AN: Wheee, thanks for all the reviews, guys! It totally made my day :D I swear I was doing this happy little dance thingy…then my family started looking at me weirdly.

Okay, will stop fawning over all my dear reviewers now.

But, just a few more things before I start:

I Love Gerry – Yes, there totally needs to be more E/M fics! (cackles.) Are there any places with just…TONS of E/M fics? (am so obsessed…it's so bad…)

La Romatique Perdue – thanks a lot for the heads-up on the traps in the catacombs. I suppose it's a bit late to put them in this fic now…hopefully I'll do other fics after this one…and then I'll have the traps. :3

jeevesandwooster – thanks for the info on the indentations. :D Hope you'll still find the fic interesting when it gets to the E/M parts.

Again, reviews / help, all are appreciated. :D

Erik had suspected that there was something awake aside from the usual bunch of rodents when he heard a faint slamming of a door. The thought of checking to see what it was crossed his mind, but he had more important things to do – like composing music.

But then he heard splashing.

...No rat could make those big splashes.

...Not even the giant ones.

Angry and annoyed to have been disturbed, Erik got off his chair. He hadn't expected anyone to be able to find the way down here, but that problem would be solved quickly enough. He hid in the shadows and waited for his prey to come.

Onlyhe didn't expect his prey to be the unsuspecting daughter of Madame Giry. Surprised to find her in his lair, Erik stayed in the shadows, baffled. Why was she here? Did her mother send her down? Unthinkable; Mme. Giry had never – and would never – do such a thing. How did Meg Giry find her way here?

However, all questions were quickly erased and his heart turned to smoldering anger when he caught a glimpse of a familiar porcelain mask in the hands of Meg Giry.

"Well, what have we here?"

She shivered when her she realized her worst fear was true. Meg honestly thought she would die right on the spot. Afraid of what she would see if she had met his eyes, she cast her eyes downwards and pressed her lips tightly together. She would be composed…she would be brave…

His ominously heavy footsteps were the only thing that broke the silence between them.

Thud…thud…thud…

She felt him step closer and closer to her, circling her.

"Little Meg Giry…with my mask?" The Phantom sneered. Meg felt him snatch the mask from her hand. "Come to finally return the mask to its rightful owner?" He whispered mockingly into her ear as he approached her from behind. "What, it didn't provide enough entertainment anymore, is that it!"

Before Meg could utter a word, she suddenly felt Erik's left hand around her neck. He didn't choke her – but he was definitely in the position to. Gathering courage, Meg forced herself to speak. "Wait, you misunderstand – "

"Me? Misunderstand?" Erik seethed. "Fine then," he chuckled derisively, "tell me, enlighten me, if you will. Why did you take my mask? What use would it be to you other than to use it as a device to humiliate me?" The last two words were spoken so vehemently that Meg flinched.

"I…I don't know!" Meg admitted, frustrated at knowing that he wouldn't believe the truth. "But I didn't do it for the reasons you – "

"Silence!" Erik added slightly more pressure against the girl's neck. He grew tired of her lies. "I thought that Madame Giry would have brought you up to be a more honest person," his deep voice now sinisterly calm and smooth. "but apparently she's been too lax in her disciplining."

Before Meg knew what was happening, she felt Erik roughly lead her to a dim hallway and thrust her into a room. "What are you doing!" She demanded.

"Teaching you a few lessons." And with that, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

AN: Wow. I didn't expect this story to go where it is now... Poor Meg...I hope this chapter is coherent and not too bad…especially since it's 4 a.m. here right now…(yes, I get inspired at odd times, blah). Now that I look at it, it's such a short chapter. It still took me a long while to write it though.

Darn thing won't let me put exclamation marks and question marks next to each other. Boooo...so that's why some questions have only an exclamtion mark.