"Breaking a habit is hardest of all

Day after day that habit will call

Until you spread your wings and fight

That urge which haunts you day and night."- Excerption straight from the diary of Christine Daae.

Christine's POV

I'll never forget the scariest moment of my life. Erik and I had argued right before he went out looking for Eudora against my word. The next thing I knew, Mr. Squelch was at my door telling me that Eudora and Dimitri were being pulled from the Maze of Mirrors. My daughter and the boy were taken to the infirmary while the Phantasma dogs were sent out to find Erik. They sniffed out his shirt, which was a nothing but a charred piece of fabric laying in what was left of the Maze of Mirrors. For the first few days I mourned my lover's death, as if he had really died. But as the days went on, I refused to believe he was dead.

Every night I prayed for him to return to me, as if he had just stepped out and nothing more. I knew it would take more than a fire to bring Erik down, and so I refused to hear anything of his death. I took over watching Phantasma, and had the section of Erik's park rebuilt. When the fall arrived, Eudora and Dimitri started school, leaving me to do as I pleased during the day. Though, I missed Erik, and life didn't seem to fit without him. A year had passed, and still, he had not returned. As much as I hated the thought of believing his death, I finally began leaning towards the possibility. That was until the night a gypsy came arrived on the beach. Eudora had asked me to take her to the arcade, and I had done so. While her and Dimitri were busy playing Skeeball, I wandered to the beach. And then….I saw him! He was laying in a filthy cage, bleeding and on death's door! That gypsy bastard was there and refused to let him go…I brought back the authorities, and as soon as they saw their Mister E laying in that cage, the gypsy was forced to hand Erik over.

My love was afraid and flinched upon every single touch. I heard from the doctors that he even tried to attack them while they were trying to operate on his body. I was told he had a deep infection and that he'd be lucky if he ever walked again. For days, Erik laid in the hospital nearly on death's door while the press glorified his name in the paper, saying that he came back from the dead. It pained me to watch the doctor's keep him heavily sedated in order to prevent him from attacking anyone else. I wanted to kill that gypsy for destroying him like this! I didn't know what Erik was forced to do, but I knew it wasn't anything good.

I'll never forget the day Erik was able to return home. They loaded his sleeping body into an ambulance, and took us back to the flat. He was placed in his bed, and left me to care for him. I closed the door to let him rest, and that's when Eudora came through the door with Dimitri at her side.

"Mother, I saw an ambulance pulling away outside…" she stated pointing to the window. "Is Erik home?"

I nodded, and pulled the both of them into the other room to have a talk.

"Eudora, I think it's best if we keep our distance from Erik. Just until he's used to us again."

"Why?" Eudora's brow knitted in confusion. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's still frightened, and someone in his state would be. I just think it's best if we take our time with him, and not rush him back into his old life."

Dimitri hardly talked, but once in a while he would respond to Eudora.

"Your mother is right." he said. "I know how your papa feels."

Eudora nudged him in the shoulder.

"I told you not to call him that."

"And don't touch him." I warned. "No telling what he's capable of."

"Yes mother."

"Now do your homework….the both of you."

They both nodded, and I rose to make Erik lunch. I wasn't sure what he had eaten in the last year, but I made him his favorite meal. Afterwards, I carried it to our room where I walked in to find him laying there, pale and looking out the window.

"Erik?"

He didn't look my way or respond to me at all.

"I brought you something to eat. Shredded pork and kraut. It's your favorite."

Still no answer. He was just laying there, staring out the window.

I placed the tray down on the night table, and slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. When my finger landed on his shirt, he immediately came out of what ever trance he was in and curled himself into a ball.

"Shhh…Erik, it's ok, it's just me."

His eyes looked up at me, and he sighed in relief.

"I'm not….I'm not hungry."

"Please eat for me." I begged. "Just a few spoonfuls."

"I'll….I'll think about it. Maybe later…"

"Could I sit down next to you for a moment?"

He hesitated, but moved to the other end of the bed so I could sit.

"Do you want to talk about it yet?"

He shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm…I'm afraid."

"Of what? You're safe now."

"Of being found…by him…"

"No one is going to find you, Erik…. You're safe, I promise."

