A/N: Thanks for reviewing... wow, some of you sounded threatening... lasso's and all (eek) ok, ok, so I got you another chapter... I'll have you know that I withdrew from precious essay writing time to give this to you... grrr, lol, I think it was worth it. I hope you like it. PLEASE REVIEW! I really really wanna know who is reading this stuff, I'm so thankful already though, for my loyal reviews, L2C, Darklady, Apoloslyre. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please and Thankyou, lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Phantom of the Opera, or any of the characters in it, (I wish I owned Gerard Butler)

Thunder roared outside the Populaire. The dark blue light of morning pierced through the stained glass windows of the rotunda. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, and flashed through Raoul's angered eyes, it was a scene from hell. Christine's heart sank in her chest as she watched the armed men, in their uniforms, crowding through the front doors.

"Raoul," She spoke out, only to find her voice unable to project anything more than a whisper.

"Christine, go back to your room." he said calmly, as if he were dealing with a child in the midst of a tantrum. Meg was startled by this. The man didn't look to be himself. He looked mad. But she didn't retreat to her room, she couldn't. The fragile young lady cautiously approached her husband, very much aware of the soldiers who stood behind him, ready to move at his command.

"Raoul, why are you doing this? Why? It is over, it's all over."

"Christine, so help me God if you fail to follow orders I will lock you in that room."

Meg couldn't believe it. This was the man Christine abandoned Erik for? But... he was never like this before. He seemed thoroughly obsessed, and dangerous now. "Christine, come with me... don't..." Meg tried, but in vain.

"Raoul! Why? Why are you being so cruel?" The poor countess didn't know what to do. She put forth her arms in preparation to embrace him, but he grabbed her wrist, and shoved her to one of his lead men.

"Charles," Raoul said, "Take her to the suite... lock the door." His voice was of stillness. Christine let out a shriek as the man began to pull her along towards the archway, and into the shadows of the passage, which would lead to the intended room.

Meg stormed up to Raoul and slapped him clean across the face, "You MONSTER!" she yelled, only to be thrown aside as de Chagny ordered the men to search the building... to burn it down if they could not locate the Phantom. Meg was trampled on several times as the men marched forward, left in a heap in the corner, now marred with several bruises, on her face, abdomen, and arms as well. She could hear the echoes of their feet, leaving behind mud and filth on the expensive French carpeting.

She struggled to stand, as pain coursed through her body. She couldn't be thankful enough that nothing was broken. The wind had been knocked out of her various times, and as she fought to breathe properly, she limped towards the passage. Christine's cries could be heard as she was forced through the halls, and then, let out one final scream as the door was slammed shut, and the lock was turned. Meg hid in the shadows of a doorway as the man snickered, walking away, shoving the keys into his pocket as he moved his fat ass down the corridor.

She quietly made her way towards Christine's confinement. To her disbelief, the door would not open, not even from the outside. She could hear her sobbing, crying, on the other side.

"Christine" Meg whispered, finding herself coughing afterwards. Those men were quite unfriendly towards the young ballerina.

"Meg?" The frightened young lady begged, from the darkness of her prison "Meg, listen to me, get out of here! Go down to them and warn them! You must."

"But what about you, Christine?"

"WHO CARES ABOUT ME MEG! I AM USELESS LOCKED IN HERE, NOW GO!" She hollered through her sobs. She was diseased with anguish, and frightened as well.

Meg nodded, and ran towards the chapel. Her right leg was killing her, her arms hurt every time she moved them... it would be well worth the pain if she could save Erik's life, and Kristen's too. She didn't know how lucky she was when she came across the chapel, and found it deserted. If the men hadn't figured this out, then they were more stupid than they looked. She snaked her way through the secret door, and painfully descended into the shadows.

Not a sound was heard, as she carefully took the stairs, step by step, soundlessly. Her breath was uneven, but it wasn't ever day she was trotted on by a stampede of idiot sailors. Her strength was fleeting fast, as she made her way through that last corridor, towards the mirror passage. She could hear their voices as she approached the two way mirror, they were still alive, she sighed in relief, and there was no alarm anywhere.

"Kristen, Erik..." Meg choked as she stumbled through the doorway, nearly falling to her knees in her weakness.

Kristen ran to her side immediately, "Dear God, Meg, what has happened to you?" She was alarmed at Meg's state, bruises everywhere, her golden hair a mess, who would have the gall?

Meg looked up at them all, at Erik, Kristen, and Nadir, and she began to cry pitifully. Kristen hugged her warmly, and stroked her hair, "You must tell me what has happened to you. Who did this to you?"

"They're here, Kristen." Meg said, "They're here. Raoul, he's led them into the theatre. He's locked Christine in their bedroom..."

"But who did this to you?"

"They did," She answered, "I was pushed aside, I've never seen Raoul like this. He's never looked so... mean. He threw me to the floor, they... it doesn't matter Kristen, you must get yourself, and Erik, out of this theatre! They will burn it down if they cannot find you!"

Kristen turned her head and looked up at Erik, as he stood with the slightest hint of concern in his eyes, "Perhaps she is right," She said, "Maybe we should flee, if only for a little while."

