Let's get one thing straight here, folks: NO ONE says another word about my friends, aka DANIELLE of the story. You say one more word about "killing her off", PrissyCat, and this pirate may explode. I'm askin' ye nicely this time. AndI mean it. Leave Danielle alone. Or how about just not reviewing the story anymore? You mess with my friends, you mess with me. So back off, savvy?

Now to all of you nice reviewers who I appreciate greatly, I still do, and I'm sorry if that up there bugged you. Hope you guys like this next chapter of the story. It's a leading-up-to kinda thing!

Danielle told Christine and Raoul she would be at the opera house all day, possibly all night, but left out the fact that she was meeting Gaston there, and not Elsa.

"Gaston?" she whispered, peering into the alley beside the huge building.

Gaston appeared from the shadows, out into the sunlight before her.

"Danielle!" he said happily, taking her by the hand. "Are you ready to catch our crook?"

"Yeah!" she said enthusiastically. "Anything to help the Phantom of the Opera. But hey, shouldn't we tell them that we're going to be casing his house?" she asked.

Gaston froze.

"No," he snapped.

Danielle frowned at his tone of voice.

Gaston bit his lip. "I just mean...We shouldn't tell him, because...he may worry, and get himself into trouble involuntarily."

"Are you sure?" Danielle asked, not swayed.

"Believe me, I know what I'm doing. We can't tell. Anyone. They'd grow suspicious and just get in m-Our way." He tooke her hand and led her through a hidden door on the side of the building. "Now, come. It will be a long day ahead of us."

Gaston led her through the many twists and turns and secret rooms of the Opera Populaire, only stopping to listen intently to the goings-on of the stage and dormitories.

Danielle, though she felt something for Gaston in her heart, couldn't help but also feel cautious and as if she were walking on broken glass as she followed Gaston through the labyrinth. What exactly were the two of them doing down here? What good would it do?

She was beginning to feel some remorse, regret for agreeing to help Gaston.

But each time he turned back to look at her, and those grey eyes settled on her, she shivered and felt she had to trust him. He saved her last night, didn't he? He told her she was beautiful; he kissed her.

Once they were in the correct place-according to Gaston-they sat themselves down in a long black corridor. Their only light source was a candle Gaston had brought down with them.

"Now what do we do?" asked Danielle, skeptical still.

"We wait for Celui to make his move," Gaston said grimly. "I know he will."

After another moment of silence, Danielle spoke again:

"Where exactly are we?"

"Well, with your help I figured out the most effective way to suit the plan. We're just east of the Phantom's lair. If we go left, we run into a secret door that opens onto the underground lake, where there's a spare boat hidden away to the right."

"You found all this out from me?" Danielle said, not remembering her saying anything about secret doors, and ceratinly she didn't mention this place. She didn't know about it!

"Erm," he paused. "A little research..."

"Ah."

"And if we go right, we go back to where we came from. So if anything happens, Danielle," he said, looking at her, "you leave and run for help all right?"

She nodded.

For the next few hours, the two sat together as they waited for their oppurtuen moment, so to speak. During the time, they shared stories and their philosophies. Danielle showed Gaston her lighter side, her sense of humor, which he found to be quite charming. He was taken with her...Something that may prove difficult...

Gaston proved to be a stubborn, adventurous person, much like herself, which made her feel good. Finally someone else that was like her, right?

Suddenly there was a loud echo through the corridor they were sitting, waiting in.

Danielle jumped, taken off guard. "What was that?"

"I don't know...Let me go and look, all right?" he said quietly.

Danielle nodded. This was their moment. She didn't know how it would ever work, but she knew whatever was going to happen would happen now.

Gaston crept to the end of the corridor and rounded the corner, disapearing, as well as the low light from his candle.

Danielle was left alone in the murky darkness, begininng to fear for her life. Why did she go along with his "plan"? Should she have just stayed at the mansion? Should she have never even looked at Gaston when he whispered "Hey!" a few days ago?

Her heart was pounding, and Gaston had not returned. Five minutes. Ten minutes. On the edge of tears, she crept along the corridor. Holding her breath, she looked around the corner.

Nothing there. No one. Pitch black, inky darkness.

She looked down.

A piece of parchment.

Squinting to the point of pain, she was barely able to make out the words, written in red ink:

Your plan didn't work. I have him now. Give it up. The Opera Populaire is mine.

Dread washed over Danielle like as if a bucket of icy water had just been thrown on her. Now what? What would she do?

"If anything happens...leave and run for help..." he had said.

She was running now, running...But who would she go to for help? And how would she asked for it? They were two young adults in the catacombs of the opera house, with no one as a witness, and now one of them had been taken prisoner or something by someone. Danielle didn't really know what to do, but she ran anyways-towards the de Chagny mansion, a few blocks away from the opera house.

So Gaston got kidnapped. Are you suuure? I think I'm sure. I think...Eh. I never know about anything these days. Review! And suggestions! ((NO killing off. Remember what I said? And don't be childish and retaliate by cussing me out in a review. You wouldn't want to look like a 3 year old in front of your peers would you?))