Disclaimer: I do not own any of the creations of Gaston Leroux and ALW. I only own the plot and my characters ( Delphine, Robert, Annabel, Delphine's family, and Therese).

Chapter Ten- The Scorpion or the Grasshopper?

Delphine

They stood in front of the Aubade manor. The door was shut. "He should still be up." Delphine said as she knocked on the door again. There was no answer from inside. She walked toward the side of the house. Her balcony caught her eye. The lattice on the side of the house could be climbed, Robert had done it numerous times. "We can climb up to my room, I always leave the balcony door unlocked." She said as she started toward it. She could hear Erik's footsteps behind her.

After she had climbed up she looked down at Erik. His face was shining in the moonlight, his mask gleaming in the beams. The thought of the scene made her giggle. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" She called down to Erik. She saw a small grin climb across his face.

"I am not sure I should come in." He said from below.

"Oh don't be ridiculous, come on. If you don't come with me, than I won't come back out." This got him moving. He was standing next to her within minutes. "A step not even Romeo would take?" She asked. She grabbed his hand and pushed open the balcony door.

---

Erik

As he entered his room he looked about in amazement. Her room was so like her personality. It was elegant and richly decorated, complete with her velvet chaise lounge, her silky sheets, her robe laid out on her bed, and the walls were a creamy off white color. Her bureau and open wardrobe were neat, but there was a music stand off in the corner of the room which was cluttered with music.

She smiled at him. "Wait until you see our basement." She said as she moved toward her bedroom door. "Come on, I have to go there anyway." He followed her at her will. She pulled the door open and started down the dark hallway. She stopped at the dim light spilling out of a room at the end of the hall, just before the stairs. "That's my brother's old room." She said quietly. "I hope he isn't here. I'll have to spend some time explaining this if he sees us."

She inched over to the room and peaked around the door. She turned back to him and nodded her head. She waited for him to join her and than they went down the stairs. They stopped at the bottom of the stairway, standing the entrance hall was her father and her brother. Both of the men looked at Delphine and Erik. "What is going on?" Her father asked with shock.

"I…we were…well you see…" Delphine fumbled. As she tried to get her way out of the situation, Erik suddenly realized the odd look of recognition that her brother was giving him. He moved closer to Delphine, this man seemed to remember him from somewhere but he, himself, had never met him.

"Who is this?" Her brother said as he moved toward his sister.

"Umm…" She said nervously. "This is…"

"Erik." Erik found himself saying before he knew it.

"You are the man my sister has chosen?" He asked, displaying no emotion. Erik was not sure what he was supposed to do. This man could be tricking him. Delphine had told him that her brother was a violent man. He didn't have time to get into a fight with her brother. Besides, anything that happened would make Delphine panic. Her brother seemed to sense this and gave him a small smile. He offered Erik his hand. It shook a bit but was instantly steadied. Erik, uncertain, reached forward and shook hands with the man. "You had better treat her right, not like that other one." He said. Erik nodded.

"Of course." He said.

"Now will you tell us what is going on?" Her father asked. Delphine had to turn her shocked gaze away from her brother.

"Well, there was some trouble at the ball…" She said as she began to move her hand about. "Robert, he said he was going to…rather…" She seemed uncomfortable with this. Erik sucked up the remaining strength he had and decided to take over. She needed his help.

"He said he was going to turn me into the police."

"That one was always trouble." Her father said as he offered Erik his hand. Erik looked the elderly man over. He looked sad and tired. "Here I thought my daughter had fallen for some young, immature rapscallion." He said with a smile that caused the wrinkles in the man's face to show. "You seem like quite the sophisticated gentleman." He said.

"Thank you." Erik said. He was not sure if there were any downsides to being the older, sophisticated gentleman but he knew that for the moment it made her family happy.

"Delphine, take that foolish mask off." Her brother said.

"Oh." Delphine said with a laugh as she her mask off. "I had completely forgotten I was wearing it." She said. Erik felt the uneasiness rise in his gut. He prayed that they would not ask him to take his off, he wouldn't, which would cause suspicion. Her brother seemed to pass him over.

"So tell me, why did you two sneak into your bedroom window."

"We knocked on the door, no one answered." Delphine said. "Father, we need…money."

"Why?" He asked.

"Erik and I need to go away for awhile." She said.

"Is it that serious?" He asked with concern.

"Yes." She said quietly. "Please, I don't want Robert to succeed in his actions."

"So the police have a reason to go after you?" Her brother asked Erik. Erik nodded sadly.

