While Christine and "Meg" reunited, Gustave had wondered off. Meg had followed. He'd gone with the Phantom's henchmen, Fleck, Squelch, and Gangle. As always, Meg was watching from the shadows.

Gustave was playing something he had written himself. Meg saw the Phantom's eyes widen. She could imagine what he was thinking.

As soon as Gustave finished the Phantom began to sing about "The Beauty Underneath". The music was unlike anything Meg had ever heard before. As the song drew to a close Christine began to come into view at the top of the stairs, but not in time.

The Phantom took his mask off and Gustave screamed. Meg gasped. Gustave ran over to his mother. Morgan picked that moment to enter.

"Please, take him away, Meg." Christine said. When they were gone Christine turned to the Phantom.

"I'm so sorry I-"

"How could you think I wouldn't guess?" He yelled

"What do you mean?"

How could you think I wouldn't know?"

"Oh, no"

"Do you have something to confess?"

"Please don't make me-" The Phantom cut Christine off by grabbing her neck. She gasped for air.

"I want the truth right now, if so!"

Christine told him. I knew it! Meg said to herself.

"And then we'll both be alive once more!" The Phantom and Christine said happily.

"When I hear you sing!"

Christine drew herself closer to him. Their faces were centimeters apart.

"Once more…" She finished softly. KISS HIM! Meg yelled in her mind. But she didn't. Instead Christine broke the embrace and left without another word. Meg watched the Phantom swear that everything he had would go to his and Christine's son. Meg found herself smiling. The Phantom disappeared into the back room.

Just as he had left Madame Giry came into view. Meg prayed that she hadn't heard everything the Phantom and Christine had just said.

"Ten long years and he casts us aside," Madame Giry lamented. Oh no. Meg thought.

"Ten whole years, this is how we're repaid

Ten dark years of toil and tears

And now what we've worked for will go to that child

All our hopes were at last in our grasp

All the dreams and the plans that we laid

Everything is vanishing

And we get discarded, rejected, reviled

All of the bonds in between is now torn

All of the love that we gave him was worn

All would be ours

If that bastard had never been BORN!"

Good? Bad? Please R&R!

~Kate