Underneath (Tag M. Saint-Just)

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Dancing with Marguerite was heavenly and as he sang to her, it appeared to him that she liked it. In fact, probably more than "like." She had stolen Danny's heart. Others had done so before, as he fell in love very quickly, but none were so perfect as she.

The song ended and she seemed entranced even by his explanation of why he chose that particular song. Danny almost felt he could do no wrong as far as this woman's opinion was concerned. It gave him great self-confidence which he sometimes didn't have around women. He had had a couple of very kind girlfriends who tried very hard to deal with Danny's oddities and had given up in the end. And there were the few who became nasty and made fun of him, which only made him more self conscious. But Marguerite was very uplifting. She was amazingly good for his ego.

"Do I charm everyone else like this? I'm afraid not. Many people don't like me, for some reason or other." He smiled. "So I must be charming only you." Then she took hold of his face, so fast he forgot all about his prosthetic skin and the fact that it could very well come off. Even worse would be if his nose fell off. But for now, it was out of his mind. She was kissing him passionately and he took that as a sign that she wanted to be "his lady." He was ecstatic and kissed her back passionately.

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

He? Only charming her? Surely he jested!? Did people simply not see his sweet nature? His talents? He was no more odd than many she knew.

She drew her lips away for a moment, but let them brush over his while she spoke in a sultry French voice, "Then continue to charm me," and once again took his lips passionately.
Her hands caressed him, held him, before once again moving to his hair and face. Her fingers filtered through his hair all while molding his lips with her own. That 'scab' she felt again. But as she felt that, her fingers became sticky and stuck to that scabby edge. Marguerite tried to pull her fingers away and the prosthetic stuck to her fingers and started to rip.
The kiss was broken as she looked bewildered at her fingers stuck on... a prosthetic? He was wearing a prosthetic?!? She continued to try and pull her fingers away only making it all worse.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Kissing Marguerite was so lovely. It made him forget that the touch of her fingers on his right face could be dangerous. Dangerous in the way that his prosthetic could come off. It had happened only once before. The girl involved and Danny had both screamed and she had called him a lying monster. She ran away immediately, and Danny never saw the girl again. This is why he was so careful to keep her fingers away from that part of his face. But he was concentrating so much on kissing his lovely lady that he completely was taken by surprise when her fingers found the edge of the prosthetic, caught on it and it came away as she pulled her hand away.

Danny eyes opened wide with a mixture of fear and anger. He put his right hand to his cheek to hide the hideous scars beneath, but in his upset state and in haste, he knocked the prosthetic nose from his face. He glanced down on the floor, but didn't pick it up. He put his other hand over the place where the nose should have been.

His eyes were livid now and irate."What the bloody hell did you do!!? How could you do this to me?" He shouted at the top of his voice. His breath came in gasps. He advanced on her, grasped her by the arm, removing his hands from his face, letting her glimpse the horror of his face as he dragged her by the wrist, out of the theatre where they had been dancing so beautifully just a moment ago.

Danny dragged her to a guest bedroom and flung her on the bed. He stood there in a rage before her and said, in a low, almost whispered, but dangerous sounding voice, "There's more! You wish to see? Here! Take a good look!" He pulled off the prosthetic on his right temple, showing the thin skin covering his visible skull. " I hope you're happy!"

He turned on his heel and pulled the door to the guest room closed and locked the door. Then he went to the loo and looked in the mirror at the horror that was his face. He was handsome with the prosthetics in place, with them off, he was a nightmare; the scars all over his right cheek and forehead...and the worst of all...the missing nose.

Danny became angry and started cursing loudly and throwing breakable things at the mirror. He cracked it. And he kept throwing things in anger. Finally he sank down on the floor, oblivious to the broken glass. He sat in a corner, his head on his knees and sobbedt.

Now it had happened. The most beautiful, wonderful woman he had ever met, and he had ruined it. His face always ruined everything. Even his odd emotions and actions didn't put people off the way one look at his horrific face did. It was all over. Finished. He would never find another like her. He became so upset he could barely move. He started to shake all over.

