Ella wondered where Erik had gone. He said he was going to check on rehearsal and would be back within an hour, but it had been nearly twice that. She wasn't too concerned yet though. Erik had a tendency to get swept up in music and lose track of time. Besides as Phantom of the Opera, he would get distracted if rehearsal was going well, and he would get distracted if rehearsal was going not so well. She had been hoping he could take her upstairs to the chapel, just for a few minutes, but the day was slipping away quickly, and it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

Pushing a curtain aside to reveal one of the mirrors Erik kept covered at all times, Ella was shocked by her own appearance. Even though she knew she wasn't sleeping well at night, the dark circles under her eyes surprised her. She looked awful, and it took her a second for her to realize that it was her actual reflection. What was happening to her? Ella dropped the curtain and backed away, singing a soft melody.

"Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day
It's as if I play a part
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

I am now
In a world where I
Have to hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be
Free to fly
That burns with a need to know
The reason why

Why must we all conceal
What we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?"

Even though Erik wasn't back yet, Ella needed to talk to Tristan. No he wasn't the best conversationalist, but she could tell him everything, and she knew her brother wouldn't judge her. She probably could talk to him down here, but the chapel was where she felt like she connected with him.

Against her better judgment, Ella used the secret passage to go upstairs. She knew Erik would be upset with her, but he had made it clear that she wasn't his prisoner; she could do what she wanted. If he got too worried, she knew this would be the first place he'd look.

She was closing the door behind her when a shadow fell over her. Ella spun around and gasped in horror. "Ar…Arch…Archer…" she stammered, her eyes growing wide.

"Oh Ella, thank God you're alright!" Archer grabbed her arm and wrenched her close. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but his hold was too tight. "Where is he?"

"I…I…I don't know," she admitted.

"That door, it leads to his lair doesn't it? Open it and I'll end this once and for all!"

"Let me go!" Ella cried. "Archer, please!"

"Open the door!" Archer ordered. "I'll kill the monster!" Keeping his arm tight around her, Archer dragged her to the wall. "Where is the switch? How do you open it? Tell me Ella!"

"No!" She let out a loud sob. "Stop this Archer! Look at what you're doing! This isn't helping anyone! What happened to the kind, sensitive gentleman I used to know? You're changing Archer, changing into a monster!"

"I'm saving you Ella!" he replied stubbornly. "Now tell me how to open this door! I have to kill the Phantom!"

Ella shook her head, trying to blink back tears. She opened her mouth to scream, but Archer pulled her against his chest and crushed his mouth against hers, kissing her roughly. Desperately, Ella twisted her head away and tried to tear herself from his grasp. "Let me go!"

As frantically as Ella tried to escape, Archer fought just as hard. Somehow she managed to break free, but he snatched her skirt, making her stumble. Ella's head slammed into the chapel's stone wall, causing her to crumple to the ground.

Erik flew upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. How could Ella think it was even a remotely good idea to be wandering the opera alone? While his plan had technically worked, the managers did refuse to maintain Dubois as their patron, Archer was less than willing to leave.

He burst into the chapel and found Ella lying on the floor. Erik fell to his knees beside her and cradled her head in his lap. What had happened to her? Slowly her eyes fluttered open. "Er…Erik?" she murmured.

"I'm here mon Ange."

Suddenly she gasped. "No, go! Now! It's a trap!"

The first words the popped into his mind were Well duh. Everything clicked as he heard a soft footstep behind him. Of course it was a trap. The boy had been pressed against the wall next to the passageway, and Erik had been so focused on Ella, he hadn't noticed. Erik leaped to one side, Ella in his arms, the two barely dodging Archer's sword.

Springing to his feet, Erik pushed Ella behind him and drew his weapon. This was it, their final showdown. The two circled for a moment, before Archer lunged at him and the battle was on.

Ella watched in horror as the two men exchanged blows. She had been of afraid something like this. Neither one would back down until the other was dead.

Not to mention the chapel was no place for a swordfight. It was a small stone room, so the swords would clang every time one hit a wall. It was only a matter of time before someone heard.

"Stop!" she begged. "Both of you! You don't have to do this!"

Erik pushed her into a corner so she wasn't hit by one of Archer's wild blows. "Let her go, you beast!" Archer ordered. "She's no longer your captive!"

"And I won't stand aside and let you take her prisoner either," Erik snarled.

As Erik tried to protect Ella, a hole developed in his guard. Archer saw this and pounced. "NO!" she screamed.

The Phantom fell beside Ella, both their hands trying to staunch the blood. Archer's sword clattered to the ground as he stared at the scene before him in horror. "Erik, oh Erik," Ella sobbed.

"It's going to be alright," he replied, trying to reassure her. "It's nothing, just a little scratch." Both of them knew it was far from" just a little scratch", but there was nothing either of them could do.

"I love you Erik," she whispered. "I will always love you."

"Don't talk like that." His words were scolding but his tone was an attempt at lightheartedness. "You're making it sound like someone's going to die. I refuse to let that to happen."

She could tell he was trying to stay calm but there was just so much blood. Ella was afraid that this was going to be it. "This was supposed to be a happy ending."

"It…it will be," Erik assured her. "You are an angel sent to make the earth a little brighter. You will have a happy ending, or so help me God, I will make you have one!"

Like expected, the fight hadn't been quiet. Footsteps echoed down the stairs. Luckily it was only Meg, but her face drained of color when she saw what had happened. Her jaw dropped and she began to scream bloody murder, attracting a lot more attention.

"Go!"

"But…but…"

"Go now! Leave me! There is no reason for you to get involved in this!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"They'll find him, they'll find me. They'll figure out what happened, but you don't need to get mixed up in this! Go before it's too late." Their lips met once more before the two reluctantly separated. Meg continued to scream. A few stagehands appeared and began shouting for a doctor and for the police.

It was hours before Antoinette found him. Erik was standing in the secret passage staring at the place Ella had fallen. His hands were wet, sticky, and red from the blood of an angel. It still hadn't sunk in that Ella had shoved him out of the way. His eyes slowly rose to meet Antoinette's, an unspoken question in them. She gestured for him to follow, and the two left the chapel without ever speaking a word. Erik was too afraid of what he would learn if they did talk.