And hello again my lovely fellas! It's going on here. I'm really proud of that. Oh dear. Erik is doing really badly in this chapter. I really feel sorry for him. He's really trying everything to get back to his family. And of course they are also desperate about when their phantom will come back. I really hope you like this chapter. See y'all next week.

Greetings Petit Erik

Erik POV

A few days had passed and I was still at the opera. I was living into the days. I didn't even know what day it was. All I knew was that I wanted to get back to my family. And I wanted that more than anything. The worst thing was that I didn't know how I could get back at all. I tried every possible way that could possibly help, but nothing worked. Absolutely nothing. And all the people I knew and loved were in the future. I just lay on my bed and sighed. I wanted to go back so badly. Out of boredom, I even started walking around the opera again. Carlotta and Piangi were even still there. Monsieur Reyer was also still there and, unfortunately, that corpse of an alcoholic, Joseph Buquet. Carlotta's 'singing', or rather croaking, was no better. She still sounded like a big toad. I had also tried to keep talking to Lou, but I couldn't. I didn't know why it wasn't working either.

So I was just lying around and didn't know what to do with myself. At least I had found some paper and ink so I could at least compose a little. I didn't have any instruments, but I could do without them. I wanted so much to hear my children play my piano again. They sounded wonderful and always had a lot of fun, which made me particularly happy as a father. And of course they were happy about it too. The end of the piano playing was usually me being tickled by them. My children were simply wonderful. And my wife too, of course. I loved my whole family. It was just awful without them.

Slowly, I began to fear that I might never get home again. I put my hands over my face and sighed. How I wanted to feel my wife's hand on my ugly face again. I let my right hand glide over my misshapen cheek. My Lou was so gentle with my ugliness. Thanks to her, I had even learnt to accept myself a little. She and my children did this unconditionally. I was so happy about that. But despite their continued acceptance, I still found it difficult to look at myself in the mirror. I did it more often than ever before but it was still difficult. I wanted to accept myself so much but I didn't know how. I only succeeded with the help of my family. No one else had managed it yet. Not even Nadir or Madame Giry. Only Lou and her enduring love for me. From the very beginning, she had accepted me unconditionally and forbade me to wear my mask around her. I resisted it at first, but inside I was so grateful for it. She really was an angel. And every time we saw each other or she announced herself in my lair, I made sure that my mask and wig were far enough away.

As we saw more and more of each other, my affection for her grew. At first it was just a normal friendship. Then, after a short time, she told me that I was her best friend. I was so happy to be called that. I was this beautiful young woman's best friend. After she said this to me, tears ran down my cheeks. How could she like this deformed monster that I am? I was so happy to have her in my life.

"Oh, my Louise," I sighed and felt a smile creep onto my misshapen lips.

She was my everything. She was my reason for living in the beginning. Now it was my entire family. Without her and the children, my life had no meaning. And now they were in the future. And I was alone in the past and back in the opera. That wasn't to say that the past only held bad memories for me. Oh no. I had wonderful memories with Lou.

I had been watching her from the very beginning when she turned up here. Even then, I had admired her beauty and her friendly nature. When we met and I helped her to sit up in her bed because of her operation, she had taken my arm without prejudice or disgust and leant on it. My heart had fluttered so much the whole time. And just a few hours later, I had shown her who I really was. All my ugliness had been on display for her. And she had accepted me. When she had touched my disgusting cheek, I felt my heart leap. She had accepted me. Completely. All my ugliness and flaws. But to her, I wasn't ugly. To her, I was... special. Special! Me! How could I be special?

"Something special? My wonderful wife. How could you possibly think that I, me of all people, am special? Why couldn't you, like everyone else, see the monster that I really am? Why did you have to look at me with your heart instead of your eyes like so many others did?"

I could feel tears in my eyes, which were slowly running down my cheeks. How could my Lou like me? How could my children? Lou's whole family and my friends? Why could they? Why did they love me? Why did they accept the hideous monster I was and still am? I felt the self-doubt eating more and more into my body, turned over on my bed, hid my face in the pillow and started sobbing.

Louise POV

What would my Erik be doing right now? I wanted to know so much. It was so terribly lonely without him. The side of his bed was also cold by now. Every day I prayed that it was all just a bad dream. But when I opened my eyes, I was greeted by an empty half of the bed. Almost a week had now passed. The children missed their father terribly. They often cuddled with me or were with Nadir, who told them stories about their father. So he was only with us for a little while.

However, I had noticed that I could no longer talk to Erik through the mirror. I had tried everything but I couldn't. I was so worried about him. I didn't know how he was, what he was doing or whether he would even come back. It was terrible to be so ignorant. My children also asked me every day when their dad would be back. They wanted so much to play with him again, to stroke his face, which they loved so much, and just to hear his laughter and his music again. That was my wish too. I just wanted to have him with me, hold him in my arms again and spend time with him. I wanted to stroke his strange face, feel his puffy lips on mine and just cuddle with him.

