Okay sorry to leave everyone hanging for so long I won't let it happen again. I kind of put myself in a tough spot after the last chapter, but I have it under control now. I know what to do hurray. (Looks at review total.) 300 reviews WHOOT!

I also found Susan Kay's Novel of Phantom at the library and in one day read the first 131 pages. The story is good, yet sad. I have to finish it before the end of spring break however, because I can't take it back to school with me. (Wipes away a tear) I want a copy of that book.

Chapter 46: A Father's Responsibility

When they arrived at the doctor's house Erik had insisted on taking the suitcase leaving Christine the jewelry box. After looking through it he wanted nothing to do with it. He stepped inside and walked down the hallway to the recovery room. A loud squeal from Jacqueline hit his ears and he smiled with pride at the sound. With practice there may just be another soprano in the family.

Christine came up behind him and gave him a slight push. "Are you just going to stand in the doorway all day or are you going to go in?"

"I think I'll just wait here. You can go ahead," he said quietly.

She came around the front of him. "What's gotten into you Erik? You haven't been the same since we left the house."

It seemed as if he was looking straight past her into the room, but he made no motion to go forward. Finally he took a deep breath and strolled into the room. Lotte and Pierre were occupying the same bed with Jacqueline on Lotte's lap squealing happily.

Lotte looked up. "Oh, your back. We were beginning to wonder if you were going to or not."

"Don't be silly Lotte. We just had a few things to grab from the house. But I'm glad to see the two of you are on the mend."

Erik placed the suitcase down and went to the window looking out into the street, not once caring he was in just his mask. The last thing he wanted was to be yelled at for looking in that jewelry box without Lotte's permission.

Lotte looked over at him for a moment before she looked up at her mother. "Did you remember what I asked for?"

"Yep, it was only the jewelry box right?" Christine said taking Jacqueline after giving Lotte the box.

Lotte nodded and went to open the box, and then shut it again. "I need to be certain that whatever is in this box isn't shared with anyone else. It's been something I've been holding onto for years, but I left it at home, so it's been so long since I last looked at it."

"We won't reveal anything Lotte. We promise," Pierre said leaning over a bit so he could see as well.

Erik still hadn't moved from his spot by the window, but he did turn towards his family and nodded to Lotte, showing that he had understood her request. Though deep within his stomach felt like stone, for in no time she wouldknow aboutwhat he had done.

Lotte opened the jewelry box and took out the petals and silk ribbon.

"Where did you get those?" Christine asked her eyes fell on Erik.

"I found this in one of your old programs. I could still smell cologne on the ribbon and it reminds me of the kind Father wears. But the most important item in this box is this note I wrote when I was 7 years old," Lotte said taking out the stationary. Erik braced himself for what was to happen next. Lotte unfolded the paper and stared at it for a long time before she found the urge to speak. "What's happened to it? A lot of the words on the bottom of the paper seemed to have smeared or something."

"Maybe it just got wet or something," Christine suggested.

"But I never took it out around a water source. I may have cried, but I always made sure to cry so that my tears wouldn't fall on the paper. Besides the water on the paper looks recent. Did you look at this at all mother?"

"No, I didn't. I wasn't even in your room."

All their eyes fell on Erik, whose back was turned to them, but he could feel their gazes burrowing into his back He didn't speak. The stone in his stomach seemed to grow into his throat making it difficult to even breathe.

"Father? Were you looking in my jewelry box?" Lotte asked him.

He stood, but didn't turn towards her. "I did, but only out of curiosity."

"How could you? I was hard enough gaining your trust back after you lied to me and now you go and do this. I can't believe you."

Erik felt like he was getting a strong blow across the back of his head, but he deserved it. He deserved every ounce of pain thrown at him for breaking his daughter's trust in him. He turned to face her to meet with emerald eyes full of anger and confusion on his actions. He met the same look from Christine and Pierre just gave him a worried glance.

