Madame Giry's POV

I had to stop this before Christine's relationship with Erik went any further. I had practically raised her and I'd be damned if she thought I was going to let her ruin her life with the likes of him! I was upset when she had told me who Gustave's father really was. There was just something about it that wasn't adding up. Why would Christine willingly go to bed with Erik when she had Raoul? It didn't make any sense, but moving in with him was not something that was going to happen. Erik was not fit to be a father…hell, he wasn't even fit to live on his own! This is exactly what I needed to prove to Christine. If she could see the man he truly was, then there would still be hope for saving her.

Early the next morning before sunrise, I made my way to Erik's home. I stood there outside the gates until I noticed his feathery whore making her way up his drive. Erik let her in, but a few moments later, they both came walking out, the woman keeping a firm grasp on him.

"Christine's coming over for lunch today, Erik." she said. "You wanted to go into town for some items and I'll escort you."

As they walked away, Erik didn't argue. I waited until they were long gone, before walking to his door and reaching under the mat for a spare key. I would turn his organized world upside down to a point of him having a nervous breakdown. If Christine saw the same mad man I knew that lied inside of him, then everything would be done for. That woman must have helped organize his home when he first moved in. His mugs were all in one corner beside his stack of dinner plates. This wouldn't do… I needed to disorganize something that would completely drive him mad. To stir up his anger, I turned the lights all the way up before shutting them off. He would be in for a huge surprise when he arrived home. Afterwards, I went to his bedroom and opened his wardrobe. All of his clothes were organized by color, but how would he dress if everything was all mixed up? Quickly, I disorganized his clothes, placing each color in a different spot. By the time I was done with it, the inside of his closet looked like a disheveled mess instead of a neat rainbow. I moved his items around on his night table, disorganized his medicine cabinet, even moved his medical vials around that were placed on the sink.

When everything was the way I wanted it, I smiled and left his home. One could only imagine how complicated living alone would be.

Christine's POV

I arrived a little earlier than I wanted to the following morning. I was trying at all cost to avoid any contact with Madame Giry. Though, I was glad to find that she was nowhere to be found when I awoke. I had told Erik that I would be over for lunch, but at the early hour I arrived, I guess brunch would have been the better option. In one hand, I was carrying a bag of Gustave's things and in the other, I had Gustave swaddled in a large blanket. My hands were full, but I still managed to knock. When no one answered, I thought that perhaps he was still sleeping, but it was close to ten. Erik never slept, and if he did, he never slept late.

"Erik? Are you home?"

I knocked again, but when I continued to get nothing, I reached down and lifted the key from under the mat to open the door. The house was in darkness, and after placing my things down on the kitchen table, I made my way down the hall to see if Erik was in bed.

"Erik?" I peeked into his room, but his bed was empty and made for the day.

"Well, Gustave it seems that your father has stepped out."

In the bag I had carried over, I had a few of Gustave's blankets and some toys. They were things that could be left behind for when we came to visit…at least until we were completely moved in, which I was hoping to be soon. After spreading out a large blanket I had knitted for Gustave, I placed him down on it and scattered his wooden blocks around him. My son might have only been a few weeks old, but he was so advanced for his age, already sitting up and crawling when he wanted to. For a few moments I stood there watching him as he picked up a block with a large G painted on the front.

"That's right, Gustave… That's G, for your name."

He smiled, the same smile Erik always gave me.

"Miss Fleck, I think I'll be all right from here…" the door in the kitchen opened, and when I turned, I saw Miss Fleck and Erik walking in with a few bags of groceries.

"Erik, don't be silly. You nearly fell on your way back."

"Yes, on a patch of ice that I couldn't see."

Quickly, I hurried to the kitchen and greeted them.

"Erik?"

"Who's there?" he spun around in fright, but seemed to calm once he saw my shadow standing there. "Oh, Christine… wait? You're early."

"Yes, I…I guess I wanted a brunch instead."

"Hello, Christine." Miss Fleck was smiling at me from the ice box.

"Hello again."

"Erik wanted to go into town, so I escorted him."

"That was very kind of you. I think I can take it from here…"

"Yes, I have other things to attend to anyway."

After saying goodbye to Erik, she left as I began to unpack the groceries.

"Is something bothering you, Christine?"

I heard Erik's voice, only to look over and see him standing at the end of the table.

"No, nothing…" I lied. "I…I missed you is all."

A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth. But did I really miss him? I guess I sort of did.

"I made up my mind, Erik."

"So quickly?"

I placed the vegetables into the ice box, hearing the uncertainty in his voice.

"Yes, I want to move in with you."

