Christine's POV

Meg had been right about Erik. As soon as I arrived at his house, I noticed him on death's door. My poor angel looked as though he had not eaten in days. On top of that, he seemed dehydrated and had a high fever. He wasn't even conscious by the time I arrived. I knew that our little argument days ago had made him this way. Well, it wasn't days ago, weeks, actually. Erik's anger was a terrible one at times, making knowing his emotions ever harder than it seemed. But this time, I refused to abandon him. I took my time, nursing him back to health, and what a difficult task it was. Meg warned me about getting a doctor, but I decided to take matters into my own hands and mend his broken body myself. Knowing that I couldn't leave him alone, I moved Gustave and I into Erik's home.

His home was comfy and had plenty of space for Gustave to play on while I tended to my angel of music. I was worried about him, so much, especially since he hadn't woken since I arrived. Sometimes, I was lucky enough to get liquids down his throat. He didn't respond to me, nor did he open his eyes. It had been nearly two days since I had found him on deaths door, and still he had yet to wake. But, I finally made a vow that if he didn't wake by the weekend, I would seek out the help of a doctor. In Erik's family room, I set up a tiny play pen/cradle for Gustave. It was where he played and slept during the day. After feeding my little cherub and rocking him to sleep, I placed him down into his pen and wandered to Erik's bedroom to cheek on my angel of music.

For days now, I had been placing compresses against his head to bring down his fever. It had seemed to be working, for my angel's high temperature had come down, leaving him just unbearably warm instead of on fire. I tucked the blankets around his body, and ran my fingers through his sparse locks of hair.

"Erik," I interlaced my hand with his own as I took a seat at his bedside. In a few hours, I would seek out the comfort of his couch, but for the time being, I would comfort him. Ever since I moved myself in, I had not only been taking care of him, but I had also placed his medicine cabinet back into order. I wasn't sure how his things had gotten out of place, but it was the reason why he had shouted at me. Perhaps my angel had done so without even knowing? I wasn't sure, but whenever he woke, life would be back to normal.

"Would you like it if I sang to you, angel?" I asked, staring down at his sleeping form. "Gustave enjoys it when I sing to him. I know you always enjoyed it too."

I had hoped that by singing, my angel would wake. If he heard my voice, surely he would open his eyes. I sat there, humming to him at first, humming a soft lullaby. I usually sang Gustave the same one each night. Oh, how I wished for nothing more than for my angel of music to open his eyes, but even after my song had ended, he still seemed to be sleeping. I placed my palm firmly against his head and sighed…

"Sleep well, Erik. I'll be here when you wake." With that being said, I pressed my lips to his forehead and rose to my feet. It was late, and I knew sooner or later Gustave would be waking for his midnight feeding. Deciding to get some sleep before he began to cry, I made sure there was wood burning in my angel's fireplace and closed his door behind me. His fever was still at the same height, but I knew if he didn't attempt to stir by morning, that I would be seeking a doctor. I have done all that I could possibly do for him; I could only hope that it would be enough.

Erik's POV

I felt warm. That's the first thing I took notice to when I woke. Yes, everything was dark, but I could hear the fire crackling in the hearth, making it obvious that someone was in my home with me. My body was weak, extremely weak, making moving any part of it nearly impossible. The last thing I remember is lying here and ready to give up. But how had that changed? I snuggled deep into my pillow, softly groaning as my eye lids burned. If there was one thing I hated, it was being blind. It made life difficult for me, so difficult that I hated living half the time. My throat was dry, causing me to cough. I thought nothing of it, not until I heard my door open and to hear footsteps approaching my bed. I didn't make any sudden movements, keeping quiet until I knew who was there.

"Erik?"

When I heard my angel's voice, my body tensed. What was she doing here? Hadn't my anger scared her away? I wasn't sure whether to respond, so instead, I laid there with my eyes closed. I felt her hand brush against my forehead, her voice pleading with me to respond to her. But why? Why was she sounding so worried?

"Erik, please, answer me."

Never have I ever heard her sound so desperate and worried before. Yes, I could have stayed silent due to how ill I felt, but instead, I gathered all the strength I could muster and rolled over only to back, opening my eyes. I heard her gasp, and then, saw the blinding lights. I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand, begging her to dim them. Oh, how my eyes hated when the lights were too bright. It burned them like fire.

"Oh, forgive me, Erik." She pleaded, the lights becoming dimmer. I rubbed my temple, looking up at my angel's shadow. Her hand came down over my forehead, caressing my brow for the longest of time.

