Chapter Nine

Hard Times

It was a few hours later, the movie had ended and both had enjoyed themselves immensely.

"Well I do believe that was the best movie yet…I always did feel that there was something wrong with the musical…didn't you Christine, ma cheire?"

"As a matter of fact Erik, I did…" she replied in a comically pretentious tone, "I could never see enough…I've always been one for detail and that movie gave me all the detail I could ask for… you could see everything. The backgrounds, the costumes…everything."

"Hey…You! Gimme your money an' no-one gets hurt, got it?" A crude voice called out to the couple. The owner of the voice held a small gun in one hand, the sight of which merely caused Erik to arch an eyebrow in scorn.

"Sir… I propose another deal – you let the lady and I pass… and then no one will be harmed." Came Erik's reply with a sarcastic drawl on the word "Sir".

"Well! If yer gonna be difficult… we might have ta be gettin' rough with ya… and have a bit o' fun with the lass! Rrrrow! Heh, heh…" Another gruff voice remarked with a derogatory wink and smirk at Christine as he stepped out of the shadows with his accomplice.

"I think not," replied Erik with a murderous glare on his half masked face.

"Well, well, well! Who d'you think ya are? The Phantom himself with a mask like that it looks like! Well then M'nsure! How's about compl'yin' and handn' o'er yer money; unless of course that is you want the little lady to get hurt…"

"I think not, Monsieur. Let the Lady and I pass."

One of the goons pulled out a dagger, which flashed in the evening light. In an instant the Punjab lasso was out and about the hands of the goon with the knife. A quick flick of the wrist and the knife had been dropped.

"-'E ain't 'uman 'e ain't!"

"Run!" Shouted the other as he tripped over his own very large feet. It was then that Christine heard the gun go off, seconds later Erik fell to his knees as the goons ran off. The Punjab Lasso lay forgotten on the ground…

"Erik! Oh Erik are you alright? Oh my GOD Erik you're bleeding!" she cried when she felt the blood on Erik's black velvet dress shirt. Trying not to panic she pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

"Hello? Yes… my – My boyfriend's been shot! We were walking home from the movies when a couple of guys attacked us…."

"Please calm down miss. And try to tell me what happened…"

"One of them had a gun and the other had a knife. Please we're a few blocks from the movie theater. We're near the corner of 3rd and 5th. Please Hurry!" When she had hung up she removed Erik's half mask and replaced it with the one that, in the dark, would make him look like any one else. She knew it would not work once they reached the hospital, but for now she wanted no questions. So she gathered up the half mask and Punjab lasso and hid them in her bag just as the ambulance arrived.

"C-Christine…"

"Shhhhhh don't speak Erik. You'll be alright…I know you will. You've got to…for me…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face. After what seemed like an eternity later to Christine, they were both in the hospital. Erik was in the ER and Christine was sitting in a waiting room, a mug of hot cider sitting all but forgotten, warming her hands.

"Miss…?" An officer was standing in front of her. "Are you Miss Christine Deia?"

"May I please speak to you…? The doctors have informed me that, who you said was your 'boyfriend' on your call is in fact the Phantom of the Opera. I assume you were aware of this?"

"Yes…I've been aware of this from the very beginning."

"You only turned 18 a month ago…am I correct?"

"Yes…"

"Then your being with him was hardly legal. Er… Have you been with him?"

"Excuse me! NO!"

The officer laughed.

"It doesn't matter anyways. Not with Erik. He is a special case. But…given his age…he may not make it, miss Deia. I am sorry."

"NO! I won't believe it! Not until I hear it from a surgeon! No, no, NOOO!"

"Miss Deia…please! This is a hospital. I understand your grief, but if you do not quiet yourself, I will have to ask you to leave." It was the surgeon.

"Is he alive?"

"Yes. But only just. "

"May I see him?"

"I know this must be difficult for you, but I cannot let you see him yet. Come back tomorrow, after school. If he is doing well enough, then you may see him. The officer in the corner there alerted me that you have been out of school for several days due to your stay with Erik."

It was true, she had only been with Erik for a couple of days, but how long she could not be sure, since Erik did not follow conventional nocturnal rules. He slept when he wished it, a rarity, and ate when he wished, even more a rarity than sleeping. When she slept, he was working on his compositions. The first night he had played her a lullaby, and after she had fallen asleep and he had put her to bed, he had worked quietly enough not disturb her. She knew this only because he had told her so the next morning, when she said she had heard exquisite music in her dreams, and had he been playing late into the night?

