Disclaimer: characters, places, all of is not mine.

A commotion on the street below drew their attention. A crash of some sort had occurred and now the people involved were arguing loudly. Erik watched the scene below with unseeing eyes. He was still thinking about Meg and her confession.

Meg stood next to him. Her arm gently brushed his.

"I wonder what happened." Meg said softly. She sounded prepared to let their earlier conversation die.

"It looks as if they've had an accident of sorts. One of the horses must have gotten startled by something and made the carriage hard to steer." Erik explained.

"I'm sure your right. No body looks hurt, just angry. It's all going to be ok." Meg said on the verge of tears. "It's cold. I'm ready to go back now."

Erik turned to her, his mask glowing softly in the moonlight. His eyes bored into hers. Erik gave Meg a look that made her shiver, and not with the cold.

"I thought you wanted to see the stars." Erik reminded her.

"I did. I've seen them. They're just as beautiful as I remember but now I'd like to go." Meg told him a little shortly. All she wanted to do was return to her room and try to keep her heart from shattering in front of Erik.

Erik grabbed Meg's arm gently and pulled her back to the hidden safety of the roof.

He sat down on a slab of stone and pulled Meg to sit beside him. They sat in silence for a few minutes both lost in their thoughts. Meg abruptly stood up to go.

"I'm going now. I've gotten tired." Meg said and turned to go but Erik stopped her when he stood up and blocked her path. She tried to sidestep him but he moved to block her path again.

"Please get out of my way Erik." Meg told him rudely.

"No." He said causing Meg to look up at him.

"What?" She asked stunned.

"No, I won't get out of your way." He told her and grimaced as if in pain. "You asked me a question earlier. I didn't answer because I wasn't sure that you would like my answer." Erik told her causing Meg's all ready battered heart to bruise even further.

"Meg, I'm not sure how I feel about you. All I know is that what I feel when I'm around you and when I'm thinking about you, and it's a wondrous, amazing feeling. I loved Christine, but this doesn't feel anything like that did." He paused as he took a deep breath. He actually looked nervous which, oddly made Meg feel more secure.

"You asked me about love, but I have no idea what love is Meg. I've never known it." Erik confessed. His hands on her arms tightened. He was afraid he'd revealed too much.

"Not anymore Erik. If you'll let me I will love you. And hopefully you'll love me too." Meg told him. She felt tears forming in her eyes. He smiled gently at her. The side of his face not covered by his mask wrinkled with his grin.

"Uck…" He made a small disgusted noise. "It seems as if all I do is make you cry." He told her as he wiped a tear off her cheek.

"I know. I feel as though I've cried more lately than I have in all my life." She smiled up at him, her face radiant.

Erik then leaned into her and gently kissed another tear off Meg's cheek. Her breath caught as she felt that unfamiliar stirring of desire within her. She put her hands on his shoulders, unsure of what to do next.

"Erik…can I kiss you?" she asked him shyly, suddenly feeling far too inexperienced with him.

"No." He told her right before he kissed her hard on the lips. She smiled into his mouth as she eagerly kissed him back. She ran her hands up his back and through his hair. He pulled her even closer as he kissed her more deeply. Out of breath Meg pulled away from him gently.

"I'm not cold anymore." She told him with a flirtatious grin.

"Glad to hear it." Erik told her smiling back at her. "But we still probably need to return."

They walked slowly back down the staircase. When they entered the room Meg walked over to the piano. She looked up at Erik shyly.

"Will you play something for me?" She asked.

He hesitated before admitting, "I've been working on something. It's the first thing I've been able to write in a long time."

"Is it what you played earlier?" She asked.

"Yes."

"I only heard a bit of it. It was amazing though. Your music makes me feel...happy and free." Meg told him with a smile. "Will you play it for me?"

"Yes." He said simply as he sat down at his piano.

Meg went to go stand on the other side so she could watch the expressions flit across his face as he played.

Erik began. The music was slow at first, almost as if it was somehow sad. Slowly it began to build it's rhythm until it was more fluid and graceful, but still somehow it retained an edge of sadness. Meg's heart began to beat faster as she realized that Erik was looking at her as he played. A few strands of hair became loose and fell softly onto his mask. Meg's fingers itched to gently brush it back into place.

He continued to stare at her intently until she began to feel as if she couldn't breathe anymore.

a/n: OH MY GOSH! I know you guys have every reason to hate me. It's taken me about 20 years to get this posted. I am really sorry and I have no good excuse except that I have been so freaking busy it's not even funny. So I am very sorry and I hope that you still want to read my story! Please! Pretty please review? Oh ok and let me be completely honest with you here. I am not sure I if should have them do the big IT in the next chappie. So any opinions? Let me know. THANK YOU!