Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. And the quote is from Sophocles.

It had been another false alarm, just as Erik thought it would be. He moved over to the fire and glanced over at his piano. That's when he saw the cake. It was sitting on his bench, the white frosting glinting in the firelight. He walked over to the cake and looked at it.

In a simple pale pink frosting was written,

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of the world: That word is love."

For a moment Erik just stared at the writing. He wasn't sure what he should do. It was clear that this meant to be for him. The only person he thought that could or would possibly send this was Meg. She was the person in his life that he trusted and cared about more than anything else. Suddenly, he had to see her.

Erik looked into Meg's window and slowly eased it open. He climbed through and approached the bed. Just as he drew even with the bed, Meg turned over, only it wasn't Meg. It was a woman he'd never seen before.

"Who are you?" Erik growled at her.

"I'm Matilda. Hmm…you must be Erik then?" Matilda smiled and offered him her hand to shake. Erik just looked at her as if she were insane.

"Geeze. You should just relax a little bit. I mean, the world is not ending or anything, Ricky." Matilda said.

"Do not call me Ricky." Erik told her.

"Okkkkaayy. Sorry I won't do it again, sir. So, are you looking for Meg?"

"Where is she?" He asked impatiently. His hands bunched in his cape as he grew increasingly annoyed.

"Not here." Matilda said. She was enjoyed annoying Erik somehow.

"That is obvious." Erik rolled his eyes. When Matilda still didn't answer him he spoke into the silence. "Where is she?"

"At a ball with that slick Jean Claude." Matilda told him. "He really isn't that bad you know." She told Erik when he made a ghastly face at the mention of Jean Claude. "He is just misguided. He thinks it's Meg he loves but really he just loves the idea of being in love. He's confused."

"Yes well, he's still with Meg." Erik ground out.

"She doesn't like him. She's just waiting for you to come to your senses." Matilda told him with a grin.

"She told you that?" Erik asked.

"Like she had to! It's obvious. All you—" Matilda began but was cut off by stomping on the stairs. "Hurry hide." She whispered at she shoved Erik into the closet. He had to quickly stick his hands out to keep from slamming into the wall. Matilda shut the door and sat on Meg's bed again. When the door opened she yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Meg and Jean Claude both jumped when they heard her greeting. Meg began laughing, but Jean Claude just scowled.

"Matilda…" He said with a nod. "You are so—

"Wonderful!" Meg cut Jean Claude off.

Matilda grinned and hopped off the bed. "So, Jean Claude are you going to walk me home? These streets aren't safe for a young woman like myself."

"Of course." He said, the consummate gentleman.

"Thanks. So, how was the ball? Did you dance with Meg the whole time or did you give other ladies the pleasure of your company?" Meg heard Matilda asking Jean Claude as they left the room.

Meg smiled and went to get her pajamas out of the closet. She opened the door and saw Erik standing amongst her meager possessions. She promptly fainted and the whole world went black.

Meg awoke to the sound of a booming piano. The song was beautiful. It touched her heart. The pain in the music was palpable. She looked around and realized she was back in the Opera Populare. Her heart began thudding in her chest. She looked over and saw Erik sitting at the piano. He wore his mask and his face was contorted with emotion as he played the song. Erik looked up and saw Meg staring at him. He stopped playing.

"Hello." Meg offered weakly. He just stared at her with an inscrutable expression on his face. She was too frightened to smile, besides she thought this was probably a dream anyway.

"Hello, Meg." Erik offered softly. Then he smiled just a little, but it was enough to give Meg a ray of hope.

"The last thing I remember was you being in my closet." Meg said a little puzzled.

"You're friend Matilda pushed me in." He told her.

"Oh." Meg really wasn't sure what she should say to that.

"She had lots to say actually." Erik told her mysteriously.

"Like what?" Meg sat up so she could have a better view of Erik. He was still as handsome as she remembered, mask and all.

"You despise Jean Claude." Erik announced with a cold voice that was just daring her to argue.

"That's not entirely true. I don't despise him, I just don't care about him the way he wants me to." Meg told him honestly.

"Why don't you explain to him the way you feel?" Erik asked suddenly, and his face went all broody. It was obvious he was speaking about more than just Jean Claude.

"I have. He just doesn't want to hear it. He's in denial." Meg told him. "I think maybe he is a little scared of what might happen in the future if he actually listens to what I tell him."

"That's a valid fear." Erik said as he pushed himself away from the piano and gave Meg his back.

"Not really." Meg shrugged. She figured that if she was really going to go after him she needed to be honest with him. Erik turned to face her just as she was shrugging.

"Are you mocking his feelings?" Erik asked calmly, which should have scared her but she was so sick of it all that she didn't care anymore.

"Not exactly. It's just that life isn't something that you can plan. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. It could be anything; a blizzard, a catastrophic earthquake, a paper cut, a lover, who knows Erik. It could be anything. But one thing is for sure. That attitude will only being you sadness and grief." Meg told him. She stood up and walked toward him. She stopped a foot away. She hated the look on his face. It was tortured and all she wanted to do was take it away. All of it. She wanted to make him happy and free him of this cloud of despair.

"Erik, I've told you before that I love you and you pushed me away." Meg couldn't help the tears that began forming. "That is still true." Meg laughed slightly as she said, "I'm beginning to think that I was born loving you. I've never believed in any of that soul mate talk, but now, with you, it's the only thing in my life that I know to be true." Meg finished he speech and stood there watching the emotions flicker across Erik's face. She knew that this was something he had to decide for himself. She was through trying to convince him. He either believed her or he didn't.

Erik tried once to speak but he couldn't. He took a deep breath and tried again, "Meg, do you know that I have never had anyone love me. No one has ever cared about my well being or what I thought…then this dancing angel snuck into my hidden world and worked her way into my heart. I don't know how to do this. It's not something I was ever taught." Erik told her, his voice tortured.

"Tell me what you are feeling right at this moment. When I told you I love you, how did that make you feel?" Meg asked softly, as if she was scared to break the intimacy of the moment.

"I felt a tearing in my chest and in the pit of my stomach. It was the most amazing thing I've ever felt." Erik told her emotionally.

"See Erik, you don't have to be taught love. It's something that is already inside you. All the rest is just the world trying to get in the way. I love you, Erik and nothing will ever change that." Meg vowed.

Erik looked at her. His hand crept up to his face. Before she knew what he was doing he ripped his mask off. Instead of the horror that he expected, all he saw on Meg's face was joy. Happiness. No revulsion.

She walked over to him and pressed her hand again his badly scarred flesh.

"You've shown me." Meg said. She was happy beyond imagining because Erik finally trusted her enough to show her his true face.

"And you're not repulsed?" Erik asked with a bewildered expression.

Meg laughed. Not a giggle, but a full out laugh. "God, Erik! No I'm not repulsed. You trust me enough to show me. You love me don't you? I've told you how I feel—

Meg began but was cut off when Erik pressed his lips against hers and kissed her. He ravished her mouth as if he was starving for her. When they finally broke apart Meg pushed him away just enough so that she could look him in the eyes.

"I need the words, Erik." She said impishly.

"I Love you, Meg Giry." Erik told her before pulling her into another heated kiss.

a/n: and here is the end of the story. Sorry if that was a little too cheesy but I just couldn't help it. I'm in a cheesy mood right now. Please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading and for all the reviews!