Authors Note: OOH OOH More reviews! ::dances:: I so love reviews. Thank you all. Erin and Aries, It urges me to post more. Thank you thank you! Here is the next chapter. I will be doing one chapter a day (I hope) until I can get where I am currently. Then it will be difficult to tell when I will post. In anycase I forgot(regrettably PLEASE FORGIVE ME!) to mention that this Fic was co written by my friend. She and I email it back and forth and type and then send back. Please Please Please forgive me!

Disclaimer: I own not Erik, I own not Christine. I own only one, and that is me.

                                                          An Angel of their own.

@--}-}—

Carley stood huddled next to Erik. Both of them had been holding their breath. Carley listened intently to Firmin and Erin in a shocked appreciation. She didn't dare move, it was crunched enough as it was. Erik seemed to be listening to them too. He waited in tense apprehension for the words "Who's hiding in there?" But they never came. Suddenly as Firmin and Erin walked away he felt Carley breath a sigh of relief. He smiled in grim amusement. He had never been this close to a woman. Much less of their own free will. If you called being shoved in a costume closet free will. Carley turned her face towards Erik, they were nearly nose to nose.

"Well she always had a way with the boys. Even if they were annoying and lecherous." Her eye's glittered in amusement. "Let's get out of here."

"Ladies first." Erik said. Carley smiled and made her way out of the costume closet. "No one's here, you can come out." Erik slowly came out. He was right. These two would never cease to amaze him.   

 Carley led the way to the closet and pulled the candlestick. It opened up to her and she paused. "I…would you like to go first?" She said to Erik. Erik looked at her, his mask covering a confused expression on his face.

"But Mlle. It's disrespectful." Carley glanced, nervously into the dark passageway.

"I would feel a lot more comfortable if you went first."

"Mlle I assure you there is no one here. You need not worry about my well being, I insist-," Carley interrupted him.

"It's not that. I… I'm afraid of dark places." She blushed in embarrassment. Erik smiled at the irony.

"And yet you came to find me." He said. "Would it be better if you held on to me?" He extended his arm jokingly and she took it to his surprise. He felt her quivering against him.

"Lets go now. I think… I'll be all right."  She huddled against him and he led the way. This must be some sort of twisted game. A trick. Or worse. A dream. Or she may be leading me to the mob, outside. Feigning innocence and trust until at the last moment. Betrayed. He couldn't be betrayed again. It would kill him.

As the passageway got darker he felt her get closer to him.

"Here we are." He said and pushed on the wall. The blustery winter air, grown colder by the oncoming night.

"You go first." He said to Carley. Carley looked unsure then went forward.

"There is nobody out here. Come on Erik." She said soothingly. "No one is out here." He tensed and prepared for the worst and walked out carefully keeping to the shadows. All that met him was a cold breeze of air. Carley stood in the middle of the back alleyway.

"What were you expecting?! A mob?" Erik gave a nervous laugh.

"Of course not."

@--}-}—

"And this statue," Firmin continued. "is a bust of Aphrodite. The Greek goddess of love." He leaned in toward Erin to smell her.

"So," Erin said stepping away, "it's getting late. I should probably go home and change into some warmer clothes."

"Oh my darling! I was going to ask you, why are you all wet?"

"I fell… and um… I fell into a puddle!"

"Well here." He handed her his cloak. "Take this. To keep you warm." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." As much as Erin hated to, she put his cloak around her shoulders. "But anyway I really should be going home."

"Why don't you come to my home?" Firmin leaned in to kiss her when she quickly slapped him.

"How dare you!"

"Oh Erin, I am sorry. I… I…"

"I have never been so embarrassed!"

"I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Erin thought for a moment.

"I would like a carriage, for me and for my sister."

"I can give you a ride home in my carria-,"

"I have quite enough of our closeness M Firmin. I would like a private carriage."

"As you wish." He started to walk away when he quickly turned around. "You must understand, Mlle Perinovic. I was only trying to… I was just… May I perhaps see you on another day?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." This response seemed to hurry Firmin along.

"Be waiting outside." He ran off.

"Good boy. Run along now." Erin spoke to her self with a grin.

@--}-}—

Carley stood outside. The ice cold of winter was beginning to cut through her damp clothes. She was beginning to feel its icy claws tear at her already torn dress straight through to her skin. She folded her arms and clasped her hands on them trying to get warmer. Erik looked over at Carley. She noticed and came over to stand by him. He was still partially in shadow. A faint light illuminated the good half of his face and the other in dark. Half angel half demon. She rubbed her hands together. If Erin didn't come soon she would freeze to death. Erik watched her, and he suddenly was alarmed. Her clothes were still damp. And in this weather she would surely freeze. He slowly took off his magnificent cloak and laid it on her shoulders. She looked at him in surprised appreciation.

"Thank you…" She wasn't sure what else to say. She didn't have time to say anything else. Erin came bursting through the wall.

"There you guy's are!" Erin said. "You wouldn't believe Firmin-"

"Actually I would." Erik said.

"He tried to kiss you too?!" He shuddered.

"No. Nothing like that. He has been like that to all the women." He sat there in wonderment. He was beginning to grow attached to these two. They made him feel…almost like a normal man. With normal friends. And yet they treated him as a diamond, rare and precious and only wanting to keep safe. But could he really trust them? They trusted him more than he realized. But what for? What was their purpose?

"Hey!" Carley broke his train of thought. "Where did you get a cloak!?"

"From M Firmin." Erin said with disgust. "But a cloak is a cloak. Where did you get yours?"

"Our angel." Carley smiled at Erik.

"Angel?!"  Erik thought.

"Aw. How sweet. And me without my camera." Erik gave her a puzzled look. "An expression that I use at home." She tried her best to give a good excuse.

"All right. There is a hotel down the street. You can lodge there." Erik turned to leave when Erin grabbed his arm.

"I have a carriage coming for us." Realizing how forward she must have seemed she let go and blushed. "I mean, I thought you were going to come with us."

"And do what?" His voice was harsher than he had intended it to be.

"I don't know. Whatever you want. You can do what ever you want. You can go back to designing great buildings or just keep writing songs!" Erik gasped. How did they know about my past!

"Okay. Tell me now, how did you know about my secret passageways? How did you know about my past? And why did you call me 'angel'?" Carley gave a nervous glance toward Erin.

"In the carriage. We'll tell you everything." Erin looked behind her self at the busy road. "Wait here for my signal, then come."

Carley watched Erin go. Then something caught her eye. Mlle Daae! She gasped. And Raoul! She frowned. She backed up.

"Oh, not now!" Erik looked over at Carley. Carley tried to block his view but it was to late. He had seen Christine Daae.