Author Note:

Well, chapter three is up and it might not seem a lot but all your reviews are really keeping me with this story. So enjoy. and thank you to those who have taken the few moments to write a review to tell me to keep going with this story. Please R&R.

TheDragonEye

Erik

It was warm, too warm.

Fire! Everything was on fire!

Burning. . . burning. . .

Christine? Where was Christine? She was just here, he knew it! He had felt her presence.

"Christine!" he uttered a frantic cry over the roaring lames he had just created. People were screaming all about him just because his love had removed his mask. His mask! How had he forgotten it? In all the chaos it was easy. But where was it now? If he should burn now he wanted to at least not cause anyone else to die because they were too distracted and gawking at the red, dead, and marred skin which he felt should just be ripped off now.

It was so bloody hot!

"Erik. . ."

Someone called his name at a faint whisper, barely audible over the crackle and roar of flames. It seemed to have hit his ear as the last remains of an echo would. He looked about wildly, all he could see was flame, smoke, and the wood that was feeding the fierce fire. He cried out as a shower of embers rained down on him and burned into his unprotected exposed skin. He heard his name be called once more and he searched for a way out of this hell.

This time the voice was a little louder. By that time the smoke had begun to choke him, constricting his throat and limiting his already shallow breathing. He tripped forward a few steps, the dizziness beginning to takeover and his body beginning to shut down.

"Erik." the voice worried and louder, it came from above him. He looked up to find the source of the voice. He only had a split second to see the burning support beam break loose as the fire licked away at the wood, sending it crashing down to him.

"Erik!"

He was awaken by a careful hand pushing a damp cloth to his forehead, his head still tossing back and forth from the nightmare he had just been pulled out of.

"No. . . no. . . .why? No!" his voice laced with fatigue and had a sense of airiness due to his shallow breathing.

His throat was beyond dry adding to a hoarse vibration to his throat. His eyes were sunken in and his eyes dulled. And though he was out of the dream and the fire, he was still burning; his fever raging mercilessly. He felt the cloth be removed from his forehead as it needed to be re-wetted, the cold air caressing his maskless face.

He looked about, and spotted his mask lying on the table near the opposite side of the room. He clawed out to it weakly before his hand dropped back on to the bed as he was surged by another wave of heat.

He whimpered quietly, his eyelids heavy as he tried to push the many layers of blankets off his body. The use of energy only made things warmer and left him feeling weaker as he gave up.

"It's. . so warm." he gasped, only to have a gentle finger be pushed to his lips to silence him.

He could feel his fever getting worse, and he was freed from the constricting blankets. His fever too warm to sweat off now. Erik felt the cool, damp air condense against his heavily sweat drenched body. It managed to cool him down, as well as the cooling rag which was replaced on his forehead.

Erik for a slight moment had found a peace in his fever. Like the eye of the storm in a hurricane. But as soon as the eye comes, it goes away. Erik felt it start as a small shudder, but then everything was cold and he struggled to pull the fire blankets that had so viciously attacked him before back.

'Why me?' he felt himself slip back into darkness.

Christine

Erik was getting worse and Christine felt helpless to do anything to make him feel like his old self again. She called his name a few times to wake him out of another fevered sleep. It had been two days since she had dragged Erik into his bed and tried to rid him of his fever. He would not eat, but she managed to get some water into his system every time he woke up.

She knew he was not getting any sleep whenever he closed his eyes. He would toss constantly, giving helpless whimpers every once in a while causing Christine's heart to ache.

She watched as Erik awoke and gave a small murmur of a complaint. Christine could only imagine how he was feeling at the moment. What Erik needed, medical wise, was a doctor. Sadly, she knew she could not bring another person down here, especially with Erik in such a vulnerable state.

Christine saw no other way to go about though. So she re-wetted the rad and put it to Erik's forehead. Once more she tucked the blankets around Erik, restricting his movement.

With a gentle kiss to his cheek she walked away from him.

"I'll be back soon, Erik. Just rest. . " she whispered.

She grabbed the nearest cloak, unsure if it was Erik's or her own as she took one of the land routes up which Christine had discovered behind one of the broken mirrors on the other side of Erik's home.

After walking up the passageway she left his home, casting a glance back before she continued on her way. She hailed a carriage and told the driver where to go.

The De Changy manor.

Christine knew she had no more money on her, so she took the trip there. Plus she had been gone without a trace for two days. To her luck, Raoul was gone, probably out with one of the servants; but it saved her from a questioning.

She paid the carriage driver to take her to a private hospital near the outskirts on the north side of the city. She had never felt so awkward in her entire life. The woman at the reception desk was more of a hassle to get by then the doctor himself.

Dr. Medelie was an old friend of the de Changy family and Christine had met the kind hearted doctor on numerous accounts. She told the doctor her problem, leaving out who Erik truly was. The middle aged doctor nodded, most likely thinking the woman had taken pity on one of the servants whom could not pay for their own medicine, again.

After a half of an hour in the hospital and the doctor had instructed Christine on how to care for the person, he handed her three medical containers. He told her as well, that if the fever does not show signs of waning that the person should be looked over and if truly bad, hospitalized.

Christine must have repeated her thanks to the doctor several times, seeing how he continued to talk, trying to find out more information on whom the emergency was about.

She got in the carriage after yet another thank you and good bye. She turned to the driver once more and asked him to take her to the Opera house. She had spent a good portion of her money but Erik was worth more than she spent. He was worth more than he himself knew. He would see it someday though. That she knew, she would show him, no matter what it took.

Christine continued to muse over these things and hoped the medicine would help or else he would never understand her feelings towards him. That she adored him on so many levels that her time away from him after the great disaster had turned her admiration into a love, and with that love came a lust that ran as deep as the original love.

Both

Christine picked her way down the stone passageway until she finally stepped through the remnants of the mirror.

"C-Christine. . ." Erik called desperately.

It didn't even have time to echo before he was back laying face down.

Christine looked up as she heard the call, "Erik? Erik, are you out of bed?" she called as she unhooked the cloaks from about her. She headed towards the bedroom.

"Erik you really need to res-" she cut off, and took a half step back. Erik gave another cry of pain as he was rolled on to his back, not too lightly.

"Raoul. . ."

Ending Note:

Thank you all for reading! Please review! Hope you enjoyed it and I will update as soon as possible.

TheDragonEye