Disclaimer: I do not own Erik, or Meg, or Madame Giry, or any other characters from the ingenious mind of Gaston Leroux! Anne just currently resides in my head until she's done telling her story. She's getting alone quite well with all of the other voices that reside up there. :)

AN: I pushed this chapter out tonight because I didn't want you all to completely kill me with 36's cliffhanger. :) Enjoy! It's all coming out in the open tomorrow!

Chapter 37

Erik laid Anne down on the bed in his home, making sure that cloak kept her covered. Antoinette put the covers over her niece and then sat down on the bedside. She pushed away the hair from her face, and accepted the basin of water and cloth that he offered. Slowly and methodically, she began to wipe away the make-up on her face. He watched as Diana melted away and he could see his Anna once more. But even in sleep, Anne was in pain. Her furrowed brow and the way her lips moved as if to say something made him believe she had another delirious fever, but he knew better this time. She was caught in another nightmare.

He couldn't bear to see her looking that way so he had to do something to keep his mind preoccupied. He knew that Faucher's body would have to be moved. He wanted to cut his body into thousands of little pieces and feed them to dogs, but that would take time that he did not have, and energy that he did not feel like using. He left the two women alone, closing the door behind him. The realization of what had just happened hadn't fully settled in on him, he was still in too much of a state of what could only be called shock. He should have protected her from Faucher. He should have known the despicable person that Faucher was and gotten rid of me ages ago. No, he had seen to the state of affairs of the Opera House and Anne, and, undoubtedly, countless other women had paid the price.

He made quick work of getting rid of the body. He dumped it in the Seine without anyone noticing since it was almost two o'clock in the morning, and then returned to his underground home, only to find Anne still asleep.

"I should probably take her back up to her room," Antoinette suggested.

"And risk Meg's fright when Anne wakes up hysterical," was his brusque reply. "Leave her here. I'll take care of her."

"You'll take care of her? You'll keep her down here with you and she'll never see the light of day again."

"I have no such desire, Madame, now you may kindly leave."

She looked at him, and after a heated stare, Erik had to look away. "You love her, don't you." It was not a question, just a simple statement of fact.

"If that were the case, don't you think that Anne should be the first to know. I'm not going to dignify you with any other response."

She smiled and Erik hated that smile. "Well, if that's the case…I'll come and check on my niece in the morning."

"Before you go…can you tell me what she meant just before she fainted?"

"I can tell you, Erik, because her mother confided in me and only me. However, I won't tell you, but I'm sure that if you put together the incidents of this night, I'm sure you will come to the most logical conclusion." She bade him goodnight, and passed out of the room without another word.

Erik pulled up a chair next to the bed and took one of her hands in his. With what Madame Giry said, combined with the apprehension she had shown him whenever he got close to her, it wasn't hard to realize what had happened to her and why she couldn't remember. Erik's first thought was anger and he wanted a name for the blackguard that took away her innocence, her childhood, and her dreams for the future. He knew enough of society to know that if she had married, and her husband found out that she wasn't a pure bride…the consequences for her would have been disastrous. His second thought turned quickly to pity as Anne, herself, probably knew this truth about society and so was most likely determined to never marry. Because of the sin of one man, she had been resolute in placing other people's happiness before her own. Such a selfless love was not one that many women carried.

This was the dark secret that she had…and that she finally remembered. This was the fear that awoke her at night and haunted her dreams while she slept. This was her final barrier. Everything about her made sense now and he loved her all the more. As he placed another cloth on her head, another realization dawned upon him. He could have lost her tonight. If even if just the slightest thing had gone wrong…if he hadn't gone up when Madame Giry tripped his alarms, Anne would either been at the mercy of that wretched man, or worse…dead. He nearly choked with the knowledge that this small happiness of his could have been over tonight. But then, he never was guaranteed anything in this life…not him. Certainly this love that he felt for Anne, and certainly not any love from her in return.

Determined to put his mind to other uses, he found a small bandage and began to work at the gash on Anne's neck. It had thankfully stopped bleeding but it ran from her collarbone to the tip of her sternum. At least, this way, he could keep his hands and mind preoccupied and not build up false hopes and false dreams.

I woke up to a familiar yet puzzling surrounding. I had woken up in this room before, but I had no recollection how I even got down to Erik's lair in the first place. I slowly started to rise, putting a hand on my head when I finally was able to sit up. I blinked a few times to try to get my eyes to focus and when everything finally appeared less fuzzy I tried to get up. I found my way blocked however, as I saw that Erik was sitting next to my bed his face buried in the covers and his hand grasping my hand that still rested on the bed. I wondered how long I had been asleep. How long had my mind taken to rebuild the barriers?

