Blech… Back to school again… And I don't get an assigned locker until the end of the week! Too many niners… Grr…

Erik: Haha! Sucker!

Well, answering reviews always cheers me up… Let's get to it…

MasqueradingThroughLife: Tsk, tsk… You're feeding Erik's bad habit… Literally… Anyone ever heard of healthy snacks?

Erik: Only health-geeks like you would think unsalted peanuts make good movie-snacks! Oh, and let me personally thank this reader for calling Fantine a fool… Any woman who would reject me is obviously off her rocker! Thanks, dear.

Hey! She said "eh" in her review! And she used it right! Way to go! YAY!

Tadriendra of Mirkwood: Yay! The Lady of Mirkwood demands that you give me a massage right now, Erik! Oh, and thank you for the compliments… I'm glad you liked the chapter.

Erik: You want me to stay single until every phan-girl dies of natural causes? I'm going to be single for a very long time.

VagrantCandy: Don't worry, you're not the only one who thought "Meglet" was stupid. You're Canadian, too? AWESOME!

Erik: Dear Lord, they're everywhere…

I was starting to feel like the foreign freak in the world of fanfiction…

Erik: Well, perhaps you are no longer alone, but you're still a freak…

Common Wind Deity: Thank you for reviewing again. I do try to keep the A/N's as short as possible but sometimes it's easy to get carried away.

VictorianDream: Uh, Erik? She starting out talking about giving you a massage, and then she started talking about beating people with their own severed limbs!

Erik: OK, now I feel very intimidated… No more talking about severed limbs and massaging Erik in the same review anymore!

Thank you Rabid Morbid Phan-Girl…

Erik: And thank you for the Alka-Seltzer… It worked miracles on my stomachache.

Emma and Hollom: Thank you, guys… I'm glad you're finding this so funny, though we're hitting some more serious chapters now.

Erik: Diet? Alright, punk! One more smart comment like that and I'll have to get Victorian on your hiney!

Oh, Erik, would it kill you to laugh with people for once?

Erik: Yes!

AngelicFlutist: Nutmeg? Hmm… I like it! Hehe, you think Erik's a gentleman?

Erik: Ah, so you're highly trained in the "muscle-loosening" department? Very well. You may start with my neck.

I told you Erik, if your muscles started tensing up again, just let me know! I've worked kinks out of enough smelly, sweaty dancers to be considered practically an expert!

Erik: Yes, but you see, I could have your hands all over me or AngelicFlutist's… Ooo, tough choice there!

Jerk…

Me and My Shadow: Why, thank you. I'm glad you loved it. Erik! Another popcorn-bearer!

Inuyasha-gal-97: Yay! Erik! She liked it!

Erik: Oh, wow… Somebody pinch me…

(Random Phan-girl pinches Erik's bottom).

Erik: Alright! Was that really necessary?

Starrylibra: Ah, so that's where the little trapdoor in the corner of the closet leads… Erik, you're going on a leash!

Erik: Why not? I've been treated like a dog for most of my life. Sorry, dear… I guess we're just going to have to massage each other in the closet from now on… Not that I'm complaining (wink-wink).

Jedi Knight Padme: Yes! I get a massage! Padme, you are my favourite person in the world right now! And I'm glad you liked the chapter… Amusing, eh?

Erik: And I get chocolate strawberries again!

Well, thank you everyone… That worked wonders for my mood. Now onto the next chapter!

XxXxX

Erik paced the lair. She had been gone for an hour. It had him concerned. She couldn't be left unsupervised. And yet, after how she had yelled at him earlier, he doubted that she wanted him around.

Erik needed to clear his head. Taking his cloak, he went up onto the roof. Snow was gently falling. The air was cool and crisp. Leaning against a statue, Erik rubbed his temples as he breathed the fresh air.

Was Fantine aware of the strange effect she was having on him? No one could make his blood boil like she could every time she spoke of her beloved Robert, or her foolish ex-fiancé, Albert. But at the same time, no one could make him laugh like she could. She stirred in him the strangest of emotions…

Was it joy? Contentment? Excitement? Perhaps… happiness? What were these odd feelings?

Voices alerted him. Jumping to his feet, he leapt behind a statue of an angel and hid.

"She's dangerous, Meg!" Erik recognized Robert Romard's voice. "She's violent! She'll try to hurt you if she catches us together!"

"Her husband's and odd one, too! I caught him going through my undergarments!"

"Not a pervert…" Erik muttered as he pulled his cloak around himself, trying to ward off the cold.

"If they're married," Robert began slowly, "I wonder why she's so interested in me and he's so interested in you?"

Meg shrugged. "Must be one of those queer open relationships."

Robert shuddered. "Oh, Meg… I've seen her face… It was so… horrible! I… I wasn't even sure if she was human! And yet… she looked so sad…"

"Robert…" Meg whispered, putting her arms around him. "Don't think about it. I love you, Robert. That's all that matters."

The two lovers leaned in for a kiss. Erik's sensitive ears picked up a soft, feminine sobbing from behind Apollo's lyre.

"So that's where she's been hiding," he thought.

Meg and Robert broke their embrace. "Let's go, my love," Meg said. "It's cold out here."

Robert nodded and they left the roof. When they were gone, Fantine stumbled into view. She fell to her knees and cried out. "Oh, God! Why can't I be loved? Why? Is there no one who can care for me?"

Erik's heart ached for her. He knew exactly how she felt. He once knelt right where she knelt now, asking himself the same questions.

Slipping out from his hiding place, Erik walked over to her. He had no experience in comforting a distraught female, so he simply knelt beside her and put a hand on her back. "There, there…"

This gesture only seemed to make Fantine cry harder. Before he knew what he was doing, Erik gathered her into his arms and let her cry into his shoulder.

What were these odd feelings?

"Could you care for her?" a voice in his mind asked. "Could you care for a ghost?"

"What does it matter?" Erik thought. "She could never care for me."

"Could you love her?"

Erik pushed the thought from his head. "I've done terrible things," he thought. "The girl deserves better than what I have to offer."

"Could you love a Phantom?" the voice persisted. "Could you love Fantine?"

Erik paused. "I don't know…"

He glanced down at the girl in his arms. She looked exhausted. With a sigh, he scooped her up and carried her back to the lair…

XxXxX

OK, I know that was pretty short. Erik? What did you think?

Erik: Well, naturally, it sucked... But it sucked in a kind of sweet way, you know? I liked the part where you made me comfort that female again... Beautiful touch... Clearly not me, but lovely, nonetheless...

Well, I'll take it that's about as close as you come to giving a compliment?

Erik: Well, to you at least...

Marvellous... Anyhoo, we'll be seeing you all tomorrow... I might not get to update until afternoon or evenings now, because of school. So if you check in early and find I haven't updated yet, DO NOT PANIC!

Erik: Throw a party instead...

Shut up, Erik. Well, see you all tomorrow!