Wow, I can tell that you guys are probably not going to like the end of this chappie, either... No, Jane is not going to get kidnapped/raped anymore... that much you can be assured, my friends... But something less-than-savory will happen in this chapter... Oh, well. Just hang in there, my reviewers, and we'll get through this together...

Disclaimer: I don't own PotO.

Jane's eyes slowly opened, and she let out a scream, but Erik grasped her hand. Jane looked at him, and she let out a great breath.

"Oh my god, Erik!" she cried as she fell against his torso and began to cry. He held her tightly, sobbing with her and unable to stop himself or even think. She clutched his shirt as though she was hanging on for dear life.

"Jane, I'm so sorry," Erik breathed, his shoulders shaking, "I'm so sorry... I failed you, my love." Jane raised her head and looked up at him.

"You didn't fail, love. You didn't." She held him tighter, and Erik did not even bother to tell her that she was slightly constricting his chest. He rested his head in her hair.

"I failed to keep you safe-"

"You save my life," Jane interjected, and Erik gazed into her tear-filled eyes. He leaned down and made a motion as though to kiss her, but he pulled back. Disgusted with himself, he stood up and left the room without another word to Jane.

Jane stared after him, puzzled and sad. Why was it that the world seemed bent on keeping her and Erik apart? She sighed, then decided that maybe Erik needed to be alone, so she lay back into her pillows and tried to fall asleep, depressed as she was.

Erik stormed into one of his storage rooms, completely furious with himself. He knew that he had failed Jane. He hadn't kept her safe. Erik's eyes searched the room, and his throat almost cracked from being as dry as it was.

After digging through a few crates, Erik came upon a bottle of wine. He picked it up and tried to read the label on the glass, but the gold letters were far too old and faded. Nevertheless, Erik popped off the cork and took a swig.

The wine burned as it dripped down his throat, and Erik coughed in surprise. He looked at the bottle in his hand with wide eyes.

Erik debated on whether or not to take another drink. Half of him wanted to put the liquid down and find another type of wine, and yet half of him had the crazy idea that the wine was testing him, seeing if he could take the alcohol.

'What's the matter, Erik?' the wine seemed to taunt, 'Am I... too strong? Is that it? You can't handle my taste?'

"I'll show you," Erik growled at the bottle. He tilted his head back and brought the wine to his lips, drinking deeply. He didn't ever remember getting a brew like this one, but he was determined to show his strength. He had already failed Jane (as he thought), and he wasn't going to fail himself now.

Jane groaned as she stirred from her sleep. She sat upright, and her eyes shot open. A small cry escaped her lips, but she silenced herself and looked around the dark room.

The first thing she noticed was that Erik hadn't returned. The room was dark still, and Jane listened intently for any sounds that Erik might be making, particularly those of his organ. When she heard none, the corners of her mouth turned down ever so slightly in a frown of concern.

Jane swung her legs out of bed and stood up, then noticed with shock that she wasn't dressed. She grasped Erik's cloak and drew it around her body. When she was sufficiently covered, she made her way over to the wardrobe and pulled on a comfortable dress.

"Erik?" she called, sticking her head out the door. She received no answer, so she strode into the hallway and crept toward his room. Pushing on the door, she entered.

Erik was seated at his desk, his head in his hands. He did not acknowledge Jane as she came in, nor did he even glance at her when she bumped into a small nightstand next to his coffin.

Jane looked around his room, shuddering when she saw where he slept. It always bothered her that he felt it necessary to make his bed where dead people's corpses went. Something on the side of the polished wood caught her eye, and she bent close to examine it.

Jane gasped. The words "Christine" and "Erik" were carved in the side of the coffin, an intricate heart surrounding them. Jane brought a hand up to her mouth, then turned to Erik, who still had his back to her.

"Erik, who is Christine?" she asked curiously, straightening up and smoothing down the skirt of the dress she was wearing.

When he heard that name, Erik tensed in his seat. The wine had dulled his mind, since it was a much stronger drink than he was accustomed to drinking, and hearing that name brought forth a wave of anger that Erik had never known he was holding inside him. Jane repeated her question when he said nothing.

"Don't say that name," he growled, burning a hole in the wall with his gaze. Jane was taken aback, but she mustered all the courage she had and began to walk toward Erik.

"Who was she?" Jane demanded, unaware of the fact that she was once again becoming too inquisitive, "What happened to her? Who do-"

"Don't talk to me about her."

At this point, Jane was only a few steps behind Erik, yet she continued to advance. "Tell me, Erik. Why won't you tell m-"

Suddenly, Erik stood up quickly and whirled around, but Jane was too close. He ended up knocking her to the ground, and a sharp pain spread from Jane's middle. Her hand instantly flew to her stomach, but Erik did not stop to help her up. He instead began to yell.

"God damn it, Jane! Why must you always be so inquisitive? You never cease asking personal questions! It gets so damn irritating sometimes! I just want to..." Erik broke off and took his edge of his nightstand firmly in his hand. He threw it to the floor, not caring that everything on top of it fell. Many fragile objects shattered against the hard ground.

As Jane watched on in stunned horror, Erik stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with a tremendous noise that echoed throughout the entire home. She knew that something was wrong, and that he wasn't in his right mind, but she nevertheless cringed as she heard his footsteps thundering down the hallway.

