Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Author's Note: Sorry it's taking so long for updates to come, but I'm working on a project that you will all know about in a few weeks. Just please have patience with me, and here is a chapter to tide you over.

Late Night Discussion

Erik had discovered many interesting facts concerning Philippe LaChance. Facts that both fascinated and intrigued him. It seemed that the opera house was divided into two parts concerning each individual's thoughts on the man. Half of the opera houses employees desperately hated the man for his lecherous ways, and the other half loved him for the very same reason. But he had, had one devout follower, who believed that he could do no wrong. That follower was the ballet rat Anna. The other performers both feared and followed her, leading him to believe that she had some kind of hold over them. What he was not sure.

Time seemed to move so slowly for him as he waited for the daytime hours to pass. The nighttime hours were when he learned the most information. The more he learned the more convinced he was that there was only one suspect at La Fenice. He learned that the lead ballet rat, Anna had been madly in love with Philippe LaChance and dared any woman to say that he did not love her in return, But Erik was hesitant to believe that one woman could have committed the act of kidnapping Lily on her own, so he waited. He knew that he would have to discover Anna's partner or partners before he did anything rash.

Unfortunately he never saw Anna being overly friendly to anyone. She gave orders and they were followed. And no matter how hard he tried to follow the woman when the performance was over she would vanish into thin air. One moment he would be following her through the backstage area, and then the next she would just be gone. If he didn't know better he would have believed that she had taken lessons in the art of illusion from he himself.

Pierre had not made it back to the abandoned warehouse as early as he had wished. He knew that the performance had been over for nearly an hour, which would have given Anna way too much time alone with Lily. As he entered the outside door of the warehouse he could hear screaming coming from the inner storeroom where they were holding Lily. He was appalled at the sight before his eyes when he entered the storeroom.

Lily was sitting in one of the corners with her hands up covering her face. He could see blood on her hands. He could also see that Anna held a metal pipe in her hands and had it raised ready to bring it down upon Lily. He stepped forward quickly grasping the pipe from Anna. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to kill her." He yelled yanking the pipe from her hands and throwing it out the storeroom door.

"She's not dead, yet." Anna spat as she turned to face him. He could see that she had a quickly forming black eye, and busted lip.

"Couldn't beat her in a fair fight, so you resorted to weapons, huh?" He asked accusingly.

"She tried to escape. You didn't tie her back up last night." Anna accused right back.

"You were not supposed to come in here without me." He yelled right back.

"You were late." She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Listen it will do us no good to argue." He said calming his temper. "Just don't come in here unless I'm already here. It really isn't a good idea for you to come at all. What if he follows you?"

"He can't follow me. I learned from the best. He's still following shadows." She smirked. "Anyway, I'm done with her for tonight. I need some sleep." She tossed hair back and then marched from the room like a strong summer storm dissipating in the distance.

He waited to hear the outside door close and then rushed to the corner kneeling beside Lily. "Lily, god I'm sorry. I should have gotten here sooner. How bad did she hurt you?" He said placing one hand gently on her upraised arm. "Please let me see." He pulled her arm down and saw a long gash above her left eyebrow that blood was pouring from profusely.

"Please, just leave me alone." Lily said too tired to even push his arm away. Not enough food and water was leeching at her strength and the fight she had almost won a few moments before, with Anna, had completely drained her.

"No I won't. You are hurt. Stay here. I'll be right back." He said going into the outer room.

When he returned he had the supplies he needed to clean her wound, and a bag of food he had brought for her. He handed her the food and then slowly began cleaning the cut. "It doesn't look too bad. I don't think it'll have to be sewed up." He said after the bleeding had slowed.

She had been unceremoniously gulping down the food. But his words brought back memories of a time when she had, had to sew a gunshot wound in Erik's shoulder. That was the night she had realized that she loved Erik. She looked at the food and it lost its appeal for her.

Pierre noticed her reluctance to eat. "I'm sorry did I say something? I'm sure it won't leave too bad a scar." He tried to assure her.

"Scars mean nothing to me. It's the beauty within that counts." She whispered with a far off look in her eyes.

"No, I guess they wouldn't matter to you." He said in a sad tone.

She looked up at him in confusion. "How would you know what mattered to me or not?" She said bitterly.

"One thing Anna told you was true, Lily. I was at the trial in Paris. I saw." Pierre explained.

