Chapter 7

The Mirror

Meg returned that morning through the mirror in Christine's old dressing room, the only way she knew for certain that led to the theater. As soon as the glass was moved aside, she was immediately embraced in a hug by her mother.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?" Madame Giry asked, still clinging to her daughter.

"I'm fine, I…" Meg trailed off when she noticed two other people standing in the room.

"Hello Meg," Christine said softly.

Meg stood there in shock for a few moments before rushing over to her best friend, hugging her tightly. Christine hugged her back, happy to see that their friendship hadn't faded in the few months she had been gone.

"It's so good to see you," Meg finally said as she pulled herself away from Christine. "And you as well Monsieur le Vicomte."

"Please Meg, I think we know each other well enough that such formalities are not necessary. I would like it very much if you would just call me Raoul."

Meg nodded her head in agreement. "I don't understand though, what are you doing here?"

"We came to see the opera last night, remember, I wrote to you saying that we would come."

"That's right, it must have slipped my mind. But what are you still doing here? The show was over last night and you're way too early for tonight's performance."

"After the show was over I went to talk to your mother. I was curious since Jammes was dancing your part. I couldn't leave when I found out you were missing, so Raoul and I decided that we would help look for you. We were actually going to leave the opera house and search around Paris when Jammes came screaming down the hall. She had a note from…"

"From Erik, I know. He told me when he brought me back this morning," Meg said casually.

Raoul, Christine, and Madame Giry all exchanged a look at Meg's indifferent attitude.

"Meg," Christine began softy. "In his note he said that you were hurt and he was taking care of you, is that true?"

"Of course it is, what reason would he have to lie?"

"Well, what happened exactly? We've only heard Jammes' version of the story."

Meg sighed and began to relate the events to her friends and mother. They all listened carefully, trying to figure out exactly what Erik hoped to gain by simultaneously helping Meg and revealing that he was still alive.

What was most surprising to them though, was when Meg told them that at first she had found Erik annoying and rude. Never would they have thought these would be words to describe the Phantom.

"I don't understand why he would help you though, it goes completely against his nature," Raoul said.

"He told me he owed it to Maman. Because she helped him years ago."

"But why take you with him? He could have just taken you back to your room."

"I don't know. I think he regrets it though," she said softly, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"Why do you think that?" Christine asked, more than a little worried by her friend's tone.

"Because this morning it seemed like he was doing everything he could to drive me away."

"What did he do?" Madame Giry asked curiously.

"He yelled and tried to threaten me. That's what the strange part was, he threatened me and told me I would regret it if I ever came back, but he never said what he would do. I think he was just trying to scare me off. I just don't understand, he was civil until this morning."

"Did something happen?" Christine was looking at her curiously, though why, Meg wasn't sure.

"Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"When I got up this morning, I felt a lot better. Erik told me when I was well enough to travel, he would take me back to the opera house. Just to make sure my legs wouldn't give out again-"

"Again!" Madame Giry said sternly.

"Yes Maman. The first time was when I woke up after my fall. I didn't know where I was right away, so I pulled the curtains back and then I knew. I tried to look for a way out, but I thought it would be impossible. I started to think that I would never get out and then I couldn't stand any more. I guess Erik heard me walking around because he was right behind me. He caught me before I could fall and hurt myself even worse. Later, after he gave me something to eat, I asked him to bring me back. When he told me he wouldn't I got angry and demanded that he take me home. He said I wasn't well enough, so to prove him wrong I got up and walked to him. And then my legs gave out again. And of course he caught me, again, and treated me like a child."

"Are you sure you're feeling better now?" Madame Giry was watching her daughter like a hawk, afraid that she would collapse at a moments notice.

"I'm fine Maman. There's no need for you to worry."

"You're my daughter, my dear, I'm afraid that I'll always worry about you."

"What happened after you got up this morning?" Christine asked, reminding her friend of the story she had been telling before.

"Oh, right. I went looking for him after I figured that he would have no reason not to take me home. I found him asleep in his room."

"Did you wake him up?"

"Not on purpose. I sat with him and watched him. I don't know why, but I did. He woke up when I touched his mask. I wasn't trying to take it off, but I don't think he believed me," she said, deliberately leaving out what she had said to him as he slept.

Christine was definitely concerned as she listened to her best friend finish her story. The look of longing in her eyes, the sadness in her voice. Meg was infatuated with the Phantom; much in the same way she had been when she thought Erik to be an angel.

"Raoul, Madame Giry, would it be ok if I talked to Meg alone for a few minutes?" Christine asked.

Raoul nodded and left the room, while Madame Giry stood hesitantly for a moment before following the Vicomte out the door.

"What's wrong Christine?"

"Meg," Christine began, though now that she had the girl's full attention she wasn't sure where to begin. "Did anything else happen down there?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Christine, what's going on?"

"How do you…uh…feel about Erik?"

