A/N: thanks for the reviews! I don't own Phantom or any songs in this. Sorry this took so long. I suffered from a case of writers' block and discouragement, but I'm back now if anyone will actually read this.

Angel of music, I denied you
Turning from true beauty
Angel of music, my protector
Come to me strange angel

_-**Meg's POV**-_

I didn't know where Anna went. Juliette and Clam were a little nervous, but I assured them that she would be fine. The problem was that I wasn't sure…

I found Christine in the hallway later that night. "Christine!" I exclaimed and ran to her, "have you seen Anna? I haven't seen her since this afternoon,"

She smiled as if she knew something. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about Anna. I think she'll be just fine,"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Christine obviously knew something.

"I think Anna has a guardian angel who will make sure nothing will happen to her," she turned and began to walk away.

"What? Do you know where she is?"

"Yes,"

"Where?"

"Somewhere safe," she began up the stairs.

"Christine! Wait!" but she was gone.

I sighed. I went to Clam and Juliette's shared room. I slept there that night.

Click, click, click…

I woke up the next morning to someone snapping their fingers at me. I opened my eyes to see Anna with a tray of food for us.

"Good morning, sleepy heads! Time to wake up!" she sang and put the tray down.

"Wow, you're…Happy today…" Clam murmured.

She smiled. "That I am, Claire, that I am,"

"Why?" Juliette asked.

Anna smiled widely and held up her left hand. On her finger was a glittering diamond ring.

Juliette squealed and hugged her. Clam's jaw dropped. "You're engaged?" I asked.

"I have been since the masquerade. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I never got the chance. Isn't it great?" Anna was so excited. Her eyes lit up with joy and love for her fiancé.

"Who's the lucky man?" Clam asked, jabbing at her side, "Come on! Tell, tell!"

"Well, you don't know him," she said smiling knowingly.

"Is it Erik?" Juliette asked.

Anna blushed and nodded.

"Erik?" I asked. She couldn't mean… I laughed a little. "Um…Guys, I have to go. My mom wanted to see me," I slipped out of the room as Anna began to talk about her engagement.

I went to my mother's room and knocked on the door. "Mum, c'est moi, it's me,"

She opened the door to let me in. "Mum, I think we have a problem…"

"What is it, Meg?" she was at her vanity putting her ridiculously long hair into a braid.

"It's Erik,"

"Erik? What's wrong with him? He was fine when I saw him a little while ago,"

"Yeah, I bet. I bet he's just wonderful!"

"What in the world are you talking about, Meg?"

"Erik's engaged to Annabelle,"

She dropped her hairbrush. "What?" she asked.

"Anna had a ring and says she's engaged to someone named Erik. A composer and musician who gave her singing lessons,"

"Oh, god," she said.

_*oo**Annabelle's POV**oo*_

I was so happy. I would soon be married to Erik. I just needed to get everything ready. But that could take months…

Okay, I was afraid. More than afraid, I was horrified. I was young—too young to get married. I had my whole life ahead of me; I wanted to see the world, I wanted to get an education from a tutor or at a school…

I had to stop this useless worrying. I loved Erik and that was all that mattered, right? But was I ready to marry him, or anyone for that matter? If I got married, that was it. No more adventure. No more fun. No more excitement. I would have to quit my job or not be able to live happily with him. I couldn't go anywhere. Not to England or Italy or America or anywhere! Erik wouldn't be able to go anywhere, either.

I didn't understand why, but that's the way things had to be. But if I loved Erik, I would marry him. I lay down in my bed and closed my eyes. My head was filled with so many controversial thoughts that I began to get a headache. I stood up deciding the best thing to do was to take a walk. I would be able to clear my head that way. I slipped into some shoes and a light shawl. I grabbed a little bit of money (as it was always important to have) and slipped through the halls and out the back door of the opera house.

**^!_Erik's POV_!^**

I was writing music—when wasn't I writing music?—when I heard footsteps. There were two people coming down the pathway. Neither were Anna, I could tell that. They belonged to dancers as they were light and graceful. One was heavier than the other.

"Hello, Girys," I said without turning around.

"ERIK!" Mme. Giry roared, unsurprised that I knew who it was.

"Antoinette, please keep your voice down, everyone can hear you and it isn't quite time for bed as it's not yet sundown," I turned to face them. Meg was staring at me. She was younger than Anna. Younger than Christine, even, yet she had a womanly air to her. She could have been 14 or 24, but I knew she was closer to the prior. Her long, delicate, blonde hair was pulled back into a bow and she wore a simple white robe. She was quite a beautiful child, but I could never love her as a wife, as Giry had once suggested before realizing that, besides the age difference, neither of us would fall for the other. Meg had seen me but twice in her life, yet she knew me as a friend. Still, the child couldn't help but stare in wonder at the ghost that she knew to be real rather than rumor. "Meg, you look lovely, darling. How's the dancing, coming?" I asked. I was in a good mood.

"Qu-quite well," she replied, taken aback by my friendly question, "Th-th-thank you, sir,"

"Erik is fine, dear," I spoke to her as I would a small child.

"O-o-okay," she responded.

"Don't change the subject!" Giry growled and whacked me with fan she was holding. I didn't know why. "I've been looking for you all day, Erik!"

"Well, I apologize, I was out. What the matter?" I asked calmly and cheerfully. I didn't think anything could make me upset now.

"You're engaged to Annabelle Daae?" she asked and glared at me. I could easily overpower her as I was larger and stronger and faster, but as she glared at me, I felt like a mouse staring into the yellow eyes of a lioness.

I searched her face, but found nothing but rage. "Yes," I answered slowly.

"Aye! What's wrong with you? Are you insane?" she asked.

"No, I'm quite sane, thanks to her. Giry, I really do love her," I said.

"Why? Because she reminds you of Christine? Don't you remember what happened to Christine?"

"I hear she's very happy with her new life. I also hear she's pregnant. And Anna, although she looks like Christine, acts differently. She much more…" I couldn't think of a word.

"Erik, this isn't healthy! You have music and many nice things, and all the money you could every need. Why Anna? Why must you have her as well?"

"L'argent ne fait pas le Bonheur,"

"ERIK! I don't think this—"

"I would never hurt her, Giry,"

"It's not her I'm worried about. What if one day she decides she wants a better life? She could break your heart. Christine did—"

"Mother!" Meg now spoke, "Anna would never do that! Christine had a reason she chose Raoul. She loved him. Anna loves Erik. I know she does; I see it in her eyes. She loves him more than anything in the world. She will follow him to the ends of the earth if she feels it is right. If you are even suggesting that she would purposely hurt him!—I know Anna, she'd rather die than hurt someone she loves! Why can't you let Anna and Erik be happy? I know you're upset that Papa died, but that's no reason to take it out on them. Just because you were left with a broken heart doesn't mean that everyone else will. I believe that their love is true enough to stand the test of time. Why not give it a chance?"

Oh, Meg! Wonderful, wonderful Meg! You are beautiful both inside and out! This was truly one of Meg's most beautiful, shining moments. I wish I could have been in her life more and became a closer friend. I envy the relationship Anna and Christine had to her.

Mme. Giry and I stared at her for a long time. Too shocked to speak. It was a long while before she eventually spoke.

She broke down into tears and begged both of us for forgiveness, which we gave her immediately. Then she and Meg left and went off to bed.