Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here at all.
Just to set the mood I began with the last paragraph….
Once again at the mention of Christine's name the Phantom felt anger surge through him. He controlled himself as he watched Madame Giry go out the doors he prayed that she would send Christine back to him, so he could finally have his revenge. He was no longer naïve about her true character. It was obvious the girl's affections were as changing as the wind, but no one played with the Phantom and got away with it. He returned to his lair in a vengeful angry mood.
When he looked over at his piano he saw Meg sitting there on the bench looking at the sheets of music he'd just finished. He was still angry with the scene he'd just witnessed so he took it out on the only person he could.
"What do you want, ballet rat?" He asked Meg coldly.
She jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Must you be so sneaky all the time? Couldn't you occasionally make noise so you don't keep scaring me half to death?" She asked him with a smile.
"Why would I want to do that? Frightening you is giving me something to live for." He snarled at her.
"Oh. Well in that case, frighten me all you want. I give you my permission." She grinned at him then stood up. "I have to tell you that this is a really brilliant little contraption." She pointed at one of the series of bells he had on the wall.
"It's a bell." He said sarcastically.
"Yes. That I understand." Meg went over to the different bells all attached to different cords that trailed off to unknown destinations. "It looks like some sort of alarm system. Is that what it is?" She asked him curiously.
The Phantom had to work to hide his surprise. No one had even been interested in any of his inventions.
"Yes. The bells are all hooked up to different places. Many of them lead the way here." He told her stiffly still surprised she'd guessed correctly.
"Oh!" Meg said with a look of understanding on her face. "So that's how you always knew when someone was coming. Clever." She complimented him.
Her blonde hair was glowing softly in the candlelight it made her look angelic.
Meg had the urge to pat her hair and make sure she looked ok because the Phantom was staring at her so intently. It was strange, the look he gave her. She didn't know what to think about it but she felt herself liking it. There was something very appealing about him to Meg. She couldn't understand why though. Christine said he was some sort of raving madman who only ever thought of himself and his own desires but Meg didn't think he was insane. At least not entirely insane anyway.
"They're necessary precautions. But I didn't realize you were so nosy." He told Meg before he brushed past her and stood behind her.
"I'm not nosy, just curious. So how exactly does this work. Is there a weight sensor or something that triggers the alarm?" Meg asked curiously and went up to inspect it more closely.
"Why do you care? So you can figure out how to escape? If that's the case it's useless, you'll never escape unless I allow it." The phantom told Meg.
"Then it wouldn't be escaping would it? Not if you let me do it anyway, that's more of releasing me. And I've decided not to try and escape again." Meg smiled at him.
"How generous of you. What if I decide that I don't want you around anymore?" He asked her coldly, not wanting to acknowledge the part of him that didn't want to let her leave him. He'd let Christine leave, never to return again.
"Hmm…oddly I think I'd be disappointed." Meg told him honestly. "I'm thinking that you aren't all the things that people have mad you out to be. Obviously you aren't any sort of ghost and you certainly aren't a ghastly demon either." She told him as she walked closer to him for inspection.
"You haven't seen my without the mask, Young Giry." He warned her.
"Ohhh….scary." She teased. "You know the saying 'beauty is only skin deep'? I believe that. People don't have to be perfectly formed to be beautiful." Meg told him. For some reason her mind had become set. If she had to stay here with the phantom she would at least make the best of it. There had been a time when Christine did like the Phantom and so there must be something redeeming about him. Meg intended to find it.
"Don't. There is nothing beautiful in me." The phantom said quietly. Meg was surprised at his sudden shift in mood. Only seconds earlier he'd been angry and argumentative, Now he just sounded sad.
"There's something beautiful in everyone." Meg told him as she closed the last few inches between them.
"Not me. There hasn't ever been anything in me. Even my own mother threw me away like a simple piece of trash." He was holding himself totally still, as if any sort of movement would cause him to break somehow.
"I'm still not convinced. I see something in you that amazes me." Meg told him fighting the urge to reach up and brush his hair back with her hand.
"What is that?" He said sarcastically, the notorious Phantom returned in full force.
"Your generosity." Meg said causing him to laugh harshly.
"I've been called many things but that is one I don't think I've ever heard. Why do you say that?" He asked harshly.
"You gave me back my dancing." Meg said simply.
The phantom had no idea what to reply to her admission.
"What I've made the phantom speechless?" she joked.
"Erik." He said quickly.
"Erik it is then. I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?" She asked as her stomach gave an audible rumble.
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a/n: here is the next chapter. Hope you like it! It just came to me and I hope everyone thinks they are in character! Thanks for all the reviews and for reading it! I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter, hopefully it will come to me soon so keep checking! Gracias!