Hey everyone, thanks again for the reviews. Much more to come so please keep reading and don't forget to R&R……enjoy!

After getting angry with Christine, Erik walked outside and lied down around the fire to keep watch over the caravan. He figured he could keep a look out over them if he was outside better than if he were inside. After lying himself down close to the fire, Erik tried to stay awake, but wound up drifting off to sleep as the daylight tried to break through the thick tree tops. Erik hadn't had a good sleep in weeks and usually was fine with four hours sleep, but he hadn't even gotten that. He didn't know when he finally fell into a deep sleep, but he was awoken by his name being called and the shaking of his body. Erik quickly opened his eyes, and looked up at Kasdon who was standing over him. The sun was going down, and the fire had gone out, leaving only the distant smoke gliding slowly away from the caravan. He sat up, and brushed the leaves from off of his shoulder and adjusted the sling on his hurt arm.

"What is it Kasdon?"

"I think you need to come inside the caravan."

"Why? What's wrong?"

He looked up at Kasdon and the expression on his face was enough to give away that the problem was Christine. Erik quickly got to his feet and walked inside the caravan and made his way to the back where Esmeralda was dabbing Christine's forehead down with a damp cloth.

"It's her fever Monsieur, it's soared so high in the last few hours."

Erik looked down at his angel of music who was tossing her head back and forth from side to side on her pillow. He knew that she needed some medication and fast or else she was going to go into hypothermia and die.

"She needs medicine Madam, what do we have that we can give her?"

Esmeralda looked at the bottles on the side of the night table and then looked back over at Erik.

"I already gave her a home made mixture Monsieur, it's done nothing for her."

"Don't we have any kind of sulfonamide?"

"No Monsieur, nothing like that."

Erik covered Christine's body up tightly with the blanket to keep her warm, and through on a clean cloak.

"I need to go find something for her."

Kasdon tried to block Erik's way, but Erik grabbed his hand to move him.

"Move out of my way Kasdon."

"She needs a doctor Monsieur, and going out there to find her medicine is a death sentence."

"So be it but I will not sit here and let her die."

"The child birth was too much for her Monsieur. Even if you go out there and find some sulfonamide for her it will only cure the fever and not the great amount of pain and infection that she has."

"I'm going one way or another so please step out of my way Kasdon."

"If this really means that much to you, then I will go with you."

"No, you have a wife and family, you need to stay here and protect them until I get back."

Just then from behind them, Curtis approached Erik.

"Monsieur, I will go with you."

Erik took one last look at Christine, and nodded.

"Monsieur Kasdon, please keep Christine and Clorinda safe while I'm gone."

Erik then exited the caravan with Curtis following him with a lantern. As Erik walked over to his horse, the sound of Clorinda's voice calling him stopped him from going any further. She ran over to him, and held onto his cloak.

"Monsieur Kire, where are you going? Please don't leave me here, please!"

"Clorinda, I have to go find some medicine for your mother and you must stay here."

"Please don't leave me here! Take me with you!"

Erik couldn't bear telling his daughter to stay when she wanted to go with him. He knelt down beside her and touched her beautiful face with his gloved hand.

"Look Clorinda, I promise you that I'll be back as soon as I can. I need you to stay here and look after your mother. Can you do that for me? We're almost to Italy, but your mother needs medicine right away."

"I can help you Monsieur Kire, please let me come….please!"

The girl grabbed hold of Erik's cloak, and wouldn't let go no matter what he said to calm her down. He had to admit that she had his way of things. Once he made up his mind there was no changing it and that went for Clorinda as well. Erik thought a moment and realized that if he brought her along, the soldiers wouldn't shoot a child, especially a French one…..that is if they ran into the French first.

"If I let you tag along Clorinda you must do as I say, you can't rebel my authority and risk us getting killed. Do you understand?"

"Yes Monsieur Kire."

Erik nodded, and hopped up onto his horse and had Curtis hand her to him. He sat her down on the saddle in front of him so that he had a good grasp on her as they rode, and waited for Curtis to get up onto his horse. Curtis hooked the lantern to the front of Erik's horse, and let him lead the way as they trailed off into the foggy night.

"Monsieur, Kasdon told Curtis that there is a camp of soldiers not too far away."

"That shall be our first stop then."

After riding for about an hour, they wound up on a hill with a camp of soldiers down below. Erik turned out the lantern so they wouldn't be seen, and tried to search out for a flag.

"What are you looking for Monsieur?"

"I'm trying to see of they're French or Belgian."

"We need to try Monsieur."

Erik knew that Curtis was right, and jumped off of his horse, and easily lifted Clorinda from off the saddle as well. He then turned to Clorinda and motioned her to stay quiet as he lead them down the hill to the soldiers camp. As they approached the camp, Erik held Curtis back from going any further when he noticed a French flag hanging over one of the white tents. He then turned to Clorinda and knelt down beside her.

"Ok Clorinda, they are French soldiers. I need you to go in there and tell them that you're French and need some medical supplies. When they ask what kind you need to say sulfonamide and something for infection."