"To be honest, I didn't like him very much. He was so annoying when I first woke up, but then after I told him about Jammes he seemed much more kind."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well when I first asked to go back and I almost fell, he carried me to bed. I was still insisting to go back and he told me that it was already too late for me to go on anyway. I was so mad at Jammes; I must have said something out loud because he asked me about her. It was strange, when he asked me I just wanted to tell him everything. I think I started to fall asleep while I was talking, everything seems a little hazy. I did have a nice dream that night though, I dreamt that Erik was my friend and he was there whenever I needed him."

"Meg, I think you should stay away from Erik."

"But why? He needs someone, just like me."

"I know how you feel, I pity him too but-"

"I don't pity him," Meg said flatly.

"What?" Christine asked, not quite sure she had heard her friend.

"I said, I don't pity him. I think it's horrible that he had to be born like that when all it caused him was pain, but I don't pity him. I pity the people that can't see the man that he is," Meg said, walking to the door and opening it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go rehearse. I go on tonight and I want to make sure I'm ready."

Christine didn't know what else to do except watch her best friend leave. Talking to her wouldn't do any good, not when she was already so powerfully drawn to him. Just like Christine had been once, not so long ago.

"Oh Meg, please be careful," Christine said silently, knowing first hand how far Erik would go to protect what he thought was his.

Instead of going back to his home, as had been his original intention, Erik turned the boat around and went after Meg. He wasn't exactly sure what compelled him to follow the little ballerina, although he managed to convince himself that he did it simply to ensure that she would not pass out again. Once he was certain that she was safe and back with her mother, then he could leave.

When he reached the mirror and saw Meg talking about what had happened that morning in his room, he was ready to go, but stood rooted to the spot when he heard Christine ask for a moment to talk to the tiny blonde alone. He wondered what could be so important that she could not speak in front of the others. As soon as the Vicomte and Madame Giry were gone, Christine began to question Meg.

Erik let himself lean against the cold stone walls and slide down to the floor. Even after trying so hard to forget the brunette beauty, he couldn't help but sit and watch her. She was here again, in his opera house. So close in fact that all he had to do was slide the mirror away and he could reach out and touch her.

She could be his again. All he had to do was move the mirror. Erik sighed. Oh how he longed to have her by his side again, but he knew that could never happen. Even if he did give in to his desire to take the girl, she wouldn't be happy. In fact, she'd more than likely hate him for the rest of her days.

"I know how you feel, I pity him too but-"

"I don't pity him."

Erik's head snapped to the mirror, those simple words drawing him out of his thoughts. Had he heard her correctly? Apparently he hadn't been the only one to wonder this as Meg repeated herself for Christine's benefit.

Unconsciously Erik let his left hand rest against the mirror as he listened to Meg tell the soprano the only ones she pitied were those that could not see him for what he was. No one, not even Christine or Madame Giry, had ever shown him anything but pity, or in most cases, revulsion. The ballet mistress had taken him in out of pity while the singer had only given him his first taste of what love felt like out of pity.

But then there was Meg, who had nothing in her heart but compassion for him. She did not pity him because of his face, but instead gave her pity to the ones like Christine who could not look past it.

"Oh Meg, please be careful."

At Christine's softly spoken words, Erik stood from his seat on the floor and made his way back through the tunnels. When he woke that morning, he wanted nothing more than to be rid of the Prima Ballerina and any reminder of Christine that she brought with her. Now though, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted. Although Christine's confession that she pitied him did set one thing straight; the love he once had for her was slowly fading, and he wasn't quite sure that he liked it.

"Please be very careful with these."

"I assure you Little Meg, that I know how to do the laundry without hurting the clothes," Madame Delacroix said as she took the small bundle from the ballerina.

"I know you do, but these are very special, so just please use extra care. Oh, and I think the shirt might be silk, you know how to clean that, right?"

"Yes, I do, many of the costumes I clean are made of silk. Do not worry, I'll have them cleaned before the night is over. You can collect them after the performance."

"Ok, thank you. But please, just be-"

"Yes dear, I'll be careful, I promise you. But out of curiosity, whose are these?"

"Umm…" Meg didn't know what to tell the woman, she surely couldn't say that they belonged to the Phantom.

"Oh dear, I believe I know exactly who these belong to."

Meg glanced at the older woman, her eyes wide. How could she know? But then Erik's words came back to her. 'By now everyone in the opera house will be aware of me.'

"These belonged to your father, didn't they child?"

Meg let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding. "Yes," she began, greatly relieved, "they were his."

Madame Delacroix gave her a small, sad smile. "I thought you had outgrown wearing his clothes when you felt lonely."

"I…I guess sometimes I still need to feel close to him," Meg answered slowly, even though the last time she had worn her father's clothing had been over five years ago. "I really need to get going now, I have to practice."

"Don't worry child, I'll take good care of your father's things."

"Mademoiselle Giry! How are you?"

"I do hope you're better."

Meg looked up from her seat on the floor to stare into the eager faces of the managers. She had been stretching out her stiff muscles and hadn't even heard them come up.

"I'm fine. I'm well enough to dance tonight if that's what you mean."

"No, well yes, but we were both worried when we heard you were taken by the Phantom," Firmin said as he offered the girl a hand.

