Lady Taevyn: You said we need resolution after chapter 35…(chuckles nervously)

Lethia: Yeah, I think I know why hearing that Satan saved her from death in her accident would make you feel a bit sick.

LoveMe1010: Um…dude, I'm sorry you got lost. I do have a plot I'm working towards, yes. It's somewhat insulting to say that you begin to question that. There's a reason for this mass of angels and demons fighting over her, which apparently just wasn't clear enough to you. Lenore could either save thousands of souls in the name of God, or she could damn thousands of souls to Hell. She doesn't have a set path, so naturally good and evil are fighting over her, hoping to secure her for their side. As to characters coming in (angels and demons I won't bother with, as they are representing sides of good and evil in this fight): Wailing parents? Where the bloody hell is that coming from? I honestly have no idea. That one seems very random to me. If you could tell me who you mean by wailing parents, maybe I could help explain that one a bit better. I'm assuming the "whole bunch of confusing characters that do not get enough attention to gain depth and add to the plot" are a reference to Tori and Lucinda. (I'm not counting archangels or demons, as I said.) Tori and Lucinda may not be important characters at this point in time, and they may not gain depth yet, but I never bring in characters unless I have plans for them further down the line. If you need examples of that, take Sebastian Rousseau, Patrick O'Malley, and Hiroshi. When I first introduced those three, they didn't seem to really serve much purpose at all. Sebastian came into play when Lenore was rescued by the navy SEALs. Patrick is now Ember's husband. Hiroshi…well, let's not even discuss how important/key Hiroshi has become. So, the last few chapters have been used to introduce some characters that will come into play later and also show you how eager Heaven and Hell are to have Lenore (and why they are so eager to have her). For a note about the angels: I used the names of archangels, and maybe I didn't really need to. But I wanted people to know these were archangels, not just random warriors of God. So I used their names. Sorry if that was confusing, but…well…like I said, I didn't want people thinking these are just some random angels popping in. The archangels show how important God finds Lenore's soul to be, that's all. Oh, and I forgot about Raghnall, I'm sorry. He's gonna become more important later on too. I hope that helps…If not, let me know.

MJ MOD: I don't know if I'll ever let Erik learn that Lenore sent him to Russia, lol. Though that might be a good idea to save for a rainy day with no inspiration. As to what I'll do with Uriel…well, I'll do what any sex-hungry all-powerful authoress would with a good looking fictional character. (naughty wink)

Shariena: As to whether or not Lenore chose Erik…read on…

Artzee: Yes, the angels are quite yummy. (licks lips) And yeah, how does Gabe stay on the ground with 140 pairs of wings? I'll have to ask God when I meet Him…

I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place about twenty years into the present, blah blah blah, REVIEW…

Lenore battled her way back to consciousness, fighting black exhaustion the whole way. When she finally got her eyes open, she stared at the ceiling above her for a few minutes. I know this bed…I've been in it enough… Throwing back the covers, Lenore swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself to her feet. She almost slammed the door shut when opening it revealed Satan, Hiroshi, and Raghnall sitting around in the drawing room sipping coffee while Erik slept on the couch.

"Sleeping Beauty has awoken," Raghnall said without even glancing in her direction.

Holy Hell, how did he know I was here?

"Would you care to join us?" Satan suggested, gesturing to the floor (which was where Hiroshi and Raghnall were seated, as the only seating in the room was the chair Satan occupied and the couch Erik was sprawled out on).

"Not particularly, but there's nothing else to do," Lenore replied, coming out and sitting down on Raghnall's left. "What are you all still doing here? Why don't you go back to Hell or whatever?"

"We didn't want you to be all alone when you woke up," Hiroshi said sweetly.

"Or you just want to annoy me into answering questions about Second Life," Lenore retorted. "Not to mention Erik's here, I'd hardly call that 'alone'."

"Master, are you absolutely sure"- Raghnall began.

"I am positive about it!" Satan snarled. "You saw what he did to Uriel. Now imagine what he'd do to you."

"Yet if I get him to consent, you are not opposed?"

"Not at all," Satan replied. "Shouldn't you offer her something to drink?"

"Oh, how terribly rude of me," Raghnall remarked, turning to her. "Would you like coffee? Or perhaps tea?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine," she politely refused. Quite frankly, she wasn't going to accept any food or drink from a demon. "I have a question for you," she told Satan.

"Ask away," he said, sipping his coffee as interest appeared in his eyes.