"To where?" Erik asked her. She was instantly puzzled. He was askingher questions?

"The lady has a point Erik, it would be foolish to remain here in such danger" Nadir voiced. Kristen let go of the petrified dancer, who, in her weakness, fell to her knees.

Kristen gasped in worry, watching Meg in her near swooning condition. Erik was equally as concerned, moving towards the young ballerina and lifting her from the ground. He carried her into Kristen's chamber, and laid her onto the swan bed, "She is in serious injury," he said, watching her as she moved her head to the side, towards the blackness of the ill lit room.

"Leave... Get out of here Kristen, be happy, go...," The girl's whispers began to fade. Kristen clutched her stomach with both arms, Poor Meg, she thought, nearly in tears. Who could do such a thing to the most innocent of girls in the opera house? The kindest as well.

"We cannot leave her" Kristen murmured woefully, a hand at her mouth, and tears brimming her lids. Erik turned to his bride to be, and kissed her brow,

"But she is right, Kristen, we cannot stay."

"We cannot just leave her here!" She repeated, "They will come! and they will ransack the dungeons here once again. What will happen when they find her? here, alone? You know what will happen Erik, they will..." She began to choke on her words, fighting to remain collected.

Erik sighed, "Then you will have them come here and find me?" He asked.

"You're the Phantom! Can you not trick them? Can you not trap them?"

"Do you know what you are asking?"

"Yes!" She hollered, "Kill them if you have to God Damn it just don't let them destroy us!" She was reduced to tears, quiet tears, as her echoes faded into the distance.

"There is no time" Erik said, in a tone of deathly finality. "I cannot rebuild the tortures with those men searching the building."

Kristen turned her head from him, and walked over to Meg, sitting beside her on the bed. She was burning up, the bruises on her face and arms growing worse by the minute.

"Kristen," She let out in a horse whisper.

"Shhh, don't try to talk, Meg, you've been through far too much. What are we going to do Erik?" She asked.

"Take her away. There is a carriage in the alley way at the Rue Scribe, you can escape." he said to Erik.

Both Kristen and Erik looked at Nadir as if he were mad.

"I will watch over the girl."

Erik took Kristen's hand and guided her from the bed, towards the room's exit, "Be careful, friend." He said to the Persian.

Before they could pass through the curtains, the faintest click was heard from the other side, and all was silent thereafter. Both Erik, and Kristen, stood frozen behind the tapestry. What had been that noise? the mechanics of an army rifle no doubt.

"Come out, or I will shoot you all dead."

...(Scene Shift)...

Christine pounded helplessly from behind the door. The early morning sky did little to light the room, and the darkness was beginning to frighten her. Oh how she wished they would have put her back in her old room... at least there was an escape through there! But this room was cold, unfriendly, and dark. She couldn't believe Raoul... her Raoul, would treat her like a piece of property. She trusted him with her life, how stupid she had been. A man shows up from her childhood and she falls instantly in love? How stupid she had been. She didn't know him, truly, she knew a kid, but people change.

"HELP" She cried piteously, but in vain. She slid to the floor, with her back against the door. Everything she knew was lost, she felt dead, having no path to follow, no one to turn to. It was like watching the last sunset she knew she'd ever see, her life was over. Her beautiful world, destroyed.

She must have been crying for at least an hour before she was rescued. Madame Giry found the poor girl, exhausted from her weeping, her beautiful face just plagued with tears. She took her into her arms, like a mother she never had,

"I'm so sorry Christine," Antoinette said gently to her, "This should not have happened."

"He's going to... kill him,"

Madame Giry's eyes grew fearing, "I know, Christine, we cannot stop them, they are too powerful for us to overpower."

"He cannot kill Erik," Christine said softly, the affect of her crying had been overwhelming fatigue.

"He will be lucky if Erik does not kill him..." Giry mused,

"We must find him. We must find Roaul and stop him."

"You will get yourself killed if you partake in such foolishness!" Antoinette warned.

Christine's face grew unusually emotionless as she starred the ballet mistress dead in the eye, "I am as good as dead already."

...(scene shift)...

"Where is my mother?" Meg whispered, in delirious illusion. Her fever playing terrible tricks on her mind. She constantly fell in and out of nightmare, her senses wracked with horrors and fright.

"I don't know," said Nadir, "She is safe, don't worry."

Within the darkness of the bedroom, Nadir could only faintly distinguish the voices coming from the outer lair.

"We've done nothing to you" Kristen said, confronted with the threatening end of the army rifle, as she stood, her back against the cold stone wall, her hands painfully bound behind her.

"The hell you haven't," Raoul said.

"Don't point the gun at her for pity's sake, it isme you want, not her" Erik hissed bitterly. With the help of his three lead men, he had the Phantom Chained to the portcullis, the way Raoul had fantasized seeing him since that grievous night. Kristen wanted to cry, but she did not. She would not give this disgusting man the satisfaction.

"Howdid you become so twisted?" Raoul asked of Kristen, referring to her face, and the burn scars. She nearly spat at him, this cruel hearted monster... at the same time she wanted to vomit, this whole thing was making her sick. Why would he want to ruin them? She glared at him with fire, refusing to answer.

