Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy and had a lot on my mind. I just realized that after I save my chapters, the spacing goes to hell. So I'm sorry if the spacing is weird. Also, if this chapter is kind of bad, I'm sorry. I have writers block and I'm sick-ish. And my room smells like burning hair because I was blowing out my candles and my long hair kind of singed...not badly, thankfully. But on a happier note, I'm just reminding y'all, in case you forgot, that Idon't own POTO...

Meg and I wandered the halls silently for a few minutes. I was brought back to memories of my childhood. Meg and I used roam these very halls when we were younger telling each other tales of the Opera Ghost that we heard from Joesph Buquet. Eventually, as we became older, we wouldstill roam the halls, but we'd spend our time giggling about girlish things.

Finally, Meg broke the silence. "So Madeline stopped crying?" I nodded and she sighed. "I wish this little man would learn how to do that sometimes. But...I suppose that you want to know what happened." I shrugged.

"If you don't feel like talking about it, I'm not going to force you to tell me." Meg nodded.

"It's complicated. I really don't know what's going on. After you left, Raoul sat in a corner like a timid church mouse. I suppose it was an awkward position for him to be in, but still. His brother did most of the talking, but Elijah started crying again when you left, so I spent most of the time trying to calm him. All that was said, basically, was that Elijah and I will be supported financially, but there is more to be discussed. They want to meet again, only this time without Eli." I nodded.

"Leave it to Raoul to have his brother clean up his messes." Meg nodded.

"If the only thing Raoul is in Eli's life, I would rather him not be in it at all. I mean, I intended to tell Eli when he was older that his father died before he was born or something. I would rather him think that he doesn't have a father than know that he has a father that doesn't want anything to do with him except send him money." I had to agree with her. It wouldn't be fair to Elijah to know that his father was an ignorant fop that didn't want to be part of his life.

"Well, I suppose that I should go talk to Maman. She should be out of practice by now, and she probably misses Eli. And I'm sure that Erik misses you, even though you've been gone for ten mintues." I nodded.

"I'm sure that he has a lot work to do and he can't get anything done with Madeline there, so I should go gather her. I have to do some shopping, anyway. Madeline needs some new things, as do Gustave and Dante." I started back for Erik's office but stopped to look back at Meg and Elijah, who were heading toward Madame Giry's dressing room. Those two were certainly survivors.

As I suspected, when I arrived in at Erik's office, he was still sitting on the couch. I was suprised, because he wasn't holding Madeline. Instead, he was reading to a half-asleep Gustave, who was sitting in his lap, and Dante was sitting next to him and Erik has allowed him to hold her. Dante always wanted to hold Madeline, whereas Gustave liked to, but would rather be off drawing or reading or playing.

"Mama, Papa let me hold Maddie, but I had to promise that I wouldn't drop her. But I won't drop her because she's littler than me and that would be mean of me because she's cry and then I'd feel really bad and I'd cry." I couldn't help laughing. Dante was so proud of his baby sister and was always so gentle with her.

Erik slid Gustave, who was nowsleeping,out of his lap and laid him on the couch and stood up. "Dante, I'm going to take Maddie for a little while. I have to speak to Mama in private." Dante whined for a moment, but handed her over to Erik, then crawled down on the floor to continue his drawings. Erik put Madeline in her carriage. "If she starts to cry, come get me or Mama, okay. Do not try to take care of her yourself." Dante looked at us with big eyes and nodded.

"I promise I won't try to take care of her. But don't go to far in case she does start crying! I don't know my way around here and I can't yell very loud. Anyway, it's rude to yell because there are people practicing and it would bother them or scare them and they'd fall down and get hurt and then I'd get in BIG trouble."

I choked back a laugh. Dante was so funny when he was trying to be serious. Erik nodded witha serious look on his face, but I could tell that he was holding back his laughter. The moment he shut the door and we were out in the hall, we both started laughing.

"Erik, he's so adorable! Oh, he's so serious, but he's so funny. I feel horrible laughing about it, but I can't help it." Erik nodded in agreement.

"He is quite the character, I must admit. He's a little comedian, although he doesn't try to be."

After a few minutes, our laughter subsided and we were walking the halls. Erik wrapped his arm around my waist and I rested my head on his shoulder. He asked how Meg's meeting with the de Chagny's went, and I told him what I knew. He voiced his opinions on Raoul, which I laughed at, but agreed with. After that, we continued to wander, only in silence.

Finally, right before we were back at Erik's office, he started to speak. "In the new production, the leading role is for a soprano. Well, the only soprano that we have here is...Carlotta...the toad-lady. So I was wondering..." I looked at Erik and sighed. He was looking at me with big, pleading eyes that I couldn't say no to.

"I guess if you are THAT desperate for someone..." He smiled and laughed.

"Yes, we are THAT desperate for someone. I mean, personally, I'd prefer an angel to play the lead than a toad." I could feel myself blushing, so I put my head down slightly.

"Stop embarrassing me!" Erik put his hand under my chin and lifted my head.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you. You are going to have to admit that you have the voice of an angel. You are the best singer that I've ever heard. And you know why?" I shook my head. "Because you were trained by the best!" I laughed loudly.

"My, my, aren't we a little arrogant today?"

"Well, Christine, there comes a point in every man's life where they can't deny the truth." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you insulting me? I will not be treated that way by a lowly student of mine."

I put on a serious face. "Well then...I suppose that since I'm a lowly student, I won't be able to do this..." I took a few steps toward him and kissed him very passionately, but only for a moment. When we parted, I kept my hands on his neck and smiled.

Erik cleared his throat. "Um...class dismissed...?" I laughed and kissed him again, only to hear Dante's laughter behind us.

"Mama, Papa, that's gross! You shouldn't be doing that in PUBLIC, especially when there are CHILDREN present! It's gross! Especially because you are OLD!" I turned to face him, and Erik put his arms around my waist and I put my hands over his.

"Anyway, Madeline's not crying, but she's starting to smell really, really bad! And you told me not take care of her myself, but I wouldn't that anyway. That's grosser than you and Papa kissing!" I sighed and Dante scurried back to his drawings.

"That certainly ruined the moment, didn't it, Christine?" I turned back around to face him and ran my hands through his hair.

"It comes with being a parent, I suppose. But all I can say is that I'm not changing her!"

Stupid, pointless chapter. And my ass is numb from sitting for so long. Please R&R!