Note: Here's the next chapter! I know you all have been waiting forever! to read this, and now here it is! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me a while to work on it...


Chapter 18

Ana was breathing deeply and sweat emanated from every pore in her body. Erik had let go of her arms when he fell back into his obliviousness. His body laid limp on the bed, his breathing much more steadier.

Ana got up off the bed to get more compresses; her mind shaking. Why had her name come out instead of Christine's? Her aunt and uncle, as well has various people in the House told her countless stories of that mysterious night. She heard how Erik had gone into a rage, dragged Christine back to his home, then releasing her to Raoul. They never said why Erik released the two, it was something hardly anyone talked about. She dipped her hands into the freezing water and grabbed the washcloths. She rung them until they dripped no more. She walked back and placed the two compresses on his chest and head. She was about to sit back down in the chair when a knock on the door startled Ana. She glanced towards her clock and realized that it was seven in the morning.

She walked to the door, not bothering to fix herself. As she opened the door a crack, her eyes went wide. Outside her door stood Madame Giry and Meg. Meg wore a contingent look on her face. Madame Giry's eye's held their same motherly gaze but the small knowing smile in the corner of her mouth suggested that she knew what was going on behind those closed doors.

"Ana...do you have a visitor in there?" Meg said trying to hold back a laugh.

"No of course not! Why would you think that?" she responded quickly. She watched Meg's eyes scanned her body. Ana finally looked down at herself and realized how much of a mess she was. Her nightshift was flattened to her body by a layer of sweat. Her hair was loose from it's tie and was pasted in strands to her face. Her cheeks were flushed with a deep rosy hue and her breathing was somewhat labored.

Ana looked at both of them with eyes very wide and tried to make something up to cover up her appearance. Fortunately for her, Madame Giry interceded.

"Your friend is feeling better? I assume you have been up all night taking care of them?"

"Uh...yes! That's it, they've been very sick. I am afraid that I won't be able to make practice today. But I will make it tonight." she said, praying that Erik would be better by that night.

"Oh Ana don't forget, Christine is coming tonight!" Meg said, clasping her hands together. Ana inwardly winced. That was the last thing she needed to hear. Erik's former love coming to see a show, while Erik lay in her room possibly dying. Things were definitely looking up. Next thing she'd hear is Alex would want to have a "talk" with her in her room.

"I won't." A moan came from inside her room. Ana visibly tensed as Meg tried to look over her shoulder into the room. "I truly am sorry Madame Giry, Meg but I really must be attending to my...friend. I shall see you this evening." Madame Giry nodded and shepherded Meg down the hall who was quietly protesting. Ana slammed the door shut and looked back towards her bed.

Erik hadn't moved and Ana re-changed the compresses once more. She was praying that he would wake up soon so she didn't have to bathe him. That was definitely the last thing that she needed to do. She could handle any scathing remark made by him or Alex, Alex's brutal rapes, but to wash a man who was in a state of unawareness that made her blush a furious deep red. She never had seen, well, a male's endowments and she didn't plan on seeing this man's who was blackmailing her with what he believed to be true.

Ana's stomach growled in protest of not eating since last evening and she knew she would have to go out get some food. She decided to administer another dose of laudanum to Erik before leaving, that way he would be drugged if he were to wake up before she arrived back. Picking up the spoon that she had laid beside the bottle on her nightstand, she poured some out and sat by Erik's head. Once again she pried his mouth open and slowly poured the liquid down his throat. Then, drawing the covers up around his shoulders, she silently left and took extreme care to lock the door behind her.

As she made her way to the kitchens, she heard the familiar strains of music from rehearsal echoing through the hallways. It stopped suddenly and Ana gave a small smirk, thinking that it was Carlotta who stopped it. She slipped into the kitchen where Chef Gerrit was cleaning up the breakfast plates.

"Good morning Chef Gerrit, I was wondering if you had any breakfast left over." She said, leaning against one of the counters. Chef Gerrit smiled at her.

"Yes I do. You are lucky that I haven't thrown the scraps out. There's some leftover hamsteaks as well as a few muffins. Would you like me to warm them up for you?" Ana nodded and Chef Gerrit went to do his work rather quickly. She picked up a bottle of brandy, just in case Erik did wake up and he was thirsty. Chef Gerrit gave her the large plate of food and Ana thanked him. She made her way back to her room and heard cheering coming from the stage. She was perplexed, why would there be cheering? Something good must have happened to cause the actors, dancers, and stage hands to cheer. She decided to ask about it later in the evening, right now she had more pressing matters. 'Like the half naked man that is very sick in my room.' she thought dryly. Little did she know that the cheering she had heard would affect her and her way of living very much.