But no, there were no barriers this time. I remembered everything from the night before: the ball, dancing with Erik, what would have been our first kiss, and then…Faucher. I trembled and drew my knees up under my chin. What he had done…and what he had almost done sent fear into my heart but then I remembered that Erik, as promised, came and rescued me. I owed him my life, now. It was a debt that I could never fully repay, but then I found myself not wanting to repay it. If I was in debited to Erik, then he would never leave me, and I liked that idea.

With the memory of last night, came the memory of those four years that took on a new appearance now that I remembered what happened. I felt dirty and almost akin to refuse when my mind replayed everything that happened to me when my mother left me alone in the house…with that man. She always made me believe in the morning that it was a nightmare and after that man stopped, in time I came to believe that it was nothing more than bad dreams and I forgot all about it come morning. But why had my mother tried to convince me it was a dream? Did she know what was happening to me? No…she couldn't want to put me through that. Then…why?

Erik stirred beside me, and I saw that his mask was slipping. I knew his feelings about letting me see his face so I quickly laid back down and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I waited for a few moments, feeling his pressure on my hand go away, and then, after a small space of time where I was sure he had straightened his mask, I felt his hands on my face. I made a small show of waking up, giving him plenty of time to see that I was rising. I found his eyes instantly and smiled.

"Good morning, Erik."

"Yes, it is morning." He glanced over at the bedside clock. "It's almost nine."

"I guess…I needed the time to sleep…and the time to heal."

"Then, you remember what happened last night?"

I looked away, embarrassed. "Yes, I remember. I know I won't be able to forget it this time."

"This time?"

I slowly got up, feeling much stronger this time. "Erik, now that I remember…I want you to know the truth. I just…need to put my thoughts in order."

He pointed to a chest that was at the foot of my bed. It was my chest…from my room. "I took the liberty of going to get your things while you were asleep. I will draw a bath for you, and then once you've eaten and feel up to it, we'll talk. But not until you're ready."

"Thank you, Erik. Not just for this, but for everything. You've been a really good friend to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I saw him grimace when I called him a friend, and I felt a little awkward. He stepped out of the room, pointing to a door that opened up to the bath chamber.

"I'll knock once the water's ready."

"Thank you," I whispered, as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

When I was sure that he had left, I got out bed, trying to make sure that I was steady on my feet. Feeling good with my equilibrium, I walked over to the chest and opened it. I pulled out the necessary undergarments and picked out one of my old day dresses that I had used to wear when I went calling in England. I soon heard Erik's knock on the bathroom door and I went in.

The coloring of the bedroom went into the bathroom as well. The floor and walls were all dark and the cabinets were the same dark wood that was in the bedroom. I laid my clothes aside and as I stood up to take off my tattered dress, I looked in the mirror and saw the bandage on my neck. I touched it slightly, remembering the knife held at me and the threats to kill me if I made any struggled. I pushed the unpleasant memory aside, got undressed and stepped into the bath, letting the hot steamy water soak into my skin.

The water smelled of roses, and I took my sweet time bathing, losing all track of time. I even washed my hair, which was something that I did only on special occasions. When the water had gotten considerably cold, I stepped out and toweled off quickly. I dressed, taking care of the bandage on my neck, and glad that I picked something that had an open neck. I towel dried my hair and combed it out with one of the brushes that were available on the cabinets. I left my room, and made my way to find Erik.

I found him in the music room, and had a fire waiting for me, as well as a small breakfast. I sat down in an overstuffed chair, letting him tuck a blanket around me as I settled in. I was amazed at how patient he was with me. He played for me, a song I had never heard of before and I wondered if he had written it himself. Erik even sang for me, which was a rarity and I felt all of the tension in my body, that I had thought long gone after my bath, just seep away from my body. I felt comforted by the sound of his voice. It was a soothing sound that made me feel safe and protected from every danger…well, every danger except my mind.

"You've been very patient with me, Erik," I said, after finishing my breakfast and setting my plate aside.

"You don't have to tell me anything." He knelt down next to me, and took my hands in his.

"Thank you, but I feel like I do. Now that I remember, I have to share it with someone, and you're the only person I truly trust now. So, if you like, I'd like to tell you what happened after Papa died."

"Only if you want to."

"I don't just want to, Erik. I need to." I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, letting my mind travel back in time. Back to when I was eleven years old, when I had just lost my father, and I had only my mother, and my sister.

AN: Okay, I'm drawing on you all for this one! Would you rather A:) Have the story told from Anne's point of view? or B:) Have the story told like it actually happened, with the thought process of both Anne, and her Mother and told as an actual story instead of a narrative? Leave me a review/comment/pm to let me know! I really don't know how to progress with this! Black ribbon roses for all of you!