Yes, yes, yes! Reviews, glorious reviews! Let's see if I can say thank you in as many languages as I can say please in...

Thank you, merci, gratias ago (I think...), arigeto (I've mangled the spelling), gracias! There we go, I think those are all right... And... Woah, I just realized I can swear in all those languages too! Heh, clearly I'm well educated ;)

I'm not a historian. I know nil about the nineteenth century. I don't know if there is or ever was a town called Eppienne. I just made that up, so if you go and look on a map, it either won't be there, or it will be across the country from where I want it.

Also, yes, I have this entire story written (not edited, tho'). I wrote it all in... early to mid April, right after I saw the movie. All of it except a bit of chapter nine... Funny, since I had chapter ten done... It has ten chapters. And the only other story I've read that is similar to this is one called "Death's Kiss" (it's really good), and it begins similarly. So, if this story looks like another, it's honest coincedence! And I have the whole story, so I'm too lazy to go and change something.

Blaaaaaaa...

A sudden slam woke Raoul. He jumped, lost his balance, and fell into the coffin. With a cry of horror at the fact that he was lying in a coffin - a coffin - Raoul pushed himself out of it. He looked up to see Erik standing in the doorway. He was positively fuming. Raoul gulped nervously and backed away. Erik stalked over to the table and threw the lasso down upon it. Raoul tried to think optimistically.

All right, he just put down the lasso. That's good, that means that if he wants to kill you with it, he'll have to pick it back up, and he probably wouldn't have put it down if he intended to use it again - is that blood?

Raoul stared at the lasso. He dearly hoped that it didn't have blood on it.

"Monsieur Noir plays the game with an ace up his sleeve." Erik said.

Raoul blinked, but didn't say anything. He figured his chance of survival was about 1, and his chances of saying something that would annoy Erik were about 100 to 1. He also guessed that if he annoyed Erik, his chance of survival would drop to 0. Raoul, therefore, wisely remained silent.

"The person at the park was only an agent," Erik continued as he hung his cape from a peg on the support for his coffin's canopy. "He was lured in by the promise of money. I'm sorry to say that he won't be able to collect his wages." Raoul's optimistic brain kicked in again.

Ah, he's already killed one person, maybe he's done for the night.

Raoul glanced at the lasso again. "He gave quite a struggle," Erik continued nonchalantly. Raoul went pale.

"Unfortunately, my lasso was dropped in the mud," Raoul took a deep breath, it was only mud, then, not blood.

"But who would have thought that someone could have so much blood?" Raoul turned slightly green at the thought.

Erik was enjoying himself immensely, watching the Vicomte change colors. He took a step toward Raoul. Raoul took a step back. This continued until Raoul was backed against the wall. He looked helplessly around as Erik advanced on him. "Do you wish to know who Monsieur Noir is?" Erik asked when he was about five feet away from Raoul. Raoul nodded, perhaps he could distract him...

"Monsieur Noir is the one responsible for...her...disappearance." Erik said. "he has taken her to Eppienne. His ransom is rather high. 240,000 francs, in fact." He took another step. "A nice round number, however." Another step.

Raoul searched for some question that could keep Erik talking. "And, er, when does he expect this by?" He asked desperately.

"One week from yesterday," said Erik. Now there were only three feet.

"And, uh, when are you going to let me out so that I might pay his ransom?" Raoul asked hopefully.

"Tomorrow," was the simple response. Raoul gaped at Erik. Had he just heard what he thought he had heard? "We shall take the one 'o'clock train to Eppienne," Erik continued.

"Wait, we? What do you mean?" Raoul asked.

"I mean," snapped Erik, advancing until he was right in front of Raoul, "that you will provide the cash, and I shall make sure that you don't screw things up too badly and get anyone killed. Besides yourself, that is." Raoul's back was pressing painfully into the stone of the wall. He glanced up and tried to meet Erik's gaze. He failed.

"Right," he said, "tomorrow. One 'o'clock. Train." Erik walked towards the door. He turned the key and then put it in his pocket.

"I'm glad we understand one another," he said. Then he moved over to his coffin. With a sarcastic, "good-night," he jerked the canopy shut, leaving Raoul staring at black silk.

