Alright everyone, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for…. So remember, Addie is seven, and Gustave is "T-EEEEEN YEARSSSS OLDDDD!" Lauralye is now around twenty seven, and Erik….. Well he's somewhere in his forties… So here we go…..


Seven wonderful years had passed. Our baby girl grew to be a healthy beautiful girl, that Erik loved very much. She had wrapped herself around his heart, and he never let her out of his sight. She was now seven, with long blonde locks, and beautiful blue eyes….. She was perfect. Though, afraid that she'd loath her own father because of his true appearance, Erik never removed his mask in front of her. Gustave had learned to accept him, but Erik believed that Addie was different, and refused to do so. She had lived seven years only knowing one, and one face only….. A masked one. Gustave had grown more handsome as each day passed, and now at the age of ten, I could see more and more of Erik within him. Sometimes when I looked at him, I could hardly tell that he was Erik's son, but my husband reminded me how much he resembled Christine. The boy would get himself into anything possible…. Taking household items apart, and rebuilding them to look just as they had before being torn apart. And when he would play the piano, I would often think Erik was playing it, even when he wasn't home….. I had hardly aged over those seven years, but my husband had….. My husband's blonde hair had began to turn grey, and his face had begun to wrinkle a slight bit.

When he wasn't wearing his mask, I could tell that his deformity became agitated easier, and bled more days out of the month than it was supposed to. His headaches had become so severe, that Nadir had put him on a strong pain medicine to relax him. Some days the headaches were so severe, that he couldn't even get out of bed…… It's not like he had to go to work a lot anyway…. He usually had to only be at the opera house when a new show was being rehearsed, or on an opening night. Some nights he would leave the children home with our house keeper Ms. Fleck, and take me out to an opera….. We would sit there in his private box, and watch his show being performed, and afterwards, we would come home and spend the remainder of the night making love….. Oh, they were such wonderful evenings….. Usually he would take me out twice a week, but soon, those twice a week nights turned into one, and that one date a week turned into once a month, and now once every few months….. Damn those headaches…… Sometimes it would take days after a severe headache for him to feel himself again, and we would have a few glorious loving days together before another one would hit him….. I had begged Nadir to do something about them, but Nadir had told me the only alternative was surgery to release the pressure that was crushing his skull… I had agreed for him to do this, but we soon found out that surgery would be the death of him because of all the arteries and veins that surrounded his exposed skull….. Nadir had once told me that even the slightest incision around one of the arteries could cause him to bleed to death. And so here we are….seven years later in the middle of October still loving one another as we had after our first kiss….

I awoke that morning of October fifteenth to find Erik in excruciating pain. I knew the night before he was going to wake up in agony because he went to bed early….. I had come to know that when ever Erik went to bed early, he would wake up with a headache…. Erik never went to bed any earlier than eleven when in good health…. I would always have to pry him into bed, but when the pain would start poking at him, he would lay himself down no later than seven…..I hated to see him in pain, but I promised him on our wedding day that I would watch over him through sickness and in health…. And Nadir had told me I was in for a rough couple of years…… he said that the pressure in his head would only get worse and worse as time went on…..and that it might even possibly be the death of him. I only hoped it wasn't true.

"Erik, are you alright?" I asked, gently touching his shoulder.

My husband rolled over, with the look of pain in his blue eyes.

"Just….just get me something to drink…" he groaned.

I knew that talking also made the pressure in his head worse than it was, so without another word, I dressed and flew down the stairs. Once I reached the kitchen, I ordered Ms. Fleck to pour a glass of orange juice.

"Where are the children?" I asked.

Ms. Fleck turned to me, and pointed to the window facing the garden.

"Outside, Madame…"

Erik hated when the children would be outside in the morning…… on days when he had his headaches, he would beat them senseless for making such racket. I rushed to the back door, to find Gustave chasing Addie around a puddle of mud, both laughing hysterically. If there was one thing about my daughter, she never minded getting her hands dirty…… something I totally loathed it beyond all means. She would run and play with Gustave as if she were a boy herself….. One dirty child was enough…

"Children! Stop this instant…."

Both Gustave and Addie stopped chasing each other and stood up straight. If it was one thing they knew, it was to obey my orders, for if they didn't, the person they feared more than anyone would discipline them.