"You're certain?"

I nodded, thinking about what Madame Giry had said…all the cruel things.

"Positive."

"When?"

"Would now be too fast?"

"Now?"

I continued to place the food into the icebox, his hands coming down over my shoulders, gently massaging them.

"Christine, you're not acting like yourself."

"Erik, I'm all right."

"No, you're not. Last night you weren't sure about moving in. Now, this morning you're certain. You're even a few hours early. Did something happen between Madame Giry and you?"

"No…"

"I can tell by the uncertainty in your voice."

"We had an argument is all."

"About me."

"It's nothing."

"She's probably right, Christine. She's probably right about everything she's said to you."

"No, she's wrong."

When I spun around to meet Erik's gaze, his eyes were unfocused and looking at nothing at all. How badly I wished they would look at me, if only for the slightest of seconds. His hand came up and placed itself against my cheek, lightly smiling at the feeling of warm flesh against his cold hand.

"You know, Christine, I still don't believe you're here with me."

"I am, Erik."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you wish."

"Good, I'll start by making us something to eat."

As Erik pulled his arm away, he ached and grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm not supposed to be moving around as much as I am. Doctor's orders until my wounds heal. If you'll excuse me…"

He then headed down the hall as I turned and began washing some carrots to make a stew.

Erik's POV

I didn't want to leave the house this morning, but Christine was coming over and I had hardly enough food to make anything at all. Lunch, that's what she wanted. I wasn't supposed to leave my home until my wounds healed from that horrible beating, but Christine was coming and I didn't want to have her here with bare cupboards. Thankfully, Miss Fleck had come over to visit and offered to take me out. I was going to do it alone, but with her at my side, I felt much better. I would, after all, need a pair of eyes to pick out ripe vegetables and fresh bread. But I was now feeling the aches of what I shouldn't have done. I lifted those grocery bags like a fool when Miss Fleck told me not to, and now, I was paying for it. I found my way down the hall, heading to the bathroom to take a capsule of my pain medicine. When I entered the bathroom, I turned on the lights in order to see the outlines of my vials, only to be blinded with agony. The lights were bright! Who the hell turned up the lights!

Quickly, I shielded my eyes with my hand as I attempted to reach for the light switch to turn it off. Christine! It must have been Christine…and after I kindly told her to always dim the lights when she was finished using them. No, I couldn't be angry today…She made a mistake, just like I had made a mistake by allowing Gustave to sleep in my bed. Blindly, I played with the settings of the lights until the light was only bright enough to show the outlines of my medicine vials. But when I reached the sink, they weren't there… What the hell was going on? Where were my vials? I always kept four….One was filled with my pain medicine, another with my eye drops, and the other two were for my deformity incase it became irritated. But they weren't here…nor were they in the order I had placed them in. Had Christine moved them? Quickly, I opened my medicine cabinet, noticing that everything was not in the order I had placed it in. This was driving me completely mad!

"No…" I mouthed this over and over again! My world was becoming disorganized, disorganized and out the exact order I kept everything in. Had she come here early and misplaced all my things to the way she wanted them?

Before going off in an angry rage, I quickly rushed to my room, turning on the lights only to have the same blinding pain occur within my eyes. I was livid now! I gritted my teeth and played with the light switch until I got it back to the setting I kept it on. I made my way over the wardrobe, flying open the doors, only to notice that it was a disheveled mess! My coats were mixed in with my shirts, my shirts were hanging over my trousers! No, no, no, no! Everything had once been color coded! My shirts were always placed neatly by color, but now…now everything was ruined! How would I ever dress myself again! How dare she! How dare Christine come into my home and touch my things!

"Christine!" I shouted her name as I went rushing to the kitchen. When I arrived, she turned on the light switch, the same blinding pain hitting my eyes. Before I had the chance to shield them, I tripped over the table and landed on the floor, my ankle twisting as I did so.

"Oh my gosh…Erik!"

Christine dimmed the lights, before rushing to my side. My leg was throbbing, but my anger for what she had done was still alive inside of me.

"Here, let me help you up."

She was attempting to sit me up, but I pushed her away.

"You have a lot of nerve coming into my home, Christine and switching my things around!"

"Wh..What?"

"You little demon! Don't play dumb with me! All my things, all the lights!"

"Erik, I didn't-"

"Just shut up! Your lies do nothing for me!"

"I'm not lying!"

"You are! I told you before about my lights! I told you time and time again not to touch anything!"

"Erik…" I could hear her getting upset, but I didn't stop.

"I let you move in and this your way of repaying me!"