I then reached out my hand towards his forehead to feel how high his fever was, but he backed away.

"Erik, it's just my hand. I won't hurt you, remember?"

He cautiously nodded, and let my hand make contact with his forehead, but when it did, his hand violently snatched my wrist.

"Erik…."

"Sorry….." his grip loosened. "It's….it's a natural reaction…."

"I know, mon ange….But it's just me….just Christine, your Christine."

He pressed his eyes shut, and I removed my hand.

"Your fever is still very high, Erik. Get some rest now…."

"I don't want to sleep anymore. When I sleep, I see him….I see what I've done…"

"I'll stay if you'd like." I offered.

"Your Erik….would like that."

I reached over on Erik's desk for a file of documents I had been filing out over the past year while Erik was gone. I held them close to my chest, and turned to my love who was laying there staring up at the ceiling.

"Erik, if you're not going to sleep, then would you like to know what's been happening in Phantasma while you were gone?"

He looked at me as if he didn't know what Phantasma was, before looking back up at the ceiling.

"There's been a few rides added, along with some shows and…."

"I don't want to talk about Phantasma right now." he murmured. "I just want to rest."

"But Phantasma is your life, Erik. Now that you're home, I figure there's no reason to continue running it like I've been."

"I said I didn't want to talk about Phantasma, Christine."

I placed the files aside, and fixed the blankets that were covered over Erik.

"Erik, I think the only way to cure you is to go on with your daily routines. Not right now, of course, but when you're feeling better. I ordered you a new pair of braces and as soon as they get here I'll help you walk again."

"I can't even stand, Christine…" he growled. "How am I supposed to bloody walk!"

"Erik, I'm going to leave you for a while." I told him. "Just rest and when you're feeling better, I'll come back."

"Don't you get it, woman! I'm never going to feel better! Never!"

Erik was sobbing now….sobbing into his hands. What had that bastard done to him? How badly I wanted to hold him in my arms, but I knew better than to do so. I felt completely helpless as I sat there watching him, but what could I do?

"Erik, tell me what to do, tell me how to help you?"

"Just leave me for a while…."

And that's exactly what I did…..

Eudora's POV

After lunch, my mother returned to the kitchen. She seemed sad, especially in the way she was standing there washing the dishes with a frown upon her face. I knew it was about Erik…It had been a year since I've last seen him. Dimitri and I were pulled from those flames, but not by Erik. When we were told he was dead, I blamed myself for it…. He had come into the fire to save us, and yet, if not for us being in the maze, Erik would have still been alive. But knowing he was alright, took that burden off my shoulders. I snuck past my mother, and quietly opened Erik's bedroom door. He was sitting up in bed, looking out the window, as tears glazed his flawless cheek.

"Erik?" I softly called his name, and his eyes looked my way.

He didn't smile, nor did he even say anything….Something was indeed wrong with him.

"Erik, can I come in?"

He nodded, and I closed the door behind me.

"Y…You've grown." were his soft, sad words.

I lightly smiled.

"Yes, but not that much."

"Your hair's gotten longer too…"

My finger wrapped around a dark ebony lock.

"Mother said she would braid my hair if I let it grow, so I did…"

"It looks…..pretty."

"Erik? Why did you come in the burning Maze to save me?" I quietly questioned.

"You're….you're my flesh and blood…. It was only right."

"I'm sorry if I've been a pain to you these past few years. I thought you hated me, and….when I found out you lied about being my uncle, it hurt. And to tell the truth, I hated the idea of you being my father. But when you were gone, I realized just how much I missed you, and would be nicer to you if only to have you back…."

"Y…You did nothing wrong, Eudora. It's natural to hate someone like me."

"But I don't….I realized that I don't hate you."

Erik was completely speechless, and I believed it to be the perfect moment to hug him. Without thinking, I ran over to his bed, and jumped into his arms, expecting him to hug me back, but he didn't. He screamed, and threw me off the bed. It wasn't a powerful throw, just one hard enough to send me falling back first onto the floor. I scrambled away, and looked up at the bed to see my father sobbing and rocking himself back and forth with his arms wrapped around his body. My mother had heard the scream, and came rushing in to see me laying on the floor and my father hysterically sobbing.

