Christine's POV

"Give me the gun, Meg…"

My angel of music and I searched endlessly through the crowds of people mobbing Phantasma in order to find my son; our son. Meg had taken him, pulled him out of the opera house and into harm's way. But why? Why would my best friend want to harm my son? Gustave was an innocent child, an innocent boy…Yes, he was filled with plenty of traits that were my angel's, but that couldn't be helped, for he was of his blood. I didn't even know his first name. On the night he and I made love, the only name I used was "angel." Now, he was Mister. Y, but even that wasn't enough to satisfy me.

"Give me the chance to see you clear at last…"

And now, we were on the pier, face to face with Meg who was holding Gustave over the edge. The child didn't know how to swim! The current would eat him up and take away my baby for good. My angel was trying to coax Gustave out of her arms, and it surprisingly worked, for my baby flew back into my arms. But now, Meg was standing there with a gun to her head. I didn't want to turn away from my best friend, and my angel didn't seem to want to either.

"You feel ugly, you feel used, you feel broke and you feel bruised, but me, I can see there is beauty underneath."

Meg lowered the gun, seeming to be listening to him. When he took a few steps closer to Meg, I stepped in.

"Angel, no!" I warned.

But he wasn't listening to me. He stepped closer and closer, right up until his hand was clasped around the pistol's barrel.

"…Beauty sometimes goes unseen; we can't all be like Christine."

Everything slowed down, Meg's eyes filled with tears as she gritted her teeth angrily at my angel. From that moment on, everything happened so fast.

"Christine! Christine! Always Christine!"

I saw my angel wrestling with Meg to get a hold of the gun, and then, I heard the ear piercing shot. When the smoke cleared, Meg was standing there looking up at my angel with tears pouring from her eyes. What was she crying for? I looked down at Gustave to notice that he was fine…I even looked at myself, knowing that I had not been struck. But as I lifted my eyes and saw my angel of music lose his balance, I moved Gustave aside and ran to him as his arms clasped the railings of the pier. He was on his knees now, his hands losing their grip. He was stunned, stunned and in shock. When I knelt down beside him and took his body into my arms, it was clear to see that he had taken the bullet that had been released from Meg's pistol.

"No…" I murmured this simple word as I held him in my arms, pressing my hand against his right side that was gushing blood. My angel's blood! Never had I seen it in all my life…He was the Opera Ghost, ghosts were not supposed to bleed. No, my angel was a man, a man and nothing more.

"Let me help…" Meg was leaning down beside me, but I shielded my angel's body from her.

"Don't you touch him!" I cried.

Madame Giry appeared, taking notice to my angel's limp body.

"I'll go for help!" she grabbed Meg by the arm and pulled her away.

"Ch…Christine…"

It was just the three of us now. Gustave was slowly making his way over to me while I held my angel in my arms, humming him a soft tune and cradling his head.

"Stay here, ange…" I begged. "Stay with me. You can fight this…"

His breathing was labored and I knew what needed to be done. Gustave was kneeling beside me now, worried about Mister Y's condition.

"Mother, what can we do?" he whimpered in between tears. "Don't let him die."

To make things easier for my angel, I reached out for his mask, placing my fingers beneath it in order to lift the article away.

"D…Don't." he whimpered in a childish tone. "Please…"

But I had to. I pulled it gently away from his face, placing the white porcelain down in my lap.

"Breathe, ange…" I begged. "Relax and breathe."

My son was staring at my angel's deformed face, trying to put past his fear, trying to understand.

"He's not a magician." My son finally said. "You said he was."

"Gustave, you must understand that if I would have told you the truth, I would have hurt his feelings."

"C…Christine…"

My angel was calling my name and I looked down and smiled at him. His eyes were rolling towards the back of his head, but I begged him to stay with me, begged him not to leave.

"Angel, please." I cried. "Please fight."

"C…Come closer."

I leaned my ear closer to his face, his voice barely a whisper as he said the most beautiful words I had ever heard.

"I…I lo..Love you."

When my performance of Love Never Dies was over, I had gone back stage, only to find my angel waiting for me. I wasn't sure what made me do it, but I jumped on him, kissing him with such feverish passion. He groaned, for it had been ten years since he had kissed someone, ten long years since he had kissed me. I only broke away when I noticed the rose and letter that Raoul had left for me out of the corner of my eye. Why? Why had I stopped kissing him? Now, I would possibly never get the chance to do so again.

"I..I'm so col…cold."

No, this couldn't be it! This couldn't be the end of my angel's life. It was humid and unbearably warm, and yet, my angel was cold. My son, being the wonderful little boy that he was, tore away his small jacket and placed it across Mister Y's chest. This wasn't right, I had to tell him. What if this was Gustave and my angel's only chance at bonding? What if this was my angel's only chance to tell Gustave how sorry he was for not being there for him? I couldn't allow my son to go through life without knowing his real father. Yes, he was ten, but sooner or later, my son would find out that Raoul was not his father. These last few seconds were all that the two of them could have left together.

