February 26, 2005- Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I had many things to do. Plus not many people are reviewing anymore which seems to tell me that I should stop writing! Lol. Hopefully my friends will review sooner or later! On with the thank yous:

Countess Vladislaus Dragu- Thanks for reviewing, here's the next chapter, hope you like it!

daygonna- Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked the last chapter...and you'll have to read the rest of the story, won't you?

xxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx: Geez, I had no idea everyone loved Emily so much, especially since she is a made up character of mine! Anyway thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 13

The wind was whipping against Erik's face as he kicked the horse's sides, urging the horse to move faster. He had to get to her, before... He shook his head, getting the morbid thought out of his head and he started focusing on the road ahead. His eyes focused on Raoul who was on his horse, galloping at full speed. He glanced back and spotted Erik. He motioned for him to quicken his pace, and Erik obeyed. In other circumstances, he would have ignored him but now was not the time. He clicked his tongue and squeezed the sides of the horse harder, causing it to run at full speed. He pulled at the reins making the horse ride up on Raoul's left side, "The road splits in two directions, so we'll each have to follow one." Raoul shouted above the noise of the horses' hooves. He tossed a revolver to Erik, "If you find her, shoot a signal into the air. I'll come and find you. I have a revolver too and I'll do the same if I find her." Erik nodded as Raoul gave him a thumbs up. Raoul rode followed the pathway that went to the right and Erik followed the one that was on the left.

Erik rode on for hours with his hope dimming with each minute that passed. He felt panic rise within him as his chest began to rise up and down rapidly. The cold weather made his body shiver but he ignored it as he pressed on. After three hours of searching, he came up with no clues to Emily's whereabouts. He knew the area pretty well, he came here many times before. This was nowhere near Paris, but Erik assumed that she departed the city when it was beginning to get dark. Maybe, she had gotten lost. He stopped his horse and stayed there quietly as he strained to hear the sound he wanted to hear the most: A gunshot.

On the other pathway, Raoul ran his horse until the horse stopped on its own due to exhaustion. "Come on, don't quit on me on, boy." Raoul urged. He decided to give the reins a jerk, but the horse refused to budge. Frustrated by the horse's stubbornness, Raoul got off the horse, mumbling, "Fine then, I shall find her on foot." he pulled the horse along by its reins. He looked around for any possible movement that might be suspicious. His eyes then moved to the front , gazing at the road up ahead once more. He squinted his eyes to get a better look at what seemed to be a huge rock in the middle of the road but, something seemed very strange about that object. He began to run towards the rock as a thought occurred to him. He heard the hooves of the horse closely behind him. When he was close enough, he noticed that it was not an object, but a person. He dropped the reins and put his hands on the body. He closed his eyes and prepared his mind for what he was about to see. He flipped the body over and stifled a cry of relief of finding her, and one of worry. There laid Emily, her face was caked in dry blood from a deep gash in her forehead. There was a trail of dry blood coming from one of the corners of her mouth. "Emily?" Raoul whispered. There came no response from her so he got up off the floor and went to grab the revolver he had. He pointed it straight in the air and fired. The sound echoed in the air. He stood there waiting for a moment, hoping that Erik would be coming. He took off his coat and placed it on her to keep her warm. As soon as he got up, Raoul felt many pairs of eyes watching him. He looked around cautiously, with his finger on the trigger of the revolver. Then the pairs of eyes became visible in the night as a pack of wolves came out of the shadows. They licked their lips hungrily at the two delicious pieces of meat in front of them. Raoul aimed his revolver at what he thought was the leader of the pack. He pulled the trigger. To his disappointment, the revolver was out of ammunition. They were going to die. One of the wolves leapt at Raoul who covered himself as best as he could. But before the wolf could even touch him, a caped figure with a white mask concealing his face, "Erik!" Raoul shouted in relief as the man pulled out his sword,

"Stay back, I'll hold them." wolves began to leap at him. Erik's sword became a blur as he moved it quickly, slicing any creature that came to close to him. After he finished, he wiped the bloody sword with his gloved hand. He silently went over to Emily's side and knelt down next to her. He picked her up and held her in his arms as he tenderly touched her face. He swallowed a sob as he looked at her bloodied face. Raoul stayed silent. He felt awkward at seeing Erik look so helpless. Finally, he got the courage to say something,

