I am so so sorry guys. Last week was crazy busy. I had finals plus I was still dealing with my move. I have a lot more stuff than I realized and it took me all week to get most of the stuff put away and my house cleaned up. So here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to the awesome people who reviewed I love reading what you think.

Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera is not mine.

Chapter 10: Angel's Nightmare

Erik stood on stage of the opera. The lights were on and he could hear the murmur of the crowd in the darkness of the auditorium. He felt a thrill go through him as he turned and saw a piano behind him. He bowed to the crowd as they clapped and cheered for him. He turned and sat quickly at the piano. His fingers flew across the keys as he played. Loosing himself in his music he did not know how long he played but when he finally remembered he had an audience he brought the music to an end and standing walked around to the front of the stage again. The cheers and clapping were even louder than before. He bowed feeling energized by the adoration of the crowd.

Then there was a sour note in the wonderful sound of the applause. It sounded like someone screaming in horror and Erik's heart started to pound. The applause and cheers faded as the screams got louder. Squinting through the lights Erik sought to find the source of the screaming. Fear pounded through him as he saw his mother walking toward him down the aisle. She had such a look of horror on her face and her screams went on and on without ending. Erik took a step back in terror as one by one the other audience members joined his mother and the screams echoed around the large room. Putting his hands on his ears he fell to the ground. His scream joined the chorus of fear and horror pressing down on him. He curled up and closed his eyes wishing he would wake up from this nightmare.

Erik groaned with pain as his head came in contact with the floor. Disoriented he opened his eyes and looked around. He sat up and shook his head unsuccessfully trying to rid his head of the screams from his dream. He stood up quickly and grabbed his hoodie off of his chair. Pulling it on he moved quickly through the passages of the opera trying to outrun the lingering fear and loathing of the nightmare. Running up a set of stairs he burst through a door at the top out onto the roof of the opera. Tears soaked his mask as he stood on the edge of the roof.

He stared down at the people below him. How happy they were in their perfect lives, with their perfect faces and perfect bodies. How he hated them. There were so many conflicting feelings coursing through him he was overwhelmed. He was angry and afraid. He felt so disgusted with himself that he could barely stand it. He should just end it now. He was a monster and there was no point to him continuing to live. It is what happens to all monsters. In every book he read the monster is always murdered by normal people. Why should he be any different? If they saw what he really looked like they would be lining up with torches and pitchforks eager to take a stab at him, and why shouldn't they? His own mother hated him why should other people be any different.

He pulled off his soaked mask and stared at the sky. The anger and hate had faded leaving him feeling empty. He stared at the stars wondering why he had been born so unlucky. What kind of joke was it to create someone with such a wonderful talent only to give him such a horrific façade? Erik looked down at the people again no longer feeling hate for them but feeling sadness for himself. How he wished he could join them as they walked about without worrying about someone freaking out when they saw him.

Taking a few deep breaths Erik calmed himself. He worried about how often he came up here and thought about jumping off. He did not want to die, but he felt like there was no point to his life. He hid himself in this opera having contact with no one but Gerald. What kind of purpose was that? What kind of life was that? He stood there until he began to shiver and went back inside. He knew he was not going to be able to get to sleep. He never did after he had a nightmare.

He walked until he came to the door that led to the lake. He walked to the edge of the water and sat down. Putting his head in his hand he thought about his life. There had to be a purpose for him. There had to be a reason he was made the way he was. He knew Gerald believed in God and from what Erik understood he was a loving God. If he was so loving why would he make someone like him? He felt like God must hate him instead. He stared out over the water the light from his flashlight glinting off the water and making the ceiling shimmer. He loved how it seemed like the light was flowing like a river above the lake. It was like magic. He sat there watching the light feeling the heaviness of his heart lighten. He had to stop feeling so sorry for himself. His life was better than it could have been. Standing up he sighed and went home.

Gerald heard the door in the wall open. He took another bite of his breakfast and didn't say anything. He knew Erik had nightmares sometimes and just needed some space. It broke his heart to see one so young so troubled. Erik sat down at the plate Gerald had prepared for him. He knew Erik would be back in time for breakfast. He was never late for a day of work not matter what happened during the night.