"Angel, how are you feeling?"

"Not so well, Christine."

I laid back down against my pillows and moaned as my eyes continued to burn from the dreaded fever I was battling.

"How about something to drink?" came her angelic voice. "I glass of water perhaps?"

I didn't say a word, only lied there listening to her fumbling about. A few moments later, her hand came behind my head and lifted me to the glass she was apparently holding. The cool liquid soothed my parched throat, making me feel a whole lot better.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked as she tucked me in.

"Why are you here?" I curiously, yet weakly asked. "I was a monster to you."

"Perhaps," Christine said. "But you need me now. Gustave and I are here to stay as long as you need us here. I believe it's better that way, angel. In the morning, if you request it, I shall send for a doctor."

"No doctors." I moaned. "They are useless to me. I shall be back to my old self within time…Never my old old self, for I cannot stand the darkness."

"Darkness used to be your favorite thing."

"But how can it continue being just that when all I ever have is darkness?"

"I know how you feel, Erik."

"No, you don't, Christine." I exhaustedly barked. "You don't."

There was a long pause, and then, I felt my angel's hands against my shoulders.

"You should get your rest, Erik. In the morning, I will cook breakfast and then, perhaps you will feel better. I'll break this fever from you, angel…"

I was so exhausted, that I didn't even say goodnight to Christine when she tucked me in. this was most certainly not the life I believed I would be living. What made matters worse was that I couldn't see a damn thing! To go through each day barely seeing at all, and when I did, only to see shadows, it was agonizing! I had memory of what my angel looked like, but I didn't even have a single clue one what my own son looked like! For the remainder of the night, I laid there staring up at the ceiling…or at least I thought it was the ceiling. I wasn't sure, for everything was dark. Everything to me was the same. If I opened my eyes, it was dark, and when I closed them, it was even darker. I must have drifted off again, for the following morning, I woke to the sound of my son's cries. I wasn't sure why he was crying, but rolled over in bed and snuggled deeper into my pillow, listening to Christine shush the boy and then, my child's joyous giggles. And those giggles made my heart leap with joy…

Christine's POV

I was worried about Gustave waking Erik, especially when he began to cry. I worked quickly at changing his diaper and feeding him his morning bottle. When his cries ceased, my boy began to giggle. Oh, how beautiful he was. After placing him back down in his playpen, I hurried into the kitchen to start breakfast. It was another snowy morning, making everything outside Erik's window a wonderland of white. When the potatoes were frying on the stove, I placed another log onto the fireplace to continue keeping Erik's house warm. A few moments later, I heard a knock at the door, only to open it and find Madame Giry standing there.

"Christine,"

"Madame Giry, what are you doing here?"

"Might I ask you the same question?"

"Erik needs me." I said. "He is very sick."

"When are you going to come back home?" she snapped. "I've been waiting for nearly two days now."

"Madame, I can't leave Erik. He has a high fever and is very ill. Look, I'll come back when the time is right."

"You are going to be nothing more than his nurse. Is that the life you wanted, Christine?"

"Madame, just leave me to my business."

I tried to close the door, but Madame Giry put her foot in the way.

"You are making a grave mistake, Christine. That man will do you no good."

"And that is for me to decide, Madame. Now, if you don't mind, I must get back into the kitchen."

Even when I closed the door, Madame Giry was still screaming for me, screaming horrible things about my angel. Yes, Erik had a temper on him, one that could make me hate him sometimes, but it was never enough for me to keep away from him. Even when I lived back in Paris at the opera house, his temper was lethal then as well. After wetting a compress, I carried it into Erik's bedroom and placed it across his burning forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

"My head is pounding." He complained. "And my eyes…" Erik pressed his eyes closed and laid still. I knew he was in dire agony, that being the reason why he needed a doctor.

"Erik, you can't continue going on like this. I think after breakfast I'm going to go into town and find you a doctor."

"No doctors." He groaned. "I'll be all right."

"But you're not."

"I just need my rest is all." He assured. "Just let me rest a day more, Christine. I'm sure by tomorrow morning this will all have passed and everything will be back to normal again."

Deciding not to argue with him, I fixed the blankets on his bed and headed to the door.

"You should take a bath after breakfast." I suggested. "You've been lying in that bed a long time."

And with that, I left my angel to finish preparing breakfast.

