Hey, we've got fanart, go to my profile to find the links! Also, a big thanks to Lady Taevyn, she's kinda my beta reader, and keeps me writing dutifully.

I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place in present day, blah blah blah, REVIEW…

Erik had used his music to lull her to sleep; it would be easier for her that way. The less she had to deal with Hiroshi, the better.

"She's such a sweetheart when she's asleep," Hiroshi commented, still brushing Lenore's hair.

"Hiroshi, correct me if I'm wrong, but you've already given her hair one hundred and sixty five strokes," Erik said.

"Oh? I'd lost count," Hiroshi lied. "An angel when asleep, and a hellish fireball when awake. Kitten's certainly never dull."

"She has name, and it's not kitten," Erik informed the man. "It's Lenore."

"Light?" Hiroshi chuckled, knowing the meaning of Lenore's name. "What a perfect pet for the Master of Darkness. Honestly, Keeran, you couldn't have made a better choice."

Erik hated the name the Condemned Circle had given him. Keeran. It meant little dark one. And he couldn't stand being referred to as "little". When he managed to reach five hundred, the Circle would rename him, based on his accomplishments over the half-millennia of immortality he had served. But until then, he had to suffer Keeran.

"You'll not use that name with her here, Conner," Erik spat. Conner, the wolf-lover, was Hiroshi's name in the Circle. It was a hell of a lot better than Keeran.

"We've never had a woman in the Circle before. I wonder what we'd name her. Maybe Aithne, little fire. What do you think of that name?" Hiroshi mused.

"I don't intend for her to be a part of the Circle, Hiroshi," Erik snarled. "She doesn't belong there."

"No, Light usually doesn't belong in Hell. But loyal pets always find a way to follow their master," Hiroshi said, finally deciding Lenore's hair had been brushed enough and setting the brush down. "You've thought about it, Erik. I know you have. You don't want to watch her wither away and die while you remain young and eternal."

"I won't take Heaven away from her," Erik stated.

"But you don't have to. I can do that," Hiroshi pointed out. "Then she can't blame you for anything. Except maybe for not stopping me."

"If you only came here in the attempt to snatch her soul from Heaven, I'm afraid you won't have it, Hiroshi."

"You're no fun," Hiroshi complained. "I want to touch her some more, Erik. I think I'm quite trustworthy to carry her to bed, don't you?"

"If you were intending to go anywhere other than the bed, I might be able to agree with you," Erik retorted, coming forward and gathering her up in his arms.

"It doesn't really matter much, I suppose," Hiroshi said somewhat sadly. "I'm sorry, Erik. Next time I see you, it won't be a happy occasion. And tell Lenore that she mustn't be afraid of me next time she sees me. Promise me you'll tell her that."

Hiroshi never asked for favors. Hiroshi was never sad over anything. What do you know that I don't? Why did you come by today, Hiroshi? You had a reason…but what? "I'll tell her," Erik replied, knowing that Hiroshi would never answer those unspoken questions until Erik already knew what those answers were.

"Promise it! Make sure she won't be afraid!" Hiroshi insisted.

"I promise. She won't be afraid," Erik said, wondering why this was so direly important to Hiroshi.

"Thank you," Hiroshi whispered. "I'll see you again soon, alright? Take care of her."

Before Erik could say that he would, Hiroshi hurried out into the hall, probably halfway to the door in the blink of an eye. That man was fast. Hiroshi…you've never thanked me for anything. Hell, the entire Circle complains that you never thank them for anything…What's going on? Erik began entertaining the thought of taking a little trip to Hell to see if he couldn't figure it out.

As he laid Lenore in down in the bed, she stirred, slowly dragging herself back from dreams. "Erik, how long is Hiroshi going to stay?" she asked sleepily.

"He left a minute ago, Lenore," Erik informed her. "He…wanted me to tell you not to be afraid of him the next time you see him."

"Not be afraid of Jack the Ripper?" she mumbled. "That's a laugh."

"Hiroshi was rather adamant about it. Can you at least promise to try not to be afraid?" Erik persisted. It meant a good deal to Hiroshi, and though Erik wasn't very friendly with the man, he had no reason to doubt that Hiroshi had a damn good reason for it.

"I don't think so."

Erik decided not to press it; he had told her, and done what he could to impress upon her the severity of the situation without worrying her. Over time, he would keep reminding her, and eventually she'd probably decide that he was right and she shouldn't be afraid.

