Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't even own a sanity, what makes ye think I own this?

To anyone who reads more than one of my phics and is wondering: For some reason, in Mirror, Erik is the Leroux Erik, but with Webber's songs (I like the lyrics to Music of the Night ok?) and my Healer Erik is a Gerik, yet the muse for this tale is still my Leroux Mirror Erik. Strange wot? I tell ye, tis a right hard thing te try when ye got more than a single Erik loose in ye head…not te mention the Gerry Beast tied up in ye wardrobe…Lord save me I feel like Shaun…I want an apple!

Review Replies:

des ires: Yeah, I am not a shoe person...and the Don Juan pants have never captured all THAT much of my attention, very much a shoulers girl...but I love to sew so thats where my obsession comes from (that and the fact that all the current fashions apart from the big gypsy skirts are just SKANKY!)

Lady Assassin Moonbeam: Thanks! I adore Dracula, I just got Bram Stokers from the library AND watched Dracula 2-0-0-0(squees and faints into a neck bitten stupor)

Ethalas Tuath'an: Actually most of my work is angst or fantasy based, it was just because I tossed myself into the Phantom realm I felt i should keep myself in type (and so you find me there, warped mentality and absolute frankness and all) If you want true seriousness try Midnight Suitor every time i even read the second chapter i end up so emotionally drained from it

Mariella D'Angelo: Thankyou! (ands her a bucket and joins in drooling) If i couldnt write i dont think I could live

Phantomfreak07: try s12.invision (take out the 7 and the spaces) its up there in full in the attic

mrs. malfoy: I know what you mean! Dont tell me about LOST! I have to wait till february! dont spoil it!

Reltistic: (Shaun) Here I be miss Ari, dontcha be frettin ye purty li'l head over me, yeah, its strange with two Erik's

trisana: No more of the one where he says "Did I not instruct that Box 5 was to be kept empty" when he closes the door and soes a slight cape twirl...sneaky! Havent read Phantom...but I want to!

Blaze: Guh! Erik demands too much of me, my head is spinning!

onelastchance: Nice name! phantasmic...I like that

Jen Lennon: (joins her on the floor in the faint) Oh yeah...

daughterofdarkness87: Yep, sworn to darkness since i was 9 and read the 13th floor...and ever since I first saw Starwars (all my life, thanks Dad)

Cap'n Meg: How could I not dedicate it to you? Here! Rum to celebrate!

Some days later, Louise was delivered a crate of blankets and shawls from a travelling hawker, she stood outside in the sun and joked with the man, Jickery she called him, as they manhandled the wooden box down from his mule-drawn wagon, and up onto the front step. After sending the man off back the way he had come with a meal and small jug of ale, Erik ventured cautiously out from his bedroom, "Is he gone?" he asked nervously, Louise nodded, unbuckling the straps that held the crate lid down and heaving open the top. "You didn't need to hide you know," she told him, "Jickery's seen enough in this world that I doubt ye'd be bothering him,"

Erik shook his head mutely, he trusted Louise, but no others…not yet.

"So what are these for?" he asked, indicating the woollen blankets piled amidst tissue paper and brown packages.

"For me to deliver to the village," Louise answered, "Jickery's not always welcome by Jessie Critans and the like, so he gives it te me te pass onto the others," she retrieved a small scrap of none too clean paper, scrawled with childish handwriting and frowned at it a moment, "Right," she murmured to herself, then glanced up at Erik, "Care to come? You really should meet Una,"

"Whose Una?" Erik asked uneasily, Louise laughed, tossing her red gold braid over her shoulders, "A friend of mine," she glanced up at him mischievously, "She'd like you,"

"I'm not sure…" Erik trailed off, Louise looked at him calmly, "Come," she stated, "For no other reason than to carry this box for me,"

xXx

"Who goes there?" the wheezy voice demanded as Louise pushed open the creaky door, set in a worn frame in the small dilapidated house by the edge of Dion.

"Hello Una," she greeted the old woman, kissing one yellow parchment cheek.

"Eh? Oh it's you Louise," the old woman settled comfortably back into her rocking chair. "Come to berate an old woman for not doin' as the doctor says again?"