"Why did you save me from the accident?" There was no point in beating around the bush.

"For the same reason I brought the vacancy at the Opera Populaire to your attention," Satan answered evasively.

"And what was the purpose of that?" she snapped, not in the mood to have her question avoided.

"To give Erik precisely what he wanted," Satan chuckled. "He wanted a lover, someone who wouldn't run away and who could find it in her heart to love him for himself."

"Dude, you're the devil, do you really expect me to believe you saved me for love?"

"I never said I saved you for love. I saved you for Erik. I do occasionally give my children gifts, you know," Satan snarkily replied. "If I'd thought you'd stand for it, I would've wrapped you in ribbons and left you on his bed. But when you tried to stop the paramedics from cutting off your jacket to assess your injuries, I realized that you'd most likely take exception to the ribbons. Which is why I aggravated your injuries; it ensured you'd have difficulty finding anyone else who would be attracted to you. Physical scarring isn't a turn-on for many."

"You mean the scars…? You…? I'll…" she sputtered, unable to put together a proper sentence.

"I so enjoyed packaging you for him. Even if it did take almost three years," Satan sighed dreamily. "Do you have any idea how hard it was with those doctors working their hardest to fix you?"

"BASTARD!" Lenore finally managed to shout, leaping to her feet and grabbing Satan by the neck with the intention of choking him until she died. Erik sat bolt upright, woken by her shriek. When he saw what was going on, he shrugged carelessly and lay back down.

"Let go of him," Hiroshi practically wailed, standing up and trying to pry Lenore's fingers off of the devil's throat.

Raghnall conjured up paper and pen, furiously scribbling in a strange language she didn't recognize.

Finally, Hiroshi won and Lenore, who had been using as much strength as possible to hold her ground, flew backward when her grip was broken, stumbling over Raghnall. Raghnall cursed when the course of the pen backtracked and scribbled through a line of writing, and Lenore fell onto the couch, hitting Erik in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.

"Get out!" Lenore commanded angrily. "All three of you! This is our home, and you're not welcome here!"

"We're not leaving, darling," Satan choked out hoarsely. "Not until we've fully discussed your behavior with your master."

"Bullshit! You'll leave now, or I'll call the archangels," she threatened.

"They won't protect you any more," Raghnall stated. "God has cancelled the mission to guard you."

"Then I'll find Erik's Punjab lasso and learn how to wield it on you three," she snarled.

"To what point and purpose? We can't die," Hiroshi pointed out.

"No, but you can feel pain, which I promise to give to those who incur my wrath," Lenore replied.

"Get off of me," Erik snapped. "I can't breathe."

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" Lenore accused, not moving an inch.

"Of course not," Erik responded. "I'm just implying that you're making it difficult to breathe."

"What does it matter? You can't die."

"No, but I can feel the lack of oxygen affecting me."

Lenore stood up, glaring at the three before her. "Tell these jerks to get out, they won't listen to me," Lenore huffed.

"Surely at least one of you can leave," Erik sighed.

"As Commander of the Condemned Circle, it is my duty to decide the sentence," Raghnall replied dismissively.

"I am the representative witness for the Circle," Hiroshi said with a smirk.

"I don't leave because I choose to be here," Satan dismissed Erik's request.

"What are they on about?" Lenore inquired.

"Your actions are deplorable for that of a pet," Hiroshi commented. "Such conduct cannot go unpunished."

"We aren't living in the dark ages anymore, women can say and do whatever they please, thank you very much," Lenore informed him.

"You are not being held accountable by the laws of the mortal realm. Technically, you're not even the one being held accountable," Raghnall said matter-of-factly, turning his eyes to Erik.

"Keeran, do you acknowledge this mortal as your own?" Hiroshi asked with a great deal of formality.

"I do," Erik replied with equal formality.

"The charges against you are complete inability to teach the mortal proper conduct in the presence of others and incompetent control of said mortal. You may plead guilty and accept any punishment decided upon by the Commander, or you may plead not guilty and deliver her into our hands to be punished by each member in turn for the next one thousand years," Hiroshi stated.

Lenore wanted to object and defend herself (and Erik) against those accusations, but she had the feeling if she spoke, it'd only make things worse. So she plopped down on the couch beside Erik.

Erik looked at her for a few moments before turning his attention back to the other immortals. "I plead guilty," he said, sounding very much as though someone had made him say that at gunpoint.

