Erik's POV

"Oh, Christine," I shuddered as I tore the mask from her hand and placed it back over my face. It broke my heart to see her so frightened after all these years. Hot tears were rushing to my eyes as I struggled to my feet. Before either of us could say another word, the front door to Nadir's home opened.

"Ah, there you two are… I was about to send a search party after you, Christine. Marisha has been worried sick."

I ignored the man and began walking towards the street, Nadir's voice calling for me as I did so.

"Erik, dinner is nearly on the table, where are you going, man?!"

"Erik is not hungry…"

She thought I was ugly… She cringed at the mere sight of my face. I didn't even want her to remove my mask, but her prying hands came at me so fast. My heart was broken, and I knew that it would never be whole again. Whatever love she had for me had died the moment she saw my face. Five years ago she swore that she was going to wake up from that night of passion and confess her love, but all I would have had to do was tear off my mask to find the real truth. She did not love me. It hurt me to know this…It hurt me to know the reality of it all, but the truth did hurt.

When I arrived in my driveway, I was headed towards my fire escape, when all of a sudden, I was grabbed from behind. I gasped as I was thrown up against the wall of my home, the thrust nearly knocking the breath out of my weak lungs.

"Where is she?!"

In front of me was not a stranger…No, it was Raoul. How did he know where I lived? No one but a select few knew where I lived. The man reeked of alcohol and his clothes were disheveled. He was drunk…Perhaps he came out of the bar and saw me stumbling home.

"Where is she?! I demand an answer. I knew she came to you last night…Where else would she have gone?!"

"Erik does not know what you're talking about."

I shoved the man away and retained my balance by using my staff.

"Erik orders Raoul to get off his property before Erik gets angry… Erik does not know where Christine is and he doesn't care…He hates her!"

I turned my back to the man and headed for my fire escape…Only, when I was on the first stair, I felt something sharp pierce through my rib cage, causing me to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. Sticking out of the right side of my chest was a handle of some sort…But I couldn't breathe. Why couldn't I breathe? I gasped for breath, gasping like a fish out of water. The man had stabbed me, and now, he was gone. I crawled, oh, how I crawled. I needed to find help, for if I didn't, I knew I was going to die. Near my home, there was a hospital for the freaks. In Coney Island, the freaks were not able to check themselves into the regular hospital. Therefore, five years ago, we got our own. I had never admitted myself into the facility, for there had been no reason to do so… I crawled through the front doors, a trail of blood following behind me. And then, when I was right in front of the service desk, I collapsed to the floor and blacked out…

Nadir's POV

Erik was a puzzle. He was more trouble sometimes than he was worth, but I kept my end of our deal and watched over Christine. Though, as I was coming down the stairs, I noticed that she was sitting outside. She was waiting for something, but the question was what? What was she waiting for?

"Christine? Are you all right?"

She turned to face me and nodded, a hint of disappointment displayed across her face.

"I…I thought Erik was going to escort me to work, but it's pretty clear that he's not coming. I don't blame him either because I upset him last night."

"Really? What did you do?"

I took a seat beside her and lit up a cigarette.

"I…I was talking to him. I don't know why I did it, but I took off his mask. I thought after five years I was going to be able to look upon his face and smile, but I couldn't…I do want to love him, Nadir, really I do…But I can't. His face frightens me and I tried to stay strong, but it was nearly impossible. I upset him and he went home. I guess he's still angry with me. I don't blame him…If I were him, I would be angry too."

"Well, come along, I will walk you to work."

I was escorting Christine down the driveway, when we were approached by a postman carrying a letter.

"May I help you?" I asked.

The man nodded. "I was instructed to give you this…A doctor from the Coney Island Hospital handed this to me."

"The Coney Island Hospital?" I questioned, taking the sealed envelope out of the man's hand. I opened the letter and began reading it. Though, after reading the first few lines, my jaw dropped. It was Erik…He was in critical condition at the hospital. He had been stabbed and his lung was now collapsed. Christine began to seem curious, which was why I just smiled and tipped the man for bringing this letter to me.

"What's wrong?" Christine questioned. "Why would you get a letter from the Coney Island Hospital?"

I knew I had to tell Christine the truth, otherwise, she would get angry at me for keeping this from her.

"Christine, Erik has been critically injured…"

Christine's POV

I couldn't concentrate on work or the orders I had taken. No, all I could think about was Erik. He had been stabbed, and his right lung was collapsed. It hurt me deep inside to know this, for if I had not taken off Erik's mask, he wouldn't have run home. If he wouldn't have run home, he wouldn't have been injured. After Nadir escorted me to work, I was instructed to tell Doctor Gangle about Erik's whereabouts.