"Erik, please…"

"I don't want you here, Christine, just go! You're more trouble than your worth!"

"Erik…"

"Get out of here! Get out and don't you come back!"

And then she left… she took my child and left me alone.

Christine's POV

I didn't understand what had gotten into him. One minute he was happy to see me, and the next, he was angry. I didn't understand what he was talking about. I had not touched the lights, nor did I touch any of his things…why would I? As I quickly carried Gustave home, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. Why had he treated me in such a way?

"Looks like your lunch went very well, Christine."

I wasn't even halfway through the door of Madame Giry's home when I heard her already taunting me.

"Just leave me alone." I sniffled.

"Oh, Christine, do you believe me now? Do you believe me when I say that he is no good for you? He can't even take control of his own life… how can he ever care for you or the child."

"He…He just wasn't himself."

"That is his usual self, Christine. He's been trying to hide it to impress you, but deep down, he's nothing but a madman!"

"Erik, is a kind person."

"He is a madman! Do you want him raising your child? Think about Gustave and his well being, Christine!"

I looked down at my son, knowing she was right. Perhaps things would be better if I just raised him alone.

"Tell me you're still not moving in with him?"

But I couldn't tell her. I, myself wasn't even sure where to go from here. I didn't say a word, only flew up the stairs to my room to be alone…

Erik's POV

Days passed, weeks passed….I had not seen Christine or my son in such a long time. My whole life had been disorganized and I spent that time trying to get it all back to normal. Was this shirt red or black? Was this my robe or day coat? Those were just a few of the questions haunting my mind as I held up each garment. I was in constant pain due to the fact that I had no idea where my medicine was….my eyes hurt worse because I couldn't find my eye drops. I was helpless and mad! Helpless and completely mad! I couldn't eat because my utensils were moved…..my food was scattered around the icebox, making it hard to tell what anything was. I had come so far, so far with trying to live, but hadre-landed back at square one.

When I couldn't take another moment of toying with my disorganized clothes or wondering where my medicine was, I laid in bed….and that's where I stayed. I stayed just like that, my body aching in pain, my body freezing from the cold draft, hungry from no food….even my ankle was throbbing worse than it had. Perhaps it was turning septic….who knew. But I was giving up….I had nothing to live for. Christine hated me, my own child was being kept away and I had no one…

"Erik?"

I laid there a few days later, hearing a strange voice calling my name. I was too weak to move, too weak to care…

"Erik? It's Meg."

How had she gotten into my home? Why was she here?

"Erik?" her voice was getting closer now. "Erik, I was passing by your home and noticed how filled your mailbox was. I placed your mail on the table… Have you not been able to find your way outside?"

I heard my door opening, only to then, hear her gasp.

"Erik?"

I felt her hand at my feverish forehead.

"Erik, can you hear me?" she was slightly shaking me now. "Erik?"

I could only whimper. I felt as though I was going to die, for her voice was fading in and out, my heart pounding against my ears.

"You're freezing."

She covered me up with my quilt and went running out of my room. How I wanted to call her name, but a terrible cough tore through my lungs and choked off any hope of a single word.

Christine's POV

I was sitting by the window, rocking Gustave in my arms. I had not seen Erik in over two months…Some nights I wanted to go to him, but the thought of another outburst stopped me. I figured that if he wanted to see me and apologize, he would have found his way to me. It was nearly spring now, and once it arrived, I would search for a job, one that would hopefully bring enough money in so I could move out and into my own place. It was late afternoon, when I heard the door downstairs swing open and Meg's frantic voice talking to her mother. I had never heard Meg sound so scared before, and after placing Gustave in his cradle, I cracked open the door to have a listen.

"Mother, mother….you must come quickly!"

"Meg, calm down." she ignorantly ordered.

"It's Erik, he's dying."

"Dying?" she laughed…the old woman was laughing! Erik was dying? My god! What if he's been this way since his outburst? What if he was too injured to call for help or make his way over here? What if that's the reason he hasn't attempted to see me?

"Mother, I went past his house today and noticed how full the mailbox was. I took his mail inside and found him trembling in his bed. He's got a very high fever and he was unresponsive."

"He should have listened to me when I told him to go live in a home with other blind men. But no, he was a stubborn fool, and now, he can die like one."

I gasped, instantly grabbing Gustave before rushing down the stairs.

"Is it true, Meg?"

Meg nodded.

"Then there isn't any time to waste…"

Madame Giry protested, but I wasn't listening to her… My angel needed me and I was going to be there for him.

Sorry about the looooong delay in updating. Been extra busy but more is to come, I promise you. Please review!