All he could think was, "It has ended. It's all over. She hates me. ...." over and over...

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

A little sticky situation became a complete disaster! It all went so quickly like a blur, but the more she tried to remove her now sticky fingers only made matters worse! What an idiotic moment and barely had time to scold herself when Danny reacted so over the top... and with good reason!
Her mismatched eyes caught sight of his real face underneath which made bewildered for a brief moment before something caused her to recoil in horror! Her eyes went wide immediately as she now beheld the hole in his face where the nose should be! She stumbled, gasped and breathless for a moment that seemed like forever... then released a yelp-gasp-scream.
This lovely evening of romance had suddenly turned into a nightmare!

Just as she was twisting away from him, she felt his grab hold of her. She arched back not wanting to see him or be near him, to the point she was about to whimper. NOTHING prepared her for this! She's been through SO much in life, but this... this was the moments to end all moments!

Now she felt a little dizzy while being dragged from one room and thrown into another. Thrown onto a bed!
Further horror as she gathered herself, scurried like a newborn calf to back away from Danny with wide frightened eyes. For sure, Danny would have his way with her! She was so stupid to have fallen for this! Fallen for him! A monster!
Oh, but there was more! She could only stare in absolute horror as he removed the rest of the prosthetic to reveal his full deformity and that made her turn as white and ashen as though she were about to die. But she dared not turn away from him for fear that he would beat her, or worse... rape her!

And then.... she was alone... in the room. Realizing she was trembling as she finally gasped for air and began to whimper and sob. What the hell had happened?!? Why? How?!?
Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of something shattering and a violent voice. She scurried off the bed and ran to the door. But it wouldn't open! It was locked! She struggled in vain to force it open while gasping and whimpering, so frightened that the beast would return! Return and do something to her! But if he did... then the consequences would be incredible! She was a world famous Actress! The frightening thought of being found in the nude like Marilyn Monroe... dead... was starting to make her hyperventilate and she felt so very dizzy! But kicked the door and struggled with the knob before she took a staggering step and collapsed half-conscious to the floor. Trying to prop herself up and tried to breath, then turned and crawled to the bed where she climbed onto it then sobbed covering her mouth, those mismatched eyes still wide in horror and closed them. But once she did that... she saw that horror of a mangled face that was Danny.
Her eyes shot open and she cried. Oh, foolish her! She really thought Danny was THE perfect man! Those little quirks she could deal with but his rage and that... face! Was it a face? It was barely that!

After what seemed like quite a while, but was barely a few minutes she moved to the door again and started to knock upon it. Knocking that became pounding all the while she cried out with pleas, "Danny! Please! Let me go! Vous ne pouvez pas me garder ici ! Me relâcher, Daniel !*" she paused, "I give you my word... I will not press charges. Nothing need be said of this night to any one! Let me go, Danny! Or... I will call the police!" yes, of course, a wise idea. NOT! Threaten to call the police in some madman's home!
She pealed away from the door and paced around the room frantically in hopes to find something to break the lock on the door so she can attempt and escape.
What was he going to do? He really couldn't keep her. She was a celebrity.
Her hand covered her mouth again as she sobbed momentarily. She really had fallen in love with Danny and then suddenly it all fell apart! She gasped as her hand slide down to the base of her neck. How twisted the Fates were! Her favorite childhood fairy tale was Beauty and the Beast. Was this her version? Indeed this was very twisted!




* Translation:
You can't keep me here! Release me, Daniel!

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Danny must have been sitting on the floor moaning for more than an hour. Finally he realized he was bleeding from the broken glass and he stood up in the room which was littered with broken glass and other things all over the floor. His thoughts were confused and fractured. He looked at his bleeding arm for some time trying to remember what to do for it. His anxiety level was so high that even routine thoughts did not come easily to him. The cuts were not dangerous, and were simply getting blood over his clothing. In the back of his mind he knew he needed to clean them and put a bandage on them. He found the things he needed in the cabinet.

