Are you ready, Erik?

Erik: Oh, yes. Big surprise, huh?

darklady5289: Yup. Madame Giry's a rebel.

Erik: Scandalous.

MasqueradingThroughLife: Aww, that's so sweet. My Erik never brings me tomato soup!

Erik: Indeed… Hey, MY-Erik! We should put our genius brains together and figure out why females are so screwed up… Then we'll write an opera about it and get rich… Or maybe a book… Or perhaps an opera based on the book… Man, I hope you don't catch that cold… It sounds nasty…

Silent Phantasy: Hey! I made her squeal!

Erik: Microwaved M&M's? Ooh, I'm intrigued!

MJ-Skywalker: Why, thank you! See, Erik? Not everyone thinks I suck!

Erik: That may be true, but I am the only genius here, so therefore you all have the right to my opinion.

Pharaohs Daughter: Hey, Erik! Here's another girl who likes the idea of you making some babies with Fantine.

Erik: I swear, if you write an explicit sex-scene with me and that female, I'll–

You'll what? Sing me to death?

AngelicFlutist: It's great to hear from you again? So, you think her reaction was appropriate?

Erik: Would I like you to massage me? Well, my dear, is the pope Catholic?

Haley Macrae: Please let me know if I'm characterizing Madame Giry alright. I've never really used her a whole lot in any of my other fics, so don't hesitate to tell me if she's acting out of character.

Erik: I like my s'more pop tarts.

I like my Erik plushie… (Pauses) What's an Erik plushie?

Erik: Something you can't get in Canada.

the Unrequited Lover: Ah, so you picked up that little bit of symbolism with her skin being on fire? I originally wrote it to say that her skin was burning, but then I thought better of it and changed it to being on fire. I was wondering if anyone would notice. Wow, you are really good at analysing these chapters. Reading your reviews is almost like reading a university-level book report. You must be taking notes while you read this! Erik: First she says I'm in denial and now she thinks I'm insecure? Starrylibra: Alright Erik, I caught that review from when I was away. Don't you even think about doing… that… in the closet! Geez, I have to sleep next to the door, and the last thing I need to hear before I pass out from a day of hard work is the sound of you and one of our readers doing… that! Erik: But she's very pretty…

Tadriendra of Mirkwood: Aww, Legolas is a darling… Erik, you could take lessons from him.

Erik: I am not taking lessons from a man whose only skills include archery and making hormonal teenage girls swoon! Have a far more talents than that! I'm a genius!

And so humble too…

Araiona Dubois: Ah-ha! So our timid singer is a star in the making? Way to go!

Erik: You know, I could get you a job…

How? By dropping a set-piece on a stuck-up diva's head?

Carkeys: Why, thank you. And here's your update.

Mrs. Gerard Butler: Gerard Butler is severexy… Hey, Erik! She thinks you're stupid and sexy!

Erik: Curse female indecisiveness!

Emma and Hollom: Chill, guys. If I killed Fantine now, that would be a rather crappy ending to a potentially good story, don't you think?

Erik: Oh, Hollom… Why should I be nice to Angel? She keeps me in a closet! Though it's nice to have you and MY-Erik around. I fear that if it weren't for you two, I would slowly lose my mind.

VagrantCandy: Oh, your comments are always appreciated!

Erik: Though I wouldn't blame you if you thought it sucked. Because I thought it sucked. I think it sucked a lot!

Jedi Knight Padme: Naughty? Moi? I'm an Angel!

Erik: Yeah, your horns hold your halo up! By the way, a massage and clodhoppers would give you the authority to do just about anything you like.

Well, let's move on then!

XxXxX

Erik led Madame Giry to Fantine's room. The girl had moved little since Erik had left her.

Madame Giry touched her forehead. Her expression was serious.

"What should we do?" Erik asked. He sounded much like a scared little boy.

"We have to bring her temperature down," Madame Giry said, tugging the blankets off of the girl. Fantine seemed to moan something in protest, reaching out for the blankets again.

"I know you feel cold, sweetie," Madame Giry spoke soothingly to her. "But you're burning up. You can't have the blankets." Madame Giry pulled the twisted cloak off of her as well.

"I'm going to get a bowl of cold water and a cloth," Madame told Erik. "Stay with her. Let her know you're there."

Madame Giry left him alone with her. He was by her side in an instant.

"Please get better, angel," he begged silently. "Get better… I promise I'll never do anything bad again…"

Erik gazed at her. She was still fully dressed. Madame said they had to bring her temperature down.

