This story is rated M for some violence, coarse language, and minor adult themes.

It is not appropriate for readers under the age of 16 and should not be viewed by such.

Disclaimer – same as the other parts.

Paris, France – 2004

I wandered around backstage for awhile, humming softly to myself. No one was around – everyone was too frightened of Erik to breathe a negative word now. From up in the flies, I heard a CD player start, and Toby singing – he wasn't bad, and vaguely I started to wonder if on the side, Erik was training him a bit as well in exchange for his aid.

Shuffling my feet as I started back toward the dorms, I heard a creak from behind one of the curtains near the prop closet. I looked around – no one was around. Peering behind the curtain, I saw a crack in the wall – a door. I walked a bit closer and opened the door a little wider, wondering which closet door had swung open, and gasped when I realized what I'd found.

Erik had left one of his passages unlocked, and a draft must have blown the door open. Something inside me said I should close the door and walk away, that he would be angry with me if I ventured downstairs alone – entering the passage, I shut the door behind me, not caring that I could get lost in the labyrinth and require Erik's rescue. I only got turned around twice – in the first cellar and in the third.

As I reached the fourth cellar, I finally recognized where I was and was able to find my way down to the lair. The gate was open – apparently he'd either been expecting me or he'd simply not shut it. I approached carefully – I didn't want to startle him and make him angry.

I had been ready to call his name softly when I saw him kneeling down, but I stayed silent as I saw him. He was kneeling in front of something small and furry – Ernie – stroking her slowly with one hand. I could see his mask laying beside him, and I nearly ran from the lair. I couldn't see his face, but I wasn't certain I wanted to.

His head raised as I approached, and I heard a sniffle. "What do you want?" He sounded a little angry – more upset and heartbroken than really angry, though. In that instant I knew – she'd gone. I felt awful, but part of me knew it had been only a matter of time – she was as old as me – but I still felt bad for him.

"Erik, I…" He shifted slightly on the floor, turning the good side of his face toward me. "I'm sorry. Should I go?"

He shook his head. "Please don't." I could see the tear stains on his face in the dim candlelight. "I don't want to be alone right now."

I walked toward him slowly, preparing myself for what lay in shadow. Kneeling down by him, I looked at him and finally saw his face. I tried not to gasp or shy away as he reached for my hand. There were large chunks missing – just missing – from the right side of his face. Deep scars were apparent around his right eye, near his nose, and back by his ear. Even the right side of his mouth didn't seem to have escaped – his lips were twice as wide on that side as on his left. He took my hand, and I could feel myself trembling.

"Kit?" He looked at me, tears still falling. He seemed to have noticed the sudden change in my breathing – I was trying not to hyperventilate. "What's wrong?"

I felt a tear start in my eye – but I couldn't let it fall. "Erik…" It was no good – as soon as I said his name, the tear fell.

He spotted it. "Kit, what's wrong?"

I turned away from him – I couldn't look at him or I'd start sobbing. "Is she…?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him nod, following my gaze. "I found her here. I…" He broke off, and I looked at him again involuntarily – he was sobbing. "I knew it was coming, I knew it. I just…I can't believe it…"

Without a second thought, I put my arms around his neck, hugging him. "It's all right." He didn't push me away – I doubted he even noticed, he was crying so hard. "It's all right, Erik – I'm here." After a few minutes, he calmed enough to turn toward me.

"What…are you…you're embracing me?"

I tried to move my arms, but he quickly put his hands on my wrists, holding me in place. "I could move, if you wanted…"

He leaned in toward me a bit more, brushing his nose against mine. I shuddered. "Ah, you are afraid of me after all."

"N…no…"

"Yes, you are. You're trembling."

"It…it's just…"

"It's my face, isn't it?" I looked at him – he had a half-smile on his face, the usual ironic one now mixed with grief. "Be honest, Kit – is it my face that frightens you?" I nodded. He sighed, releasing my hands. "Well, I'll frighten you with it no more." He picked up his mask, and before I could speak, it was back on his face. "Better?" I nodded slowly – I felt awful. If I truly loved him, I should have been able to look at him with no fear – and yet, I had been as frightened as when he had tried to kill me.

"Do…do you want me to go?"

He turned away from me, nodding. "I need to be alone for a bit. But…" He rose and looked at me. "Will you wait a moment, do me a favor when you get back up there?" I nodded. He rummaged around in a pile of papers for a moment, then came up clutching a box. He lifted Ernie into it, placing the lid on top and handing the box to me. "Will you…" He sniffled. "Do I have to say it?"

I shook my head – I wouldn't make him say it. I knew he wanted me to bury her, and I couldn't refuse him. "I promise I will, Erik."

As I returned to the theatre – by the same door I'd gone down through, I don't know how I managed to find it – I found Meg standing backstage. When she spotted me, she ran over. "Child, what is that?"

I looked at her, tears forming in my eyes again. "Ernie."

She gasped softly. "He…he brought her?" I nodded. "She's not…" I nodded again – was she stupid? "I'll take her." She held out her hands for the box, but I clung to it.

"No, Meg, he asked me to do it."

"Child, you are very obviously upset by Ernie's death – probably as upset as he is because I know he's devastated – and if you do it, it will only upset you more. Let me do this – I'll tell him I made you and besides, as long as she's not thrown in the street, he'll be happy. He just wants her buried – he doesn't much care who does it." She motioned for me to hand the box to her, and I did so with a sigh, the tears in my eyes falling. "Now go to the dorm and get some rest – you need your strength." I watched her walk off and headed to the dorm when she was out of sight.