Slowly, however, I began to realise that he might never come back. I didn't want the idea to spread too far, but there was nothing I could do about it. Every time I looked at pictures of him or listened to some voice messages in which he said more than once that he loved me, the nostalgia and loneliness came up in me. My family and friends were with me, but I wasn't complete without Erik. He was my second half, my soul mate. My life wasn't what it was without my Phantom. It felt... unreal. Strange. Without him, the energy was completely gone. It was dull. Emotionless. Without joy. And I noticed this in everyone around us.

Everyone at the opera was worried about Erik too. They all wondered where he had disappeared to. But we couldn't tell them the truth. They couldn't find out that Erik was the real Phantom of the Opera. It was our shared secret between us and those who came from the past themselves. And besides, as soon as the whole press found out, they would never leave him alone. And neither would they leave me or the children alone. And I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I didn't want the children and my family to suddenly be in the spotlight. That would be terrible. They should grow up like normal children and not be constantly surrounded by paparazzi and followed every millimetre they move.

I heard them playing in the music room and went there. Jere was sitting at the piano and strumming away on it. He had no motivation to play when his dad wasn't there. No one had any motivation to do anything. Sometimes I would lie on the sofa and just stare at the ceiling, too lost in my thoughts. The children played together but still didn't look happy. Their dad was simply missing. Josy in particular was suffering. She had a very special relationship with her dad. Everyone had a special relationship with him, but with her it was something very special. I really hope he comes back soon because otherwise I didn't know how me and the children would cope.

Erik POV

I think I'm going to go crazy soon. Every day followed the same boring routine. The bed literally held me down because I had no motivation for anything. Not even for composing. I had also thrown away all the notes I had written during the time I was trapped here. They made no sense without my family. Then I just sat there frustrated and swallowed all the despair inside me. Tears would often flow. I tried to pass the time with all sorts of things. Be it reading, composing or just wandering around the opera. I needed something to do. Normally I always had this through my family but now... now they weren't there. No one was.

To avoid sinking into despair, I decided to leave my lair and go for a walk outside. The sun had already set, so no one would see me. I went into my bedroom, grabbed my old mask and wig, put them on and then went outside via the Rue Scribe exit. It wasn't cold, so I didn't wear a jacket. But I still stayed in the shadows. At first I thought about not wearing a mask and wig, but then I didn't want to risk being recognised or worse things happening to me. So I decided to play it safe. Because I also wanted to return to my family. So I walked the streets of Paris in hiding. Not much had changed.

All the more so in the opera. After Antoinette and Meg left, a new ballet mistress had to be found. And this was not so easy. In addition, with Christine, one of the most talented singers and who also left, was also one singer less at their opera. Instead, she was now singing at mine. And I was very proud of that. She had also asked me if I could be her teacher again. At first I was taken aback, but then I agreed. And if anyone now thinks that Christine and I have anything to do with each other, they are very much mistaken. I would never betray my wife. I would rather die. When we practised together, she always asked me to take off my mask and wig. She knew what I looked like and wasn't disgusted by it. I was so happy about that. Her performance was very good, so she was soon officially the understudy for the prima donna. I was so proud of her. And I think she knew that. She also knew me very well by now. However, she couldn't be on stage for too long.

On Lou's 31st birthday, she told us all that she was pregnant. The viscount had immediately jumped up, hugged her tightly and tears ran down his cheeks. She laughed and kissed him intensely. My children looked like they were about to regurgitate their food. I just grinned at that. Of course she hugged us too. And then she said something that almost hit me.

"Erik, I would like you to be the child's godfather."

My eyes widened.

"Me? You want me to...?"

She nodded and smiled at me. I could see in her eyes that she really wanted me to be her child's godfather. So I nodded and smiled at her.

"I... that would be an honour for me, Christine. I would love to be the godfather."

She beamed at me and hugged me tightly. While I was reminiscing, I hadn't realised that a few hours had passed. I made my way back and went back downstairs to my hiding place. I took off my mask and wig and was about to lie down in my bed because I had run out of food when I heard it. Singing. From Carlotta's dressing room. But it wasn't her singing. It was Lou's! My wife's singing! And she was singing 'Think of Me'! I jumped up and ran upstairs as fast as I could. I opened the mirror, went through it, waited for it to close again and then looked through it. There she was! My Lou was sitting on the floor in front of the mirror in our bedroom. She was singing and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Oh, my wonderful wife. I loved her so much. I decided to sing back to her. I didn't know if it would help but I had to try.

"Flattering child you shall know me

See why in shadow I hide.

Look at your face in the mirror

I am there inside."

I saw her head turn towards the mirror and her eyes widen. She saw me! She could see me! And I could see her too! She sang to me in a voice that was both pleading and beautiful. I wanted so much to hold her in my arms and shower her with kisses. She was the greatest treasure on earth. We both continued to sing and I put my hand on the mirror. Suddenly my hand slipped through it and all I could see was Lou holding hers out, hoping to grab mine.