Erik quickly sat her up, undoing the clasps at the back of her dress. He slipped it off. He removed her shoes and stockings as well, until she only wore her thin slip and corset. Erik loosened the corset a bit, hoping it would be more comfortable for her.

Fantine moaned.

"It's alright, Fantine," he said soothingly. "It's alright… I'm here… Erik's here…"

Madame Giry returned with the cloth and placed it over the sick girl's forehead.

"I don't suppose you have any medication for fevers down here, do you?" she asked.

"I might be able to find something," Erik said. Without another word, he left to see what he could find.

Madame Giry looked at the poor girl before her.

"Oh, Fantine," she whispered. "Get better… Get better for Erik. You must understand, he's never cared about anyone but himself before… But when he came to my home just now, he was so worried for you. He almost made himself sick… Ran the whole way to my house, he did. I know he cares for you. I think he cares for you more than anything before… I don't think he can live without you. If it helps any, I'll say a few extra prayers for your recovery…"

Erik returned some time later, a cup with some strange-smelling liquid in his hand.

"That was quick," she commented.

"I ran," he spoke in a gasping breath.

"You must slow down a bit," Madame Giry said. "You're going to end up killing yourself."

Erik paid her no heed. "This is an herbal remedey," he indicated the cup in his hand. "It should help bring the fever down."

Madame Giry nodded. "Give it to her."

Erik sat Fantine up a little and tilted her head back. He put the cup against her lips and poured the liquid down her throat. Fantine swallowed it, then murmured something in objection.

"Be still," Erik whispered as he laid her back down. "You will feel better soon, I promise."

Madame Giry looked up at Erik's grim face. "I understand how concerned you must be," she said. "Don't worry. We'll have your girl up and about in no time!"

Erik stared at Fantine's sleeping face. "Madame Giry… You are a woman…"

"Yes, I am," she smiled amusedly.

"And I am a man… Therefore, I cannot understand a woman's heart…"

"Are you trying to ask my advice?"

Erik gazed at her. "Madame Giry… If, hypothetically, you met a man and found out that he had… accidentally done something that caused you pain, would you be able to forgive him?"

She studied him. "Well… I suppose that would depend on my feelings for the man…"

"Well, what if you – hypothetically, of course – kissed this man… and spent much time with him… would you ever be able to forgive him if you found out that he had done something horrible to you?"

"Well," Madame Giry began, a smile sliding across her lips. "Did I do anything else with this man? Something rather intimate, maybe?"

"Oh, no!" Erik said quickly. He paused. "Well… You did make him a very nice Christmas present that took a lot of time and effort…"

"It sounds like I really care about this man."

"But, then… You are a little emotionally unstable… And you have trust issues…"

"Well, so do you, Erik."

"Yes, I know, but–" he stopped. "I… I never said we talking about me!"

Madame Giry sighed. "You told her. You told her about the accident."

"I had to tell her."

"Why, Erik? Why?"

"I had to. Oh, Madame, I had to! I couldn't keep on like this! I couldn't keep pretending that I had no reason to feel guilty around her! Because every time I looked into her beautiful face, I was reminded of my sins… Reminded of what I did!"

"First of all," Madame Giry began, "you are probably the only man in the known universe who would say her face is beautiful. Second of all, did you even stop to consider the ramifications of telling her about that night?"

Erik hung his head. "I couldn't go on deceiving her, Madame…" He glanced up. "May I ask why you never told her who was responsible for her demise? Five years, Madame! In five years, you never thought to say, 'By the way Fantine, the real Phantom of the Opera is the one who dropped that chandelier on your head!'"

Madame Giry's tone grew cold. "Erik, you are not going to turn this around on me!"

Erik averted his gaze. "My apologies, Madame…"

Madame's voice softened. "I never told her the details about that night because I decided that the poor child had suffered enough. She lost everything that night, Erik. She lost the man she had loved, she lost her career, she lost her friends… Everything. I thought it better if she went on thinking that the crash was just some freak accident. She didn't need to know that she was merely an innocent bystander in the midst of a love-triangle… That she was the victim of something that had nothing to do with her… That she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time… Erik, the night the chandelier fell was a horrific moment for her. I'm the only other person she's spoken to in over five years… And not once has she ever mentioned that night to me! Don't you see? She's not over it yet. She hasn't had the chance to grieve her losses and move on. And then you come along… She befriends you, starts to care about you, and then you spring that awful night on her again? Of course she would be upset and angry! Who wouldn't be? She needs time Erik… She needs time to just let that night go and move on…"

Erik gazed at Fantine's face again. "How long will it take her?"

