Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera, or Love Never Dies, or any of the associated characters. They were broken when I found them, I swear.

Summary: The Phantom saw Meg clearly at last, as the woman who had sacrificed everything in her love for him. Love given freely is better than love given under duress.

BEAUTY SOMETIMES GOES UNSEEN

…Diamonds never sparkle bright/ if they aren't set just right/ beauty sometimes goes unseen…

The Phantom slowly approached the hysterical girl, driven to the brink by his actions. "…I see now what should have been."

Meg had sacrificed everything for him without complaint, hoping only that he would see her worth, her devotion to him. In return, he had ignored her as something that would always be there, serving a purpose, but beneath his actually noticing her.

For all of his genius, the Phantom would admit that he sometimes needed help to see the obvious.

Meg was a beautiful young woman with a bright future ahead of her, and the Phantom knew that she had received offers; of marriage, of professional stages, far more glorious than a Freak Show carnival. She had always quietly informed him of these offers, with a slight pause and a hopeful look before she said that she planned to turn them down, unless he wanted her to accept them. Every time, he had waved a hand and said to do as she pleased, it was little to do with him, other than the need to find a new star, because she was the best singer he had.

Looking back, it was obvious that she had been looking for a sign that he mattered to her, that he had given her false hope every time he implied that her talents were valuable to him. Christine had once accused him of cruelty, of acting as though his desires were all that mattered, and she had been right to do so.

He had secured a promise from Christine that she would sing for him, knowing that she would never break her word, and then tricked Raoul into betting against a forgone conclusion, knowing that the Viscount still loved his wife, and that she still loved him. He cared not for the pain that he would cause that family, just as he had never cared to see the pain that he had caused Meg, raising her hopes and then brushing her aside.

Guilt was not a common emotion for the Phantom, but he felt it now.

Raoul was the only father that Gustav had ever known, regardless of genetics, and his departure would hurt the boy, just as the letter of goodbye had obviously hurt Christine. The Phantom would even admit a twinge of admiration for the other man, who had written nothing of blame, of the true price of Christine's one aria, only apologies for the way he had treated her, and a vow of his enduring love for her.

Meg had always been there, patient and faithful, while he obsessed over another woman. She had endured humiliation, a loss of her pride and self-worth, shattered hopes, sacrifice after sacrifice, and he had never seen it. He had forced her to stop being the shy, loving girl who saw the good in everything, and turned her into a bitter, world-weary woman who clung to a single hope, a hope that he had destroyed. She deserved more than him, far more than he had given her, but maybe that was her choice.

Slowly, he enfolded the blonde woman in his arms, seeing the beauty of her giving, selfless soul, forced to hide underneath a hard exterior. The gun dropped to the wood of the dock, unfired, as Meg finally sobbed out ten years of pain, humiliation, and heartbreak.

The Phantom's sharp ears heard the sound of hurried footsteps. One of his minions had run to find the Viscount before Miss Fleck had reported Meg being the one to take Gustav, and Raoul had obviously not hesitated before returning. Out of the corner of his eye, the Phantom saw Christine run to him, the pair quickly departing with their son. The Phantom's son, and yet not, and perhaps some things were never meant to be.

Meg had made sacrifices for him, and it was time that he made his own sacrifices in return. He had ignored this priceless wonder, pushing her away, robbing her of her love and pride, breaking her spirit and bruising her soul, but no longer. His deformed face matched her broken soul, yet somehow they both still glimpsed traces of the beauty buried within.

He had viewed Christine as perfection, anguishing over the belief that his twisted visage would be the one thing keeping them apart. But Christine wasn't perfect, and he finally saw that physical appearances had nothing to do with the separation between them. The first time Christine had kissed him, it had been to save Raoul. Even when they made love, that one moonless night, it had been a way of saying goodbye, hoping that it would help him let her go.

Meg was not perfect, and it made her all the more real to him. Two broken spirits, helping to make each other whole again. A dream, a desire that he never knew he needed, finally come to life.

He saw the beauty underneath, had always known it was there, and would bring it to the surface. The Phantom had only known the obsessive desire for Christine that had dominated their every encounter, but perhaps, with Meg, he would find the love that they had both spent their lives searching for.

…Remember, love never dies…

Love did not die, but it could be transformed or transferred. Meg finally looked up, her eyes red. "Kiss me just one time…"

Somewhere along the line, his mask had been removed, and she reached up, cupping the scarred side of his face in her small hand. Taller by head and shoulders, the Phantom leaned down, and took the first step on a new road to the future.

…Just love/ just live/ just give what we can give/ and take the love that we deserve…

lnd

lnd

lnd

lnd

A/N: I'm not as happy with this as I was with "If You Still Love Me", but oh, well. This has been bouncing around in my head ever since I saw the Sydney Showing back in March, for my birthday, and I finally managed to write it down. Constructive Criticism is very welcome.

Thanks,

Nat