I found myself wondering where that "smell of death" had gone…?

Okay, so there were certain advantages to being blindfolded by the Phantom, I mused as he grasped the crook of my arm and led me toward what I assumed was the exit.

Identifying the sliding sound to be that of his front door swinging open, I hesitated for only a moment before he tugged on my elbow in a silent, authoritative signal for me to keep following him.

We momentarily stopped and he removed his grasp from me to bend down to pick up something that sounded like metal being dragged on stone. When a small light was ignited ahead of me – the soft hue of which I could barely see through the material covering my eyes – which I recognized to be a lantern. With the light held high in front of me at a distance in his upheld hand, I once again felt his firm grasp around my forearm and we moved onward.

Sure, it wasn't as romantic as having his hand holding mine like the character does in the musical, but had it been so, with my over-limited sense of sight, such a situation would have had disastrous consequences, i.e., having me trip on anything that included my own feet, and falling flat on my face. And that was definitely something my already bruised dignity could do without.

This means I shouldn't fake a trip either…as tempting as the thought is…

We walked this way for quite some time, mostly spent in our usual silence. There was so much that I yearned to ask him and it just dawned on me that this could very be the last time I see him! A surge of disappointment went through me when I realized that I had now lost my chance.

"I know you were my captor but you were a gracious host, nonetheless."

That sounded dumb. Rightly so, he didn't say a single word; I just felt his glare of incredulity.

Just shut up June. You're not helping.

Surely this wasn't the end of our acquaintance! What was going to happen? Would it have been inappropriate of me to ask if I could see him again?

Yes, replied that wise little voice in my mind.

After about ten minutes or so of walking through a maze of stairs and corridors that seemed to twist and turn randomly, we stopped and he released my arm.

"Can I remove it now?"

I was almost expecting him to say no, because I hadn't recalled a boat ride among many things. But to my surprise he confirmed that we had arrived at our destination.

The light was now completely gone and pitch blackness greeted my eyes, except for two golden-glowing eye slits above me.

How does he do that?

One day I would ask, if ever I had the opportunity…

Evidently he had extinguished the lantern though I sensed that we were now standing in a nook of some sort. With the floating eyes disappearing, Erik's cloak swept me in the shoulder before I heard a soft click and a crack of light revealed itself directly in front of us.

Without warning, Erik's tickling breath danced upon my cheek as he whispered into my ear. "Beyond is the gate and exit to Rue Scribe – you can leave the premises without anyone seeing you."

Recomposing myself briefly from this sudden proximity, I was about to reluctantly lay a step to go beyond that crack, when abruptly, his steel-tight grip enclose around my wrist, and I nearly gasped while being jerked back toward the nothing but the flaming eyes in the darkness. For a mere second, my other hand landed on his chest but I pulled it away, knowing fully well that it would offend him.