As I lay in bed, tossing and turning, all I could see was Erik's face, unmasked and gruesome. I lay beneath my quilts, shivering and shuddering, unable to sleep. I had tried to be brave, tried to be better than her – but I had to face the truth after the reaction I'd given tonight. "I'm no better than her."

After two days, when Erik had not made his presence felt, we started rehearsals. Nichole kept her word – I was the lead. We rehearsed for a grueling six hours – Nichole kept losing her place, people missed their marks, dropped lines while reading from the script, and eventually we even had to throw something up at Toby to wake him – he'd fallen asleep waiting for his cue to lower something from the flies. She finally dismissed us so she could figure out how to make the scenes work without Erik's notes – which she didn't have yet.

As I walked toward the stairs to the dorm, Meg stopped me and handed me a small box with a card. "Don't open it here, find somewhere private," she whispered. Then she left.

I looked around and spotted a quiet corner where I was sure not to be bothered – underneath the stairs. I sat down under them and opened the card. It said simply "From Erik." I set the card aside and opened the box slowly – inside was a necklace: gold chain with a hanging pendant – two hearts, one emerald and one garnet. "Oh, it's beautiful," I said out loud. "But why…?"

And then I remembered – it was my birthday. Feeling quite stupid, I fastened the chain around my neck. It fit me perfectly, the pendant just over my own heart. I smiled. "Thank you, Erik."

I swore I heard him whisper "You're welcome."

A few more disastrous rehearsals passed – Nichole still didn't have Erik's production notes. "How can I be expected to do this?" I heard her mutter one day as she dismissed us.

I caught Meg before she had a chance to run off. "Meg, can I…?"

"Child, I don't have time to tell you everything now."

I stood back, shocked. "That's not what I wanted to ask you."

She shut her mouth and took a deep breath. "Oh. Then what?"

"I was going to ask you if we could go to a pet shelter."

"Why? You can't have…" She stopped and stared at me. "For him?" I nodded and she smiled. "In a few minutes. Let me get my coat."

We searched four different pet shelters before I found the perfect pet – a tiny black-and-white female kitten, with a scratched-up face and torn ear. "Aw, Meg, look at her. She's adorable."

Meg wrinkled her nose as she looked inside the cage. "Kit, they're…the other cats are ignoring her. And she's damaged. There are plenty of other cats…"

"She's the Erik of cats. She's perfect."

Meg stared at me for a second, then grinned. "All right. If that's the one you want." We took her back to the theatre and made sure no one was around when we took her inside. I went down into the labyrinth with her carrier and made my way to the lair.

"Erik?" The gate was raised, as though he were expecting someone, and I walked inside, stopping by the piano and looking around. "Erik, are you here?" He came out of one of the side rooms, staring at me.

"What is it, Kit?"

I grinned. "I have something…er, someone…for you." I handed him the carrier. "And thank you for the necklace, by the way. It's beautiful."

He nodded toward me. "It looks good on you." Hearing a mewing from the carrier, he peered inside. "What the…?" Putting it down, he released the catch, and the little kitten stumbled out. He turned back to me. "A kitten? For me?" There were tears in his eyes.

I nodded. "You seemed so upset and lonely and…and you shouldn't be lonely anymore. She's for you." I smiled.

He crouched down and picked her up, petting her. "Well, you don't have a name yet, I'll wager." He seemed thoughtful for a moment, then smiled – I watched his face light up for the first time with a real smile instead of his usual ironic one. "Your name will be Molly." He pet her a bit more, then put her down so she could get used to her new home and turned to me. "Oh, Kit…"

I held up my hands, smiling. "Don't thank me. Meg helped."

He took me by the shoulders and made me look at him. "Was it your idea?" I nodded. "Thank you," he said deliberately. After a moment, he dipped his head and touched his lips to mine gently.

I felt my heart race a little, like it had done on the roof. I shut my eyes, touching his shoulders, and after a moment he pulled away. "Erik…"

"Are you all right?" I nodded, my eyes fluttering open. He was smiling at me. "Well, this changes things, doesn't it, Kitten?"

"How so?"

He chuckled quietly. "Starting with the obvious – we've kissed."

"I'm still not following." My head was spinning. Before he could speak, I stopped him. "Wait, did…did you call me 'Kitten' a minute ago?"

He nodded. "A pet name. If you don't like it, I'll stop."

"No, it's fine."

"Anything you want, all you need do is ask." His eyes were boring a hole through me. "Honest and truly, anything at all. You ask it of me and I'll do it."

I thought for a moment and smiled – something I truly wanted of him. "Would you do me one tiny favor?"

"Anything, Kitten."

"Stop killing?"

His lips trembled for a moment. "Very well. I'll stop."

As I smiled, our previous discussion came hurtling back to me. "Now what do you mean, things have changed?"

He leaned over toward my ear, and I heard him whisper. "I love you. Does this make it a bit clearer?" I nodded. "Good." He reached up to his face and started to pull his mask off. I trembled, and he put his other hand in the small of my back. "Your nightmares will fade in time. Right now, you must get used to seeing it – you'll be living with it the rest of your life."

"I…I will?"

He grinned – not ironic, not malicious – a happy grin. "Meg's offhanded comment wasn't a lie. Your destiny is to be wed to me."

The edges of my vision went dark, but I think he managed to catch me before I hit the walkway.