Okay so yes I know I am not really around much anymore, but as soon as school started again life got hectic, I'm in Bio, Physics, Math, and My musical theatre class, as well as choir, vocal jazz, and my job…….yes I know that is not a good excuse for making you guys wait, but it's pretty crazy. Uh some other stuff has come up in the last few weeks as well that has kept me away from this, but I'm back, hopefully it won't be this long before my next update. And a very special thanks to James (I'm not going to write his last name because I don't really know if he wants everyone to read it.) My new beta that has done a great job…. (He hasn't done this chapter yet, I wanted it to get to you guys ASAP) but if you check back later it will be even better from his help!

Chapter 33 –

Elizabeth woke up in the chair in the corner of Erik's room; Amelia and Daniel were sleeping on the tiny sofa; the younger girls head resting on her brother's shoulder. Erik didn't seem to have moved. She walked slowly over to his bed and ran her hand down his face. Just as she did her sister in law opened the door into the room. "Oh, you're up, I've been checking for the last hour. I didn't want to wake you."

"Sorry, I didn't know they would be coming in here last night, I didn't really want them to see Erik like this."

"I am fairly certain this was their own choice." Elizabeth just nodded. "Why don't you go downstairs and get something to eat, you hardly ate yesterday and you will make yourself weak if you don't."

"I'll just stay here."

"Elizabeth, please just go eat, if anything happens you will be the first person we call." This time it was David. "You have been living on your own for many years Elizabeth, but I am still the head of this family and you need to eat. I have not given you orders since you were a child, but you need to listen to me now." Elizabeth eyed her older brother but he shook his head. "If anything happens, we will tell you."

She reluctantly took one last look at Erik and walked down the hallway. Jane considered waking her children, but she assumed that they had been up half the night so she let them sleep. "Should one of us stay?"

"Roger is sitting just in the hallway, he'll call for one of us if Erik or the children wake up." David replied to his wife's question.

Elizabeth was sitting in the kitchen trying to finish a bowl of porridge. She had no appetite, but the staffs weren't letting her go back upstairs until she was finished with her breakfast. She looked toward her coffee and since she had very little sleep the drink was welcome. She took a few sips. Gradually finished her meal and picked up the mug to take upstairs to Erik's room. She had eaten in the kitchen rather than the dining room, which was two levels down from Erik's room. She began to make her way back to Erik's room. She had done what everyone wanted her to do; now she just wanted to be left alone.

As she walked up the second stairway she heard Amelia scream, the last time she had heard anyone scream like that was Andrew the day before and she knew immediately something was wrong.

She forgot all about her coffee which crashed to the rug and then continued down the rest of the steps only to shatter as it hit the wood floor at the bottom, but she saw none of it. She nearly barreled into her brother in the hallway, and seconds after the two collided with Amelia and Daniel right outside Erik's bedroom.

"What happened?" David asked, but Elizabeth didn't hear the answer. She was in Erik's room only to find him sitting up in bed looking absolutely furious."

"Erik!" Tears began to fill her eyes and she didn't think she had ever been happier. The anger in his features hardly even registered to her. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she cut him off. "Are you alright? Do you feel any major pain? Do you need anything? Oh thank god." She didn't even know what she had said. He didn't seem to either. She knelt down beside his bed and took his hand.

"Where is it?" He asked sounding almost calm; but she finally registered how upset he was. His voice was hoarse, probably from lack of water for nearly a day.

She knew instantly what 'it' was and all the joy she had felt seconds ago became second to her anger. She stood up and dropped his hand unceremoniously. "Where is it? You almost died in front of the only people in this entire world that love you and you ask 'where is it'? How about, 'is Andrew alright'? Or 'was anyone else hurt'? No, that doesn't matter does it? All you care about is that bloody mask? Is that why Amelia screamed, why she and Daniel bolted out of here? We have all been worried sick about you; the three of us were up for most of the night praying you would be alright. Every single one of your students is terrified that you might have died and all you want to know is where your precious piece of porcelain is?"

"Where is it?"

She refused to answer him. She went to the water container and poured him a glass of water. She held it out to him. "You need something to drink, you can hardly speak." He thrust his hand out and knocked the glass out of her hand.

"Tell me Elizabeth!" He commanded as loud as he could, but he broke out into a coughing fit. Elizabeth grabbed him a second glass of water and held it out to him.

"Erik take it." She nearly pleaded to him. He finally did. When he had stopped coughing he looked to Elizabeth again.

"Where-"

"God Erik! It broke on a rock or something. It probably kept you alive because rather than your skull smashing against a rock, it was your mask. The children wanted to do something for you so they took it to fix it."

"Who else saw?" He asked miserably.

