A/N: Charity and Angel of Mystery, you guys are awesome for being such loyal readers! And Child of the Dark Wood, thanks for the rose...and the review. And you certainly know how to make an exit...

Anywho, Chapter Four is short but there will be Erik and Antoinette fluff followed by a converstation about God. I like myself and my characters to believe in a higher power so it you don't care for it, too bad. Skip to Chapter five if you're that aganist the Big Guy, but you'll miss some very important character development and fluff!

Again, Chapter four is short, but I will make up for it in chapter five. Enjoy!

peace, love and lipgloss,

Mlle. Fox

Later at dinner, Jean Claude mused to himself that he had never seen so many dark expressions. He took up Firmin's half eaten piece of crumb cake as he puffed on his cigar with exasperation,

"I can't believe we are being followed! It's an outrage!"

"Obviously this Colonel fellow Erik told us about sent them. I wonder what they're after?" asked Andre using his cigar cutter to nip off the end of his Havana.

"Well Mousier, it should be fairly obvious. They want that Commune money! But what connection does this mysterious Colonel have to the treasury committee?" asked Antoinette stabbing her cake with her fork absentmindedly. Erik waved away the cloud of smoke the partners were trying to create and coughed,

"That is what we must find out. If you will excuse me gentlemen!" He stood, dropping his napkin on the table as Andre asked him,

"Erik, wouldn't you like to join us for a cigar?" Erik turned up his nose and said with disfavor lacing his voice,

"No thank you. Smoke is bad for the vocal chords." As he walked out of the dining room, Firmin exclaimed before coughing a bit,

"Poppycock!" Antoinette excused herself and told Jean Claude to bring some coffee to the parlor. She entered the room seeing Erik once again sitting at the piano, but his finger was only hitting a few keys sporatically. His whole posture was casual with his legs crossed and his back slumped over the keyboard, but Antoinette knew by the stroking of his chin with his thumb he was a world away. She smiled and shook her head going to sit on the settee,

"Between playing music and stroking your chin cleft, it's a wonder you ever partake in civil conversation!"

"Hmm?" he asked still focused on the b flat key before him.

"It's clear you have a few ideas about the case. Care to share them with me?" she asked taking up her embroidery.

"Hmm?" In response to his lack of hearing her, she said sarcastically leaning forward on her knees,

"Care to join me upstairs and take each others clothes off?"

"Hmm...what?" Erik asked finally looking at her. She smiled slyly,

"Well that got your attention!" As he blushed a quick shade of red he said,

"Toni, you know I'm not THAT distracted!" She returned to her stitch work,

"Well, it was worth a shot!" He stood and stared out the window asking her,

"Where on earth did a proper Christian girl like you learn about such things?" She smiled,

"Read the Bible sometime Mousier. You'll find it's quite racy. Especially the book 'Song of Songs'. The innuendo in there is enough to make a nun go to confession!" He turned his head aside to her with a wry smirk on his lips,

"Really?"

"Oh yes, but the Bible certainly isn't smut. It's full of beautiful poetry and imagery of the Lord. People look all over for the Creator not knowing they can easily find him in His Word." she said with a peaceful smile. He looked to the floor, his countenance darkening,

"You speak about your faith with such passion."

"Well, our God is a passionate God. Take Song of Songs for example. Only our one true God could create the kind of love described between a man and a woman. I know I tease and flirt about the whole idea, but the truth is...I know making love is one of the most holy things we can do on this Earth...if done with the right person." she told him. He turned from the window, his eyes still to the floor,

"I haven't had much use for God in my life. The gypsies certainly didn't go to Sunday services, and I use to scoff at the idea of the Savior I heard about in so many operas and symphonies." As he sat on the piano bench facing her, she asked,

"And now?" He shrugged,

"After the fire, I began to think a lot about God. I cursed him for torturing me and blessing others. I started to do it on a daily basis. But somewhere along the way, our conversations turned more civil. I guess I began to listen to him, for somewhere, deep in my soul a voice whispered to me that there is a reason I was born with my face and my talents, a reason why Christine left me, and stranger still, a reason I was spared from punishment. It even spared me from thinking of taking my own life. I suppose the only thing I needed to replace the loneliness wasn't a beautiful young chorus girl or a whole opera company I could intimidate, but relationship with a Jewish carpenter born almost two-thousand years ago." She stood and walked over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said with a dry smile,

"Don't you hate it when He proves to be right?"

