Erik's POV

The following morning, I awoke to something rubbing my feet. I laid there with my eyes closed, feeling this wonderful sensation continuing. When I opened my eyes, I saw Christine sitting at the end of my bed, massaging my feet with her hands. Christine! Oh, my angel! She was massaging my feet…My feet!

"Christine?" I groggily called out her name, causing her to look up at me.

"Good morning, Erik."

"Why are you here so early?"

"Nadir has gone off somewhere. He asked if I wouldn't mind stopping by for a few hours. Raoul is at work, and therefore I was available."

I knew where Nadir had gone off to. I knew he was at the opera auction. When the sun came into my room, Christine rose from her seat, walking over to the drapes and opened the shutters to let in the cool air.

"It's such a beautiful day outside, Erik. I was thinking we could try taking a walk. You've been in that bed for far too long."

Perhaps I had, but it was because I wasn't feeling well. Just walking to the bathroom tired me out on a daily basis. Christine placed her hand against my head, smiling when she realized that my fever had finally passed.

"I brought over some goods from the bakery. I was thinking we could take our breakfast outside this morning. The back porch has a lovely little set up…"

When I agreed, Christine helped me into my robe so I wouldn't catch a chill. Afterwards, she helped me to my feet, discomfort already filling my body as I took my first step. I cringed in agony, Christine keeping a firm grasp on my body as she helped me down the stairs and towards the backdoor. I wasn't sure how much longer I could bear standing, but just as my knees began to weaken, she slipped me into the patio chair.

"Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to move you out of bed, Erik…"

But I held up my hand in protest.

"I made us a fresh batch of tea." Christine poured the steaming liquid into a cup that was on my side of the table, placing a lemon pastry down on a nearby plate.

"You're looking rather pale, angel…" she said, sliding the plate closer to me. "I thought the outside would do your ill health some good."

The sunlight did feel wonderful against my flesh, but the chair I was sitting in was anything but comfortable. Sitting up wasn't the easiest thing in the world considering that my healing wound was right near my pelvic bone. No, laying down was much more comfortable for me. My Christine sat beside me, eating her breakfast as I picked apart my pastry, not really too interested in eating.

"Is there something wrong with your breakfast, Erik?"

"No, Christine." I murmured. "I'm just not that hungry."

"Erik, you must eat in order to take your medicine."

Everything was spinning, my head, my throbbing wound, even Christine's conversation. My hand was shaking now, making it tough for me to hold my teacup.

"I can't sit up…" I barked. "It's hurting me…"

Christine stood up from her seat, rushing to my own side to assist me.

"Oh, forgive me, Erik." she pleaded. "I was only thinking that the air would do you some good. I never thought about the difficulties of sitting up."

Once I stood, I felt ten times better. Instead of taking me straight back to my room, Christine laid me down on the sofa in Nadir's living room. Yes, it wasn't as comfortable as my bed, but at least I could feel the sunlight on my skin.

"I can't stay long today, Erik." Christine said, standing over me with my cup of tea. "Raoul is having some friends over for dinner tonight. I must play hostess…" She looked down at her feet. "He's asked me to move in with him."

"And have you agreed?" I asked, anxious to hear her answer.

Christine paused, her head facing her feet. "No…"

"And why not?"

"I'm only staying with him temporarily because the opera house was up for auction. Yes, I will stay with him until we are married if I lose my job. Though, I'm hoping I can still sing at the opera and keep my dressing room. I rather enjoy living with the ballerinas."

"I wouldn't worry about your job, Christine." I said. "Anyone who buys the Opera would be crazy to throw away the best thing that could ever land in their lap."

My angel blushed. "Thank you, maestro."

"I speak nothing but the truth."

"You know, sometimes I miss the old days of living by the sea. Things were much simpler then… Raoul throws these elaborate parties once a week, filled with people I hardly know. Yes, I love him, but I'm just not sure that it's a life I wish to live until I die."

My heart skipped a beat. Could it be true that I still had a chance with my angel?

"Up until this year, things were always much simpler. I rather liked it that way…wouldn't you agree?"

"If you say so, Christine."

"I know so…" she giggled.

"You know, Christine, something has been boggling my mind."

"Oh? And what's that angel?"

"Why did you save me? Why? Why me, Christine? You knew the danger of keeping me safe…of helping me escape the mob."

"Yes, Erik, I know the horrible things you've done in the past…" she paused. "But in my heart, I don't believe someone who holds every ounce of love in their heart for me could be all so terrible…Besides, you're like family to me. You were there right after my father passed to pick me up and get me back on track of living life. You taught me to sing, taught me everything there is to know about music… How could I send you to the dogs, Erik? Even now, you're still acting like the Erik I know and love.

