A/N: I know, I am truly evil. But I haven't given you guys a good cliffhanger in a while, and I was getting bored. I know, it's terrible to see Erik in pain, but I promise, it will all be over soon-one way or another...insert evil laughter

Through the mist of tears that clouded my vision, I saw Erik's expression change; his relief changed to a grimace, and his lips moved, as if he were trying to tell me something but couldn't form the words. I placed my finger to his lips to keep him from attempting to speak, fearful that he might distress himself and worsen his injuries. I whispered softly to him that I was here, and that he shouldn't be afraid.

And then I felt a cold hand reach around my neck and pull me to my feet with an iron grip. Leon. I hadn't killed Leon. His dark, maniacal laughter filled my hears, and his fingers sent a chill down my spine to the bottom of my shoes.

"You really are an incredibly stupid woman, my dear. You ought to know that one should always check the body. You never just assume that your enemy is dead. "

I glanced at Erik, praying that God would somehow give him the strength to stand and fight, but his eyes had slipped close.

"You always come so close to doing the smart thing, but you turn out inadequate in the end."

Don't listen to him, I willed myself. Don't let his voice distract you. Keep thinking, there must be a way out of this. His voice can't hurt you. Unfortunately, his hand could, and I could feel the air slowly leaving my lungs as his fingers clenched tighter.

"Poor, foolish, girl. That was what your grandfather called you when he went to see you. After he called you a disgusting bastard and a little whore of Satan."

My gun. It had to be here; I reached to my belt for it, only to glimpse it lying on the floor next to Leon's. My knife! Where had I put that blade? Used it to cut the ropes, then..then dropped it next to Erik. Leon was right. I was so stupid, I was ashamed of myself. Little good shame would do me now.

"Now, it appears your monstrous lover is dead, two of my men are dead, and the other two are gone. That leaves just you and me, darling."

My hands reached to scratch at his face, in a desperate attempt to force him to loosen his grip, but he just reached out and knocked then away with force that made my whole body quiver. Without warning, he shoved me against the wall, let go of my throat, and pinned both my hands above me. I tried to kick him, but he moved aside with astonishing ease.

"What's wrong, my love, afraid? Don't be. This is how it would have been if we were married, you know...you and me, alone. Makes me wonder what it would have been like to have you...but there is no way to bring back the past, is there?"

He held both of my hands in one of his, and used his free hand to brush the hair away from my face; I felt like maggots were crawling on my skin where he touched me. Then he held up letter opener; the same one that had lain on the desk in his study that morning so long ago, the same one I had used in my desperate escape attempt. He held to tip to my throat, then traced it down to my stomach, where he pressed it harder against my bodice.

"Now, I fear, it is time for us to say goodbye. Anything you wish to say before I send you to your master in Hell?"

"Only that I will save a place for you there."

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and steeled myself for death. But the final blow never came.

Leon was going to kill her. Erik felt his eyes drifting closed, for all his attempts to stay conscious. He couldn't die, not now, not when Remy needed him. He had to get up, he had to fight, but he felt as though all the blood had drained from his body, leaving him weak and helpless. So long he had wished for death, and now that it had finally come to claim him, he did not wish to go. He had never possessed so strong a will to life as he did now, when it seemed the most unlikely.

He heard Leon's taunting voice once more, and the sound of a body thrown against the wall, followed by a small whimper of pain. Remy. He had to help Remy.

Dear God, he prayed, if you do exist, now is the time to prove it. I cannot save her alone. I cannot even stand up. I have spent my entire life denying you, and hating you, and resenting what you did to me, but I need you now.

The ropes. The ropes that had bound his hands lay on the ground next to him. He heard Remy's body slam against the wall with sickening force. Leon droned on.

His stretched out his fingers until he could feel the roughness of the rope, wet with his own blood. He opened his eyes the slightest bit, and saw the bandages on his hands. Remy had done that. She had forgiven him, and she had tried to heal him. He closed his fingers around the rope and pulled it closer to him slowly. He could feel his legs and chest going numb, thankfully blocking the pain.

He held a side of the rope in each hand, and began to quietly push himself up. Leon had his back turned, and couldn't see him, and was too busy talking to hear him. Strength he didn't know he still had flooded into his weary limbs, and he said a silent prayer, pleading for success. Suppressing a groan, he rose unsteadily to his feet, and turned to where Leon stood babbling. He could see Remy, but she didn't seem to notice him, so transfixed as she was, staring into her erstwhile fiance's eyes with fear and disgust.

He heard Remy's voice ringing through the darkness, and her words fed the righteous fire that spread across his broken body and gave him strength. For the first time since he killed his gypsy captor, Zurka, he did not feel the tingling guilt that always made him hesitate for a split second before making a kill.

I only saw Erik only a moment before he wrapped the rope around Leon's neck. My heart leaped to my throat as Leon, caught off guard, stumbled backwards. I heard Erik utter a noise like an animal growling as he tightened the rope around the filthy bastard's neck. I was alive. I had been so convinced of the inevitability of my death that I had given up fighting for those minutes while Leon had held me captive, but now the fire had returned. I dropped to my knees to find the knife, while I drank in deep gulps of air, trying to ignore the painful constriction of my throat.

I heard Erik grunt in pain, and looked up to see Leon struggling against the rope wholeheartedly, like a rabbit in a trap. He threw his elbow into Erik's shoulders, trying to make contact and only succeeding occasionally.

But Erik's strength was waning quickly, and it occurred to me that I was going to need to intervene on his behalf. Many of the candles that had been lit this morning when I left had burned out, leaving deep pools of darkness on the floor that impaired my ability to find the knife.

Behind me, the struggle continued, growing more desperate with each passing second, and I cursed my inability to see. Finally, I felt smooth metal beneath my outspread fingers, and grasped the blade in triumph; it was not a moment too soon either. I stood and turned to see Leon push Erik backwards into the hard stone wall, so that he was trapped between it and Leon's back. He still had the rope around Leon's neck, but his broken fingers were having trouble keeping hold of the edges, and they began to slip.

Leon smirked at me as I approached, as if to ask me what I thought I was doing. His eyes were daring me to kill him, and I have never been one to refuse a dare. Without any further thought, any further hesitation, any more questions or qualms, I plunged the dagger deep into his chest, where I imagined his heart was, if indeed he possessed one.

I expected him to make some sound, some cry of pain, but he was entirely quiet. His voice, that had driven me to complete terror, was silenced. His only reaction was a look of puzzlement that finally wiped that horrible smile off his handsome face. His lips moved as if to say my name, but no sound issued forth. His hands dropped from the rope around his neck, and reached out towards me, as if even the throes of death would not keep him from trying to hurt me.

I pushed the blade in deeper, twisting it to speed his death, then removed it and stepped out of the way as he fell forward and landed stretched out on the ground, thick blood forming a puddle around his remains.

I looked into Erik's eyes, and saw the relief written there. He was breathing heavily, and leaning against the wall for support. I stepped over Leon's corpse, and bent to feel for a pulse; nothing. Good. Now I could turn my full attention to Erik, who now sank down to the floor, his back still to the wall, and closed his eyes as if death had come to take him at last.

A/N: Now, I know some of you wanted Erik to kill Leon, and some of you wanted Remy to do the honors, so I figured a joint effort would be satisfying to both. And I promise, Leon is dead this time. That doesn't mean their problems are over, though. Also, I will be out of town this weekend, so don't expect an update til about Wednesday. I posted this one because I just couldn't bear to leave my faithful readers hanging while I jetted off on college visits.