"Thanks." Erik said quietly. Gerald nodded and finished his breakfast.

"Don't forget to tighten the seats in row 15 when you get a chance." Gerald said as he washed his plate and put it on the drying rack. Erik grunted in agreement as he chewed. Gerald smiled at his young friend and Erik could see the understanding in his eyes. He knew Gerald knew about the nightmares and wanted to talk to him about them. He knew how much Gerald worried about him, but Erik was not ready to talk about it yet. He was afraid what Gerald would say.

He smiled back and brought his own plate to the sink. Gerald silently put his arm around Erik and gave him a tight squeeze. Erik hugged him back taking comfort in the affection his mentor showed him.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Erik walked through the darkness of the pit as he made his way to the piano. He had come here at night often enough to be able to navigate his way in the dark. He sat at the piano and lifted the lid. Running his fingers over the keys he closed his eyes and began to play. He never really played any real song just stuff he made up as he went. The music flowed through him as he swayed gracefully on the bench. He felt so good. His life was looking better than it had in a long time. Yes he was not going to achieve his dream but he lived in an opera with a true friend who cared about him despite how he appeared. He had come to see Gerald as the father he never had. He remembered his promise to never trust anyone again and he was glad that he had broken that promise and trusted Gerald. If he had not he would still be sitting in an alley somewhere shivering from the cold trying to figure out how to survive.

He knew it was getting colder because he had started spending time up on the roof at night. He had found a passage that led directly to the roof and he would stand up there looking out on the city feeling like an angel looking down from heaven. He had never been so high up before and it was almost scary at first. Now he was used to the height and would stand right on the edge and look down on the people walking the streets.

He was jerked from his thoughts by a gasp behind him. He turned and saw one of the crew members shining a flashlight directly at him. The man stood there not moving. Erik could not see his face in the glare from the beam of the flashlight but he could imagine what the man was seeing. A figure dressed in dark clothing face hidden in the shadows of the hood of his hoodie. He could imagine that his eyes were glinting as they reflected the light from the flashlight. Finally the man screamed and ran away. Erik stood and sighed. He had been in such a good mood too.

This was the first time anyone other than Gerald had seen him in 6 months. He had hoped to never have to see another person face to face ever again but he had hoped wrong. He did not know if this was going to come back and bite him in the butt but he had to get out before someone else came. He closed the lid on the piano and left quickly through the passage in the pit.

"Gerald someone saw me tonight." Erik said as he stepped into the kitchen. Gerald sat at the table reading the newspaper.

"Oh yeah." He said and Erik stood there waiting for more of a response. Finally he looked up at Erik. "Ok someone saw you." He stated.

"He saw me playing the piano and ran away screaming." He said pain in his voice. Gerald put down the paper and motioned for Erik to sit.

"Erik there are going to be people in this world who don't understand you. You don't need to let them get you down. You are a wonderful person and people just need to look beneath the mask and see who you really are."

"No one wants to see behind my mask." Erik said bitterly. He knew that Gerald was trying to make him feel better but Erik knew that everyone was going to judge him by how he looked. There have been only two people in his life that loved him despite how he looked and that was probably the limit of people who would be able to stand to look at him without screaming. "I'm going to bed." He said walking into his room and shutting his door quietly.

Erik stood in his room and knew that he was not going to be able to go to sleep. Throwing on another coat he made his way to the roof. He shivered in the cool air that blew across the roof. He stepped up on the low wall that surrounded the edge of the roof. Putting his hands in his pockets he stood watching all the people go about their business.

"I wish I were like you." He said to the people far below. Like ants they scurried around. He grew angry and wished that they were ants so he could step on them all. If he were the only one left then no one would be able to hate him. He sighed knowing that he was being unnecessarily hateful. He sighed and pulled off his mask. He felt the cold air kiss his skin and stir his hair. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath. He stood there for some time until his head started to get numb. Putting his mask back on he went inside. He liked the numb feeling the cold gave him. If only he could numb his heart and not just his skin.

