HeHe you guys are going to HATE the ending to this chappy, I guarentee it! Don't worry my friends, I'll at least update soon so you know what happens! Without further ado (who came up with that word anyway?), here's the chappy!

Disclaimer: I don't own PotO, iight?

It was painstakingly slow work, but at last Jane was free of the huge groups of people. She searched the hallway for Erik, praying that he would be there, but he had long since left.

'Your dressing room,' the voice instructed, 'He might be there, or you can go through the mirror. Hurry, Jane!' She did not question the voice, but instead began to run toward her dressing room. These corridors were almost completely deserted, so it didn't take long for her to get to her door.

When Jane entered her room, she instantly saw that no one was there. She gave a small sigh, but something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A small envelope was lying on her pillow, a skull-shaped wax seal holding it closed. A rose with a black ribbon tie around the stem lay next to it. Jane curiously picked up the envelope and opened it, then started to read the note inside.

My dearest beloved angel,

There is not much that I think I can say right now, except that I am filled with the deepest regret. I can't believe I harmed you, my sweet, but I did, and it would take a lifetime to tell you how sorry I am. I do not deserve to receive your forgiveness, that is for certain.

I want you to know, mon ange, that I love you more than anything on the earth or in heaven above. You are everything to me, my love, and you always will be.

My real purpose for writing this letter is to say goodbye. I cannot live without you, my dear, so I am afraid I must die. Our dance is one fond memory I shall relive in the last few moments of my life, and thank you for that. Thank you for everything. I wanted to say goodbye, love, for Death calls to me, and no longer shall I hide.

Love,

Erik

Jane put down the letter with a trembling hand. It couldn't be true. She wouldn't believe it. Erik wasn't going to die!

"No..." she breathed, "NO!" Jane ran across the room and groped her mirror, her fingers sliding over the slick surface as she tried to open it. The glass stayed tight in the frame, refusing to budge.

Frantically Jane looked around. A small brass box lay on her dresser, and she grabbed it. She took a couple of steps back, and then threw the box as hard as she could at her mirror.

The reflective surface shattered immediately, and Jane saw that a nicely-sized hole was smashed into it. She didn't waste a moment, but instead clambered through the mirror.

Erik stopped his boat when he came to the shore of his home and stepped out. His eyes swept around the main room sadly for a moment.

"Well, for once I got what I wanted," he whispered softly, "My lips touched the flesh of the sweetest angel in this universe. Death, I shall be ready."

A nagging doubt still lingered in Erik's mind, though. It told him over and over not to kill himself. It spoke so loudly that he was forced to put a hand to his head to steady his thoughts.

Why the hell am I having doubts now? he wondered, very frustrated, Why am I trying to run from Death again? Erik racked his mind for an explanation, and he found one.

I... am afraid to die... he thought, she he immediately pounded his fist on the table.

"No," he breathed, "I will not be afraid. I said goodbye to Jane, I kissed her, and now I must pay the price. I will die."

Erik paused for a second, then suddenly he remembered something. "My requiem!" he cried, "I almost forgot to play my requiem!"

Please with his distraction, Erik seated himself at his organ. He needed no sheet music- how many times had he looked over his requiem in the past? Concentrating hard on what he was playing, he began to blast out the music from his instrument.

Jane jumped in shock as the first note echoed throughout the dark passageway. It seemed very distant, but Erik's corridors were fashioned in such a way that it was almost as loud to her as it was to the one playing it. She listened as more of the song followed, and a sudden fear clutched at her heart. The music was menacing and dark, and it was almost all Jane could do to keep from bawling her eyes out in terror as she wondered if this was what Erik played often when she wasn't there.

'Keep going, Jane!' The voice screamed, 'That's his requiem! When he's done playing the organ, he'll kill himself!' Jane took a deep breath to calm herself, then started running again.

"Erik!" she yelled desperately, "Erik, stop!" She prayed that he could hear her, but his music was so loud that it drowned out the sound of her cries.

After a few minutes of relentless running, Jane came to the end of the passage. She now stood before the small, narrow waterway, but there was no boat.

What am I going to do now? She asked herself, I can't swim, and I'll drown for sure if I try... There's nothing I can do... I can't save him...

"No," Jane argued with her thoughts, "I have to try." She slowly walked to the edge of the water. It didn't get very deep, she saw, until a few feet out. Jane removed her shoes and took a deep breath, then waded into the water.

The temperature of the liquid was so cold that Jane was forced to gasp, even though it was barely above her knees. She considered going back, but the haunting sound of Erik's requiem told her that there was no time.

Jane mustered all the courage that she had and stepped deeper into the water. By the time it was above her waist, she could barely feel it. She almost grinned, but decided to save her energy, and kept going.

Soon Jane's thoughts began to get cloudy. She couldn't think straight on her own, though the voice came to help her with it's resounding command. 'Keep going; you must save Erik!'