It wasn't right for him to be here. He darted from the room when he felt a hand grab his arm. Trying to pull away he let out a frustrated cry only to be responded by another small cry. He spun around on his heels to see Christine standing there still holding Jacqueline.

"Erik, where are you going? If you go out into the streets they surely kill you," she said her voice shaking.

"I'd be better off there than facing the anger of my own child. I'm sure Lotte will never speak to me again after this and then what will I be? Just the plain old Phantom left once again to rot within a place of haunted memories and smells of death."

"You would rather face death? Erik this is serious if you believe that death will solve all your problems. Of course Lotte will be angry, but that doesn't mean she would want to see you hanged. She would be blaming herself if that happened. Her hatred would be the cause of her father's death, just like your hatred nearly brought the Opera House to its end."

Erik pondered and compared the two situations and realized that Christine was right, like she usually was. He wanted to say something to her, but right away he lost his train of thought and said nothing. Jacqueline let out a small cry and Christine cooed to her.

"There, there my little Jacqueline everything is well now. Don't cry anymore my sweet. Grandfather isn't going to leave you."

Shifting his weight Erik now leaned towards Christine and peered over her arm at the tiny infant. Christine's words had made him feel guilty and now he wanted to take the babe into his arms and prove that he would never leave her. "May I?"

Christine smiled at him for his decision and placed Jacqueline in his waiting arms. He had the look of awe on his face as his eyes watched the tiny bundle in his arms yawn. How was it that he had that power over babies to put them to sleep the minute they were placed in his care? A man that never knew such love as a child possessing such a calming nature was rare and he feared that the neglect he had suffered would resurface in time.

Suddenly Lotte came to the door, the jewelry box in her arms. "Father, why did you go behind my back and seek out the contents of this box?" she asked as her body shook from anger.

"Something was drawing me to it. Probably the hope that I had been part of your life even though I never saw you face to face all those 10 years except once. You were too young to remember that night when I held you for the first time. You were barely a month old when I came to you."

Lotte got the look of terror on her face, but soon she calmed as if she had just made a special discovery. "So it was you standing outside my bedroom window every night after I had gone to sleep. For years I had had a calm feeling every time I went to sleep, the feeling that someone was protecting me, but as the letter said I finally saw you hiding amongst the rooftops. I had been sick and couldn't sleep that night, so I had gone to get some fresh air. Seeing you there made the entire ache in my body disappear and I was able to go to sleep. The only thing was that seeing as I hadn't seen this letter in so long I never put two and two togther about my own Father coming to my window every night."

"You saw him…?"

"I tried so many times to tell you and Raoul, but you would always say I was making believe that someone was there. See for your self that it was no image of my imagination," Lotte said handing Christine the piece of paper from inside the box.

Christine read it as Erik hummed to Jacqueline and Lotte watched for any reaction from her mother. In a moment the letter had fallen from Christine's hand and her eyes were beginning to mist over. "How could I have been so naïve to what was happening in my household? If only I had believed you I could have made amends with your father years ago and saved us a lot of trouble. I'm such a fool."

"Calm yourself darling, you'll wake Jacqueline. I just got her to sleep," Erik said in a hushed whisper.

They all looked upon her with caring eyes as Erik rocked her gently back and forth. There was a warm calmness as Pierre joined them and wrapped his arm around Lotte's waist and Christine leaned against Erik's shoulder, swaying along with him.

"To think she could bring about so much peace after one of our arguments. She truly is a miracle," Christine said, as her hand rested in the bend of Erik's arm. He looked over at her and smiled before reaching over and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"She wants to remind us that even if there are indifferences that we are still family and will always be. No one could show us better than her," Lotte said coming up to her parents and fell in love with her child all over again.

Pierre came up behind her and placed a kiss along the curve of her neck. "This means she is truly our child, because I believe she has within her the power to change people's minds about the world. She will do great things. I can feel it."

