WOW! YAY! I GOT OVER 50 REVIEWS! WOOOOOOOOT! Okay, now I will try and act sane (insane giggling) okay, well at least as sane as I am capable of acting. Which actually isn't very sane at all. Why am I calling it sane then? I dunno…WHATEVER! FOCUS! Glad you all seem to enjoy my story. This will be more of a filler chappie, but some "interesting" things will occur. I think. Perhaps we will learn the mind of our precious Viscomte in this chappie? Or next chappie…whatever. Please remember to review!

News

"When can I see him, doctor?" I inquired, still on cloud nine. Erik will be okay! Thank God! I had been so frightened that he would never wake up. There had been so much blood, and Erik's heartbeat had been so faint…

The doctor took off his glasses and wiped them off on his sterile white coat. He then replaced the spectacles on the end of his prominent nose and replied, "He isn't awake now, but you are welcome to see him."

I needed no further urging, and I walked at a pace that could probably be considered a full sprint down to Erik's room. I hesitated outside the door. Fear crept back into my heart as I wondered, 'what if he never makes a full recovery? What if his hand never heals? WHAT IF HE CAN NO LONGER PLAY THE PIANO OR VIOLIN?'

Oh, that would be awful for him to never create music again. True, he could still sing, but he would dearly miss playing instruments. And it would all be because of me. All because he had to fight off a former suitor of mine!

At those thoughts, tears sprang to my eyes. Just thinking about it made me miserable. But I quickly wiped my tears away, along with those doubtful thoughts. There would be no way for me to know if he was well or not if I just stayed out in this hallway for an eternity! I needed to face facts. Sure, Erik would be devastated if he could no longer play the piano, organ, etc, but we would still have each other. That, as of right now, was the most important thing!

I braced myself for the worst and pushed open the door to reveal my Erik, asleep on the hospital bed. He looked downright frail! The excessive amounts of blood that he lost last night had caused him to look pale. He was as white as a ghost. His left hand was splinted, and I couldn't even see one long, elegant finger. He was in bad shape, but…he was alive and that was all that mattered!

I walked towards a chair in a corner of the room and, as quietly as possible, dragged it next to the bed. Even though I had attempted to be silent, however, Erik's eyes shot open at the scraping sound the chair made. I winced, hating to have awakened Erik when he needed his sleep.

"Good morning, Mon Amore," crooned Erik in a voice barely above a whisper. His golden eyes were soft and loving. If he hadn't been in such a bad condition, I would have jumped on him and snogged him. As it is… I contented myself with kissing his cheek. His left cheek, not his right. The doctors had decided not to remove his mask, giving him at least that little bit of privacy.

"'Morning, sunshine! How are you feeling?" I inquired.

"Not too bad, considering. Tell me honestly: How bad do I look?"

"Honestly, you look like you went through a meat grinder, got made into a sausage, had a cat eat you, and then got regurgitated by said cat. But you're alive, and that is all I care about," I replied. Erik flinched at my description, mock pain and amusement showing through in his eyes.

"So, have the doctors mentioned anything about when I am going to be released from this jail cell - I mean hospital?" Erik asked.

"I didn't bother asking. I basically ran right here as soon as I received the news that you would live!" I replied.

Erik sighed exasperatedly and commented, "I need to hire new help. You aren't a very good evil lackey." Ever since he had started hanging out with me, he had acquired an odd sense of humor, very similar to my own. I was beginning to think that I was a bad influence on him…

"No, I'm not. But then, I wasn't aware that I was only your henchman! I always thought I was your partner in crime! When you first met me, all you could talk about was how we would do everything equally! We would both drop sets on egotistical divas! We would both send ominous notes to the managers! But I see how it is now! Well, you can kiss my butt good-bye!" I screeched in mock anger. Then we both collapsed into hysterical fits of giggling. Ah, life was good.

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After a few hours talking to Erik, I was ushered out of the room by the doctor. The doctor's excuse was that Erik needed sleep. Pfft, sleep.

I decided to go for a little walk around town, maybe get some breakfast at a coffee shop of some sort. Well, I guess dinner was a more appropriate term. Since I had been unable to keep food down last night after the incident, the last time that I had eaten was supper yesterday. Too far off in my opinion.

I found a small little coffee shop that served a decent scone and tea breakfast/dinner. Fortunately, the scones were heavy and served with thick clotted cream and jam, so I left the café with a full stomach. Thank goodness!

After dinner, I strolled down the streets and into an open-air market. There I idly browsed the goods that various merchants were selling. For three hours. What can I say? I love to shop. But then, I'm only female.

A little boy was holding a newspaper aloft and shouted the headline's caption, hoping to attract a customer's attention above the din of the marketplace. I decided to purchase a newspaper. After all, I was bored and had nothing better to do. I paid the boy the penny for the newspaper and walked over to a small café where I could sit and drink a cup of tea while reading.

After I had a cup of tea within reach, I unfolded the newspaper and read the headline. It read, "French Nobleman Found Dead."

I nearly spat out my tea. Oh, my God! The tabloids were quick!

I quickly continued reading. "The Viscomte de Chagny was found dead this morning near St. Paul's Cathedral. He had been brutally stabbed in the chest. His fiance-" What? Okay, now I was mad! Had he told the world that we were getting married even though I had refused him? "was our own Princess Louise, daughter of our Queen Victoria." WHOA! Well, Raoul had definitely been looking for a suitable wife around after my refusal of his marriage! And guess what? He found one!

I couldn't read any more of the article. I needed some answers and I needed them now!

I slapped some money down on the table to pay for coffee, got up, and marched towards the road, my heels clicking against the cobblestone street. There, I tried to flag down a cab. Eventually I succeeded in getting one to stop, although it did take quite a while.

"Where to, Miss?" asked the driver, a man I would guess to be about fifty with flaming red hair speckled with the white of age.

"To Buckingham Palace!" I replied urgently in English accented by a lifetime spent in Brooklyn.

"Are ye here to do some sightseein'?" inquired the driveramiably in his lilting Irish brogue.

"Not exactly."

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