"Stop making noise out here…. Your father is sick again. Now come inside and help me out by being quiet…"

"Yes mama…." they both replied in sync…

They both passed me quietly with their heads down, and sat themselves at the dinning room table. Ms. Fleck then placed their breakfast in front of them, as I made up a tray to take to Erik.

"Papa really gets sick a lot…." said Addie turning away from her plate to face me. "I wished he felt better."

"Me too, Addie…. Now just stay quiet with your brother so I can take this up to him."

"Can I come too?" she asked.

I would have said no, but I knew seeing Addie would bring a smile to his face…. I nodded, and picked up the tray as Addie followed me up the staircase. Once we were in my room, Addie stood beside Erik, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Papa, it's ok…. I'm here.."

A small smile formed across his masked face, and he scooped the girl up into bed with him.

"My little Addie…." he cooed. "You're my little angel."

"Why does your head hurt so bad, papa?"

"Don't worry about it, little one…. I'll be fine. Your mother always nurses me back to health."

"Promise me you'll be ok, papa…"

"Yes, darling, I promise…. Now I must take my medicine now, so please run along and play with your brother."

"Yes, papa…."

My little Addie then placed a kiss on Erik's mask, and ran out the door.

"You shouldn't let her in here….." he growled in agony. "One time I might not be wearing my mask…."

I sighed…. Erik always became angry when I let her into our bedroom. Our bedroom was just about the only place he took his mask off to let his face breathe. But I was willing to take the consequences as long as Addie made him smile, and she did.

"Save your strength…" I said, tearing the mask from off his deformity. I placed the mask aside, and pulled his wig off as well.

"Keep that stuff off…. How is your head supposed to get any air when you're covering it with that wig? Your headache will only get worse."

I handed him the glass of juice, and watched as he raised it to his malformed lips.

"Thank you…"

As he was drinking up the juice, I turned to his medicine cabinet, and took out the supplies Nadir had given me; a vial full of the pain medicine, and a syringe. Erik always hated having to have the medicine distributed to him, but without it, he would surly die from all the pain….. Perhaps he hated the way it had to be distributed to him. I filled the syringe up with the right dosage, and turned Erik's head to the side. Nadir had picked out a purple vein that was exposing itself around his skull, and showed me how to insert the needle of the syringe into it without damaging it…..

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be…."

And with that, I stuck the needle into the vein and pushed the medicine through it as Erik cringed……

"I hate that…."

"I know, but this is the only way to make you feel better."

"Lauralye, could we please discuss something?"

I sat myself down beside him, and placed my hand into his.

"Yes, my love…anything."

"I want that surgery….."

My eyes widened at such a request….. It was impossible….

"Erik…."

"Please, my love… understand how I feel… put yourself in my place. I lay here in agony, disregarding you and your needs. Years ago I used to take you out twice a week, and now I'm lucky to do it once month. I feel like I'm burdening you with my ailment."

"Erik, but you don't understand….. You can't have this surgery done. Nadir already told you about this. Your arteries and veins surround too much of your exposed skull. You'd bleed to death before he would even be able to get inside."

'So what am I to do? Lay here day after day and suffer with these terrible headaches? They pain me ever so much…… oh, my love…. Please say you'll help me."

"I am, Erik….. But I will not agree to have harm done to you. Nadir is a great doctor, this you know as well as me. He wouldn't say something was life threatening if he didn't believe it to be. Now, he said that surgery would kill you, and I believe him."

"Just like he said another pregnancy would kill you….. Do you remember that? He told you that if you became pregnant, it would be the death of you. Remember how you begged me to give you a child? Remember that? I did it because I knew it would make you happy, and you beat the odds, and had a beautiful baby girl. I did that for you, my love….. Now I'm asking you to do this for me."

I knew Erik had held this against me for seven long years, but I wasn't about to give in.

"Erik, I might have survived the pregnancy, but that is much different than this surgery…. My pregnancy didn't involve Nadir cutting away at my arteries or veins…. Do you understand, you'll bleed to death. This is a certain fact. Now I would do anything for you, anything but this."

Erik took my hand, and placed it to his chest. His blue eyes were meeting with mine…… I knew he was in dire pain, but this surgery wasn't an option.

"My love, do you feel that?"

As my fingers lay there sprawled out on his chest, I could feel his heart beating against them.

"Yes…."