"You know, I don't regret having told you that I love you," Lenore said suddenly, catching Erik quite by surprise. She wasn't supposed to have heard him when he said that. She was supposed to have been asleep, under the influence of the morphine. "I almost died once, you know. And it makes you think about things. One thing I realized was that there was this one friend of mine who I fought with every day. We always fought, but deep down we were close. And I remembered the last thing I had said to her the day of my accident was "Stop being a fucking bitch, I can't stand you like that." I kept thinking over and over, if I had died, that was a horrible thing to have said. That I never told her how much I really cared for her deep down. So, when you realize how you feel about someone, when there's something you want to say to anyone, you should say it. Because you might not be able to tell them tomorrow."

Erik looked at her, staring up at him with those eyes that had been made to see the brutal truth of reality far too early in her life. You shouldn't have had thoughts like that, you shouldn't know how fleeting life is at your age. These are supposed to be the years in your life when you're at your prime, when you consider yourself immortal, immune to anything that can kill you. But you don't think that way at all. You've been aged before your time.

"Come closer, I want to tell you something," Lenore said, beckoning him forward with one finger. "Closer, lean in." He complied, and when his shirt was within reach of her hand, she grabbed a fistful of his collar and pulled him down until their faces were mere inches apart. "I want you. Right now."

At first, Erik was merely stunned by her words. He had never expected to hear that from any woman. She's willing to give herself to me after she's seen my face?

"Don't make me repeat myself," she said sternly. "If I have to, I get to be on top."

Lenore knew that would do it. Erik climbed on top of her, pressing his lips to hers as he kicked off his boots. Lenore began unbuttoning his frock coat and Erik jerked up instinctively, recalling what had happened last time. He took off his upper garments himself, obviously not wanting her to knock the mask off again.

This is not the best time to voice concerns, but… "Erik, you know it's gonna take longer for me to be ready than it will for you, right?" Lenore inquired. "You know I need a hell of a lot of foreplay to become aroused? I'm sorry, you're an immortal, and you've probably done this a million times. I'm just really nervous cuz this is my first time."

"No, darling, I've never done this before," Erik admitted, looking somewhat sheepish. She understood his discomfort; few guys would want to tell a girl they were a virgin, and especially a man as old as Erik would be ashamed to admit that.

"Alright. Um, we'll just take it slow, and let's make sure we keep communication up. Cuz I need to know what pleases you, and I can't read minds like you can," Lenore said.

"I…I like it when you struggle," Erik confessed, the look on his face implying that it made him a monster to like that sort of thing.

"To be honest with you, I like to struggle," Lenore replied. She'd never told anyone else that. She really did enjoy feeling terrified, feeling like she had to escape, especially if she knew she couldn't get away.

"Can I tie you up?" Erik whispered.

"That might be a bit too much for our first time," Lenore pointed out. "We'll see how it goes."

Suddenly, Erik launched himself onto her with a feral growl, pinning her arms to the bed as he ravaged her neck with his teeth. It certainly startled her, and instinct had her squirming beneath him. She pushed her body up against his with all her strength in an attempt to throw him off of her, even though she knew she'd never manage that.

Using his teeth, Erik unwrapped the silk peştemal from her body and began attacking her breasts, his grip on her wrists tightening. She began pushing her body against his repeatedly, half of it struggling and the other half of it passion. Once he'd had his fill of her breasts, Erik trailed kisses down her stomach to between her legs. Upon reaching that area, he employed his tongue in the effort to please her.

Lenore went limp with passion beneath his hands as her breath began coming in ragged gasps. She couldn't struggle anymore, not when she was feeling such pleasure. This has to be difficult for him; he's taking such pains to make sure he doesn't lose the mask. She wasn't sure if she'd upset him by suggesting he take it off. But she wanted them to communicate their likes and dislikes as they went, and she knew he wouldn't say anything about his discomfort if he thought she wanted the mask on. "Erik, take off the mask," she gasped. If he tried to tell her he was keeping it on for her comfort, she could tell him that it was hurting her. Which wouldn't be a lie; the porcelain was rubbing against her skin uncomfortably with his movements.

Erik stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Are you sure?" he inquired fearfully.

"I'm sure," Lenore replied without hesitation.

