disclaimer: i hardly have enough money to buy an outfit and a bookbag for school. so do you think i can buy Phantom of the Opera with fourty bucks? i doubt it. but if i can... yay!

i just want to say thanks for the idea from Varadrovia. i might use it later on...

"Erik, I'm tired. Can we stop for the night?" April asked.

"We will in a while we have only gotten out of the town. We'll stop soon."

"Where will we sleep? In a field or an inn?" Erik said nothing.

"April, I did not think about that. How much longer can you stay awake?"

"Not long…" April yawned.

"There are not any inns around here so we'll stop by a stream or something." Erik said softly

"Okay. If I fall asleep wake me when we get there…" April closed her eyes and rested a minute.

Five minutes later, Erik stopped by a small river and carried April off the horse and laid some blankets on the ground. Then he placed her on them.

"Stay here and rest while I get some fire wood."

April said nothing because she was asleep. Erik smiled at her then went around looking for the wood.

When April awoke Erik was sitting on the blankets he laid out for her earlier and was looking at the small fire he built. She sat up and he turned to look at her.

"Hello my darling. How did you sleep?" Erik asked her.

"I slept better than I have in days. Maybe it's because you are here with me."

"I'm glad. Did you know that you smile when you sleep?"

"I was not aware of that." April flashed him one. Erik smiled.

"Happy birthday. Since I could not get you much out here I found these." He held up a six week old kitten and its mother. The kitten was completely black. The mom was white and gray with black stripes.

"Oh, Erik! Where on earth did you find them?"

"Actually, they came to us… they needed a warm place to sleep and they saw our fire so they cuddled up with us…I mean me."

"Poor kitties… what are we going to call them?" April asked.

"Well the kitten is male and they are yours."

"Shadow. Shadow is a good name for him. You can name the mother."

"Robin would be a good name."

"Robin and Shadow, it sounds so cute."

"Yes it does. Do you want to come with me while I get some fish and stuff to eat?"

"It might not be a good idea. Shadow may need me." Erik nodded.

"Well I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay."

April started stroking Robin and she purred contently. "Robin, you are a great mother. You seem like you are two years old but that makes you older than Erik, and he's old-ish"

"Me, old? Never! I will always be a handsome young man who puts young beautiful woman in trances with my voice." Erik said while carrying a large salmon and some small little fishes.

"Erik, I never said you were OLD… I said 'old-ish'." April giggled.

"But my voice does make you go into a trance… doesn't it?" he asked.

"Well, mostly…" She looked at the cats and then at the fish Erik was holding. "Erik, give me the fish and I'll cook them. Robi's hungry and so am I." Erik looked at her funny before giving her the fish. "Thank you. Could you get me a stick, please?"

"No problem, one stick coming right up." He got up to get one.

"Thanks." April cleaned the salmon and poked the stick into its mouth. "Time for cooking little fishy! Let you now be carbonized!" She put the fish over the fire and it started to cook slowly.

"April, where did you learn that?"

"My father hated to cook so I gotta know something."

"I meant about the carbonizing."

"Oh, Robert told me about it one day." April remembered.

"Is something burning? I smell smoke."

"Ah crap. Now we only have the little fishes and they are for Robin and Shadow."

"No biggie, just give them the salmon. They won't care if it's a little well done. I'll cook the fish if you want me to."

"Okay. Here kitty, kitty, kitty! Come get you breakfast."

Shadow and Robin scrambled to April for the burnt fish breakfast. They mewl in happiness. It seems that my kitties haven't eaten anything in a long time.

Erik finished cooking the small fish. He handed her some and stared at the morning sky.

"Erik, where am I going to keep them for the journey over there?" April asked.

"In a bag with air holes and we put the bag on the other horse… Man, I'm getting tired of not knowing the names of 'our' horses. I'm going to name them 'Onyx' for the black one and 'Cinnabar' for the other."

"Okay. I never knew the names of his horses. Rob never really cared for them…" April took a bite out of the fish then coughed really hard.

"April? Are you okay?" Erik asked his voice full of concern. April shook her head 'no'.

"I think I'm allergic to that kind of fish." She started coughing again.

"Open your mouth. Does your throat feel swollen at all?" April once again shook her head.

"My throat feels fine. I think I'll be better soon. It's only minor." April said softly.

"I hope it is too. I am sorry that I found out about this the hard way." Erik told her.

"Hey, I did not know this either. It's not your fault. It's mine for burning the salmon… Erik, can you sing for me?-cough- I would love -cough- to hear it."

"Easy, love. Don't strain yourself. But I will sing for you.

No one would listen.
No one but her,
Heard as the outcast hears.

Chained into solitude,
Shunned by the multitude,
I learned to listen,
In my dark my heart heard music.

I longed to teach the world,
Rise up and reach the world,
No one would listen,
I alone could hear the music.

Then at last a voice in the gloom,
Seemed to cry, "I hear you.
I hear your fears,
Your torment and your tears."

She saw my loneliness,
Shared in my emptiness.
No one would listen,
No one but her,
Heard as the outcast hears.

No one would listen,
No one but her,
Heard as the outcast hears."

April's coughing stopped as soon as he started singing. "Erik, it is so beautiful." She said her voice dazed.

