Erik's POV

For the next few days my condition began to rapidly decline. I wasn't sure if the poison was causing my body to go in and out of shock, but there were times when I would pass out and wake up a few days later with Nadir dabbing my head with a cool compress. My body was feverish and I was seeing hallucinations that weren't really there. Nadir tried to get food into my body at least three times a day but I barely took in more than a spoonful at a time. In my dreams, I saw Christine… As much as I tried to forget about her, I couldn't. She was standing there in front of me singing, her angelic voice filling my cold soul with warmth. I didn't want to wake and have her disappear from me, but there was nothing I could do but pray that I would see her again whenever I closed my eyes.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Nadir was standing over my bed with the filled bowl of soup he had been trying to feed me. The man was trying to save me, but as each day passed, I knew that my chances of surviving were getting slimmer and slimmer.

"No," I murmured. "I just want to sleep."

"Your fever has risen over night."

What could I say to this? Nadir was right, I could feel a height in my body's temperature, and I knew if my fever went any higher I would most likely slip out of consciousness and die.

"I've been trying to use a cold compress to bring down the temperature, but it hasn't worked. Tell me what to do, Erik… The doctor said that what I have been doing is all that I can do for you. The doctor told me yesterday that we waited too long to drain the poison out of your body. When the doctor did it, he told me that it was possible that some of the poison may have traveled to different parts of your body. I could kill those bastards for torturing you like they had."

"Don't be angry with them, Khan," I murmured. "There is nothing that can be done now. All I want to do is sleep…"

"Is there anything I can get you, Erik? Anything to make you more comfortable?"

I was so weak that I couldn't even gather the strength to talk. I always thought death would have been less painful than this, but it was turning out to be the complete opposite.

"I don't believe there is anything that you can do for me," I groaned. "All I want to do is sleep…"

Nadir understood and tucked me in. What else could one man do? He had fetched a doctor, attempted to feed me and keep me comfortable… In the eyes of God, that was all that could be done. If God wanted me to live, then he would do what he had to do in order to heal me.

"Sleep well, Erik…"

And with that being said, the Persian left me in the dark realm once more.

Nadir's POV

I had hoped my story about Christine saving Erik would have helped my friend pull through, but it didn't seem to be working. When the mob came to the cemetery and tortured Erik, it was not Christine who had cut him down and dragged him to my home… No, I only told Erik that in hopes that it would lift his spirits. No, I had been at the Opera House at the time, speaking with the managers about how to go about dealing with their Phantom problem. For the past few months, I had been their advisor, hired to put an end to the Phantom. As an ex officer of Persia, I had no problem in doing so…until I found out who their Phantom really was. How could I point a gun at Erik and murder him? He and I have been friends for years, and yes, for a time we had not spoken to one another, but when I found out who was haunting the Opera House, I knew I had no choice but to play along in order to protect my friend. On the night of Erik's supposed demise, I had been speaking with the managers, and was told that I would no longer be needed because they had hired a mob to seek Erik out.

Well, not even ten minutes later, the mob returned, ranting about how they had put his life to a tragic end and left him for dead in the woods behind the cemetery. It was I who walked in the woods and cut Erik down. From there I dragged the man back to my home and made up the story about how Christine had brought him to me. Erik was dying, there was no denying that. Modern medicine had failed to regain his strength and much like an animal, when it stops eating, death couldn't have been far behind. I knew that Christine didn't want anything to do with him, but she was my last chance at helping Erik live. Therefore, after leaving Erik to sleep, I ventured out to the Opera House which, mind you, wasn't a close ride. It was at least a two hour trek by foot and thirty minutes by horseback. When I finally arrived, I tied up Erik's black stallion in the stables and headed inside. Rehearsals for the next opera were going on, and I knew Christine would most likely be in her dressing room by now.

As I walked down the crowded hallways to get to her dressing room, I could sense eyes watching me, but didn't pay any mind to the feeling, for all I wanted was to get to Christine. Her door was closed and I lightly knocked, waiting patiently for her to respond.

"Who is it?" came her soft familiar voice.

"I don't know if you know me, Mademoiselle, but I would like a moment with you."

There was a few moments of silence before the door opened and the girl appeared. She was standing behind the door dressed in a white robe, her chocolate locks pinned up in a neat bun. This girl was the definition of beauty and I knew that was one of the many reasons why Erik fancied her.