His fingers trembled as he lifted his hand to his mask and slowly removed it. He gently laid it a few feet away on the bed, looking terribly uncertain about her decision. "If…if you want me to put it back on…I'll understand," he said softly.

"If I wanted it on, I wouldn't have asked you to take it off," Lenore pointed out. "Now, do you remember where you left off, or am I going to have to tell you?"

Erik smiled before returning his tongue's attentions on her. She realized it was the first time she had seen him smile out of genuine happiness. Not a smirk, or an amused grin. A genuine, simple, pure smile. He's very handsome when he smiles. I wonder if he knows that…

Well, I know now, chérie, Erik's voice echoed inside her mind. She had been so full of passion, she hadn't even noticed when Erik slipped into her head. Not that she minded; it helped him know what actions pleased her without her having to say a word.

Lenore moaned as she felt that pulsing pressure beginning to build between her legs. Erik moved his mouth back up her body to suck on her breasts as he began grinding his hips against her own. Lenore placed gentle kisses on the top of his head while her hands wandered over his muscular back.

Get the pants off, damnit, Lenore's mind screamed. She didn't know how long she could wait for him to relieve that terrible pressure within her. Her hands tugged impatiently at the waistband of his slacks, and Erik pulled off of her long enough to finish disrobing.

Lenore stared at him for a moment. Sure, she'd had sex ed classes, but she had never had a naked man right in front of her, nor had she seen a naked man aroused. It looks big…but I don't really know much about that…maybe that's normal…

"If you don't wish to continue, now would be the time to say so," Erik informed her.

"I don't want to stop. I want to know…" she said softly. "Take me, Erik."

Erik wasn't quite ready to take her just yet. Taking her hand, he wrapped it around him and helped her move her hand up and down his manhood at a tempo that pleased him. Certain she had the rhythm down, he left her hand to work by itself as he panted from drowning in ecstasy.

He could hear her thoughts, and knew she was a bit embarrassed at where her hand was, but she was overcoming that discomfort. Lenore suddenly let go, surprising him. He hadn't expected her to decide when she stopped giving pleasure. Then he felt her fingertips slide down his manhood, barely brushing the skin. It was such a light touch, but it increased his lust tenfold and he could not keep himself from groaning out her name.

I was hoping you'd like that. But don't expect me to take it in my mouth, I'm not in to giving oral.

Erik gasped as he recovered from the swell of passion she'd given him. Quite frankly, the idea of putting it in her mouth had never occurred to him. People of this time were decidedly strange with some of their sexual practices. There was a particular place on her body where his manhood was meant to enter, and it certainly wasn't her mouth.

Moving her hand away from his aroused member, Erik dropped back onto her, grinding his hips against her once again as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her hands, trapped between their bodies, began to dance over his chest at a wild pace, moving fast then slowing down before speeding back up. Her tongue was battling with his, trying to push it back and gain entry to his mouth.

Erik withdrew his tongue slowly, letting her think she was winning. Just as her tongue touched the edge of his lips, his own leapt back into her mouth. She groaned into his kiss, and he could tell from the feelings in her mind that she'd enjoyed that immensely.

Lenore pressed her entire body up into him, and he knew that this was the right moment. Pushing himself up, he placed his hands on either side of her head to support himself as he plunged into her. She cried out, but the only feelings her mind radiated were those of pleasure, not pain. He pulled out and thrust back in again while she gasped for air beneath him. Erik pulled out once again, and when he came back down for her, she met him halfway, burying him deeply inside of herself.

Erik reached deeper into her mind and held off her climax. He continued to pound into her, and she was more than eager to help him penetrate her as deeply as possible. She wrapped her legs around his waist, using every resource she could to drive him in further. When he released his seed inside of her, he released her climax so that they came together.

Pulling out of her entirely, Erik collapsed on top of her, too exhausted to move. They were both covered in a thin layer of sweat, gasping for air. He certainly wasn't helping Lenore regain her breath by laying on top of her, but Erik just couldn't find enough energy to move. He just needed a few minutes to rest.

"Erik…what if I get pregnant?" Lenore asked suddenly, worry dripping from her voice.

"You won't," he replied. "I'm not fertile, darling. So if you get pregnant, I'll want to know who the other man is."

"I get the feeling you'd kill him," Lenore said. "Not much incentive for me to tell you who he is in that case."

