Good evening my readers! I hope you all are having a wonderful week (I hope someone is at least). Given I am posting this at midnight on Tuesday (Now Wednesday) I wish you all a happy hump day (Insert annoying camel here). I do promise this story has a happy ending, and I also promise sweet revenge. I do apologize for the lateness of my post, I had to do some cleaning on my laptop; you never know how much someone takes up in your life until they leave. I read in an article that the best way to help yourself after a fallout is to have a 'funeral' for your now 'dead' relationship, which is what I did. It's been 2 months to the day that my bf left me, and now I am having a funeral for all the pictures I had of him. I said a few words, cried a little then after putting them all in one file, deleted them and erased them from my recycling bin. This chapter mirrors the pain I have been trying to suppress for the past 2 months. Mostly, my release has been writing this story; what better way to use all my anger that to use it for good. As always, feel free to leave any comments/ reviews for me, I could really use them. I have an idea of where I want to lead and end the story, but I work better off of other's inputs, just how my engineering brain works. I remain your obedient (and semi-emotional) servant;
~The Southern Rose~

Spring did not come early in Paris, it lasted longer than usual. Many of the staff at the Opera populare were violently sick; coughing, sneezing, chills, aching the list goes on and on. Badeaux and Leroux had to close the opera populare for a full month for everyone to recover. Madame Giry had me tending to the ballerinas when she was too ill to care for them herself. As luck would have it, Conner and Lukas managed to catch strep throat at the same time. I put them both in the seamstress room and did my best to keep them from everyone else. Once I got them both to sleep, I took my cloak and hurried to Erik, desperate for his help. Every doctor and apothecary in Paris was overrun with sick people and could barely keep medication in stock. I knew several herbal remedies, but they were barely working to keep fevers down and coughing to a minimum. Taking the land route to his abode, I hoped he too had not become sick. I crossed the bridge and to my relief, I could hear him happily humming away. I dare not interrupt his music, the last time I did I was called everything but a Christian woman. I stood behind him as he hummed his melody, closing my eyes and letting the music ease my mind. The melody was quickly shot down by a deep, barking cough, leaving Erik doubled over his piano. I ran to his side, letting him use me as a crutch.
"Oh mon amour, not you too…" I put a hand to his forehead, burning like the fires of hell. His skin was paler than the porcelain mask he wore trying to cover the scars from his surgery. I slowly led him to his bed and sat him on its edge, easing him into his bed. He rolled away from me and let out another deep, barking cough, flam spewing from his mouth. I removed his mask and set it on his nightstand, shaking my head, I can't care for all of you... I took my apron and wiped his mouth, rolling him on his back. His eyes were no longer shinning, they were dull like death. "I'm here my sweet, let me get you some tea for your cough." He nodded his head, unable to speak. I quickly returned with a pot of seeping mint, honey, and ginger. "Can you sit up for me mon amour?" I helped him up slowly, putting an extra pillow behind him to support his weight. Taking a cup in my hands, I held it to his lips, letting him drink what he could. Shortly after his cough returned, just as strong and deep. I again wiped his mouth with my apron and had him drink the tea. "You need to rest my dear…" I eased him back down, kissing his forehead gently. He managed a weak smile before his cough returned, weakened but none the less deep. I waited until he fell asleep and went back to check on my brothers, making sure to scald my hands before touching them. They were getting worse, pale as Erik and twice as weak. Upon further examination, I could see a small red rash starting to appear on their chest. Oh God…no please…. I raced out of the room, trying not to scream. I didn't care how much it cost me, I needed a doctor and fast. I gathered all my money and what things I could sell and set out. By the time I left the shops, I had only the dress on my back and mother's necklace. My books and drawings were gone along with my flute. Please let this be enough… I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A small opening creaked as a pair of black eyes stared me down.
"What do you want?" the voice cold.
"I need a doctor quickly; my brothers are sick…I am willing to pay up front…" I held up the bag. The eyes widened as the small opening slammed shut, the door flying open. The old doctor snatched my bag and counted out most of my money before shoving it in his pocket, grabbing his bag and closing his door.
"Where to mamselle?" I led him back to the opera house and up to the office, where Conner and Lukas were struggling to breath. He quickly went to work examining them, heaven knows how helpless I felt. Their own sister and I can't even care for them. I paced back and forth just inside the door for what seemed like ages. How can I get the doctor to see Erik? He might think is suspicious that a masked man lives under the opera house… maybe the doctor put a hand to my shoulder, breaking my thought. "Can we speak outside?" He opened the door for me, following me out.