Ana's day consisted of caring for Erik. There were times when Erik would toss and turn, mutter in his dreams, and just plain sing. That was what Ana loved the most, his singing. He had such a beautiful voice, one that caused the very soul to fly. Ana loved dancing, but her one compassion was music. It always seemed to envelop her brain making her lose all sense of time. She heard him beginning to sing a duet from Don Giovanni and joined him, singing Zerlina's part. Their voices blended in perfect harmony, each note ringing together. When Erik had calmed down once more and lay still on her sheets, Ana decided on giving him a partial bath. She would wash his chest, back, and face. Everything else was to be left alone and she would make sure Erik would bathe himself when he awoke. She dipped another washcloth into the ice cold water and drew it out. Taking the soap, she lathered the washcloth up and began to lightly scrub his body. When she had finished his chest and stomach, surprised at how well his stomach was formed. He may not have looked it, but he must have worked out to get a well sculpted body. She found herself blushing furiously as she washed his stomach. Why was she acting like such a schoolgirl? She should not be this shy, this was the man who wanted Alex to take her away, not keep her as his little amore. She pushed that thought out of her mind rather quickly and dried his chest off. Then, rolling his body to his side, she quickly washed his back. As she began to wash it, her hands that were covered by the washcloth ran over faded scars. She stopped and looked at the raised patches of skin. They were long, as though someone had taken a whip and beaten him into submission.

'Why would he have scars? Did he have a horrible past, aside from Christine, that he was hiding as well?' she thought, running her bare hands over the white scars that were barely visible. Erik groaned and began to thrash his arms. She quickly finished the task and laid him back on his back. Taking the basin to the door, she set it outside and put a note to have fresh cold water placed in the basin. She then happened to glance up at the clock. It read a quarter till six and she had a half an hour before she was needed to be on stage. Wondering if it was safe to take a bath, she glanced at Erik. He was most likely going to be out for quite a while, but who could tell with the horrible fevers that accompanied whatever sickness he had. She took the chance and when the knock sounded on her door that her basin had been brought back, she asked the young lad to bring another with warm water. The boy readily complied and was off to do his bidding. She shut the door and took the washcloths off of Erik's still hot body. Some of the fever had gone down and the laudanum seemed to be helping the sickness. Erik seemed to be coughing up less blood than what he had during the night, which was always a good sign no matter what he had. The boy returned and Ana took it from his hands, promising him that he would receive a tip rather soon. The boy bowed and scurried off, no doubt to do other business. She took the basin with warm water behind her screen and stripped off her work clothes that she had put on before leaving for the kitchens earlier that morning. Washing her body in a fast manner, she wet her hair and washed that as well. It felt good to be scrubbing her body, as though she was scrubbing Erik's horrible sickness off of her body. When she deemed herself clean, she wrapped her hair up and picked up her outfit. Slipping it on, she buttoned herself up and walked from behind the changing screen. Erik was muttering again in his dream, something about a monkey and being in a cage.

She sat down at her vanity, ignoring Erik's talk and did her makeup and hair. Picking up her ballet shoes, she changed the compresses once more and administered some laudanum again and slipped out of her room. Locking the door, she walked towards the warm-up area. All the dancers were a-twitter with excitement, the only two who weren't was Meg and Madame Giry.

"What is going on? What has happened?" Ana asked aloud to everyone.

"Why we have a new patron. Oh he is absolutely divine!" a dancer, Jammes said excitedly.

"Who is that?" Ana asked the dancer. She didn't particularly like the dancer for she sold her body to any rich man that showed up to the Opera House that evening.

"Why it's Monsieur Alex McKinley! The famous and rich American!" Ana blanched with fear. He had stooped too low, this was even too low for him. So that's what the cheering had been about. She straightened her spine, not allowing Alex's little ruse get to her, and walked off. Alex wanted to become a patron to the Opera Populaire to watch her every move? Well, he'd watch her alright, but never would he be near her. Ana pushed that thought aside and warmed up. It was going to be an exhausting evening.


Okay now here's the diffcult thing, REVIEW! please please please, review for me! I love hearing from you all! WOOT! and now I have seen phantom five times...whee! Lets make it six...adios!