Disclaimer: I do not have the honors in owning the talented Erik.

A/N: Thanks again to those who have reviewed!

Chapter 3- The Idea

Stephanie was just about done explaining the complexity of the future to Erik when her parents returned. That first night was full of anxiety for both Stephanie and Erik. They could get caught and… Erik didn't even want to think about the consequences.

When Stephanie woke up the next day she was relieved it was only Saturday. She had more time to spend with the Phantom and figure out what to do with him. She spent majority of the night contemplating on how to help the misfortune man. She knew he missed his time from all the cries he had during the night. He kept calling out for Christine and it was truly pathetic to hear him in such a state. Thankfully, he wasn't too loud for her parents to overhear, at least that was what she hoped.

She got up and threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans. Standing in front of her mirror, she proceeded to put in her lens.

"What are you doing?"

She whirled around with her hand over her bad eye. The lens fell out of her hand in the process.

"What were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" she snapped as she bent down to pick up the dirty lens.

"My apologies Miss Larson but what were you doing with your eye?"

"I was putting in my contact thank you very much, now if you excuse me I have to clean it," she said, brushing past him.

He followed her into the adjoining bathroom where she turned and glared at the masked fellow. "I would like some privacy."

A tiny smirk played on his lips. "I will leave in a moment after you tell me why you're still holding your hand over your eye." He crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his chin. "Well?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," she retorted.

"Ah, but I think I owe this tidbit since you know quite intimately about my life," he told her.

"And I thought you were so charming too," she threw back sarcastically. "Later."

"No now."

God he's so stubborn! she thought. "Erik, how would you like it if I pulled off your mask right now and hide it? Don't give me that look. I know what lies underneath it and trust me it won't scare me."

"That's what you may think now," he muttered.

"Erik times have changed. In today's society children become desensitize to everything. You may think your face is horrific, but it's not according to my standards. Your face is nothing compared to Pinhead's or Freddy Krueger's," Stephanie explained.

"Who?"

She groaned. "Go back to your room and I'll bring you up some breakfast. Don't open the door unless I tell you to."

"All right mother," he bowed mockingly. Stephanie had to fight the urge to chuck her toothbrush at the back of his skull. Such arrogance! And his manners. He could be so chivalrous one second and then be rude in a flash. No wonder he kept losing Christine!

Christine…

A small smile formed on her features. Maybe she could help change all that.

She bounced down the stairs, now more in a glorious mood, and skipped into the kitchen where her parents just sat for breakfast.

"Morning Dad, Mom," she greeted as she sat beside her mother and reached for a Danish.

"Morning sweetheart," they answered back.

"Steph, we were curious. Did you leave on your Phantom soundtrack during the night? We kept hearing 'Christine, Christine' over and over," her father said.

Stephanie swallowed the small bite and gulped. "Yeah I did." Damn you Erik!

"Don't do that again. We have to listen to it during the day and don't want to hear it while I'm sleeping."

"Sorry Dad. Won't happen again." Darn right won't happen again. Looks like I have to gag him or something.

"Good. Well, I'm off to work. Bye girls!"

Stephanie nodded and watched as he left. Now it was just her and her mother. "You know, last night you won't believe whom we ran into," her mother said.

"Who?" she muffled.

"Dan Shaw's folks. Nice people really. Did you know that Dan is some kind of athlete?"

"Uh-huh. He plays soccer," Stephanie replied.

"Good isn't he? Why don't you go to the games? His parents said he likes all the support he can get," she told her.

"Mom what's the point? I have no one to meet there."

"So?"

Stephanie sighed. She hated when her mother does this. Even more when she says-

"Well, if you're so ashamed of your looks, why don't you get your hair styled? It will look a lot better since you always have to have it down in your face."

Easy for her to say, Stephanie bitterly thought. Stephanie inherited her mother's reddish-brown locks, but when it came to any hairstyles, her mother had the fortunate luck of having curly hair.

"Mom, I've been through this with you before. My hair won't stay with any style! I like it the way it is so can't you just deal with it?" Stephanie cried, exasperated. "Other girls in my school wear their hair down."

