A/N: Hiya! It takes a long time for me to update for two reasons; one is I have many fan-fics to attend to. Too many, but I can't help myself, I just can't resist. The other reason is because I was suffering from writers block. I tell you my friends it isn't fun. On with the story!
Erik rowed up in his boat about an hour later. It had been hard finding an appropriate book for Christine. Most book sellers only carried books for older ages; but finally he had found one. He hoped that Christine would like it. It was still a bit old for her, meant for someone around fifteen or sixteen, but it would have to do; at least for now.
Erik went in quietly, just in case Christine was asleep. Erik saw her lying still on the bed. He put down the bag he was carrying, and went over to her. She was sleeping quietly. Erik couldn't bear to wake her, so he tip-toed out of the room, and went back to composing the song for Christine.
He still didn't get much done by the time Christine woke up three hours later. He heard her cough in the other room, and assumed she was awake. He had assumed correctly. Christine was lying on her back staring at the door as if expecting him to come in.
"Feeling better Christine?" Erik asked. Christine nodded a little bit, and moved up higher so that she could sit up. "Here, I brought you this. I thought you might like it." Erik pulled the book out of the bag he had brought in earlier. He handed it to Christine.
Christine's face lit up in a smile, and Erik couldn't help but smile too. Just as Christine began to open the book, she began to cough. "Do you need more medicine?" Erik asked when the coughing fit had subsided. Christine immediately shook her head no. "Yes you do. I'll be right back." Erik left to get the medicine.
Christine hated it. It tasted awful, and made her gag. Christine threw up the covers over her head, so she wouldn't have to take the foul, green liquid. Erik came back a short while later with the medicine and a glass of water. He chuckled a little when he saw the lump under the blanket that was Christine.
"You can't hide like that you know." Erik teased softly.
"Watch me!" Christine called out from under her fortress of blankets, and a cloak. "I'm not taking that medicine again!"
Once more Erik chuckled. He could end this right then, but where was the fun in that? "But you need it to get better."
"No, I don't. It will go away by itself." Christine said as if that were the final word. Erik sat gingerly on the bed next to her.
"Alright, you win; I won't give you the medicine." Erik said. Christine cautiously pulled the covers down so that she was no longer completely covered by the blanket. Christine opened her mouth to say something, and Erik quickly put the medicine-laden spoon in her mouth. Christine nearly gagged from the taste yet again, so Erik quickly handed her the glass of water chuckling.
"You lied to me!" Christine accused. Erik laughed a little, and nodded.
"Yes, but it was the only way you would take it. Trust me; you'll start to feel a lot better now." Erik took the glass from Christine, and put it on a bedside table. He then bent down and picked up the book that had fallen to the floor in Christine's rush to hide. He put it in her hands.
"Thank-you," Christine said. "But still it was a nasty trick you pulled on me." Erik laughed yet again. Christine truly knew just how to make him laugh. He had not laughed in merriment for a very long time. Not since Madam Giry… But that is a story for another time.
Christine desperately wanted to get out of the bed. She was so bored, and wanted to read somewhere comfortable, like by the underground lake. She moved to get up, but Erik quickly, but gently, pushed her back down. She crossed her arms in front of her indignantly.
"I know you want to get up, but you can't. You'll never get better if you're up and about all the time." Erik said.
"Please? I promise it won't be for long. Please Erik?" Christine pleaded. Erik looked at her sternly, but he couldn't stay like that for long. Christine was just too cute. Erik's expression softened a little.
"Alright, but you must keep the cloak wrapped around you." Erik said. "For if you don't…" Erik pointed his finger at her threateningly, but soon he smiled. Christine threw off the blankets surrounding her. She grabbed Erik's black cloak and wrapped it around herself. She grabbed the book and went to her perch by the lake. Erik followed her and sat at the organ.
Christine opened her book and began reading. She was hooked from the first page. She just couldn't stop reading. Her eyes got wide at some points in the story, and then sometimes she gasped aloud, with fear and delight in turn. Erik started to get up to go get her. She needed to get back in bed; but Erik just couldn't disturb her.
Christine read for a long time, and was almost all they through the book. She didn't know how long she had been reading, but she was tired. It must be the medicine. It's making me sleepy. Christine yawned and rubbed her eyes. That's when Erik knew it was time for her to go to bed. He silently walked over to her, and picked her up. She laid her head against his shoulder and let him carry her to the bed chamber.
He silently took the book from her hands, and put her under the covers. She snuggled down into the bed, and was asleep almost instantly. Erik blew out all the candles surrounding the bed, and quietly walked out. He would have to get Christine another book. She was only about twenty pages from finishing hers. But that was a task for tomorrow. Erik pressed a switch behind the organ, and part of the disguised wall opened to reveal a hallway. At the end was the room where Erik usually slept. He yawned and opened his door.
Christine woke up a while later, and found all the candles blown out. She wished one was lit, so she could read the book Erik brought her. That's when she noticed that she didn't hear anything in the other room. If Erik was there she usually heard him. Whether he was scratching notes down on paper, or playing a little bit here and there, but all was silent. Christine couldn't help it, in the silence she drifted back into slumber.
Erik woke up sometime later, and went to check on Christine. She was still sleeping peacefully, so Erik decided it was a good time to write that song for her. It was unusual but he was running out of ideas. He barely wrote any notes at all. This was proving difficult. Erik put down his pen and took the music over to a piano in yet another chamber. He played very softly and tested the music. It was sort of happy. It drifted a little, but it was happy.
Christine heard the piano in her sleep. She began to dream of when she first met the Angel of Music.
FLASHBACK
It was cold outside and inside. Christine was trying to keep warm by snuggling under her blankets. Her father had just died a week ago, and Christine wished to know why. No one would tell her; they just looked at her sympathetically and waved the question away. Just then she started to hear music drifting to her from who knows where.
Christine looked around, but no one was there, so she started to go to sleep. That's when she heard a voice say, "Why are you crying?" Christine was shocked! It was a man's voice, but there was no one in the room but little girls like her.
"Wh-who are you?" Christine asked timidly. The voice didn't answer so Christine asked a different question. "Are you the Angel of Music?"
"Yes. I am the Angel of Music. Your father tells me you have a beautiful voice." The Angel of Music said.
Well the Angel of Music turned out to be Erik. He had been wandering the Opera House for quite sometime and had learned that Christine's father had died. He hadn't meant to deceive the child for so long, but that's the way it happened.
Erik was glad that he was finally able to write an entire song not full of pain, and evil things. He had written a nice happy song for Christine. He would play it for her when she woke up.