"And what Erik is that?" I curiously asked.

"My most trusted friend, that's the Erik I know…"

Christine has been coming here day after day to visit me. It was like her ritual of some sort… But what about the dangers? What about her boy, and if he ever caught her? Oh, my Christine would hang….I cared about her safety more than I cared about my own. She meant everything to me, which was why I couldn't continue letting her be here. Eventually, someone from Raoul's estate was going to notice that she was leaving everyday. What if they told Raoul? What if someone followed her? No, this had to stop!

"You shouldn't be coming here day after day, Christine." I firmly warned. "It's not safe."

"Don't be silly, Erik. I want to make sure you're doing all right."

"Christine, please listen to me when I-"

"I'll be here to check up on you everyday…"

She was leaning over me now, attempting to fluff up my pillow, and that's when I did the unthinkable. I grabbed her violently by her wrists, shoving her away from me with all the force I could muster.

"I don't want you coming around here! Listen to me when I'm telling you something. That's an order!"

Christine rubbed her sore wrists, tears welling up into her eyes. She knew my anger all too well, which was why I had to do what I did next…I had to get nasty with her.

"Don't be stupid, Christine! You have a lover and that's where you should be! Not here! Now get the hell out of here, you little demon!"

Christine worked quickly at gathering her things, rushing out of the house on unsteady legs. I hated myself for calling her such horrible names, but I needed to make sure that she never came back. Her safety was at stake and god help her if anyone ever found out why she was coming here everyday. When she left, I began to miss her already, wanting nothing more than to stab myself for ever letting such cruel words be shouted out.

I laid there, closing my eyes and trying to sleep, Nadir coming in a little while after.

"Where's Christine?" were the first words out of his mouth.

I opened my tired eyes. "She won't be coming back."

"Man, what have you done?"

"She's gone!" I barked. "That's all you need to know! It's not healthy for her to be coming over here day after day when she has a man at home. Her safety was at stake, and therefore, I did something about it."

"You hurt her feelings, didn't you?"

"I needed to be sure she never came back."

"How could you do this to her, Erik?" Nadir marched right over to my bed and pulled the blankets away from my body. "You're an evil man! You deserve to be alone for the rest of your days! Here we have people who are trying to be your friend, trying to get you better, and what do you do? Send them away as if they meant nothing more to you than garbage!"

"It was for her own good!"

"You are an ass!"

"Enough about Christine!" I growled, pulling the blankets back over my body. "How did the auction go?"

From out of Nadir's jacket, he pulled a file and threw it down into my lap.

"How do you think it went? Of course I won. By tomorrow morning it shall be in my name. Though, I wouldn't worry about that, you have bigger fish to fry…that being your attempt to gain back Christine's trust."

That evening around midnight, when Nadir was asleep, I rose from my bed. I couldn't bear to stay here anymore. Nadir had won over the opera house and now, I could move back to my lair without worrying about the mob. I threw all my trinkets into a sack, dressing and tiptoeing out of the house. Yes, my body still bothered me, but anything was better than having to stay at Nadir's another moment. I crept back into the opera house, heading down the corridors and secret passage ways until I reached the remains of my broken gondola. It was in a million pieces…

"Just great…" I mumbled, tossing a broken plank aside. Yes, the water was only waist deep, but I would have to tread across the chilled water. In the morning, I would repair my boat in order to get to and from my lair. Yes, there were other ways of getting there, but my body wouldn't be able to stand that long. My body shivered as I made my way across the icy lake, my legs nearly numb by the time I made it to my front door. Inside was like a disaster area, furniture turned over and broke, my linens thrown everywhere, my library turned upside down, piles of books thrown everywhere! This would not be an easy cleanup, but with time, I would be able to have it back to feeling like home again. I made my way to my bedroom, locking myself inside and opening my sack to pull out a pair of dried clothes. Thankfully, my bedroom had not been touched, my coffin still in pristine condition. To warm my chilled body, I threw some of the wood from my broken furniture into my fireplace, the flames instantly warming the quarters of my bedroom.

Getting to my lair took every ounce of energy I had, which was why I crawled into my coffin and closed my eyes. Yes, it wasn't as comfortable as Nadir's bed, but it was home. Tomorrow I would start my clean up, and then, arrangements for the opera house.