Whimpering and moaning, his breath coming in pants, he sat down to try to figure out what to do. Marguerite and he had had a lovely evening. She was the most wonderful woman he had ever met, but then she turned on him. She had pulled off his prosthetics because of her curiosity and that could only lead to disaster. The previous girl who had done that had run before Danny could do anything. He had been left standing awkwardly, his face naked. Thankfully he had been at home. It had taken him months to recover from the shock of that terrible situation.

But this, what could he do? He stood in the hall looking at the locked door where he had confined Marguerite. He had vaguely heard her earlier pounding on the door and pleading to be let out. All was quiet now. He wondered what she was doing. He needed to do something though. He couldn't leave her in the guest room alone. He could take her somewhere. Yes, that was it! He could take her somewhere that he could take care of her, until she got over her fright. He needed her, he felt he could barely live without her. So, he would take her somewhere where he could take care of her and where she would learn to love him. That was a good plan. He knew he wasn't a bad person, just an ugly one. He constantly lied about his looks when he wore the prosthetics. But what else could he do? He would frighten everyone if he went outside looking like a hideous monster.

He had the perfect place to take her, too. They could stay there together until she understood that he was not a monster and that he really loved her. But how to get her there? Danny looked in the cabinet again. He had a variety of odd things. Some he couldn't even remember how he had obtained them. When his anxiety level was high, he occasionally didn't remember things or worse, he didn't quite remember them properly. He scanned the shelves and then opened some of the drawers. He found something that he put on a soft cloth and put in a plastic bag and in his pocket. Now, how to cover his face.... he had several sets of prosthetics, for they did wear out eventually, but there was no time to put them on. What could he do? He had a couple of masks that had belonged to his great-grandfather. One was a full face black silk mask that tied at the top and the bottom. The other was a half mask that covered just the right side of the face. The black mask might frighten her. But the white one, that seemed all right. Better than going in with his face naked.

He put on the white half mask and went to the door of the guest room. He knocked softly and said in a quiet voice, "Marguerite? May I come in?"

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

For the longest time she paced the room, pounded upon the door a couple times and tried to get Danny's attention but to no avail. She sat upon the bed sometimes angry or sometimes scared. Even got to a point she was looking in the bathroom for something to pick the lock. Not that she was skilled with doing that, but it was something! Yes, she could call the police and say she was being held captive but what a fiasco that would cause! She was an Actress, she didn't need more drama in her life!

The sound of Danny's voice calling to her in a soft voice caused her to jump and gasp. Frozen a moment, then her mismatched eyes shot around the room then darted around the room and bathroom to look for something. "Stay away, Monsieur Lenoir!" she demanded, half frightened, half warning. She found a figurine that could be used as a weapon, picked it up and stood by the doorway where it would turn in and hide her. She would then lunge at him and take him out so she could escape! That was her plan. She stood by the door quietly. "What is it that you want?" Well, duh! He wanted to come in. "Fine! Entrez-vous," she replied, and prepared herself not only to see that horror of a face but to knock him out and make a run for it. Poised, figurine up in hand near her face and still, looking determined as her adrenaline race through her veins.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Danny unlocked the door and entered the room so as not to frighten her. He entered and pushed the door closed, then turned quickly as she was almost upon him, a figurine in hand to knock him out or some such thing. That was if she got a chance to do so. Danny, at this point had his wits about him. He was over the initial shock of Marguerite's unmasking of him, at least a bit. It would undoubtedly haunt him for some time to come, but at this point he had a plan and that brought his anxiety level down to a manageable state. His emotions were under control, at least if nothing else happened that he was not prepared for.

He eyed the figurine in her hand. "Marguerite, don't do anything foolish. Just put that down. If you want to break it, go ahead, it's all right. As long as it's not over my head." He smiled. He was feeling better because he was in control of the situation. He was ready to grab her wrists should she decide to lunge forward with the weapon.

