Erik stared at Christine and she back at him, both waiting for the other to move first. He had always thought that if she returned, it would shatter him into a heartbroken mess. Instead he just felt numb. Finally he couldn't take the silence. "Why are you here?" he asked hoarsely.

"Raoul was in town for business, and I thought I'd visit. This was my home for years after all. Everyone here is like my family."

"But why are you here?"

"Because I was hoping I wouldn't find you," she replied, her voice gentle but full of sadness. "I was hoping you wouldn't be here. I was hoping you had moved on. You deserve so much better than this."

"Better than what?" he asked bitterly. "I'm only living half a life! There's nothing left of me after you shattered my heart!"

Christine sighed and looked at him, her eyes full of sorrow. "You deserve someone better than me. Someone who can love you, the way you need. You have so much to give the world through your music and instead you choose to remain here where you can't reach your full potential." Her eyes welled up with tears of pity. "You wanted me and my song to fly, but how can you if you won't let your own?"

Erik wanted to scream. The pain he had expected earlier hit him full swing. Why didn't she understand? He had never wanted anyone else, he wanted her! "I LOVED YOU!" he roared. "I gave you everything I had and more! I gave you my music and turned you into a star! What did that boy do for you? NOTHING! I offered you my heart and soul and you still cast me aside! And now you dare tell me I don't deserve this? I may as well rot here for the rest of my life because without you I have no reason to live!"

"Loved," she murmured. She raised her gaze to his. "You said loved."

"I told you," he spat. "You destroyed me. There's nothing left of my heart."

"You knew that I wasn't truly right for you. You knew I would have stayed but you let me go with Raoul because you knew neither of us would have been happy together." He turned back to Christine, but she wasn't done yet. "I know that somewhere in this world is a girl capable of loving you. And I'm sure she'd want to. But when that girl comes along, you need to let her. Otherwise you'll spend your life hurting when you don't have to."

His thought's instinctively flicked to Ella, but he knew better. "Why are you really here?" he demanded. "This wasn't really a spontaneous visit. Something brought you here. What is it?"

"I came to tell Madame Giry and Meg…and you… I came to say that I'm…that I'm going to be a mother."

Erik could feel what was left of his heart being ripped out of his chest and shredded in that one sentence. "Go," he whispered.

"What?"

Erik's voice tremored from the rage and pain that coursed through his veins. "Take your precious Vicomte and leave!" he boomed, his voice ricocheting across the walls, and for a split second he wondered if anyone had heard him, but at this point, he was so enraged, he didn't care.

"Angel…"

"Get out!" he screamed. "I never want to see you again!" Without another word, Christine whirled around and ran. As she vanished from view, Erik began crying bitter tears of regret. He knew that he had truly lost her now, and nothing he could do would ever be able to change that.

Ella headed back to the chapel, wondering if Erik was still there. She hadn't been able to get much out of Meg or out of anyone for that matter, so perhaps he knew who that strange man was. "I LOVED YOU!" she heard as she started to descend down the stairs. Poking her head around the corner, she saw Erik, his eyes wild with rage, and a beautiful brunette woman who looked on the verge of tears.

It only took about two seconds for Ella to put everything together. Obviously that woman must be Christine Daae and therefore the man upstairs with the managers had to be the Vicomte de Chagny. But the expression on Erik's face was enough to frighten her, so she ran before either noticed she was there.

When Ella reached her dressing room, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to keep herself from crying. She didn't know why, but the fact that Christine here upset her deeply. She threatened the bond Ella had been developing with Erik. Then she wondered why on earth she cared. There was no reason for her to feel this jealous, but she was.

Then it hit her. The one thing she had sworn she wasn't going to let happen. She had let Erik get into her head, and worse, he was working his way into her heart. He was had become a drug for her, one that she was going to have a very hard time giving up. Is this what had happened to Christine?

There was a soft knock on the door. She quickly wiped her eyes then opened the door. "Hey Meg. Who's your friend?" she asked, gesturing to the brunette.

"Ella this is my friend Christine. Christine this is Ella. She's the newest addition to the chorus and this is her dressing room now."

"It's a pleasure Madame," Ella replied.

Christine smiled. "Please, call me Christine. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"I've heard so much about you. Meg's always talking about you. You must have been such good friends. I really don't mean to be rude, but I was just on my way out. It was lovely meeting you Christine. Meg, I'll see you later." She offered them a brief smile before bolting down the hall.

As she fled, she wondered what happened. Christine didn't seem like someone capable of destroying someone, but Erik didn't seem like someone unstable enough to destroy the entire opera without some cause. What had happened between them?

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going until she ran into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I guess I just wasn't paying any attention. Oh, Archer! I didn't mean to!"

"It's quite alright," he replied with a laugh. "It just so happens that I was looking for you anyway. I was wondering if perhaps you had any plans for this evening."

She hesitated, but his easygoing smile won her over. Ella just needed to feel wanted for the moment. "Yes, I do." His face fell, until Ella continued. "You still owe me a dinner."

His grin returned. "I'll return for you in half an hour."