Okay - the beginning of this chapter I find a bit awkward, but hopefully you'll like the ending better. And I'll just say that the character I'm about to introduce to you is a bit "over dramatic" in ways of love. Don't ask me how he got like that - I just thought it would be fun to have a character like him. Enjoy!

Carkeys: Yes, I agree with you. Poor Erik. . .

Ethalas Tuath'an: Loralee basically wants to head back because of both things you stated: an unconscious feeling of jealousy and shock from Erik's attempt at her life. And no, Erik does not want to spend the rest of his life brooding over Christine. He just hasn't - how do I put it - fully grasped the concept that Christine has left him for good. Sorry if I've confused you in anyway - I'm kind of confusing myself! Here's Chapter Eighteen!

Chapter Eighteen: Monsieur Vincent Badeau

"I want to go back now."

Erik did admit those words were expected, but he still had a pain in his heart he couldn't hide from them. Loralee was the first person he felt he could trust fully, his first honest to goodness friend, and the first person he spilt out all his feelings of his lost Christine to.

Sighing, he let his shoulders slump a little. She looked up quickly, just enough to catch eyes with him for a fraction of a second.

"I know. . ." he said, voice emotionless.

"How do you know?" she asked, brows knitted together as she finally fully looked up at him. Erik just smirked back.

"Well, it's quite obvious that everybody who comes down here wants out after realizing something about my past."

Loralee shivered. Erik's voice was cold and spoken in a dead humor way which made her pale.

"I don't understand. . ." she murmured to herself but Erik heard.

"Don't understand, do you? Maybe you would if you knew how many people have thrown my trust back at me. My mother treated me as a cruel master would to a animal, Javert beat me and treated me as an exhibition when I was barely a young adult, Giovanni, the man I thought of as a father, betrayed my trust and made me take off my mask, and Christine-"

"Erik, stop!"

Erik stopped mid sentence, breathing in deeply and trying to calm his nerves. While talking he must have taken threatening steps towards Loralee because now she was on the other side of the bed, farthest away from him as possible, tears of fright and pity rolling freely down her cheeks. Erik had his hands on the bed frame and was leaning in, threateningly, as if to strike his prey any second.

Shamed of his harsh and sudden actions to the all together innocent Loralee, Erik dropped his head, eyes closing and fingers gripping tightly to the carved swan's wing that cradled the mattress of Christine's old bed.

A finger on his lips silenced him as he opened his mouth to say an apology and then suddenly Lorlaee's warm arms were around him in an awkward embrace. She was rather tense fearing he might lash out any second, and Erik was tense at the touch of another human being treating him as an equal. After a while, both softened up and he could feel Loralee take a large breathe before speaking softly.

"If I can mend your heart, I will. I just need you trust first."

Erik couldn't quite believe the words she spoke and at the same time, unbeknownst to him, Loralee couldn't believe she just said those words out loud. Her cheeks burned red as she stared wide eyed at the wall behind Erik's head as they hugged, mentally slapping her forehead.

So they stayed in that awkward position of tense comfort for a few minutes, neither daring to move. Erik was too shocked and frankly, too scared, of Loralee's kind actions. Loralee, on the other hand, was terrified she even said such a thing and too embarrassed to pull away and see his reaction.

Neither could remember who pulled back first, or what happened after that. They were too consumed in thoughts, embarrassment, and shock to acknowledge each other properly and Loralee was surprised when she found herself being pushed hastily into her room, five levels up from where she had been just minutes ago.

Turning around to bid Erik good bye and thank you, she came face to face with a mirror. She knew he could be on the other side, still, watching her every move. The thought made chills jitter up and down her back but she still put her hand to the mirror as she said a faint "Thank you," to him, where ever he might be.

On the other side Erik gazed at her, mixed emotions battling inside of him, and he raised his hand to the glass to put his hand over hers. He only let it fall when Loralee walked away to her closet to pick out a dress to wear. Then, with one final look, he went on his way.

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A few weeks had passed, and Loralee reluctantly went back to teach the corps de ballet after much persuasion from Madame Giry. Loralee was frightened to step out of her room and venture forth into the Opera Populaire. She feared Hector was hiding around every corner of the Opera House, ready to pounce and catch his prey. It was amazing to Loralee how such a cold and sinister place such as Erik's house was so warm in comparison to the cheerful and carefree atmosphere of the Opera Populaire.

Erik and Loralee had also gotten back together a few days after their strange incident down in his lair. Their friendship carried on and Erik continued to help Loralee with her new found fear of Hector. Loralee also continued to do Erik's chores outside of the theater while working with the corps de ballet. Madame Giry still came to the practices, but only stayed for a bit, watching Loralee's methods of teaching, before retiring back to her room or going some where else in the theater.

The Opera Populaire performed one Opera in those few weeks and got outstanding reviews and a large amount of praise. Many people had given Loralee flowers for her good work but she only kept a few, throwing the rest out or giving them to other members of the Opera.

It was after the third and final performance of the opera that Loralee met Vincent Badeau.

On her way back to her room, a hand on her arm stopped her quick paces. Loralee whipped around fearfully, afraid to see Hector glaring down at her, but instead her eyes connected with a man who was only about four inches taller than her.

"Excuse me, Mademoiselle, but are you the ballet mistress?"

"Uh, yes," she replied, surprised such a man of wealth was looking for her. She was so shocked she couldn't help but stare at him as if he were mad. The man didn't seem to noticed and only held out his hand to take hers with after giving her a large bundle of flowers.

"Mademoiselle McLay, I am Vincent Badeau, the son of Edward Badeau."