"Gustave, your father…"

"N..No…" My angel's voice was weak as he nestled his face into my shoulder, begging me not to tell him. "Y…You promised."

"He needs to know." I cried. "These last few seconds could be all that he has left with you."

Gustave seemed confused, but I continued.

"Tell me what, mother?"

"Your father, your real father is…is Mister Y."

My son's eyes widened in fear.

"What?"

"Please," I grabbed his small hand. "Please, Gustave, try to understand why I never told you. He needs you now…"

I was waiting for my son to dash off, but he stayed beside me, stayed beside Mister Y. Today, my son had gone from being a child and turned into a young man. He outstretched his small hand and brushed the scars that covered my angel's face. I knew my angel would have replied to this touch, but he was close to dying.

Just then, help arrived. Madame Giry came accompanied by a few of the hospital workers. I stood up, my hands covered in blood as they took my angel's body and placed him on a gurney. Even as they walked off with him, I could only stand there with tears in my eyes, knowing that he would probably die before he even reached the hospital.

"Christine," Madame Giry tried to console me, but I shifted from her embrace.

"Don't touch me!" I cried, grabbing Gustave's hand and walking off. "Leave me and my family alone."

"Mother, is Mister Y going to be all right?"

"I hope so, Gustave."

I hurried to the hospital, my heart stopping as I entered the waiting area to find it filled with freaks and employees from Phantasma. They were sitting there glum and filled with sorrow. The mere sight brought tears to my eyes, for years ago, my angel had no one, and now, it was the complete opposite.

"How is Mister Y?" I asked, approaching the front desk where a nurse was sat. She flipped through her files, looking down at a few notes that were placed in front of her.

"He's in surgery. As soon as we have word on his condition, you'll be told."

I took a seat across from Miss Fleck and held my son within my arms. As the moments passed, more of my angel's workers arrived to show their support. On the wall, there hung a small clock, one that I constantly kept looking at. Oh, what was taking them so long? It had been nearly two hours already and yet, there was still no word on his condition. I prayed to my father, prayed that he would let my angel of music live.

"Christine, oh, thank god!" I looked over at the emergency room entrance to see Raoul entering. What was he doing here?

"Raoul," I stood up and placed Gustave down in the chair I had been sitting with. "Stay here sweetie."

Raoul pulled me aside to a corner away from everyone. He embraced me, even tried to kiss me, but that love affection was no more.

"I thought you left here in a carriage." I spat. "That is what Mr. Squelch said after my performance."

"Christine, I've been searching all over for you. I came back right after your performance, but you were gone."

"You were supposed to be watching Gustave!" I cried. "You were supposed to meet him backstage…Meg almost killed him, Raoul."

"I'm sorry, Christine, really I am. Please, let us leave here, now."

Raoul tried to pull me away, but I broke from his embrace.

"Are you kidding me? Do you even know why I'm here?"

"I did ask around. When I heard a few of the freaks talking about how your demon was shot on the pier, I decided to check here. Come, Christine. He is incapable of stopping you now. Let's just find our way to the ferry that will take us away from this hellhole."

"No!" I cried. "He needs me. How could I just leave him to die on that operating table? Have him wake, if ever to find his bedside completely empty? That is something I simply will not do, Raoul."

"He is a monster, Christine. For the boy's sake…"

"The boy? I told him, Raoul. I told Gustave the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that you've known for a while now. Gustave is not your son."

"So this is how you wish to handle things."

"It's the truth. Years ago before we were wed, I sought him out…We made love, and then, from that night, Gustave was born."

"It doesn't matter." He said. "I've been Gustave's father for years. I refuse to stop now."

"I need to see him, Raoul. I don't wish to leave…"

"Fine!" he cried. "You can have your demon…I hope he makes you extremely happy, Christine!"

And with that, Raoul marched out. I knew this wasn't over yet, I knew that he wasn't going to leave the island without me. At the moment, I wasn't concerned about him, I was concerned about my angel.

"Is there a Miss Christine Daae here?"

I turned around to see a doctor standing at the opening of the surgery ward. How did he know my name? Curious, I stepped forward.

"I'm Christine."

The doctor nodded and motioned me inside. Before entering, I looked back at my son who was now sitting beside Miss Fleck. I knew he would be safe, and therefore, I followed the doctor down a hall and to an office. Inside, he took a seat at his desk and motioned me to do the same.

"How is he?"

"As of now, Mister Y is under heavy sedation."

I nodded. "How did you know my name?"

"He has you listed under his immediate contact list…You're the only one listed, actually."

"Will he survive?"