Raghnall pulled a scroll out of his shirt and unrolled it. Lenore winced at the length of it. "The evidence documents an infinite number of occasions of profanity, talking back, and being verbally disrespectful towards her master or another immortal. There are at least eight documentations of physical violence to her master or another immortal. There are two escape attempts listed; the first being in her First Life that involved the aid of Navy SEALs, the second being in Second Life and involving the aid of archangels. This brings us to the citations of association with the archangels Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Remiel, and Raphael. It is recorded she has been gifted numerous little freedoms, such as being allowed to spend lengths of time without her master's supervision. Any other charges that were brought forth were minor and have been dismissed in light of the damage done to Uriel by Keeran's hands," Raghall read off.

"Do you have any evidence to dispute any of these claims?" Hiroshi asked.

Lenore's stomach was sinking quickly. She hadn't realized that her actions would be so well documented, or that the Circle would actually call her to account for these things. Call Erik to account, technically.

"I have nothing to dispute these claims," Erik replied. "Fire is never easy to control."

"Are you prepared to hear the sentence?"

"I am."

"For excessive profanity, we strip her of her voice for three months. For physical violence, she will be dealt fifty lashes. For attempting to escape, she will die immediately if she flees her master at any point over the course of the next year. All freedoms that she has been given are forthwith prohibited to her, and she will never be out of her master's sight for more than five minutes. Should she proceed past the time length set forth, the mortal will receive ten lashes for every illicit minute," Raghnall sentenced her.

"You may now accept these terms or you may reverse your guilty plea," Hiroshi informed Erik.

Erik turned his eyes to her once again. She knew this time he was silently asking her if she agreed to the aforementioned punishments. "What exactly would a plea of not guilty entail?" she asked him. She was entirely ignorant of the Circle's judicial workings.

"You will be given to each member of the Circle for a hundred or so years to be punished as that member sees fit. A plea of not guilty is essentially considered an avoidance of taking accountability for your actions, which almost must be punished; this is why the punishment is harsher and extended to a term of one thousand years," Erik explained to her.

"The decision is not hers to make," Raghnall said sharply. "It lies upon you, Keeran."

Lenore kept her mouth closed, choosing to tell him to accept these terms with her eyes.

"I accept these terms," Erik sighed heavily with sadness.

Erik winced with Lenore as he applied a poultice to the welts on her back from the whipping she'd received. He knew the poultice stung, but it would speed up the healing process and save her pain in the long run. The only small blessing in this whole ordeal was that her voice was taken and she was incapable of producing audible screams as the whip bit into her flesh. Had her cries been audible, Erik would've died.

Finished with doctoring her injuries, Erik reached out a hand to stroke her hair, but pulled it back almost immediately. Even if it was meant in a comforting gesture, it would only serve to remind her that she was considered a pet.

"Lenore…please don't cry anymore. It's over now," Erik said, doing his best to keep his own pain out of his voice. He had to be strong for her right now. Moving closer, he put a hand on her arm gently as she cried silently into the pillows.

Of course it had been ridiculous of him to address her verbally, as she was incapable of responding in the same manner. But he didn't want to slip into her mind at this point; the emotions would be extremely powerful; he might lose what little self-control he possessed and break down into tears himself.

Lenore sat up, sniffling, and pressed herself against his chest before releasing another round of tears into his shirt. He was halfway through putting his arms around her before he remembered he couldn't touch her back without hurting her. He didn't know what to say to her; it wouldn't help to point out that it could be worse.

I'll have to take her with me every time I go aboveground; she's not allowed to be left 'unsupervised'. God, but that's ridiculous. It limits my freedom as well as hers…but that's part of the point, I suppose. Every punishment inflicted upon her is designed to punish me in its own way as well. For letting her language slide, I'm prohibited from hearing her voice. For letting her be physically violent, I'm forced to watch it be dealt to her in return.

"I'm sorry," Erik whispered. "I should never have let you known I was here. I should have left you alone from the very beginning." She shook her head and pulled back, shaking her head again to emphasize her disagreement. "No, you're not right. If I'd kept to the shadows and let you be, you wouldn't be hurting right now."

Lenore vehemently shook her head and looked at him pleadingly. He had no idea what she wanted until she finally tapped her head.

If you'd kept to the shadows, I'd be dead right now.

"Which would be infinitely better than suffering these absurd terms," Erik tried to reason with her.

Stop it, it's not your fault. These are results of my actions, not yours. Don't punish yourself for this.

