Thanks so much for all the reviews, each one put a smile on my face. And thanks to my lovely beta Michelle, who did most of the work.

A/N: Final chapter of Book Two…

Chapter 15: I'll Never Leave You

I was awakened by the hotel room door banging open. I gasped and sat up in bed, startled as Erik entered carrying a large bag and wearing a black ski mask.

He shut the door behind him, pulled off the mask and dropped the bag to the floor. He then ran into the restroom and I heard him begin vomiting.

I gingerly eased out of bed, sucking in a breath as my muscles protested the movement.

I pushed the discomfort from my mind, too worried about Erik to care. As I made my way to the restroom, I realized that he'd dressed me in one of his shirts again.

"Erik?" I asked, hesitantly as I peaked in through the slightly open door.

He didn't answer, just threw up again.

I began to get really worried. Was he sick? Never in my life had I seen him sick. Maybe something upset him?

He stopped heaving, and I could see his broad shoulders start to shake.

He was crying.

I quickly grabbed a wash cloth, wet it, and fell to my knees beside him.

He flushed the toilet, and then sat back against the wall, tears streaming from his eyes.

I began bathing his face gentlywith the cloth. I placed my hand on his mask and looked at him for permission to remove it.

Erik was just staring into space. He didn't even appear to realize that I was there with him.

"Erik?" I asked again, but still didn't get a response. Not even a blink. He just sat there staring while rivulets of tears ran down his cheeks.

I wiped them away with the cloth, only to have them replaced seconds later with fresh tears.

Deciding that he was too far-gone to care about me seeing him without his mask, I quickly pulled it away.

A part of me had hoped that this would snatch him back to reality, but he still didn't move.

I had to bite back a gasp at seeing his face again.

It was as truly horrible as I remembered, and my heart broke all over again for the suffering he'd had to endure because of it.

I resolved not to cry though. Erik needed me to be strong for him now.

My hand moved to his hair, and I removed his wig.

I almost broke my no-crying resolve when I saw it. Thin, pale, hair-less skin that didn't fit right stretched quite a few inches above where the hairline should have been. Just like his face, it was only the right side of his head that was affected. Without his mask and wig, he looked like a half-gargoyle and half-god.

I realized suddenly that his eyes had focused on me, and he seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction.

I threw my leg over his lap, straddling him like I had the first time he'd kissed me.

My hands moved up to caress both sides of his uncovered face.

"Erik, I love you," I sang softly, then touched his lips with my own.

He started shaking with sobs again, then leaned forward and buried his face in my breasts, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

My hands stroked his hair; thin on one side, thick on the other. I sang to him, and was pleased that he seemed to calm at the sound of my voice.

When I finished the song, he spoke with his face still pressed against my chest.

"I'm a monster."

His muffled voice sounded hoarse from crying.

"You're not a monster."

"But I killed…" he broke off with another sob.

"You were protecting me. Who knows what those guys would have done if you hadn't stopped them," I whispered, starting to feel a little remorse myself.

"They were just a couple of stupid, drunk teenagers. I shouldn't have killed them, but when I saw what they had done to you…I lost control."

I firmly lifted his head up so that I could see his face.

"It's okay, Erik. Everything is going to be okay, remember? We have each other and we can get through this," I said, wiping the tears from his cheeks with my bare hands this time.

He took hold of my hands and placed a kiss in each palm, then brought my hands forward to rest over his heart.

"Promise you'll never leave me," he begged.

I smiled at him.

"Erik, I'll never leave you."

And then I sealed it with a kiss.

To this day, I don't regret that promise, but I must admit that I hadn't a clue as to what I was getting into.

End Book 2

A/N: The next book will pick up from Erik's POV, and it should answer most of your questions. However, it hasn't been written or beta'd yet, so it will probably be at least a month before I begin posting. I'm sorry, but I'll do the best I can.

-Kassandra