"Well? Is it…?" I couldn't bear to say the words. The old doctor sighed and nodded.
"The little one won't make it, and I'm not sure if the older one will either. If you follow me back to my practice, I can give you some medication that I know will help, but it may be too late. I am so sorry mademoiselle; scarlet fever is deadly if it's not caught early." I bit my lip to keep from crying. First my parents, now my brothers… The doctor turned to leave when I caught his arm.
"Please, here is all I have left. My…fiancé is sick as well…please?" He sighed as he took the money. I moved the mirror in Christine's room, the diva spending the month with her husband in southern France, and led him down the stairs. I didn't bother to look behind me, I didn't want to see his face nor did I care. If he wanted to leave then he was free to do so. Once I got to the land bridge I turned to see if the doctor was still behind me. At first I was alone, then slowly the elderly man appeared around the corner, his forehead glistening in the torch light. I closed my eyes and sighed as I waited for him to catch up to me. I am going to have to pay him more to keep him quiet… I clutched my necklace and led him to Erik's bedroom. He was just as I left him, asleep. I hurried to the nightstand and slid his mask in the drawer, the doctor coming behind me to check the patient. I watched the man look over Erik, taking just as much care with him as my brothers.
"Good news, he only has a severe cold due to the changing seasons." He reached in his bag and pulled out a bottle. "Put 2 spoon-full of this in his tea twice a day for 2 weeks. It will taste awful so be sure to add a little sweetness to it." I took the bottle and set it on the nightstand. "That medication isn't free mademoiselle, and I only take money." His eyes on my necklace. I bit my lip hard as I took it off and handed it to him. "Thank you" his voice cold. I showed him the way out and followed him to his office where he gave me two more bottles for Lukas and Conner. "Give them a spoonful every 4 hours, and pray God saves them. Adiue mademoiselle." He swept me out of his office and on to the street. The sun began to set once I returned to the opera house, which was filled with coughing and soft moans of pain. I grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and returned to the room. Lukas and Conner were now red like fire, their fevers even hotter. I fed them each their medicine and put cool rags on their foreheads. I went to the mirror to check on Erik when I caught an unfamiliar reflection; the face was long and worn, tiredness in their eyes as bags hung in bundles underneath their eyes. Their skin was pale and bones were beginning to show through the thin covering of skin. I reached up to touch its face when I began to recognize the reflection. Blue eyes and Auburn hair tied neatly with a black ribbon given to a lover on a red rose. Sighing, I pushed the mirror aside and descended into the darkness of black despair. I reached Erik's side to surprisingly find him awake.
"You are awake, good." I picked up the tea only to find it cold. "I'll be back with your tea shortly." I picked up the tea kettle and placed it over the fire. Once the kettle began to whistle I pulled it off with my apron and brought it back to Erik's side. I refilled his cup and added the medication as instructed.
"Where…where did…" his voice weak. I sat him up in bed and helped him drink the tea, the bitter taste resonating in his mouth.
"I know mon Cherie, but you must drink it all. I shall remember to put some more honey in your cup." He slowly forced down the bitter tea and I eased him back.
"The medication…" I shook my head and kissed his hot forehead.
