Author Note:

For starters, thank you to the people who reviewed the first chapter, it really pushed me to get the second chapter out as soon as possible. So my thanks goes out to those three.

Secondly, enjoy the second chapter. I am writing theses as they go so I have no pre written chapters. I will be updating as soon as possible.

Thank you to all who are reading and have reviewed.

TheDragonEye

Erik

"Erik!"

The cry of anguish echoed through Erik's fever stricken body making his head ache even more as it rang a few more times in his head. His eyes refused to open as though his eyelids weighed as much as a stone he once used to work with. A very, very warm stone in his case.

"Don't ta-. . talk so loud." he spoke, his tongue moving oddly in his mouth as it felt inflated to the point of gaging himself. Even though he did not move when he spoke, the simple words made him feel nauseated even more. But as it settled once more, he figured he would remain content with lying right there. To be deathly still.

He was for the most part convinced that Christine had been beside him or at least someone had touched him. With the force of waking up he could careless now, and his thoughts rang that whoever had done it was lucky he could not reach his Punjab.

It was quiet once more, except for his breathing which was heavy in his own ear, and he was certain he was alone once more in the dampness and dark of his home.

Or at least he had thought so until-

"Erik Destler! I am not allowing you to lay on your organ until you finally do catch your death!" it was that almost commanding tone. He had heard it often from when Madame Giry when she wanted to lecture or tell him to do something. Especially the 'Erik Destler' part. He could almost imagine her standing there with her hands on her hips as she waited impatiently for an answer that was not going to come.

Erik had figured Christine had left him, just like that night 4 weeks ago. She probably saw the situation hopeless. Hell! He didn't even know why she had come back.

His senses were dulled and he tried once more to fall back asleep, she was gone, it didn't make a difference to him.

But he was wrong, and he knew that the moment a hand seized him from around his upper arm and nails dug into his weakened flesh as he was jerked upwards into a sitting position.

The taste in his mouth was not promising nor pleasant. Even with his eyes closed, Erik could tell his vision was spinning, his eyes rolling back into his head as illness flooded every part of his body. All that from being forced upright, he didn't see the reasoning of why that had happened.

A gentler hand came up and held his sagging head up and away from his chest. His eyes parted, scarcely enough to see. With the darkened vision he could scarcely see. However, what he could see was the concern in Christine's dark brown eyes, and that also secured the knowledge of Christine's return.

The ability to pronounce words was almost foreign, his tongue was nearly bloated which ruined his ability to properly form words.

So another objecting and pitiful groan escaped his dry, split lips instead.

What the point of being forced upright was, Erik did not know. At least not until one of his limp arms was draped over Christine's shoulders.

His mind was screaming blindly at him, knowing nothing good would come from this. She had not the strength to lift him, let alone drag him anywhere. If only his mind could be heard freely.

He opened his mouth and eyes as he was about to attempt a word of protest, but unfortunately for him that was the precise moment Christine had decided to test her strength and she pulled up; hoping to drag Erik to his feet.

Erik's vision went completely dark and he felt himself sway precariously. He couldn't recall precisely what happened then, his head felt as though it was drowning on pressure. The air around him suddenly thin and too warm for comfort.

Christine

Christine's first thoughts were that her calls gad been a failure even as she stood right next to him. Erik had not even moved a muscle.

Then she received a response, a half garbled and half slurred sentence that she thought she was talking to someone who had too much liquor in his system. She had not understood his sentence:

"Don't ta-. . .talk so loud."

It had only been four words yet she wasn't able to pick out a single one in that sentence Erik had tried so hard to choke out. She fell silent in case he should try to say something else.

When no other words or sounds came, besides the raspy tone that came every time he took a breath, she decided to speak up once more.

"Erik Destler! I am not allowing you to lay on your organ until you finally do catch your death!"

She was surprised at her own voice, and for a moment she had thought it had sounded angry. She shook her head. Her eyes regarding him carefully. Both of them had not the time to sit here and wait until he finally chose to cooperate.

She reached out and wrapped her hand around his upper arm, probably the best chance she had to at least get him to sit upright. She didn't want to grab his collar of his ruined shirt, he already had the fever and his breath troubled her. She bit her lip as she yanked up on his arm, pulling him to at least get his head off the organ keys.

Christine moved her hand from his arm to his back to hold him steady as her other hand gently turned his head up and towards her. When she looked at him she felt as though his face had looked worse four weeks ago even with the fever he had running through his veins. Perhaps it had been fear which made her eyes hallucinate his monstrous qualities.

She watched as he shook slightly under the strain of just sitting up, and she knew he had little energy to spend. She moved his arm over her shoulders, one hand gripping his as the other gripped at the fabric at his side of his clothes.

Christine summoned up her energy and she dragged him upright. Erik did not react as she thought he would. She had hoped that, he might be able to have a little energy in which he could help balance out with.

Instead he swayed and felt like he had managed to hold himself a little before he went limp, his weight nearly dragging her down to the floor as Erik's knees buckled out from underneath himself.

She muttered a curse under her breath and swiftly jerked her head to get the hair out of her eyes. She looked down at the poor man half above and half on the ground.She had to at least get him to a bed. The stone would not be good for his health and he was already beginning to shiver from moving.

Both

This was the only way could see it done, by dragging him this way. Erik would give a dull groan once in a while as he fought with himself to remain awake.

The distance they made in so much time was pathetic, but there could be nothing done to change that. Once they had made it to the swan bed on the other side of his home it must have been at least over an hour and a half since Christine had arrived there.

Getting Erik into the bed was difficult, he could barely life his own legs and Christine was exhausted from the amount of energy she used to get him over to the bed.

After a few more trying minutes, Erik lay sprawled out on the bed, looking no better than he had over by the organ. Christine shook her head as she began to unbutton his ruined shirt, and she carefully removed it from him. She also removed his shoes and put those off to the side.

"Don't worry angel. You'll be up on your feet soon enough." she whispered, running her hand through his matted and wet hair.

Christine pulled the blankets over him and tucked them securely around Erik's body. Knowing he would have to sweat out the fever. Erik, however, grew uncomfortable at the even greater warmth of wriggling about to try and get out.

His body gave way though and he lay still, his head flailing once in a while from side to side on his pillow.

Christine stood up, and stared down at him. She needed to see if she could get him any form of medication and a cooling cloth. She took a few steps back.

"I'll be right back Erik." she spoke.

Erik's mouth moved in words but no noise was admitted past his lips. This was going to be hell.

Ending note:

Thank you for all who have read this far. Please R&R!

Thank you once more!

TheDragonEye