Christine sighed, her Maestro lay in the ER and she could not go to him. And she was expected to return to school tomorrow as if nothing were out of the ordinary? Why were the Fates and the Eumenidesso against her? She sighed, bid the surgeon farewell, and whistled for a cab.

The next morning, Christine woke in her own apartment surprised to find herself there. It wasn't for a moment longer that she remembered the previous night's events. The movie, the walk home, the mugging -Erik… Erik was in the ER of the local hospital… oh GOD how was he doing? What- No… she needed to go to school. Had to return some normalcy to her life, at least, Meg could help her. She worked at the Opera house too, she would understand, and was probably the one person Christine could talk to about Erik, without having to resort to a therapist. She couldn't afford one anyways. Shaking her head, she went to her car, a purplish '90 Ford Taurus and drove to school.

Once in homeroom, Christine sat down at her assigned seat with a sigh. Meg hadn't shown yet, and she desperately needed someone to talk to.

"Hello Christine." It was Raoul. Homeroom was Sociology, and he sat next to her. Was his name even Raoul? She couldn't remember… Yes. No…. wait…no that was right, wasn't it?

"Hello…er…"

"Raoul. My name is Raoul, remember Christine? Just like the guy in the play you like so much?"

"Oh… Yeah… I'm sorry. It's just. I'm out of it…someone very dear to me is in the Hospital right now."

"Oh my God Christine, what happened?" Meg. It was Meg…

"He… and I were walking down the street after a movie last night. We were mugged, and he was shot."

"Oh my god Christine! Who? Who was he?"

"His name is Erik…" She made sure to say 'is' instead of 'was', as Meg had done. Erik wasn't dead. Yet. She hoped.

"That tells me a whole lot. I mean was he your boyfriend or something?"

"I… well. I mean nothing was official… I mean he hadn't said anything I mean well…."

"Well do you love him?"

"I…" She did, didn't she? She was in Love with him right? Oh God… she was. What the hell was she doing here? The man she loved was dying in the hospital! She should be there with him! No. Doctor's orders - Go to School. Stay there. Come by, after School.

"Well does he love you?"

"Erik…why…why did you bring me here?"

He whirled around abruptly, and the ardent heat of the emotion in his eyes burned her soul. She could not look away.

"Oh Christine!" he breathed. "Don't you know? I love you! Have you not guessed? I would do anything, anything, to make you happy. I swear it!"

"Well, he said so."

"And how do you feel about him?"

"I… I love him."

"Is it a mortal wound?"

"The doctors don't know if he will live."

"Then what the HELL are you doing here? Go to him you Ditz!"

"But School…!"

"School be DAMNED! MR. MARTIN! YOU NEED TO EXCUSE CHRISTINE FROM CLASS TODAY!" Meg screamed out to the class.

"And why EVER should I do that?"

"In the name of LOVE that's why! The man she loves lays Dieing in the Hospital at this very moment! She should be there WITH him!"

"Indeed she should. Miss Deia, I will excuse you from class today, and gather all you're missing work from your other teachers, and tell them why you are absent, and why you have been absent. Go to him. If he died without you there, it would be quite the tragedy."

"But I…" Should she tell that he had only been shot last night? No… Ready excused Absence. She could sort out the details later. For now, she had to see Erik!

"GO ON!"

She didn't need to be told again. By the time everyone had cleared their ears from the teacher's shouting, Christine was already in the parking lot of the school.

"Is he better today?"

"Yes…"

"Please, sir. I MUST see him."

"Very well, but you must be quiet, and you may only be in there for a few minutes. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"Then come along." As soon as the doctor had left her, she ran to his side crying his name.

"Erik! Ça va?"

"Ça va bien, ma cheri… Et toi?" he responded weakly.

"Ça va tres bien, Erik I'm so relived your alright!"

Erik closed his eyes, apparently to weak to respond. A few moments passed, and the machine monitoring Erik's heart beat gave a shrill cry. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera was dead.

A/N: Well in case you can't tell that my French is getting better…it is! I'm finally taking French class at my high school! They just got the program this year! Woot! OH yeah, and about the whole death at the end of the chapter. Unless I get some more reviews, cause I know y'all are reading this. I could end this here and now and just tack on a last chapter to clean stuff up. However, IF I get more reviews, Erik will live. Maybe, no promises, we'll see how you review.