Erik decided not to try and fathom what on earth that phrase meant, he got the uncomfortable feeling that he wouldn't like the answer.
Arriving at the mirror door, Erik tripped the switch that allowed the door to open. It refused to budge, in anger he shoved his shoulder against the unmoving mirror.
"God be damned mechanism," he muttered, Adriana stepped up beside him and peered through the foggy glass, she could see nothing but swirling mists of grey.
"Is it always this dirty?" she asked, Erik, with his cat-like eyesight, gave the mirror a cursory glance from where he was kneeling to examine the switch.
"No," he muttered, "Although I suspect no one has entered this room in some time." He looked up at her as something crossed his mind, "How did you know where to push to open the glass?" he asked, Adriana was still leaning against the glass.
"I didn't," she answered, "I had just started "Phantom of the Opera" in the kitchen when I first found the mirror..." her voice trailed off, and she looked at him, "You don't think?..."
"I think quite often mademoiselle, but I am afraid I have no idea as to what you are getting at, nor do I understand how you could "start" me from within your kitchen." He replied shortly,
"It was a CD," she answered absently, her eyes lost in thought,
"A what?"
"A recording onto a disc, I had err" she coughed, "Five different versions of "Phantom" going at the one time."
"Why?" Erik groaned in exasperation, Adriana blushed, then the penny dropped and her eyes lit up.
"Erik..." she almost purred, "I think I know how to open the door."
The Phantom glared up at her, his hands stuck under the frame, "How?"
"You need to sing!" her eyes gleamed with a faintly maniacal look Erik would soon learn to fear.
"I what!"
"It was how I opened the door last time," she almost begged, "Please?"
Erik couldn't believe his ears, she had to be insane, but something tugged at his curiosity, (actually it was the Authoress, impatient to get on with the story).
"Fine," he sighed, getting up, he impulsively straightened his cloak and tugged on his gloved, looking straight at the mirror he began to sing,
"In all your fantasies,
You always knew,
That man and mystery,"
Adriana joined in, purring the next line as her blood rushed in ecstasy.
"Were both in you,"
Their voices blended together in a low harmony,
"And in this labyrinth,
Where night is blind,
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside your mind"
To Erik's amazement, and Adriana's expectancy, the mirror swirled and cleared to reveal an exact copy of Adriana standing before the mirror with tousled hair and dressed in Elmo (don't laugh, Elmo is cool) pyjamas, yawning sleepily.
"It's about time," she grumbled, picking up a CD case and a small bag, these she tossed though the mirror and onto the floor.
"Hey!" Adriana exclaimed, "Don't break that!" the copy rolled her eyes,
"It won't" she replied, "Its too important to the story."
Erik was making strangling noises, then sank to his knees in despair, "I'm going insane..." he mourned, the Adriana's laughed,
"Not a chance," they replied, "We're far crazier than you are."
Erik only moaned in reply, "What is to stop me pushing you straight back through there and leaving this little episode locked away forever?" he asked looking up at them.
"Wont work," the double said, Adriana sighed in relief.
"Why not?"
"Because then there'll be no story and the Authoress has already written the more fun parts of this phic so you'll just have to deal with it so she can start enjoying herself."
"Really?" Adriana looked at her double inquiringly, "Like what?"
The double shook her head, holding a finger to her lips, "Can't tell, you'll find out soon enough anyway."
At that moment, a rumble of thunder sounded, followed by a fanfare that sounded suspiciously like the theme from Sauruman's tower in "The Fellowship of the Ring" (you know, the Dah dah daaaaah, dun dun dun. Boom. Boom.)
"If you don't mind," a figure dressed in deep green and silver, surrounded by a glowing nimbus, and wearing a delicate silver masque appeared, standing in mid air. She looked suspiciously like the two Adriana's and they instinctively both bowed their heads in respect to the Authoress,
"Erik," she addressed the completely confused Phantom,
"Yes?" he answered,
"I don't have the time or patience to convince you to agree to this mad adventure, which you will be going on, whether you like it or not," her green eyed gaze glared daggers at him, "So be as grumpy as you like, but you will get on with the plot." She paused, and looked a little ashamed, "Or lack thereof, anyway"
She descended from the air and down to his level and tilted his head up with one cool hand, "Have fun." She smiled mischievously and kissed him briefly, then she looked at the Adriana's,
"Behave," she commanded rather pointlessly, and disappeared.
The double grinned at the tragic figure of Erik, who was still crumpled on the floor, "That's my cue to go, too," she laughed and the mirror swirled away into grey mist again, leaving Adriana and Erik staring at one another in the dark.