Part of me wishes her to be dead. The other is afraid of Madame Petit's anger. Before he knew what he was doing, Erik was at the edge of the tiles where Alison had disappeared. He instantly regretted allowing her walk down this certain part of the catacombs, but another part of him was pleased. You feel bad, and you know it.

As much as he disliked the girl, he had to admit that he hadn't meant to harm her. He only wanted to scare her away.

He wasn't even sure himself why he disliked her so much - she had always been kind to him, and she didn't want anything. But, she always pursued him like a lost stray!

He looked into the abyss and peered down. He saw nothing, and stood up to fetch a lantern along the river. He walked back and spotted her down in a couple inches of water, face down, unmoving. He sighed to himself.

Well, she is dead. She is no longer pestering me. Then he paused, looked at her long hair, and then to the lantern. He felt as if there was an internal battle in his mind on whether to fetch her body or leave her there. He knew that she was a genuinely nice person, but what would the world miss?

. . . The kind of person you have wished for all your life. He shocked himself at his own persistence and words, but realized that people like her were the type he, as a child, wished to be around. She is not Christine, you know so. She never will be. Why let her stay there, then? After this, you will never need to speak to her again.

As the seconds passed, he made his decision and lowered the lantern further into the hole. He kept it on a jagged edge before rushing to find a rope. He found it in one of his many hiding places and tied it around a large pillar. He lowered himself into the hole carefully and stopped once he was in the water next to the girl. His eyes widened.

How in all nine circles of hell can she be alive? Her back was moving, and her shoulders twitched as if she was still alive. He pulled up the top half of her body, revealing her face under the lantern. It was bruised, her nose was bleeding, and she had a cut on her cheekbone, but she inhaled a deep breath of air once it was offered.

Her eyelids were still shut, but she was alive. And he suddenly wished that he had the heart to leave her there, in the deep cavern, to die.

Instead, he placed her against his back and began to climb. He held onto her hands, which were incredibly cold, and made his way up. It was difficult, but he managed to get there soon and set Alison onto the ground.

He assessed the damage he had caused. Her arm was bruised and there was a lump protruding near her wrist. Luckily, he saw no exterior damage anywhere else and figured she would be fine.

Then he realized he couldn't just leave Alison in her room for the others to find. He couldn't take her to a hospital, seeing as it was difficult as a Phantom. Madame Petit would be asleep, and she would not want to be bothered. That left one option for him.

Great. I have to deal with this impertinent child for the next few hours. He hastily lifted her from the ground and carried her down the tunnels with an arm under her knees. Her head lolled to the side as he walked her towards his cave. In her slumber, she looked mad - it was as if she knew what he had done.

He reached his little boat tied at the edge of the river a few minutes later and placed her inside. She still didn't move and Erik wondered if she had hit her head as well. Then she started groaning, talking, and singing in her sleep. He rolled his eyes at her as he paddled along until he heard something strange fall from her mouth.

"Angel of music . . ." she softly said, almost a whisper. He stopped paddling and looked down at her to see if she was awake. She wasn't. "Hide no longer . . ."

How does she know of our song? He thought to himself angrily. He wanted to throw her into the river and never see her again.

She is not in the right state of mind. It is mere coincidence. He slowly paddled again until he reached the cave and tied off the boat again. When he lifted her, Alison's blue eyes fluttered open and he was hit with the strange feeling he felt on the roof.

"Phantom?" she asked softly, and her eyes looked over at the cave walls. "Where are we?"

"Rest your eyes, and do not speak," he said gruffly as he carried her towards the cavern that he had once deemed Christine's. He still had her various gifts and dresses there, but the swan bed had been replaced with a grander one. Alison obeyed and closed her eyes, and Erik pulled back the sheets. He placed her on them and held her wrist out.

"What happened to me?" He stood to fetch bandages for her wrist, but stopped when he heard her voice.

"What did I say about speaking?" he asked, and continued to find something. He did and came back to see she had her eyes open and she was looking around the room. When he walked back in, she let her eyes stay on him. She watched as he wrapped her wrist tightly to keep it from moving. When she let out a gasp of pain, he stopped and looked at her.

His hands told him to pull tighter, but his mind told him not to.

"I will give you some herbs to send you to sleep." He walked to the old vanity, examined a few jars, and pulled one out. She continued to look at him with a half-asleep gaze.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Is that all you do? Ask questions?" She raised an eyebrow at him, then shook her head and turned her gaze away. He crushed the herbs into a small glass of water and held it to her lips. She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Drink it, or I'll force you."

She obeyed and gulped down the liquid before laying back on the pillow.

"I know you don't like me," she said after a few moments of silence. He looked at her and realized she was delirious.

She must have hit her head.

"Go to sleep."

"But I like you. I think you're nice." He raised an eyebrow and his eyes widened involuntarily at her words. She smiled and laughed at his expression, then lifted her hand to his nose. She flicked it lightly. "And I think you secretly like me, too."

Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell silent. Erik said nothing - he simply stared at the girl for a few minutes as she slept, wondering if what she said was true.