"Marguerite, first of all, let me tell you that I am not here to harm you. We've gotten ourselves into a rather sticky situation. You've seen my face and nothing good can come from that. But again, I mean you no harm. Put down the weapon. Please, Marguerite?" He began to walk slowly toward her, ready to thwart an oncoming attack. "Marguerite, I know you don't care for me anymore. But I have a plan. And I think everything will work out well in the end. I suppose it's hard to trust me, but I haven't done anything bad to you and I don't intend to."

Danny sounded so logical and in control that there seemed no likeness to the cursing, screaming fellow of just an hour or so ago, or yet to the handsome singing fellow of a bit earlier than that. Danny was a man of many moods, but only one face. Only one horrifying face that he kept hidden under a faked handsome facade.

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

She tensed in preparation to take Danny out as he entered the room but it was hard to even try hitting him. He spotted her as she started to take a swing. What stopped her? The mask! It was poetic and appealing. Made Danny look artistic. He was artistically talented in so many ways. He was mysterious and yet... she knew what was under that mask.
But that hesitation cost her and she stepped back, took hold of the figurine with both hands and looked like some vicious caged lioness ready to pounce. She blinked a couple times and rose her brows. "I would prefer over your head!" She glared at him. She felt so betrayed! The fact that she had fallen in love with him, then things fell apart in a flash of chaos and anger, locking her in this bedroom... for what purpose?
Now she simply couldn't whack him. She warned him of her intent and he was watching her. This would be a tense standoff no doubt.

"Then why did you lock me up in this room, hmm?" Questioning him with intensity and curiosity. Each word he spoke to her, drew a reaction from her. An Actor used their body and voice to express and bring to life a character or some moment in history or a creation of a Writer. And at the moment, she was VERY expressive!
She took a couple quick steps back from Danny. For all she knew, he could still harm her despite he said he wouldn't. Yes, well... she wasn't THAT stupid!
"As Monsieur Heston stated some years back..." and she quoted the legendary screen Actor, "From my cold, dead fingers!"
Again her brows rose. He was assuming that she didn't care for him! Well... it was hard to say if she did or not... considering the current situation. "You are assuming! So... you can read my mind now? Hmm?" as her fingers flexed and tightened her grip around the figurine as if to get the message across to him not to mess with her! Her head bobbed around a little as she rolled her eyes, "Well, yes, there is that thing about... LOCKING ME INTO A ROOM!!!" Her French accent was strong by this point as she was highly emotional.
He didn't intent to? Those words drew an expressive glare from the French Actress. "Why do I find that hard to believe, Danny? Hmm? Prove to me that you are true to your word!" She stared back at him, back at that poetic half-masked face. This image was now lodged in her memory.
Everything hung in the balance now. Would he be a Gentleman and let her go? What then? Would she shun him? What would become of them? She truly thought she loved him. But now... now... well, she felt absolute emptiness. Nothing. She felt... nothing. It was as though she had switched to auto-pilot. Perhaps... this was too much for her to handle. Too much for her to handle because she really did love him. Did she still love him still?
"How do you propose we fix this awkward situation?" She inquired, but still defensive with the figure in hand.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

"Please don't hit me with that. I don't care to have another headache. Just put it down, lovely lady. I can't call you my lovely lady anymore. It's too late for that. I've lost you. But no matter." Danny still loved Marguerite. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.....but it might turn out to be the worst. He didn't want to lose her. So he knew he had to take action. His plan should work. But if she got away, it would all be for naught.

When she asked why had he locked her in the bedroom, he looked puzzled. "I .... don't...know, really. It was an...um...unplanned... reaction, I suppose." In his mind, he was certain that she had pulled the prosthetic off of his cheek on purpose. He didn't understand why she would have done such a thing. He felt betrayed. yes, it may have only been curiosity, and perhaps that, he could forgiver her. But now, he must not let her go, for surely she would flee.

