"Erik you can't be serious!" Antoinette gasped. "You can't kill him!"

"I have to. It's either him or Ella. I can't let him hurt her anymore!"

"There has to be another way!" she protested.

"What if it were Meg?" Erik demanded. "What if instead of Ella, Archer was after Meg? You'd do anything to protect her, don't lie and say you wouldn't. I know you would, because you sent Raoul after Christine even though it meant betraying me."

"That was different!"

"How?!" he roared. Realizing Ella was nearby, Erik took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before he spoke again. "How is this any different than you helping them?! We both knew that the Vicomte had the intent to kill me."

Before she could respond, Meg burst into the room and ran to Antoinette, clearly in a panic. "Mother! He's gone mad! He's completely and utterly insane!"

"What happened?" Antoinette asked, obviously extremely concerned about her daughter.

"Archer cornered me after rehearsal. He asked me where Ella was, and when I told him I didn't know, he went nuts. He started screaming that I knew and wasn't telling him." Meg wrapped her arms around herself. "He grabbed me, telling me that Ella was in danger! I had to threaten to scream to get him to let me go!"

"Well Miss Giry, you've been dragged into this mess whether you like it or not," Erik said. "I hope you're up for it."

"I think I've always been involved," Meg replied. "It's just now that he's realizing it."

"You need to watch your back Miss Giry," he warned. "He can hurt you if you aren't careful, and I don't think your mother would like that."

"So what are we going to do now?"

Erik ran his fingers through his hair. "Your mother and I were just discussing that. We seemed to have a bit of a disagreement about a course of action."

A hand grabbed Erik's. He turned and to his surprise, he saw Ella. Erik hadn't realized she had awoken. "What does that mean?" she asked. As he stood there, searching for the right answer, Erik didn't know what to tell her, but she knew exactly what he meant. "Erik, you can't kill Archer! Don't stoop to his level!"

"It's the only way to stop him, Ella. He's spiraling out of control."

"I know there has to be something else we can do!" she cried. "Erik, I know you're better than that! Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't kill him."

"Ella…"

"Promise me Erik!" she shouted. "Promise me!"

He hesitated, but her eyes pleaded with him. "Alright," he sighed. "I promise." She let out a sigh of relief. "But we need to come up with another solution."

"I don't know how well it might work," Meg suddenly piped up. "But I think I might have an idea."

"Oh Tristan, what am I going to do?" Ella whispered. For a moment, she glanced up at the ceiling as if awaiting a sign from her brother, but she received none. She was kneeling in the chapel, trying to sort everything out. Erik had been reluctant to bring her up here, but with enough pleading, he had finally agreed. Now he was standing guard by the door, allowing her some privacy while still protecting her. "I just don't know what to do anymore," she admitted. "I'm just so tired Tristan. Physically, mentally, emotionally, I don't know how long I can take it."

She glanced behind her and saw Erik looking the other way. Even from behind, she could see he was tense, worried that Archer would come down here. "Tris don't worry about Erik. He loves me and will do anything to protect me. I know he can be a little rash, but he has the best intentions. You used to defend me from Papa, and now that you're gone, Erik is looking after me. I'd think you'd really like him if you just gave him a chance. Sure he's a bit different than most people, but I love him Tris, and there is no one I'd rather be with."

Ella sat on the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. "I wonder what it would have been like if we had gotten away that day," she mused. "If Papa hadn't caught us. Where would we have gone, what we would have done. Odds are we probably would have starved to death on the streets, but we might have been able to make it. But what happened happened, and there isn't anything either of us can do about that."

"Tristan, you were the best older brother a girl could ask for. You were much too good for me, and you deserved a far better life than the one you were given. I owe you everything; I don't think I would have survived without you. But I need your help. Help me be strong enough to get through this. Erik's doing everything he can, but I need you. Please Tris, I need you too."

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to her feet. She cried out in surprise as Erik yanked her into the secret passageway. He held her tightly as Archer blundered into the chapel, sword drawn. "Ella!" Archer called. "Ella, where did he take you? I know you're down here! I heard you!" When he received no response, he became furious and started screaming at the walls. "You can't keep her from me forever you bastard! Come out of your hiding place and face me like a man!"

Erik's hand went to the hilt of his own weapon, something he had started wearing constantly in the past few days. His green eyes were filled with murderous fire. "Erik, don't," Ella whispered, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Erik, take me downstairs." He started to draw his sword and moved to open the door. In desperation, she grabbed his arm. "Please Erik! You promised me!"

He blinked as though noticing her for the first time. For a moment, he glanced between Ella and Archer, noticeably torn on what to do, before sliding his sword back and grabbing her hand. "Come on," he growled, pulling her down the tunnel. "Before I change my mind."