"It is because of her rash actions that you have more scars on your already hideous face, and you have been stabbed in the side-" he was forced to stop when Erik advanced on him.
"Do you know what you did to me? I am going to see my wife pinned to that bed again and again in my dreams!" Erik yelled. With each word he roughly kicked Michael in the side. Tears came unbidden to Erik's eyes as he thought of his Christine. He did not care about his face or his wounds! None of that he blamed on Christine, but the fact that she had put their baby in danger was something he might not be able to forgive so easily. Did she have any idea what it did to him to see the love of his life as she almost lost their baby in the most horrible way?
"Get up!" Once more Erik forced Delauney to his knees in front of him and took a few steps back, raising his pistol. Michael stared at him, unmoving as he looked at the pistol pointed at his head.
"Erik..."
Erik closed his eyes when he heard Christine's voice. He turned his head slightly to see her standing not far away from him. Behind her a few feet was Anthony and Nadir, all of whom were staring at him and the pistol, wondering what he was going to do. They had heard his shouts and much of what had been said and though they all knew that they should not they had come outside anyways.
Erik's gaze remained locked with Christine's. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she looked for all the world a small, frightened young doe. He did not like her to look so vulnerable because the woman he knew so well was stronger than that. He looked back at Michael to see him smirking and Erik knew what the man was thinking. He thought that if Christine was right there in front of him Erik would not possibly shoot. The man was deadly wrong. His eyes found his wife's once more and he could see many emotions swimming in her gaze, none of which he was willing to look at to closely at the moment. Tears made her eyes round and moist and his gaze forced her to look only at him. She contained her gasp when he pulled the trigger. The shot echoed in the still night air and the only sound that followed it was the thump of Michael Delauney collapsing to the ground, never to get up again.
"Erik!"
Christine was forced to break her husbands gaze when he slowly slumped to the ground, the pistol falling limply from his hands. She ran towards him, her heart racing in her chest as she collapsed onto her knees beside him. Her frantic hands felt for a pulse and she began to sob when she found one. Thank God! Nadir and Anthony came rushing towards them and between the two of them they were able to pick him up. As Christine followed she turned to look briefly at the sight of Michael Delauney's body. She felt no remorse as she turned and followed after her husband.
"Christine?"
Christine raised her gaze from Erik's still form to see Meg Giry standing in the doorway, holding a cup in her small, fragile hands. It had been four days since the incidents that took place in this cottage, four days since Erik killed Michael and four days since they all lost any of the innocence any of them could claim. Erik was lying unmoving in the bed, bandages on his face, side, and shoulder. He had not moved or made a sound since collapsing but the gentle rise and fall of his chest was reassuring to Christine. She had insisted that they move into Nadir's room because she could not stand the sight of the bed in the room she had shared with Erik...she would break down completely if she were to go in there again.
"Yes, Meg?" Christine whispered. The blonde woman tried to put on a warm smile but was herself not convinced. Raoul, too, was still lying in bed from his injury and each moment Meg was awake she worried for him, how could she not? This entire house was full of misery and sorrow.
"I made you a cup of tea," she murmured. Christine thanked her softly and accepted it, bringing the hot liquid to her mouth to drink. Meg was worried about the young woman before her. She had not left the room since the moment they had brought Erik into it and she hardly wished to speak with anyone. Meg had heard Nadir and Anthony speaking quietly in the parlor and she overheard that Christine was blaming herself for everything that had happened that night. She could only imagine what the young girl was feeling at the moment.
"I will leave you to rest," Meg said. Christine said nothing as the woman walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Christine set the cup of tea down on the windowsill and drew her legs up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she stared silently at Erik. She had done many things in her life that she was not proud of, things she would give anything to take back or forget. But none of them compared to what she had done that night in the cottage. She had not acted like an adult, an expectant mother; she had acted more like a little girl who was rebelling against what she had been told to do, in which case it had been to stay in the trees.
She had not thought beyond her need to help Erik, and that foolish reasoning had nearly gotten Erik and herself killed. I almost had my baby taken away from me! All of this is my fault...Erik told me to stay hidden and I did not listen! How am I ever going to forgive myself? How is Erik ever going to forgive me?
The truth of the matter was, she did not expect Erik to forgive her and that was slowly eating away at her. Christine knew that Erik had every right to want to leave her, and she would not blame him if he never wanted anything to do with her again. Her thoughts were eating away at her peace of mind and the more she looked at Erik, lying there, in so much pain, the more she knew that though she did not deserve him, she could not imagine living without him. There was no way she would ever be able to make up for what she did to him that night, ever.
"Christine?"
"Anthony..."