Erik's POV

Keeping my breakfast down wasn't the easiest task in the world. Though, I suffered through my aching stomach and swallowed every ounce of food my angel fed to me. Afterwards, Christine started a hot bath for me, and I soon found myself sinking into the comfortable waters. I leaned my head against the back of the tub, closing my eyes and allowing the hot water to wash away the grime that was covering my ill body. Besides the sound of dripping water, I could hear Christine rummaging around my bedroom, changing the sheets, no doubt. Even so, my body still felt weak and cold. But, there were things to do, and after taking this bath, I would complete them. Deciding that I had laid enough, I dressed in my robe and made my way out to my armchair that was placed in front of the fire. If it wasn't for my fever, I probably would have shoveled snow, but I knew death would be upon me if I decided to take part in such a task. As the fire crackled, I heard something not too far away; a small clicking sound. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but when I heard my child giggle, I realized that he must have been playing with some toys. Building blocks perhaps?

"There you are." I heard my angel's voice, and then, saw her shadow approaching me. "I freshened your bed for you."

"I'm not interested in lying down at the moment."

"You should be resting."

"I'm going to sit up for a while. Which reminds me, what is Gustave doing?"

"Um…" there was a slight pause, and then, my angel's voice again. "He's playing with a stack of small blocks in his playpen."

My smile faded. "I wish I could see him playing. I even wish I could see him…"

"Would you like to hold him?" Christine asked. "He's grown so much since the last time you held him."

"I don't think it's such a good idea, Christine. With me being sick and all, there's no telling what he could catch…"

"Nonsense, Erik." Christine assured. "You're not contagious. I've been here nearly three days taking care of you and I haven't caught a single thing."

A few moments later, I felt my son being placed onto my lap. His hands gently slapped my knee as he laughed and wailed in happiness.

"Hold him, Erik."

My hands wrapped around his waist as he sat there on my knee. But could my hands stay in one place? Of course not… My hands wandered to his flawless, yet soft face, feeling every ounce of him. He was beauty itself!

"He likes you." Christine assured. "He usually isn't this happy around Madame Giry or Meg. Perhaps he knows you're his father."

"I highly doubt that, angel."

"I believe he does. Why else would he be so happy for?"

"Because he is you, Christine."

When Gustave became too squirmy, Christine lifted him into her arms, murmuring something about having to take a nap. I, myself was becoming tired again, so tired that I stood from where I was sitting and began making my way back to my room.

"Where are you going, Erik?" Christine asked.

"To lay down." I said. "I'm tired again."

"I'll be in to tuck you in bed, angel."

I didn't protest and walked into my bedroom, laying down beneath the blankets only to find Ayesha occupying my spot. Her paws playfully clawed at my arm, her purrs lifting my heavy heart.

"Does this mean that you're sorry?" I questioned, referring to her last outburst of anger when I threw her into the hallway. When her paw hit my cheek, I smiled and petted her on the head.

"What can I say? You have an attitude like your owner. I'm glad to see that you're back to being your old self again."

"I brought you another compress." Christine said, tucking me in. "You should stay in bed for a while."

"Thank you, Christine."

My angel brushed her fingers against my cheek. "You know, Erik, I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"About your offer."

"What offer is that?" I curiously questioned.

"The one you offered me a few weeks ago." She reminded. "The one where you offered to let me move in here with Gustave."

"You're still thinking about that?" I asked. "I'm sure I ruined that offer the moment I burst on you."

"Well, that's over now, isn't it?"

"If you say so…"

"Good, then I've made up my mind."

"You have?"

"Yes. Gustave and I are going to stay with you. It's apparent that you need me here and I think I need some company too."

This made my heart leap with joy! A few weeks back, I was sure I had ruined everything, but now, everything was back to normal! I had my Christine back!

"…And did you notice the bathroom, Erik?" my angel asked as she approached the door.

"No, what about it?"

"Well, everything is back to being organized again. I took the last few days while you were resting and put your medicine and clothes back into order. Everything is waiting for you like it should be…in its proper place."

And when my angel left, all I could simply do was smile…Oh, what a wonderful woman my Christine was.

So, I'm back by popular demand. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted becuase I'm currently working on 2 stories at the moment, but I shall try my best to upload as often as possible. Perhaps once every two weeks or something until I finish the ones I am working on...Which shouldn't be much longer now. But I dedicate this chapter to DTPhantom, who, for months, has sent me countless emails,bugging me about updating this story. I sure hope you enjoyed it :) Please review!