Chapter 13: Oh, Sanity... Wait What Sanity?

Erik couldn't believe it. A woman had kissed him. Of her own accord. Naturally, he started to kiss her back, but that didn't stop his mind from going in every direction under the moon. He had never been willingly kissed by a woman in his entire life. Of course, he didn't think that Christine's kiss should count, because she was only doing it for that Slave of Fashion Raoul. Why in the world didn't he kill him again? Oh yeah, that's right. Christine would have been heartbroken.

You see, it's one thing to love someone and another thing to think you love someone. In Erik's case, he had truly loved Christine. That one, certain, snowy night on the rooftop literally shattered what was left of his heart to pieces. How could he have known that Christine would have loved Raoul over him? That question is easily answered: his mask and the deformity it was hiding. However, in the end, he had loved Christine so much that he let her go willingly to be with the one she truly loved, for her happiness' sake. He murdered his own happiness to give Christine hers.

This thought, of course, sent him tumbling back to present time. Suddenly, before his eyes the woman in front of him began to change. Her beautiful angelic straight, blonde hair turned to deep chocolate curls, uncontrollable, wild, and spiraling down in gorgeous circles that seemed to never want to end. Meg's eyes changed slightly, from their pretty light brown to a deep, intense, dark brown. Her face changed ever so slightly, and standing before him was Christine, tears constantly tumbling out of her eyes, streaming down her cheeks, and consistently dripping off her chin onto the ground.

"Pitiful creature of darkness," she sang softly, looking at him with pity, "what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone!"

She stepped forward, and was about to kiss him again when Erik stumbled back into the tunnel wall, hitting his head on a lower shelf in the process.

"Erik?" Meg's voice broke his hallucination and he realized that he needed to leave or else he wouldn't have any control over what he did to Meg for daring to intrude his personal space yet again. (And knowing Meg, she would do it. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over, I think you get the picture.)

"I.. I… I need to go," he muttered quickly, embarrassed at himself, and angry at Meg, though he found he didn't have the energy to throw her against the tunnel wall. With that being said, he swept past Meg, running full speed for his lair and praying that he could reach his room and just be left alone. Left alone forever!

"Erik, wait!"

He heard Meg's voice calling in the darkness, but he didn't dare stop, for fear of what kind of flashback would appear this time.

… … … .. … … … … … … …

Meg stood where she had been standing before Erik had streaked away, when she had kissed him. She didn't know what she had been expecting as a reaction, but running away like that certainly wasn't what her mind had conjured up! She had imagined being yelled at, screamed at, shoved against the wall yet again, or worse. She had also imagined in the very back of her brain that he would actually calm down so that she could finish what she had been trying to tell him the whole time she had been with him: She was not like Christine, and she never would be. But never, never, had she ever imagined that the great, mighty, and feared Phantom of the Opera would run and cower in his room like a little boy.

Then again, you never did know exactly what the Phantom of the Opera was going to do. That was partly why Meg was drawn to him like she was. He was just so mysterious and you could never guess what is going in that genius brain of his. But running away from a problem just didn't seem to be like something that the Phantom of the Opera would do. Even the thought of poor, vulnerable Erik running away from a problem didn't seem to be very dreamable. Then again, when you have a split personality, some things you just cannot plan ahead on.

"Erik, please, just stop! I'm so sorry… Erik? Erik?"

There was still only the sound of fast-paced silent footsteps. She didn't know how to explain it, but it was almost as if the air itself was moving around, and not an actual man trying to run from his fears. How in the world am I going to catch up to him? Meg thought to herself, growling in frustration as once again her long gown got caught and nearly ripped it off of her. He was an extremely fast runner, which didn't surprise her at all. Phantoms are supposed to be fast and silent. Just maybe not this one, not right now.

"Erik, if you would just…stop…then…we could….talk…..this…out…" Meg was breathing heavily and could barely get the words out of her mouth, much less yell them at Erik, who was probably back at the lair, in his room, by now anyway. However, it seemed that once again she needed to be careful what she wished for.

For suddenly, a tall, cloaked figure started advancing upon her, until she had backed up against the wall. The Phantom loomed over her, his mouth twisted into a jaunting sneer, his usually humorous-filled eyes dark and cold, and his white half-mask glowing like a candle in the dark. "Fine," he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "you want to talk? Then let's talk."

AN: Oh wow! So guess what! I ended up staying tonight at my cousin's house and they like practically gave me the laptop! So I got to get you wonderful readers another chapter this month after all! I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get another one up this month or not, but I'll certainly try!

Once again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I enjoy reading each and every one of them. Don't forget, if you have an idea, write it out in your review! I love getting ideas! And, I might use them!

HEEEEEEY! PAY ATTENTION! If you have an Instagram account, go follow thephantom_phans! That's my Phan account on Instagram and I post pictures daily of POTO. Plus, I also have a mini-fanfiction that I'm writing going on there and I rather like it myself. Sooo, if you have an Instagram, be sure to follow thephantom_phans!

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