AN: Hello everyone. Thank you for your support. Here is the next chapter. Please review.

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Eloise had heard a struggle just outside the carriage. She knew that it would do no good if something were to befall her as well as her friends-if she could call them that. Raoul had threatened her. And Erik…well, she wasn't sure what they had, if anything.

Still, knowing that it would be fruitless for her to try and help, Eloise silently slipped out of the opposite door of the carriage from the sound of the struggles. It was lucky, but perhaps also unlucky, that the path they were taking was a road less traveled. The small dirt road was surrounded by thick bushes and trees on either side. It was easy enough for her to slip, unnoticed, into the vegetation. It would only be a short matter of time before she would be able to come out and try to find her "friends".

Sitting alone in the shrubbery, Eloise was left alone to her thoughts and the recent events that had led her up to this point. Had those men never attacked her, she would not be hiding here now. If she had just stayed away from the Opera House, she could….what? She was a drifter. She had no home. Rape was certainly an inevitable factor in her life. Why had she never accepted it? Why had she foolishly believed that she would be able to avoid it? It was a painful thought, a painful acceptance, for her to realize, but there was nothing she could do about it now. All she could do was be happy in the fact that Erik had saved her. But, in saving her, what path had the madman set her upon?

xxx

Raoul was not sure how much time had passed. He was not sure how long he had been unconscious. He also was not aware of just how long he had remained tied up and suspended upside down from a large tree. He had no means of escape. Their attackers had ensured that the rope was bound tightly from his feet to his upper chest. A gag prevented him from calling out for the Phantom's help. All he could do was hope that someone would come along and cut him down. Well, help him down. He was suspended a good six feet in the air. A fall from that height could potentially do some damage.

It seemed like luck was on his side this time as Eloise slowly crept into his line of vision. She had not yet noticed him and seemed very wary of the situation. He could not blame her. There was no telling how she lived cooped up with the Phantom all the time. Due to his situation, Raoul knew that the Opera Ghost must always have been watching his back. That was anything but a calm situation for someone to live in. He felt oddly guilty for it, somehow, though he did not know why.

Eloise looked upward at the sound of something-though she did not know what. Perhaps a bird calling for its mate? But then, she noticed Raoul strung upside down by his feet. It was comical, and it took a great amount of effort for her not to laugh. She could understand why thieves would leave an opponent stranded, but tying the person up to hang in a tree-and stealing a man's shirt?-seemed off.

"I guess you want to get down?" Eloise questioned, not really waiting for an answer as she looked for the line which was keeping the poor fop suspended in the air. It did not take long for her to find as the rope was merely tied to the base of a nearby tree. So, it appeared that the attacker wanted Raoul to be freed from his trap. But why?

Raoul was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground as the woman released the rope. With an annoyed grunt, he sat up straight and removed the gag from his mouth. The rush of blood leaving his head made for a sudden dizzy spell, but he quickly recovered.

He stood up to brush off his trousers. It surprised him that the motley crew had allowed him to keep even this small dignity. He would never understand why the attackers had taken his shirt away. What purpose did that serve?

Eloise came to stand beside the noble. It would be lying to say that the young man did not look good without a shirt on. Why was she thinking this? She was "married" to the Phantom of the Opera. Raoul would expect her to remain loyal to Erik. And, thinking more on it, she asked, "What happened? What has become of Erik?"

A dutiful wife, Raoul thought, she thinks only of his safety. Will the women who enter my company forever be fixated on that monster? Still, trying to stretch out his sore muscles, he replied, "I don't know what happened to our masked friend. We were attacked." He put his hands into his pockets, something he had started doing when annoyed by something. There was a piece of crumpled paper in his pocket; it had not been there previously. He pulled it out to look at it, only for the girl to snatch it away.

"This is Markus' handwriting," she commented as she skimmed over the lettering on the page. He had his own unique writing style, an old gypsy language. Only those who had traveled in his tribe would know this written language.