Louise laughed, "You know me too well to expect that of me Una," she retorted, holding the door open for Erik, "Take it easy with that box," she warned him.

"Eh?" Who's that?" Una demanded, brandishing her cane as her blind eyes searched wildly for the intruder.

"Just a friend, Una" Louise reassured the aged crone. Una relaxed back into her chair with a cackle.

"Brought yerself a man, have ye? Knew ye'd settle down eventually. Well comes here then lad! I s'pose those is my blankets yer totin', jest settle 'em down somewhere and let me look at ye."

Erik glanced at Louise who smiled and nodded. He set down the box and approached the old woman carefully,

"Madame," he greeted her warily. Una chortled, showing her grey teeth.

"Ooh! Lovely voice this one has, Louise! Very nice indeed!" she stretched out one hand and groped for Erik's face, he flinched back instinctively and looked pleadingly at Louise.

"Madame, I would prefer..." he began, but Una's fingers had found the mask.

"Ah," she sighed, and turned sightless eyes to Louise, "Secrets, this one has, Miss Louise, secrets only blind eyes can see…has he told ye?"

"As much as he sees fit," Louise replied evasively, lifting the lid off the box and taking out a thick woollen shawl, "Here, try this."

The old woman shrugged the rosy coloured wool around her shoulders, "Adequate" she grunted. "Ye dain't answer my question,"

"I don't need to," Louise replied simply. Una seemed to find this extremely funny and she rocked back creakily in laughter.

"Ah, Louise, yer as close as a clamshell yerself! And here old Una was, thinkin' ye'd found yerself a nice dull farm boy te lift ye boxes. What a fool I were!"

Louise laughed, "I've done the drunk act once before, Una," she replied, switching shawls, "I daint enter it willingly then, and I don't intend to now. You above all others should realise that."

"No," Una sighed, "I suppose ye wouldn't at that." She groped blindly for Louise's hand and found it, placing it in Erik's, then wrapped their joined hands in her withered ones, as if bestowing a blessing.

"There's secrets there," she said, frowning, "But they is the kind that make, not the kind that break." She sighed back into her chair, feeling her shawl. "This one's fine, girl, you trot off with that lad of yours and deliver the others."

"We will Una," Louise answered, and kissed the old woman's cheek in goodbye.

"And don't let that no good Jesse Critans go sayin' that I duped ye into giving me the best with one of her superstitious spells!" she cried, Louise laughed as she slipped out to untie Cinnamon.

"I won't Una!" she called, Erik bent to retrieve the box of shawls.

"And lad?" Una's voice called,

"Yes?" he turned to look at her, her sightless white eyes seemed to look straight into his soul, and her voice took on a strange tone.

"Yer, a special one, lad, that goes without sayin', just as Louise is a special girl. She trusts ye, and believe you me, ye might not think it te look at her, but she trusts a damn few. Don't abuse that trust, that girl is a daughter to me, and she's got a past that well nigh match's yer own. Tread careful, but tread firm, and don't let her smile fool ye, she needs ye as much as ye need her." Erik nodded in reply,

"Very well,"

Una grinned, showing her tombstone teeth.

"I like ye lad, fer what it's worth, ye have my blessing."

"Thankyou, Madame Una," Erik answered and left the old woman to her new shawl.

"What did Una say?" Louise asked, strapping the box down once again, Erik searched his mind,

" 'Tread careful, but tread firm' she told me," he replied, Louise laughed,

"Trust Una," she said, shaking her red gold mane. "Now let's get on with this shall we?"

Together, the two gypsy children turned and began the trek down the road, to deliver the rest of Cinnamon's burden.

The reason I love this phic so much is I think the way my people talk (yes, my people) there's just so much charm in the rustic speech of Una, and the cheeky little boy actions of Shaun. He's possibly the youngest character I've ever created, original or phic-wise who's had so much personality. –Squeals and hugs her Shaun baby- Aww! He's such a cutie ye ken? He's kinda got the characteristics of my youngest brother (who is 12) and a friend's little brother (who is 15) but they are both such darlings! Especially Nick, we were in Grease together last year, paired up as Marty and Vince Vontain (or is it Fontain?) –Sigh- I just love my little Shaunikins!