Here's Chapter 2, ladies and gentle-dudes! I hope you enjoy it. By the way, I LOVE Howard McGillin. He's the best Phantom ever and really nice to hyperventilating fangirls. Believe me, I know.

Oh, and I still don't own the characters.

Although I hadn't the strength to lift my head, I stared around the room, trying to catch sight of this unknown person. There! There he was!

Had I not been so weak and ill, I would have screamed in anger. Monsieur le Vicomte Raoul de Chagny!

Just as I caught sight of him, Christine returned. She knelt be my side and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I'm back, Erik. Darling, what is it? You look upset."

Even though it hurt my throat terribly, I answered her. "Humiliating enough…you to see me…this way…Get him out."

"You want Raoul to leave?"

I nodded vigorously. Christine stood up and obediently shooed Raoul from the room. She then hurried back to my bedside and bundled me up in about a hundred blankets. "Oh, my poor Erik. You're shaking like a leaf! Do you feel any pain, angel? Tell Christine all about it," she cooed.

"I don't… want to… be…a bother."

"No, you aren't a bother. I'm just so glad I wasn't- too late!" She broke off and turned away to hide her tears. When she had composed herself, my angel turned back and asked me again how I felt.

"Well," I admitted, "I'm afraid I do… have a…terrible headache."

Christine reached for a bowl that she had brought into the room with her and drew out a cold wet cloth. She laid the compress across my sweating brow and pressed on it gently. "How does that feel?" she inquired.

"Wonderful," I answered. "Thank you so much."

Just then, a drop of cold water ran down my fevered cheek and I realized a terrible truth! Quickly, I covered my face with my hands and turned away from Christine.

"Erik," gasped the beautiful young woman hovering over me, "what is it, dear?"

"I'm so sorry!" I sobbed, my voice muffled by the pillows in which I had buried myself. "I forgot! I thought…I was wearing my mask! Please forgive me!...Letting you see this…horrid face!"

"Oh, don't you worry about that," she told me firmly. As carefully as if I were made of glass, Christine turned me over to face her. "I think you're beautiful."

She said it so softly, I thought I had imagined it. But then she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on my hollow cheek.

I smiled weakly at her as she patted my head. "You're safe now, angel," she assured me. "I won't let any more harm come to you."

For several minutes, we simply stared at each other, my chattering teeth the only sound between us.

Christine broke the silence, her voice the silver bell that chased away the silence of my solitude. "Have you been eating? You seem to have lost weight."

I shook my head. "I don't…think I have…the strength to chew," I mumbled, "I can…barely speak,…my throat is so raw."

"Well, I'll keep you on liquids until you get your strength back up, alright?" I was unsure of how to answer. It was a bit embarrassing to have Christine seeing me so helpless and feeble.

She could tell what I was thinking. "Easy, dear. Don't fret. I'll take care of you. Everything will be fine."

So how did you like part two?