A/N: Alright folks, here it is! Sorry I haven't been able to get it to you sooner! Thanks for reviewing, all. There are a lot of names that review, so y'all know who you are! Just to let you know, I have our two beloved characters sing Broken, from Seether and Amy Lee. 'Tis a great song…check it out.

7. Too Close For Comfort

Erik has been unconscious for about four days now, and Christine is starting to get worried. She only knew days passed because she had Erik's pocket watch. Thankfully, his watch was made in Sweden. Sweden was known for its watches, covered with intricate details, a beauty that far surpassed any other watch. It was nothing like Christine had ever seen before. It had the time, date, and the year on it! She didn't know that Erik possessed something so small, yet so beautiful. It was the only reminder of time. When he made his music, time didn't matter. He did not even remember his own birthday.

Everyday, Christine would tend to his wounds; cleaning and changing his bandages. Each day they got better, but she knew it would take a long time for them to heal completely. Every hour, Christine had to moisten Erik's lips with water, so they wouldn't become chapped, and she would force water down his throat. She didn't want him to get dehydrated, and she couldn't feed him food, because she was afraid she might choke him.

Those four days and nights were hell for them both, mainly because of his frequent nightmares, and Christine's lack of sleep. Whenever Erik had nightmares, he would sometimes scream for Christine to come back, or cry out when he saw whips come down on him. Each time, Christine would go to him, hold him and sing to him. She couldn't bear to see him in so much pain, and sometimes she cried with him. He was never aware of what she did, but sometimes "awoke" in a half delirium, half sleep state. He was only aware of her voice and tried to reply, but his brain would not work with him.

Despite the lack of sleep, Christine was never impatient with him. She always approached him with an unnatural gentleness. She should have been crabby with him, but she wasn't like anyone else. She was a devoted woman, who only belonged to Erik. She felt that she needed to take care of him…no matter what. Christine's soul was so gentle, it was almost too gentle. It was understood that so many people really enjoyed her company, but it was confusing to her. She did not know that she truly was a rare find. She had it all; beauty, innocence, and a down to earth personality. She never raised her voice except to sing, she was very polite, and she did not act like a slut. Above all, Christine never judged someone before meeting them, and she never thought herself higher than anyone else. She played hard to get though. She might be a well-rounded person, but she didn't give herself to the world completely. Christine had more strength than most women did. After all, she did put up with Erik, and gladly. Oh no, Christine was no weakling. She did have her soft spots, however. All of them reserved for Erik, no one else.

Erik's vital signs progressed a little more each day, but without food, he could not function properly. Water was the only source of nourishment he got. Christine realized that he had lost some weight. She decided that he should wake up for a few moments as she fed him. She went into his kitchen and found some bread, knowing she couldn't give him a whole meal just yet. Besides, bread would be enough to hold him over. It is better than just water. She went over to Erik and sat down. She took his hand in hers and said quietly, "Angel, it is time to wake up. Time to get some food in your stomach. Come on now, wake up, Erik. You can go back to sleep after you eat." Christine's hand roamed to his forehead and started to pet on his hair. "Erik? Sweetie, you need to eat, you are losing weight, and water isn't going to help anymore. Erik! I know you can hear me."

She knew that he heard her but was pretending to be asleep. A thought went through her mind, and she got a mischievous grin. She said casually, "I have nothing more to do. I will be leaving, soon. The world must think me dead! Oh, what will I tell Meg?"

At the name, Erik's eyes flew open and he sat up so quickly, it was as if nothing happened to him. He was confused when he saw her smirking, but the smile was enough to kill his anger.

"What? You are leaving? But…"

"Aha! So…you weren't asleep. Just as I suspected."

"WHAT? You tricked me? You little viper!" He put on his own smirk and grabbed Christine.

"Come here, you!" He growled playfully.

Christine couldn't help but laugh, and let him pull her down. She was relieved that he was feeling much better, but at the same time, she needed to get him food.

"Hey, you need some food. I will go find you some. Is there anything specific that you would like?"

