Erik was confused by Amelia, and he began to pace uneasily as she went off to change. Last night, she didn't seem to fear him at all, even staring into his eyes as he threatened to kill her, but now she was tip-toeing around him, barely able to even look in his direction. Was she finally accepting reality or just showing her true colors now?

Something wasn't right. She was hiding something, and he needed to know what. As he passed his desk, his letter to the Vicomte caught his eye. Erik picked it up and stared at it for a moment. Amelia didn't matter, he reminded himself. She was a piece of his game, bait to lure the Vicomte back, nothing more. She could be hiding the fact that she was the long-lost queen of France for all he cared, but Erik was not going to allow her to be a distraction. And that meant he needed to quit thinking that he needed to know everything about her, because in the end, she was nothing.

He walked up to the bathroom door and flipped the lock, trapping Amelia inside. "Hey!" Erik could hear her cry. The doorknob began to rattle as she tried to open the door. "Let me out!" Amelia began to bang on the door. "What are you doing?"

"I have a message to deliver," Erik answered vaguely. "And this is to keep you from getting into things you shouldn't be in."

"No, I won't," Amelia whimpered. Her voice was quickly taking on the tone of a small child. "I promise I won't. Just let me out. Please?"

Erik felt the corners of his lips turn upwards. This was more like it. He was in control now. "The thing is," he hissed. "I don't believe you."

"Wait!" Amelia screamed as he walked away. The banging grew louder. "Please!"

"Perhaps I'll let you out when I return," Erik called over his shoulder. Leaving Amelia locked in the bathroom, Erik pushed aside a curtain, revealing a secret passage, the very same one he had used to escape the night of the fire. The passage led out to a rarely-used back alley behind the opera house, perfect for Erik to come and go without being spotted.

Once Erik felt the warmth of sunlight, he pulled his hood up to shield his face, and more importantly, his mask, from view. Careful to avoid the more populous roads, Erik eventually found himself in the neighborhood of the Vicomte de Chagny. He found a young boy, perhaps about ten, wandering the streets. Erik tapped his shoulder. "Boy, do you know where the Vicomte lives?" Erik asked.

The child nodded. "Oui, just up the road Monsieur, in the biggest house."

"I will give you ten francs if you take this letter up to his house for me right now."

His eyes widened at the thought of that much money for such a simple task. "Really?"

Erik nodded, pulled out the money, and handed the bills and the letter to the boy. "Tell them to give it to the Vicomte. Tell them that it's very important and he must see it right away."

"Oui Monsieur," the boy said before taking off in a sprint up the street. Once the boy was out of sight, Erik turned and retreated for the darkness of his home.


Raoul looked up as someone knocked on his study door. "Come in," he answered.

The door opened and a maid walked in. "Sorry to disturb you Monsieur, this letter was just delivered for you. They said it was urgent and you needed to see this right away."

He stood and met her halfway across the room to accept the letter. The letter was addressed to Monsieur le Vicomte, but there was nothing else on the front. Raoul turned it over and froze when he saw the red skull seal. "Mia," he gasped. He looked up to the departing maid. "Who delivered this?" he demanded.

She whirled around back around, obviously startled. "What?"

"The letter!" Raoul shouted. "Who delivered the letter?"

"I…I…I don't know, some boy," she stammered. "He was just a child." Raoul ripped open the letter and read its contents. Something wasn't right. Mia's letter said this was nothing more practical joke, but the seal on the envelope was clearly the Phantom's. Was this her cry for help? "Monsieur?" the maid called as he ran out of the study.

"Raoul?" He stopped and turned to face Christine. Her eyes were full of worry. "What's going on darling?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"

He swallowed hard. "I think Mia might be in trouble," he replied honestly.

"What do you mean?"

"I just got a letter from her," Raoul explained. "It said that she was going to London."

"Then what are you so worried about?" Christine asked, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "It sounds like she's perfectly fine."

"It was so strange," he continued. "She said not to worry, but it didn't sound like her. And Christine…" He held up the envelope, showing her the wax skull. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. "She said it was just a practical joke, but I don't know how she could replicate that. I think this is her way of trying to tell me she's in danger."

Christine's eyes grew wide. "You're going to go after her aren't you?"

Raoul nodded. "I have to. She's my sister. She needs me."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "He'll try to hurt you again, won't he?"

"Probably," he answered. "But I can't just leave her."

She put her hand on his cheek. "Just promise me one thing," she whispered. Raoul put his hand over hers and nodded. "Don't do anything until you know for sure that he has her. Do not, under any circumstances, put yourself in danger if you don't have to, because you know he'll kill you if you give him the chance."

"I promise, Christine," Raoul replied. "I love you."

Christine hugged him tightly, clearly trying very hard not to cry. "I love you too. Be safe."

He leaned in and kissed her. "I will." Raoul ran down the stairs and summoned his driver to prepare his carriage.

Within minutes, he was in front of his sister's house. Raoul began to knock on the door frantically. "Hello?" he called.

"Can I help you Monsieur?" a servant asked, finally opened the door.

"Mia, where is she?" Raoul demanded.

"Not here Monsieur."

Raoul felt his heart begin to race. "Let me speak to Gaston immediately."

"He's not here either. Monsieur Barineau is in London for the next several weeks," the servant answered.

"Is my sister with him?"

The servant nodded. "I have absolutely no reason to believe otherwise. They left together last night, and neither of them have returned. Why? Is there something wrong?"

Feeling a surge of relief, Raoul shook his head. "Nothing that can't wait until she returns. But please let me know when she arrives home."

"Absolutely Monsieur. Have a nice day." Raoul couldn't help but feel extremely irritated as the door closed. This was nothing more than a cruel practical joke, like Mia had said in her letter. It had to be only chance that she found a seal so similar to the Phantom's. He was going to wring her neck when she returned.

Christine ran out the door the moment Raoul stepped out of the carriage and threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly. "Is Mia alright?" she asked.

Raoul nodded. "She's fine. She's with Gaston in London."


Mia let out a heavy sigh. She began to bang her head backwards against the wall out of frustration. She had been sitting here for over an hour waiting to be released, but it sounded like the Phantom still had yet to return. She knew he was delivering her letter to Raoul, but all she could do was hope that was all he was doing.

The Phantom utterly confused her. Sometimes her tears let her gain a little ground, sometimes screaming and holding her own let her gain a little ground, and sometimes neither worked. She needed to come up with a strategy that was effective. Mia reached up and gingerly touched the fresh bruises on her neck; she needed to come up with a strategy that avoided getting hurt.

She glanced up as she heard the lock click. The door opened, revealing the Phantom. He smirked at the sight of her sitting on the floor, waiting for him. "Miss me?"