A/n Okay this chapter is a bit strange. :) But I hope you'all don't get too lost. Okay now for the thanks.

Wild Mage Lioness – It was a type of morphine, it will be explained in further chapters ( I think) and no, what he put on the paper was the "recipe" for the medicine he needed for Christine. But you were so close, because he will be using them to write music later. You reading my mind? –wink-

Mominator – lol –hands out more yummy cookies- Yes that was a risk Erik was willing to take. But he kicked everyone out of the house to minimize the risk of spreading. Things will be better soon though.

Into the Storm – I know! I always hate waiting like 2 weeks between updates. That's why I try to get the new chapter finished and looked over within five days. It's like a mini goal –grins- Maura is a lot like her father. But no, she doesn't have any feeling for Erik. She's very bitter that she is stuck working for such a strange and dangerous man. And she's a bit pissed that he brought in the plague, and another person for her to wait on. But that will come on in further chapters –smiles-

kagome-kogas-dream-date – egads -hands out warm gooey white chocolate cookies.- Awe, you're reviews always make my day. I know my style of writing isn't for everyone. I'm glad you like it. I hope to see more wonderful reviews from you.

And many thanks to Chloe Rides a Land Shark , WanderingTeenTwinkle22, the Mouse in the Opera House, andAn Cailin Fionn

Chapter 7

Christine felt the bed below her before she let herself open her eyes. All she saw was darkness and she felt a moment of panic. 'Blind! No!' But after a few moments of frantic blinking, the sleep left her eyes and she could see, slightly. It was dim, the room seemed a though it was filled with black smoke. The haze was heavy, making everything muddled. She blinked a few more time to try and focus. She spotted Erik, sprawled almost like a child in a massive chair next to the bed.

He was asleep. His chin resting on his chest, mouth open just slightly and his breathing was slow and deep. She blinked a bit more and her vision cleared. She looked around a bit, her body not really obeying her commands to move. She felt heavy, weak just breathing seem to take such an effort. The room was large; the beams crossed the room at an angle far above her head. A large wardrobe graced one wall, as well as a vanity table. A tiny fireplace was built against the stone wall. Not for show, obviously, but more for heat. That was about all she could see because her eyes started burning and she had to close them.

When she opened them again, she realized she must have fallen asleep because she was being picked up. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and lifter her slightly off the bed. Her vision wouldn't focus fast enough but she felt the cool touch of a glass to her dry chapped lips. So she let her heavy lids close and accepted the drink. It wasn't water, which surprised her. It was a cold tea of some sort.

Christine didn't like it.

She coughed weakly and turned her head away, but a soft voice broke through the haze in her mind.

"Ah, come now Angel. It will help you get better."

Christine turned back toward the voice, knowing full well it was Erik even with her eyes closed. She opened her mouth to speak but the glass returned and she had no choice but to drink the bitter brew.

"There now Christine, I know it isn't pleasant."

He was so close; Christine could feel his breath on her face and neck as he spoke. She was almost afraid to open her eyes, lest she be inches from his intense, soft blue eyes. So she kept them tightly shut and forced herself to finish the drink. When it was gone, and the glass removed, she felt her body growing even heavier than it had been. She opened her eyes and all she caught was a flash of white. That god-awful mask.

She felt her body being lowered back on the bed, her head resting on the pillows. Her eyes closed, no longer able to keep them open and she slipped back into a drug induced sleep.

…. . .

Erik pulled the covers back over Christine and smoothed away the hair from her sweating face. Her skin burned his hand, she was raging with fever. But fever was good, it meant her body was fighting the disease. But it was touchy, too much fever could cause more harm than good. He collapsed back into the chair his eyes landing on the mixtures he had set up on the folding table.

He had worked at a frantic pace, but was meticulous in every detail. Erik's education with medicinal herbs and vaccines far surpassed anyone he knew. But even he was struggling with this illness. There were just too many factors to take in hand. But he tried as hard as he could. His body ached from sitting in the chair for far too long, so he stood and paced the room. Christine still needed at least one more injection. Her body was strong. Youth was working with her. But the plague had taken root deep in her lungs, and it was still there, he could hear it in her breathing. Without the injection, she would be in far too much pain and the cough would only prevent her lungs from healing.

Sighing. Erik took up the bowl of now cold water and headed out of the room to get fresh water. Downstairs, he emptied the contents in the sink and set the bowl to be refilled. It was then that he heard a very distinctive thump over head.

"Damn it to Hell." He cursed viciously at himself. He dropped the bowl, forgotten, as he darted out of the kitchen and pounded up the stairs, taking two at a time and nearly flying into Christine's room just in time to see her sitting up from the floor. "Christine!" he was about to scold her gently for getting out of bed but he caught himself.

'She's sleep walking?.' He wasn't sure, her eyes hardly seemed open, but they were moving around, darting past his form as he walked up to pick her up off the floor.

Christine instantly fought back.

Erik was surprised as he practically had to wrestle with the girl. The drugs he had fed her should have made her slip into a deep recuperating sleep. But here she was, fighting with him!

"Christine! Calm down, no one is going to harm you. Christine!"

The young woman screamed, flailed her arms and kicked and thrashed about. It was all Erik could to do hold on to her to keep her from doing something to harm herself. The pair fell to the floor and Erik tried to pin her between the ground and his body. This further enraged the fevered Christine.