"No. Just what you eat I will; you could use some food yourself."

Christine nodded and went to fetch whatever she could find in his kitchen compartments.

Erik felt much better, but he also felt weak. He decided to try to walk to his swan bed; it was much more comfortable than towels on the floor. He twisted to his side and used his arms as leverage. He slowly brought his knees up under him and pushed up wards. He leaned against a wall for support, and slowly took it one step at a time, careful not to trip or tire himself too quickly.

When he got to the bottom stair that led to his bed, he turned his body towards the wall and side stepped up the stairs, slower than he had walked there. He finally reached the top step and he side stepped right leg first, then left. The left foot caught on the very tip of the step, and he fell forwards. He tried desperately to grab onto something, but only managed to drag a curtain down with him. He hit the floor stomach first, and it was enough to knock the breath out of him. He wheezed as his wounds gave him the sharpest pain he had felt so far. His eyes went out of focus, and he tried to get up, but he was just too weak. He turned his head to the side and just laid there with his wrists just above his head. When he caught his breath, he cried out in a childish whine, "Christine! Help me! Christine? Christine…" He felt foolish for calling for help, but there was nothing else he could do. He knew she would come, but until then, he just wanted to sleep, so he closed his eyes and drifted off. He was unconscious of a crashing sound somewhere below him.

Christine walked back into the room with a tray of two peanut butter jelly sandwiches, and two glasses of water. She hummed to herself as she made her way to Erik's makeshift bed.

"Erik, I got us some peanut butter…" She dropped the tray and stared in horror at the empty spot where he should have been. She gasped and looked around wildly for him.

"ERIK? Where…?" She was cut off by his voice calling to her. It was weak and distant, but it was him. She looked to where his voice came from, and almost fainted at the site. There, at the top of the stairs was Erik sprawled on the ground. Christine ran as if the devil was chasing her, only slowing by a fraction of a millisecond when she reached the stairs. She sprinted up them two at a time, reaching Erik in about ten seconds.

"ERIK! Oh no…Erik!" His eyes were closed when she got to him, and it frightened her. She dropped to her knees and grabbed a shoulder. She pushed lightly on him, waiting for his reaction. He only frowned in his sleep, and she pushed with all her might, rolling him over. Surprisingly, she didn't have to use all of her strength. His eyes opened and he had to look at Christine before recognizing her, as his eyes were out of focus.

"Christine? I'm sorry…I tried to get to the bed, because it's more comfortable." He knew she would demand an explanation, so he gave her one before she could.

"That's alright as long as you are…but you should have asked me first. You could have fallen down the stairs! From now on, I'm going to have to be careful about leaving you alone." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up slowly. He was still heavy, but not as heavy as he was. She realized that he was helping her help him. She put his arm around her shoulders. Christine's right arm held onto him just below his armpit, and her other arm was gripping the hand that went over her shoulders. She pressed into his uninjured side, to make sure he had a lot of support. Her right hand was resting on the side of his chest and he held onto it, pulling her onto his left side. They made their way slowly, with much effort, closer to the bed. He was out of breath, and he had to stop.

"Christine…I need to stop. I cannot go any further."

"We're almost there, just ten more feet! You can make it."

"NO! I NEED to STOP!"

"Ok, ok! Here, lean on this wall."

She gently pushed him on the nearest wall, and slid both arms under his armpits, with his hands on her arms. She tried to make eye contact, but he wouldn't look at her.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm just tired, that's all. I needed to rest."

"You are forgiven. Erik? What's wrong?"

He slowly slid down the wall, and closed his eyes. He put his head on his knees and started quietly whimpering. The pain…I can't stand it any longer. Make it stop! PLEASE…make it stop… He looked up after a few moments and said, "Christine, I can't go any further. Let me rest here until I can."

She looked at him questioningly but said, "Yes you can, Angel. I know you can. It's not that far. Come on, I'll help you." She hugged him, pulling him up with her. She was careful not to hug his lungs. Instead, their collarbones almost met as she pulled him up. She had to stand on her tiptoes when he was completely standing, his back pressed onto the wall. She held him pinned to the wall until he caught his breath.

