Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

Erik began to worry about his captive. She hadn't made any sort of noise in the last 6 hours. He slowly unlocked the door to her room and stuck his head in. Meg was lying on the bed and hadn't touched the food provided for her. Walking over to the bed he noticed the blood on the sheets. She's pale he thought, too pale. Reaching down he felt her forehead to find that she was burning up with a fever.

He sat on the bed next Meg. He looked down at her. She's beautiful but not as beautiful as Christine, He thought and instantly felt rage overcome him. Just thinking about Christine made him furious. Next to him Meg moaned in pain and his attention was drawn back to the present.

He untied the bandages on Meg's elbows and bathed them with warm water and soap. He managed to give her some medicine to help her fight off an infection. He did this all in a detached way. He treated her as if she was just some sort of medical patient and he was a doctor. She hadn't ever done anything to him and despite what he's said earlier, he owed her mother more than he ever really could repay. She rescued him from his old horrible life and that was something he couldn't forget.

He also knew that he couldn't let her leave because she would tell people that he was still alive and he didn't want people to know that until he was ready.

Two days later Meg awoke to the feeling of being watched. She turned her head and saw the Phantom standing on the edge of her room looking at her.

"Sleeping beauty awakes." He said mockingly.

"How long have I been asleep?" Meg asked then rubbed her eyes. It was an innocent gesture, so childlike and trusting that Erik felt something faint and foreign stir within him.

"Two days." He said and moved to stand closer to her bed.

"What happened? I only remember my arms hurting and feeling tired." Meg said then laid her head weakly on her pillow.

"A combination of blood loss and a slight infection. You will be fine now."

"Thank you. I know you helped me. I remember waking and hearing you talking a couple of times." Meg told him a little shyly.

"I can't have you dying on me. Your mother would never forgive me." He told her coldly.

"I thought you wanted to kill me." Meg told him curiously.

"I said I would kill you not that I would let you die. There is a difference."

"I'm still really tired. I think I need to go back to sleep for a while." She yawned widely and Erik felt that same odd feeling. He didn't like it.

"Yes. Be as lazy as you want. But eat first." He told her rudely before exiting the room. But for some reason he didn't lock it this time.

Meg lost all sense of time underground. She thought it would be hard for her not having any sunlight or contact with the world above but surprisingly it wasn't difficult at all. She was even enjoying the peace of not being in the busy city. She stepped out of her room and once again heard the Phantom playing his music. This was a song she'd never heard before. Something about this song, this music, it was making her want to dance. She looked at the Phantom one last time frantically playing his piano and went off into a more private part of his lair. She could still see him playing but she had to crane her head around.

Feeling like she had a small bit of privacy and a lot of room to maneuver around in, she began to dance. It was slow at first because she hadn't done it seriously in a long time but after a while it was like she'd never stopped. She felt like she was coming home again. Her body was flooded with joy and warmth. The music was so compelling she didn't want to stop. She was so enthralled in her dancing that she didn't notice the music had stopped.

The Phantom silently watched Meg dance. It was a beautiful sight. He felt emotion radiating off Meg as she danced. She was pouring her emotions into her dancing just as he poured his into his music. He wanted to leave but felt himself enraptured by her dance. Breaking whatever spell he was under he turned and walked away. Meg heard footsteps and stopped dancing and looked around. She saw no one and she realized the music had stopped. She turned and glimpsed a swirl of the Phantoms black cape as he passed by his piano.

She was breathing hard from the exercise but she was glad she'd done it. She smiled to herself and even laughed a little. It was the first time in months she'd been able to do either. She was beginning to wonder; was becoming the Phantom's captive a bad thing after all?

REVIEW!

a/n: thanks for the reviews and hopefully erik is still in character here. It's hard to keep him all mean and stuff all the time but I generally tried. So please review. And thanks again for your input and ideas, they help!