Danny watched her. She might yet hit him with the figurine. She was frightened. He could tell. And he had to find a way to get close enough to her...she quoted Charlton Heston ...From my cold, dead fingers... Danny took it to mean that she wouldn't put down the figurine unless she were dead. Danny didn't want that. But he also didn't want her having a weapon and hurt him. When he slowly stepped toward her, she took some quick steps backward.

"I don't have to read your mind, Marguerite. It's quite evident. Once you saw my face, you became quite frightened and angry. I am not sure why the anger, but there it was." He laughed a bit nervously. "I suppose I was a bit angry too."

He came closer and put his hand on her wrist, firmly, but not so tight it would hurt her. "Put it down Marguerite." Even though she was still holding the figurine, Danny was able to pull the chloroformed piece of cloth from his trouser pocket and put it over her nose.

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

The figurine clutched within her fingers while gazing intensely back at Danny without so much as a blink of an eye, all the while he calmly tried to plea with her. Again, nearly every word drew a reaction from her and it showed so evidently upon her face. Normally she would have snickered at whatever was slightly amusing but this time, there was nothing to laugh at for this was no laughing matter.
Finally she blinked a couple times a little shocked about the comment of 'lovely lady'. That stung, for she was beginning to take a fancy at the idea of possibly being in a relationship with Danny. That is... until this moment. But... what changed? Other than knowledge of his deformed face?
She continued to blink her eyes and almost looked a bit saddened by the turn of chances. Too late. Lost her. Oh, that was just painful. And felt her chest tighten with sorrow filled eyes, ever so slightly, her arms lowered to perhaps a couple inches. No matter though? Did he not care? No. He cared. And this confused her. Danny was good with words. She had finally met her match and it both frightened and delighted her.

A simple human reaction? Well, perhaps that made some sense. People did indeed react and his reaction was nothing short of realism for what happened. He was genuinely upset by the accidental removal of the prosthetic. And she... was genuinely frightened at the unfolding events and the sight she beheld with her own eyes!
"Oui," she replied strongly. That was so very evident! But she didn't know why she was angry either. "Perhaps... because I felt you were not being honest with me, Daniel," Her arms lowered one more inch as she gazed back at him, searching his eyes with her own mismatched eyes, and taking in that half-masked face.
"A bit?" Raised her brow and raised her arm a little, "Just a bit? Granted no doubt you are sensitive about your appearance, Danny, but that is no way to react during an accident!" Oh, yes! Try to point out his wrongs and make a matter worse. "Your reaction was frightening me even more, Daniel. Granted..." and took one hand to make gestures upon her face with a bit of a surprised, expressive face, "all... this-"Generally in reference to his face, not her own, "...was quite unexpected, too!"

She almost jumped when he touched her as a gasped escaped her lips and she gripped the figurine, threatening to hit him but did not. So... his face was... deformed. So what? But now she was confused and her face sank to reflect utter sorrow, unsure what to do. Should she embrace him and whimper? Should she scream and run? What should she do? Wit was not all that good in a situation such as this! Sometimes, but not all the time! She was so tired of drama like this in her life! Why? Why must she be at it's focal point? She started to breathe faster when she tensed up, locked her mismatched eyes upon him... trying to seek his eyes for any hint of mercy or even some shred of love that was starting to spark between them. She felt her gut twist, yes... there it was... that feeling... that little bit that Danny appealed to.
Just as she was about to lower her defenses to him, she felt his hand upon her face.. a cloth... something sweet smelling... her eyes went wide as she stared at Danny with horror and betrayal in her eyes, as though they were asking and demanding 'Why?!? Why, Danny? Why?!?'
That bit of betrayed surprise soon enough fell from her face and eyes as she passed out, and the figurine now fell from her limp hands as her whole body went limp.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Before he had used the chloroform on Marguerite, she had explained why she had seemed angry. She had felt that Danny had lied to her. "Perhaps. But what would you have done? Meet someone and at dinner say, I really am a hideous monster under my prosthetics.... it's not easy meeting people anyway, Marguerite. And that is hardly the thing that would have made you even want to pursue a relationship with me." There was no humour in his statement. He was deadly serious. He had then put the cloth with the drug on her face and she had passed out.

