A/N: OMG, thank you SO much for your reviews everyone! I can't believe so
many people liked my story so much. It really means a lot to me *sniff* I
just luv you guys! *wipes tear away* You're the best!! *sniffs again* I'm
ok...
I woke up and was immediately confused. I thought I had just been shot by my father on the stage of the Opera House. If that was the case, then what was I doing lying in my bed in mine and Erik's bedroom in our house under the Opera House? I looked around and tried to sit up. I was prevented from doing so by the shooting (hah, shooting, I made a joke) pain in my left shoulder.
"Lie still, little one," a voice said gently. I looked up and saw Erik standing over me. He smiled. "I'm glad to see you awake again. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Dizzy, and my shoulder hurts a little, but not as much as it did upstairs." I replied, smiling back at him. "What happened? Where's Josh, and Papa?"
"Don't worry, sweetheart, they're still here. They're in the kitchen, waiting for you to wake up." Erik reassured me. "And as for what happened, you gave us all quite a scare, that's what happened. The doctor had to cut open your shirt to get to the bullet wound. The bullet was taken out, but you started bleeding too hard. Your heart slowed, you were losing too much blood and nearly died. Thankfully, the doctor suppressed and then stopped the bleeding and gave you a transfusion. Father and I were the only ones around to give you the blood you needed to live, since we're not sure what blood type Josh is. When we were told you needed the transfusion, Father looked at me and said, 'You do it. She loves you so much that, as little as I apparently know about her, I'm sure she would want you to save her. As much as I'd like to, I'm sure she'd want you to give her blood.'"
"He was right," I said, "but I would have accepted it from him, after his apology." Erik smiled, leaned down, and kissed my cheek. I smiled back at him. Something small and black and white hopped up on me and looked at me. I smiled at it.
"Hello Phantom. Were you worried about me too?" I asked my kitten. He responded by mewing once, walking down my chest to my head, and rubbing his head against my chin. I laughed, being that it tickled.
"That little furball of yours hasn't let anyone else near you since I carried you down here." Erik said in mock reproach.
"I was going to ask how I got here. Well, I guess then my 'little furball' is very protective, now isn't he?" I said, directing the last half of that sentence towards Phantom. He simply pulled his head back, mewed again, and continued rubbing against me. I held him to me. "I have a question."
"Ask," Erik replied.
"If Josh and Papa are waiting for me to wake up, and I am awake, then shouldn't they be in here too?" I asked. Erik smiled at me.
"I'll go and tell them that their presence here is requested," Erik said. I laughed a little, trying not to move my shoulder too much, as he walked out of the room. He came back pretty soon, followed by an extremely anxious Josh and Papa. As soon as Erik had stepped out of his way, Papa rushed over to me and grabbed my hand.
"Oh Minuet, I am so sorry, I never meant to shoot you, I didn't think you would move in the way, I didn't think at all, I'm so sorry!" he cried, and continued to blather on like this for a time until my head began to hurt. I raised the hand that he didn't have in a death grip to silence him.
"Papa, your unnecessary apologies are giving me a headache," I said. "I know it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to shoot me. I know you didn't think! And I forgive you. So would you please calm down?" Papa quieted and just looked at me. I smiled at him reassuringly and he smiled back, relieved. Josh was snickering a little as he leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back, remember that Note to Self I had made earlier. As I looked at my father and brother, a thousand new questions appeared in my mind. What happened next? Would my father want me to come back and live with him? Would he want to live here with Erik and me? What would Erik say about that?
"So what next?" I asked. Everyone looked at me. "How does everything work out now?"
"They've been discussing that while you were asleep," Josh said. "I think they've finally reached a decision, but I think they're going to ask you for your opinion."
"And I think we could have told her that, Josh," said Erik, smiling. Everyone seemed to be smiling tonight. Erik turned to me. "Father and I were discussing what the whole situation should be now that we've all forgiven each other. We thought that maybe things could function something like they did before, but with some differences. We thought that you could still live here, Father would go back to his home in the city, and he could come and visit sometimes. And you could go visit him. Would you like that?"
"That sounds perfect," I said. "Just perfect,"
"Good," Papa replied, "I'm glad you approve. Now you need to rest. The doctor said that you are to stay in bed for at least a day or two and do not use your left arm for a week or so."
"Stay in bed?! For a day?!" I cried, "Didn't you explain to him that I am not the type who just stays in bed? I have too much energy! I have work to do, I have to practice my singing, my piano, I can't just laze about in bed!"
"You're going to have to Min," Erik said. "Doctor's orders, you know."
"I don't give a tinker's toot about doctor's orders!" I exclaimed. Everyone laughed at that. I sighed. I actually did feel a little tired. "All right, fine. I'll stay in bed for a while. But I'm getting up at twelve noon tomorrow and damned if someone tries to stop me!" More laughter. I snuggled back into my pillow, ready to sleep until the next millennium. On their way out, Josh, Erik, and Papa all kissed me and said good-night. Erik closed the door quietly. Phantom still lay on my chest purring. I fell asleep petting him and thinking about Erik. All that night I dreamed about our new and brighter future. As a family.
