A/N: I am so sorry about the formatting problems in the last update! I have no idea what happened, but I hope it's fixed now. But, as I said, I would like to thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement.

Chapter 49

"I swear she woke up. I saw her open her eyes!"

The doctor tried to calm a frazzled Jackson. "Sir, you've been by her side for days, now, with barely any food or sleep. I think it may be time for you to go home and get some rest- "

"I know what I saw, and I saw her wake up!" Jackson insisted.

"Jackson," a deep voice rumbled from behind him, making the boy freeze. "I think you need to listen to the doctor. You do need a rest."

"But, sir- "

"No but's, Jackson! I am her father and I say who gets to see her and who goes home!"

"Dear," a woman came up behind Jackson. "He's just trying to keep you from hurting yourself. We don't need anyone else in her situation. You can come back tomorrow once you've had some sleep."

He couldn't say no to her – she was too nice. "Yes, ma'am. I'll come back tomorrow." He turned to the girl laying in the hospital bed. "I'll be back, Mandy. I swear."

The woman heard the tenderness in his voice. "We will let you know if anything happens."

Once Jackson had walked out of the room, she turned to her husband. "Do you think she will share his affections when she wakes up?"

"How should I know?" he shrugged. "If it were my decision, she wouldn't even know about boys until she was 30."

"I'm serious, though. I can't help but feel that there will be heartbreak when she wakes up."

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. No surprise performances (or disappearances), no unwelcome confrontations from a certain you-know-who, and no questions concerning Erik. The relief I felt was close to euphoria. I thought he was going to be the main topic of the night.

Surprisingly, though, most of the chatter I heard was about Raoul and Christine. How it was surprisingly refreshing to see one of their own on stage. And, of course, by 'one of their own,' I mean a rich boy.

But, thankfully, it was all positive feedback I received. I had heard many comments about how they wanted even more. They even gave me ideas for the next time – should we have a next time, of course. But I figured we would.

Erik was glued to my side the entire night. I couldn't figure out what his deal was, but I wasn't really complaining. It was nice to be out in the open with him instead of sneaking around corners and onto roofs to see each other. It made him feel more…real, in a way.

Similarly, Christine was by Raoul's side wherever he went. I couldn't blame her, though. They were cute together. Not to mention the public didn't even mind that they were together. They were a lot more accepting than in the books and what-have-you. I still didn't want to push them too far, however. There was no telling how they would handle Erik's face.

Speaking of his face, it was still slowly getting better. We had no clue what was going on. Even after combing through every medical journal and such we could find, there were no answers to our questions. And, boy, did we have quite a few.

After the party began to dwindle, Erik suggested we go back to the lair for the night and get some rest. He also said he had a gift for me. I couldn't really tell what was going through his head, but it took all I had to reign in my own thoughts…if you know what I mean.

Not surprisingly at all, though, Nadir was waiting for us at the dock. "Ah, Cindy! I wanted to congratulate you on a show well done. I have never seen anything like that before. It was stunning!"

"Thank you, Nadir." I said, not pointing out that he had gotten my name wrong yet again. I was used to it.

He joined us on the boat, much to Erik's dismay. I reminded myself that I had to have a talk to him about that. I needed to have a talk with Nadir, as well, about announcing his visits at least 5 hours in advance. It would make life so much easier.

The whole ride was filled with Nadir chattering on about the show and how amazing it was. At first, I was flattered. By the time we reached the lair, I was a bit irritated.

When we sat down in front of the fireplace, I was ticked off.

"Nadir, do you mind making me some green tea?" I requested. "My throat is a bit sore from the show."

Without hesitation, he ran to the kitchen to whip me up some glorious tea. As he disappeared around the corner, I let out a sigh. "He reminds me of someone I went to school with."

Erik looked at me in question. "How so?"

"He wouldn't shut up."

After a good laugh, Erik sat beside me on the couch and took my hands in his. "So, about your gift…um, it's a bit peculiar…"

"I mean, so am I, so I should love it." I said with a chuckle.

Amusement lit up his masked face. "I'm serious, though. I wanted to get something thoughtful yet useful."

I took his mask off and gently laid my hand on his deformed cheek. "You didn't have to get me anything at all, but I appreciate it no matter what it is."

He took a deep breath. "Alright."

From behind the couch, he pulled a slender box with a bow on top. After taking the lid off, I was super excited.

"I have always wanted one of these!" I exclaimed, taking the beautiful fan in my hand and admiring the Asian-themed embroidery.

"I'm grateful you like it, Mandy."

I scoffed as I rose from my seat. "Of course, I do! What would make it even cooler though would be whenever I snap it open and darts come shooting out of it-"

As I acted out what I just said as Nadir came back into the room…and collapsed from little darts hitting him in the neck.

"…just like that…"

Erik gently pried the fan out of my hand. "Maybe we should put this away for now. Don't worry, he will wake up in about 3 hours. The darts are coated in a sleep tonic. Hit someone in the right spot and instant sleep."

I couldn't say it out loud, but I was mighty pleased.