Authors Note:: Well guys…it really took a lot to post this today. I had a really bad day, and my heart has taken a horrible beating, and is near breaking. But its you reviewers that keep me going. Thanks a lot. ^.^ You make me happy, and I post for you! So here you go, and thanks again for reviewing so much.

Disclaimer:: I don't own Erik, but can I just hold him for a moment? I need it. ::hugs Erik….10 minutes pass….20….60…3 hours…etc…etc…::

"No!" She cried out in a horrified tone.

"Yeah," The drunken man said. "It's a wonder." Carley turned and ran up the  stairs to her room."

"Erin-- !!!!!!!" She bolted into the room and pounced on her. Erin grumbled a word. "No Erin this is serious." She begged. "There's some guys, they want to find Erik! I think their part of the mob."

Erin's eyes opened in a flash.

"You better not be joking." Erin growled looking ominous.   

"Would I joke about Erik's well being?" Erin's eyes flashed.

"Lets go."

*          *          *

Downstairs a brawl was looking inevitable. Erin and Carley reached the bottom of the stairs and had just entered the main hall when Michael landed hard on a table from a punch from the burly man.

"JUDO CHOP!" Erin jumped high into the air and hit the burly man square in the chest. Erin leaped on to the burly man and started to throw wild punches at his face. Carley had to struggle to get Erin off him.

"You and your judo chop." Carley turned around to the man who was still on the floor. She whispered quietly, "If you wish to ever have children, you should get up and get out."  The man growled in response.

"You are hiding him arent you?" He said in a low voice. Right at that moment Erik walked in the door carrying a large black case and some papers. He looked up and instinctively slid into the shadow carefully watching Carley and Erin.

"Not at all." Carley said smoothly. "If you ever touch my love again, you will pay." She tilted her head towards Michael who was rubbing his jaw tenderly. The man widened his eyes.

"Then why did she attack  me?" He pointed to Erin. Erin scoffed.

"That's his little sister." Erin smiled lovingly at Michael who hid a smirk.  The man, defeated for the moment, got up.

"All right, I will  go. That Phantom guy wouldn't be here anyways with insane hotel wenches who attack customers. He'd probably be frightened off." Erin growled. In the corner, Erik smiled to himself.

"Frightened of your face." Michael clasped his hand over Erins mouth in a brotherly fashion.

"In any case. No harm done, If I do hear about that Phantom I will tell you." Michael said. The man glared and shrugged.  He turned and started walking away. Erin sent a well-placed kick to his backside.

"HEY!" He yelled. Michael grabbed Erin.

"Little sister! Be nice to the customers! I can't believe you." He winked at her with the eye that wasn't visible to the man. The man stalked off. Michael turned to Carley.

"Well, now that I have a darling little sister, do I get a lover too?" Carley laughed.

"That. Monsieur was just for the show." Carley turned towards Erik who was still amongst the shadows making his way upstairs. Erin did also. "But, I am glad you're okay." She gave him a peck on the cheek before following Erik. Erin followed suit.

"Yeah, big bro!" Michael laughed and watched them follow their mysterious guest up the stairs. Who was he anyways? Ah well… a friend is a friend. And any friend of those lovely girls was a friend of his.

*          *          *

Carley caught up to Erik on the stairs.

"Where did you go?" Carley was out of breath. "Why was that man chasing you? What is all this stuff?" Erik kept calmly climbing the stairs.

"Patience." Carley quieted at once.

"BUT WHY?" Erin shouted. Erik turned around and peered at her with his penetrating golden eyes. Erin recoiled. "Just kidding."

"Erik." Carley said after a moment. He turned his head towards her. "That man, he was after you. But he didn't see you, thank goodness, but still… no one saw us go. How could he find you?"

Erik shook his head. "I don't know."

"It's the crazy bird. He told the men where Erik was." Erik looked at Erin.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Erin felt her arm. "No more than usual." Erin fell over with laughter, but Erik and Carley just looked at each other. "Well, that was refreshing." Erin quickly got in step with Erik and Carley. "You know laughing out loud adds 10 minutes to your life? Really. It does." Erin looked at Erik, then at Carley. "Shall we try it? Let's." Erin let out a burst of laughter.

Erik leaned close to Carley. "Has she been into the wine cellar?"

"Erin, how many have you drunken."

Erin was still laughing but she held up four fingers. "Just kidding. None. Why do you ask?"

Carley looked at Erik. "She's just tired. We have to get her in bed before the moon appears."

Erik looked a bit confused. Carley leaned in closer to him.

"She's frightened. It's just her way of showing it. Matter of fact, we're both scared. That man… he was to close to the truth.." Erik nodded. He could understand that.

"Erik, forgive us. We were just worried. And scared." Erik smiled half to himself.

"Well it seemed to me that you had everything under control." Carley looked over and blushed.

"Well…" Carley trailed off. But she was smiling. Don't worry Erik. With these people around, we'll be sure and be extra careful. Extra…careful. They turned in their respective rooms.

"Ah, Mademoiselles, before you go to bed… I have something for each of you." Erin hopped up.

"Presents?!" She said excitedly.

"For me?!" Erin ran up to Erik and opened her mouth to say something then stopped to think. "You went out to get us presents? While a mob of angry men chase you around?"

"No, no one saw me. I went to go get something for me and I saw something that caught my eye. It made me think of you two."

"I see."

"So…" Carley looked around. "Can we have them now?" Erik nodded.

"But not here. In the parlor." He led Carley and Erin to the parlor. The room was fairly small but it still held three bookcases full of old, dusty books and a small piano by the bay window, over looking the busy, Paris street in front of the hotel. Erik set down the black, box he was carrying in one arm, then ruffled through the loose papers he held in the other arm. After a few minutes, he pulled out a few papers and set them on the piano, and then he went back to ruffling the papers. Erik simultaneously pulled out 3 sheets of the old paper. He looked around the room and pulled a small podium that held a dictionary on it over to him.

"This will do." Erik said as he studied the podium as if he were looking for a secret notch. Finally he picked up the dictionary and set it to the side and neatly placed the paper on the podium. "Now come the surprises." Erin and Carley sat in suspense. "For Mademoiselle Carley, I give this." He led her over to the piano and let her see the sheet music.

"Erik!" She gasped in surprise. "I… I don't know what to say!" The sheet music read Don Juan Triumphant.

"I want this to be the first piece I help you with."

"I would be honored." Carley said breathlessly, staring at it. Often in her dreams she had thought of going to paris and finding this piece….and now it was in her hand. This was beyond her wildest dream ever. But…what was for Erin.

"And for Mademoiselle Erin," Erik walked to the black box he had set down when they had first entered the room. He slowly unlocked the latches and pulled out a violin.