"You wouldn't be dealing with these consequences if"-

Stop it! Just…stop…please.

Erik knew it would make her feel better if he humored her, so he didn't say another word. "Perhaps you would like it if I read to you?" he suggested after a few moments. He couldn't think of anything else that might make her feel better; he felt singing to her would be like rubbing in the fact that her voice was gone. Not that reading to her was much better. She nodded, and he retrieved the Robert Jordan book they had left off in the middle of a month ago.

As three months passed, the silence became lighter and Erik found himself connecting to her mind far more often than was considered safe. Every immortal knew that if you kept touching a mortal's mind often enough, a permanent two-way link would eventually be established. It frightened Erik to think about how much she could learn about him if that link was created. There was so much she didn't know, so much of a tortured past that he kept hidden. It would only generate pity, and he didn't want any of her affections to be based on pity.

Erik woke her one early November morning. Asking her what she wanted for breakfast, he had already slipped into her mind to obtain his answer when,

"Scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon," she said, a pleased smile turning up the corners of her lips.

"Say it again," he demanded. Too many times he had dreamed of hearing her voice. He needed to be sure this wasn't another of those dreams.

"Have you gone deaf?" she chuckled.

That was all the response he needed. He took her into his arms and assaulted her with a kiss of pure joy.

Three months had taken forever to pass, yet they had flown by at the same time. Erik pestered her to say something every few minutes, which made it rather difficult to eat her breakfast before it got cold.

"Stop asking me to talk," she pleaded. "My eggs are frozen and my toast is like a rock." Erik laughed at that. "I'm not kidding." She picked up her toast and banged it against the table to emphasize her point. "See that? I'd do it again, but I might break the table."

Erik stood up and walked over to her, taking her up in his arms and heading for the bedroom.

"But I didn't get a decent breakfast," Lenore protested.

"Three months of silence and you waste your voice on that?" Erik inquired.

"I don't think it's too much to demand a decent meal."

"Let's see if I can't find a better use for your voice," Erik proposed, dropping her on the bed.

"What would you like me to sing?" she asked.

"My name. In the key of ecstasy," he replied, removing every layer of clothing from the top half of his body.

"Maybe I don't want to sing that," she teased.

"You asked me what I wanted you to sing," Erik pointed out. "It's not really your choice, now is it, ma chérie?"

"You wouldn't want to force me, now would you?" Lenore chuckled, rolling over onto her stomach and crawling away from him. He leapt on top of her flattening her to the bed.

"I'm a master of persuasion, so there's really no need to force you," he purred in her ear.

Making love with Erik was everything she had remembered and more. He took her as many times as he could throughout the day, leaving her body so sore that she was sure even breathing would hurt for the rest of her life.

Lenore fell asleep in his arms, her naked form snugged up against his own. Her dreams took her to a place she had been visiting for the past three months. The long, sandy beach was bathed in twilight and the tide kept kissing her feet as she walked along to the figure waiting in the distance.

"You're a bit later than usual," Uriel remarked when she finally sat beside him.

"Guess so," she replied casually, staring out over the ocean.

"Oh, you got your voice back," he noted, giving her a breath-taking smile. "I really missed it, you know."

"I know," she said. "But we certainly found ways to pass the time."

Uriel chuckled, taking her face in his hands and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back, gently pulling her hair out from behind her ears, tangling his fingers in her long locks. "You look beautiful tonight," Uriel complimented her. He said it every night, but it was nice to hear anyway.

Lenore knew exactly why she visited with Uriel every night, even if she pretended not to. She liked him, very much. Also, she felt that it was wrong of her to simply turn away from God, to follow a path leading into damnation and darkness. But she knew that she wanted to be with Erik, because she loved him so deeply.

Could I manage to content myself with Uriel? If I take the path God wishes me to, I'd have to give up Erik's love…would Uriel's affections be sufficient enough? Would I come to love him as much as I love Erik? Why does this have to be so difficult? Why do I have to decide? Couldn't this have all been planned out from the beginning of time? Because I'm afraid of committing to Uriel or Erik, God or Satan. And if this has already been set down, then I don't have to worry about which one I choose, because I was going to choose the one over the other, no matter what happened.

Uriel took her into his arms as he kissed her again. It was different from kissing Erik. With Uriel, she felt as though her soul was being filled with light and peace. It always soothed her to have that feeling coursing through her body. She worried that it meant her love for Uriel was pure, and she only lusted for Erik. No relationship built on lust was meant to last, and if that was the case, she should cut ties with Erik as quickly as possible to avoid the pain the falling out would cause.

