A/N: And so the reign of fluff continues! Though the fluff is somewhat wet due to Erik crying all over it.

After dinner, Christine led Erik to the sitting room and took a seat on the little sofa near the fireplace. Erik was unsure of what to do, but he decided that his angel probably wouldn't want him to sit beside her, so he sat down on the rug at her feet. "The poor man," thought Christine, "He's too shy to even sit with me." She got off of the sofa and took a seat beside Erik on the rug.

Erik felt his pulse quicken. "Christine is sitting so close!" he thought, "Why? Why this kindness? Oh, it does not matter. I don't mind the reason for this sweet mercy, as long as she keeps bestowing it upon me!" Christine looked at Erik. He was trembling slightly, and she could not tell if it was from joy or fear. Gently, she reached out and took his gloved hand in hers. She heard him gasp, and saw that he was trembling even more than before.

"It's alright, Erik," she murmured, as she slowly removed his glove to reveal the yellow, bony hand beneath. She examined his hand closely, turning it over to look at the palm, then back again. She heard his ragged breathing as she held his hand between her own, trying to warm it. "His hand is so cold," she thought, "I want to warm him." She brought his hand to her face and gently rested it upon her cheek, showing him that she was not afraid. Erik began to cry.

"Oh Christine," he sobbed, "Please, oh, please Christine, won't you tell poor Erik why you're doing this? How is it that you came to be so merciful to your wretched monster?"

"You're not a monster, Erik," she said, pulling him close to her in a gentle embrace, "I'm doing this because I... I care for you. I care for you, Erik, and I want you to be happy." He sobbed harder at her words, leaning into her as if being close to her would keep him safe from the darkness he had lived in for so long. She let him cry, holding him close and rocking him until he calmed down. A few minutes later, he raised his head and gave her a look filled with such devotion and adoration her heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you, my angel," he said softly, "Poor, unhappy Erik, isn't unhappy anymore." She smiled and hugged him once more.

"I'm glad," she whispered. Erik yawned and looked at the clock.

"It's getting late," he said, rising to his feet, "Erik and Christine should be getting to sleep, hmmm?" Christine rose and looked at him, biting her lip.

"Erik?" she asked.

"Yes, my dear?"

"What about your nightmares?" Christine said. He had written so fearfully of them in his diary, and she wanted to help him. Erik's eyes narrowed.

"Erik never told you of his nightmares," he said, "How do you know?"

"Your diary," Christine said, blushing, "You said you had horrible nightmares. Is there anything I can do to help?" Erik sighed.

"Christine should not concern herself with Erik's sleeping habits," he said, "Good night."

"Good night," Christine said. Erik retired to his room.

"She wanted to help me!" he thought as he got ready for bed, "Oh, what a sweet girl she is. But she would never really want to help me. The only thing that takes away the nightmares is her presence, and I know for a fact that she would never let me spend a night curled on the floor at the foot of her bed. It would be indecent!"

Meanwhile, Christine sat in a chair, brushing out her hair. "When I had nightmares as a child, Papa would always be there for me to hold me and tell me it would all be alright. Erik has no one to wake up to. He's so alone down here. Tonight, I shall try and stay awake so that I may go to him and comfort him when the nightmares come."

Later that night, as Christine had just begun to doze, she was awakened to the sound of a scream. She leapt out of bed, lit a candle, and quickly made her way to Erik's bedroom. She ran over to Erik's coffin bed and set her candle down on the nightstand. He was maskless, and his face was covered in perspiration. He was struggling in his sleep, looking utterly terrified. Christine began shaking him.

"Erik!" she cried, "Erik, wake up! It's only a nightmare! I'm here, Erik!" His golden eyes flashed open and he gasped, sitting bolt upright. He looked at her in confusion.

"C-C-Christine?" he stammered, breathing quickly from his nightmare.

"Shhh," she said, stroking his sparse black hair, "It's alright, Erik. You're safe now. I'm here for you." Tears rolled down Erik's hollow, sunken cheeks. He reached for Christine and she hugged him, holding him close and continuing to stroke his hair.

"Oh Christine," he whispered, "It was awful. Erik was so cold, so alone. Then, there was fire! Burning, burning fire hitting Erik like a whip! He called out for Christine to save him, but she didn't come. Christine forgot her poor Erik and he was burning, burning up."

"That will never happen, Erik," she soothed, "I promise you. You'll never be alone. It was only a dream." She rubbed his back and allowed his head to rest upon her chest, disregarding propriety for the moment in order to comfort Erik. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady tempo of her heartbeat. His mind began to compose a melody around it, and he fell asleep to the sound of his own personal lullaby.