"Eudora….what are you doing?"

"I…I hurt her, didn't I? I hurt her…." Erik cried.

I got to my feet, and backed up towards the door.

"No, you didn't…I'm fine…" I assured. "Really…"

I couldn't bear to be in the room any longer, and ran out. I didn't see Erik for the remainder of the day. I actually kept to myself, trying to put aside what happened by playing with my dolls. Yes, Erik was home, but things were different…Even my own mother slept out on the couch that night and not in bed with Erik.

The next day at school, I wasn't myself. I sat there at my desk, looking down at my English book, not even paying attention to my teacher "Mrs. Green" going on about the alphabet. No, I was too preoccupied with thinking about Erik and what had happened between us. When my class broke for lunch, I sat outside at a table by myself, until Dimitri sat down.

"Is everything ok, Eudora?" he asked. "You didn't seem to be paying attention in class."

"I'm fine." I assured.

"No you're not. You've been different ever since your papa came home."

"I told you not to call him that." I whined, picking at my peanut butter sandwich that mother had packed me.

"It's true, and you know it."

"Erik's changed. I went into his bedroom to apologize to him, I even hugged him, hoping he would do the same, but….but he threw me off the bed and screamed."

"It's not you, Eudora. He's been through a bad experience just like me. I still have flashbacks of all the horrible things that were done to me."

"I was going to call him papa, but, now it doesn't seem right."

"He'll come around. I did…."

"You still don't talk to anyone but me. My mother sometimes…."

"I don't like people that much." he confessed. "Just you…."

Dimitri didn't speak in class, though his grades were one of the highest. He was a fast learner, and we both did our homework together….

"Do you want to go to the arcade after school?" he asked. "I almost have enough tickets to win the pop up book we've been eyeing for months. I'm sure if we played ten more games we could get it today."

"No, I'm not really in the mood. I think I'm just going to go home and try to talk to Erik again."

"Eudora, he needs time alone. You going in there will nothing but cause a scene again. Besides, I really want to get my hands on that pop up book. It's got dragons and knights….pirates and all sorts of stuff."

"I'm not changing my mind, Dimitri."

"Eudora, someone's going to get to that book before us. We've almost got enough tickets."

"Then you go and play." I told him. "I'm going home."

"But it's not fun without you…"

"Then come with me to see Erik and then I'll go to the arcade."

"Your papa hates me."

He was right. It was better to do this alone.

"Alright, look, go to the arcade after school, and I'll meet you there…"

"Eudora…"

"No, I'm not budging."

Dimitri sighed, and stood up.

"Fine, I'll see you then."

Christine's POV

Erik had spent most of the day sleeping. I was relieved to find him that way, and found myself cleaning the flat as not to disturb him. I spent the night before on the couch, too afraid of what would happen if I accidentally bumped into him during the night. The couch hadn't been the most comfortable night's sleep, but I wasn't tired anyway. I was more anxious to be up and about, hoping to cure him of his ways. I don't know why I suddenly noticed it today, but when I reached up to scratch my neck, I felt the necklace Erik had given to me, the one that held the beautiful engagement ring…..

Did he still want to marry me? He had promised to, but now that he was a nervous mess, I wasn't sure what was real anymore.

"Christine?"

I heard my name being called, which pulled me from my day dream. I placed down the feather duster I had been cleaning with, and hurried to our bedroom.

"Yes?" I poked my head inside the room to find my Erik laying in bed. He was extremely pale, and the sweat was pouring down his face.

"Could I perhaps have a cup of water?"

"Of course." I didn't waste anytime in picking up the empty glass he had sitting on his night table, and hurried to the kitchen to fill it up. When I returned, I handed it to him, and watched as he hungrily drank every last drop of it.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. "You're sweating."

"I'm fine. I just feel terrible about what I did last night."

"What did you do?"

"Two things. First I threw our daughter off the bed, and then my violent ways turned you to the couch for sleep."

"Erik, it's not your fault."

I took a seat beside him, and reached out for his hand that was placed on top of the blankets. When my hand intertwined itself with his, he nervously shuddered.

