Chapter 3

The Vicomte entered his fiancé's bedroom and watched her as her shoulders shook with silent sobs as she stared blankly out the window. It was now a week since that fateful night that solidified their relationship. He had given Christine her space to recover and now it seemed they were more distanced than when she had been taken from him.

"Christine, my love, whatever is the matter? Are you not happy to be out of that monster's grip?" He asked softly, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"No, it's not that I just wish I hadn't done it so cruelly. I wish there had been another way." She sniffled, wiping her nose with the handkerchief Raoul offered her. "I need to make sure Meg is okay, I have not seen her since before the performance and I left without a second thought. I left the opera house, with the prospect of a home without a second thought that she had spent her whole life in the opera house. I just left her Raoul."

"Very well, we will take you back, as soon as the carriage gets here we will visit the Opera Populaire to see if anyone's seen her." He watched as she silently nodded and left to clean herself up.

Madame Giry watched as the de Chagny carriage pulled into view of the opera house. The rubble had soon been cleared away and now plans for the repairs had been laid out, and they were now starting. Christine and Raoul had been absent since the performance, many heard rumors that they had eloped and moved into the country but as she sees them now, she knew they had not married. Married couples glow for the first year, Christine was pale and Raoul looked like he had not slept since the incident. Greeting Christine with a hug, she asked how they had been.

"Just fine, we came to see about Meg."

"I regret to inform you she's staying at a family's home until she is able to return to the dormitories. I must refrain from telling anyone where for her own safety, I'm sure you will understand."

"Of course. As long as she's safe." Christine watched as Raoul went over to greet the managers and to overlook the plans. "You haven't seen. . .him around lately, have you, Madame Giry?" Christine asked nervously.

"No, I have not seen him since the performance." She lied, she knew Christine wished to see him, perhaps to apologize for something. But, he could not see her now, it would only reopen wounds. "I think he fled the city." Christine nodded silently and went back over to her fiancé.

Meg woke up, mid morning, to the sound of beautiful music coming from the living area, where the piano resided. It was something original, she assumed. For she did not recognize the melody emitting from the keys.

She slipped on the costume she wore the night of Christine's first performance -one of the few outfits she had saved from the dormitories- and slipped downstairs in her pointe shoes -the only shoes she managed to save. She noticed as she put them on that the soft satin was beginning to fray. She needed new pointe shoes. She wanted the black ones, something was always so sensual, so elegant about black satin pointe shoes, yet her mother never approved of them. Not neutral enough for everyday ballet, her mother had always said. Well, she was going to get black pointe shoes when she got some extra money.

As she tiptoed into the room, she found the Phantom playing the keys elegantly, swaying back and for to the rhythm of the music that spilled from his fingertips. She started stretching, happy to have something to finally dance to. She had not practiced to music for a very long time.

Erik watched as she started practicing her ballet from the baby grand piano in the back left corner of the living area. Her ballet skills easily surpassed almost every dancer at the opera house, and he wondered why she was not prima ballerina. She had been studying at the opera house long before a lot of the other girls. She by far had the most experience. He was astounded by the grace and poise of every turn and leap. He saw the joy in her face as she danced, it was truly her passion. He felt perfectly content accompanying her with music, an original piece, no less.

The piece ended, and he quickly moved to another that he knew by heart. He played music for her until his fingers were sore and cramped, she never wanted to stop dancing. He glanced at her pointe shoes and noticed they were a bit raggy. He also noticed her in the costume she wore at Christine's first performance, she obviously lost everything in the fire. The fire he started. He abruptly stopped playing. Her movements stopped as if sensing something wrong.

She watched as he sat the piano, fingers still, and his eyebrows knitted in thought.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her, though he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"Pardon?"

"I didn't mean to destroy everything you ever knew. I didn't mean to set your house on fire. I acted like a fool." Her eyes softened in sympathy and she approached the piano. Her small hand looked even smaller over his large one, and he finally made eye contact with her. Things had been less tense over the past few days.

"It was your home too. Do not feel so bad. Everything I ever loved is replaceable. You were just blinded by the love you felt, everyone has a weakness." He nodded and she left to start their lunch. He would dine with her today, he declared to himself. She was so generous to him, so compassionate. She didn't mention Christine for the entire time since that night, she did not blame him for the fire, destroying everything she owned.

The thing that affected him, she told him everything she loved was replaceable. She truly was alone in the world. She was much like him. Even with a near perfect beauty and astounding talent, she was alone in the world. He was not the only one. He remembered telling her she was not alone in his note, those many years ago. He never actually registered that perhaps she was. But he was too. Were they, two lonely people, brought together for a reason? She had always treated him like a normal man, even when she was just a child. When she encountered him in the tunnels, her gasp was not of horror or disgust, merely surprise. He had seen it in her face. Maybe she was put in his life for a reason? Or maybe someone was just playing a cruel trick on him. He could not open his heart so easily again. It was not possible at this moment in time.