~FINIS~
A/N: Hope you all liked the ending! Just to add something else, I've started a new story in the Lord of the Rings section, in case you want to check it out. The storyline's been done before several times, I know, but oh well.
I woke up and was immediately confused. I thought I had just been shot by my father on the stage of the Opera House. If that was the case, then what was I doing lying in my bed in mine and Erik's bedroom in our house under the Opera House? I looked around and tried to sit up. I was prevented from doing so by the shooting (hah, shooting, I made a joke) pain in my left shoulder.
"Lie still, little one," a voice said gently. I looked up and saw Erik standing over me. He smiled. "I'm glad to see you awake again. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Dizzy, and my shoulder hurts a little, but not as much as it did upstairs." I replied, smiling back at him. "What happened? Where's Josh, and Papa?"
"Don't worry, sweetheart, they're still here. They're in the kitchen, waiting for you to wake up." Erik reassured me. "And as for what happened, you gave us all quite a scare, that's what happened. The doctor had to cut open your shirt to get to the bullet wound. The bullet was taken out, but you started bleeding too hard. Your heart slowed, you were losing too much blood and nearly died. Thankfully, the doctor suppressed and then stopped the bleeding and gave you a transfusion. Father and I were the only ones around to give you the blood you needed to live, since we're not sure what blood type Josh is. When we were told you needed the transfusion, Father looked at me and said, 'You do it. She loves you so much that, as little as I apparently know about her, I'm sure she would want you to save her. As much as I'd like to, I'm sure she'd want you to give her blood.'"
"He was right," I said, "but I would have accepted it from him, after his apology." Erik smiled, leaned down, and kissed my cheek. I smiled back at him. Something small and black and white hopped up on me and looked at me. I smiled at it.
"Hello Phantom. Were you worried about me too?" I asked my kitten. He responded by mewing once, walking down my chest to my head, and rubbing his head against my chin. I laughed, being that it tickled.
"That little furball of yours hasn't let anyone else near you since I carried you down here." Erik said in mock reproach.
"I was going to ask how I got here. Well, I guess then my 'little furball' is very protective, now isn't he?" I said, directing the last half of that sentence towards Phantom. He simply pulled his head back, mewed again, and continued rubbing against me. I held him to me. "I have a question."
"Ask," Erik replied.
"If Josh and Papa are waiting for me to wake up, and I am awake, then shouldn't they be in here too?" I asked. Erik smiled at me.
"I'll go and tell them that their presence here is requested," Erik said. I laughed a little, trying not to move my shoulder too much, as he walked out of the room. He came back pretty soon, followed by an extremely anxious Josh and Papa. As soon as Erik had stepped out of his way, Papa rushed over to me and grabbed my hand.
"Oh Minuet, I am so sorry, I never meant to shoot you, I didn't think you would move in the way, I didn't think at all, I'm so sorry!" he cried, and continued to blather on like this for a time until my head began to hurt. I raised the hand that he didn't have in a death grip to silence him.
"Papa, your unnecessary apologies are giving me a headache," I said. "I know it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to shoot me. I know you didn't think! And I forgive you. So would you please calm down?" Papa quieted and just looked at me. I smiled at him reassuringly and he smiled back, relieved. Josh was snickering a little as he leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back, remember that Note to Self I had made earlier. As I looked at my father and brother, a thousand new questions appeared in my mind. What happened next? Would my father want me to come back and live with him? Would he want to live here with Erik and me? What would Erik say about that?
"So what next?" I asked. Everyone looked at me. "How does everything work out now?"
"They've been discussing that while you were asleep," Josh said. "I think they've finally reached a decision, but I think they're going to ask you for your opinion."
"And I think we could have told her that, Josh," said Erik, smiling. Everyone seemed to be smiling tonight. Erik turned to me. "Father and I were discussing what the whole situation should be now that we've all forgiven each other. We thought that maybe things could function something like they did before, but with some differences. We thought that you could still live here, Father would go back to his home in the city, and he could come and visit sometimes. And you could go visit him. Would you like that?"
"That sounds perfect," I said. "Just perfect,"
"Good," Papa replied, "I'm glad you approve. Now you need to rest. The doctor said that you are to stay in bed for at least a day or two and do not use your left arm for a week or so."
"Stay in bed?! For a day?!" I cried, "Didn't you explain to him that I am not the type who just stays in bed? I have too much energy! I have work to do, I have to practice my singing, my piano, I can't just laze about in bed!"
"You're going to have to Min," Erik said. "Doctor's orders, you know."
"I don't give a tinker's toot about doctor's orders!" I exclaimed. Everyone laughed at that. I sighed. I actually did feel a little tired. "All right, fine. I'll stay in bed for a while. But I'm getting up at twelve noon tomorrow and damned if someone tries to stop me!" More laughter. I snuggled back into my pillow, ready to sleep until the next millennium. On their way out, Josh, Erik, and Papa all kissed me and said good-night. Erik closed the door quietly. Phantom still lay on my chest purring. I fell asleep petting him and thinking about Erik. All that night I dreamed about our new and brighter future. As a family.
~FINIS~
A/N: Hope you all liked the ending! Just to add something else, I've started a new story in the Lord of the Rings section, in case you want to check it out. The storyline's been done before several times, I know, but oh well.