Erik's POV

I was in shambles, for I didn't know what to do. I was pacing around the hospital waiting room like a madman, demanding to know about my angel's condition. My son was sitting there just as on edge as I was. Oh, if Christine died, what would I do? I didn't know how to raise a child…Without her, parenting wouldn't be possible. How? How did this happen? Had she let someone in? But who in their right mind would want to hurt her?

"Mister Y…" my son was in tears and I didn't know how to make him feel better. I wasn't one to console anyone, let alone a child. But, I tried my best and took a seat beside him, patting him on the back like a father would.

"What's going to happen to mama?"

I wasn't even sure of the answer to that question, so what was I to tell my boy?

"I…I'm not sure, Gustave." I confessed. "But I'm hoping everything is going to be all right."

My son sniffled before sobbing again. Oh, how I hated seeing him sob.

"Gustave, please, please don't cry."

Seeing Gustave cry was only making me want to do the same. I must have checked my pocket watch at least one hundred times as I sat there beside him. God! What was taking them so long? When I couldn't sit there any longer, I rose to my feet and approached the front desk.

"Any word on Christine Daae?" I demanded.

The nurse looked up at me with a hint of fear in her eyes as she flipped through her papers.

"No, sir…" she whimpered. "Nothing yet."

"God," I slammed my hand down on the hard surface. "What's taking them so long? Do they know who I am? Does anyone in this blasted place have a clue on whose family member these fools are dealing with?"

"Mister Y," the nurse assured. "They are doing their best. She was barely alive when you brought her in."

Deciding not to raise hell in the waiting room, I wallowed back to my seat and sat down. My foot was nervously shaking as I pulled out my pocket watch once again to keep an eye on the time. It was nearly midnight now, four hours after I had arrived with my angel in my arms.

"Mister Y?" I heard my name being called, only to look up and see a doctor standing at the doors to the operating room. I shot to my feet, nearly falling over as I did so. I didn't care, all I cared about was my Christine.

"Yes?"

"Could I have a word with you?"

"Of course."

Before I could even move a muscle, my son was grasping onto my leg.

"Let me come with you…"

"No, Gustave." I warned. "Stay here, all right? I shall return in a few moments."

"But-…"

"No buts. Just please do as I say."

I didn't waste another minute and hurried to the doctor's side as he led me through the doors. My heart was racing a mile a minute as I wondered where my angel was. The doctor led me straight to a closed door before turning and taking a deep breath.

"Mister Y, Christine was beaten very badly. Her ribs are bruised and her shoulder is fractured."

I took the words hard, but I couldn't help but wonder who had done this to her? Oh, they would pay…

"…It must have been a break in."

"My son and I were in the city on business." I stated. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

"That's not all." The doctor continued.

I felt as though my heart were being squeezed the moment he told me that she had been raped. I grabbed his white jacket with my fist, tears pouring down my cheeks…Instead of hurting the doctor, I turned and punched the wall…Oh, I would never forgive myself…never! She begged to come along with me, and yet, I denied her wish all to surprise her with a house, one that she might not ever get to live in because of something I did.

"She was burned as well."

My breath caught within my throat.

"Boiling water it seemed. She must have struggled to get away from whoever was beating her."

My angel promised to cook dinner…She must have been doing so when the pot of boiling water fell on top of her during her struggle…No…Oh, god, no…no, no...

"The left side of her face is burned. Wounds will heal, but it will leave scarring. She must have tried to protect her face from the boiling water by shielding it with her hand, for that part of her took the brunt of it. Some of the water did burn her neck and top of her chest as well."

Once again, I punched the wall. How would I ever be able to forgive myself…Christine was going to be scarred for the rest of her life, and all because I wanted to surprise her.

"She will survive, Mister Y, but within time."

When I was left alone, I entered the room, slowly approaching the hospital bed to find my angel lying there lifeless. And oh, when I got a look at her face, my heart split into two… She had been burned; her flesh that had once been beautiful and flawless was now ridged and no longer there. Scars! That's what would be left of her left cheek when she recovered. She would never feel beautiful again! As hot tears streamed down my cheek, I interlaced my hand with her own, feeling bandages and knowing what lied behind them. Oh, I couldn't even bear to look at her any longer, for it was making my stomach churn. I would never be repulsed by her, for she was more beautiful than anything in the world. No, I was becoming sick over the fact that she would feel disgusting from this day forward.

"I'm sorry…" I sobbed, pressing a kiss to her burned lip. "Oh, Christine, I'm so sorry. I am going to find who did this to you…Oh, how I will find them."

