You all have your thoughts about what is happening, interesting... here is the next part - hope you like it, please R&R... Atrice

Part 15 - Through the mist

She suddenly realized the grass she sat on, was a bit cold to sit on. And that there was a slight breeze in the air, and that the sun was really warm anyway. And that she sat nestling against someone, who held his strong arms around her, not doing anything but that.

"Take me to him…" she finally said, and the person holding her got up, helped her up to stand and took her to the man lying on the ground a few meters from them. In the shade of the tree. Lucille kneeled down, and felt him. His hair – not in any style right now, just wild about. His face, smooth and young. She put her hand in front of his mouth and nose, and felt a warm air. He wasn't dead, probably just fainted… where was the wound? She felt for it – while she also felt someone standing behind her, watching her and waiting. Lucille found the wound, wet with blood. It was on the left side of the chest, just below the shoulder. Not near the heart, she thought with relief. He would live, she would call for someone to take care of him.

Erik reached out his hand for her, and she took it, feeling the warmth of it next to hers. Silent they walked to the house, and Lucille was happy that both her parents were out. She walked like in a mist, didn't think anything very clear, heard nothing, she just knew she had to call for help.

"Coretta!" she called once inside the house, and soon she heard the footsteps of the maid come into the living room.

"Miss…" she said, sounding a bit scared again. Lucille didn't care if her maid never saw the Phantom before, or why she sounded scared. Perhaps she watched the fight from a window? She was able to see, after all.

"Artus… get him inside somehow, take care of him. He's down below the tree." Lucille explained, but the maid stood still.

"He's heavy, miss… I couldn't carry him myself." She whispered, not really happy to say it at all. But it was the truth – Coretta was a young and not so strong girl. Couldn't carry a grown up man.

"Help her… she'll tell you where to put him." Lucille said to Erik, and he let go of her hand without an answer, and she found a sofa and sat down, still not really thinking about anything.

Erik took a closer look on the young maid, while they walked back down to the tree together. She could not be much older than Lucille, perhaps 20 years old? He knew Lucille was 18, she told him that. Coretta had her dark brown hair put on the head and below a white bonnet. Her dress was dark red, and she also wore an apron. She looked pretty much how you'd expect a young maid to look like, he thought. But she acted somehow younger than Lucille, at least not as confident as the woman he loved. She kept sending him hidden glances while they walked. Not long before they reached Artus, he stopped and she stopped too.

"I'm Erik… by the way…" he said politely to her. She nodded, glad that he broke the silence.

"I figured that…" Coretta said with a little grin. "I'm Coretta."

"Well, I figured that too…" he said, smiling back to her, and they walked on. He noticed her relax much more, now they had spoken a few words together. Coretta decided that she liked Erik, he was very hansom except for the mask, but it was so easy to forget it. His entire being just had a strange aura of power and beauty around it. You couldn't help but loving him, she thought. Coretta chose, that she would do anything to help Lucille and Erik to be together. They belonged together, she had understood that by now. Helping each other, Coretta and Erik placed Artus in a room for guests, where she took care of Artus and his wound, while Erik found Lucille again. They had to talk, there were things he needed to tell her. Important things, that might brighten her mood.

"What do we do now? If they find out you did it…" Lucille said, tears finding their way forward again, this time because she was scared to loose him once again. They had gone to her room for privacy, and she was the first to speak.

"They won't… not unless he tells, and I doubt that. I only see one way out of this, my light." Erik said, and knelt down in front of Lucille, who sat on the bed. He took her hands in his, and she sighed when he did so. She had longed for a touch from him, a kiss, a whisper of love… he felt what she thought, like she had said it out loud – and embraced her from where he was.

"I don't care about what you did Erik… you did it for me, for our love. I love you, Erik…" she said and he lifted her head up; if she could see, she would look into his eyes now. Eyes filled with feelings for her, admiration and love. Could she feel that? She had given up her perfect life for his sake, she had now given up the man her parents wanted her to marry. But most important, she just loved him and nothing more – and that was what seemed to be the key to her. Whatever he had done - and she knew what, for he had told her his story, the evening in his lair - and whatever he would do, she would stay with him. Erik almost felt bad about that fact, Lucille had given herself to him… blindly he thought with a strange smile. She gave her mind to him blindly… but so had he, he had given her his mind, so they were at least equals. He saw that he had been silent long enough, she looked impatient, longing for an answer.

"I love you too, Lucille. And I want to do what you once asked me to do – I want to show you light."