Chapter Nine


Christine sighed as she stood by the bed. She'd finally coaxed Erik into lying back down, knowing full well if he did not he would collapse there on the floor. As soon a he had stretched out he seemed to be asleep, though certainly not resting well. The diva stroked his sweat-dampened hair back from his pale face and kissed his unmasked cheek carefully. He moaned and turned toward her, mumbling something she could not grasp.

"I'm here, Erik," she assured him quietly, still stroking his hair back absently.

He turned his feverish eyes up to her. "Stay?" he rasped.

"Yes, my love. Now and forever and for as long as you'll have me," she answered sincerely and kissed him gently.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but the sound of a fist hitting the door made them both jump. Christine turned towards it. "I'll be back in a moment," she promised and moved away. She knew his eyes were on her as she opened the door to find Raoul standing there, blue eyes narrowed. "What on earth do you think you're doing?" she demanded in a hushed whisper.

"What do I think I'm doing?" he answered, matching her tone.

"Raoul, please, we came here so that Erik could rest and recover. How do you expect him to do that if you come barging in and slamming your loud fist into doors?"

"Do you have any idea what he's done?"

"Hush! Please, Raoul! What on earth are you talking about?"

"Madeleine."

"What of her?" Christine demanded, irritated by the mention of Erik's mother.

"Sobbing uncontrollably in the halls! He's been here less than a full day and he's frightened the poor old lady! And don't you dare defend him, Christine, because Marie was with her and all she could say was his name."

"Stop it!" Christine hissed. "Just stop it now, Raoul! You don't know what you're talking about! You really don't so just let it rest! Please…"

Raoul stood and stared at her for a moment, turned his eyes to the bed where Erik still lie – whether asleep or awake they could not tell – and then back to Christine. "There's something between them."

"Yes."

"What?"

"I can't say, Raoul. Please don't ask it of me. It isn't my secret to tell."

"It's Erik's," Raoul grumbled. "Always Erik's secrets!"

Christine shook her head, trying to hold back tears.

"Will I see you for lunch, Christine?"

She sniffed. "Won't you have them bring it up, Raoul? I… He needs me."

"He's worse than we imagined, isn't he?"

"I don't know," she whispered, voice so quiet he barely heard.

Raoul took her by the shoulder, pulling her from the room gently and shutting the door behind them, "And if he dies, then what?"

"He won't!"

"You don't know that, Christine."

"I do!"

"How?"

"He promised…"

"Don't be a fool! How should he know?"

Christine let out a choked sob. "Leave, Raoul, please. I can't take this. I really need to be with him now. Please."

"Yes," the vicomte said slowly. "Your poor Erik. I'm sorry Christine, but I'm only human and still very much in love with you. You'll just have to forgive me if I cannot give you up entirely yet to that monster in there!" That blurted out he turned on his heels and stormed down the hall, leaving Christine to push open the door and flee to Erik's side.


"Madeleine?"

Madeleine looked up to see Marie enter. "Yes?"

"Mademoiselle Daaè is here to see you."

"Tell her I don't wish to see anyone," the elder woman said miserably.

"She insists. Please, Madeleine. Let her enter."

Finally she relented and Marie showed the opera singer into the small room. It was only lit with the sun's late afternoon rays and the grey-haired woman seemed to shy away from them in her sniffling condition. She turned her large, beautiful eyes on Christine and stood slowly. "Mademoiselle Daaè."

"Please," Christine said slowly. "No formalities are needed."

"Very well."

They sat for a moment as Marie poured tea and then joined them. Finally Christine sighed. "He's really only spoken of you once. It was very brief, very painful for him to do so and I did not push it."

"Was he ill?" Madeleine asked suddenly. "He looked so very pale and saw the bandages… Was he hurt?"

"Yes," Christine whispered. "He's resting now."

"You got him to rest?" Marie asked, looking over her teacup. "You are heaven-sent, my dear."

Christine stared at her for a long moment. "No," she whispered. "No, I'm nothing of the sort. Erik is my angel."

"Then you love him," Madeleine said quietly.

"Yes. Please… You needn't feel obligated to tell me, but I fear I will upset him if I ask this of him. One doesn't have to know the past to love someone in the present, but… Women are so extraordinarily curious, you know," she finished with a small laugh.

"He was brilliant as a child," Madeleine whispered. "I ignored him until I could no longer. He was born with his face as it is now. You've seen it, I take it?"

"Well… yes."

Madeleine shuddered. "I wouldn't touch him as a little boy." She began to cry now. "My poor boy. I even denied him the one thing he ever really asked me for. Did you know, his fifth birthday was the first we celebrated. Marie-" she motioned at her friend – "made me. Erik asked me if he could have anything he wanted and, as all mothers, I told him within reason." A sad smile crossed her lips as the tears ran down over them. "It took him a bit, but he finally told me what he wanted. He wanted two. One for then and one for later, when the first was used up, you see." She paused, bringing her hand up to her mouth as the memory surged. "What kind of mother cannot give her boy a kiss, even on his birthday? When that is all he asks for, why can a mother not even give him that?"

Christine found herself staring. A kiss? That's all he'd wanted… She suddenly longed for her Erik then. Longed to hold him and tell him she loved him more than life. To kiss him.

Marie reached forward and patted Madeleine's shaking shoulder. "Please, Madeleine…"

"Oh he hates me! With good reason too," Madeleine sobbed. "I thought he was dead! He ran away when he was nine, Christine. Nine! What mother lets their child leave at nine!"

"Madeleine, you didn't know," Marie said softly.

"But I should have!"

Christine was holding back tears as she stood. "Madame, perhaps I should speak with him when he wakes. Perhaps…"

"I shouldn't ask it of you."

"Make no mistake," Christine said, straitening her shoulders. "I would not do it for you, Madame. I would do it for Erik."


Erik stirred when the door opened and he began to sit up. Christine's gentle hands pushed him back to the bed and she lay next to him.

"Are you crying, love?" he whispered.

"A little."

"What happened?"

She looked up at him, tears falling from her eyes and she kissed him. When they pulled away she took a breath and kissed him again. Finally when that ended he chuckled slightly. "To what do I owe for this?" he asked with a smile.

"You may have a kiss from me whenever you wish, my angel," she whispered and nestled closer to him.

He stared at the top of her head for a moment before kissing it in confusion and lying down with her.


LostSchizophrenic : Oh you lucky person you! A copy of your very own! Did you pay an arm and a leg for it? I just got mine at the library… Love the book! Hope you do too!

Lynx Ryder:Well, the picture came from the book, therefore I really don't know why he kept it… Wasn't Madeleine just horrible? The story she tells in this chapter is from the book as well. It was terrible! I just wanted to hug Erik! He was so adorable in the book as a little kid…

Clever Lass: It took a lot for me to decide if I should bring Madeleine and Marie into this story or give them a short fic of their own, but I thought it would add to the plot line very nicely, and I've only gotten good reviews from it, so I'm glad with the decision I made.