A/N: Again, my apologies for the lack of clarity with the changed POVs. I'm using Open Office, and while I place a dashed line where the POV changes, that doesn't seem to make it to the final submission on the website. So if it really and truly bothers you, please let me know and I'll try a different program(WordPad). Once again, I own nothing.

Cold water splashed onto Meg's face, pulling her out of unconsciousness. She began to sit up, then fell back down, moaning in pain. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she noticed was two candles set up on both sides of the room. Erik was sitting on the floor, his back up against the simple bed she was on. "Erik?" As she spoke, she realized how dry and scratchy her throat had become.

"Good morning. You'll be pleased to know that I wasn't caught." He didn't look at her; instead, she saw him fingering a diamond ring. A wooden bowl was beside him on the floor, the only evidence of him waking her up.

"They're gone?"

"No. They simply waved to me as I grabbed a few of my things and saved your life." Erik scoffed, and Meg winced. She had walked right into that sarcastic remark.

"Thank you." was all she could think to say, and he mumbled a reply. An awkward silence then fell over them, and Meg felt herself growing dizzy. She needed a drink, and Erik looked as though he'd forgotten about her. Conjuring every ounce of strength she had, she got up from the bed.

"For goodness sake, woman, sit down!" Erik gave her a shove.

"I thought you...I needed..." Meg stammered.

"What? You needed what?"

"Water. A drink. My throat."

Erik rolled his eyes. Of course she did! What was he thinking? He wasn't about to let Meg see his defeat, however, and he silently grabbed the bowl and stomped out of the room. Upon his return, he shoved the bowl into her hands and sat back down. "You know, you really are a nuisance, girl. If all my exits into the opera house weren't blocked, I'd send you right back to your mother."

"Blocked?"

"By the fire, or don't you remember? They've all but caved in."

"Of course I remember. I'm just dizzy is all."

"Then you should go back to sleep. Ignore me." Erik was growing increasingly impatient as she continued to point out all the things he should know. But when one has spent practically his whole life in solitude, there were certain things he shouldn't be expected to think of. Closing his eyes, he thought of Antoinette. She would want him to think before he spoke. In all the chaos that surrounded the final act of his opera, he hadn't missed a quick glimpse at her face, and had he not been holding the love of his life at the moment, he would have stopped to think. But no, there hadn't been time. Now, as he looked back, he realized how far he had gone. Never in all the time he knew her had he seen that look of horror. Never, not even when she had seen his face. Not only had he lost Christine, he had also severed a good portion of the cords between himself and his only friend. He had severed her trust.

When Meg finished the small drink, she lay back on the bed. As she closed her eyes again, she allowed the sound of his weeping lull her to sleep.

As Meg recovered further, Erik made daily trips out of the secret room, bringing back more water, a few possessions, and all the rest of his stored food. The cool atmosphere of the cavern had kept the bread and vegetables fresh and the meat and cheese cold, and Meg gradually regained her strength. It was not a complete upward battle, however, as most of the time was spent either arguing or listening to him weep. Sometimes, he made extra trips storming out of the room, muttering under his breath, and Meg guessed it was to cool himself off after a particularly harsh blow of her words. Well he can't blame me for the truth. Meg thought to herself stubbornly.

Whenever he returned from such trips, he refused to look at her and crossed the room, sat down with his back to her and played his violin. The first time she watched him pick it up, she had looked on with curiosity. As soon as he began playing, though, she felt herself floating back in time to that one magical night. This was the last piece of evidence she needed. He played with such a signature amount of emotion and beauty that it could only have been him. And now, watching him perform, she realized that this was his true escape. Although his back was to her, she saw him sway at certain points, and she imagined his eyes closed, allowing his entire soul to go into the aimless tunes while the songs entered him. If she wasn't still mad at him, she would have gotten up and started dancing to accompany him. But the fact remained that she was still mad at him, and she wasn't about to let him think he'd won. So when he finished playing and finally was able to face her, he found her sitting with her own back to him, arms folded across her chest. Stubborn little imp. He thought with a smirk.

Several weeks passed. While Meg soon fully recovered, the food soon ran out, causing sparks to really fly between them.(and I don't mean in the lovey dovey romantic way.) As soon as Erik saw how well she had gotten, he all but threw her out of his bed, and the daggers flying from his eyes each time he got up let Meg know what to expect if she ever dared to take it back. And so, Meg mostly stayed on the floor, using his absences as her chance to dance. These times alone were short, and water can only fill so much of one's stomach. Hunger soon won over her urge to express herself, and by the time Erik returned, he could not have guessed that she had ever moved from her spot.

On one particular day, however, he had been considerably short in his absence, and he was able to catch Meg mid-routine. She was just landing from a leap and began twirling on one set of toes, her other leg straight out behind her. She stopped as soon as she saw him and began to blush. "You really are a good dancer, Meg." For once, there wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his voice, which made her blush all the more redder.

