Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews. I have been getting reviews and emails concerning the whole war chapter of the story. Like I said before, it's 100% made up and nothing about it ever happened. I do understand that the Belgians and French were allies at that time in history but in my story it's they are complete enemies. Anyway, keep enjoying and don't forget to R&R…thanks!

That night, Erik watched the soldiers from the fun house. He was waiting for every last one of them to fall asleep so that they could escape. He and Christine were all packed and ready to go, awaiting the dangerous road that lied ahead of them. A few hours before, Erik lied Clorinda down to get some sleep before the journey and begged Christine to do the same but she wouldn't have any part in it. He could never persuade Christine to do anything that she didn't want to do by choice. He had talked to Kasdon about letting him ride one of his horses so that Christine wouldn't have to walk. The journey would be long and with Christine being pregnant he couldn't have her walking there. It was very late by the time that the last soldier fell asleep, passed out around the campfire from drinking too much rum. Once Erik was sure he was dead asleep, he walked into his chambers and gathered his bag of belongings up as Christine placed a cloak around Clorinda to keep her warm.

"Now once we leave this room we must be quiet. I also don't intend for you or Clorinda to speak unless told to. If one of the soldiers spots us on our journey and hears you speak……I just don't want to have to think about that now."

Christine put on her cloak, and hugged her angel of music.

"Don't worry Erik, everything will be fine."

Erik spotted Christine bending down to pick up her bag of belongings, when he stopped her and picked it up and swung it over his back with his bag. They quietly stepped out of the funhouse to spot Kasdon standing at his caravan that was hooked to two of his horses, along with the rest of his performers standing around it. Erik approached him, as quiet as possible and hooked his and Christine's baggage to the side of the saddle. Before hopping onto the horse, Erik noticed that Kasdon looked a little distracted.

"Something wrong?"

"Someone has to stay back and make sure that everyone stays with the caravan, just until we reach the field."

"Go, I'll stay behind to make sure that everyone has gotten safely out of the fairgrounds."

"you sure?"

"Yes, take Christine and Clorinda with you until we reach the field. I shall meet up with you as soon as I can."

Erik walked back over to Christine and scooped his daughter up into his arms.

"Erik, what's going on?"

"I have to stay behind to make sure that everyone gets out of here safely. You're going to ride with Kasdon until I meet up with all of you in the field."

"Don't do this Erik, please don't do it."

"I'll be fine, just do as I say and go with Kasdon."

Erik led Christine over to the Caravan and sat Clorinda up onto one of the horses. He then wrapped his arms around Christine's body, ready to lift her up as well, when she stopped him.

"I love you Erik, please promise me that you won't put yourself in danger?"

"I promise my angel."

After giving him a quick kiss, Christine let Erik lift her up onto the horse with Clorinda and handed her the reins,

"Now hold on tight you two."

Erik then jumped onto his horse, and galloped to the top of the hill so that he had a view of the whole fairgrounds. He watched the caravan pass by him with the performers trailing behind it. He counted each and every one of them as they passed, keeping count as to how many of his performers were missing. He had seen the gypsies, Christine and his daughter pass by, along with the woman from the east. Then came the sword sallower and his acrobats. Everyone had passed, everyone except for Curtis. He had not seen Curtis pass or even walk out of his tent. Erik scanned the dark fairgrounds for any sight of Curtis but didn't see a thing. Then from out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted him. He was dragging along his heavy bag of belongings past the sleeping soldier's tents with that terrible limp that he always seemed to stagger with. Erik knew that if the dragging of the bag continued, the soldiers would surly wake up. Then just as Curtis made it past the tents, all of the belongings that were stuffed into the bag spilled out due to a tear in the bag's fabric. The spilling of everything that was in his bag caused such a loud clank that it woke the Capitan, causing him to come out from his tent.

The Capitan snarled at the sight of Curtis picking up what ever belongings that he could gather. Erik watched as the Capitan whipped out his Lugar and pointed it directly at Curtis with such anger.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Curtis was only leaving to go with his family."