"I'm alive….. I'm not going anywhere. I want to be healthy again. I want to take you out twice a week…. I'm sick of laying here for days out of the month like a dying man."

"No matter what you say, you won't change my mind. I won't risk having you die. This illness, it's not a burden, not for once second does it bother me. I love you, Erik, and nothing will ever change that…."

"Do you mean it…"

I placed my lips over his, and smiled.

"Of course, now please rest. I'm going to take the children into town for a while…"

"Do me a favor, and go over to the opera house and check on the rehearsals….. Make sure the girls are dressed in costume, and their hair is perfect. If it's not, tell them clowns they call make up artists, to do it again."

This had been another job I had been given when Erik was too ill to go into the opera house. Today was the last rehearsal before opening night, and usually Erik would go in to make sure every dress down to every powdered face was perfect. Usually three times out of the year, Erik would be too ill to go in, and so that's when he would send me. Everyone that worked at the opera house feared Erik, especially if he found a flaw in one of the costumes or a smear of lipstick on someone's lips. Though everyone knew who I was, I believe they liked me more than Erik, just because I was easier on them. Usually I would just tell them to correct it, but Erik on the other hand seemed to enjoy throwing a prop or two around just to let them know he meant business.

"Of course, my love…. Everything shall be perfect, this I promise you."

"Good, make sure Angelo has the sand bags tightened, and that my dumb diva Cossette has her corset on….. Damn girl likes to let her flabby self fly free under those dresses. You know how horrible she looks in those dresses without one….. Oh, and be sure to check on Markus….. If that drunken fool even smells like a bottle of brandy send him home and tell him that he has a meeting with me on Monday….."

Over the years I have come accustomed to the employee's bad habits…..and Erik's way of controlling them.

"Erik, we go through this every time you get ill. I'll be fine…… I know everyone like the back of my hand."

"You're too soft on them…."

"No I'm not, I just don't go around throwing tables and chairs all over the stage to get my point across."

"It lets them know that I mean business…."

"Yes, I know…. Now get some sleep and stop talking. If you need anything while I'm gone Ms. Fleck will be here."

Erik rolled over, and groaned into his pillow.

'Right, that devil woman…."

"Erik, she's not that bad….. I believe she's become quiet the housekeeper over the years."

"She might be good for something, if she would ever learn not to add sugar into my afternoon tea….. Every day I tell her no sugar, and yet what does she do? Adds two lumps….damn girl!"

"Right, and how would you know the precise amount of lumps she adds into your tea?"

"Because I can taste it! Two! I can taste two!"

"And you've been drinking two lumps of sugar a day, for seven years and it hasn't yet killed you….."

"Someday it will…."

I kissed Erik on the cheek, and covered him up.

"Oh, stop it. Now rest, and enjoy your tea when Ms. Fleck brings it to you…."

"Tell the woman I said no sugar! Please…… tell that woman to for once listen to me, and bring this dying man a cup of tea the way he wants it!"

"Erik, stop talking like that…." I growled. "Stop acting like a child, and get some rest."

"You try to rest when you've got two lumps of sugar in your tea…."

"Erik!"

"Fine….. Alright, just be careful…."

"See you later, Erik… I love you."

"Yes, me too."

I smiled, and walked down stairs to gather up my children.

"Gustave, Addie, get your cloaks. We're going out."

"Yes, mama…."

As the children ran to the closet to get on their cloaks, I turned to Ms. Fleck who was dusting the family room.

"Ms. Fleck, the children and myself are going to run some errands. Mr. Mulheim is upstairs laid up with another one of his headaches. Just check on him every now and then, and today, please, no sugar in his tea…."

"Yes, Madame." she replied.

"And I'll expect dinner to be on the table by five as usual….. Soup tonight, if you please."

"Anything you say, Madame."

Once outside, Gustave rounded up Cesar, and hooked him to the black carriage Erik had bought for us after Addie was born. Having the carriage made trips into the city easier than walking or riding horseback. Cesar was getting up in his years, but Erik vowed to never replace him until he was dead and gone…..

"Mother, where are we going?" asked Gustave.

"Into town…. Your father needs us to run a few errands for him."

"Oh, mama… must we go to that opera house again? It takes so long for you to get everything organized…."

"Oh, so you think papa can do a better job?"

"Of course. He gets down to the point by throwing things around….."