What is the matter with you, my love? she wondered, Why are you acting this way? Her hand still rested on her stomach, and she struggled to her feet, leaning against the wall to steady herself. She knew what she had to do, as much as she wanted not to do it.

Erik strode quickly into the main room and over to the table. His face was devoid of expression as he sat down and stared at the flickering candles in front of him. He didn't even realize what he had done, for the alcohol's hold over him was still rather strong.

A soft noise, the sound of rustling fabric, made Erik sit up straight. He turned his head just enough to see Jane coming toward him out of the corner of his eye. Her gaze was to the floor.

"Erik," she breathed, her words quiet, "I... I think that maybe it would be best for me to go back... above. Above ground." She paused for a long time.

"So go." Erik's tone was harsh, and Jane barely conquered her tears. She took a deep breath, determined not to show her fear.

"I can't," she murmured, "I can't pole the boat, and I don't know how to swim. I... need you to take me back. Would you, please?" Jane was almost hoping against hope that Erik would not refuse her. If he didn't take her back, then there would be little she could do about it.

Erik did not answer for a long time. "Get in the boat, then," he commanded at last. He stood up and put on his cloak, and Jane stepped into the watercraft. She nearly sighed with relief.

When they had finally started off, Jane felt a tear trickle down her face. She quickly wiped it away. More than anything did she want to stay with Erik, but she couldn't think only of herself now. If Erik had one more outburst like the one he just had, there was the chance that something serious could happen to the baby, and even though it was probably the Ratcatcher's progeny, Jane still felt a bond with it.

Erik stopped the boat when they reached the other dock. He got out and watched as Jane did the same, though he did not extend a hand to help her this time.

Down the twisted passageways Erik led and Jane followed, neither wanting to speak. Some doubt remained existent in Erik's mind about letting Jane go, but the drunk part of his brain pushed it away dismissively. It seemed to take forever, but at last they came to the back of Jane's mirror.

Erik was about to leave when Jane reached out and caught his arm, making him turn to face her.

"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

Jane was so tempted to bury her face in his chest and whisper, "You, Erik... I want you..." but no words passed her lips. She reached behind her neck and began to unfasten her necklace, which, in his blind rush, the Ratcatcher had failed to notice.

"If this is goodbye, then... I would like you to take this," she murmured. She placed the jewelry in Erik's palm and curled his fingers around it. "Take it and remember me." Jane gently kissed the corner of Erik's mouth.

His face softened a bit, but Jane did not linger. She opened her mirror and stepped through the gold frame. A sudden sick feeling came to her stomach, and she left the room, hoping to find Madame Giry or someone who could help her.

Erik slowly opened his hand and stared at the heart pendant. The memory and realization of everything that had happened while he was drunk came flooding back to him as the alcohol wore off.

"Oh, God..." Erik breathed as his eyes grew wide. "What have I done?" His first thought was to go after Jane, but he knew that he couldn't. There was no way she would accept his apology.

She even said that it was goodbye... he thought sadly.The intense feeling of despair that filled his heart was too great, and he fell to his knees, sobbing softly with the necklace clutched in his fist.

Meg was alone at the warm up barre, practicing her own stretches. Jane spotted her and slowly wobbled over, trying to ignore the ill feeling in her gut. Meg's back was to her, so Jane called out to her friend. Instantly Meg turned at the sound of her name.

"Jane, what are you doing here?" she asked, very much surprised. She walked over to Jane and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jane, are you alright? You look sick."

It took a long time for Jane to answer, but eventually she spoke. "I'm okay for the most part, Meg," she answered, "But I need to speak to your mother. Is she around?"

Meg nodded once. "I'll take you to her, but where's that musician? The one you fell in love with?" Jane was silent for a long time, and Meg decided not to push the subject.

"Will you help me get my dressing room, Meg?" Jane inquired, "My legs don't want to work. Meg supported Jane from under the arm and helped her hobble toward her dressing room.

"There you are, Jane," Meg murmured when Jane sat down on the bed. "I'll go and find my mother now. I think she's in her room."

Jane smiled to thank her friend, and Meg left. Jane sighed and laid down, and a sudden thought struck her. Erik could be watching her at any moment. She shivered, though she was unsure of whether or not she wanted him to watch her. It was unnerving to think that he could be staring at her, watching her, at any moment, and at the same time...

"Erik..." she whispered longingly, wishing he could somehow hear her. She dried her eyes (for tears had started to form in them again) and sat up straight to wait for Madame Giry.

Ooh, I'm nervous about how these reviews will be... Please be gentle, my friends, for all will turn out right in the end! I promise, this fic will have a happy ending! The whole purpose behind everything in this chappie is... well, there are two. Here they are:

#1: In general, this chapter was the turning point of this fic, the one that will really pave the way for the super-climax of this story. It was hard to write, believe me, but it will get lots better!

#2: The reason for Erik getting drunk was also the way to pave the way for the climax... whoa, that's confuzzling. But seriously, I really wanted to make him seem more human, and more believable. He is a GOD, don't get me wrong, but he's also... human, if you know what I mean. I know that it's confusing, but stay with me, people! This fic will get happier!

So please be gentle, my friends! Things will get better!