When she fell backward to the bed, he made her comfortable, straightening her out on the bed and he smoothed her hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But it will be all for the best."

There was not much time to waste. He took a small overnight bag that he had packed with things he himself used. He could obtain t hings for her later. He picked her up in his arms, her arms about his neck and his arms supporting her legs. He took the overnight bag and carrying Marguerite, he left his apartment, locked the door and entered the service lift. It had a special code that Danny had learned by hacking into the building's computers. The reason for taking the service lift was to be able to go several places where residents were normally not allowed. The lift allowed access to the roof and the equipment that was there and also several storeys below the street level. At one of the levels, there was access to the subway. But it was a part of the subway never used anymore.

Danny descended with Marguerite in his arms down, below the street to the subway level. He exited the building and began a long trek to where there were unused underground buildings that had been part of the subway system. Unused for many years, some time ago, Danny had discovered them and took over one "suite" of rooms, turning it into a small underground apartment. He called it his "office" and used it for several reasons. One was simply to go to a place where no one could possibly find him. The other was a place where he could do some illegal computer work. He had the ability to stealthily enter other computers from his laptop which whose IP address was effectually hidden.

He arrived at the suite of rooms he had taken over. Unlocking the door he entered. The place consisted of a long hallway on one side, with four rooms on the other side, their doors opening onto the hallway. One room he had made into a bedroom. It had originally been a very large "bathroom," with a shower stall, toilet and sink on one side. He had curtained that off and brought in a cot, lamp, table and chairs. Outside, in the hall, he kept his laptop on a long table. Next to the table was a couch against the same wall. There was another laptop on the table. In the second room was a refrigerator and a hot plate for cooking, with a small microwave. There were cabinets with a very few dishes and some dry and canned food staples. He kept a few changes of clothing hung up in the third room and the fourth was a mishmash of items. Some were junk he had found in the room and thought there might be some use for them. Others were miscellaneous things, like emergency lighting, and a rickety bookcase with a few books on it.

Danny placed Marguerite on the cot in the bedroom and made her comfortable. He covered her with a blanket, as it was a bit chilly. He plugged in a space heater in the room. Then he closed the door to the bedroom and locked the outer door to the "office." He sat down at his computer, put in his password and accessed the security cams of the building. He erased the footage of himself in the corridor outside his apartment and from the service lift. He had removed the cam from outside of the service lift long ago, for no one ever came here anymore. He replaced the footage with footage that was simply the blank walls and inside of the lift.

That done, he began to surf the internet and wait for Marguerite to awaken.

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

She lay unconscious for some time - hours... perhaps a whole day -completely oblivious to what had happened.
The famous French Actress did not show hint of coming to until long after she was brought to Danny's "Office". Slowly becoming aware of the warmth with a little nip in the air, of the odd darkness and dim light... and the surroundings that was definitely NOT the fine penthouse she was apparently just in, or so it felt like she was just in.
As she came out of that daze with a sense of exhaustion and wondering what had happen, she began to wonder where she was. Though it took her a while to regain consciousness, her mind sorting through the foggy state and started to soak in the surroundings of... well, she was on a... cot. She saw... a space heater. There was a strange utility room that appeared to have been made into a crude, rustic bedroom. So... she was in a bedroom of sorts? She took notice in the dim light of a curtain that was drawn and acted like a wall. A... door on one wall. Not much else. It was sparsely decorated.

With a slow, deep breath that helped to clear the fog in her mind, she began to remember what had happened. She wasn't in Danny's Penthouse any more! At this point she started to panic a little. Checking herself to make sure she wasn't compromised, which she had expected to happen. By some miracle or chance, either he did not have time to assault her or he simply would not. Did not mean it couldn't happen, it still could! A soft sigh of relief to know her clothes were still on and unmoved, she then pulled herself up off the cot and took a step and stumbled. Still a bit unsteady upon her feet from whatever happened or whatever she was given, by now she was trying to remember how she got down here.
Where was Danny?