And when I did, I would kill them all!

Gustave's POV

I was worried about mother… As the moments passed as I sat there alone, I couldn't help but become worried. I wanted to see my mother, wanted to know that she was all right. When Mister Y finally came walking out, I noticed that he had tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and motioned for me to get up without saying a single word. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to anger him. We walked home in silence, my worriment never ceasing as we entered Mister Y's destroyed studio. The floors were covered in my mother's blood, making tears instantly rush back to my eyes.

"We're not staying here." Mister Y stated as he threw some clothes into a bag. "We're not staying here any longer…"

I was frightened by what he meant, for this had been the only home I knew for the past few weeks. I had never been alone with him before, which was why I also wondered what we were going to do. Mother had always been there to protect me, but now I was left alone with my father. I wasn't even sure he knew how to care for a child.

"Mister Y, where are we going?" I asked once again as we journeyed into the night. "I want my mama…"

But Mister Y just pulled me along as I tugged back.

"I want my mother."

"Well your mother isn't here, now is she!" he snapped.

It was a phrase that struck me to the core, my insides pouring out of me as I began to sob. I knew Mister Y didn't mean anything by it, for I knew he was just as upset as I was.

"Oh, Gustave." He scooped me up into his arms as I cried into his shoulder. I was shaking as he carried me the rest of the way, that destination being the lobby of the Phantasma Hotel. He sat me down for just a second to speak to the person at the front desk before lifting me into his arms once again.

"Here we are, Gustave." Mister Y said as we entered the room numbered 666. I didn't like it, for it wasn't Mister Y's home. But why were we here? Why were we staying in a hotel instead of his studio? Mister Y placed me down on the only bed within the room, tossing the bag of clothes aside and beginning to untie my shoes.

"Mister Y, where is mother?" I cried, wiping my eyes.

"She's in the hospital." He said. "She needs to stay there for a while."

"But why? Why can't she be here with us?"

"Because," he replied, beginning to unbutton my shirt. "She's very sick. She'll get better care by staying in the hospital. We will visit her in time, Gustave."

When my shirt was undone, I shivered, Mister Y placing my night attire over my head before beginning to pull down my trousers.

"Everything will be all right."

Once more I began to sob, crying hysterically for my mother.

"Gustave, please…" he angrily begged. "Stop crying. Crying will get you nowhere, do you understand me?"

But his mean words only caused me to cry harder. Mister Y paced the room, tossing his wig aside and running his fingers through his graying hair. I knew he didn't know what to do with me, and I couldn't blame him. How I wanted to stop crying and be brave, but I simply couldn't. I was more scared than I had ever been.

"You're not helping me…" he cried. "I don't know what to do, or how to stop you from crying, all right! Your mother is in the hospital and it must stay that way…"

"I'm scared."

"I am too, Gustave, but you're scaring me more than anything in the world by crying. I don't know how to make you stop…I don't know how to raise a child without your mother here…Please…"

But as I continued to whimper, Mister Y took a seat at my side and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Gustave, let's just sleep and talk about things in the morning, all right?"

My papa laid me down and covered me up as my tears still silently ran down my cheeks.

"We'll be safe here, Gustave, I promise you."

"I don't want to sleep alone."

"And you won't." he assured, lying down beside me. "I will stay by your side all night, this I promise you."

I rolled over to face Mister Y, brushing my hand against his distorted flesh. For some odd reason, it soothed me, and therefore, I closed my eyes and continued doing so.

"Mister Y?"

"Yes, Gustave?"

"Promise me that you'll always try your best to be my papa."

"I always will, Gustave, this I promise. I may not be the best father in the world, but this is all new to me just like it's all new to you too."

"We can be frightened together." I said, opening my eyes to face him once more. "We don't have to be frightened alone."

"Believe me, Gustave, it is my worst nightmare to be left alone with you. But, mother will survive…The doctor said it himself."

"But you're alone with me now… You're raising me alone until she gets better again."

"And I will do my best, if you try to help me."

I nodded and closed my eyes again, snuggling into his chest. My papa's heartbeat soothed me, so much, that I yawned and began to drift off to sleep.

"Mister Y?"

I felt his fingers nervously brush through my locks of dark hair.

"Yes, Gustave?"

"I love you."

There was a brief pause, and then, my papa's voice.

"I…I love you too, Gustave."

Satisfied, I finally fell into a dreamless slumber.