"Thank you, Erik. I'm afraid I can't dance very well on an empty stomach, however."

"Yes, well, I can't very well help that, can I? Believe me, I've tried every single door, but they're all blocked. I honestly didn't mean to burn the whole place down, but it looks as though that's exactly what happened."

"I'm not blaming you. I..." Meg felt tears of tiredness fill her eyes, and she sat down.

"I know." Erik responded.

The next morning, Meg awoke to find Erik flat on his back, staring at the ceiling and fingering the engagement ring. Slowly, she crept over to the bed, gingerly sitting down on the thin mattress beside him. He didn't even blink as he spoke. "Meg..I need to know. Why did you come down here? Why did you stay? And...why...why did you kiss me?" The question came as a complete surprise to her, but his voice sounded painfully weak.

"I...I came because I guess I was curious. All my life, I have seen evidence of you, in the pranks you played, in the demands you made, and in the changes I saw in Christine." At the sound of her name, Erik squeezed the ring. "I guess I didn't want to miss out on any chance of actually meeting you. And I stayed because, well, I couldn't have just walked away from you, frozen as you were. Mama raised me better than that." She stopped, and Erik nodded.

"And...the kiss...? Surely it wasn't because you loved me. That much is clear after all our arguments."

"No...you're right..." Meg hated to admit it, with him in such a vulnerable state, but she couldn't deny the truth after defending it all those weeks. "I meant to protect her."

"So...you shoved her away...you got in between me and my love, and you kissed me without meaning anything by it?" Erik's conclusion was voiced with a bitter coolness, and yet it was the truth. He was looking at her now, eyes narrow, and he sat up.

"No, I didn't mean it. But Christine wouldn't have meant it either!" Right away, she knew she had said too much, but hunger clouded her judgment. Seeming to regain his strength, he stood up and slapped her face.

"How dare you! You don't know that for sure! And now we'll never know!" His face was just inches from her's, and while she recovered from the blow, he turned and took a few steps away. Meg stood up now and hurried to face him again. No way was he winning this time. She may have gone too far, but now that the cat was out of the bag, she would have her say.

"Believe me, I know. I'm her best friend, remember? You may have had her under your spell, but kisses don't lie. She would have done it only to protect Raul, and you know that! What were YOU thinking, making her choose like that?" He responded with a few more blows to her face, each one harder than the one before.

"SILENCE! SILENCE, do you hear me? You don't know ANYTHING about love! You don't know ANYTHING about what went on between her and I! You're just a common backstage rat who-"

"Shh..." Meg interrupted.

"No, I WILL NOT be shushed by a tiny insolent little-"

"No, Erik...listen..." Her urgency was genuine, and so the red-faced Erik was forced to take silent, deep breaths while be reluctantly obeyed her. Then he heard it. Muffled voices and a constant digging sound coming from the prop room hallway.

"Come with me." Erik grabbed a hold of Meg's arm with one hand while picking up his violin case with the other. Pushing the magic spot on the wall, he dragged her back into the larger cavern, through the water and onto land.

"Are you mad? Perhaps it's a rescue party..."

"Oh come on, Meg, are you really that naive? Oh, they would have rescued you alright, but then where would that leave me?" He let go of her long enough to pick up a candlestick and pull aside a curtain, revealing a mirror. Without hesitation, he broke the glass into millions of pieces, revealing a doorway. He shoved her in ahead of him, and, closing the curtain, she was left in complete darkness once again. All she could do now was walk where he prodded her, until at last they reached a simple ladder. At the top, he opened another door, and they went up yet more stairs until finally there was a faint light ahead. One final door was opened, and Meg stumbled forward into an alleyway.

"Where exactly are we going?" She managed.

"Safety, that's where." Erik had had Antoinette make the arrangements for such a time as this. She had told him of a relative of hers that owned a riverboat, and he made a living by carrying goods and passengers up and down the river. All Erik had to do, she had told him, was mention her name, and he would gladly take him to Antoinette's husband's riverside mansion in the country.

"I...can't..." Meg stumbled to the ground, and Erik groaned. She wasn't any hungrier than he was, and so he couldn't possibly carry her. Besides, he needed her for directions.

"Meg, stay with me here. Don't do this. Not now!" he pulled her to her feet and let her lean against him. He hoped that the river wasn't too far away, as they were sure to cause a scene if they encountered a large crowd. "Please. Which way to the river? Your mother's cousin's boat."

Meg looked around as they made it to the end of the alley. "I'm pretty sure it's two blocks this way..." She managed, and by the time Erik had found Cousin Philippe and climbed aboard, Meg was completely passed out.

A/N: More to come soon! Bear with me, though, as I have only a vague idea of where this is all going! Feedback is welcome!