"Yeah and they style it. Steph, I just want the best for you. You're always lonely and so self-conscious about your eyes. They shouldn't bother you so much now since we got you those contact lens you wanted so much."

"That's besides the point. Almost everyone in this town has seen me before without the lens and that doesn't change anything. Can't you please get off my back about this for just one stinky day!" Stephanie groaned.

"Fine. I give up. I just want to help you Stephanie. Is that so hard for a mother to ask that of her daughter?"

"Yes," Stephanie muttered under her breath so her mother wouldn't hear. "I'm going to my room to eat breakfast." Stephanie grabbed a napkin and began piling it with a couple Danishes and a bagel.

"Stephanie, I'm going into town today and do you want to come with me?"

Amazing, she thought. She just jumps from one thing to the next. "No. I want to stay and catch up on my reading."

Stephanie didn't give her a chance to reply as she quickly hurried upstairs. She just wanted to get away from her. As much as she loved her mother, there were times when Stephanie loathed her when it came to certain things about her life. She was sixteen. She could do whatever she pleases, but nothing seems to make her mother happy. She just doesn't understand what it's like to be in my shoes, Stephanie thought as she entered to find Erik lying on his back, staring at the ceiling blankly.

She gave him a sleeping bag and pillow to sleep on, which there was a small dispute about him sleeping on the floor. Yeah, the floor could get cold on some nights but it wasn't like she had enough time to run to the basement to grab a cot. So he just had to make do with what was offered.

"Here, I wasn't sure what you would be hungry for," she said as she handed him the napkin.

"Thank you Miss Larson," he replied and began nibbling on the bagel.

"You might want to consider to stop calling Christine's name out during the night. You're lucky my parents thought it was my soundtrack," she told him.

"I didn't do no such thing," Erik cried in defense.

"Erik don't argue. You did. I heard you, they heard you, and I'm pretty sure people within a ten mile radius heard you as well. I know you miss her, but making yourself miserable isn't going to help much. Now we're lucky for today. My Dad left for work and my mom is going to town so we basically have the house to ourselves for a good several hours. Now, I have a proposition for you."

Erik stopped eating to listen to Stephanie. She was unlike any girl he had ever met. But there was something about her that he wanted to know. Like why she was so secretive over her eye. What could she be hiding? He knew he had to be careful with Stephanie after the little threat she made about hiding his mask. Normally, Erik could push people so far and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But he couldn't get away with that with this girl. She was dangerous. He mentally laughed at his predicament. Wouldn't the dear daroga get a kick out of this? Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, murderer, magician, and adviser to the Shah has to watch his back around a teenage girl?

He began to drown out her words as he continued to reflect on this Stephanie Larson. She was no beauty like his Christine, but she did carry this air of strength and sadness that made her attractive. Her temper could easily match that of his and in some strange way he felt some sort of bond to this girl in a small period of time. Erik was hardly granted kindness from any stranger, but this creature was dead set on helping to return him to his beloved. Did she know something about Christine that he didn't? This overwhelmed him with worry. Was she in trouble? Was she hurt? Did she need her Angel right now that he wasn't there to listen to her pleas?

"Erik!" she hissed.

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked with the hint of annoyance.

Oh yes, just like me. "I'm sorry I didn't."

"Well, I said, I can help you win Christine's heart."

He chuckled darkly. "I don't need help. I can win her over on my own."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Yeah right. But my Phantom senses are telling me you are so dead wrong. You need help on l-o-v-e. No girl is going to fall at your feet with your type of attitude."

"And what does that mean?" he demanded.

"It means, you had no human contact for years so you don't know the ways to a girl's heart. You maybe smart and well cultured but that doesn't cut it. There's an unwritten code that we have that men just don't seem to get. I'm a girl and roughly around Christine's age so I can tell you what she wants in a man. Her character is not that hard to analyze when you think about it. So with my help, when you go back, you can get the girl and Raoul will be crying like a baby when she wants you and not him. So, do we have an accord?"

Erik took a moment to think. She did have a good point. Maybe he could see what she has up her sleeves and if he doesn't like it, then he won't have to take her advice. Smiling, Erik answered, "Agreed."

TBC…

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