"Is there anything you'd like to share with me? Perhaps you're not as innocent as you claimed," Erik accused lightly. "You're not carrying Deville's child, are you?"

"If I am, then I'd love to know how the hell he got me pregnant without my knowledge of it," Lenore returned.

"Relax; I was only teasing," Erik chuckled.

"Well, it wasn't very nice," she replied, trying to keep from giggling.

Erik had recovered himself enough that he could roll off her now and he did so, wrapping an arm around her waist once he was settled next to her. Only after he was comfortable did it occur to him that she was snuggled against his right side, and he wasn't wearing the mask. The wretched half of his face was all she would see right now.

Just as he was about to locate his mask, he felt the lightest sensation upon his deformed cheek. So soft and gentle that it was almost impossible to feel, Lenore had placed a kiss upon the right side of his face. "Promise you won't ever leave me, Erik," Lenore whispered in his ear. "Promise me you'll love me till the end of time."

"I promise," Erik said, close to tears because of that simple little kiss. It was not a gesture made to buy someone's life, it was not given to show gratitude at being released from captivity and given a blessing to marry the man of her choosing. It was a gesture of her love for him, something that, until this moment, had been entirely inconceivable to him. Never had he thought a woman would love him enough to kiss his deformed face.

A few minutes later, Lenore was out like a light, her head on his chest. Looking at her, Erik couldn't have imagined when he met her almost three months ago that she would ever be his. She had seemed too immature, too bothersome. You're growing up, my little one. Soon enough, she would be a woman, and it was actually quite a frightening thought. If he didn't follow through on his promise to never leave her and always love her, Lenore would become the most devastating woman in history. If Erik broke his promise, she would have a cold, unapproachable beauty that would bring every man to his knees, and she would break their hearts and ruin them, leaving them unable to trust anyone, including themselves. Yet if he kept his promise, she would live the rest of her life in this dark basement, giving him all of her love.

"You don't want to watch her wither away and die while you remain young and eternal." Hiroshi's words haunted him. "I've ruined you, my love," Erik whispered. "Ruined everything you could have had. If I let you go to spare the pain we'll suffer as you age, you'll spend the rest of your life wanting to come back to me. And if I keep you…I've made a mess of everything. Either way, we'll both be hurt."

But no matter what, we'll always have this memory; the one time we both knew we were fully loved for who we are, not scorned for our appearance. I know your memory will fade with age, but if there's one thing you remember until you die, let our first night of passion be it.

"I'll let you decide whether you remain here or try to make something from the rest of your life," Erik said softly. When she woke up, she'd be forced to face the ugly mess he had created. Whatever she chose, he would honor her decision and make the best of it.

Lenore woke up in Erik's arms. Perfect way to start the day. He was asleep, peaceful and handsome, despite his face. "Do I love you because you're beautiful? Or are you beautiful because I love you?" she whispered.

Not wanting to wake him up, Lenore carefully extracted herself from his embrace and got out of bed. Damn, I'm so tired. Why am I so tired? Kinda light-headed too. Think I'll go sit in the living room, at least until I feel better. She wrapped his frock coat around herself and made her way to the door.

Lenore shut the door to the bedroom behind her quietly, then crossed the drawing room to the mantel. "I will leave it here for you." She picked up the necklace he'd given her for her birthday, noting that he'd fixed the chain.

I don't want a new one, or a replacement. This one is perfect. It will remind me that hearts break when you drop them, but you can fix them if you try. I…I want to stay here with you, Erik. I want to stay, and be your wife.

Just as she finished fastening the chain around her neck, a constricting pain throbbed in her chest. What's wrong with me? Moments later, clutching at her heart, Lenore collapsed to the floor.

"Damn bitch! What have you done to Lenore?" Erik yelled at the authoress, cuffing her again for good measure.

"Please stop hitting me," the authoress sobbed. "If you kill me, I can't continue the story, and then you'll never know what happened to Lenore."

"What our darling little authoress is incapable of saying at the moment is that she'd very much appreciate reviews," Hiroshi said.

"Where the bleeding hell did you come from?" Erik roared, glaring at Hiroshi.

"You answered your own question; Hell, of course. Dear me, little authoress, you're going to need someone to nurse you back to health…" Hiroshi commented, eyeing the authoress with lust.

"Dear God, they're both mad, I'm doomed," the authoress wailed.