"Gustave Mulheim!….. What have I told you about papa?"

Gustave crossed his arms, and looked away. Addie on the other hand tugged at my dress, and I looked down at her as she answered for Gustave.

"That we shouldn't take after papa because……he doesn't have very good manners and people fear him…..and we don't want people to fear us…"

"And why is that?" I asked, smiling at my intelligent little girl.

"Because then people won't like you….."

"Exactly…."

Gustave rolled his eyes….. I knew he wanted to take after his father so much, but I wouldn't allow him to treat people the way Erik did. Erik hated the world because of what it did to him and his body, but Gustave and my little Addie lived a life filled with pure love, thus being no need to treat society the way Erik did. I made sure my children were both well behaved when out in society….. I made them use their manners when ever needed, and if they even dared not to say "please" or "thank you,' Erik and his leather belt would make sure they never forgot it again.

Once we arrived at the opera house, I walked the children inside, and made them take a seat in the auditorium like they usually did when I would have to go off and check things out.

"Can we get some candy after this?" asked Addie….

Usually if my children behaved themselves while I went to inspect things, I would buy them ice cream or a treat afterwards.

"Only if you behave yourselves…."

"We will…"

"And mind your sister, Gustave.."

"Yes, mama…"

Everyone of the thespians that worked for Erik were standing around the stage wasting time and laughing like a bunch of clowns. Instead of rehearsing like they were supposed to be doing, they were doing the complete opposite. I stepped on stage, and put my foot down…. I wouldn't have such nonsense going on.

"Excuse me….. What is going on?"

"Oh, so the boss is sick again?" teased one of the men. "Why else would he send his little dog here to inspect us…."

I slapped the man so hard across the face, that his colorful hat he was wearing flew off his head.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that, monsieur." I growled. "You can be replaced ever so easily. Why aren't you rehearsing your lines? The show is tomorrow night….. Why else do you think you're in costume?…. And where are the ballerinas?"

The man picked up his hat, and pointed to the red curtains that were draped over the stage. Oh, this day was turning out ever so wonderfully….. I walked over to the stage curtain, and pulled it back to reveal all six young ballerinas chatting in a circle about how they saw some actors kissing behind the stage after last week's performance.

"Play time is over….. Get back to work this instant!"

"You're not the boss of us…" one said.

"Yes, but I speak for the boss, when the boss cannot be here."

"Why don't you make us dance, Madame."

It was then, that a familiar voice rang out, an angry yet familiar voice.

"Get in line!"

I turned, and saw Madame Giry coming out from the other end of the stage. Yes, years ago, when Erik first bought the opera house, he needed someone of experience to train the ballerinas….. Someone he could trust. And so, without a moment to spare, he wrote Madame Giry, and she accepted…. She's been working in the opera house ever since.

The ballerinas immediately took their places, and began to practice as they were supposed to do.

"Damn girls…."

"Thank you, Madame."

I knew Madame Giry always hated when I came….. Not that she hated me or anything, but she knew the reason I was here.

"Erik is sick again, I take it?"

"Yes, a terrible headache…." I replied.

"This place is always like a carnival when he is not around to keep everyone in line……I guess you are off to your other rounds then?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Where are those wonderful children of his?"

I smiled, and pointed to the last row in the auditorium, and Madame Giry waved at them…..and they waved back.

"They get bigger every time I see them."

"Yes, they do….. Erik makes them eat their vegetables, even when they hate it."

"Well who can blame him… I made him eat his vegetables as well, but I don't think he minded it at all seeing that he was grateful for any meals he got."

"Well I must be going before the children become too anxious."

"Give Erik my best…."

I nodded, and walked down the hall of dressing rooms to my next destination; Cossette Lamardo's dressing room. After the opening of "De christine casei," Erik had started his search for a diva. I couldn't explain how many auditions he had gone through to find the perfect song bird. I knew in my heart that no one was good enough, not in his eyes. I also knew that it broke his heart to have to replace his dear, sweet Christine with another. So girl after girl sang for him, and girl after girl was kicked out on their asses….. Then cam Cossette; a plump little woman in her early thirties with long blonde hair and a hate towards corsets. In the job description, Erik clearly stated to her that she would be needing to wear a corset during performances, and she accepted knowing that she hated wearing them…. And what does she do? I'll never forget sitting there during her first performance with Erik, and seeing her come on stage with her flab bulging out of the dress….. It revolted Erik to have to sit there and watch her prance around the stage like that for two hours. Those two hours of embracement were enough for him, for he made it clear that from now on, he would inspect her before letting her walk out on stage to make sure she was wearing her corset…… Now it was my turn to inspect her for rehearsal. There were only two people in the world that Cossette hated…. Erik being the first, and me being the second, and when it came to me, she hated me maybe even more than Erik, because I was the one enforcing the rules when Erik wasn't around.