"Your immortal would have a fit if he saw this," Uriel breathed against her lips.

"Why did we have to grow attached to each other?" she inquired softly. "Why do we have to feel like this?"

"Love never did make sense," Uriel replied. "Even God can't figure it out."

Lenore sighed; she wanted a better answer than that. She wanted something that would take away the guilt she felt at being here with Uriel. Softly, she sang to him as her guilty tears escaped her control.

Honey, why you calling me so late?
It's kinda hard to talk right now.

Uriel took over for the moment.

Honey, why you crying? Is everything okay?

Lenore put a finger over his lips.

We've gotta whisper cause we can't be too loud.
Well, my man's in the next room.
Sometimes I wish he was you.
I guess I never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name.
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel.
Hearing those words, it makes me weak.
And I never wanna say goodbye.
But boy, you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel.

It's funny that you're calling me tonight.
And yes, I've dreamt of you too.

But it seemed Uriel had thought of something that worried him, and gently sang against the finger that was meant to silence him.

Does he know you're talking to me?
Will it start a fight?

Lenore smiled as reassuringly as possible before answering.

No, I don't think he has a clue.
Well, my man's in the next room.
Sometimes I wish he was you.
I guess I never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name.
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel.
Hearing those words, it makes me weak.
And I never wanna say goodbye.
But boy, you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel.

It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name.
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel.
Hearing those words, it makes me weak.
And I never wanna say goodbye.
But boy, you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel.
Never wanna say goodbye.
But boy, you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel.
Honey, why you calling me so late?

"If being separated from me bothers you so much, then leave him," Uriel suggested.

"I can't…" Lenore said.

"Then perhaps we should stop meeting like this," Uriel whispered, tearing his eyes away from her to look at the dark waves rolling over his feet before hurriedly retreating back to the ocean.

Lenore didn't have a response for that. She didn't know if she wanted to stop seeing him. I'm such a stupid little girl! I should be able to make up my mind. Whining about the problem won't do any good, I need to make a decision. As soon as possible. She looked at the stump that had once been a wing and grimaced sympathetically. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"Not really," Uriel replied. "Just a twinge here or there occasionally."

"I'm sorry," Lenore told him, not for the first time.

"It wasn't your fault. He's the one who"-

"I know, but I'm apologizing for him."

"I doubt he'd apologize."

"Maybe not. But I'd like to believe he would…okay?"

Erik looked at the young woman cradled in his embrace, sleeping so peacefully. What are you dreaming about, my little one? What makes you smile like that, and heave that contented little sigh?

He seriously considered peering into her dreams, but decided against it. He couldn't keep connecting to her mind so often. He was walking on a fine line with that as it was. And she wouldn't appreciate having him know private thoughts like that. Besides, Erik, what do you think would make her smile and sigh like that in her dreams? Surely you know there's no one else.

"Eh, I'm just gonna tell you all my name, I tire of referring to myself as "the authoress". Bah on titles! Unless they're royal titles…wish I had some of those…" the authoress mumbled. "Anyways, I am called Tammy."

"Tammy? Doesn't that name mean 'perfect'?" Raghnall mused.

"Yup," Tammy beamed.

"Well, your parents certainly chose a poor name then," Erik muttered.

"I heard that," Tammy told her beloved Phantom. "I'd glare at you, but I'm already getting my revenge on you in my own way." She laughed maniacally and Erik considered praying for God's intervention on his behalf.

There were some muffled comments from the muzzled Hiroshi, and the bound, molested Uriel whimpered fearfully, certain this laughter meant another scenario filled with sexual abuse was headed his way.

"Hey! Where the hell am I?" Ember shouted angrily, storming up to Tammy and smacking her upside the head. "I am not enjoying being ignored in such a fashion!"

"I'm sorry…we've had some busy plot-enhancing chapters," Tammy said defensively.

"And why am I not involved in the plot enhancement?"

"Um…so, please review people…you're prolly all going to yell at me for the whole Lenore-Uriel thing, but…eh, go ahead. At least it's a review," Tammy said with a shrug.

"Don't you ignore my questions!" Ember snapped, smacking Tammy again for good measure.

"I'm beginning to like Ember very much," Erik chuckled as he watched Tammy get pulverized by Ember.