Clorinda nodded, and walked into the camp as Curtis and Erik watched. All the soldiers were hanging around the campfire and drinking rum when they turned to notice Clorinda approaching them. They got quiet, as the Capitan stood up and looked at her.

"Who are you? Belgian girl?"

"No Monsieur, I'm French. I need some medicine for my sick mother."

"French? You don't sound French little girl."

"My mother is French Monsieur."

The Capitan laughed, and took out his Lugar.

"French? Medicine? You know what I think this is? I think this is a trick by those scum Belgians!"

The Capitan then aimed his Lugar at Clorinda and was about to shoot when all of a sudden the sound of shouting stopped him.

"No! no! Capitan don't shoot! I know her! I know her!"

From the corner, Erik watched the Capitan look over at who had shouted at him and saw to his surprise Alex in an army uniform stepping forward.

"Monsieur Alex! What is the meaning of this?"

He stepped forward and saluted the Capitan before speaking.

"I'm sorry Capitan but this girl is telling the truth. She is French, and I know her mother."

"French? If she's really French then what is she doing out her on the Italian border and so far away from home?"

"I don't know Captain."

Clorinda ran to Alex and hugged him.

"Please Monsieur Alex, help me!"

Just then Erik ran out into the open with Curtis, causing everyone to draw their guns and for Curtis and Erik to halt. Alex immediately stood in front of Erik to protect him and motioned everyone to lower their weapons.

"Please, I know these people. They're French, they're with us."

Alex turned to Erik, and hugged him.

"What are you doing out here Erik? These soldiers are about to shoot you to dust so you better have a good explanation for this."

"Christine needs medicine, we're trying to get to Italy to hide until the war is over."

"look Erik we don't have any kind of medicine here in the camp but I can get you to Italy to get Christine help."

"That would be kindly appreciated."

Alex turned back to his Captain, and saluted him once more.

"Permission to lead my friend and his family into Italy Monsieur."

"Permission granted, just hurry back as soon as possible."

Alex quickly jumped onto his horse, and Erik, Curtis and Clorinda got back on theirs and led the way back to the Caravan. As they rode back, Alex rode along side of Erik and Clorinda.

"So why are you in the army?"

"Paris turned into a complete war zone a few weeks ago and the French army needed help protecting the Italian border so I stepped into help."

"You don't understand how glad I was to see you step into help me back there."

"That's what friends are for right? Now come on, lets get you to safety."

When Erik arrived back at the caravan, he ran in to see how Christine was doing to find that her condition only worsened. Kasdon stepped forward, took out his knife and pointed it at Alex.

"Move aside Monsieur and I'll gladly cut this bastard into 2 pieces."

Erik quickly lowered Kasdon's hand and shook his head.

"No, he's a good soldier. This is my friend Alex, he's going to get us across the Italian border to get Christine help."

Within seconds, Kasdon hooked the horses up to the caravan and began to follow Alex who lead the way. Once the caravan passed Alex's camp, they began to move up hill once more. All Erik could think about was how much longer it was going to take to get Christine help.

"How much longer Alex?"

"Not too much longer about ten minutes or so."

Soon after, the grassy ground turned into dark cobble stone and that is when Erik finally realized that they were in Italy. The streets were deserted and quiet and the only sound was from a clock tower that rang out the hour, which was midnight. Erik wasn't sure where they were going, but he was starting to get anxious. As they trekked deeper and deeper into the city, the more quieter and deserted it became. They finally came to an old rusty gate that Alex unlocked and opened. The rusty sound of it opening echoed through the streets, sending a disgusting feeling through Erik's stomach.

"I've taken the liberty of keeping this place a secret so once you're inside you need to stay there until this war is over. Got it?"

Erik nodded, and followed Alex inside with the caravan trailing behind him. Once they were inside, Kasdon parked the caravan into a dark corner and Alex locked the gates. Around the corner where the caravan was parked, there was an area lined with hay so that the horses could be tied down and safe from any sightings. Erik couldn't help but wonder where they were, but didn't bother asking questions.

"Ok, who's following me inside?"

Kasdon gathered his family up from inside the caravan and offered to carry Christine because of Erik's hurt arm. Erik stood by Alex's side as he lead them into the old building with a small lantern lighting the way. Behind him was Kasdon, his wife Esmeralda, their daughter and Petri who was holding hands with Clorinda and Curtis. As the dim light shined on the walls Erik could only make out old pictures and stained glass that you would see in a church. It was apparent that the building was abandoned and in need of repairing. Alex led them up an old flight of stairs, and opened the door to the attic. When they entered, Erik saw a small round window and a room with a bed and an old piano sitting by the wall.

"I know how much you're accustomed to the basement Erik, but maybe you'll like the attic better. I'll let your friends sleep in the room below this one, and I'll go get a doctor for her now."

Kasdon lied Christine down on the bed, and left the room with his family. Erik approached Alex and shook his hand.

"Thank you Alex, this means a lot to me and my family."

"You don't need to thank me, just stay within these walls and out of sight."

"You have my word Alex."

