Chapter 6: Curiosity Killed the Cat

Immediately Meg was flung to the ground. Erik covered his face with his other hand, scowling at her angrily. Unlike Christine, Meg was NOT afraid of Erik and wasn't scared to make her opinion. Well, shout, in this case.

"What?" Meg snapped as she quickly stood up from the ground, brushing herself off. She stepped closer to Erik, her gaze furious as she advanced. "It's not like I haven't seen it before!"

Erik's visible eye narrowed dangerously as Meg stepped closer. "Back away from me!" He snarled, waving his other hand at her to emphasize his point. Meg frowned and childishly stomped her feet as she marched closer. Erik's eyes narrowed even more as he realized how close Meg was. He immediately backed up with his cat-like grace, his eyes wide with hurt. "Meg, why did you do this?! You know that Christine… you know she already hurt me enough! Now," he paused as his shoulders began to shake and he looked down. "you have to go on and betray my trust as well."

Meg's eyes softened as her sympathy for Erik overcame her momentary anger at him. "Erik, please," she begged, her voice cracking while she held back tears. "Please, put your hand down."

Erik glanced up at her, then looked back down again, as he started to sob ever so slightly. "I can't," he whispered in defeat, "no one deserves to see the face of the monster behind this mask. Not now, not ever."

Meg stepped closer and gently put her hand on his arm. Erik immediately jerked back, his eyes wide in distress. "Erik…" her voice was so soft, so soothing. Erik backed away again, and shielded his face with both hands. "No, Meg. Please, just go."

"Erik…."

"GO!"

Meg sighed and slowly turned around to leave. But before she walked out of the room, she whispered, "I don't care what your face looks like. It's the heart that matters."

… … … … … … … … … … …

Erik sighed in relief as Meg turned and walked out of the door. He started to reach for his mask but froze when Meg suddenly stopped. "I don't care what your face looks like," she whispered. "It's the heart that matters."

Erik's eyes widened as he watched Meg walk out of the room. He quickly took the mask in his hand, and walked over to one of his many mirrors. "Why can't I be normal," he whimpered pitifully. "Why was I cursed with such a face… the face of a monster that no one could love; would dare to love." He looked at himself in the mirror and gently touched the ruined side of his face. "If I were normal, Christine would not have left. If I were normal, she would have willingly married me. If I were normal…" he suddenly stopped as anger replaced the sadness in him. "But I'm not normal!" he shouted angrily, pounding his fist on a nearby table. "I was cursed with a face too monsterous for a woman to love! I repulsed my own mother so much that she sold me to the Gypsy's! I was thrown into a cage and beaten like an animal, for other's entertainment!" He quickly replaced the mask and turned away from the mirror sharply.

… … … … … … … … … … …

Meg had stopped just outside the door, to listen to Erik. Her hand unknowingly fluttered to her heart when she heard that his own mother was repulsed by him. Why was the world such a cruel place? Why did success matter on how your face looked? Why, oh why, did this have to happen to Erik! She sank to her knees, letting the sobs overcome her as she cried over what Erik had been through.

She didn't realize that Erik had come back and was watching her. She jumped when he spoke. "So I repulse you too, is that it?" His voice was merely a snarl of anger and fury and deep, deep pain. "You're crying over the nightmare of my face as well, aren't you?"

Meg looked up at him, her face stained with tears. "No, Erik," she whispered and stood up, suddenly feeling shy and uncomfortable as Erik's gaze bore into hers. She stepped closer and gently put her hands on top of his. "I'm not crying because of your face," she whispered. "I'm crying for…" She stopped and wiped her tears away as she looked up into those silver-green eyes. "I'm crying because you didn't deserve any of that. You're a human, just like they are. How would THEY feel," her voice turned bitter, "if they were tossed into a cage and beaten? They would never have done that to themselves! But just because you're a little different…"

Erik stiffened at that and glared daggers at the wall. "A little different? Meg, you don't understand! You don't understand what it's like to have a face so ruined that every time you go out people mock you! You don't know how it feels when little children look at your hideously deformed face and cry!"

Meg stood up, and silently wrapped her arms around him. "Shhhh," she comforted, still sobbing slightly.

Erik stood frozen in shock. No one had ever gone out of their way to give him a hug before! All of a sudden, his moment of weakness was gone; to be replaced with the Phantom. He gently took Meg's hands off of him, and stepped back. With a bow and swish of his cape, he disappeared into darkness once more.

AN: I am so sorry! This chapter was meant to come out like… three weeks ago! Anyways, I'm really sorry for that. Thanks so much to all who reviewed! RedDeathLover, I'm so glad you've reviewed my story! That means a lot to me that you seem to like it. :) Anyways, hopefully the next chapter will be out on Friday. I'm going to try to update every Friday… we'll see how that goes. Oh, and while you're at it, you might as well just be on Fanfiction for 30 more seconds to write a review? ;) Review please!