Authors Note: More reviews! ::gets all teary eyed:: I honestly didn't believe that this would be a good story and people would like it. I thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I would like to thank Monka~Hearts~Erik, my co-writer, and my best f riend, for one, beginning this fanfic and myself for having patience enough to write more and actually post it. And of course my reviewers! Erin and Aries and Lexy. Thank you.

Disclaimer: They are their own and I am I, our souls together soar through the sky.

Christine heard a voice and turned towards the alleyway.

"Raoul…? Did you?" He turned. Carley turned and tried to look for a place to hide but there was none. She finally turned to Erik. She drew up the hood hastily and pulled close to Erik. She drew close to him so the hood would cover both of their faces. They were touching face to face. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't move." She whispered. She held back an irresistible urge to kiss him and let his arms wrap around her and never let go. Only her fear of him leaving and being found out held her back. Erik trembled at the closeness. Christine looked puzzled.

"It's only a prostitute and her patron for the night." Raoul said casually. Christine looked back at him startled. "All right…"

"She looked like your new friend…. What's her name?"

"Carley, or her sister Erin?" Raoul shrugged. "Either which one."

"I do hope they got out all right after that fright about my angel…"

"You mean the opera ghost. Let us leave him and all of this horror behind." He took her hand and helped her into the carriage.

Carley finally spoke after a stunned silence. "I think they're gone." She let go hesitantly, and turned around to face the carriages that were coming and leaving. They were nowhere in sight.

"Yes they're gone." They went oddly silent.  The silence was almost painful. "Erik-," Carley was cut off.

"Hey! You two! Get over here!" Erin half yelled half spoke. Erik tried not to look at the carriage that carried Christine away… forever.

"I will love you forever." He whispered.

"Hey Erik?" Carley asked gently. "Are you going to come? If you don't want to I understand completely."

"What? And miss out on all this fun? I'd never dream it." Erik said with a smile. "And, as I have seen, you need my help if you're going to survive."

"Well then." Carley sighed in relief. "Our carriage awaits." Erik climbed in and helped both of them inside. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Driver take us to the nearest hotel please. " Erik said. More silence ensued.

"Erik. Now we must tell you everything. You may not believe it, and you'll probably think we are under the influence of some sort of cordial but we are honest." Carley said. Erin stayed silent, letting Carley speak.

"Erin, is my sister. We have admired you from afar for… longer than we can remember. It's almost as if we were drawn to you."

"Admired me? What for?" Erik said numbly.

"Many things, Erik. We have heard stories of such a man. Accounts from the Persian. Rumors of a magnificent soul inside a man with a mask. And music… as no one had ever heard before. Such beauty… Of course we wanted to find you. And as for knowing your passageways… We just got lucky. Extremely lucky if you must. We heard that this Phantom was going to be hunted and killed tonight. We couldn't let that happen. You were like an angel to us. We found peace in you that we could never find anywhere else."

"You sound as if you know me…well, and yet I have never seen you before." Erik said after Carley paused.

"We…" Carley stopped unable to find words to say. "We hide in the shadows much like you. Living much off of music as you do."

"In some way…we are kindred spirits. Attracted to each other. We have lived off of the rumor of a genius of music." Erik sat in stunned silence. They had only heard rumors about him and yet that drove them to find him and save him.

"But… but I am a monster." Erik shuddered.

"You are a monster only because man has made you so. It is not your fault that you fell in love. It is not your fault that you were angry and killed some people. It's their's." Erin leaned toward Erik. "You are not the monster, they are."

After a long silence Erik spoke with tears in his eyes. "But I am not an angel… you two are." Both Erin and Carley blushed. All of the sudden the horses stopped.

"The Hotel de Charlene." The coachman said as he opened the door.

"Thank you." Erin said as she stepped out the carriage. She walked onto the sidewalk and waited for Carley and Erik to join her. When they did, they all walked into the warm hotel lobby together. Erik stopped them both.

"You order the room. Okay?" Erin and Carley nodded.

"Um… Erin! Can I talk to you for a second?" Carley said nervously as she pulled her aside. "Don't move Erik."

"What's wrong?" Erin whispered.

"No money!" She whispered back.

"Shoot! And we don't have anything to pawn."

"Well there is our dresses but," Carley looked mockingly at there clothes. "We don't have anything else to wear."

"Right. Maybe I can go to Firmin and mooch some money off of him." Erin tipped back her head and laughed.

"No we can't." Carley said getting very serious.

"What?"

"Look." Carley pointed over to Erik. There were already people starting to hassle him.

"Well, where are we going to get the money?" Carley looked over and her eyes caught something use full.

"We don't need money." Carley walked over the desk. "Hello, Michael."

"Ah! Mlle. Carley! How are you?" Michael was overjoyed to see her.

"Oh I'll manage." Carley said as she motioned over to Erin to help Erik. "But I'm afraid that the phantom took my coin purse. And I have no place to stay."

"Say no more. I will have a room set up for you and your sister." He said with a smile. "Follow me."

"Let me just get my sister." Carley said. She walked over to the corner where Erin and Erik stood. She walked up to them just as Erin punched a drunken man. Michael noticed this and came running.

"What's going on here?!" He shouted. Carley held Erin, preventing her from doing further damage to the man.

"This man," Erin panted, "has insulted my friend." Carley looked over and saw Erik in the corner trying to fix his wig.

"Charlie." Michael gently said as he picked up the man. "If you ever touch that man again, you'll never step foot in this hotel again." He threw Charlie back on the floor. Michael looked back up at Erik. "I am terribly sorry. Charlie just doesn't know when to quit. Please, follow me." Michael led the way to a room. It was small but very nice for being 18th century. "And for you monsieur, your room is right across the hall."

"Thank you so much. First you save me then you give us shelter." Carley gave Michael a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Any thing for you." He bowed and left the room.

"Wow!" Erin was shocked. "He really loves you!" Carley grinned.

"Not like your Firmin, huh?" She dodged before Erin swiped at her. They laughed. Of course.

Authors OTHER note: Stay tuned for chapter twelve! Theres a whole lot more in store! ^.^