Chapter 48

Good Things Come In Threes

Authoress: Hooray for Wandering Child and des ires! (kneels and kisses the hems of their cloaks) You got it! There is no romance!

Erik: Stop that!

Authoress: What? You did it.

Erik: That's completely different, it wasn't that impressive.

Authoress: Sure it was! They proved to me I'm writing the story right!

Erik (sigh) fine, but get up off the floor.

Authoress: Very well, you know the bad thing about adding a plotline is the fact that sooner or later I'm going to actually have to do something about it. I hate that.

E.B.C.: Yeah, I'm a blonde, and I do a lot of blonde things

Fantome de l'Opera: Sorry! I just go by the last chapter, otherwise I'd never get them done.

Mrs. Malfoy: No I cant! I want to see what happens! What's ypur theory? Mine is that the hatch is Pandora's Box. Good luck on your exams

Sapphire-aria: Poor thing, I feel your pain (bloody muses)

Asingledarkcrimsonrose: My plot doesn't show up all that often, only once every 3 or 4 chapters

Trisana: Erik, blonde moment...idea

Nixiehapist: Le gasp! Reviewer death! No!

Voldemort's Hikari1: Yeah. Introducing myself as a necro kinda freaks people out

Heidi: I am a blonde, a blonde-blonde, I'm talented at doing stupid things

Shelby White: Thankyou! Welcome aboard! I blush at your compliments

AngelicFlutist:I love writing dialogue, its just fun

Melissa Aminta: Aren't I just? DBCA is my homepage, join up fully there.

AltoidSopranai09: Ah, same here, but in highschool only

Reltistic: Bad mental image! BAD BAD BAD!

Phantom'sJedieBandieGirl: PLotless and random, my two favourite things. Gasp! Lurker! Oh well, just review every time from now on and I may forgive you.

Kissofdarkness: Cookies! Tap to chopsticks? Must try that sometime

Phantomfreak07:click my homepage, it'll explain itself

Phantomluvr: Don't feel alone, I have 3 redheaded brothers so you can imagine what my house is like

IflyNAVY: Imagine that on your death certificate "Death by Visitation of extreme sexiness and ANGST"

Sirrius's Sister: Idiots Unite, I should patent that.

Des ires: I WANT Erik like that, cos I am the most unromantic person you will ever meet, I tried to burn the Romeo and Juliet video they forced us to watch in year 10 (but the teachers caught me, damn!) I prefer angst to gooey sweetness, don't worry, its all part of my master plan.

Phantomofleopera: Urban? Uh, yeah

The Mega-Doomer: Stupid school

Estelle Tiniwel: I want the whole damn set! (and the actors)

NeoQueen: Thanks, I hate chemistry!

Naomipoe: Snarf

Cap'n Meg: (hands her more rum) Time to drown our sorrows

BiP: Excellent! Thanks for the suggestion!

Eriksangelofvoice: Ta schnookums! (ok, no more chocolate for me)

WanderingChild24: You raise an interesting point, I'm glad you caught on. No, the relationship is meant to be awkward. Adriana and Erik are friends in a kind of one side adores and the other tolerates, kind of way. The entire idea I'm trying to write (very poorly I might add) is that this is not a loving relationship, because to me Erik only ever did and only ever will love Christine (which is a huge blow to the hopes of an obsessed phangirl such as myself), and the bond he shares with Adriana is both companionable and lustful. In short, he does not love her. He enjoys her company well enough, but love is a word not spoken in the house by the lake, so the awkwardness comes from trying to balance friendship with something that supposedly ever appears during a deep and intimate relationship and its thrown the scales way off balance.

"Erik? Oh there you are" Adriana smiled as the Phantom slid his long body down over the railings to land in front of her (a la disabling the chandelier in the movie, drool).

"Yes?" he asked, straightening the collar on his shirt, Adriana blinked, "Um…I completely lost my train of thought,"

Erik tsk-ed, "Now that would serve you no purpose at all my dearest,"

Adriana sneered at him and took a few steps backwards, then her brow cleared, "Oh right, now I remember," she reached up and took hold of his collar, pulling him down for a long kiss, "That was first," she said wickedly, Erik's eyes fluttered open, "You little fool," he said hoarsely, "Anyone could have seen that!" Adriana rolled her eyes, "As if you wouldn't have heard them," she whispered, tugging him down again and twining her fingers in his hair. "That was second," she said thoughtfully, Erik was staring at her, breathing hard, "Anything else?" he asked, trying to sound wry, Adriana kissed him absentmindedly, "What was that for?" Erik asked,

"Good things come in threes," she smirked, "Oh, got it." She looked at him shyly, "Can we go outside tonight?"

"Go outside?" Erik echoed, Adriana nodded, "Please?"

"No."

Adriana's face fell, "Why not?"

"Because I said so," Erik smirked, turning away with a swirl of his cloak to slip silently across the flies, Adriana followed doggedly, "But you promised me!"

"I don't care," Erik ignored her shorter frame hurrying behind his own long, tall one, he was pulled back with an oath when a small hand reached out and pulled on his cloak, nearly jerking him off his feet. He spun around to see Adriana, a fist full off cloak fabric in her hand looking frustrated, "You said you would take me outside Erik, and I want to go, tonight. If only to get this whole copy-cat murderer thing out of our hair."

"I said I would take you if you were good," Erik reminded her snidely.

"I've been plenty good!" she argued, "Come on Erik! Stop being such a stick,"

"Sabotaging the stagehands dormitories so that all their beds gave way does not count as 'good' my dear," Erik purred, Adriana scowled, "Dammit! But that was funny!"

