FicWad

~Saturday Morning-3 weeks until first tour date~

Annette padded softly down the hallway towards Erik's room, she was beginning to worry about him; no one could confirm seeing him out of his room in over a week. The maid said she'd seen him in his room when she brought his lunches and dinners but that was the only time. She'd been so busy the past week with the dancers and preparing them for the tour she hadn't even called upon him. She arrived at the door and knocked lightly trying the door hand handle surprised to find it unlocked. She peaked her head in and caught sight of Erik quickly; a small smile graced her lips as she caught him going something she hadn't seen in a long time. There sitting at his piano Erik was setting up his laptop; only when he was creating a new song did he set up his recording equipment. She snuck in quietly and sat down on his love seat a few feet from the door.

Erik had spent most of the morning sitting on his balcony; he hadn't been able to sleep that night so he'd sat up watching the sun rise. The beautiful view before him inspired him so much he jotted down a few lyrics: a couple hours later those couple lyrics turned into a song and now he needed only to put it to music. He set up his recording equipment on the table next to his piano and grabbed his headset, when he created a song there was a rhythm...a beat that matched the lyrics in his head and any noise could disrupt his process. He ran through a few scales to warm up, his hand was still red and swollen a bit from his mirror incident last Sunday.

Annette knew he had no clue she was even in the room, it was nice to see him returning to his music. Alcohol wasn't going to heal his pain and music could only postpone it but at least it was a safer form of release. She reclined a bit as he started to play.

The rhythm seemed to just pour from his aching fingertips, as the intro ended he added the lyrics from earlier that morning.

"There's three in the Hall from those pictures in the closet
Two in the bedroom from that night I lost it
And one deep inside me determined to stay
They don't get any bigger but they don't go away

Holes in and around me I keep falling back into
Holes dig in and surround me
God knows what I'm gonna do
To fill in these holes left by you
Left by you

I pour drink after drink but nothing hit bottom
I've been on my knees admitted my problems
The love that we made still barely an echo
I'll try anything in these vacant hollow

Holes in and around me I keep falling back into
Holes dig in and surround me
God knows what I'm gonna do
To fill in these holes left by you
Left by you."

As Erik began the second chorus his hands started to cramp from the injury and he hit an off note, he sighed heavily rubbing his sore aching hands.

Annette watched him for a few seconds before standing and approaching him, gently she placed her hand softly on his shoulder.

Erik jumped at the contact and spun quickly to observe who had intruded on him, at the sight of Annette he slipped his headset off. "I didn't hear you come in," he whispered turning away again towards the piano to continue working on the melody he'd been creating.

Annette smiled down at him, "You were playing; you are always a million miles away when you play."

He continued to play, from the sound in her voice there was something more to this conversation, "I'm fine, Annette; please stop looking at me like that." He didn't have to look at her, he knew her well enough to know when she went into her motherly mode.

Annette moved quickly to sit beside him on the bench, she placed a gentle hand on his forearm to stop him from playing, "Mon Ami you are no where near fine." She looked around at the destruction in his room that he alone was responsible for, and then looked deeply at him. "You can't keep this up, not to mention the entire week you've missed of practice that you've missed."

Erik put his hand up to stop her, "Annette, please I'm really not up for this today. I just need to be alone; ok?"

Annette pushed his hand away, pressing on and striving to keep her composure but if Erik was anything he was hard headed. "Erik you have been alone...for three months since the accident. Don't you think it's about time to let us back in?"

"What do you want Annette?" He whispered quietly resigning to the fact she had no intention of abandoning this conversation this time around and frankly he was beginning to sound like a broken record.

"Erik I want nothing from you....I want this for you." She put her arm around him and leaned into him. "I just want our Erik back...MY Erik back. The boy I met so long ago, the man he turned into...My best friend. That is what I want."

Erik shook his head, "That Erik is gone," he paused; his sad eyes starred at her, "This is what you get." Pointing to the mask he sighed and stood up quickly moving away from the bench to his bar; his cell phone dropped to the floor at Annette's feet.

Reaching down Annette picked up Erik's phone, looking at the screen she stood up slowly shaking her head, "We all wear masks Erik, but the difference is whether you wear the mask...or the mask wears you." Annette handed him the phone and gently touched his arms, she gently brushed by him to take her leave; she stopped at the door and to look back at him. "We all must fall Erik...."

Erik tilted his head, the phrase was something he hadn't heard in years; it had been a personal motto he'd learned the hard way when first attempting to make it big in the music business. Erik looked down at the phone still stuck on the same screen as before, stuck on Elizabeth's name and number; then looked back up at Annette's retreating form. Her words were like a record playing in his mind, 'Wear the mask...three months....My Erik... We all must fall.' He closed his eyes fighting a battle inside himself; his first instinct was to run to his bar to drown out Annette or to the piano but even those wouldn't be able to help him today. Hot tears stung his eyes threatening to fall as he took a few deep breaths, bringing his attention back to his phone he hit the menu button, "So we can learn to pick ourselves back up," he whispered as he hit the delete button erasing Elizabeth from his phone.

~Saturday night~

Nick moved around his office, he'd spent the entire week fending off angry band members, journalists, paparazzi and anyone else blowing up his email and cell phone. With only three weeks left until the first tour date he was beginning to worry, Erik hadn't made any attempts to join the practices; not to mention his lack of media attention at such a pivotal time could be hazardous to his ticket sales which would inevitably lead to a dead tour. Nick lit up a smoke trying to settle his mind around solutions to their current situation; it wasn't going to be an easy resolution because unless they could get Erik out of his current slump the tour was done. Nick was never one to manipulate or play with peoples lives: business, stories, even photos were safe but people were another story. Yet in his eyes this was a desperate situation and of course in any desperate situation called for desperate measures. He had an idea that in his mind seemed extremely possible that it would hopefully work, 'but if it failed,' Nick was too busy picking up his cell phone to further process any more thoughts on the situation, but for Erik he'd take that chance, 'He'll thank me later.'

A/N: The song is Holes by Rascal Flatts! I still own nothing pertaining to the Phantom, leave love or hate.