One thing I forgot to mention in the pervious chapter that's seriously bugging me. Amme was able to use both her arms because Erik had healed her. Completely, mind you; her broken arm, her bruises, her burns, everything.
Sorry. I just really needed to say that.

Amme remained with the Phantom while she recovered. And for a week after, because Erik refused to admit she was perfectly fine again. And she seemed so happy! Starlight was, obviously, allowed to stay. Erik was so grateful to the kitten, he probably would have allowed her to do anything she wanted. Fate, being too big to fit in the boat, was kept in the stables with Erik's horse, César. The two seemed to like each other, so Amme wasn't worried about them not getting along.

One day, or night, as Erik would say, Amme said, "Phantom, can I make you a deal?"

The Phantom, who had been composing, looked up curiously. "What sort of deal?"

"You let me go back up to the surface, to sing and dance in your operas, of course, and I'll come back down every night." She titled her head. "Is that alright with you?"

Despite his love of her being praised and adored by an audience, Erik still preferred her spending as much time with him as possible. "I don't know…"

Amme sighed dramatically. "Well, if you'd rather have Carlotta sing the lead female part…"

That convinced him. The elf got to spend the daylight hours in the theatre, and the nighttime underneath it.

And that's how Amme lived for another two weeks. Everyone was happy with this arrangement.

Everyone except Joshua Eddison, that is, but no one cared about what he thought. Amme was very angry with him; after all, he was the one who introduced Michel Leclerc to her in the first place.

And Erik simply wished him a slow and painful death.

Meg and Christine were, of course, very glad to see their friend again. Andre and Firmin were happy because, after the Phantom insisted on her being the lead again, Amme brought in more money than even Carlotta.

A slight correction: all were happy except Joshua and Carlotta. But, like Joshua, no one cared what she thought.

For two weeks, that was what happened in the theatre. But, no good thing lasts forever. And while the interruption wasn't bad, per se, it wasn't welcome by all.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and Amme, Meg, and Christine had agreed to go get lunch together. As they left, Amme heard something.

A voice called softly, "Selise."

Happiness flooded Amme's body. She turned and ran towards the speaker, crying, "Kevin! You're here!"

"Wolnis, selise." Kevin smiled, but stepped away from her embrace.

"Um, Amme?" Christine asked. "Who is this?"

"Oh, Christine, Meg, this is my friend, Kevin Lonesomhel. Kevin, this is Christine de Chagny and Meg Giry."

"Hello," Meg said shyly. Christine merely nodded.

"Lojines, Christine de Chagny, Meg Giry." Kevin replied politely.

"What?" Christine and Meg asked at the same time.

"Kevin," Amme sighed. "They don't speak Vempieson."

"I apologize." Kevin said in French. He smiled.

Meg nearly swooned.

Shaking her head, Amme asked, "What are you doing here, Kevin?"

"Your father asked me to come here, pinoje, and see how you are doing. It took me quite some time to find you too, might I add."

"I'd say I'm sorry, but you know," she lowered her voice. "That was the point."

Kevin bowed his head. "I do know that, selise, but your father was worried about you. Along with everyone else. We merely wanted to know how you are faring among humans."

"Very well, thank you, lisoqu."

"Amme?" Christine said. "This man? Is he coming joining us for lunch?"

Kevin smirked. "I think, rilisen, it would be better for both you and Ms. Giry if I did not."

"Oh…"

"Kevin, perhaps we should talk later," Amme said.

His head moved slightly to the side. "Your father wants you home, selise. We all want you home. I've come to take you back to Solhem."

"Solhem?" Meg frowned. "I thought you were from Ahsela, Amme."

"I am. Solhem and Ahsela are the same country. Just different names." Amme explained. "Ahsela is the official name, but in Vempieson, there are no a, b, c's, nor x, y, z's, so they had to change it."

"You don't seem to have any problem with your a's." Christine accused him.

He smiled coldly.

"But, really Kevin! I don't know if I should go home. I mean…is it safe?"

"Your father thinks it is safe enough for you, and," he added slyly. "I think you had no problem with being in danger before. In fact, in memory serves, you prefer it."

"I've changed Kevin. After Emily…" she stopped, swallowed, and continued. "I mean, really. You can't possibly expect me to be the same person I was before!"

"Is that your only excuse for not returning to Solhem, selise?"

"No. You see, Kevin, I've made a promise to someone here, and, well, I've already broken it once, and…"

"You've broken a promise?" Kevin interrupted in disbelief. "You really have changed. Am I even talking to the same selise I once knew?"

"I'm getting better." Amme sighed. "But, Kevin, I don't want to break my word to him twice."

"Him? What sort of thing did you promise him, pinoje?"

"I didn't promise to marry him, if that's what you mean, Kevin!" She snapped.

He waited.

"Maybe," Christine said tentatively. "This would be better if you talked about it at a different time."

