TaDa! another chapter!

hope you enjoy :)

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Christine sat, head in her hands, sobbing quitely. Her best friend could not be dead! Meg was too full of life to die. Raouls arms swung around her shoulders pulling her close, Christine resisted the urge to push him away from her. She wanted to be alone right now, couldn't he see that?

Standing up, Chrisine straightened out her dress. "I need to find her raoul!", She exclaimed, running fingers through her mass of perfect hair. "She must have gone missing looking for me, I cannot just sit here". She paused to look at him pleadingly, "You will come with me, won't you?"

The sweetness in Christines voice melted Raoul, and he found himself nodding even though he thought there was no hope. Raoul was sure Meg was dead by now or worse, in the hands of the phantom. Christine was being over dramatic.

Getting up, Raoul followed her, swinging the cloak around his shoulders. He would search all of paris if that made Christine happy, she could be quite determined. Raoul smiled slightly, running his fingers through his hair. That was one of the things he loved about her.

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Erik was frustrated.

All the exits to his home were blocked off, not all by the mob though, the fire made many walls crumble. So, erik thought bitterly, it was me that made my own cage. Erik always hated the feeling of being traped, for many reasons, none he cared to discuss.

Another thing that frustrated him was Meg. He hadn't expected her to be so calm about all this. Someone afraid of him he could handle, Someone who hated him he could understand. Someone completely comfortable with his presence, he had no idea what to say!

When ever Eriks thoughts turned to Christine, a predicatble wave of grief washed over him. Yet he was not as upset as he had expected. Maybe Christine really had only been an obsession, not true love. Was it even possible for a monster to love?

"Erik?"

Megs sweet voice called as she walked forward. She didn't wear a corset, like many women in paris did. Instead she just flaunted her natural body. She wore simple clothing, and tied her hair back with a simple ribbon. Every thing was very plain and tidy, Yet she was extraodinary.

"Do you perhaps, have some books I could read?"

Erik was startled slightly, but quikly hid his surprise. He smiled slightly, pleased that the little ballarina enjoyed such things. "Yes, follow me", Erik said swiftly, and stalked off, almost laughing when he heard her scramble to follow him.

When they reached Eriks private study, a gasp left Megs lips. She spun in a circle drinking it all in as Erik watched warily. No one had ever been in his study before, he couldn't understand what had possesed him to take her hear.

"You have so many!", Meg said in wonder, running a delicate finger across some of the bindings. Erik found himself staring at that finger, and slightly jealous of the books. He quikly shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I am a lover of literature". he stated simply.

Meg swirled to face him, her face seeming to glow like the sun as a smile spread across her cheeks. "Me as well", She admitted, her face slightly embaressed. "My mother always said it was important to know how to read and write well. After she taught me, I just...never stoped loving them".

The passion in her eyes when she spoke of books softened Erik. He found himself smiling slightly, looking at her fondly. Quikly he looked away, earching his mind for another topic.

he was distracted, when Meg pulled a book delicately off the shelf. Erik admired how she handled the book with care, as if the contents were precious. She ran her finger across the words , a smile playing on her lips.

"Beauty and the beast".

She said the words aloud, and smiled, flipping quickly through the pages. As she turned to Erik, he noted how the book was clutched tightly to her chest. "My father used to read this to me when I couldn't sleep". She explained, her eyes holding an old saddness.

"You can have it", Erik blurted out. He watched in awe as Megs eyes lit up with happiness. Watched that adorable smile spread across her face. She squeeled, running forward she did something Erik would never have expected.

Throughing her arms around him, Meg planted a kiss on Eriks unmasked cheek. "Thank you, Erik", She whispered into his ear before pulling away. With that, she skipped off, as if nothing had just happened.

before he could stop himself, Eriks hand came up to touch his cheek. She had kissed him? Erik had only been kissed one other time in his life, and he had needed to threaten the womans fiance to get it. Yet Meg had kissed him willingly, and so carefree.

"You're not a demon, Erik"

Megs first words to him echoed in his head. Could she truely not see him as a monster? Not see him as a phantom? Just as Erik. As a man. Erik quikly shook his head, pushing such pathetic thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter what she thought, because he was a monster, he was the Phantom of the Opera.

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She's beautiful

Sure, in her own way. But nothing compared to Christine.

Hmpf, Christine was all classic beauty, dark hair, heart shaped face. Meg in truely beautiful, with sun kissed hair and large grey eyes.

What does weather or not Meg holds any attraction to me have to do with anything?

Well...you two are alone, should be together for a few weeks. and she seems quite comfortable with you...

Out of the question.

Are you really going to give up this chance?

To fool myself, to get my heart broken. Yes, yes I am.

You are a fool

We are the same person!

I'm you're conscience, there is a diffrence.

I don't have any feelings for Meg!

I said nothing about feelings, just the chance to have a warm, extreamly femine body hold you. Don't lie and say you arn't interested.

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Erik was interested, and thats what bothered him. Meg was far to appealing for her own good, and to make it worse she didn't even realize her own beauty. That somehow made it all the more powerful. True she was not beautiful like Christine, but she was beautiful, in her own way.

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Meg curled up on the bed Erik had given to her. She wanted to read, but she couldn't. Not with so much on her mind. Absently, her fingers ent to her lips, remembering the feeling of Eriks skin under hem. Meg hadn't expected him to be so warm! or soft, or send chills down her spine.

Chuckling softly, she tried to rid herself os such thoughts. Meg shouldn't be thinking things like that about the Opera Ghost, She sighed. But to her he wasn't the Opera Ghost, he didn't seem a demon, he was just Erik. He was just a man.

A beautiful, seductive, captivating man.

Meg quickly hushed that annoying voice in the back of her head. She was in no mood to get into another argumant with herself, over something as silly as an attraction. It didn't matter how much she would like to, Erik wouldn't fancy her.

She was simple Meg, Plain Meg, if anything she was cute. No seductive aura hung around her, she couldn't intoxicate people with her voice. Her hair wasn't prefect ringlets, She wasn't anything he liked. She wasn't Christine.

Sighing she opened a page in her book, no point dwelling on things that would never come to be.

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Andre watched warily as Firmen (how do you spell his name?) paced the room. The two Mangers were growing more and more worried. Not only had there buiness gone up in flames, but one of the Opera Houses dancers was missing.

"Mme Giry is not herself, she cannot teach in her condition". Andre said wisely, only adding to firmens frustration. The man had taken it hard when the Opera had burned, even harder when Meg had dissapeared. Everyone knew his fondness for the girl.

"She won't need to teach for quite sometime. It'll take long enough hiring builders brave enough to go there, let alone rebuild the Building!", He exclaimed, finally setteling down on one of the couches. His eyes turned to look at Andre. "But you are correct, we must find Meg".

Andre sighed, shrugging broadly. "For all we know she is truely dead, how can we find her". With each word Andre spoke, Firmens eyes seemed to cloud over slightly, this frightened Andre.

"Tell Mme Giry that we shall hire someone to search for Meg".

Andre smiled at firmen, that was very kind of him.

"If she agrees to grant me Megs hand in marriage".

Andre shot up in surprise, staring down at his buiness partner as if he was a stranger. Did he even know this man anymore? how could he so easily turn kindness into cruelty. But angrily, Andre did as he was told.

Later that evening a responce to the letter had arried, Andre read with trembeling fingers.

Mme Giry had agreed.

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I know what you're thinking. EW! Meg marry one of the old managers. how could I be so crule?

I have no idea.

Tell me what you think,and please. R&R!! :) lovs ya