Meg took it and let him pull her up. "Don't worry, he didn't do anything except take me in and bring me back. In fact, I barely ever saw him."

"If you don't mind me asking," Andre said. "Why exactly did he take you in?"

"I don't really know. He didn't talk to me much. But he did say that he didn't like the childish games Jammes was playing going on in his opera house."

"Well I can assure you Jammes has been properly dealt with. Her pay has been cut and she is suspended from dancing until further notice," Firmin said loudly, as if he was trying to reassure the Phantom more than Meg.

"Please Messieurs, don't you think that's a little much? Suspension is one thing, but you can't take some of her pay."

"I don't understand," Andre began. "After everything she did to you, you don't think she deserves to be reprimanded?"

"It's not that, I just think the suspension is enough," Meg said. She might not like Jammes in the least, but she remembered all to well how little the background dancers made. The only way Meg had been able to afford to do other things like attending the Masquerade Ball and going to eat at restaurants with Christine was because of the money her mother brought in. The girls barely made enough as it was to buy toe shoes, leotards, and other various dance supplies while still being able to pay for their meals.

Contrary to what most people believed, the opera house did not provide the singers, dancers, musicians, etc. with all their meals. In fact, the only times when breakfast and dinner were guaranteed were on performance nights, otherwise everyone had to fend for themselves.

On more than one occasion Meg had seen dancers choose new shoes over a week's worth of food. And as much as she disliked Jammes, she couldn't stand the thought of the girl going hungry simply because she did not have the money to eat.

"Perhaps we can just have her suspension stand, after all if Miss Giry thinks that's enough and she was the one harmed by Jammes' antics, then who are we to say otherwise," Firmin said to the other manager.

"Is this really what you want Mademoiselle?" Andre asked.

"It is."

"Then Jammes will be suspended for two weeks but her pay will remain the same."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome my dear, now we'll leave you to your practice," Firmin said as he and Andre left Meg in the empty ballet room.

"Meg, it's time to get ready," Madame Giry said as she walked into the practice room.

Meg turned around and gave her mother a faint smile. It was clear that she had been pushing herself beyond her limits. "How long before the show goes on?"

"Forty minutes. Enough time to get your hair fixed and your make up and costume on."

"How long have I been dancing," Meg asked, she always lost track of the time when she got into ballet.

"Almost five hours."

"I hope I'm ready."

"We wouldn't have made you the Prima Ballerina if you weren't. But after everything you've been through, do you think you're strong enough to go on tonight?"

"Yes Maman. Everything is going to be fine. I know it will be."

"Then let's get you ready," Madame Giry said, leading her daughter from the room.

A/N

Well, there you have it, Chapter 7. I really like this chapter for some reason and hope you all do too. I had a good time writing it, especially the scene between Meg and Christine. I always thought they should have had a few more scenes together in the movie, just so their friendship would come across better.

And what did everyone think of the costume mistress/laundress Madame Delacroix? Which, by the way for anyone wondering, is pronounced Dell-ah-croy. She's not a major character or anything, but at least she's nice to Meg when all the ballet girls are so mean to her.

Ok, it's individual response time!

Captain Oblivious: If you want to read Phantom, try your local library, that's where I found a copy. It's so good that I'm afraid you won't want to put it down once you start reading. In fact, I'm resisting the urge to go back to my library and tell them that I "lost" the book. I guess if I really want a copy that's in pretty good condition I'll have to shell out about a hundred bucks.

amycad: Thank you so much for your review.

fictiongurl: I love Meg/Erik too, obviously, lol. I totally agree though, Meg is underappreciated. I always thought a little more could have been done with her character in the musical/movie.

TheatreAngel: I'm glad you liked Erik being confused, I just thought it fit his character so well. Although I must admit I was a little worried that people might not like his mood changes all that much. Maybe I'll have Meg give him some Midol next time she sees him, that should get rid of his PMS.

I Love Gerry: I'm glad you like the fact that Erik and Meg haven't gotten together right away. I just hope you feel the same way later when they're still not together, lol. I do promise that by the end of this story however, they will be together. It might take a while to get to that point, with plenty of angst thrown in, but they will get there.

dancing-by-moonlight: I think I should take this review and show it to my old high school teachers! A Great Mind would definitely not be one of the phrases they would use to describe me. More often than not, I always got the pitying "Poor, dumb child" look, lol. Not that I did bad in high school, my problem was I would speak before thinking. And this resulted in many many stupid things said on my part. I hope you didn't think Christine was too out of character in this chapter. I was trying to get back in touch with a bit of her and Meg before Erik and Raoul and everything that happened after that. I just absolutely love their friendship. I know there was hardly any Raoul/Christine in this chapter, but I'm hoping I'll get a chance to fit some in future chapters. And as for Erik, yes, he's very confused. And unfortunately, he can only continue to get more confused and irritable before he finally realizes what he's feeling for Meg.

CelestialGlowEquivalence: I'm glad you didn't think Meg was out of character, I was worried about that. Although I always seem to worry if I've made someone out of character.

avid reader: I'm really glad you liked Chapter 6, hopefully you like this chapter as well.