Raoul continued staring at the silk for quite some time, trying to understand what was happening, and how he should react. He went through several emotions; anger, how dare Erik treat him like this; confusion, what exactly was happening; fear, would he even be alive tomorrow; despair, probably not. He eventually decided on hunger. Raoul had not eaten since, he glanced at his watch, yesterday. Raoul shivered. He was cold, hungry, and tired. He walked over to the door and tried it. It was locked. Raoul sighed and sat down at the base of the door. It at least was not cold stone, but wood. He stared at the coffin's canopy.

Raoul spent a very uncomfortable night. He dozed off occasionally, and when he awoke, he would look franticly around to make sure nothing had happened while he had been asleep. Around four thirty he finally fell into a sleep that lasted more than half an hour. He awoke in the dark and panicked. What had happened? He tried to breathe deeply and calm himself. All right, he thought, the lamp went out. That's all that's happened. There was a faint light that came in under the door.

Raoul's eyes adjusted, and then he could make out vague shapes. He saw the dark bulk of the canopy and a small shadow that was the table. Raoul's heart skipped a beat. Was that something white glinting? He blinked and then it was gone. He looked around again and there it was, this time by the table. He shook his head, and it disappeared, only to re-appear across the room. Raoul shut his eyes. It was only his brain playing tricks, he told himself. He opened his eyes again to see it right before him. He opened his mouth to scream.

"Move, you're blocking the door," came the command. Raoul scrambled to his feet and backed away from the door. When Erik opened it Raoul brought up his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden light. Erik walked out and Raoul fished out his watch. 6:03 it read. Raoul shook himself. It had only been a gleam on Erik's mask.

But how many times had it been real, and how many times had it been his imagination?

He walked over to the door and peered out. Erik was nowhere to be seen. Raoul had barely taken two steps toward the exit when Erik re-appeared. He moved around the lair doing various things, ignoring Raoul completely. Which suited Raoul just fine.

He glanced around and saw a beautiful music box. He moved towards it. It had a little statue of a monkey on it. He was just reaching to wind it up when his wrist was seized in a bone crushing grip. "Do not," Erik snarled, "touch that." He squeezed Raoul's wrist harder, and Raoul cried out. Then Erik released him. Raoul stared at him, clutching his hurt wrist. Erik calmly continued doing what he had been doing.

Raoul glanced around again, but he made no move to touch anything. After about five minutes Raoul started fidgeting. After ten, he was considering asking what was going to happen next. Erik never gave him the chance. "You," he addressed Raoul, "will buy train tickets to Eppienne for the one 'o'clock train. A private coach. You will then get the ransom money, as well as any other money we might need. You will meet me at the train station at twelve thirty. Do not tell anyone where you are going. Do not alert the police." He stared at Raoul. "Should you do either or both of those, the consequences would be unpleasant." Raoul nodded. He didn't have to be told that. "Go now." commanded Erik.

Raoul backed away a few steps toward the exit. When Erik made no move to stop him, Raoul turned and fled up the passage. As soon as Raoul was out of sight, Erik hurried off down another passage. His lead more directly to the mirror, and he waited until he saw Raoul hurrying towards him. Raoul went right past him, and after he had stepped into the dressing room, he slammed the mirror behind himself.

Raoul leaned against the glass, panting. He couldn't believe his luck. He had escaped from the phantom's lair twice now. He breathed deeply. What could he do now? He straitened up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Erik watched from behind the mirror as the tired, dirty Raoul vanished, and the hansom, if immature, political Vicomte appeared. Raoul fixed a smile on his face and strode out of the room.

Erik turned and started back down to his home. He didn't doubt that Raoul would be at the train station. He also bet that there would be a policeman, keeping a close eye on him. Erik smiled. Only one, though. That would be what Raoul would do. He would get an armed policeman to skulk in the shadows near him. To watch him. To protect him. "But he doesn't know that the shadows are my kingdom." Erik said to himself.

Next chapter: Raoul and the police! You didn't think he'd actually listen to Erik, did you? More reviews...