"Who knows? She has a lot to reconcile with."

Fantine moaned again. She stirred in her bed.

"Fantine?" Erik stood up and pressed his hand against her forehead. She was still warm, but her skin no longer burned.

"She feels better!" Erik exclaimed. Madame Giry moved beside him and put her hand against Fantine's forehead. She smiled.

Fantine opened her eyes a bit. "It's… c-c-c-cold…" she chattered.

"Erik, let's give her that blanket back."

Erik handed the blanket to Madame Giry and she covered Fantine's partially-dressed body with it. Erik backed away as Madame Giry went about propping Fantine's head up with her pillows and ensuring that she was perfectly comfortable.

"You had us both very worried, Fantine," Madame Giry said, checking the girl's temperature for the dozenth time.

Fantine glanced past Madame Giry at Erik, who had spent the past several minutes brooding in the corner.

"Erik," she said softly. Her voice betrayed no emotion.

"He was very worried about you," Madame Giry said. "Poor fellow ran all the way from here to my cottage to get me. Nearly gave himself a heart-attack, I'm afraid." She glanced at Erik. "You are lucky, Fantine," she added, "that you have a man who cares so very much about you…"

Fantine's eyes studied the man before her.

"Erik," Madame Giry turned to him. "She must remain in bed for the next few days. And none of this one meal a day nonsense either! She must have three full, healthy meals each day if she is going to recover properly."

Little did she know that Erik and Fantine were already eating more than one meal a day!

Madame Giry turned to Fantine once more. "Now you do your part, Fantine, and get better! And I don't want to hear anything about you giving Erik trouble, either. I want you back on your feet and haunting this opera house by the time everyone returns from the holidays." Madame Giry left then.

Erik felt uncomfortable with Fantine's watchful eyes staring at him. He strode out of the room.

Fantine closed her eyes. "He's angry with me… Why shouldn't he be? I behaved like a child. I didn't even give him a chance to fully explain himself. I just ran off like a child throwing a temper tantrum." Fantine opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Five years," she mused. "Five years… Why does it still hurt so much?"

Erik paced the sitting room. He had a loaf of bread sitting on the hearth, warming up by the fire. "She hates me," he thought sadly. "She will never forgive me for this…"

He picked up the warm bread and cut off a few slices. After placing the slices on a plate and buttering them generously, he returned to her room.

"I… hope you're hungry," he said as he held out the plate to her.

"Thank you," was all she said.

Erik pulled up a chair and watched her as she ate.

"He's not saying anything to me," Fantine noticed. "Sure he's not talkative, but he normally says something!"

"She's not even looking at me," Erik thought. "Why would she? Who would want to look at an ugly, wretched gargoyle like me?"

"I should never have run from him…"

"I ruined her life… She's probably disgusted by my very presence!"

"I wish he'd say something…"

"Perhaps I should go?"

"Maybe I should say something…"

"I'll just tell her…"

"Erik, I'm–"

"I'll just be–"

They stopped and stared at each other. After a long moment, Erik gestured for her to speak first.

She looked away from him. "I… just wanted to thank you for… taking care of me…"

"You're welcome."

"She's still not looking at me… It's progress… But she's still not looking at me…"

"What were you going to say?" she asked.

"If you'd like me to go now, I'll just be in the sitting room."

"Alright…"

"He doesn't even want to be near me. God, what a foolish girl I am…"

"She wants me to go… It hurts even more this time than when Christine left me…"

Erik got up from his chair and moved over to where Fantine lay on her bed. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Erik winced. "Force of habit…" He turned quickly and moved towards the door.

"You don't have to do that, you know…"

Erik turned. "Is she asking me to stay?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"Kiss me… or even touch me… You don't have to pretend… I don't mind…"

"I'm not pretending Fantine, I…" He paused, unsure of how to express his feelings to her. "I… like touching you…"

"Bad choice of words," he reprimanded himself.

"How could you like it?" she asked coldly. "Not even my fiancé liked it… Not after what happened…"

"She will never forgive me," Erik told himself. "She thinks I'm the reason her precious lawyer left her."

"Fantine… I'm not your fiancé…"

"No… I guess you aren't…"

Erik left the room then.

"I'm such a wretched monster," he thought, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"I'm such a foolish girl," she thought, a large lump forming in the back of her throat. "A foolish, childish little girl!"

XxXxX