Greetings and thank you, thank you for the wonderful reviews full of praise and warm welcome backs! It means a lot, so I don't want to dissapoint any one of you! I'd like to also thank the new readers who recently added my story in their favorites! Thank you very much! And another thanks to the faithful readers who were there from the very first chapter! And now without further ado, chapter 68!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Phantom of the Opera, why do I have to keep telling you this????
Erik was the first and only one to notice that the sky had darkened and the last shreds of the sun's weak light had disappeared from the air. He stood up, still holding onto Lark's hand; it had given the child much comfort to have something to hold onto and it also told her when he moved around. Not that she wouldn't hear him first. As he had stood up, she looked up at him, or to be exact, up at a tree branch. "What is wrong?" she asked curiously. Erik glanced down at her. "It's dark out now, and it's late." He explained patiently, and then a thought struck him. Quickly he pulled the child to her feet, steadying her when she stumbled slightly. "Come back with me!" he said quickly his alighting with the wonderful vision of Lark coming home. "We can make it back without them noticing." Lark's face brightened tremendously and Erik's heart leapt at the thought that she would join him but then her little face darkened at the same moment. "No," she said slowly frowning at the ground. Erik stared at her, heart sinking like a stone. "You…you don't want to leave?" he murmured painfully, quite composed against the unbearable thought. He might as well have never come to see her! Terror suddenly filled her face. "No! No, that's not it at all!" she cried, holding tightly to his hand. "I- what I mean is-.." Anguish was the only thing he felt from her as her face creased. "Christine!" she bawled finally, though her eyes were still uneasily dry. "She will…I mean… she knows you! She knows you, Erik!"
Lark was terrified of something though for the entire world Erik had no idea what…what Christine had to do with it. "What do you mean…?" he asked, perplexed. Lark gestured to the house hopelessly. "She would know what happened if I disappeared! What if…what if she called the police? I will not allow it." The child shook her head firmly. "I won't allow to be taken away again for some stupid, thoughtless reason that she comes up with!" Erik stared at her in surprise and was shocked further still at her next sentence. "Come back tomorrow, Erik," she said softly, "I will be here and…and I will personally fix this!" She nodded again as if to confirm herself and she let go of his hand rather unwillingly. "I promise, so do not ask what I will do. Just…come back tomorrow." She peered in his direction with a face so full of past pains and grief that Erik only just contained himself from comforting her. "I promise." He heard himself say to her. He got his reward as she beamed and felt for him; he took her hand and was startled when the child embraced him tightly. "Thank you for finding me! For not giving up on me!" she sobbed, and real genuine tears she had not shed for all those months flowed out.
Erik said nothing but returned her hug gently, holding her to him for as long as she wanted. After awhile Lark released him, sniffed once and, wiping her face clear of tears turned back to the mansion and made her way to the door. Only pausing once to wave back at him crying "Promise!" she turned and let herself in the house. With a feeling of something much like joy, Erik took up the forgotten cane and made his own way back to Rachel and Richard's home without any conflict besides his thoughts of: "How will she fix it?"
"Erik…" Raoul growled under his breath, glaring out the window. He watched as the small girl hugged him and made her way back inside. Watching the man with something like a loathing, the Count followed the unmasked, ugly man out of the garden and into the streets with his eyes. Oh how he wanted him to disappear! Without another word and barely a glance at Lark who was being lectured gently by Christine about being out so late downstairs, he stomped his way to his study and sat down to think.
"I would rather not talk about it." Erik said curtly, not even looking up from the piano in the attic where he could feel the siblings' stares boring into the back of his skull. Richard made a noise that resembled a goose being deflated. Rachel stood against the door, her lip bit against the questions that were begging to be released and launched at the masked man. Erik smirked behind his newly and originally worn mask. "No, I am deeply sorry, but all you need to know is that Lark will be here safe and sound by this time tomorrow." Richard gave another squawk. His sister couldn't contain herself. "How?" she blurted. "How is this possible, Erik?" He barely heard her as he shuffled his papers wondering why he had never resumed working on them. Richard was currently turning the color of a beet as he sputtered something impalpable. The woman stared at Erik eagerly as he turned around to face them. His answer however, was far from satisfactory. "Lark says she will take care of it." He said bluntly.
"That, that makes no…no sense!" Richard finally gasped out, glaring at Erik with a slightly wild look in his eye. "How can she…she's so young, there's no way she could…How, Erik? How do you know?" Rachel nodded furiously, wringing her hands, but unlike her brother she was only worried instead of flustered and furious at Erik's lack of explanation. However, the man seemed to frown and a slightly vexed look came to the gold eyes. "Rachel," he intentionally spoke only to her causing Richard to gape then gibber angrily at him inexpressibly. Erik ignored this and continued to talk almost gently to Rachel. "Rachel, I myself do not know her plans exactly but she has my full trust and confidence. Is that not good enough for you?" He looked at her curiously, not angry at her for doubting but merely inquisitive on why she would. To both of the men's surprise, she blushed a fiery red. "No! No, I don't doubt you, you or Lark, at all." She mumbled, not looking at him or her flabbergasted brother.
"Am I the only one who is sane here?" shouted Richard, finding his voice after an awkward silence. Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stomped down to his room, his door slamming loudly. Rachel winced but Erik remained impassive and turned back to his music like he all but just witnessed a small bird twittering angrily about a lost worm. "He is probably right, mademoiselle." He said calmly after awhile, dipping his pen in his ink. The woman smiled weakly. "I suppose he is." She murmured, and also opened the door to let herself out. "I just hope that Lark knows what she is doing…" The door closed silently. Erik sighed and put his pen down. "Don't we all, mademoiselle," he said, "don't we all."
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Erik: ...Help me. x-x'