Though, the following morning, when I woke, I realized that everything was anything but all right. My wound was throbbing again, making it obvious that a trek across the freezing waters of my lake had not been the smartest thing to take part in. After pulling away my bandages, I realized that it was not only oozing with some sort of sticky substance, but it was also burning hot. Deciding to rewrap it in fresh bandages, I did just that and stood to my feet, walking my way into my destroyed kitchen in order to scrounge around for a teabag or two. Tea would help clear my mind of things and perhaps give me some energy to clean up…Though, the ache in my injury wasn't making things any easier. Infected or not, I had a plan, and I wouldn't put it aside just to lay around in pain. My lair needed cleaning and I would do just that! My cabinets were nearly empty, but I did manage to find the teabags I had been searching for. I placed my kettle over the fire, beginning my clean up while my water was boiling. I mostly threw everything out, deciding to start over from scratch. Yes, I was feeling woozy in the head, but my lair was going to be cleaned come hell or high water! I mopped the floor, threw out useless, broken furniture, even repaired a few of my armchairs. By the time I was finished cleaning my home, I took my tea into my music room and plopped down into my throne like chair. My library still needed to be straightened up, but I was hardly in the mood to place fifteen hundred books back in order and on the shelves. I would tackle that another day.

I sipped on my tea, rubbing my aching side as I flipped open the file that Nadir had given me. It was filled with documents that listed every employee, documents that listed every object that I now owned. There was so much I wanted to do with the opera house, and I would have Nadir start right away. Tomorrow, I would have him hold a meeting to introduce himself. Then, afterwards he would hand out scores to the opera that I wished for him to start everyone on. It would be a lovely opera, one filled with many arias that my star, Christine would sing. Yes, everything would be absolutely perfect.

"Erik?"

I heard my name being called, only to look over and see Nadir standing in the doorway to my office. Blasted! How had he gotten here? He was dressed to impress once more, his arms folded across his chest like a displeased father.

"Is there something I can help you with, Nadir?" I spat. "It's not polite to just barge into someone's home without knocking…"

"Erik, what in God's name are you doing? You could have killed yourself coming all this way…"

"This is home, Nadir."

"Perhaps, but your doctor ordered strict bed rest… And what do you do? Sneak out and come all the way down here."

"Like I said before, Nadir, this is home to me."

"Oh? A damp, cold lair? Erik, it cannot be a bit helpful to your heath. You should have stayed with me for a few more days."

"I'm perfectly well, thank you…. Just how did you get down here anyway? If you haven't noticed, my gondola is in a thousand pieces across the lake."

"I took the passage ways." he approached me, placing his warm hand against my forehead. "You're feverish again, man!"

I pushed him away from me. "Leave me be, Nadir! I feel perfectly well, thank you."

"Erik, you're not only feverish, but you're sweating as well."

"Yes, because I was cleaning up my lair. Didn't you take notice to how neat it looks…"

"Erik, you're not sweating like a regular human being. Oh, look at you….You've gone pale again."

"Leave me alone! I can take care of myself, thank you!"

"If you say so, Erik…"

"I want you to give a welcoming speech tomorrow afternoon, Nadir." I said. "Gather everyone up and introduce yourself to them."

"And then what?"

"Here…" from out of my desk, I pulled a few musical scores, handing them to Nadir. "This will be the first opera we are to perform. Tell them to get practicing."

"And just how am I supposed to know if it's to your perfection, Erik?"

"Don't worry about that." I waved my hand in the air. "I'll be watching their rehearsals in secret."

"And what will you do then? Drop sets on the actors you despise?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, you fool… I'll tell you what to do. As far as the star of the show goes, I want you to make sure Christine is notified on her role…. Make it known that she is still the Opera Populair's diva…."

"I don't think Christine shall be singing."

"And what makes you say that?" I asked, scribbling away some notes. "She told me that she rather enjoys living with the ballerinas. She will surely be jumping for joy."

"And can you be so sure about that, Erik?" Nadir teased. "Because as of early this morning, Madame Giry told me that Christine did not show up at the dancer's routine exercises. In fact, Madame said that Meg found her crying in the chapel last night…sobbing, actually."

I paused with my pen, hating myself for bringing Christine such grief. I had only wanted to protect her, and yet, I had been the cause of her sadness.

"Try convincing an upset girl to sing the main part in an opera, Erik. I don't think it's going to work out so well. But you're the expert on these sort of situations, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"You're a royal pain in the ass sometimes, Nadir." I growled.

Nadir chuckled. "Perhaps it's the other way around. But anyway, I will leave your stubborn ass to your work. I'll throw that little welcome meeting first thing tomorrow morning."

Nadir patted me on the back. "Get some rest, old man…"

Yes, it was late afternoon, and I knew I should have been thinking about going to bed, but I couldn't… I needed to make amends with Christine. I knew where to find her, and therefore, I rose, threw on my cloak and departed my lair on aching legs and a burning side. I would bite back my agony, if only to make things right between my angel and I.

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