Erik watched what horror was playing out below the hill and wondered what to do. He promised Christine that he was going to stay out of danger, but he didn't want to see Curtis killed right before his eyes. As soon as he heard the Capitan pull back the safety on his Lugar, Erik kicked his horse and galloped down the hill. Just as he was about to shoot, Erik pulled the reins back on his horse, causing the horse to stand on his hind legs and the Capitan to loose his aim at Curtis and fall back on the ground. Quickly, Erik scooped Curtis up onto the horse with him, and galloped off as fast as wind.

"Curtis is slipping Monsieur!"

Erik was too worried about getting out of harms way to even notice that Curtis was yelling about slipping off the horse. As he looked down at him, he was already half way off the horse's back. As Erik was about to pull Curtis's body back onto the horse, he slipped and fell off. Erik pulled the reins back onto the horse, and turned himself around to go back when he spotted the Capitan standing a close distance away welding his Lugar at him. Quickly, Erik galloped back towards Curtis and grabbed his shirt as he flew right by the Capitan at the speed of light. Once Curtis was now firmly on the horse, Erik turned back around and galloped up the hill when all of a sudden he heard a shot and felt a strike of pain reside in his right shoulder. Without hesitation, Erik kept going, to get out of harm's way.

"You're bleeding Monsieur."

Erik didn't answer Curtis's remark and kept going, despite the agony that he was in. Once they finally made it to the field, he spotted the caravan hidden safely in the grass. He slowed the horse down, and trotted slowly around the caravan to find Christine. Once he spotted her, Erik jumped down from off of his horse and approached his angel of music. Christine smiled, but her smile quickly turned to a frown once she noticed that Erik was bleeding. She grabbed onto him, as he fell into her arms, and easily lowered him down to the ground.

"Erik, what happened?"

Erik gently pushed himself away from her grasp and stumbled to his feet.

"Worry about that later, we have to move and fast. The Capitan of the soldiers spotted me and Curtis leaving the fairgrounds. It won't be long before they track us down, we need to go."

Kasdon helped Erik to his feet, and brushed the grass from off of his suit.

"We shall get moving, but you should go inside the caravan and let Christine heal you."

Erik tied his horse to the side of the caravan and walked inside it with Christine and Clorinda. As the caravan began to move, Esmeralda and Petri moved aside and let Erik and Christine have a seat onto one of the beds. Christine set Clorinda down onto the floor with Petri and let them play as she began to take off Erik's bloody shirt. As the fabric came more and more off of Erik's flesh, the more and more he moaned in agony. By the way his right arm was bent, Christine knew that the bullet had tore his tendon. Once his shirt was completely off, Christine stared at his right shoulder where one bullet had gone in the back and entered through the front of his arm, but not before tearing a few ligaments. Christine took a pair of tweezers from off of the counter next to her, and began to search for the shards of the bullet that had entered him. As the two ends of the tweezers touched his wound, Erik held in the urge to scream in agony. Once the shards were out of his shoulder, Christine stitched his gaping flesh tightly and then wrapped a bandage around it.

"I'll mend your shirt, for now just grab a fresh one from out of your bag and put it on."

"My arm is killing me so badly."

"I'll put it in a sling for you once you put your shirt back on."

Erik kept his wounded arm close to his chest, and opened the caravan door to grab a clean shirt from his bag that was hooked onto his horse. After tearing a black shirt from out of his bag, he went back into the moving caravan and slipped in on with the help of Christine.

"Tell me how you hurt yourself Erik? You promised me that you wouldn't put yourself in any danger."

"Curtis was going to get shot before my eyes Christine. What was I to do? Watch him be killed and live with the guilt of not saving him? I couldn't do it Christine, I just couldn't"

"I understand Erik, but if something ever happened to you I would never forgive myself."

Christine then tore a piece of fabric from off of her dress, and made a sling to set Erik's right arm in.

"There, now does that feel better?"

"I guess it will have to do for now. I'm going to ride along side the caravan and I want you to get some sleep."

"I'll be fine Erik, you're the one that needs to sleep."

