Alright, so it was two weeks. Still... I would like to keep my head. Please? *Looks at angry mob*

Erik? A little help here?

*Erik either ignores me or doesn't here me and continues composing.*

Great.

"This time, this place.

Misused, mistakes.

Too long, too late.

Who was I to make you wait?

Just one chance, just one breath

Just in case there's just one left…

On my knees, I'll ask

Last chance for one last dance

'Cause with you I'd withstand

All of hell to hold your hand.

I'd give it all; I'd give for us.

Give anything but I won't give up

'Cause you know

That I love you.

I have loved you all along.

And, I miss you.

Been far away for far too long.

I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go.

Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore."

Nickelback

Chapter Twenty

Everything stopped in that one moment. The air seemed thicker, the lights much dimmer. Erik was watching me anxiously, unspeaking. I stared back at him, not comprehending what he had just told me.

"What… did you say?" I finally managed.

"Your dreams are real," he repeated, eyes cautiously roaming over my face as though waiting for my inevitable breakdown.

It can't be true.

That was my first reaction.

I mean, honestly! After being told at least a hundred times by everyone – including the man keeping such vigil watch over me – that my dreams were insignificant, how could I believe it? My sanity was already threadbare; why be so cruel as to destroy the last remaining shards?

The morbid side of me whispered that sanity no longer mattered. After all, the doctor and Raoul were both "sane."

Supposedly.

"Are you trying to make me lose my mind?" I asked.

His brow furrowed. He looked so confused, so hurt. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it abruptly. I knew the words he had almost uttered: would I lie to you? But, we both knew the answer to that question.

Yes.

Indignation rose within me. "So, after almost a year of dreams, you come to me now and tell me that while I'm sleeping, I'm transported to some other world? You confess that for a year, you lied to me? You watched as I lost sleep, questioned my sanity, cried, and became a prisoner? You thrust yourself upon me and allowed me to bear the consequences?"

"Christine, listen…" he began.

"No, you listen!" I cried. "If all of this is true – which I still highly doubt – then why did you ever leave me? Why? Did you think I couldn't handle the truth? Did fulfill some kind of twisted fantasy within you to watch me become utterly yours and suffer for the love I bore towards you? Was it entertaining?"

"NO!" he finally shouted. "Everything I did was done out of love for you! I left in order to protect you! I thought that if I left, you would return to your normal life and people would stop asking questions. As you so accurately reminded me mere moments ago, you very nearly died. If you had, it would have been my fault. You purposely took medicine that made you weak simply because you wanted to sleep and be with me. I never wanted to leave; it almost destroyed me. But, I love you… I love you so much…" He crumbled to his knees and began sobbing brokenly.

I didn't want to feel any sympathy. I struggled to keep my expression indifferent. However, if you had been there to witness him, you would not have prevailed. The proud, magnetic genius was shamelessly weeping before me. He was crying so hard that I thought he would die… die from love. He had been so afraid that our love would cause my destruction, but as I watched him on the ground before me, I realized that he was the one who had been destroyed. Before we found each other, he was indestructible. He was a phantom, a force to be feared. He didn't know how to react to love. He only knew that joy had always eluded him, and he believed his life would be a never-ending cliché: the monster without a happy ending.

But, he wasn't a monster. He was my Erik.

I told you that you would not have prevailed. Well, I could not, either.

I opened my hand and offered it to him. "Erik, my love," I said simply. That was all it took to propel him into my arms. He buried his face in my hair as I wrapped my arms around his shuddering frame. And, as we held each other, we were both healed.

Once we were calm enough to catch our breaths, I asked, "What now? Can I stay here?"

He sighed. "I'm afraid not, darling."

The thought of going back there filled me with fear, and I gripped the front of his shirt tightly. "Why not? I know the truth now, after all."

"Your body is not here, Christine," he explained. "While your mind is with me, your body is at the hospital. You are seriously injured."

I had completely forgotten about my fall. My eyes widened. How long had I been unconscious? In a small voice, I asked, "Am I going to die?"

Erik shook his head fiercely. "You cannot die," he hissed. Still, I saw his fear. Gently, I placed my hand on his cheek.

"I will always love you," I promised in a low voice. "No matter what I become, I will always love you."

He placed his hand over mine and lifted it to his lips. He kissed it lingeringly, his eyes closing briefly. "I believe they will try to wake you any moment now," he told me. "I know you want to stay here with me, but you must stay awake as long as possible in order to heal. Do whatever they tell you and take whatever medication they give you without arguing." Sensing my trepidation, he added, "The doctors at the hospital will be solely concerned with saving your life. Manipulation will be the last thing on their minds."

I could hear other voices, and I felt the tugging of the other world. My eyes locked with Erik, and it hurt to see his image grow blurry. "Erik!" I pleaded, at once frightened.

"Do not fight it, Christine," he instantly reminded me. "I promise I will not let you go. But, you must first heal in order for us to be together."

He was right. Confound him, but he was always right. "I love you!" I cried."

"I love you, angel," he replied soothingly. Then, I took a deep breath and allowed myself to be pulled away.

Posted on January 31, 2012