"That is none of your concern. You need only focus on getting well." He put a weak hand to my face, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. I gave him a weak smile and put his hand on his chest. "I will be back soon to check on you." By the time I was at the door to his room I could hear him sleeping soundly. I went back to the surface to see about my brothers. Their fevers were still raging like a fire. I changed their towels, humming mother's song to more calm my nerves than theirs. I could hear Conner moaning in pain, breaking my heart with each groan of suffering. Sitting by his side, I brushed his bountiful brown hair and kiss his cheek. "I am so sorry Conner…I am such an awful sister…" I laid my head by his arm and cried, knowing he couldn't hear me and soon, he would be with Mother and Father in Heaven. I sat up to change his towel when his chest rose for the last time. "Conner?" I shook him, put my ear to his mouth, but nothing was happening. "Conner!" I took his pulse, it failed to beat. "CONNER!" I screamed. Not a response, just the silence of death. I took his towel and put it in the wash basin, kissed his forehead one last time and pulled the sheet over him and his cot. "Tell Mother and Father I love them…" I managed to whisper. I got up and gave Lukas his next dose of medicine and changed his towel. If anyone can pull through this it must be Lukas… it has to be… once I knew Lukas was still alive I went back to Erik's side, brewing his tea and making sure to add extra honey. He was too sick to speak more than a word or two. I hated the silence, it was death's victory march. For days this was my routine, tending to Lukas and Erik. I had Conner's body taken away and buried next to Mother and Father in the cemetery outside of town. That's when I found Christine's father's grave, he was so young when she died, no more than 35. The sepulture did not say how he died, only said he was a loving husband and adoring father. Lukas was still out when I returned, but his fever was beginning to break. Feeding him another dose of medication, I made sure to keep his towel cool and wet before going to see Erik. The reflection from a few days ago had returned. The person in the mirror seemed to have aged 10 years, sunken eyes, bones showing through the paper thin skin, a mere skeleton with the same blue eyes and auburn hair, which was an un-kept mess. The black ribbon was doing nothing to hold it back now. The skeleton pulled the ribbon out and put it in the pocket of her dress before vanishing with the movement of the mirror. The walk to Erik's was longer than normal, but the walk gave me time to think. When I crossed the bridge I could hear a soft melody floating through the air, a melody that only The Phantom of the Opera could write. It was filled with his signature darkness and made my heart beat for the first time in days. I rounded the corner to see him perched at his piano, slowly singing and playing to his heart's pleasure. It wasn't until he stopped to write down his composition that I spoke.
"Look who is feeling better?" He turned, his sweet, dark smile greeting my presence. He rose from the bench, only to take two steps before falling to his knees. Dashing to his side, I put his arm around me and led him back to bed. "I am glad you are awake, but it is too soon for you to be out of bed…" I pulled the sheets to his chest, just how he liked them. He reached out and gently put a hand to my chin, lifting my face to meet his. His eyes were wide once they found mine.
"My God Belle…." His hand went to my sunken face. "You are a ghost...have you even slept…?"
"Let me get you the tea and medicine." I rose from his bed and pulled the kettle off to pour him his cup, making sure to add extra honey to the medicine. "You know the drill mon amour…." He sat up on his own, drinking it all slowly, the bitter taste still abusing his taste buds. I felt his forehead, the fever gone completely. I took his empty cup and set it aside when he caught my arm.
"Belle…when was the last time you slept, and ate?" I shrugged my shoulders. He threw the covers aside and swung his legs around.
"You can hardly stand, stay in bed and I will get whatever you need."
"I need you to lay here in bed. You are exhausted! And where did you get this medicine?" He held up the bottle. The medicine, Lukas! I put him back in bed.
"I will be back soon, I must see to Lukas and Con…" I bit my lip at his name. "I need to see to Lukas…I will be back shortly my darling…" I gave him a soft kiss to the cheek before returning to see Lukas sitting up in bed. I wrapped my arms around him. He asked where Conner was, and after I gave no reply, he understood. "You need to rest; this is too much for you right now…" He nodded his head and lay back in bed, quietly letting his own tears lull him to sleep. I left him a note of where I was should he need me and went back to Erik. I heard a crash from his room as I entered his hideaway. I tried to run, but more or less walked to his door. I entered to find him leaning on his nightstand. "I told you to stay in bed." I put him back to bed. "You will stay here for the rest of the week or so help me I shall tie you to it!" I pulled his sheets up to his chest when his hand lifted my chin, taking in my ghostly face.
"What has happened to mon ange…? You are so weak and frail…" his face plastered with worry.
"Conner…he's…" I closed my eyes as tears fell onto the crimson sheets. I could hear Erik sigh as well, swearing under his breath. He pulled me to his arms, my head on this bare chest. I could feel his fingers playing with my hair as he kissed the top of my head.
"You need to rest mon amour…"
"But Lukas needs me… he just woke up!" I looked up at him, my head spinning. "The room is spinning…" I pulled myself into the bed, god how my head hurt. I felt Erik take my cloak off and set it aside, then wrap me in his arms and pull me into his chest.
"There you go mon bel amour…rest." His voice is raspy from the coughing, unable to sing or hum. He takes my hand in his, my vision to blurry to see much of anything as I fade in and out. I feel lips gently press against my temple, his free hand softly brushing my hair away from my face. Soon the room is in total darkness, the only light softly creeping through the bottom of the door. My left hand feel cooler than my right, but only for a moment as I soon slip into a deep sleep.