"Unfortunately," He said. "for crimes I have since regretted. Yes, though. I am a criminal." He admitted.

Delphine's father had alarm written all over his face. "Father, he isn't like that anymore."

The man seemed to think about this. After what felt like hours he nodded his head. "How much do you need?" He asked. "Never mind, I'll decide that. Do you have to go down to the music room?"

Delphine nodded. "I have to get my opera." She said as she turned to Erik. "We'll be right back." She said as started toward the back of the house.

---

Delphine

She led Erik down into the basement, making sure to watch his expression as they entered her musical domain. His eyes lit up, his hand held hers tighter. "This is where I make my music." She said as she waved her arm to display her treasures. She pointed at her piano. "It's no organ but it works nicely for the opera." She said as she smiled. "I can't bring that with me." She said as she moved away from Erik and toward her flute. She played a note. "This, however, I can." She put it away and smiled down at it.

"Have you worked on the opera?" He asked. She nodded her head.

"I can't seem to get past the fourth song though." She said as she handed him the folder. He looked at it and back up at her.

"We can fix that." They stood across from each other staring. "I promise that I'll bring all of this to you, once things settle down." He said. "I won't keep you away from this." He said.

"I know." She said. "I trust you." She smiled shyly, something she had never done around him before. She had always been so strong, so courageous and outgoing.

She moved toward him, suddenly overtaken by a seductive notion. She wrapped her arm around his neck and began kissing at it. He put an arm around her waist. They stood there, the intimacy trying to push past their hectic situation. "Sorry to interrupt." He brother's voice said from the stairway. Delphine looked at her brother. "Thought you would like to know that Robert is at the door, demanding to know where you are. He wants to know and he's threatening us. Father said you two should sneak out the back." He smiled at Delphine. "Here is the money, he said not to argue." The three of them began walking toward the back. Once they were safely outside Antoine spoke again. "My father trusts you, so don't prove him wrong in his trust." He said to Erik, who nodded seriously. Antoine kissed her on the cheek.

"Antoine, tell father that I love him. I will write to him as soon as it is safe to write." She said as she kissed him back. She stood back to watch her brother shake hands with Erik.

"Protect her." Antoine said. There was a shout from inside the house. "Seems Monsieur Lennings has broken the father barrier. I had better get back inside." He said with a mischievous grin. "Goodbye." He said with a nod. He disappeared into the house. Erik took her hand once again.

"We had better leave." He said. She followed him, let him lead her away from whatever scene was taking place inside her house.

---

Delphine held Erik's hand as they walked up the streets of Paris. She felt like she could finally be the girl in that romance, that girl who had run into the Opera House with her lover when it had started to rain outside. How long ago all of that felt. It felt odd, to remember something like that, something so insignificant and small. Especially since she had met Erik. "This is what you want, isn't it?" He asked with little emotion.

"What do you mean?" She asked as she looked down at their hands.

"You want this, a public romance. One where we can walk down the streets, letting the world know we are in love."

Her heart began to ache. She did want this, but she had convinced herself it was impossible. She knew she should be happy just being with Erik, she couldn't expect this from him. He would never be able to do it. He had brought himself to go to the ball tonight and look what had happened. "I do." She admitted. "I do wish we could do this, but at the same time I understand why we cannot be like this. I know it hurts you to see me want something like this, but you have to remember that I would rather be with you than not at all." She said with confidence. "It hurts me to know I want something you can't give me, to know that I am being selfish when you have already given me so much." She fell silent, not knowing where she was going with it, her point escaping from her.

"It hurts me too, to know I can't give this to you." Erik said.

"Why do you have to be the one to sacrifice?" She said. "Why can't I seem to make myself do something for you?" She was frustrated with herself. This was what she had come to realize. She didn't want to sacrifice that much. She wanted to have everything her way. Close enough to society to feel like she was connected, yet just far enough out of reach so that she wouldn't lose Erik. Happy enough to walk down the streets, and yet she couldn't help but desire a morning stroll along the river.

"You are, you're leaving everything behind to come with me. All on the whim. You know you didn't have to." She gave him a weak smile.

"Erik, I don't think I deserve you." She said. They had come to a stop outside of the Opera Populaire.

He ignored her comment. "Here we go, our last stop." He said. She took a deep sigh and got ready to take the plunge, the last step before her life changed forever.