"Miss Daae, I removed a bullet that was lodged in his back. It went through his front, penetrated his right kidney and proceeded to damage the nerves in his lower back."

I gasped, closing my eyes and shaking my head. How would I ever be able to forgive Meg again?

"I don't even believe he was strong enough to withstand the surgery, for his heart stopped once in the middle of the procedure. We were able to revive him, and remove the bullet, but his kidney was too damaged to save."

"My god…"

"He's going to need a lot of recovery time. He should be able to walk because the nerves that were damaged weren't critical. He'll be in pain though."

"Could I see him?"

"He's under heavy sedation, Miss Daae." He continued. "He probably won't wake for another ten hours or so."

The doctor leaned down and pulled up my angel's waistcoat.

"This was all we could salvage of his clothes. His shirt and trousers had to be cut away from his body to access the wound."

"What should I do now?"

I took the jacket from his hands and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a ring of keys.

"One of those should be his house key. He could use a fresh, comfortable pair of pajamas to lay in while he's here. Other than that, I would take it easy and get some rest. If you're back before sunrise, you should be able to get to his bedside before he wakes."

"Could I at least see him for a few minutes?"

The doctor nodded. "Very well then, follow me."

I followed the doctor down the hall until I reached a room. He left me alone then, entering to find my angel laying beneath the blankets of a bed, a small tube inserted into his mouth to help him breathe. He was laying there lifeless and pale. The only reason I even knew he was alive, was because of his steady breathing that was making the blankets rise and fall at a steady pace.

"Mon ange…" I whispered his name as I took a seat at his bedside. His mask was laying on the side table, his deformity exposed for me to see. My poor, poor angel.

"Mon ange…"

I brushed my hand against his cheek, hoping he would open his eyes, but he never did. I guess I wanted him to smile, to look upon me at his bedside.

"Oh, angel, open your eyes." I begged, "Open your eyes and look at me."

I couldn't gain access to his malformed lips due to the tub that was inserted into his mouth or else, I would have kissed him. Instead, I pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth, lingering before pulling away.

"I'll be back soon, angel." I promised. "I'm going to get you some comfortable clothes to wear while you're in here."

I didn't want to leave his side, but I did so, only to go to his home. But where did he live? I carried my angel's jacket in my arms as I entered the waiting area to find Gustave sitting beside Mr. Squelch.

"Mother…"

"Come along, pumpkin." I interlaced my hand with his own. My child had a traumatic day, and I knew he was tired.

"Where are we going, mother?"

"To Mister Y's home." I looked at Mr. Squelch. "Do you know where he lives?"

He nodded, standing to his feet. "I'll take you there, Miss Daae."

"Thank you."

Mr. Squelch led Gustave and I through Phantasma. It was dark now, the park closed off to the public for the evening.

"Mother, I'm frightened."

I held my son close as we continued to follow Mr. Squelch.

"How is the master doing?"

"He is hanging on." I said. "Asleep for now. The doctor placed him under heavy sedation to help him cope with the pain. I'm not sure when he will be back to work. He lost his kidney."

"He will be in all of our prayers tonight, Miss Christine."

"That is very kind of you to say."

Mr. Squelch stopped at a rather large brick building, one that had the painting of a scary face on the outside of it.

"Mister Y lives here?" Gustave questioned.

Mr. Squelch nodded. "He sleeps here. This is the only other place that he goes to when the park closes for the evening."

I thanked Mr. Squelch and pulled out the ring of keys, unlocking the door to go inside. When the door opened, we were met with a staircase with a door at the top of it.

"Come along, Gustave."

"I'm tired, mother."

"I know, sweetie, we'll rest in a short while."

Gustave and I climbed the stairs that led us to the next door. I used the same key, unlocking this door as well, only to be met with a dark realm.

"Stay close until I find the lights, Gustave."

I fumbled around the wall until my hand came across the switch. When the lights came on, I was met with a beautiful studio. It was all one room, huge and beautiful. Red drapes lined each window, a grand piano placed in its center…It was my angel… There was everything that he would need, a kitchen, a small bathroom, even a four poster bed on the other end of the studio.

"We'll stay here tonight, Gustave."

"But, mother…"

"Just lay down, Gustave." I laid my son down on the nearby sofa, draping his body with the cover that was folded over the top cushion.

"Rest, love."

"Mama?"

"Yes, Gustave?"

"I love you."

I smiled and kissed my son goodnight. "I love you too. Now rest."

And only when my son closed his eyes did I venture out into the studio to find where my angel kept his clothes. My angel wouldn't mind if we spent the night, and then, in the morning, I would rush to his bedside before he woke. Things have changed…and it was possibly for the better.

Okay this is a new story that came to me the other day. Please reivew and I will be updating every couple of days I hope. I'm currently working on another story so be patient.