Marie hurrying down the hall caught all of their attentions. She scowled at Lotte and Pierre. "The two of you shouldn't be out of bed. You are still under special care. Back to bed with the both of you," she instructed.

She took Jacqueline, who was disturbed from her sleep and was crying in protest at being awakened and taken from her grandfather's arms. Erik watched his eyes wide at the attitude of the woman. She had never taken Jacqueline out of his arms like that and action made him feel unwelcome in the house and as he had before he went for the door.

"Erik, where are you going?" Christine asked as he moved away from her.

"Back to the Opera House; something tells me I'm no longer welcome her. Besides there are things I need to take care of there. Blood that has been spilt still lies on the floor. I need to have that cleaned up before we bring Jacqueline home."

"What are we to do about Raoul's house? The man from the funeral home said he would be sending us information and bills. Plus with the news of my husband's death I'm sure people will be demanding my presence every waking moment. What am I to do?"

Erik's hand was resting on the doorknob. He knew those issues would arise, but he didn't want to go back to that house. It frightened him to be anywhere nears the property and having Christine around wasn't enough to calm his nerves. The only way he would ever be safe was to burn that house to the ground.

He turned round to Christine. "I don't think we should worry with that house anymore. I say we take out of it which is most precious and set it ablaze. That is the only way I can ever see us being free from what once was a horrible nightmare."

"What? You can't be serious Erik."

"I'm dead serious. The only way I can insure my family's safety is to see that house burn to the ground taking every reminder of the Vicomte with it. I don't see myself resting in peace until the task is complete. It's my responsibility Christine."

"So are you saying we are to start anew?"

"Yes, clean the slate of that man and start a new life. It will be a big adjustment for us all, but I have no doubt that we can handle this. It's the only way Christine."

A few stray tears fell to the floor from Christine's eyes. She loved Erik with all her heart, but there was still a small sadness for Raoul. He had been her friend many years ago and for a time her husband. She knew Erik despised Raoul, but that gave him no right to talk like this. Why was he having such a negative attitude about all this?

But as she gazed into Erik's golden blue eyes she was seeing something usually not seen, Erik's true fear. His pupils were wide and they went along with the frown upon his lips and the wrinkles in his forehead from frustration and fatigue. She reached up and ran her fingers along his exposed cheekbone hoping to calm him and get some attention in return.

Her wish was granted. A small smile spread across Erik's lips and he reached up to brush her hair out of her face. The feel of his touch seemed to feed the fire burning within her heart for him and she leaned in against him, drawing her arms up under her chest and laying them upon his.

He wrapped his cape around her engulfing her in a sea of black fabric. The smell of his cologne gave her a feeling of comfort and protection, yet she still couldn't comprehend the idea of burning her home to the ground. So many memories were made within those walls and to have them taken by flames was a devastating blow to her heart. Crying softly and letting her tears fall upon Erik's shirt she began to realize he was right. She was needed to make a choice; be the widow of Raoul or begin a life with Erik singing at the Opera House until she could sing no more. She couldn't have both. To live in both worlds would risk exposing her family to the cruelty of the world. There was no way she would do that.

After what felt like an eternity she lifted her eyes to look upon Erik, who had his eye closed and his own tears falling down his face. She knew he hated seeing her so upset, so she reached up and kissed his chin taking a few of her tears into her mouth.

Surprised he looked down at her. "Have you come to a decision?" he asked, his fingers wiping the tears that had started falling down her cheeks again.

"I have. Once everything important to Lotte and I is removed from the house it will burn as you say. I can't live in the past anymore. It's time to look towards the future; our future," she said running her fingers along the back of his neck and his hair line.

Okay I solved my writer's block and soon 47 should be up. To Fox of the Nova I finally listened to the song Papa, Can you hear me? By Charlotte Church and I agree it matches or could be used in this story. I promise there will soon be Jacqueline cuteness as there was in this chapter, so you baby lovers be patient.