Another step was taken, though still weakened slightly, her strength was returning. As she approached the curtain, she had regained most of her stability. Extending a hand to draw back the curtain to discover a crude bathroom as well. She explored the little area for a moment then turned to the doors, deciding upon which one to take. So she walked back over to the bedroom door, drawn the curtain back to where it was previously, and slowly opened the door.

There was more light than there was in the makeshift bedroom. Her mismatched eyes scanned the hallway like room setting - the table, the couch, the other rooms. It was all so... utilitarian and crude. Or so she considered it to be.
She finally placed her focus upon Danny who was on a computer... looking like he was working. At this time her breathing increased, her blood began to roil, and those mismatched eyes locked upon him as though a tiger about to take out it's prey. "What have you done?!?" she hissed softly with a slight hint of malice in her French voice. She wanted answers from Danny and wanted them now! Despite how poetic he looked with the half-mask still on his face, it would not diminish her growing fury towards him.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

After an hour or so, Danny became concerned that Marguerite hadn't awakened. He left his computer and walked quietly over to the door of the bedroom and opened the door slowly and peered in. He came closer. She was breathing softly. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad she hadn't inhaled too much of the aenesthetic. It was over an hour that she had been unconscious. He left the room, relieved that she was all right.

Still wearing the white half mask, he felt fortunate that he had thought of that. It had seemed to calm Marguerite down, he thought. It gave him just that edge of time to be able to put her out and bring her here. He thought he would keep it on for a bit after she awakened and then put the prosthetics back on. She had mangled the one he had been wearing earlier, but he had a new set in the valise he had brought with him. He always had some clothing and other needs packed and ready to come down here. It was not only a good place to do some of his secretive computer work, but also a place that, if he ever had to hide, it would be the perfect place.

Waiting for Marguerite to awaken, he peered in again in a bit to see how she was faring. She seemed fine. It shouldn't be too much longer, he told himself, hoping there was nothing about which to be worried. He was a little anxious about what would happen when she awoke, but there was nothing to do about that. He was taking very good care of her and surely, she would see that. At least in time, she would see that. Then he realized she probably didn't have anything to wear outside of what she was wearing.

What could he do? He could hardly break into her home and take some of her clothing. Someone would see him and he would be caught. He started to breathe a bit harder with anxiety. There must be something. Yes, that was it. There were stores that were open late. It was still not too late to shop. But there were other considerations. What size would she wear? How could he bring the things here? It came to him in a flash.

First he called Bunny, his housekeeper, and asked her what size clothing did she think Marguerite wore. Danny told her to stand by, he would be buying some clothing for Marguerite as a gift and asked Bunny to pick it up. He picked out quite a few pieces on line, called the store, paid for them with his credit card and told them a lady would be picking them up. He called Bunny back and told her to pick up the bags and boxes and that she should leave them in his condo. Of course he promised her a fantastic bonus for doing all of this and he was always true to his word with Bunny.

Bunny called Danny back to say it was done and Danny went up in the service lift. Returning with the things, he erased the footage again. No need to erase Bunny's footage, for all intents and purposes, it would be assumed that Marguerite and Danny were still up in his penthouse. Bunny was just to unlock the door and leave the packages in the hall. She had no idea that they weren't there either.

He brought the purchases in and hung them up in his makeshift closet in one of the rooms. It was a long bar that had been installed in the end of one of the rooms with a curtain separating it. He was quite proud of the purchases. He had bought quite a few casual items, some more formal things and even a couple of nightgowns, robe and slippers. He didn't know what size shoe she took so he left that for later. He would ask her and she could order on line.

After that situation was taken care of, he took another peek in the bedroom, this time coming closer and kneeling down again, by the bed to make sure she was still all right. She was breathing and he touched her face softly. He smiled. This would be perfect. She would know that he truly loved her and that even his face could not keep them apart.