"Nooo!" She howled. Her kicking had upended his case of medical instruments, scattering them around. "Let me go you demon!" Her face crumpled into tears. "I don't want to die!" She sobbed.

"Christine! Wake up!" He was desperate now. He feared he would harm her. Already he could see slightly bruising where he held her wrist tightly. Afraid, he let her go to get a better, more gentle grip.

Christine took the moment of freedom and lashed out at what she presumed was her attacker. Her hand connected solidly with Erik's masked face. The force sent the half mask flying from his face to skitter across the ground. Erik saw spots, his vision blurred and Christine slipped from his grasp and stood to run. But she didn't have the strength and fell for a third time. Erik gave his head a violent shake to clear his vision and dove for Christine. His mask was gone, his carefully arranged hair was wild and in his face, but he didn't care.

All he cared about was Christine.

"Christine!" He called again and he gathered the now stunned girl in his arms, pulling her hard against him and in his lap before she had a chance to struggle again. When she tried, Erik started rocking back and forth, soothing her with soft words. When that didn't seem to work, he started humming. The girl instantly responded, she calmed, her whimpering of death and devils faded. Encouraged, Erik traded the humming for soft singing. His voice wrapped them both in calmness. And soon, Christine fell limp against him. He had used the same song to calm Christine when she had been a child, afraid and alone.

Erik sighed, pressing his marred face deep in her hair and setting a kiss on top of her head. He fought tears, hardly believing what just happened. He didn't even want to think about what might have happened if Christine had reached the stairs before he could catch her.

With a sigh, Erik carefully got to his feet and returned Christine to bed. With her safely tucked in, he carefully touched the tender spot on his cheek where the girl had hit him. He winced and went looking for his mask, retrieving it from where it landed halfway across the room and set it in place. His hair would have to wait till later to be fixed. He was torn between staying and watching Christine, and going to the kitchen to get the water he needed to continue his treatment. The water won, and Erik hurried back down stairs.

… . .

Daroga relaxed as the screaming died down. They were from Miss Daae, and it didn't take a genius to know that the girl was seriously ill. How serious, Daroga could only guess. He let his dark eyes drop from the small flower like stain glass window that graced the guest room where the screams had come from. The young woman was obviously delirious, she was screaming about Death coming to take her, not wanting to die. She said there were demons in the room.

Course Erik was no angel but he sure was a demon, sometimes. He itched to go in there and see what had happened. To see if the girl was alright. But he knew it was forbidden to go into the house till he was called for. Even his curiosity wasn't worth catching the plague for. But all seemed well. The girl was calm now, and he hardly heard a loud word from Erik. He had been gentle with her. The thought please the Persian. Besides, he didn't think that it was possible for the man to harm her.

… . .

Gabrielle was kneeling on her bed, pressing her forehead against the cold glass of her bedroom window. Her warm breath fogged on the glass but she hardly noticed. She had been more focused on the screams. They had been very soft from this far away from the Manor. If she had been asleep she would have missed them. She could only see half the house from the angle her window was facing but she looked out anyways.

"I wonder what's going on." She said to herself as the screams stopped.

"He's probably beating her, or showing her what's under that mask." A half asleep Maura said as she flipped over on her stomach. "Go to sleep Gabbie."

Gabriella frowned over at her sister, whom she shared the room with. "I don't think he's beating her Maura." The twelve year old shot back before tuning back to the window. "I wonder what is under that mask." She added softly. Maura snorted and turned around to punch the feather pillow a few times before resting again.

"Don't wonder such things Gabbie. Just accept it. You shouldn't be talking about it anyways, you know the kinds of tricks the Master can pull. He can probably hear us right now."

"You started it Maura." The younger sister shot back before crawling back under the covers.

"Well I'm ending it, good night Gabbie." Maura growled one last time before falling silent.

Gabriella twirled a few locks of her strawberry blond hair around her fingers. Did she believe the masker could hear them? Not really. But it was something that scared all of them into behaving.

Take Lilly, the cook. Her husband had been beating her for who knows how long. Nobody knew. Not even them, her neighbors, knew. Then one morning they all woke to find Lilly's husband was gone. When asked, Lilly said that she had asked her husband to leave, he refused. And to make a long story short (as Lilly put it) The master showed up in their house that night, and ordered the man to leave. That he had enough Damning evidence to get him strung up by his neck. And that the Master pulled out a coil of rope with a lasso at one end to emphasize his point.

"I was more afraid of my husband than the Master at that point so I was mighty glad he had come." Lilly had said. Saying the Master didn't think much of the man anyways, telling her that he did not allow such behavior in his estate and that he hardly did anything more than odd jobs around the place when it was Lilly who did most of the work, being the cook and all.

Gabrielle didn't think that a man, who would protect his own help from beatings, would beat his own guest. Especially one as frail looking as the young woman he had brought in. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at her sister's back to show her what she thought about her idea before flipping around so she could gaze up at the night sky from her window.

'She must be very ill.' Gabbie thought to herself as she let her eyes closed. But she knew that if anyone could save the young woman, it would be her master.

A/n egads… intense. I once was in the room with a family member who had a fever induced fit. It was rather scary, course I was young at the time. But still. Hehe Please review! I have more yummy cookies!