Howdy you guys! I am loving your reviews. I think that you guys are right Erik and Meg are the couple who tease each other but secretly like each other. How could I not have them both meet together? Fate shall be their friend…or maybe there enemy. I have many plans and twists for this story, we are only getting started so hold on!

I'm sorry for all of you dark Erik lovers but it will be a bit fluffy this chapter. I Think it fits though, don't worry it will not always be like this one. After it will get back to the way they where…..well I think. I only have 50 of the story under control considering that I control Erik and my friend Meg. Oh yah My friend has been bothering me too much so those who love Megs personality the credit goes to Catmarie.

If anyone is wondering For the person talking I'm trying to put it in italics and put these markings around it ' ' If there is not those it will be thoughts. I will often say that they are talking also.

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It had been almost a week since her encounter with Erik. Yet she had not seen him again. She could not help but always look over her shoulder. How could she forget how she felt while she was down there? Never in all her life had she felt so many different things, she had felt fear, happiness and an emotion that she feared to admit to herself love. It could not be, so she refused to believe it…

Her mother was due to return in a few days, so of course she had been practicing hard lately so that she would do well once practice resumed when her mother got back. She would have rather not practice and just laid but all the ballet girls had realized that when Madam Giry returned they would not be in shape. They would rather practice now than suffer.

Lacing up the back of her ballet dress a soft knock sounded on her door. That was odd, she wasn't expecting any one. She quickly finished up lacing her dress and walked to the door.

She quickly looked herself over rubbing a hand threw her hair. Now that she was presentable she opened the door. She met a man in uniform there. He was a bit shorter than average around 5'8". His eyes where brown but they where filled with pity. Now what did he want? He better not be some tax collector or something. His voice saw soft as he spoke. 'Are you Marguerite Giry?'

He gaze her a weak smile and handed her a note. She looked down at it, it was different and looked rather formal. The man turned and left, Meg would never now but he was off to tell the managers the news……

Meg stood in the doorway and carefully opened the note. She wondered what it could be, finding it not opening easily she ripped it open. More carefully she reached in and picked up a note. As she read on her eyes widened with fear. Her hands began to shake she shocked her head hand raising to her mouth.

Her body shock harder and it came in convulsions. Her hand crumbled the note till it was a small ball. She reached over to the open door and slammed it as hard as she could. The door shook the walls. Meg breathed heavily and walked to a corner of her room where she sat down and curled in a ball.

……:…..

Erik had been slowly getting back into the routine of his normal business. No he did not leave any notes or talk to anyone. He know was only getting to know about everything again. Nothing had changed much those fools Firmen and Andre left.

The Opera was know manager less but other people kept it up and running. Moving through the walls and watching practices that where going on, nothing that interesting. He had found nothing new but at least he felt in control again. He would let everyone know that he was still here sometime.

Rapped in his cloak he leaned to go under a beam. Standing back up he stopped, he had an option left or right. Left would take him to the stage area and right would take him to the dressing rooms areas. There was only a few down that way. Meg's room was down that way too.

He turned his head down the way to the rooms he was about to take a step but stopped. What was he doing? Practices where going on it would be a lot more entertaining to watch the new singers try there horrid voices. Still he did not move, then he heard the slamming of a door. He made up his mind he was going to figure out what that was for. The would be the only reason.

Erik walked down the narrow passage way to the rooms. All the lights where out but in one room. Out of all rooms it had to be Meg's. Erik slowly moved his way down towards the room, he came to some stairs and silently walked down. He stopped as he came to a dead end.

For a moment he stopped and holding his breath he pressed his ear against the wall. He could hear Meg inside, something was off though. Erik reached up and pulled down on a rope that was dangling. Yet another door was pulled up and he quietly stepped through.

Erik walked into the room, the door again dropped behind him once again returning to a wall. He looked around for a moment, Meg was out of view for now. He looked forward and found a crumbled piece of paper on the ground. Looking around he stepped foreword and reached down to pick it up. Slowly he uncrumpled it and read it.

Dear Marguerite Giry,

We are sorry not to notify you earlier but we got it threw as soon as we could. As you know your mother Alyssa Giry was in England on Business. On their way back on the boat 'Heart of the Sea' it hit upon a shallow Coral Reef, the crew did not notice the leak until they where out at sea. I'm sorry to inform you that your Mother was trapped on board and went down with the ship.

At first he felt saddened that she had died, the only person who had cared (or so he thought) was dead. He put the note down on the floor again. Then he realized that his pain could not be compared to Meg's. He took a step foreword and found her back to him. He speaks up for once his voice saddened it also questioned her. If anything she would drive him away, he could except that for all he had done to her. 'Meg?'

Erik watched as she turned her head towards him, her eyes where unfocased for a moment she did not seem to recognize him. Then he watched as her eyes narrowed and grew dark. Here we go….He did not leave though he only waited. Her voice was angry 'What do you want?'