Erik wrapped his one good arm around Christine's waist, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Please do it for the baby's sake Christine. You need to rest, and I'll rest in the daylight. God only knows what dangers lurk around every corner while it's still dark outside."

"Ok, but promise you'll be careful?"

"Of course."

Christine helped Erik put on his cloak, and watched him walk out of the caravan. Outside, Erik walked along side his horse and untied him before setting himself up on his back and letting out a cry of agony as he set his arm back into the sling. He then galloped to the front of the line, past the caravan and the walking performers to trot beside Kasdon who was riding his horse. He glanced over at Erik's arm and noticed the sling and look of agony upon his face.

"You ok Monsieur? You look like you're in a lot of pain."

"I am, I can't even lift my arm."

"Maybe you should go inside the caravan and lie down for a while."

"Not a chance Kasdon, we should stick together in the night. We could protect each other a whole lot better when it's the both of us instead of just one of us."

"Your wife told my Esmeralda that she's with child."

"She's not my wife, we're not married."

"You two seem happy together, but I can't help but ask you something that has been on my mind ever since I first met you."

Erik knew what Kasdon wanted to ask him, he knew that it was about his mask. Why? Why does curiosity always take over?

"It's about my mask isn't it? And if it is I don't want to talk about it. My mask is something that Christine and Clorinda know about and I like to keep it that way."

"Monsieur, I only wanted to know why you wear it?"

"Well I don't want to discuss it, and if you were smart you would switch the subject before you find yourself without a job."

Their path had been a straight way through the field all through the night. By the time the sun had come up, Kasdon and Erik decided that the best thing to do would be to sleep by day and travel by night for safety reasons. After finding a tall wooded area, Kasdon pulled his caravan over and told the performers to set up camp and to get some rest. Erik tied his horse to a tree, and walked into the caravan with Kasdon. Inside, Erik walked to the back where Christine was lying awake on a bed.

"Good morning Erik."

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"How could I when you were out there?"

"Where's Clorinda?"

"She's sleeping with Petri in the bunk beds down the other side of the Caravan. I just put her down a few minutes ago."

"I'm in so much agony Christine."

Christine sat up, and ran her fingers around Erik's neck to try to ease his pain. His flesh was ice cold and his color was very pale.

"Esmeralda made some soup, I think you need it to build your strength."

"I'm not hungry, I'm tired."

Christine grabbed an empty bowl from off the counter, and filled it up with the soup that Esmeralda had made a short while ago. It was only hot water mixed with berries, carrots, leaves and some spice but it filled the spot. With the shops being closed and food being scarce, she settled with what ever she could get. Christine then closed the curtain that separated her bed from the caravan so that they could have privacy and sat down beside Erik. Christine sat the bowl of soup down on the side of the bed and removed the mask from off Erik's face. He quickly covered his face with his left hand and turned away from Christine's sight.

"Erik, we're alone, and the curtain is shut. It's just you and I, you don't have to hide yourself from me."

Erik lowered his hand and turned to face Christine who then tore off his wig to reveal the blonde locks that were hidden beneath it.

"There, now that's my handsome Erik."

"Kasdon asked me Christine, he asked me about my mask."

"Yes, him and everyone else Erik, no body but you me and Clorinda has to know about it."

Christine then handed Erik the bowl of hot soup, and sat there with him as he slowly ate it. As he looked over at Christine who was just sitting beside him, he wondered if she was hungry.

"Did you eat Christine?"

"Yes a little while ago, I actually wasn't that hungry."

"Who could be when this slop is sat in front of you."

"Erik, you know that food is scarce. Just please eat it so that you can build your strength up."

Erik swallowed a few spoon fills of the soup, and then lied down on the bed to rest and try to get some sleep. Christine lied down beside him, and covered them up with the hand made quilt that was on the bed.

"The baby kicked again last night Erik."

"Really? Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

"I hope a boy so that it can grow up to be as handsome as yourself. What ever the lord wants to give us would suit me fine, but a boy would complete our family."