"Christine, thank you for seeing me."

"I'm sorry, monsieur, have we met?"

"No, but I know you… The managers of the Opera House once hired me as their chief of police."

"Oh, you're the Persian officer everyone was speaking about."

"Yes, I'm Nadir Khan… You can call me Nadir if you wish. May I come in?"

Christine nodded and stepped aside. I would have continued to talk with her outside of her dressing room, but I didn't want to mention Erik while there were people walking around. The last thing I needed was everyone knowing that their Phantom and I were close friends or that he was alive.

"I'm sorry I'm not dressed. I just finished with rehearsals."

"It's quite alright. This will only take a second or two. As you know, I've been the Opera House's chief of police these past few months. They hired me to hunt down and kill the infamous Phantom of the Opera."

Christine had been standing at her vanity, but she froze the moment I mentioned his name.

"Monsieur, if you came here to ask me where he is, the truth is that I have no idea. I was at the cemetery praying for my father and he showed up. He challenged my friend to a sword fight and after a mob arrived, they chased him into the woods."

"And I believe you, Christine… The truth is that the mob chased him into the woods and cornered him. The mob brutally beat and tortured this Phantom."

Christine was still frozen and I could have sworn I saw a tear slide down her cheek.

"He was a terrible man, Nadir," Christine said, her bottom lip trembling. "He should have known that what he was doing was going to eventually get him killed."

"Christine, what I'm about to tell you has to stay between you and I. Are we clear? I need you to promise me that you will keep what I'm about to tell you a secret."

"What is it?"

"Do you know where Persia is, Christine?"

Christine shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Monsieur, my father never taught me much about geography."

"It's a far away land that's ruled by a Shah. I used to live there and I was the Shah's most trusted chief of security. That's where I met Erik…"

"Erik?"

"That's the name of your angel."

"Monsieur, how do you know about the angel of music?"

"Christine, this may come of a shock, but Erik and I are friends and have been friends for many years. Now, when I agreed to be the Opera House's chief of police, I did so not knowing that Erik was their problem. I tried to keep him safe and instead of talking to me about how they were going to deal with the situation, the managers went behind my back and hired a mob. This mob was supposed to kill Erik, but when I found him in the woods, he was still alive."

Christine closed her eyes. "He…He's still alive?"

"Barely, Christine. I took him to my home and bandaged his wounds. He was stabbed and whoever did so, had a knife laced with poison. He's on death's door, Christine. I've tried to get him back on his feet, but I can't do it alone."

"What?"

"Please, Christine. I need you to help me make him well again. I know one visit will lift his spirits."

"Monsieur, I can't… He frightens me. I…I'm engaged to marry Raoul."

"Your angel has helped you hasn't he, Christine? He's trained your voice and got you a leading role on the stage. He needs you, Christine."

"I can't come with you, Nadir. I'm sorry, but I won't visit him. I'm finally free."

I couldn't believe that this girl was standing here before me and refusing to help her teacher. All Erik ever wanted was someone to love him, and he believed this girl of all people was going to be the one to save him.

"Christine, believe me when I tell you that your teacher has done so much wrong in his life, but it's only because he has been wronged. His mother never loved him, she abused and tortured his soul. He wound up with a band of gypsies who raped and abused him every night for seven years. The Shah of Persia wasn't much kinder to him… When he found you, all he ever wanted was to be loved and love in return. All that he has done for you Christine is because he loves you. Now I'm not saying you should come with me and leave your fiancé for good, but it would be selfish not to come with me just to visit and say goodbye. He needs you now more than ever…"

Christine reached over on her vanity and picked up a single red rose that had a black ribbon tied around its stem. She pressed her nose into the soft petals and inhaled its scent.

"My father once told me he would send me the angel of music. When I heard his voice for the first time, I was never more excited to see my father's promise come true. Years later I found out that my angel was not real…he was just a man pretending to be an angel. I never understood why he pretended to be something he wasn't…"

"Because he loved you, Christine."

Finally, Christine placed the rose down and reached for her hooded cloak.

"I will come with you," she replied. "Just this once, just for tonight, just to say goodbye to him."

And we are one chapter closer to a wonderful adventure! Please review