"All the students saw you down at the river, as well as Amelia, Daniel, David and Jane saw you here. The staff of the school also saw it, and the doctor." She was ready to cry. "Erik, no one cared, all everyone wanted was for you to get better. It wasn't like what happened at that opera house. The only people crying were the ones wishing you would be okay. Everyone was terrified, but not of your face." She knelt down next to him again. "We were so scared. We needed you to be okay. Erik, the doctor didn't know if you would live. You are so lucky to be alive, please just stop thinking about what doesn't matter."

He was silent for a second, but he stiffened suddenly. "Is Andrew alright?"

"Yes, he's fine. He blames himself." She paused for a minute then smiled. "I slapped his father."

She saw the hint of a smile on Erik's face. "What did he do this time?"

"He blamed you for the accident." She replied. They sat silently for a minute but Elizabeth noticed he was strained. "Erik, lay back, you hit your head very hard, you need to relax; you're probably giving yourself a headache."

"I'm fine."

"Erik, do you know what happened at the river? Do you remember?"

"I remember jumping in, and nothing else. I don't even remember catching up to Andrew. How did I get him out?"

"When we got down to the edge of the water, Andrew grabbed a rock and I got him out, then we looked for you and I waded out to catch you. You weren't moving."

"And no one else was hurt?"

"No, only you. Andrew had barely a scratch on him." She paused then she looked up to him. "You need to eat. You haven't eaten for a day."

He looked to her arms. "Where did these come from." He gentled fingered the small cuts and bruises on her arms.

"They don't hurt; I just was running through the forest to catch up to you two." She was being honest. "I'm going to go get you something to eat. I'll send word down to the school that you are alright." He just nodded slightly.

"Then you will get my mask back." She slammed the door as she left.

She knelt back onto the door of the room and finally let herself cry again. She had never been happier in her entire life. "Elizabeth?" Amelia asked from behind her mother's skirt. Elizabeth slowly looked over to her entire family who were staring blankly at her waiting for answers.

"I need to send word down to the school, and get his damn mask back." Amelia gasped at the language. Elizabeth sent her brother and sister in law an apologetic look. "Sorry Sweetheart, I didn't mean to swear in front of you."

"I know, mama says you are under a lot of stress." She replied. "But he's okay isn't he?"

"Yes, Erik will be alright I think. I also need to send for the doctor, he will want to check to make sure Erik will be fine."

"He's not going to like that." Amelia replied innocently.

Elizabeth allowed herself to laugh lightly. "No he probably won't. But I will make him." Amelia nodded.

"I'll run down to the school if you'd like?" Daniel offered. "I'd like to stop and talk to Caroline, I only got to see her for a second yesterday and she'll need a friend." He looked from his parents to Elizabeth. Eventually they both nodded.

"Can I go as well?" Amelia asked.

"Take care of you sister." David said to his son, Daniel nodded without an argument.

Elizabeth headed downstairs to get Erik some soup broth; she doubted much else would go down easily. She was still too unsure on the extent of his damage. She was on her way back up when her niece and nephew returned accompanied by the entire vocal class and the de Changy's.

"Sorry Auntie, we were on our way to the school when they met us just passed the driveway." Amelia said innocently and gestured toward the people crowding the front entryway.

"Miss Bennet?" It was Christine. "I wanted to apologize to you for my husband actions yesterday. It's still a sore subject…"

"I understand." Simply put, but Christine visibly calmed.

"Miss Bennet?"

"Yes Andrew?"

"Can we go see Mr. Erik now? I want to thank him."

"Do you have his mask?"

"Yes." Caroline replied, "But it isn't repaired very well."

"Knowing Erik he will have made another one before her gets out of that bed. I doubt he will see you without his mask on, so I'll go give it to him; and then you can all see him. But not for long, he needs to eat." They all nodded silently and Emily reached into a little bag and handed her Erik's repaired mask. It was slightly chipped still, and the line where it had cracked was easy visible. "I think he'll love it." Elizabeth said happily.

The group quickly made their way up to the room. Raoul and Christine were in the back, but their son led the way. He took Elizabeth's hand and she smiled down at him, but she could see that he was trembling. When they reached the door she went down on one knee. "What's wrong Andrew?" She asked. His parents made their way to the front.

"I don't think he'll forgive me. I nearly killed him. He'll blame me!" Tears filled his eyes.

"Oh Andrew, he will never blame you, he jumped in because he cares for you and he would never want you to get hurt. He jumped in because you mean that much to him. Now, why don't we all quiet down, and you stop your tears and we will go see your teacher. I think he is looking forward to seeing you all again." The boy smiled. Elizabeth opened the door to the room and stepped inside. "You have guests."

"Elizabeth…" He warned. Before he said another word she handed him the repaired porcelain. He eyed it strangely.

"They're just children, they did the best they could. You can make yourself another one."

"I intend to, but make sure they understand that this one is very precious to me."

"They already do, that's why they fixed it…"

"No, I mean that I will cherish it because they were willing to fix it." He replied as he slipped it onto his face. "Now, where are my students?"