Erik leaned over, and kissed Christine goodnight before closing his eyes and falling asleep. He was so cold and tired that talking to Christine just wasn't an option at the moment. Erik wasn't sure how long he slept, but was awoken by the sound of his name being called by Kasdon. He quickly sat up and placed his mask over his face before Kasdon pushed the curtain back and looked at him.

"What is it Kasdon?"

"I need you to ride with me."

"Something wrong?"

"Just do as I say."

Erik easily got up and put on his cloak before glancing over at Christine who was still fast asleep. Once he was outside, Erik jumped on his horse and rode off with Kasdon into the sunset.

"Where are we going Kasdon?"

"You'll see Monsieur."

Erik followed Kasdon to a hill, where they stopped and looked down below it. Down below the hill sat a camp full of Belgian soldiers.

"I saw their campfire smoke from the caravan. Now I know that it's the soldiers and we need to get back."

Kasdon went first, and Erik trailed behind them as they galloped back to the camp. By the time they got back, night had fell and what they saw when they arrived back at the caravan haunted them. Four soldiers were all ready surrounding the caravan and had the performers and his beloved Clorinda and Christine lined up along side of it. Kasdon and Erik immediately jumped off their horses and approached the soldiers. One of the soldiers approached Kasdon and Erik with his Lugar aimed at them.

"Are you two apart of this freak show?"

Kasdon stepped in front of Erik and nodded.

"Yes, we just went looking for food. What do you want from us?"

The soldier pointed his Lugar in Kasdon's face and pulled back the safety.

"Are any of you French?"

Erik stepped forward and spoke before Kasdon had his head blown off.

"No Monsieur, none of us are French. Some of us are German, Italian and Romanian."

The soldier then pushed Kasdon aside, and pointed the Lugar in Erik's face.

"And what are you?"

"I'm Persian Monsieur, so take that gun out of my face."

Before the soldier could continue, the familiar sound of Christine's shriek occurred. Everyone looked over and saw the three other soldiers beginning to get rough on Christine as they pinned her up against the caravan. This how ever drove Erik mad and stormed over to them.

"What is the meaning of this! I told your other half over there that none of us are French, so I suggest that you back off of her."

One of the soldiers got up into Erik's face and took out his Lugar.

"Just because you're not French doesn't mean that we're not in the mood for a little poke. Being away from our wives for so long makes a man thirsty for a woman's body. She's pregnant, and sex is good for them."

"I suggest that you take your men and leave!"

"Or what? I'll kill you faster than the speed of light my friend."

Then the worse thing happened, the one thing that Erik forbid, Christine spoke.

"No Erik! Just let them do what they want!"

Everything got silent, and the soldiers turned to Christine.

"She's French! They lied! She's a French Whore!"

One of the soldiers took out his Lugar and pointed it right in Christine's face.

"I say we kill her and then we fuck her!"

Erik wasn't sure what to do, he couldn't run into the gun and he sure couldn't watch his beloved Christine get shot before his eyes. At that moment, he did the only thing he could think of. Erik knocked over the soldier that was standing next to Christine and grabbed her with his good arm and despite the pain he was in, he grabbed Clorinda as well. As they were running, everyone else seemed to split up as well. As Erik tried to pull Christine as he ran, she pulled away and gasped for breath.

"I….I can't run Erik…."

Erik heard the soldiers getting closer, and wondered what to do. Seconds later, Kasdon was at his side.

"Come on Monsieur, the soldiers are going to catch up."

"I can't, Christine can't run."

"We all split up and are going to meet about a half mile up stream when the cost is clear."

Erik pulled Clorinda over to Kasdon, and handed her to him.

"Take Clorinda with you, keep her safe for me. I'm going to stay behind with Christine and I'll meet you all when the cost is clear."

Clorinda kicked and screamed for Erik, but he just hugged her and watched Kasdon run off with her in his arms. Afterwards, Erik took Christine by the hand and hid with her inside the hallow trunk of a huge oak tree, waiting for when the cost would soon be clear and could re unite with his family once more……..

More to come soon!