He would not deny that she was a mess with her hair lay around her it was fuzzy and her face was pale and her cloths where wrinkled from her sitting there. Who was he to tell on how people looked? Her voice was cold as she asked him what he wanted. His mouth opened but then it closed, what was he doing here anyways? For a moment he stood there before he spoke again replying. 'I heard you slam the door and came to see why, I found the note…….'

……:…..

She was now all alone. There was no else in the world for her, her mother and father were dead, her best friend was missing and now all she had was herself. She let her tears fall freely as she lay curled up on the ground. Sobs raked through her body, and yet no tears came she seemed beyond tears.

She heard her name called, after a moment she turned to look at the owner of the voice She looked up at him, she was so defenseless at that moment all she wanted to do was die, and in fact she welcomed it with open arms. Lifting her hand she wiped her nose, not carrying how she looked. Her dress was now wrinkled and most of her hare had fallen out of it's braid. She knew she sounded angry, but why should she care? He asked him what he wanted.

So he knew, she looked up to his face and for once his eyes where not cold. There was something else that she couldn't name it was not pity…maybe it was. She slowly rose to her feet, her feet shook and she took a step foreword and found her self falling towards him.

She landed on his muscular chest it was then that the tears came. Sobs racked her body and she shook as she cried, no longer caring about who he was. All she wanted was someone to hold her someone to help her. She didn't want to be alone, yet she was alone…no father no mother, no family. She had nothing anymore.

Much to her surprise and comfort she felt his strong hand rap around her back. He was being so gentle, it was so unlike him, at least what she knew of him. It was so unlike the last time they had met, when he had needed her. But now here she was in the arms of a man she hardly even knew. What would her mother think?

She began to cry harder her body fell limp, the pain was becoming to much. He held her up with one arm. His hand reached up and stroked the back of her head. She heard his voice it was so….peaceful, was this the voice of Christine's angel? 'Cry till you can cry no more'

He told her to cry all she needed to, she was grateful for the kindness he was showing her. She felt so safe in his arms, she felt as if she could just escape the world if she wanted to. They stood there for a while. At last her tears stopped flowing and she pulled away from him, her arms wrapping around herself. She looked back at him her eyes still red. 'I'm sorry monsieur, I got your cloak all wet'

He probably thought her as a foolish child, lost in a big world with no one to go to. Letting out a sight she wondered what she was supposed to do now…what of her life? Would she stay here? The opera house had always been her home, but now it was so full of memories, everywhere there were memories of her mother.

……:……

He watched as she stood up and fell into him. It surprised him, he looked down to see her crying upon his shoulder. His rapped his arms around her, holding her. Somewhere inside of him a voice yelled at him What are you doing? It took you forever to get her away and here you are holding her! He pushed the voice away though. Something else arose in him something he had never felt, but he also pushed that away. With his gloved hand he stroked the back of her head.

Alone is what they both where, lost in this large world. He had been alone for all of his life why she had just had everything she had ripped from her. Yet what they could not understand was that hey had each other. Sometimes crying could be the best thing to relive emotional pain, he knew it. Erik spoke his words soft. He told her to cry..

She hid under his large frame as she cried. He held her there, how strange it was to be able to hold someone. She was without fear as she cried into him. He let go of her as she backed away he looked down upon her she then said something about his cloak being wet. He knew this, but he did not turn his head to look down to it. He spoke quietly replying. 'It is no problem Mademoiselle'

He turned as he heard steps coming towards her room. Someone was coming, he should not be here, he should not be seen. He turned to Meg, he didn't want to leave her but he should not be in here either. A knock was heard upon the door. For a moment he stood there as if waiting.

Erik turned to the door as a second knock split through the quiet air. It was most likely telling Meg to come for the practice. He took a step back and turned to her. Her eyes where pleading, she came to him and took his hand. She told him not to leave her, he looked down again to her broken body. He looked around to the door again. He griped her hand in his softly then spoke. 'Then come with me'

Yet another knock this time more persistent came through the door. The Ballet Rat yelled something that they heard about her mother and that they where only trying to help. It sounded as if she was trying to open the door. Erik still having Meg in his hand rushed towards the wall again. He let go of her hand to lower down and grab hold of a level below which opened the door. Erik stepped inside the dark hallway, he then reached out his hand as if asking if she still wished to fallow.

……:……

A knock sounded on the door, it was probably one of the rats coming to see why she wasn't at rehearsal, the next opera was to be Turandot but at the moment the last thing Meg wanted to do was dance. The knock sounded a gain and a soft voice called to her through the door. She could answer it, but they would see Erik here...in her dressing room. That would be a hard one to explain.

