A/N: FINALLY!! the long awaited chappie 11 is here!! srry for the wait…I have BIG plans for this story. Just you wait. for now, enjoy, read, and review. always

-PA

CHAPTER 11

For what seemed to Erik like days, Aaralyn did not wake. He had stayed with her every spare second he had, and when he could stand it no longer, he would leave her side only to play the organ, using his hands to reflect the emptiness that was in his soul. Sometimes, when he would watch her, she would stir ever so slightly, sending a tremor of joy through him. He realized now that no matter how hard he tried, he could not live without Aaralyn. He couldn't just let her lie there; he had to do something…anything…

He took her slim form in his arms and gently took her from Christine's bed and laid her on the divan in the same room as the organ.

"Come to me, Aaralyn…" her eyes closed tighter, and she turned on her side, as if she was fighting his voice. "Come to me," he repeated. Poising his fingers over the keys, he played. He played for what seemed like hours, letting the music take him places he could only dream of, and frequently calling Aaralyn out of her dark slumber. A single tear slid down his cheek at the thought of what could happen to her…what could happen to him if something happened to her…

He had heard that music could be healing, almost, and that one who was asleep (in Aaralyn's case) would wake when they wanted to, when they were called. Erik firmly believed this. Music was his life. He expressed things in music that he could not in words, making them timeless.

He felt two small arms wrap themselves around his neck, and he turned with a start to see Aaralyn's smiling face.

"You…you came!"

"Of course, you called!"

At this, Erik stood up and wrapped his strong arms around her, and she buried her head in his chest, both happy that would could have happened did not happen. She sat back and looked into his face.

"Erik, there's something you need to know."

"Yes?"

Sighed before continuing. "You remember, when I coughed up blood…all those times?" Silence. Aaralyn continued. "I-I'm dying, Erik." Disbelief clouded his eyes. Looking at her pale face, he started to understand.

"But—" he couldn't finish.

"Shh…Dance with me Erik." He was a little taken aback by her words, and she could tell. She smiled. "That song…it was gorgeous.."

"I wrote it for you," he said as he once again took her slim form in his arms and hummed the song he had just played to call her to him.

"Really?" Erik only nodded, losing himself in the dance, taking Aaralyn with him. He held her closer, knowing this might be the last few moments of peace in his life. A tear painted a path down his face, and Aaralyn simply kissed it away, knowing what he was thinking.