"Amusing or not, we are not going tonight," Erik replied, tugging at his cloak, Adriana refused to let go, "Why not?" she growled, Erik sighed, "Because it is a Saturday night," he told her, "And therefore, half of all Paris will be out and about, do you really think we may pass unnoticed?"

"So? We'll blend into the crowd," Adriana supplied the answer Erik had been hoping she might miss, he shook his head, "No."

"But Erik…" she looked at him imploringly,

"You want to go?" Erik asked, he indicated the ornate entrance hall, "Then there is the door,"

"But I don't speak French well enough yet," Adriana protested, Erik shrugged, hampered by the cloak gripped in the Theatre Wraith's hand, "Yet another reason not to go," he replied, he untangled the handful of fabric she clutched and turned away, "Now if you'll excuse me." He began sifting through the shadows above stage, weaving away from the puzzled and irritated blonde left standing behind him, she frowned, then a speculatively evil grin came over her face.

"Then you leave me no choice," she intoned ominously, Erik turned to glance back at her ironically, "And what, pray tell, are you going to do?"

Adriana gave a vampire grin, "Stalk you," she replied simply.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Erik turned around fully and folded his arms.

"Well I thought I'd ask first," Adriana answered cheekily.

"Then send a letter to my secretary," Erik waved a dismissive hand and started to walk away, "Oh no," Adriana's voice drifted through the shadows, "I've got a much better idea than that…"

Erik groaned and climbed over a railing to kick open a trapdoor, as a light childish voice started to follow him.

"You say that there isn't a chance," the voice sang,
"That we two will have a romance,
You just need a little more time" Erik growled and lowered himself down, ignoring the attempts to annoy him. "But in the mean time…
Is it ok if I stalk you?

I just want to make sure you're ok," Erik clenched his teeth and slid off into the darkness below, a hand caught the trapdoor and Adriana dropped down to continue following him, staking about a cloak's length away from his tall frame, still singing.

"And behaving while I am away
Is it ok if I stalk you?"

Erik dodged into the shadows and tripped a lever, dropping out of sight, Adriana hounded his heels, grateful for her innate curiosity which had thankfully saved her more than once from getting lost in the labyrinth.

"Don't mind me I wont get in the way
And although I'll see you everyday,
You wont see me"

Erik reached the gondola and cast off, poling as far away from the shore as he could manage. Adriana folded her arms at the bank and considered her options, continuing to pay tribute to Tripod as Erik seriously considered jumping into the lake and drowning himself.

"You've stated in words very clear,
That you don't require me near,"

Adriana's eyes fell on the causeway and she grinned, climbing up and edging her way over the house by the lake, her song sounding like a parody Siren over the lake.

"So to your conditions I bow,
But for now…"

Erik leapt out of the gondola and stormed over to the main room, picking up his sheets of parchment and gazing at the music.

"Is it ok if I stalk you?
I just want to make sure you're ok
And behaving while I am away
Is it ok if I stalk you?"

Unfortunately, as it is with many crazy songs made up by three strange guys who look like a chimp, (Yon) a Geek (Scod) and a Fonzy wannabe (Gatesy), the song was quickly stuck in his head and the notes on the page may as well have been written in Chinese for all the sense he could make of them.

"Don't mind me I wont get in the way
And although I'll see you everyday
You wont see me,"
"I will be in the vicinity no matter where you go
It's a good thing what with all of the nutcases out there so" Adriana jumped off the causeway and smiled at the furious Opera Ghost gazing at her as he removed his mask and tossed it carelessly onto one of the couches.

"Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is. It. Ok. If. I?" she lowered her voice and started to chant,
"Is it ok if I
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is it ok if I?
Is" Erik threw a book at her head, she threw herself backwards and looked at him archly, "It ok if I stalk you?"

Don't mind me I wont get in the way
And although I'll see you everyday
(Stalk, stalk, stalk, stalk, stalk, stalk, stalk, stalk)
You wont see me cos I'
ll be concealed in my car
At the back of the bar,In the restaurant, behind the piano" She started dancing winsomely around Erik, making puppy dog eyes and generally irritating the living nightlights out of the Phantom.

"The man over there with the hair
And the moustache and wearing the glasses
That no offence I wouldn't normally wear
Cos my eyesight is fine"

Erik glared at her and practically ran into his room, slamming the door in her face, content to wait, Adriana leaned against the door and raised her volume level.

"And with night vision goggles
I see even better they flatter you more
Than the close circuit video"
Is it ok if I stalk you?

Don't mind me I wont get in the way
And although I'll see you everyday
You wont see me…"

The song finished and Erik breathed a sigh of relief, then a familiar line came through the door and to his finely tuned ears, "You say that there isn't a chance…" He groaned and buried his face in his hands, clamping his fingers over his ears…it didn't help.

Six rounds later and Adriana was up to singing Carlotta style, screeching the notes like a broken yodeller. (If this doesn't get him, nothing will) she thought, as if on cue, Erik snapped.

"ENOUGH!" He roared, yanking the door open, Adriana fell backwards and stared up at him from the floor "For the sake of my sanity, stop!"

"You have a sanity?" Adriana asked, levering herself up from the cold stone, "Wow, I don't,"

"I noticed," Erik replied through gritted teeth, "You have five minutes, go and get dressed,"

A grin appeared on Adriana's face and she bounded up, "Thankyou!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around his neck, with her body weight thrown against his, Erik stumbled backwards as she nuzzled into his shoulder. Erik sighed inwardly, reminding himself to hide the sugar, the girl really had too much energy. Adriana reached up and gave him a full, long, kiss, "I'll be ready in three!" she said excitedly and jumped down to race for her room.