Lily had forgotten that part of what Anna had said, in her surprise at finding out that Philippe had a twin brother. "And what is it you think you saw?"

"I saw something that I never expected to see. I had gone to that trial seeking the blood of my brother's killer. But instead I saw a woman who completely left me in awe. I saw a woman show a man more devotion than any man ever deserved. I saw a woman willing to give her life for another. And I saw a woman who had suffered at the hands of a letch, but still was able to give all of herself freely to the one she loved. I was amazed." He said sitting back and staring at the wall. "I was ashamed to be the brother of Philippe LaChance. I never once removed my hood. At the end of that trial I knew in my heart that if I had known what my brother was capable of, I would have destroyed him myself."

Lily was completely taken aback by his words. She had expected angry accusations, not shame and admiration. "If that is the way you felt, then why did you agree to help Anna?" She asked not understanding his motives.

"Shortly after I met Anna I realized she wasn't quite right in the head. But I felt sorry for her. I knew that Philippe was just using her, but I did not interfere in my brother's affairs. Well when she came to me wanting to know what happened to him, I didn't want to ruin her deluded image of him. I should have just told her the truth. I never realized she would do something like this. When she came to me saying she had paid a couple of men to abduct you, I felt responsible. I tried to explain to her what really happened in Paris, but she wouldn't believe me. She said I was just soft. So the only way I could get close to you was to let her believe I was in on her plan." He explained.

Lily sat for a moment thinking over his words. Her emotions were very conflicting. She finally decided what to say to him. "I don't know if I should thank you for trying to help me, or kick you for putting false notions in that lunatics head."

He chuckled at her statement. "Well, you don't have to thank me. It's the least I should do. But if you want to kick me, I guess I deserve it, and I won't even attempt to stop you. Just remember, I am the one bringing you food and water. So try not to break my leg."

No matter how much Lily wanted to hate the man, she couldn't help the laughter that escaped her. "Well I guess, no matter what you had told Anna, she would have still heard about the trial and wanted revenge. So you are not all to blame. I'll leave off damaging you just yet."

"Why thank you, gracious Mademoiselle." He said standing and giving her a mock bow.

She chuckled again, and when he sat back down her mood became serious again. "Well you say you will not help me escape, because you fear retribution from Anna. So have you thought of a different way to solve this problem?"

"You know, Lily, if I was to just free you, she would just follow you back to Paris, and it would start all over again." He suggested.

"She is just a woman, Pierre. Why do you fear her so? She is not invincible." Lily said in disbelief.

"But that is where you are wrong, Lily. I have seen things happen around her that were unbelievable. Everyone at the opera house is in fear of her. Some say she practices the dark arts." Pierre said almost in a whisper as if Anna could hear his words.

"Are you saying she is a witch?" Lily scoffed at the unbelievable tale. "Magicians are everywhere, Pierre. My Erik is a master magician himself. There are many tricks that can lead you to believe things that are not as they seem."

"What I have seen and heard goes far beyond parlor tricks, Lily." He said seriously.

Lily wondered if he was just teasing her, but she could see by the look on his face that he did not jest. "Well if that is what you truly believe, I will not argue with you on the point, but have you come up with any other ideas?"

"The only thing I can think of is that we have to find a way to trick her into letting you go on her own. If she gives her word not to pursue you any longer, she will keep it. She may be crazy. And she may be mean, but her word means a lot to her." He explained. "And a deal is a deal."

Lily found it hard to believe that Anna held her honor so high, no matter what Pierre might say. But she was willing to try anything to get back to Erik.

Thinking about Erik drew her mind away from their conversation again. Since the day she had declared her love to him, she had never spent more that a few hours away from him, and she felt keenly the loss now. She sighed deeply and realized that Pierre had stopped speaking and was staring at her. She must have been staring off into space.

"My brother didn't ever know what he missed out on when he hurt you." He said.

The words shocked her. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I came to the opera many times when you two were performing together. You looked up to him like he was a god. He was too stupid to see what was right before him. I'm sorry he hurt you, Lily." Pierre said sadly.

"Pierre, your brother was not the type of man that could hold my heart. He never could be. I accept your apology, but believe me when I say, I hope your brother is roasting in hell at this very moment." She said icily.

"I'm sure he is, Lily. I'm sure he is." He whispered.