---

Erik

He knew she was feeling uneasy about how fast all of this was moving so fast. She didn't want to admit it but she was nervous and scared. He wished he could soothe her, calm her down but he didn't know how. He had such an unnatural feeling about everything. How was Robert Lennings following their every move? How could he possibly have been hiding from them without his knowledge? How did he know the things he knew? Did he know their most private and intimate moments? The thought made him angry, it made him furious.

A private person by nature, the idea of anyone watching him without his knowledge made anger surge through his system. The Opera House welcomed them with it's familiar smells and silence. Nobody was up and about this late at night. He wasn't sure why they had come here. He had all he needed. She was the one who had insisted they come. She began toward the auditorium door. She looked up the stairs and towards box five. She froze in an instant. He could see her face drain of color. "Delphine, what is wrong?" He asked quietly.

"N-nothing." She said with a quiver in her voice. "I have to go and get my violin. I'll be back in a minute." She said as she disappeared into the dark theatre. He stood there, letting the darkness wash over him. This was normal, what wasn't normal was why he was standing in the darkness. As if the Opera House seemed to sense his confusion, the main entrance door opened, shedding a little light on his problem. The breath froze in his throat. Panic rushed down on him, his heart began beating furiously. Standing in the entrance was a figure.

The man was in a costume, a mask in his hand. There, standing before him was Robert Lennings, looking like more of a demon than himself. He stood in silence and watched Lennings look about him. Erik shrank back into the shadows, farther away from the piercing gaze of this intruder. The man scowled and stalked off toward the dressing rooms. Erik breathed in, the air met his lungs and made him relax a bit. Lennings thought they had gone to her dressing room. That would give them enough time to get away.

He turned and dashed into the auditorium.

---

Delphine

She sat on the chair, holding her violin close to her. She had a very uneasy feeling. She felt like she should not have come to the Opera House, that she and Erik should have just left Paris. She felt the envelope of money pressed against her thigh. Reassured that the money was still there, she brought her hand to her head.

The throbbing was beginning again. She felt the air start to restrict her. The claustrophobic silence pressed down on her, made her feel like she was losing it. Shaking her head, she thought about Erik. He was waiting for her outside. He would sweep her away from this sudden uneasiness that had began in her heart and he would make it all go away. She knew he would.

Why had this claustrophobic, sickening feeling come back to her. She heard a door behind her open, heard it close. Turning, she saw Erik glide down the aisle. He looked like some dark angel, come to take her away. He looked down at her in the pit orchestra. "We have a guest."

"What?" She said as she looked up at him, the love overflowing her heart.

"Lennings, he just came. He went toward your dressing room."

"Curse him!" She hissed. "Why is he still following me? I hate that man." She flew into action, packed up her violin in seconds and had it safely in her hands. It was than that she realized she didn't have her flute. "My opera!" She said with shock. "We left it!"

He gave her a smirk and pulled out the leather folder from somewhere in the creases of darkness that were his cloak. "Come," he said. "I didn't plan on this. We should leave as soon as possible." He grabbed her hand and helped her out of the pit.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"The stables." He replied without a pause. "We can take a horse." He led her toward the stables, a place she hardly ever went. They pushed into the stables and the sound of horses greeted them. She stood back as he went into a stall and got a lean white horse from inside. "Come on." He said. He hoisted her up onto the horse and began walking it out of the stables. Once they were outside, the cobblestone underneath them, he climbed on behind her.

"Stop!" A voice called behind them. Delphine peeked over Erik's shoulder. Robert was facing them, a pistol in his hands. Her pace flew above her. "I swear I will shoot." Erik froze and looked down on her.

"What are we going to do?" He whispered. He hunched over her body, protecting her from any harm.

"Why are you asking me?" She asked. "Why would I know what to do?" She clung to his arms and bit her lip. "Do what you think is best." She said. With a sudden movement, he kicked the horse into action. There was a gunshot, it whistled past Delphine's ear. Terrified, she looked at Erik. He grinned at her. He hadn't been hit. She looked back as they turned a corner, Robert had just gotten a horse and was mounting it. "Go to the cemetery." She said. "Don't ask, just go."

She hoped that they could get far enough away so that Robert would lose their trail. She knew Robert would never think of going to the cemetery. Even if he did he wouldn't know how to get there. She was sure this demon had never entered one, and had never wanted to.

Author's Note: Okay, another chapter completed. What a sigh of relief! Robert really is determined, I'm starting to want to just kill him off…alas that might not be the case. I hope you liked this chapter. I thank all of you who have reviewed. As we approach the end of my little story, I am glad that you have read this far. Thank you.

Until next time.