"Why did you really come for me that night, Marguerite?" Meg looked up from finishing the meal to meet the grey-green eyes that had always captured her. They were like windows into the soul, and she peered right through.

"I wanted to show you that I wanted to help you. That you weren't alone." Was all she said before taking the plates to the small breakfast table in the corner of the room.

"Raoul, I know Madame Giry said she cannot give me the address of where Meg's staying but, I'm sure you could find it out?" Christine asked desperately, a few days after visiting the opera house.

"Of course, love, I shall do my best." Raoul said, setting out to find any other Giry's that lived in the Paris area. He would do anything to make Christine happy again. She had been so depressed since everything had happened, if he had not known better he would have guessed she was in love with the Phantom as well. Banishing the silly thought from his head, he got into the carriage to find someone who might know of anyone with the name Giry.

"She pitied you." Meg said quietly, cleaning up after a rather peaceful lunch. The Phantom looked up menacingly. "Where you think she loved you, she pitied you. She made you believe she harbored feelings for you, and I feel like I should explain for her." he nodded silently. This was the first time she had been brought up in conversation for almost two weeks.

"If you are telling me this, to try and tell me that you are not the same, why did you come after me in the tunnel? You must have felt some form of pity for me to try and rescue me."

"I believe everyone feels pity for people at one time or another, it's simply a natural emotion. I did feel pity for you, but not as much as I didn't want you feeling like I have my whole life any longer, Monsieur."

"And what do you feel like, mademoiselle?"

"I am a wallflower, I am unseen. People do not notice me, the night I sent you my first note, I slept in my mother's quarters and watched from the doorway as you two spoke, I assume you did not see me. And the night you came to the New Years masquerade, did you even see me sitting on the stairs, directly behind Carlotta? Not even asked by one gentleman to dance. Even the night of the fire I stood behind the gate that led to your fortress and you did not even give me a sideways glance. I am just simply not noticed. I do not mind, most of the time. It gets me out of a lot of things. But when you're a young woman, ready to begin a family, it does get a bit bothersome."

"Let me assure you of one thing, you under-estimate my vision to see all things around me. While you may not have been my center of focus, you had not gone unnoticed. I watched you transform from a short, petite fairy of a child into a graceful young woman with phenomenal talent. Please tell me why you are crying, dreadful woman?" He asked, uncomfortable with her tears, fearing he had done something wrong.

"No one has ever said anything like that to me. No one has ever told me they thought I was a graceful young woman or had phenomenal talent. I am usually told that I am a headstrong child with a sharp tongue, too sharp for a lady." she sniffled, laughing at her own ludicrousness.

"I'll admit, Marguerite, that I find your quick wit charming and refreshing. Although not when it is aimed at myself." He chuckled. She wiped her eyes quickly and catching him completely by surprise by throwing her arms around his midsection and hugging him. So new to physical affection, he was unsure of what to do.

"Thank you; for being so kind to me. And please, call me Meg. I think you have earned yourself the title of friend."

"I believe I should be thanking you, for putting up with myself for two weeks now." He chuckled. "I wish you would not change your mind on what to call you so much, frustrating woman."

break

Later that night Meg, was drifting off to sleep pondering the events of the day. Finally her and the Phantom had not bickered back and forth, and she finally confronted what she thought of herself. And now she knew that he did not think the same. He had noticed her, and if he had surely others had. She would not waste anymore of her time pitying herself. She would cherish the moments she had with the one person who told her he cared.

Down the hall, the Phantom lounged in his bed, hoping that today would be an eye opener for the little Giry. He also hoped he would trust her enough to reveal things about himself that he hadn't before. He just couldn't bring himself to trust another so easily. 'It will come soon enough, I suppose.'

Both figures fell asleep, contended.

A/n: Hello readers! Well...Here's chapter 3, I got some feedback for chapter 2 and I am ecstatic! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed, I really appreciate it!

Anon reviews:

newbronphanatic: Thanks for the update! I think I'm gonna leave to title for now, the story does kind of revolve around his legacy so we'll see! Thanks for answering!

Guest: Thank you so much! As it is with many writers, I was really worried about capturing Meg in a way that was explaining her character while keeping her in that which ALW and Gaston Leroux gave us (which wasn't much) so I'm very grateful to hear that I'm capturing her right! It's very encouraging

Tierney: Thank you for the review! It's very encouraging to hear such nice things.

Thanks everyone again for reviewing and reading, I hope you're all around for this update!

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