"It's just me, Erik. I've missed you so much."

"Would you lay with me?"

"Are you sure?"

When he nodded, I laid down beside him, and took his hand in my own. I kissed every one of his fingers before placing his hand over my beating heart. By the way his hand trembled, I knew he was having a hard time controlling his violent ways.

"You…You shouldn't let me be doing this to you." he warned.

"Erik, I know you would never hurt me."

"But I almost did….I almost hurt you and Eudora."

"But you didn't."

Erik closed his eyes, and I cupped his masked cheek.

"Kiss me." I begged. "Kiss me, Erik."

And he did just that. He was trembling as he did so, but that kiss was something I've wanted ever since the day he left.

When our kiss broke, a small knock occurred at the door. We looked over to see Eudora standing there, waiting for permission to enter.

"Eudora?"

"Mother, may I….that is…may I come in?"

"Of course." I replied.

Our daughter stepped into the room, and stopped at the side of the bed, afraid to walk any further.

"Eudora, I'm….I'm sorry." Erik began. "I didn't mean to throw you off the bed like I did. If you wish to be mad at me, I'd completely understand."

"I'm not mad. I actually came in here last night to apologize to you for being a pain. I shouldn't have hugged you, but….but it felt like the right thing to do."

"Do not blame yourself, Eudora." I said.

I scooped our daughter up into my arms, and for the first time in a long time felt like we were finally together as a family.

"You tried to save me, Erik." she said. "And I know you would have succeeded if not for that gypsy kidnapping you. I don't want things between us to be how they've been I want them to be even better. I think I'm ready to start accepting you as my papa, but….."

She paused, and Erik gently touched her small hand.

"Eudora, what is it?"

My daughter sighed, and pointed towards Erik's mask.

"I don't know you fully. My whole life, I've known you as a masked man. If I'm going to accept you as my papa, then I want to know what my papa looks like. I can't go on calling you my father without knowing who you really are."

Erik touched his mask, and pressed his eyes shut, knowing what the removal of his mask would do.

"Eudora, you don't need to see it." I said, tilting her face towards me. "It's not an easy thing to look at. He's unfinished, and…..it's not a pretty sight. It would frighten you."

"Did it frighten you?" she asked me, her eyes staring into my own, desperate for an answer.

I could only nod.

"But you look at it all the time." she argued. "It must have not of scared you that much."

"Your mother was surprised. Not in a good way, but she was indeed frightened. I believe she was more frightened over my anger towards her taking off my mask, rather than what lied beneath it." Erik slowly explained.

"But as time went on, I learned Erik's heart, and loved the man, behind the mask." I continued. "I am one of the very few people who had ever seen it."

"But if you can look past his face and love, then I know I can too."

Eudora's heart was in the right place, but I knew if she screamed at Erik's face his heart would surely break.

"Your papa's face is very private. Sort of like making love….he only shares it with someone he loves."

"Christine, please." Erik cringed. "You've done enough damage."

"If that's the truth, then he can show it to me. He does love me, doesn't he?"

I shouldn't have said what I did, for now Erik was wrapped into showing off his face. For if he didn't, Eudora would think he hated her.

"Ok…" were his final words before his hands moved up to peel away the article. My heart was pounding a mile a minute as I watched this entire thing play out. Along with his mask also came his wig. I closed my eyes waiting for Eudora's scream to come, but it never did. She sat there looking at Erik's deformity in astonishment. She didn't scream, nor did she run away. There was a small gasp upon seeing his face for the first time, but that was to be expected.

"Are you….are you not scared?" Erik painfully questioned.

"No. Mother said you were unfinished, and I believed her."

"Surely you must find me disgusting."

Eudora shook her tiny head, and reached up to touch his malformed cheek.

"It's not pretty, but it's not horrible either. You're my papa….I'd still love you if you didn't have a face at all."

Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as I watched Eudora hug Erik for the first time. Tears were also flowing down his own, as I too joined into the hug. Erik seemed frightened over this feeling, but there was no way I was letting it end so early. We were finally a family, and together at last…

Getting happier! Please review. Love You all…