"Thanks. April, are you feeling better?"

"Yes. I just needed to rest for a while. Are you like a doctor or something?"

"I'm glad you're feeling well again. Well, we'll stop if we see some ripe berries or fruits. And once again, I'm sorry for you being hungry and allergic to my first thing I feed you."

"Erik, it is not your fault. But I would love some berries." April's stomach rumbled and she thought for a moment, 'two days ago, my life was almost perfect. Now I am sleeping outside with a man I hardly know and professing my love for him. My father killed himself and my ex-boyfriend tried to rape me after all those times he saved me from it. I am moving away from Caen, the city I have lived in for all my life to Paris. So much can happen in two days.'

"April, do you feel well enough to move on?" Erik asked her.

"Yes. Could you hand me Shadow?"

Erik looked at her then got up and found the kitten in the bushes, eating the fish April was allergic to. Shadow was coughing really hard and he had trouble breathing.

"April, he's sick!"

"What? He was fine three minutes ago!" April exclaimed.

"He was eating the fish."

"Damn it. Erik, did you happen to look at what kind of fish you were catching?" Erik shook his head. April sighed. "Could you get Robin? I must be sure she has not ingested the bad fish."

Erik went around too look for Robin. Thankfully, she never touched it. He bent down and picked her up. Robin started to purr. Erik walked back and told April that she was fine. April was relived at that but still worrying about Shadow.

"Put her in that bag that has air holes in it. I want to hold Shadow while we ride so I can be sure he's fine latter on." Erik obeyed the orders he was given.

"April, we'll stop at an inn soon so we might help Shadow. Hopefully there will be a veterinarian there so he can prescribe something for him. Lets get moving." He grabbed Aprils' arm and pulled her gently to Onyx. Cinnabar got the other bags, mainly the one with Robin in it.

How fast should we go? I don't want to get there too late but we can not go super fast and hurt Robin… I never should have gone fishing… Erik thought to himself.

"Come April, we haven't time to waste. Shadow must get help now or it will be too late." Erik helped her and the young kitten get on the horse and then he grabbed the rope for Cinnabar and jumped onto Onyx.

"Erik, I'm scared. What would happen if we can't get Shadow to an inn before… before he's… gone?" she asked her voice quivered. Erik shook his head.

"No, do not think like that. Shadow will be fine just trust me and the horses."

April nodded and leaned against him. Shadow kept coughing, April sighed deeply and she prayed aloud. "Dear God, please help my kitten get better. This is all I ask for my birthday. Please, he has done nothing to harm the balance of life. If you give life, why must you take it away so soon?"

"April…" Erik began, "God does as he wants. If he wants small kittens to die then he will see to it that they do. If he wants babies to be born as I, then he will make them look so ugly that the Devil turns his head."

"God loves all his children! Just because handfuls look as…" she could not find the word, "hideous as you, you have no right to say evil at the creator of the world."

Erik hated April at that moment. No one calls me hideous! I would rather kill her than have her utter those words at me.

"April, never call me hideous. If you do again, I will take you back to Robert's house; I don't care what he does to you. Hell, I might even do a few of the things he might do to you and not care how damn old you are. It is entirely up to you. Choose your fate." Erik hissed at her.

"Erik I…" she took a breath, "I am sorry but you are hideous. Not in the flesh but in your soul… I am so…"

"Oh do shut up! Damn it. Do you want to kill your present or you want to save him?"

"I wish to save him but I…" Erik's hand raised and slapped her.

"Bitch, I will help your cat. I am not spiritual because of my past and I will never forget it." He paused long enough to hear April start to cry. "Serves you right…. The next inn is a few miles away. We'll get there before lunch."

"Erik, please don't hit me. I know you basically hate me right now and shit but please forgive me for my actions. I already have for last night. I am so sorry for the past and I would change it all if you would smile and have someone love you for you. I want to do that for you. Please allow yourself to do that. I love you, Erik. I want you to be happy and loved…" April continued to cry.

"Damn it, April! If you love me, then why do you hate me so? What have I done in this world to earn the love and hate of a young girl I don't even know and am madly in love with?"

"I do not hate you. It is quite far from that! I hate the fact that you have had a horrible childhood and no one loved you. I also hate that you always hide from the world if it is not the way you wish it to be. I know nothing about your past because you warned me not to ask about it. If you would tell me about it, I might be able to help. Erik, the world is not as bad as you might think. I…" she looked down at the poor kitten, "GET US TO THE DAMN INN NOW! SHADOW'S TEMPERATURE HAS GONE WAY DOWN!" she screamed.

Erik made Onyx move fast. Hopefully they would get there before the hour was over.

"April, stay calm. I will not let anything happen to Shadow. Warm him the best you can and remember nothing will happen to him if I am with him."

Somehow his words soothed her. She thanked God that she had Erik and he cared for her even if he showed it weird.

Erik is so wierd... oh well... men have mood swings in my storys.

well, i have not decided if Shadow should die and leave April mourning or have him live and make her happier than whatnot... i need to hear from my readers. i will take any suggestions at anytime so if you want something to happpen or you don't like where the fic is going, don't keep it to yourself.

all reveiwers will be loved and get an Erik kiss and not give you any mood swings! yay! i wish the same could be the same for April...