"It's almost as maddening as you!" he said smugly. She said with mock indignation,

"I am not maddening!"

"Care to make a wager on that?" he remarked looking up at her.

"I'll have you know a lot of people find me engaging!"

"That's enraging, Darling!" joked Erik as Antoinette lightly slapped his shoulder. She laughed,

"Well, I certainly am grateful the Father brought you into my life! Things certainly are a lot more interesting!" He looked up at her with disbelief,

"You...you're THANKFUL I'm around?" She softened,

"Of course...Who else would I flirt with? Andre and Firmin?" Then her gaze became locked with his intense stare full of desire. He took her hand from her shoulder and kissed the back. When he saw her shiver with delight, he kissed her palm and then her wrist, finally standing and bringing her close. He said with a deep growl in his throat as they stood nose to nose,

"And I'm for one am grateful He made you!" Just as he was about to lean in to capture her lips, the maid came in and said cheerfully in her native Cockney,

"Here you are Mam'selle and Mousier! Fresh coffee hot off the stove!" They separated and stood there looking like naughty school children as Antoinette told the maid while trying to catch her breath,

"Thank you Janet!" Janet gave a quick curtsy and left the tray, too busy to notice they were staring at each other as if they would disappear. She gulped as he came closer again, but just as his arms wrapped around her waist, hers around his neck, Firmin called in from the other room,

"Mlle. Carone?" She jumped and said still in Erik's embrace,

"Oui, Mousier?"

"Where's the evening paper?"

"In the study next to your armchair!" she called out. She smiled devilishly up at Erik and leaned up to meet his incoming lips, when they heard,

"Have you seen my reading..."

"Your spectacles are on your desk!" Antoinette called out as Erik shut his eyes and sighed with frustration.

"Thank you!" called Firmin. She looked up apologetically at Erik who said,

"I finally find a woman who wants to kiss me and I can't find a moment alone with her!" She slipped out of his arms and stroked his face.

"Maybe it's for the best." She was about to return to her embroidery, when Erik grabbed her by the wrist and swung her around to crash into his chest, his lips taking hold of hers. She shut her eyes and enjoyed the experience of his warm, strong kiss. He pulled back a stunned Antoinette and said with a dry half smirk,

"I've waited a lifetime to kiss a woman. I can wait another to have her in my bed but I simply could not wait to kiss her." She nodded and whispered,

"Understandable!" He turned her back around and guided her to her seat, while he took his place at the piano and began to play a delightful aria. He began to tell her,

"I have a few theories about the case if you're interested."

"Hmm?" she asked staring blankly ahead of her as she absentmindedly took her needle and began to stitch.

"I'll bet you anything Sgt. Letrec, Father Tomas and Dr. Christi made up the rest of that secret treasury committee. Sgt. Letrec fears his position will be in jeopardy, Father Tomas obviously feels guilt and fear of being thrown out of the church; and Christi has the most to lose if he should face the firing squad. He'll lose his license, his position as medical examiner and his teaching position. They won't talk to us so easily now, but we can get information about them from Firmin's cousin. As to our mysterious Colonel, I overheard where he lives. Unfortunately, I only know the street. It's the rich part of town with the most crooked residents." Erik told her.

"Well, tomorrow while Andre and Firmin check around Madame Jacquards house to see if Richard lived nearby, you and I can go to this street and find the Colonel." Antoinette told him. Erik tuned to her and asked,

"How can we do that? I checked that whole street from above the city and I couldn't find him." She shook her head and smiled as she cut the thread and made a knot,

"My dear M. DuL'Soir. You may be an excellent Phantom, but there is another way to spy on people without being seen!"

"How?"

"Why, charm of course! There, it's finally done!" Antoinette exclaimed holding up her embroidery hoop. However, half of her skirts came up with her. Erik laughed out loud at her attempts to free herself and asked,

"Haven't you ever embroidered before?" She pouted,

"Well, I'm not really good at it to begin with...and I got distracted!"