Going back to his room he changed his clothes and climbed into his warm bed. Slowly his body warmed and relaxed and he drifted off to sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"Erik you would not believe what I heard." Gerald barged into his room the next morning. He groaned and rolled over to look his watch on his night stand. He flopped back on his bed when he saw that it was nearly noon. He had slept in.

"Why didn't you wake me?" He groaned out trying to wake up all the way.

"You work so hard I figured you deserved to sleep in. I heard something that I think that you would be interested in." Erik sat up rubbing his head. He scratched where the seam of his mask made his head itch.

"What did you hear?" He yawned. Gerald sat on his bed and grinned.

"Apparently the opera has a ghost." Erik frowned not understanding why Gerald thought that he would be interested in this. "The guy who saw you last night says that he saw a ghost playing the piano."

Erik rolled his eyes. People could be so stupid. Gerald laughed at him.

"Oh my gosh." Erik said flopping back on his bed. Gerald slapped Erik on the leg.

"Yeah the ghost had glowing red eyes and looked like a walking skeleton." He laughed louder.

"Gerald this is not funny. This is horrible. Let's just laugh at the ugly guy." He covered his eyes the feelings from last night surfacing again.

"Oh come on. It's a little funny. You are going to be famous now, The Opera Ghost." He said dramatically.

"That's not the kind of famous I want." Gerald looked at Erik laying on his bed hiding his face with his arm. He stood and walked over. He knew Erik was having a pity party and knew that he had to cheer him up.

"Come on they have no idea who you were. All he knew was that there was a strange figure with glowing eyes playing amazing music on the piano. What else is he going to think?" He lifted Erik's arm so he would look at him. "Oh yeah. Someone broke into the opera to play the piano. That makes a whole lot of sense. When people see something they don't understand they like to make up an explanation that makes sense to them."

"You heard me play?" Erik said looking at his friend. Gerald nodded.

"You play…"He paused searching for the right words. "Like an angel." Erik rolled his eyes and smiled.

"That's what John always used to say." Gerald sat back down on the bed. He had heard about John before but he did not know who he was.

"Who is John?" Erik frowned and looked at his hands. Gerald sat quietly giving Erik a chance to answer.

"He was my music teacher. He was the only one other than you who accepted me for who I am. He always encouraged me to go after my dreams even though he knew they were impossible." Erik stood up and walked to his bedroom leaving Gerald sitting on the bed. Gerald heard the water running in Erik's shower and knew that Erik was done talking for the day. He had heard more about Erik's past than he had ever heard before and his heart broke for his young friend. He had come to love him like a son and did not understand why only two people in Erik's life loved him.

He walked to the kitchen to make lunch. He knew Erik would come out soon and would be hungry. He was a teenage boy and despite his thin frame he ate a lot and Gerald wanted to have lunch ready for him. He whistled while he worked and was almost done when Erik walked out of his room. Gerald looked at him and smiled.

"Thanksgiving is in a few days we need to start getting ready." Gerald told him walking into the kitchen.

"What do you mean get ready?" He asked. Erik's mom had made Thanksgiving but it was always something simple since it was just for her and Erik and he knew she thought she didn't have much to be thankful for anyway.

"After lunch I am going to the store to buy everything and you need to clear out space in the fridge for the turkey." Gerald commanded as he pulled his coat on. "We are going to have a real Thanksgiving. I have been alone for many years and now I have you here I am going to do everything that I missed out on when I was alone." Erik grinned. He was starting to notice that Gerald was a little enthusiastic about holidays.

"Yes sir." He said giving him a mock salute.

"Oh you." He pushed Erik as he walked buy. "You don't know what you are missing. My mother made the best Thanksgiving and we are going to duplicate it." Erik wasn't so sure that they would be so successful. He knew Gerald was a pretty good cook when it came to simple things and Erik had no idea how to cook beyond a sandwich. He would not know what to do.

"If you say so." He said as they sat at the table to eat. Gerald grinned at Erik and Erik could not help but grin back. Gerald's enthusiasm was hard to resist. He knew that Gerald was going to go all out no matter what Erik said. Gerald put his plate in the sink.

"I will be back in a bit." He said to Erik as he walked out the door.

