Told ya I'd have more soon:-)

Rose36

The Vicomte sat in one of Erik's old lacey shirts with a towel wrapped around his head.

"Well, that whole bit with the water was completely unnecessary, don't you think?" he asked as he surveyed the dreaded and secretive lair. He held a cup of tea—untouched—in hand. He had reservations about drinking what the Phantom offered him considering Erik had suggested he tie the rope around his neck and haul him out of the water.

"What do you want?" Erik grumbled.

"Now, now," Christine said before the two men began verbally sparing. "My dear, we have a guest."

"Intruder," Erik corrected.

"Actually, I'm more of a messenger," Raoul corrected.

"Then relay your message so that you may be on your way."

Both Christine and Raoul glared at Erik.

"Your hospitality is quite simply an unparalleled delight," the Vicomte spat. He glanced around the lair. "Interesting place you have here, Monsieur Lu'oar."

"Raoul, what is this business with the note Joseph Buquet had?" Christine questioned.

"Ah, yes. The smelly ape said he'd found a note from him." He nodded toward Erik. "And he says he hasn't written a note."

Christine glanced between the two of them. "Well, perhaps he wrote a note, but he didn't send a note. He's been here the entire time. We both have. Haven't we?"

"He doesn't need to know my whereabouts."

Raoul furrowed his brow. "Well, Bouquet was being quite secretive, and since no one has seen you since the Bal Masque, I decided to take it upon myself to see how you fared, Christine."

"You are truly the brother I never had," Christine said with a bat of her eyelashes. She nudged Erik in the ribs. "I've always wanted a brother, you know. And a very loving father. Very loving. And now I have you."

Erik did a double-take as Raoul stood and wandered around the lair, his curiosity piqued by the expansive library.

"Let's review the facts, shall we?" Raoul said. "We know there is a note of mysterious whereabouts. We know Joseph Bouquet is a rat-faced, lame-footed, lily-livered donkey conspiring against someone for something. We know you're not a ghost but in fact a man living in a lavish if poorly decorated basement."

Erik took a step forward but Raoul put his hand up and continued speaking. "We know Madame Giry is a lush and that the opera managers are completely unskilled, wealthy dolts with tendencies toward inappropriate sexual innuendoes. And we know beyond a reasonable doubt that Meg Giry has the greatest rack in the opera house."

"And Erik has no curtains and windows," Christine added.

"What she said," Raoul replied as he fingered several books. "I don't know what to make of it all. Honestly, it makes no sense.

"There is a man conspiring and a note of mysterious origins," Erik said.

"Indeed." Raoul sighed heavily and shook his head. "If only we had better clues in which to solve this mystery. Believe you me, this whole mess is making my head hurt."

"Your head would hurt with a simple mathematical equation."

"Meg's been worried about my equations leading to a little Vicomte Junior," Raoul mussed.

"That's not equation. That's an ejac—"

"Erik, I don't think it's safe for us here. We should flee into the countryside and start our winery."

"What do you know of grapes?" Erik asked.

"I like yours," Christine offered as she innocently bit her lip. "Or we could travel to India. Or purchase a nice home several miles from the opera house. One with nice windows and lacy curtains."

"Lacy like this shirt. May I keep this?" Raoul asked.

Erik ignored the question. "Nobody is leaving, Christine. This is my home, my domain, my castle and I will be damned if anyone pushes me out. No, my dear, we will not leave."

Christine heaved a sigh. "Oh, good. We're staying."

"Nobody will leave…except Bouquet." Erik stared at Raoul. "Are you finished?"

Raoul took down several books from the shelf. "You don't mind if I borrow some of your more literary pieces, do you?" He held them close to his chest, thinking The Sage Woman's Guide to Self-Love and More would come in handy once Meg grew tired of waiting for him to return.

Christine started to take the damp towel from him. "May I ask, why were you nude when we found you?"

"For speed, of course. One must undress in order to run properly."

-o-

"So…" Christine said once Erik saw Raoul on his way. "You believe Bouquet is behind this nonsense?"

"Who else? Piangi? Carlotta? The brain mass between the two of them is smaller than a cockroach."

"I hate roaches. I do, however, like—"

"I'll kill him." Erik flexed his hands. "I'll make him suffer for days, weeks even. I need nails, rubber bands, a nail file…and a boy band."

"You do intend to torture him."

"Yes, I do, indeed. And then I will kill him. It will take several days."

"It's as though you've put thought into this."

Erik cleared his throat. "Not at all. It's merely my creative mind at work."

Christine feigned a yawn. "I'm tired. Why don't we return to bed and think about this in the morning?"

"No. There is no time."

She untied the laces on the front of her dress. "And did I mention it's very warm down here?"

"I thought you always said it was cold down here."

She shrugged and allowed her sleeves to fall down her shoulders. "At the moment, I'm very, very warm. Hot, in fact. Fiery hot."

His desire to kill Bouquet was immediately extinguished by Christine flashing a seductive smile. She licked her lips and sauntered forward, twirling her hair around her finger.

"We have all day tomorrow to think with clarity," she said as she placed one hand on his chest. "Why ruin our evening with thoughts of Bouquet?"

He struggled to keep his momentum, but Christine's feminine charm presented an unmovable roadblock, especially when she took his hand and brought it to her side.

"Do you have wine?" she asked.

"Yes, but you've proven you cannot hold your wine."

"Only a glass…to make the evening…interesting." She spoke against his lips, allowing her mouth to skim against his. She felt him quiver, his tongue searching for hers.

At once he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

"Curse you," he said between hard kisses. His hands roamed along her back, drawing her closer until he crushed her bare breasts to his chest. "You are pure evil."

With a sly grin, Christine led him into the bedroom and unbuttoned his trousers. She heard him groan as she nibbled on his earlobe. "Perhaps you should discipline me."