"Well, what does it say?" Raoul demanded, becoming inpatient as he tried to read over Eloise's shoulder. "It isn't even a real language. This is great. They take away Erik-"

"You're calling him by name now?" Eloise interrupted, a bemused look on her face.

Raoul stiffened slightly. "Yes, but it makes no difference."

"It would to him," Eloise commented. She was not sure how she knew this. It was by some instinct, with the short time she had spent with the Opera Ghost, she realized his desperate need to be treated like a human, not a beast. She continued, "The letter is in an old gypsy language. No one speaks it; it is only meant to be read or written. Markus must know that I am here."

"What does it bloody say?" Raoul repeated, becoming all the more agitated. It was quickly turning late, and they were not even close to their destination. Christine surely would have been compromised by this point. And now the Opera Ghost-the key to her rescue-was missing too.

"Patience, boy" Eloise replied, becoming annoyed with his attitude. "The letter…the ones who attacked you work for Markus. They took Erik. It says that Christine is a lost cause. In two weeks time, they will…" She found it hard to continue as she reread the letter once again. Memories of her own attack were quickly coming back to her head. Eloise held a hand over her mouth to suppress a sob.

Raoul was even more confused now. Was she crying about the Phantom or was it something else entirely? She had stopped when she was about to seal Christine's fate. The woman lived with a corpse. What could possibly make her break down like this? Still, he would need to do something to get her to calm down enough to tell him what was going on.

Slowly, he put his arm around her and tried to tell her that everything was okay and that there was no reason to be upset. He was shocked how quickly she pulled away from him and fell to her knees, begging him not to harm her. She was begging him not to rape her!

"Oh God," Raoul stated, as he looked down on the sobbing woman in shock. "He raped you. That is why you are with him, isn't it? We will take you away from him. There is no need for more deception and more violence. He probably-"

The noble's words pierced through Eloise's rattled mind. Her eyes went wide with shock at the false words he was touting. "No," Eloise protested loudly. "Erik saved me." She did not know why she was telling the boy this. It seemed like the appropriate thing. "I came to the opera house looking for a place to hide and live. Two men…they grabbed me. They…one man held me as the other…" She paused for a long moment, trying to push the memory's hold on her away. Instead, she focused on Raoul's eyes, which were wide. "And then, the men were gone. I woke up with Erik. He has been nothing but kind to me. I do not believe he could ever commit the crime of…that kind of attack."

De Chagny doubted it. The Phantom was a man. Men had their certain needs. It seemed quite unlikely that a man of his age could go for such a long length of time without bedding a woman. Raoul, himself, had had intimacy before his marriage to Christine. Yes, his teenage years had been prosperous. Since his union to the opera star, he had, of course, remained loyal. How could the Opera Ghost never have enjoyed the joys of the flesh? Certainly a prostitute would accept his money? If he were to keep the mask on, the Phantom would be just like any other paying customer, if perhaps a tad eccentric.

Eloise wanted the noble to say something, anything. It seemed, however, that the man was deep in his personal thoughts. She had seen Erik do this. Perhaps the two were not as different as they believed? Maybe that was the reason for Christine's feelings towards both men. That tale was still all rumors for her though. She did not know the true story.

Still, now was not the time to think on such things. It was now the objective to save both Erik and Christine. They had two weeks to journey to Germany. If luck were to shine upon them, perhaps the duo would be able to reach the destination faster than that.

xxx

Surprisingly, the carriage, its belongings, and the horses had been left alone. The gypsies had not looted it nor had any passerby. Eloise had remained in the carriage while Raoul drove the horses and carriage onwards. As it was fast approaching night, he had decided that it would be best to attain lodging for the night. It would do them no good to sleep outside in fear of another attack.

The awkwardness of their present situation arose when purchasing a room for the night. Yes, one room for the married couple. The man at the front desk simply assumed that the man and woman traveling together were in union to one another. He would not hear otherwise, assuming that the young couple was shy newlyweds. As a result, he had given them a special room-a honeymoon suite.