"He what?!" Doctor Gangle snapped as I stood in front of his desk.

"He…He was stabbed last night. My friend said that he's most likely going to be in the hospital for a week or two. After that, we're not sure how long he'll be needing rest."

"This is horrible! I am in need of a pianist, and now, my pianist is in the hospital. Tell him that I wish him well, and if he needs anything to contact me."

"I will, sir…"

I watched the clock for the remainder of the day, watching the time slowly slip by ever so painfully. I wanted it to be five so that I could head over to the hospital in order to visit Erik. When that time finally arrived, I dashed out the door and headed in the direction of the Coney Island Hospital. It was a strange place on the other end of Coney Island. It wasn't your usual hospital, for as soon as I walked through the front door, I was met with freaks of all shapes and sizes. It was as if the place was specifically for freaks. I felt like a fish out of water, for they all gazed at me as if I were not welcome there.

"Excuse me?" I approached the front desk where a woman with purple hair was sat. "Is this where you sign in if you're here to visit someone?"

"It is…But, are you sure you have the right hospital? You don't seem like the type of person that would be here to visit someone from Coney Island."

"I'm looking for Erik….Um, I'm sorry, I don't know his surname."

"Erik?" the woman questioned. "There are actually three Erik's currently staying here."

"The Erik I'm looking for has a deformity on the right side of his face. He probably came in wearing a white mask on his face."

"Oh, him…What is your relation?"

"Relation?"

She nodded. "Yes, we can only allow the immediate family in to visit. It's a strange policy, but it's our rule. Our kind is always criticized, which is why we only allow the immediate family in."

"He's not my husband, but we are really close friends. I'm worried about him…Please, I won't hurt him or anyone. I just want to see him."

"You're his wife," she said.

"But I'm not…"

"No, but if you want to get in there you're his wife. We never had this conversation…got that?"

I nodded and signed my name on the sign in sheet.

Erik's POV

When I woke from my surgery, breathing was hard. My mask was off and sitting on the night table, along with my wig. I couldn't move and I noticed that there was a tube sticking out of my chest. Before my surgery, I had told the doctor to contact Nadir and tell him of my condition. After that, I wasn't sure of the day, or even the time. I had been knocked out and taken to surgery…I pressed my deformity into my pillow and sighed. Lying still was about the best shot I had at keeping the pain at bay.

"Erik?"

I opened my eyes as much as I could and gazed towards the door, spotting Christine walking through it. I swallowed hard and kept my face pressed into the side of my pillow. I didn't want to frighten her, and I knew I would do just that by exposing my face to her. She was still dressed in her waitress clothes, making it obvious that she had just gotten out of work. She took a seat at by bedside and interlaced her hand with my own. Oh, I had so much medicine coursing through my veins that I couldn't even feel her touch.

"Erik, how do you feel?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out by a dry cough. Christine, being the wonderful angel that she was, reached over on the night table for the glass of water that was sitting there and held it up to my malformed lips.

"Better?"

I nodded. "M…much…"

"Erik, do you remember what happened to you?"

I nodded, but how could I tell Christine that her husband had stabbed me? Yes, he was a terrible man, but what would Christine think if she knew that he had hurt me?

"Erik, who hurt you? Who stabbed you?"

"Erik…Er…Erik couldn't see him. It was…it was too dark."

I couldn't continue talking, for it hurt my chest to do so. Though, before I could say another word, the door opened and my doctor entered.

"Don't speak, Erik. That tube in your chest is slowly filling it back up with oxygen. You need to stay quiet. If you stay quiet then your lungs will not hurt you as much."

Feeling exhausted, I pressed my eyes closed.

"C…Christine should go back to Nadir's."

"And I will, Erik, I just wanted to stop by and see you is all. You don't mind that I'm here, right? If it upsets you, I'll leave."

"E…Erik…"

"Erik, you should stay silent. If you can't speak, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to do it. I can hear you struggling."

Knowing that Christine was right, I opened my eyes and stared at the woman. She began humming and ran her finger over my flawless cheek. The sensation was wonderful, and at the same time, I felt exhausted.

"Erik, if you're tired, you could sleep. I'm going to stay until Nadir arrives to escort me home."

"Erik…Erik wants to sleep."

"Then sleep. I will not disturb you. I just want to sit beside you until Nadir arrives."

And with that being said, I closed my eyes and let sleep overtake my sore body, hoping that when I awoke, my lungs would no longer pain me.


THE END!...APRIL FOOLS! So, since I've gotten alot of reviews, I decided to update early...So, happy April FOOl's Day! Please review everyone... Oh, and if anyone is interested, I am starting an ebay store next week where I will be selling some of my groovy Phantom of the opera crafts such as mini couches, and pot holders. More to come soon!