Authors Note: Alright! A chapter…finally! I know, throw tomatoes at me if you want…hides behind Erik and Creedy

I'm gonna make things faster and easier by doing this: I know I owe lotsa people review replies. But, there are a lot and my email isn't working right now so I can't access them, so I'm gonna ignore them this once and give out one big reply:

Thank you so much to all my reviewers! You have no idea how much it makes me smile when I get home and find them in my inbox! I don't think I'm a great writer, but the replies tell me to keep going, which is why this story has lasted so long. So chocolate and cookies and ice cream and Erik-plushies for all! (and a raptor plushie for Tallacus ) Thank you all so much again, and I'll get back to replying next chapter.

Chapter 35

New Beginnings

Jen stretched and sat up. She was, once again, alone. Surprise, surprise. It seemed that Erik was gone as often as he wasn't. Well, she might as well take advantage of his absence, she thought. Today he would finally let her move about, unless, of course, he went back on his word. The percussionist slid out of the sheets and stood on the cold wooden floor of the room. The, she lost her balance, and fell face first. "Damn." She muttered. "I musta' over estimated my strength." She made another attempt to stand, using the bed for support. Once back on her feet, Jen decided to try to walk around a bit. She took a step and, once again, fell. "I told him I should get to walk some…I'm weaker now than I was!" she growled angrily. Erik would hear about this when he returned.

Once she was comfortable- and able- to walk again, Jen went to find her bag. She sighed when she found a spare outfit that she had somehow remembered to pack in her haste. She also wanted a bath. Being confined in a bed for three days left one feeling rather…well, grimy. And sweaty. And she didn't want to remain that way. Going into the small bathroom- small being an understatement, Jen turned on the water and went to get her spare clothes. Soon she was rather comfortably napping in the warm water.

When she awoke the water was beginning to grow cold and she groaned. Then she heard someone the door. "Jen?"

"Er…yeah?"

"It's me. Open up if you are moving about." Erik's voice carried. He sounded…tired? Annoyed? She didn't know. "Er…alright…give me a few minutes though…"

"Hurry up." He said simply after a few moments. "Geesh, I'm trying, I'm trying…there…" Jen, happy with the clothing, opened the door and glared at him. "Happy?"

"Sorry, but if we are to find Gabby I think we should start as soon as we can." He told her, sitting down in the chair. "Let me finish and get some breakfast, then we can go." Jen told him, pulling out her brush- another item she had somehow remembered to pack- and combed through her wet hair. He watched curiously at how she prepared- it was nothing like Christine's perfectionist and practiced method. Jen was hasty, almost careless in her manner. Her motive was getting her straight, brownish hair back and out of her face, where Christine had always been trying to make herself more beautiful. Not that she had ever needed to look more beautiful.

"You know, you can talk to me. This whole statue-act is starting to scare me a bit. 'Specially after last night." Jen commented, turning to face him.

"Nothing happened last night…" he reminded her. "Nothing physical. But mentally and emotionally yes, something did. Ya' know, speaking of last night, you never explained one thing to me."

"And that would be?"

"Your accent." He could ask her the same thing, he thought. She was from America, but she seemed to fall into a scotch accent at random times. Like just then.

"My accent?" he asked, smiling. He would play around a bit. Jen rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to be cute. You are French, no? But you speak like Gerry. I mean, if this really is movie-verse, then yah, it makes sense. But this isn't movie verse. This is…reality…" she thought about that for a moment before continuing. A grin passed her features quickly, then faded. "So tell me why. Now." It wasn't demanding, just asking.

"Alright. I'm not all French." He admitted. "Really now? Do tell more." She sat down on the bed, close enough to use him as a foot rest. She grinned, and he rolled his eyes. "My father was from Scotland. He had moved to France looking for work, which is how he met my mother." Erik shrugged. Jen blinked. "And..?"

"And what?"

"He died before you were born. There has to be more." Jen pointed out.

"True, true. Let me finish. My mother picked up accents well, or at least I believe she did." Jen nodded, she was somewhat like that. Somewhat being key word. "She picked it up, and as you probably know- since you are all-knowing it seems, she became somewhat of a recluse and the accent stayed, and I just picked it up." Erik shrugged. "So there you have it."

"Indeed I do. Well, I'm ready, shall we?" Jen was already standing and grabbing her coat. Erik blinked. She was ready? Not like Christine at all. When he had spied on Christine, something he rarely admitted to doing, he noticed that she spent over an hour at times, trying to look right. Jen just brushed her hair and was done. He shook his head as he grabbed a coat and followed her out. She was different indeed.

XxXxXxXxX

Nicole was wiping some dust off the counter absent mindedly when Jen arrived at the bottom of the stairs. She looked at her curiously, then smiled in recognition. "Ah, Madame Destler, it is good to see you awake!" the young woman told the percussionist. Jen raised an eyebrow. "Wha?"

The inn keeper blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry…I thought that you…"

"It is alright." Jen reassured her. "I can understand the mistake." Just then Erik arrived. "What mistake?" he asked, stopping next to Jen. "It is nothing, monsieur, I assure you." Nicole told him, charming smile now back.

"Alright then, if you say so. Shall we?" He asked Jen, offering his arm. The percussionist grinned. "Indeed. Farwell ma'amselle." With that they had left the building. Nicole watched them. A cute couple, she thought, if strange.

XxXxXxXxX

"Alright, so my thoughts are, we look for them again, starting at the Opera House- or what's left- and then work our way through the city. If they decide to meet us somewhere, I daresay the Populaire would be our best bet." Gabby said, marking something on the map before her. "I agree." Joseph told her with a nod. "And I will inform Edward before we leave."

"Alright, good. So, let's start."

XxXxXxXxX

"God…there is nothing I hate more than shopping…" Jen muttered, hefting another heavy bag. "Would you mind giving a hand?" she asked with annoyance as Erik stood, smirking as he watched her struggle.

"It is your purchase; why should I?" he asked, leaning against the wall. Jen glared and walked off. "Fine then, be that way. I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman. Green-grey eyes glared back through the black leather half-mask he had purchased earlier. "No more than you are supposed to be a lady, my dear. Which, I might point out, you are not."

"Well I love you too…"

"I know." They glared at each other a final time then Jen grinned and laughed. "Alright…that was fun…" Erik blinked. Odd girl, odd girl, he thought. "Let's keep going…I wanna stop by the Populaire…er…what's left of it…before we head back." With that, Jen was off again. Erik sighed and followed after her. What had he done to deserve this?

Author's Note- I am (a) sorry about the long wait, and (b) sorry about the shortness…I haven't had much time or inspiration lately…hope you enjoyed that though…