With that, Alex left the room and Erik approached the bed to cover Christine up. Afterwards he took Clorinda by the hand and led her over to the other side of the attic and made her a bed up of some pillows and a few blankets and had her lie down.

"Try to get some sleep now Clorinda."

"Goodnight Monsieur Kire."

As the minutes passed, Erik began to worry if a doctor was even coming for Christine. Deciding to search out medication on his own, Erik lit a candle and descended through the dark hallways of the building. There were so many doors that he didn't even know which one to go into first. After passing a few doors, he finally picked one, and entered the dark room. Inside was nothing but torn curtains and a few broken mirrors. The room reminded him of Christine's old dressing room, which was something that made him happy if only for a few seconds. He then walked down the hall once more and picked another room to enter which was even darker than the last one he was in. This one had cabinets and drawers to look into, which gave Erik some hope. As he was rummaging through one of the old cabinets, a jar on the top shelf came crashing down, causing a loud shatter to echo through the halls. After taking a deep breath, Erik continued to search the room for any kind of medicine that he could find. Suddenly the sound of foot steps occurred, causing Erik to drop his candle and the room to become darker than it was before. The footsteps kept getting closer and closer, making Erik very uncomfortable.

"Alex? Is that you?"

No one answered and the foot steps kept getting louder and louder. Then suddenly he was grabbed and pinned up against one of the cabinets with his hurt arm in the person's grasp. As he yelled in agony, all he could think about was his arm breaking in half. Then suddenly he was let go of, and he saw a match being lit and the candle that he had dropped light up once more, showing the refection of Madam Giry standing before him. Her eyes became as big as saucers as she stared at the man before her eyes.

"Erik? Is that you?"

"Madam Giry? You attacked me?"

"I thought you were one of those Belgian soldiers. I let go of you because your voice sounded familiar."

Madam Giry immediately put the attack behind her, and hugged Erik as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"How did you get here?"

"Ow….be easy on me Madam, I've had a rough journey"

Madam Giry shined the candle towards his arm, and gasped at the sight of it placed in the sling.

"What happened to your arm Erik?"

"I was shot in the shoulder by the Belgian captain. Wait? Why are you here?"

"Back in Paris the opera house was invaded by the Belgian soldiers. They took over everything and almost killed Andre. Alex got all of us together and brought us here to wait it out. I got your letter right before the opera house was taken over, I surely thought you were dead when I sent you a letter and got it sent back to me un opened. You don't understand how worried I was about you and Christine."

"Is Andre ok?"

"When we got here, Nadir operated on him and he's been recovering from a stab wound to the back."

Then it ran through his mind, Christine! Quickly, he ran down the hall and up the steps with Madam Giry following him to the attic bedroom. He flew open the door, and was relieved to find Nadir already working on her. Madam Giry gasped at the sight of Christine and didn't know what to say or do. Nadir however kept working on her, and greeted Erik.

"Erik, long time no see. How have you been these past few months?"

"Well as you can see from Christine's condition and my condition not too well."

"Explain to me what happened to her?"

"She became pregnant three months ago and while we were running through the woods to get away from the Belgian soldiers she gave birth to a still born boy….."

Madam Giry couldn't hold back her tears after hearing what Erik was telling Nadir.

"I'm sorry to hear that Erik."

"She lost a lot of blood and I thought she was going to die and then Alex showed up and brought us here with a few of my side show performers that lived."

Erik watched as Nadir gave Christine a vaccine and tucked her in bed.

"She's lost a lot of blood and has a very high fever but with the medicine I gave her she should be fine in a week or two."

"Thank you so much for this."

"Let me have a look at your arm."

Erik sat down at the end of the bed, and removed his arm from the sling before un buttoning his shirt to let Nadir have a look at his arm. Once his shirt was off, Nadir examined his black and blue shoulder.

"That isn't healthy looking at all my friend."

"It hurts very badly."

"I bet it does with all the infection stored up inside your shoulder."

He then watched as Nadir took out his scalpel and a wooden spoon.

"What's the spoon for Nadir?"

Nadir placed the spoon inside Erik's mouth, and had him bite down on it.

"This might hurt, but it will only last a few minutes."

Seconds later, Nadir took the scalpel and made a rather small incision in the center of his right shoulder and began to squeeze out all the infected fluid that had accumulated in his wound. Erik bit down hard on the spoon, and moaned in agony as Nadir applied pressure to his wounded shoulder. Afterwards, Nadir disinfected his wound, and bandaged it up for him before gently placing it back into the sling for him.

"Until your shoulder heals I wouldn't lift anything heavier than a quill with that arm."

"I wouldn't dare attemp such a thing."

"Meg and her husband are staying in Andre's room if you want to come and visit."

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see them in the morning."

After Madam Giry gave Erik one final hug, she left the room with Nadir, and left him alone with Christine. Not being able to sleep, Erik walked over to the window and looked out onto Italy. It reminded him of Paris, the way the buildings were formed and structured and nothing made him more happy than to be able to look at the gondolas that were docked up against the shore line. It was like his own opera house catacombs above ground and with Christine finally resting at his side, things for the time being didn't seem so bad anymore……

More to come soon!