Hey everybody. I promise I'm not dead! But it's that time of the semester. Projects, papers, and pain. I've got finals this week and then the holidays begin! So this is more or less to tide you all over until then. Don't expect a new chapter anytime before then because I have to study and finish up some last minute projects. But then I'll be free to write as much as my little heart desires so stay tuned and check back sometime next week! For now, same as always, read and review!

~nibblesfan

Erik woke with a start. Glancing around the room, he realized he had fallen asleep in an armchair he had brought in the nursery a few nights ago for this exact purpose. As he shifted in the chair, trying to get more comfortable, Belle began stirring in his arms and her face scrunched up, ready to cry. "Shhh," he cooed, running his finger down her cheek in an attempt to soothe her. He vaguely remembered rushing in here to calm Belle before she woke Katja. He must have fallen asleep holding her.

He sang softly to lull Belle back to sleep, and once she was back in her crib, Erik headed back to his own bedroom, desperate for sleep. Even though he usually didn't sleep as much as most people, between Belle waking up several times a night and Katja's nightmares, he wasn't getting enough. He groaned when he saw the lightening sky and the sun peeking over the horizon. Maybe he could slip into bed and get an hour or two more, but odds were not in his favor.

As he walked into the bedroom, Erik found Katja tossing and turning in a cold sweat. He sat beside her and brushed his fingertips against her tear stained cheek. "No!" she cried, twisting away. "Erik! Erik, help me!"

"I'm here," he whispered, smoothing her hair. "I'm right here, Katja."

"No! Stop it please! Erik, Erik he's hurting me!" His heart broke listening to his wife's pleas for help. Katja seemed to be on the verge of hysterics. In the split second before it happened, Erik realized that she was going to scream and wake Belle again. Acting purely on instinct, Erik clamped his hand over her mouth. Katja's eyes snapped open, and like he had feared, she screamed, but he was able to muffle the sound. Her eyes were wide and full of terror and she was panting from the nightmare. As Katja realized where she was, the fear in her eyes turned to confusion as she sat up and stared at him.

"Belle…" he started apologetically, as he lowered his hand. "I didn't want you to wake her again. I…I just got her back to sleep."

"Back to sleep?" Katja repeated. Her eyes widened as she noticed the dark circles under Erik's. "But I thought she was sleeping through the ni-"

"Brigitte told me that babies don't normally sleep through the night until they're a couple months old," Erik explained. "I was worried there was something wrong so I asked her about it."

"You've been getting up every night to take care of her?" He nodded. "Why? Erik, it's not fair for you to have to do everything. She's as much my daughter as yours. I should be helping you with Belle."

Erik caressed her cheek gently. "No, you need to heal. I don't mind it, honestly. It's only a little sleep. I'll be alright."

She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you, Erik?" Katja reached up to take his mask off, but Erik hissed and turned away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied sharply.

"Have you been taking your mask off?" she asked. "I don't think I've seen you without it for a few days."

"Of course I have," Erik lied.

"Then why won't you let me take it off now?"

"Because I don't want you to!"

"Don't be childish," she snapped, before reaching up and yanking the mask off. She gasped when she saw his face. It was rubbed raw and beginning to blister in places, making his deformity look that much worse. "Erik, how could you lie to me? Why on earth haven't you been taking your mask off? Have you been sleeping in it?"

"It's easier than remembering to put it on every time I get up," he explained.

"But it's only me and Belle here! You don't have to hide from us."

"Yes I do," he replied, his voice filling with pain and sorrow. "One night I forgot to put the mask on before I went to check on Belle. She wouldn't stop crying until I put it on. She's only a baby and I already frighten her. I didn't want to risk it happening again."

"Oh, Erik," Katja sighed. "Babies don't recognize people unless they see them all the time. Normally babies only remember their parents and siblings. If that was the first time she saw you without the mask, you looked like a total stranger to her. If you quit wearing the mask around her, she'll learn to recognize you." She stood and took his hand. "C'mon, we should probably clean those blisters before they get worse."

She led him into the kitchen and ordered him to sit while she fetched some water and a cloth. Erik hissed in pain as Katja gently dabbed at his face. "See, you should take your mask off more often, or better yet, not wear it at all."

"That's not going to happen," Erik replied before exhaling sharply. "Can you be any gentler?"

"I'm sorry, but you brought this on yourself." Finally she placed the cloth in the bowl. "There, I'm done. Now don't put the mask on until that heals. Otherwise you'll just make it worse."

There was a sudden knock on the door. Erik stood and put the porcelain mask back on his face and headed to go see who it was. "I told you not to do that!" Katja cried with exasperation.

Erik ignored her and opened the door, revealing Fredrick. "Good morning," the German said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Katja asked.

"I was at the theater the other day and they told me that Erik hadn't been in weeks. Not since the gypsies. And so I figured that he didn't want to leave you and Belle alone. So here I am!"

Katja glanced back and forth between the two men. "Oh my God, Erik, I completely forgot about the theater. Why on earth haven't you been going?"

"Because I wasn't about to leave you and risk something happening," he replied before turning to Fredrick. "And as for the theater, I never really needed the job in the first place. Back in Paris, I had a high enough salary for Katja, Belle, and I to have a more than comfortable life. I only took the job to try to prove to Dieter that I was worthy of Katja, that I could take care of her."

"It's not about the money," Katja interrupted. "Erik, it's your chance to share your music with the world. Isn't that what you want? For everyone to hear your compositions? For the world to recognize your abilities the way you deserve?"

He put his hand on her cheek. "Your safety is more important to me than anything else in the world."

"I just want you to be happy."

Erik rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb. "Don't worry about me, Katja. I'm happy as long as you're happy."

She crossed her arms. "And I'm not going to be happy until you go. Fredrick's here. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"Katja," Erik sighed. "I haven't been in weeks. I've probably been replaced already. And even if I haven't, Fredrick can't stay here all day, every day with you. Your parents probably need him at the café."

"He is right here," Fredrick interjected. "And I can stay here with her until we can come up with a more permanent solution."

"Besides Erik," Katja continued. "Maybe they'll still take you back. You'll never know until you find out."

"I don't need this job," Erik said softly.

"It's what you want," she replied.

"But it's not what we need."

"Just go," Katja said, pushing him towards the door. "I'll be fine."

Erik cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her gently. "I'll be back soon." As soon as he stepped out the door, Katja closed it, and he knew she wasn't going to willingly let him back inside until he went to the theater. The corners of his lips turned upwards before he turned and headed for town.

The theater fell silent when Erik walked into rehearsal late. All eyes were on him as he kept his head held high, ignoring the stares, and made his way to the piano. A trumpet player, whom Erik didn't think could play that very well, was sitting at the piano, clearly attempting to fill the role of accompanist. He stared up at Erik with wide eyes. "We didn't think you were coming back," he squeaked.

"I'm here now," Erik replied. The man glanced at the conductor, Herr Schmidt, and back at Erik before scrambling for his usual seat with the rest of the brass. Erik took his seat at the instrument and turned to the conductor who was gawking at him. "Well…?" Schmidt quickly composed himself before grabbing his baton.