Christine turned and stared at Gustave. His words frightened her, as did the look in his eye. It was the look that Erik had when he was in a dangerous way. Nadir noticed it too, Gustave had inherited more than just Erik's musical genius.

"Gustave." Christine said sternly, "You mustn't speak that way. You aren't well. You aren't yourself."

"But it's true and I know you, I know you'd let Erik kill him if you got the chance." Gustave exclaimed, "You had your chance, don't you think its quite rightly my turn to make him pay?!"

"Listen child..." Nadir sighed.

"You stop and listen. Only crazy people wear their hair like his," Gustave said, "This could be our chance to escape our clever friend. We shall play his game but remember we hold the ace! And once the deed is done than I shall no guilt in my mind and vengeance will have been paid."

Christine looked to Nadir, her hand trembling.

As much as Erik despised Raoul, he had enlisted his help. Now he returned home in great haste, Raoul at his side.

Raoul shivered at the thought of the last time he had plummeted down these stairwells to the depths below.

His hand at the level of his eyes.

Now his eyes looked despertly to his enemies, under a truce for a common cause.

Raoul for perhaps the first time in many years looked forlorn and alert, serious and accountable.

"I pray," the Vicomte said breathlessly, "That we are not too late."

The two men rowed saftley to the shore of the lake, docked and ran to the house.

"Raoul!" Christine cried out on the sight of him.

Raoul gave a nod and pulled Christine into a hug, "I came as soon as I heard. For what its worth Christine, while you may never forgive me, your son was every inch so much as mine. I will take care of him I swear."

Erik nodded, for once the Vicomte had behaved bravley like as a gentleman would. Recovering the sense of chivalry he had once displayed that night many moons ago for the first time in years.

He may have hated Raoul his entire life, but he had respect for a man of honor. In his younger years, the Vicomte had always acted in the name of justice. What fools they both had been in their youth.

"Where is he?" Raoul asked urgently.

"Here," Nadir said, taking him by the hand and leading him down the hall.

At first, Raoul almost laughed. This had to be some sort of joke, so he reasoned. The small, shrivled ill figure afront him surley could not be his Gustave.

Yet his smile and good humor faded upon further inspection. Gustaves eyes stared blankly up at him, his breathing shallow and face sickly yellow.

Raoul lifted the boy with ease, placing him wrapped in sheets.

Gustave at this point, being transferred for the first time in many days, awoke with a start.

There was the nightmare himself before him. Gustave's blood boiled with rage.

"Ill kill you." Gustave murmured weakly. "You'll pay for what you've done to us."

Raoul felt shame and guilt rack conscience.

"Gustave," he said slowly, his eye looking to Christine, "I have already suffered for my sins in ways you will never know."

Despite Raouls forgivness of the boy and Gustaves illness, Erik had become determined to put an end to such thought in Gustaves mind.

Ill or not, he knew too well where those thoughts led. How quickly they could take over. It wasn't long before thoughts became actions, and actions became regrets.

Christine too wasn't going to let her son ruin his life as Erik did his own.

"Please Raoul," Christine said pausing his preparing the boat for a moment. "Let me speak to him."

Raoul had never been able to turn her down so he only murmured, "Make haste," in reply.

Christine grasped her sons cold hand, "Raoul is a man and nothing more, he has made poor choices but they are the working of a confused pain not of the Vicomte De Changy. I want him to feel the pain and regret later on in life, because he will Gustave, regret every second." She said bitterly.

Gustave sulked and coughed. He gave a small nod, but Christine could not tell if it was from the violent coughing that racked his body or comprehension.

Erik helped to lift his son into the boat.

Christines hand rested gently on Roauls shoulder. An understanding had been made in these few seconds, one both would live with.

"Bring him back safe to me." Christine cried. "Bring him back to his poor mother."

Raoul nodded, vailantly stepping inside as if a mayrter on a sucide mission. "You have my word."

Erik watched steadily as the boat dissapeared from sight, Nadir sturdyinng him by placing a stesdy hand on his shoulders.

"It is a shame I could not take him." Nadir laughed. "What a shame to be charismatic but have no money."

Neither Christine nor Erik found room for amusement at this time.

She held tightly to him, her head rested on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and broke in time with the crashing waves.

"He is much like you would have been Erik, but as you know, genius comes with a price." Nadir finally said seriously.

Erik nodded grimly, the price of one's sanity and happiness.

'I can't keep him away from Raoul forever. And he gets older he is likely to ask more questions about our past." Christine sighed.

Nadir nodded grimly, "Then you must teach him now, teach him all those things you were never taught, my friend."

Erik nodded, he was worried. He had always thought Gustave had inherited Christine's calm and mild personality, but now it seemed the boy in his illness was more phantom than man.

Even Christine trembled at the thought of how far he would go, and how much like Erik he might become.

"It is the fever that posses him." Nadir said in a confident tone, "I have no doubt that such anger and pain will pass as if with the tides."

"All comes from somewhere." Erik said quietly, "Even the great nothing of the unknown is brought forth from somewhere."

Christine gave way to heavy sobs. "Erik tell me it's going to be fine."

Erik looked to his friend and wrapped his strong arms around his wife, comforting her deeply.

But he made no such reply.

((Has anyone read Gaston Lerouxs orginal novel? If so tell me what you thought of it :) ))