By the way he said his father's name, Loralee sensed that Edward was a very wealthy and respected man that everyone should know and admire. Loralee, though, hadn't the slightest idea who the man was and tried her best to look pleasantly surprised. It took all her will power not to take back her hand as he kissed it gently. There was no other way to put it - she was freaking out at his kindness.

"Would you like something?" Loralee asked him uncertainly.

Vincent chuckled.

"No, I don't need anything except a few minutes of your time."

"What for?" she asked, clearly thinking it was for business matters which made her calm down slightly.

"Just to congratulate you on your wonderful work of putting together the corps de ballet for the past few weeks." He nodded his head to her as if bowing. She couldn't help but blush as this rare flattery but still wanted nothing more to go back into her room and get away from the fool.

"It really is nothing, Monsieur."

"Please, just Vincent."

Loralee looked shocked at his bluntness.

"But I hardly even know you!" she exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth once she realized what she said. Vincent chuckled slightly, offering his arm.

"Well, that is true, but I would not mind the least to get to know you, Mademoiselle."

Loralee at this point was too confused to notice his arm waiting for hers to loop around it.

"I'm very sorry, Monsieur, but you are making a terrible mistake. I am a great waste of your time and not worthy of such affection."

Vincent looked mildly taken aback at her response but that feeling immediately went away when Loralee looked frightened at what she said.

"Oh, Monsieur, I'm so terribly sorry. I didn't mean it like that! It's entirely my fault. I'm just. . . Well. . . I'm not. . ."

She couldn't explain or understand anything she was hearing or saying for the past few minutes with the perfect gentleman, Vincent, and finally just gave up all together. Loralee instead went into a hasty curtsy.

"Deepest apologies, Monsieur. Good night," she said hastily before turning around and almost running back into her room, leaving behind a shocked, confused, and humored Vincent, his arm still stupidly out in front of him as he stared at the door she had hurriedly entered.

Once inside and leaning on the door, Loralee breathed deeply, glad to be away from the strange man.

Only after about a minute she noticed on her vanity sat an already lit candle and a long black cloak identical to the one she was wearing. Erik was in her room it seemed.

She looked to the mirror but didn't see him. Something black in the corner of her eye caught her attention, though, and she turned her head to see Erik lying on her bed, examining his cuff with what seemed extreme curiosity.

"Well, at least this time you didn't surprise me greatly, Erik. The candle and cloak were nice messages of your presence, but we still have to work on your manners of entry."

"Entry?" he said, his attention turning to his other cuff, barely even giving heed to the flustered Loralee.

"Yes. Usually one does not come in to find some one lounging on their bed"

"Ah!" he said, suddenly sitting up and looking at her. "You yourself just said you were entering, though, so therefore you are the one with the bad manners."

Loralee opened her mouth to protest but shut it when she saw his point.

"But-"

"No 'buts,' Mademoiselle. You know the Phantom is always correct."

Loralee just stuck her tongue out at him which caused him to chuckle. She went over to hang up her cloak.

"So. . ." she said, sitting down on her vanity chair and looking at Erik who was still on her bed but now sitting up. "What made you come here."

"Just for company, I guess. Is it against laws for friends to see each other or do you just want some free time to swoon over Monsieur Vincent Badeau."

"No, I just-"

Loralee's eyes widened in realization of what Erik had just said.

"I do not want to swoon over Vincent Badeau. The man is so naive it's not even funny."

"Really?" Erik asked, visible eye brow rising slightly in a humored expression.

"Well, okay, it is quite entertaining. . ." she murmured, cheeks sprouting some pink of amusement. When she lifted her eyes to meet Erik's they both burst out laughing at Vincent's stupidity and innocence.

Loralee caught sight of Erik through her laughter and smiled wider when she saw his usually grim face actually laughing. It wasn't completely care free like the rest of the laughing face Loralee had seen in her life, but they were warm enough. Erik's laugh also still contained some of that stiffness which he used in his older laughs, but it was nearly all drowned out by his pure amusement. The sight of him acting as if he were a totally normal human made her happier than ever.

They only stopped laughing when there was a knock on her door. Loralee looked up and was glad she locked the door, but it still startled them both out of their laughter.

"Who is it?" Loralee asked, putting a hand on Erik's arm to stop him from exiting through the mirror. Then, she pulled a long white robe out of her wardrobe.

"Mademoiselle McLay? It's I, Vincent. Is some one with you in there?"

"Uh, no. Of course not. Why would you think such a thing?" Loralee asked, voice almost breaking into giggles when she heard Vincent's rather boyish introduction of himself through her door.

"I couldn't help notice how you were laughing rather hard in there and it seemed as if you had two voices laughing."

"Well, I assure you no one's in here. Why may I ask, were you eavesdropping, Monsieur?" Loralee asked, feeling rather superior to this so called son of Edward Badeau. A few moments of silence went by before he spoke again, clearly embarrassed.

"I am sorry, Mademoiselle, but it is too much for a soul to merely walk away from such a beauty as you."

Loralee had to cover her mouth with her hand so she wouldn't laugh at his failing attempts of flattery. If they were said by someone she liked and spoken in a more appropriate tone of voice Loralee would have enjoyed the flattery greatly, but it seemed that Vincent had a way to make anything romantic sound utterly humorous. Erik watched, clearly amused with the conversation Loralee was having, and sat down on her vanity chair.

"I am flattered," Loralee called back to Vincent, putting an emphasis on 'flattered' to show her obvious lack of enthusiasm. Vincent, being the naive boy he was, didn't notice though.

"I dearly hope you are, Mademoiselle McLay. May I come in to visit you in your room?"