"Erik, let's take her home. We can call the doctor and he'll take a look at her." Erik nodded as he picked up Emily and placed her on his horse. They rode off to the Theater as quickly as the horses could take them. When they got there they saw the whole theater company waiting for them. Christine lead the group in surrounding Erik as he carried Emily and took her to her room. There were many tears as Emily's friends saw her all bloodied and motionless. Christine, Meg, Firmin, Andre, Madame Giry, Raoul, Erik, Carlotta, and Piagani pushed the rest of the group back as they went into the room and locked the door. Erik placed Emily on her bed and sat next to her. Madame Giry grabbed a bowl from the bathroom and filled it with water. She grabbed a nearby towel and went to Emily's other side. She wet the towel with water and began to clean Emily's face and wound. Erik saw a tear trickle down the older woman's face as she began to dry the younger woman's face gently. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She looked up and smiled at him. Nobody could truly understand the bond that the two of them had. She considered him her son and has never seem him as happy as he was when Emily was around him. She also came to care for Emily very much, and now she looked so helpless... Madame Giry could only close her eyes and let the tears flow down. Even Carlotta shed a few tears for her rival.

Maybe, I should be a little nicer to her when she recovers... The diva thought to herself. She nodded as she secretly promised to do so. Piagani came over and kissed her on the cheek and gave her a smile. She smiled back at him, "I love you Ubaldo." He kissed her again in response. Meg walked up to her mother,

"Mama, will she be okay?" Madame Giry looked up at her daughter had a tear-streaked her face. She nodded,

"Everything will be okay, my dear." Raoul looked at Madame Giry,

"I will call the doctor." Madame Giry looked at him,

"I've already tired calling him when the two of you were looking for Emily. He is out of town, and will not be back for a week." Erik growled at her remark. Madame Giry eyed him. She got up,

"Now if you all will leave the room, I will change Emily's clothes." She pulled Erik away from her and ushered everyone out of the room. She took Emily's cloak, dress and corset and she went to the drawer to get a sleeping gown for her. As gently as possible, Madame Giry moved her body as she tried to put the gown on her. After successfully dressing her, the older woman tucked Emily into the bed and began to clean her wound once more. She went to the bathroom and later returned with a bandage. She wrapped Emily's head with it and later tied a knot on the ends to secure it. She took the young woman's hand and began to whisper,

"Emily, come back to him...He misses you." She began to cry once more, "I miss you too..." she whispered. A moan then filled the older woman's ears. She looked up to see Emily's eyes flutter open slowly. She smiled when she saw Madame Giry,

"You're a sight for sore eyes." Emily whispered. The older woman looked at her and smiled warmly. She leaned over and kissed her forehead. Emily then frowned remembering everything that had happened. She grabbed Madame Giry's hand urgently, "Don't let anybody know what I am about to tell you." The dance instructor looked at her, and her hand was squeezed even harder, "Promise me!" Emily urged. Madame Giry winced as she tried to free her hand,

"All right, I promise." Emily winced in pain as the cut on her forehead throbbed,

"I'm dying..." Madame Giry put her head in her hands and wept. Emily looked away as she too tried to conceal her tears, "Remember, you can't tell anyone...not even Erik. He wouldn't be able to take it." Madame Giry smiled weakly,

"I promise." She got up and was about to walk away when Emily spoke,

"Madame Giry, who found me?"

"Le Viconte de Changy..."

"Well, could you thank him for me?"

"Of course, ma petite ange." She left her and quietly shut the door. Emily began to doze off when Erik came in. Their eyes locked onto each other as Erik went over to her side. He grabbed her hand,

"Are you all right?" She nodded as she looked into his eyes. He kissed her hand as he tearfully whispered,

"I thought I lost you..." She smiled weakly as she kissed his hand,

"When I was in the dark, I could hear your voice singing to me..." She took off his mask wiped away his tears, "Then I knew that I had to come back to you. Erik, you're the one for me, there is no other man for me." Erik smiled tearfully as he leaned in and kissed her lips. He then whispered,

"I love you, you're the only one for me. I wanted to do this tonight at dinner..." He got down on one knee and pulled out a little velvet box, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

Emily, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" He opened the box, revealing a large diamond with red rubies surrounding it with a silver band. Emily began to sob hysterically. She should say no so that she wouldn't break his heart. She couldn't bear to leave him alone after she died... Plus, they have only known each other for a couple of weeks! Were they really ready for this big step? She looked at him as he caressed her face, "What's wrong Emily?" She laughed at his worried expression,

"I'm just so happy...I want to be your wife, Erik." He gave a joyful shout as he kissed her. While they kissed passionately, he slipped the ring on her left ring finger.

A/N: So what did you think? I hope you aren't disappointed. I will try to update sooner, but I can't make any promises! Please Review, it's what keeps me going!