Erik…She turned to him once more, her eyes were pleading as she looked up at him. She watched as he took a step back. No she could not be left alone. Would he listen to her, she was just a lost little girl. She moved to his side and took his hand. Her voice was feeble 'Don't leave me'

They were trying to help? That's what it sounded like they were saying through the door. If they really wanted to help her then they would just leave her alone! God, her mother just died and they thought that she wanted to dance. She felt Erik pull her slightly then let go of her and, opening yet another trap door. She took his offered hand and gave him a great full smile.

One thought tugged at the back of her mind, if she wondered if she could ever return to the opera house or the light of day. All she wanted was to disappear into the shadows, to loose herself in the darkness…The Darkness that Erik seemed to have.

……:……

He watched her smile, it was something different. It was not a look of pity nor was it a look of fear or hate. She trusted him…It seemed to have hit him hard. It was not visible but it was deep within him. He took her hand as she came through the passageway. Once she was through the door dropped lightly. They where thrown into darkness. Erik spoke to her quietly. 'Stay close to me'

He told her to stay close concerning the trap doors he had made. If she was not going to stay close she could fall through one. More slowly now he led her up the stairs and back towards his home.

They moved silently through the hallways, he led here through some windy tunnels before they came to the lake. The boat was in place, and Erik walked them both down to it. The silence between them seemed defining. He let Meg get into the boat first then he untied it and entered himself. He spoke quietly yet still his voice echoed off the walls. 'I'm sorry….for what happened last time you where here………I was troubled.'

Erik pushed down on the stick propelling them foreword. After he spoke he fell silent, he again thought about his own confusing feelings. It was nothing like he had with Christine…he just didn't know what to think. He didn't know how to think anymore.

He nods when she replies telling him it was alright, she was so quiet. So unlike last time when he couldn't get her to shut up. He again reached foreword with the long stick and pushed off the lakes bottom, the boat sailed smoothly foreword. He looked up and saw the opening towards his home. He directed the boat towards the shore. The boat softly beached it self. Slowly Erik got out of the boat and walked towards Meg, She seemed distant.

Erik reaches out to help her out of the boat, he then turns towards the rooms. She seemed tired, weary. He reaches takes a step foreword and says. 'Come you must be tired, I have a spare bed'

Meg nodded and said 'I guess I am a little tired.' Her eyes had dropped and she looked like she was holding in a yawn. Erik merely nodded and walked foreword taking her with him. They went down the path way and down to a room that Meg would have well known by now. It was the room she had mistaken as his own. Erik let go of her hand and opened the door. He realized that she possibly had nothing. Erik then said, 'If you wish I shall get some of your things'

……:……

Into darkness they plunged, Her heart pounding, she had never been this way before. How long had a trap door been in her room? How many times had he used it? Was there a trap door in every room? When he told her stay close she drew herself closer to him, the dark sending chills down her back.

After what seemed like forever they were at the edge of the lake, the boat was docked and seemed to be waiting for them. She wanted to say something to break the heavy silence around them, but no words came to mind.

The boat moved softly under her, small waves splashing up against the boat as they glided over the misty lake. She breathed in the cold air, it was so nice down here, away from all of the noise of the opera house above. She would have gone crazy is she had to stay there for another moment. It was odd to be sitting in the boat and not have to row, the last two times she was down here she had to row herself, it was kind of nice.

He was sorry for the last time she was down here…that was nice to hear. Of course she could forgive him, the bumps and bruises healed, but there was no erasing to anger she saw in his eyes when she had first gone down there. But if he was truly sorry, like it sounded like he was, then she could find it in her broken heart to forgive him. 'It's fine Mousier, really it is…'

She was tired, yes. It seemed like forever since she had opened that horrid letter. All at once every thing that had happened to her that day seemed to catch up with her. As they sailed into the dock she felt as if she could set her head down and just sleep on the boat.

She took his hand as he helped her from the boat. She gave him a grateful smile for letting her stay here. Her voice was soft as she did her best to contain a yawn as she said that she would wish to sleep.

She realized at once where they were going, they were heading towards his bedroom. She didn't want to take his bed from him, but she was too tired and emotionally weak to put up any fight. So she just let him lead her to the room. He opened the door for her and what he said next caught her by surprise. Her head jerked up to look at him, surprise in her eyes. 'well um If it is not a problem for you.'

That was un like him to ask something like that…then she understood, he pitied her, why else would he be so nice to her? Normally she would have gotten mad at him, she didn't want his useless pity, but now she didn't care, nothing mattered anymore. She looked at the bed, she was so tired. Her eyelids were heavy and she longed to just lay down for a few minuets at least. The last she saw before she dropped into the dream world was Erik nod and him leave.

-I don't really know what to say…this chapter was a little gooey but next chapter it will change dramatically. I hope you enjoyed this sad chapter-