hey guys. i am really sorry about how long this took. i am having problems writing at the moment. my teacher is making me write a memior about phantom and i am really overwhelmed with school. sadly. but i promise i will not quit on you while they are apart! once again i am really sorry about this.. and sorry about how short it is. lol how short they always are... gosh i need an asprin...

Erik walked quickly back to the opera house. The small, but important, pieces of information blew up to a monstrous size in Erik's mind. Meg was captured by a man who was wanted for robbery, rape and kidnapping. Erik shuddered at the thought of Meg violated. He felt a strong urge to protect her, all of her, everything about her, and everything she held dear.

Erik lifted his hand to his face to rub his temples, but when he did, a warm liquid ran over his fingers. The Phantom of the Opera was crying! Over his deceased best friends daughter whom he- Whoa… hold on, Erik thought, Was I seriously just about to think that I am in love with Meg? I know that I love her, but am I in love with her? Erik shook his head. You miss her. He told himself. You aren't in love with her. You may love her but you aren't in love with her… Erik's breath caught in his throat. Am I?

Once Erik reached his home his nose was assaulted by smells he had never noticed before. He could smell lilacs, the faint sent of Meg (A/N: that sounds funny… like a perfume…) lingered everywhere. Meg had touched every part of everything and seeped into Erik's life in a way very similar to Christine. But this time everything felt so much different…

Erik sighed and got a bag that he could pack his few things in. Erik changed his white mask with his flesh colored, and placed a black mask along with his white one in the bag. A few pairs of black slacks went into the bag with his starched white shirts. All and all, Erik didn't have much to pack, or much room to pack for that matter. But pack he did for Erik knew he would be gone a great while. Frequently, Erik would put money in random places so that if he was mugged and they found any money (which he highly doubted due to his… skills) they wouldn't find all of it. There was also the small fact that men talked with money. Erik didn't know much about homo sapiens, but he wasn't stupid.

As soon as he finished packing, Erik shouldered his bag and picked up his violin and some sheet music, which he folded and slid into a small pocket in the case. Satisfied with his appearance and luggage, Erik straightened and began trudging out of the lair and to the docks where Raoul was meeting him with tickets. Erik grimaced, relying on the fop? What in the world was he coming to? Erik shuddered a bit and finished his walk to the docks, which was a relatively short one, rather quickly.

"Erik," Raoul stepped out from behind a large crate.

"Vicomte." Erik nodded coolly.

"Here," two tickets appeared in the palm of Raoul's hand, and he handed one to Erik.

"Two? I believe I am thin enough to pass for half a person, why do I need two tickets?"

Raoul set his face. "Let's be frank. I don't like you and you don't like me. All of this is quite obvious. However, as much as I don't like this, I know how much you care for Christine-"

"Wait a moment," Erik interrupted. "I care for her as nothing more than a student or even a friend. Then again I know the feeling is anything but mutual, I do not have feelings for her that exceed that."

Raoul looked at Erik confused with his mouth open. Then he quickly snapped it shut and nodded.

"You are still a fop though." Erik added dryly.

Raoul ground his teeth. This deformed man infuriated him. "Before you so rudely interrupted me, I was about to tell you something of importance," he snapped. "Christine wanted me to come with you. I obviously didn't. We compromised and I am to accompany you to New York, then I will return a month before Christine is due to have the baby. (A/N: okay I dunno if I said how far Christine was along, sooooo for future reference she is about a month and a half to two months. Oh and something else, it is about early march. If anyone knows when it actually is please tell me!) So call me whatever you wish, but I am doing this for Christine, and her only." Raoul hissed.

"I'm not stupid Vicomte. I am a genius remember?" A smirk adorned Erik's features. "And where is the lovely ship we are to board?"

Raoul growled softly and marched off toward a ship named Lovely, and Erik followed feeling slightly like a dog at his master's heel…