"No doubt the beast down there did this to you,"

"It was an accident," She growled darkly.

"Defending the monster? I wouldn't expect his latest prisoner to be so kind, but then again, he did have Christine kissing him by the end of the night."

Kristen bowed her head, she had to... if she continued to look at the man, she knew she would further put her life in danger. She knew she would not be able to control her growing anger, and that her actions would put her life in jeopardy, and then she also had another issue to worry about.

Erik watched his beautiful fiancé look to the floor. Of course he would not understand her reason behind that gesture... he felt horrible. How could this man come here, and use his own wife as a means of bringing someone down.

"I've dreamed of this moment since I took... Christine... away from here. Do you know what it is like... to have someone take the one you love away from you?"

Kristen immediately brought her eyes back to meet his, "Yes" She bitterly declared.

"I seriously doubt that." Raoul said, then turned to the Phantom. "You deserve to die." He said. "What you did to Christine that night is unforgivable. I swore to God you would pay with your life, and you will."

Erik couldn't believe he'd allowed the men to chain him to the gate. If they hadn't been armed, they'd be dead. But he would not put up a fight... not with Kristen in harm's way. As Raoul shot his mouth off, Erik explored his chains, trying to find a weakness, any weakness, that would allow him to break free. There were none, they were strong, and new.

"I should kill you now. You will continue to haunt my wife and I until we're dead... I cannot allow that."He pointed his gun, and prepared to shoot.

"NO!" Kristen cried, the echo of her blood curdling scream lingering in the lair for nearly half a minute. She fought with her binds, but the more she struggled, the more they cut into her wrists, blood trickling from her skin, onto her clothing.

Raoul turned, and stared at the woman in confusion, "You should be happy... I'm doing you a favour"

"By murdering the father of my unborn child?" She shrieked. Raoul nearly dropped his gun. Erik stared up at her in wonder, and she looked towards him, working up enough courage to slightly smile at him.

Raoul looked stupidly from Erik to Kristen, dumfounded. "Not only do you will this blasphemy to live? But you allow it to spread it's curse as well?"

"The only one, who is a curse upon this world, is you Raoul de Chagny. From what everyone says of you... you areso kind at heart, so generous... do you pay people to lie for you? Or is this madness new?"

"You will not speak, wench" He said, "You don't know what you speak of."

"How does Christine put up with you?" She sneered.

"ENOUGH!" Raoul hollered, pointing the gun to Kristen's face. She was now too worried to move. She starred at the gun, it was all she could do.

Erik's heart raced painfully within his chest. He dared not make a sound, he would not give Raoul the credit of thinking he could responsibly handle a weapon enough not to shoot it in the event of an unexpected noise.

"Please don't, Raoul. I'm with child, a child... and I adore your wife, Raoul, I would never cause her harm. I am to be married to Erik, he loves me... he no longer pursues your wife Raoul, please... you know what it is like to have the one you love taken from you... do not become the monster in this, please... if you kill me, you are killing new life as well, have mercy. I know that what the Phantom did was wrong, but what you are doing is wrong too, the both of you have given into your madness..." She said all of this with the gun pointed at her face... her bleeding hands were trembling from behind her, and she was shaking.

"Do not kill her," Erik said.

"No... Perhaps I should not kill the lady." Raoul then turned, "But you have yet to prove to me thatyou will not pose threat in the future!" He prepared the gun to fire, and walked to the edge of the shore, "You should have been killed at birth, you monster" He insulted bitterly, and prepared to shoot. Kristen jumped at the sound of the gunshot, her eyes squinted shut, and her heart seemed to stop dead within her breast.

"ERIK!" she yelled, from the darkness of her closed eyes. She would not open them... she could not. If she didn't look, it wouldn't be there, it would all be make believe. She heard metal strike against the Persian carpeting, and then another item fell to the floor. As she slowly allowed her lids to part, she realized that it was not Erik who suffered the wound, but it was Raoul, who now lay in a dead heap on the floor.

Madame Giry stood by the opened mirror passage. The three men who had been with Raoul down there fled from the scene almost instantly. Antoinette allowed them to escape through the passage... like they would be able to find their way to the surface anyway! Kristen looked towards the ballet mistress in awe, but then in sadness, as she realized that young Christine Daae stood trembling beside her. She didn't speak, nor make a move, she just watched the body of her husband, lying there dead.

Kristen began to cry. She thought he had killed Erik. Those ten seconds of doom ticked by slower than hours. Madame Giry put her pistol down upon the organ, and walked to Kristen. She carefully untied her bonds, revealing her damaged wrists. "He cannot harm you any longer," She told her. Kristen approached Raoul's limp body, and stole from him the keys to Erik's chains.

"What are you doing?" Christine whispered softly, so confused, and frightened, but when she saw that she was going for the keys, her curiosity was laid to rest. Kristen treaded through the freezing waters, and walked towards Erik,

"I love you" She whispered to him, as she removed his chains. When he was released, the two of them held each other in a desperate embrace, no moment, had ever seemed as important to either one of them, as this one.