Finally, hours after Danny had brought her here, he heard the bedroom door open. He smiled. There she was! His beautiful Marguerite. He looked up from the computer, but the smile faded from his face. She looked angry and hissed at him, What have you done??? He started to breathe a bit heavier and his hands began to perspire and shake just a bit.

She looked like a furious tiger. He hoped he could defuse her anger if he explained. He stood up, "Let me explain, Miss Saint-Just..." He used the formal address for he thought it might assuage her sore nerves. "Please just sit down...assayez-vous..."

[MARGUERITE SAINT-JUST]

To her it was quite obvious they were not in his penthouse and where he'd taken her... made her wonder if he had deceived her all along! If so, then it was completely unforgivable! Not just towards him, but back at herself! She was so foolish to have fallen for his wiles and charm. She should have known better! This hurt. Deeply hurt, because she really was falling hard for the talented Brit in NYC that had captured her attention.

She kept her mismatched eyes locked up his face which was still covered by the white half mask. At this point she was ignoring his behavior even as he stood, even has he spoke to her. Her fine lips pursed to reflect some of her barely restrained anger.

But she refused to sit and remained standing in her place while glaring back at him with her exotic mismatched eyes all a lit with her fury. He best explain and then.... well, then what?
"No," she simply stated the glanced about, "Danny, where the hell are we? Where have you taken me?" She demanded with her thick French accent now, she was no longer the sweet, genteel woman that the world knew. He had roused in her that darker side that so few ever saw, and her brother was the only one alive to know of her darker self.
"What are you doing, Danny?" She did not use the formalities. It was definitely beyond formalities in her opinion, and definitely beyond kindness. A boundary was crossed and now... now was time to clean up the mess and... well, she would see what next of how to get passed this... this... incident.

Again... yes, she was hurt. She was trusting him. He charmed her. Perhaps he was nothing more than 'a smooth criminal', a fan who was obsessed and had taken this too far! She should have known! She felt so stupid to have fallen into his trap!
"You have to let me go, Daniel. I have performances to do, there are appearances I should attend, and if I do not make them... there will be people wondering where I am." She tried to get him to see reason. After all, she was an Actress. A world famous Actress and many eyes usually were upon her and her activities. If she were to suddenly disappear? Then what?

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Marguerite seemed angry and he wasn't quite prepared for that. He thought she might be confused and wonder where she was, but her anger? It took him by surprise. "We're in my office, Miss Saint-Just." Just then the rumble of the New York subway was heard quite near. It was impossible to tell whether it was above or below the rooms Danny called his "office." But it was definitely in the vicinity of the subway. "Do you hear that? It's the subway trains, Miss Saint-Just. We're underground. And the trains are below us. This is my own realm. I come here to work when I need to be alone." That statement seemed ludicrous to anyone but Danny. He was always alone in his penthouse. Why would he need to come to another place to be alone???

The shaking in his hands increased as his anxiety increased. He stuck them in his pockets so it wouldn't show. Marguerite was making him nervous. He wasn't sure what she was planning to do. She was quite angry. She hadn't yet understood that he had taken her here to a special place, where no one could find them and he would prove to her how much he loved her by taking care of her and bringing her anything she needed.

"I have something for you...." Danny smiled and looked very sincere. He was very sincere. He had finally gotten Marguerite away from all the distractions of the upper world and they could concentrate on getting to know each other better. "Follow me, please, Miss Saint-Just..." Danny was being formal so she knew he was bring respectful of her. "I knew you didn't have anything to wear, so I bought you a few clothes. I hope you like them. I didn't know what size shoe you wore though. They are rather personal. I thought you could pick out some shoes on line."

He paused and smiled, hoping he was making a good impression. He led the way to one of the rooms where he had made a make-shift closet. He pulled aside the curtain. Fully one half of the closet was filled with clothes for Marguerite. The other half held a few of Danny's clothes. "Would you try them on for me?" He smiled, hoping to put her at ease. If her anger dissipated, he would undoubtedly feel better too.