Suddenly the depth of the water became to great, and Jane's legs couldn't reach the bottom. Before she knew what was happening, her head was underwater.

She tried to breathe, and water found it's way into her lungs. She needed air, but it remained a few inches above her head. Darkness began to invade Jane's eyes as her energy slowly ebbed away.

"Don't give up, Jane!' The voice cried, 'Don't stop! Kick! Use your feet!' Jane used the last of her strength to kick with her legs as hard as he could a few times, and miraculously her face broke the surface. Jane coughed and spluttered as her lungs rejected the water that filled them. She flailed her hands wildly, and one of them struck the wall beside her. It didn't hurt, but it made the voice yell at her with a new instruction.

'Grab the wall! Hurry!' Jane scrabbled blindly along the stone wall, and her fingers curled around a small groove. Without thinking, Jan hoisted herself as far out of the water as she could. This proved to be a mistake, though, for the little strength that she had left her for a second, causing her to let go of the wall, and go underwater again.

This time she wasted not a moment, but kicked with a renewed vigor and thrust her head back. She grabbed the wall with the very tips of her fingers and clung there, too scared to move.

Erik's fingers pounded the keys in a hurried crescendo of notes, each one deep and resonant. He neared the end of his requiem then cut off abruptly and let the last note echo dangerously around his home.

Well, that's that, then, he thought. playing his requiem had filled him with a sense of power beyond anything he could have imagined. He stood up from his organ and walked into his room, a small smirk on his face.

"I told you I was coming, Death... and I am," he hissed. A length of rope was coiled beside his coffin, and Erik expertly tied it into an easily maneuverable slipknot. Once he was satisfied, he carried it out to the main room and paused only long enough to pull the lever that would lower his portcullis.

With astounding composure, Erik waded into the knee deep water. It was freezing, but he did not so much as flinch. He threaded the end of his newly made Punjab through the topmost rung of the metal gate, then put the noose around his own neck...

'Move, Jane! Move now!' the voice shouted, and Jane obeyed. She began to inch along the wall, sliding from groove to groove in the cold stone. Sometimes there was only enough room for her to hold on with her fingernails, but it didn't matter. The water reduced her weight, and Jane was only concerned with keeping her head above water so that she could breathe.

It was slow, tedious work, but Jane could tell that she was making progress. She tried to go as fast as she could, but eventually her movements became clumsy and sluggish.

"Erik," she breathed quietly. Her body temperature was too cold for her to shout, so she urged herself forward, with the voice's insistent encouragement helping her along. She had to get to Erik before it was too late.

After a long time of creeping along the wall, Jane finally turned the last corner. She opened her eyes wide to try and focus on what she was seeing, and she gasped when her mind decoded what was happening.

Erik's back was to her, and his head hung down as the rope rested around his neck.

BelcaniOnTheRez- Thank you so much! I love being your beta! I know I tell you that all the time, but I truly love it! Your fic is truly awesome, too! (To anyone who reads other people's responses) GO READ "TAINTED INNOCENCE!" HeHe there ya go, let me know if you get any more reviewers!

xxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx- How do you like that cliffy, huh? LOL but please don't die on me now, Ipromise I'll update really soon! Can't wait to chat online again!

RoSeQuEeN- Well, maybe not a sexy Red Death costume... but he don't need the costume to be sexy! He's already so sexy I could just... -sigh-...

Computerfreak101- OMG I luv getting your reviews, they always put a smile on my face! HeHe tell Maiana she's awesome! I wish I had a darker version of me in my head.. keep me entertained during stupid Health class...

VampireStalker- Ahh! Please don't hurt me I'm sorry! I'll update really soon just for you so you're not tortured for too long...!

PhantomAngel- YAY! Erik plushies! Although I wonder how you got all those plushies, I won't ask because I'm too excited about getting them and your awesome reviews! HeHe hope this cliffy isn't too mean to you!

Madame Opera Ghost- HeHe will Jane let him die? well, you probably already know the answer to that one... But is he dead? Oooohhh... I'm not telling so Ha! You'll have to wait till I update next!

Rochelle Adams- LOL sorry about leaving you hanging! I'll update soon fer ya!

TheAngel'sMaggie- HeHe that was a cruel cliffy, non? Hope you liked, regardless...

u no who well i think- HeHe whatever, Julianna! I actually didn't know who you were at first, though... and I plan on being an author when I grow up!

trisana- hehe hurry up and email me back! LOL I'm hyper and bored and sad because this fiction is almost over WAH! Ok, having a moment, email ya when its over...

Dunthonwen- HeHe Hope you liked!

Mrs. Gerard Butler- hehe get on AIM and I will IM you LOL! And thank you so much, my friend!

So what did you all think of that chappy, huh? Just kidding you guys probably hated that cliffy, huh? Tell ya what: Just to be fair, I'll update really really really soon, so you guys can see what happens next. Sound good? The more reviews, the more motivation to update! It's a cycle!