Kevin blinked, something he really didn't do often. "Of course. Forgive me, rilisens, selise. I won't take up any more of your time."

"We'll talk later Kevin." Amme assured him. "Wait here, alright?"

He nodded once.

That evening, Amme showed Kevin to where she met the Phantom every day. Kevin, having no idea what was going on, thought the princess had finally lost her marbles, to put it mildly.

"No, Kevin, I'm fine, really. He'll come, okay? I'm not insane."

Kevin remained unconvinced.

At last, a voice called softly, "What is he doing here?"

The vampire's reaction was immediate. He spun around and sank into a defensive crouch, fangs bared.

Amme laid a hand on his tense shoulder. "It's alright, Kevin. This is him, the Phantom of the Opera."

Kevin didn't relax as he took in the Phantom's appearance.

Amme now addressed the Phantom. "This is Kevin Lonesomhel. I've told you about him, remember?"

"All too well," The Ghost responded, eyeing Kevin warily. "Isn't he a vampire?"

"You've got that right, human," Kevin hissed. He looked at the Phantom like he was a stray mutt Amme had picked up off the streets.

"You two aren't going to get along very well, are you?" Amme asked.

"No," the two men answered.

She sighed. "Why not? You barely even know each other!"

"That doesn't matter," The Phantom informed her.

"We're too alike to like each other," Kevin explained.

"Oh, that makes so much sense." Amme replied, raising one eyebrow coldly. "Thank you so much for telling me."

Kevin smirked. "Tojufs. You're welcome." He turned to the Phantom. "You don't speak Vempieson, do you?"

The human scowled. "No, why?"

Kevin's smirk proceeded to grow. "¿Lisosh oques ruroh tijl?"

"What?"

"He asked why he would tell you that," Amme clarified. She ignored Kevin's glare. "Now, may we return to the reason we all gathered here for? Whether I'm going to stay here or go home?"

"Mesin kiron dutif, Selise," Kevin said immediately. "Kironoh ef Solhem."

"Excuse me?"

"He said I don't belong here, I belong in Ahsela," She translated.

"You also," the Phantom snapped. "Made a promise to me that requires you to stay here."

"I know that."

"Fisolit de,"

Amme shot him a withering look. "You're doing this just to annoy me, aren't you?"

"Voj heinos."

"Amme?"

The elf took a deep, calming breath. "He said first he doesn't care if I made a promise to you, and second that he isn't doing this to annoy me."

"Miwes vi sipol lene."

"He's doing it to annoy you."

"Oh, joy," The Phantom said sarcastically.

"Is it working?" Kevin asked hopefully, changing to French.

"I'm not going to answer that question."

Amme suddenly clapped her hands together, making the two men jump. "I have a solution! You," she nodded to the Phantom. "Can come with me to Ahsela! Then you won't be able to complain how I'm breaking my promise, seeing as I'll be with you, and Papa will be happy because I'll be home!"

The only person who seemed to like that idea was Amme.

"I'm not compromising with a human!" Kevin growled. "He stays here."

"I'm more than just a human, you know," The Phantom retorted. "And, not only will I stay here, Amme will as well! She made a promise to me."

Kevin started saying a bunch of things that I, the author, can't write down, because the rating would go way beyond R, and that would be bad, because then I wouldn't be able to read my own story without parental supervision. Amme very quickly stopped him.

"Language like that won't get us anywhere." She said sternly. "And I don't want this to take all night, so just agree to my decision, and be done with it!"

"Why are you so anxious to keep your word to a human, Selise?" Kevin asked. "The only good thing I'll say about them is their taste!"

"That's disgusting," The Phantom said.

"Too bad. I am a vampire."

"I've noticed."

"Anyways," Amme continued. "If we do it my way, everyone gets what they want, right? And, since we are discussing whether I'm going to go or stay, shouldn't I make the decision?"

"Fine!" the Phantom snapped. "I'll go with you. But don't expect me to spend lots of quality time with this bloodsucker."

Kevin was unaffected by the insult; he had been called worse. "If that's what you want, Selise, then that's what we'll do." Suddenly, he started laughing. "But…you're father isn't going to be happy when he sees a human with you, Princess! Do you think I've been rude, human? The king of Solhem hates humans!"

This prompted the Phantom to start talking in rapid Persian.

"What?" Both immortals said.

Erik just grinned. Because this time, there was no one to translate.

The Vempieson words I used in here that weren't translated before:
Selise-princess
Wolnis-I know
Lojines-this one doesn't have an exact translation, but it's used as a greeting.
Pinoje-My lady
Lisoqu-My friend
Rilisen-This one is just a way to address an adult woman, married or unmarried.

Yes, I made this language completely up. That is precisely why I don't expect anyone to know it. Because I know they don't! Muah ha ha ha! Ahem…
I won't have people speaking Vempieson very often, with the exception of the word selise. Kevin will, in fact, use that word quite frequently.

Now then, who do you think won the "battle:" Erik or Kevin?