Hey guys. Well, I was reading my reviews and I realized that MrsMargeryLovett has a very good point. I don't really have a time period. So... let me tell you now. It takes place about ten years after Madame Giry rescues Erik, so that would make him about 20 years old. (He looked about ten years old in the movie). Madame Giry is 5 years older than him as well. And I decided to make Meg a year younger than Christine, so at this point, Meg is six and Christine is seven. (She's coming soon)

And secondly, I want to convey my thanks to all my readers. I really appreciate it, and sorry for the wait. So... here's the next chapter!

Erik returned to his underground home in a daze. This was all wrong! How could he have let Jacquie into so much danger? What had he been thinking?

And now his home was empty of her presence. For the past year, Erik had become accustomed to seeing her everywhere he was. She used to follow him like a shadow. And now, she was gone. She was lying on Antoinette's couch, sick with a fever. And it was all his fault!

Erik sighed and looked around at his home. He sneered in anger. But as he looked around, his eyes landed on the wall next to his organ. For some reason, he felt the need to get closer to the pictures Jacquie had drawn for him.

Their purpose was to help Erik try to get closer to the girl he lived with. And they hadn't worked. Erik glared. It seemed that a life-threatening experience was the only thing that would make Erik realize how much he really cared for the girl.

Erik bit his lip, remembering how he had acted in front of Antoinette. Thinking back now, he was overcome with embarrassment. In his grief, he had fallen to the floor. He was so upset that he had nearly cried! Erik scoffed.

He hadn't cried since his years as the Devil's Child. How could that one girl mean that much to him? Erik shook his head. It didn't really matter much how. What mattered was what he was going to do about it.

Erik sighed. Jacquie was already staying with Antoinette until she recovered from her sickness. But suddenly, a thought came to him. If she hadn't been living with him, none of this would have ever happened!

Erik growled and continued to think. If the night Antoinette had named her, she had kept Jacquie instead of letting the girl leave with him, she would have been safe! If Erik had refused to take care of the girl, she wouldn't be sick right now! Erik took in a deep breath to keep himself from breaking something. He suddenly felt overcome with self-hatred.

The one thing that Erik did not regret was his rescue of Jacquie from the gypsy camp. He knew that if he had not done that, she would have been dead a while ago. At least that gave Erik a bit of reassurance.

But he still shouldn't have kept her with him after that. He should have known that the underground was too dangerous for a young girl such as her. He should have gotten rid of her the first second he could.

But instead, he kept her. He gave her everything she ever asked for in an attempt to make her happy. What he had thought was the right, was actually the wrong thing to do. Erik sighed. Why? Why must he be the cause of all misery around him?

And suddenly, Erik's heart came to a stop. With that thought, he came to the realization that Jacquie shouldn't live with him anymore. Not just until she recovered, but for the rest of her life. He would only hurt her more if she came back. But no, it wasn't that she shouldn't live with him. It was that she couldn't. Erik wouldn't let her.

Erik didn't even bother to stop himself as he gave into the urge to break something. His hand rose to the wall in front of him and he ripped down four pictures in his fist. He crumpled them into a ball and he threw the paper into the lake. Erik gasped in fury.

He needed to get rid of every last reminder of Jacquie he had in his entire home! She could not live with him any more; not in body, not even in spirit. Erik roared in anger as he took down all the rest of the pictures the girl had drawn. His arms stretched above his head and his fingers clawed their way down the wall, ripping the papers into pieces. The papers fell to the ground, and Erik kicked them in annoyance.

He shook in rage, and also in fright. With these thoughts and his actions, Erik could feel himself turning into an animal. He was succumbing to his urges and at that moment, he didn't care much. So he continued to rampage the house, in search of anything that would remind him of the girl he had unintentionally come to care so much for.

But even in his rampage, Erik couldn't help but be surprised at how much of his surroundings reminded him of Jacquie. He had broken almost everything that the girl had even touched in her stay with him. And he had even saved her room for last.

But when Erik found himself in the girl's room, his heart clenched and he felt himself gulp. He found that he couldn't make himself touch a single thing in that room. He started to shake so badly that all he wanted to do was lie down on her bed and sob. But instead, he forced back his tears and left the room. He made sure to lock the door on his way out as well.

~*~*~

Three days had passed since the night Jacquie had left Erik. He had been able to calm himself down and clean up the mess he had made in his anger. Now, if anyone dared to sneak inside his home, they would never know that he wasn't the only one who had lived there. He had left no remnants of the girl inside his home. That was of course with exception to her room, which he still refused to touch.

But Erik shook the thought away. He had received notice from Antoinette that Jacquie was feeling much better, and that she was now on her feet. So Erik knew that now was the time to tell the two of his plans for Jacquie's future.

With that, Erik placed his mask on his face and headed above ground and towards the Giry household.

~*~*~

A strong knock resounded off the front door of the Giry's home. Instantly, the bustle that had occurred only moments before inside, ceased and all three occupants were silent. Antoinette glanced at Jacquie, who had been sitting on the couch with her daughter, Meg. Jacquie's face was now a mask of fright. Antoinette jerked her head and the girl instantly stood up from the couch to leave the room. But as Antoinette neared the door to look outside, she smiled and stopped Jacquie.

"Jacquie, it's alright. It's just Erik. Answer the door for him."

And with that, Jacquie's eyes grew wide in delight and she raced towards the door, flinging it open. And when she saw Erik standing in the doorway, she grinned. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. In her joy, she did not even notice that his arms hung loosely at his side, instead of wrapping around her waist.

"Oh Monsieur Erik! I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed as she removed her arms from around him. She grinned again, which only made Erik's heart clench and his face twist into a grimace. But Jacquie was too cheerful to notice this as she politely allowed Erik to enter the house.

When Erik had entered the house, and Jacquie had shut the door behind him, Erik gulped. He made eye contact with Antoinette and asked if he could speak to her privately. A confused look came across her face, but despite this, she nodded and made to leave the sitting room. She motioned for Erik to follow her.

"Monsieur? Should I get ready to leave?" Jacquie asked before he left. Erik stopped in his tracks, and shut his eyes painfully. He kept his back facing the girl.

"No, Jacquie. That will not be necessary," he whispered and left the room as quickly as he could as to not hear anymore from the girl. Jacquie gasped in surprise at his strange behavior and knew that something was wrong. But she knew that she would figure it out before the day was out. So she sat back down on the couch with Meg and continued to read aloud to her.