Eloise awkwardly stared at the one bed in the room as Raoul cleaned himself in the adjoining bathroom. There was no couch, nor anywhere else a person could comfortably sleep. She certainly did not want to sleep on the floor. She had done enough of that in her life. Raoul had not said anything after entering the room. The boy seemed perfectly at ease.

The noble exited the bathroom, a bath towel covering his lower half and still wearing no shirt. He looked at the woman, his new traveling partner. Plainly dressed as she was, she was still quite pretty to look at. She had a slim build and straight brown hair. Though it certainly was not perfectly clean, it still was appealing to him.

"Are you truly married to the Phantom?" Raoul questioned as he slowly made his way toward her.

"What?" Eloise questioned, turning to face de Chagny. He was standing much too close for comfort and had taken her left hand to look at the band on her finger. She allowed him to remove the ring, though he still kept a hold of her hand with his free hand.

"Hmm, it is a nice ring," Raoul commented before replacing it again. He took a step toward her forcing her to sit back on the bed. This woman was pretty enough. It would be easy enough to manufacture her blood line. His family certainly would approve of her more than Christine. No one knew Eloise. The woman could easily be fixed up. She was a smart woman. There was that little problem of the rape, but no one would discover that. Only the Phantom, Eloise, and he knew of it. Yes, she could replace Christine quite nicely.

Eloise did not like the look in Raoul's eyes. Something was about to happen. She did not know if she would like the result.

Raoul smiled. "It is odd that we met and now find ourselves here. It is all the more odd that Christine and the Phantom are once again together. Perhaps fate meant it to be this way."

"We are supposed to save them; that is our part in this," Eloise stated. Somehow, she remained frozen in her position in front of him.

"Is it?" Raoul continued. "Think of it, Eloise. We both have the chance to begin again. You can leave the deformed freak and lead a normal life. It is quite easy to manufacture a bloodline. And the Opera Ghost will be happy with the other freaks and Christine."

"Christine is your wife!" Eloise protested, finding her voice and confidence now before he would have the chance to act on these strange thoughts. "Where has your mind gone? You came to Erik to try and save her. Why would you abandon her now?"

Why was he acting this way? he thought. Raoul didn't know and took a few staggering steps away from the woman. What was he doing? He loved Christine enough to fight the Phantom's rage for her. He had nearly died at the hands of the Opera Ghost. And still, he had ventured back to the man's lair to ask for help in saving her.

"Forgive me," he muttered. He turned away from her and quickly reentered the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later, fully dressed. He quickly crossed over to the small mini-bar to pour himself a stiff drink. "Would you like some?" he asked without paying attention to her.

"Look," Eloise sighed, "you should not numb your mind with that." She came to his side and pulled the glass and spirits away from the man. "You will need to be fully aware tomorrow. Try and get some sleep. If you behave, we can share the bed."

Raoul laughed. "I would not touch something that belongs to the Phantom. I have dealt with his anger previously. I do not believe I would survive it again!"

xxx

The Devil Child has returned! Come one! Come all! Come see the devil with the angel's voice perform for you all! Glimpse into the face of Mephistopheles!

They might have blindfolded him. That might have forced him into a cage and said nothing to him. But he was not deaf and could hear the shouted advertisements. And he had no choice but to perform. When he had tried to, someone else in the cage would suffer for it. A woman, they told him. Though the woman never screamed, he could hear the distinct sound of a whip meeting flesh. No one deserved to suffer due to his actions.

So, sing the Devil did. He would perform and capture his viewers with the power of his voice, just as he had done all those years ago. And then his face would be revealed. And then the screams would begin.

The only thing that made it at all bearable was the woman in his cage. After the performance, she would be allowed her freedom of the area-though sometimes they would chain her to the floor. When free, however, she would wrap her thin arms around him. He thought he remembered the embrace, but it certainly was not possible. It could not be…..

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