Christine suddenly saw how tired he really was, and realized that if he passed out, she would not be able to catch him as he could for her. With that in mind, she went to his left side and again supported him. They made their way slowly, only stumbling once.

When they finally reached his swan bed, Christine moved around to face him, still holding onto him. When Erik's back was to the bed, Christine hooked her arms underneath his and lowered him onto the edge.

Erik sat on the edge, slightly hunched over and his head bowed. His arms were resting so that they held him up. Christine got down on her knees and put her hands in his lap. She looked at him with concern, but was taken over in amazement by his beautiful blue-green eyes. After a few silent moments, Erik asked, "Christine, why did you come back?"

She knew he would ask this sooner or later… She replied, "I just couldn't leave the man that I love. After everything we shared, how could I just throw it all away? I couldn't bear a second without my Angel. I would not be able to sing, or return to the Opera Populaire, for fear of old memories."

She looked down, nearly in tears, and continued, "I was foolish for not seeing the connection before. Yes, I felt something, but then he got in the way, and I became confused. I realize now…that it was you, who I really loved. Erik, why do you still love me, even after what I did to you? Why?"

Erik was taken aback by her sudden question. He slipped his hands beneath hers, looked into her eyes, and said in a tender voice, "Christine…I have always loved you, and I always will; no matter what you do to me." He let go of one hand and cupped the side of her face. "You know that." Erik gave her a reassuring smile before placing his hand once more, beneath hers.

"Oh Erik…you'll never know how much I love you. There aren't any words to express it." She blushed and gave his hands a slight squeeze.

"Then say nothing, my dear. I must agree with you." He blushed also, and looked away, but stared back at her with a smirk. "Words may not work….but this will."

He raised one of her hands to his lips and politely kissed it. He smiled, as she blushed even pinker. He pulled her up on the bed to sit beside him.

She was about to take her hand back, when he started planting soft kisses, making his way up her arm. It made her laugh, filling the room with the heavenly sound.

He loved the way she laughed. Hell, he loved the way she did everything; so graceful, beautiful, and adorable! He wanted to let her know that, too. He held her arms length away and began to sing:

I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore
Christine caught on, and sang back to him:

The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
They sing together:


'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone
You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore

The song ended, and he still held onto her hand. He started kissing a trail on her arm until he got to her neck. He lingered there for a few seconds, happy with her reaction. She had gasped in surprise at first, but then gave up. She knew where this was going, but refused to give herself to him so soon and that easily. He knows what he's doing to me. Grrr! I can't let him do this! Tell him to stop, before it goes too far. But it's rude! But he's good at what he does…TELL HIM TO STOP, NOW!

"Erik…" She opened her eyes and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" He didn't stop, just moved to her ear and started nibbling it playfully.

"Right now is really not the convenient time. Please, we're both tired. Can't we just rest?"

He understood, and almost smacked himself for what he was about to do. He blushed and sat on the edge, hands clasped, head bowed. He looked like a little boy who just got caught eating a cookie before dinner.

"I'm sorry…I…I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. Sorry! I won't do it again."

She just chuckled and took his face in her hands. "Don't be sorry. Now just isn't the time and you know it's against my rules. Until then, no more playing. Got it? Oh, and you have to get rest to heal your wounds. They still aren't healed enough to walk down the stairs…don't try that again."

Erik was relieved that she wasn't mad at him, and nodded in agreement. He was a little bummed out, but at the same time, he really was extremely tired. When she let go of him, he put his head on her shoulder, and almost fell asleep, but she motioned for him to lay down. He did, and when she started to walk away, he grabbed her wrist, and she looked at him, eyebrows raised in question.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep….please?"

She could not resist the boyish tone, and the puppy look he was giving her. She lay down next to him and realized that this was indeed, much more comfortable than the floor. Soon, they both fell asleep, hand in hand.

A/N: AWWW! Ok….next chapter…PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!