Erik's POV

I stared out the window the entire night, not being able to sleep an ounce. I was worried about Christine, worried about everything. Over and over again my mind raced, thinking about who would want to hurt my angel. In the morning, my frustration was only tested further when I called for breakfast to be delivered to my room, only to have Gustave refuse to eat. He just laid there in bed with the blankets pulled over his body, whining as I tried to feed him a pastry.

"You must eat." I said. "You haven't had anything since yesterday."

I knew he wasn't feeling well, for my son was always hungry. Usually he was hungry right after he ate breakfast.

"Come on," I demanded, pulling him out of the covers. "Eat, Gustave."

But still, he didn't.

"I'm not hungry." He cried. "I want mother."

"Gustave, enough." I pleaded. "We're not going to see your mother until you eat something. Starving yourself will do you no good. You're a growing boy and need nourishment."

Once more, I held the pastry up to his mouth, but he only pushed me away. Deciding not to argue with him, I put breakfast aside and rose to pull him out a pair of clothes. He dressed small whimpers and sniffles emerging from him as he did so. I didn't know what to do… I had tried everything to make him feel better and none of it had worked. Everything was new to me, everything was confusing. I didn't know the first thing about raising a child…I couldn't even care for myself most of the time. When he was dressed and my mask and wig were back in place, I took his hand into my own and led him back towards the hospital. As soon as I entered, I approached the front desk, signing in and looking at the nurse for answers.

"Has she improved any?"

The nurse flipped through her files, before looking back up at me.

"No, Mister Y. She hasn't even woken up."

I nodded and thanked the nurse before walking down the hall.

"Why hasn't mother woken up?" my son whimpered.

But what could I tell him? I wasn't even sure of that answer.

"I'm sure she's just really tired."

When we entered my angel's room, Gustave broke away from my grasp and ran to her bedside, embracing her body against his own. I was so nervous about what Gustave's reaction would be when he noticed my angel's face, but when he did, he brushed it with his fingers.

"What happened to mama?" he cried. "Why does her cheek look like yours?"

"Gustave," I approached his side, pulling him away from her. "Let her rest."

"Why won't she wake up?"

I knew taking him here was probably the wrong thing to do, but he wouldn't stop crying. Besides, I had to come here, for it was driving me mad all night being away. I sat Gustave down in a nearby chair before settling myself down beside her. I caressed her cheek and interlaced my hand with her own, hoping that she would wake.

"Mon ange, please wake…" I would coo, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Please, angel…"

But each and every time I would beckon her to do so, I would come up short. My poor child must have been so exhausted, for a while later, I glanced over at his chair to find him fast asleep. Oh, how stressful it must have been to be away from his mother. I may not have been a complete stranger, but I wasn't inseparable either. And then, it hit me… Everything came rushing back to my mind in one warm wave. Raoul! That bastard had threatened my angel when we left the pizza parlor. My heart stopped within my chest as I shot to my feet…Raoul! I covered my child with my waistcoat, and hurried out the hospital doors. Oh, I would kill him! The phantom flashed through my body like Dr. Jekyll with Mr. Hyde! I hobbled through Phantasma, headed to the one place I knew I would be able to find him; the bar!

And there he sat, all alone and sipping on what was left in his nearly empty glass. I didn't hesitate a single moment as I rushed to his side and grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt with monstrous strength.

"You insolent monster!" I growled, slamming him against the bar. "You ruined her! Ruined your own wife because her heart fluttered elsewhere!"

I had my hands against his neck now, pressing so hard that he couldn't breathe. His hands weakly fought against my own, but I refused to let go. What made everything even stranger was the face that he seemed surprised to see me.

"P…Plea…"

He was trying to speak, but my hands only clenched his flesh tighter.

"Ple…"

"Do you have something to say?" I snapped. "I can't hear you…"

"Please!"

I released his neck, keeping a firm grasp upon his shirt so that he couldn't run. The fop gasped for breath before looking up at me, the look of surprise never leaving his face.

"I should kill you right where you stand."

"And I thought you were dead."

"Dead?" I growled. "Why would I be dead! I was in the city yesterday…all day…Christine is the one on death's door…"

"What?" he gasped. "What are you talking about?"

"And what are you talking about!" My hands flew to his neck again. "What have you done!"

"Nothing…"

"I never would have believed you, of all people to want to hurt Christine! Me, yes, but to bring yourself that low…"

"I would never hurt Christine!" he cried. "I love her! I hired some men to take care of you…"

My hands once more tightened around his neck, tears escaping my eyes as I released the truth.

"They never even touched me…They hurt Christine…They raped her, and…and burned her."

Raoul's eyes went wide as he shook his head over and over again, tears falling down his cheeks.

"God, what have I done…"