I knocked on her dressing room door, and waited for her to answer it. When she did, her eyes slightly rolled in disgust.

"Oh, it's you….."

"Yes it's me…" I replied, pushing the door open. "You know what time it is."

Cossette was dressed in a red gown with black sequence trimmed all over its edges. It would have made her look slightly beautiful, only she wasn't wearing the one thing that would make her that way.

"So tell me, does the boss enjoy taking vacations when he has to be here? What does he do? Send his little doggy to come do his work….woof woof…."

She laughed, and stuck a pastry in her mouth…..

"My husband…" I growled. "Is sick…. You know just as well as everyone else around her. Now we both know you need to be eating that pastry like you need a whole in the head. Put it down, and put on your corset."

Cosette didn't like this, not one bit.

"At least I get fed….. Look at you… you're nothing but a skinny little skeleton. Tell me, does your so called husband starve you? Starve you like a bad little doggy… woof, woof…"

"Get your damn corset on and stop back talking me! You know what the boss will do if he finds you back talking me!"

"Fine! Have it your way…. You little dog."

"And get your ass on that stage….. They're waiting for you."

I walked out of the dressing room, and sighed. I was sure glad that ordeal was over with…. Next I paid a visit to Angelo, the stage hand. His job was to make sure the sand bags were tight, and to lower the curtain when needed. He was a nice old man in his sixties, with nice manners. He also snuck my children chocolates once in a while….. He had been a homeless man looking for a job, and Erik had been generous enough to give it to him. The pay he gave Angelo was so great, that he was able to go out and but a room in walking distance of the opera house.

"Ah, Madame Mulheim…" he said, greeting me with his famous smile.

"Hello Angelo…."

"It's been a long time since I last seen you. A month to be exact."

"Yeah, well, the boss is feeling under the weather."

"Oh, bless his heart. Give him my best….."

"You know I will. I just came to make sure the sand bags were tightened… Boss's orders."

Angelo led me over the rafter of the stage, and pulled on the ropes.

"Feel them, tight as can be."

I did, and smiled.

"You're such a wonderful stage hand…. You make my job much easier than the rest of them."

"Those fools? They wouldn't know what a hard day of work is….."

"Tell me about it."

Before leaving, Angelo gave me a quick hug. I was finally down to my last stop, a stop I never looked forward to. Markus was in charge of the ticket booth. He was a man in his forties who enjoyed a drink every second of every day. Erik had given him the easy job of cleaning the opera house after shows, and selling tickets before hand. The only problem with Markus was that he was drunk on the job almost two days out of every week. Erik had forgiven him time and time again, but the truth was that Erik's patients were wearing thin. And just as I suspected, I found Markus passed out in the ticket booth with an empty bottle of brandy in his hands. I gave a swift kick to the booth, causing him to wake.

"What?"

"Markus, what are you doing?"

He looked at his bottle, and laid back down.

"Taking a nap…."

"Markus!"

"What!"

"Get up and go home!"

"Why? I'm working…."

"Not drunk you're not. Go home, and on Monday the boss will be having a meeting with you…."

When I was finally finished, I went back to the auditorium and gathered up my children who were waiting patiently.

"Come on, we're done…."

Addie smiled.

"Can we go get some candy now?"

"I don't see why not……you've been good."

"Yes, good and bored…" said Gustave.

I rolled my eyes, and took my children into town to the candy shop….. Perhaps some candy wouldn't be so bad after all…..it might actually make Erik feel better as well. At least it would keep Gustave quiet for a while….. I knew how much he hated shopping for clothes, but he was in need of a new shirt and tie…..Shopping with him was like shopping with Erik; simply impossible……like father like son….


Wow, over 5000 words…. Extra long this one was. Please review and tell me how you like it! Thanks again guys! Love ya all!