"Later." Erik said as he put his plate in the sink and turned to the fridge. He opened the door and started moving stuff around. He looked through the various containers that were in there to see if anything needed to be thrown out. He opened one container that had been in the back and gagged.

"Oh my gosh, how long has that been in there?" He said to himself as he threw the whole container away. Gerald would probably be upset but Erik was not going to take care of that. It was disgusting. He felt his stomach churn just thinking about it. As he cleaned he thought about Thanksgiving dinner. They could do it. He was a freaking genius after all. How could he not figure this out? He could manage to help cook a Thanksgiving dinner without problems. He has been able to master anything he set his mind to why not cooking. He had never had to really cook before his mother had always taken care of it unless it was something simple like a sandwich or something you cook in the microwave.

Determination grew in him to learn to cook. He could do it he told himself as he shut the door to the fridge. He moved around the apartment doing some cleaning that needed to be done. Neither Erik nor Gerald were messy people but occasionally there was a mess to clean. He finished cleaning and then decided to watch TV. He loved the television. His mother had never let him watch TV and now could not get enough of it. He knew that a lot of the programs were exaggerated and fictional, but he learned so much about the world by watching. His favorite channel was PBS. He loved watching the scientific shows and was in love with the nature shows. He really hated most of the shows on the other channels. They always left you hanging at the end and if he missed a week than he had no idea what was going on. He hated that.

He was lost in a history program about the civil war when the door burst open and Gerald stumbled in arms full of bags. Erik jumped up to help him. They put all the food away and Erik stared at the turkey in the fridge. We can do this he thought as he closed the door. Gerald grinned at him.

"We are going to have the best Thanksgiving ever."

oooooooooooooooooo

"This is going to be the worst Thanksgiving ever." Erik moaned as he looked at the burnt gravy. He had followed the directions and somehow managed to turn brown gravy black. "What did I do wrong?" He asked as he stepped back so Gerald could take burnt rolls out of the oven.

"At least the turkey seemed to turn out right." Gerald said.

"Yeah but that's the only thing." Erik was frustrated somehow they had managed to screw just about everything up. The potatoes were lumpy and tasted like glue. The rolls and the gravy were burnt. The green beans tasted funny and the yams were like soup. Erik slumped onto a chair at the table and looked mournful.

"How can I not do this?" He asked. Gerald laughed at him.

"Just because you can do just a lot of things does not mean you can do everything."

"I am a genius and music prodigy. I have more knowledge than half this city combined and I cannot manage to cook a single meal." He said feeling stupid for the first time in his life.

"Well we all can't be good at everything." Gerald said. Erik glared at him as Gerald covered his mouth with his hand holding back a laugh.

"I am good at everything." He stated. He knew he was. He could do anything better than anyone. He looked at the sorry excuse for a thanksgiving dinner spread on the table in front of him.

"Well not cooking apparently." Erik looked at Gerald's grin and could not help himself and started laughing. Gerald joined in and they both laughed until their sides hurt.

"So much for best Thanksgiving ever." Erik said with a chuckle. Gerald nodded.

"How about we just have turkey sandwiches and watch the parade on the television. It should be starting soon." Erik nodded.

"Sounds good to me." He was curious about what parade Gerald was talking about. They sat on the couch with their sandwiches and Gerald turned the television on. Erik watched fascinated as different floats and balloons crossed the screen in front of him.

"This is amazing." He said with childlike wonder and Gerald smiled.

"I love watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade every year."

"I can see why. It's very exciting." Erik knew he was acting like a little kid but he could not help himself. It was his first parade in his entire life. He had not acted this immature since he was a small child. His mother had put a stop to that quick. He knew that if he went to her he was not going to get more than a nod and a short comment. Usually all he got from her was and unenthusiastic, "Good." He had matured quickly that way. After that he kept any excitement to himself. Now here he was acting like a small child watching a giant white dog with a little yellow bird float across the screen pulled by what looked like dozens of people.

They finished their sandwiches and watched the parade till it ended. Sitting back he looked over at Gerald.

"I think this has to be the best Thanksgiving I ever had." Gerald just started laughing.