Erik stared at Mia, no, Amelia, his jaw hanging open. He didn't know what to do, how to bring Mia back. He had no idea how to help her, and something told him that she was going to be less than cooperative. First things first, he needed to establish just how much Amelia was going to fight him. "Have we met before?" Erik asked cautiously, trying to get a feel for her personality, and the best way he could think to do that was to rethink any interactions he may have unknowingly had with Amelia. "And I mean you, not Mia."

Amelia stared at him a moment before letting out a cold laugh. "And you're supposedly a genius. Of course we have. Did you really think that Mia was capable of standing up to you? Because she's not. She's weak!"

"What do you mean?" Erik was stunned to hear Amelia talking that way. She was clearly aware that she was half of one person, which made him wonder how much of Mia's pain she was aware of.

"She's an ungrateful brat! She doesn't understand what a wonderful life she's been given. She could have been born a street rat, starving and selling herself on the street to survive. Instead she is the daughter of the Comte de Chagny, living in the lap of luxury, wanting for nothing. Gaston is wealthy, intelligent, and a rising business man with nothing but potential. Do you realize how many women would trade everything they had to have the life Mia does? And all she does is squander it!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Erik could feel his heart pang for Mia. No wonder she felt so broken; even her own alter personality hated her. It was a miracle she hadn't killed herself yet. "Is that what you do?" he asked. "Make sure she doesn't waste her life?"

"No," Amelia replied, turning away.

"Then what does Mia need you for?"

"It's my job to protect her."

"Protect her from what?"

"From herself!" Amelia shouted, whirling back around. She held out her scarred arms. "Look at what she does! She willingly chooses to cut herself! Somebody has to stop her, because no one else will!"

"So if you're her protector," Erik wondered aloud, "What brought you out just now?"

"You did," she snapped. "When you kidnapped us, Mia couldn't handle it and she ran away like the scared little girl she is, leaving me to clean up her mess. But we quickly learned that defiance just angered you. So we switched tactics: Mia resumed control. She was supposed to win your sympathy, seduce you if necessary."

Erik felt like he had been struck. He had actually started to have feelings for Mia, and was foolish enough to believe she returned them, but it was all a ploy. Of course it had been. Could he really have expected anything less? But, the more he thought about it, the more Erik realized that that was exactly what he had been dong to Mia. He had tried to manipulate her to turn her against the Vicomte. They had been playing the same game, but he was the only loser. "But then she went and screwed that up too!" Amelia continued.

He froze. What did Amelia mean by that? "What brought you out just now?" Erik repeated, more forcefully this time.

"I told you!" Amelia shouted as she began to pace. "You did! Mia only had one task: do whatever it took to secure our release. But instead of you sympathizing with her, she began to sympathize with you! She began to fancy you, even though she's married! She didn't care about escape anymore; all she cared about was you! I had to put a stop to it!"

She cares about me? Erik wondered. Could it really be possible? He might have not have been the only one who had fallen for the con. But there was only one way he could verify what Amelia had said, and that was to ask Mia herself. The only way to do that, however, was to find a way to bring her back out, and Erik wasn't sure how. Although, as he thought, Erik realized that Amelia's rage was what had brought her out. Maybe, if Mia truly had feelings for him, it was the way to reach her. It's worth a shot, he decided.

Before Amelia could react, Erik turned her back around so that she was facing him, wrapped his arm around her waist, put his free hand on the nape of her neck, and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment, she struggled against him, but ultimately she went limp, and a few heartbeats later, Erik could feel her returning the kiss. Her arms came up around his neck, pulling herself closer, and for a second, Erik allowed himself to forget Amelia and just feel bliss.

She slowly blinked as she realized what was happening. Her arms were around Erik and they were kissing. She remembered him telling her that he was opening the door to her cage, and then...this. Slowly, she moved her head downwards as she gently pushed on his shoulders, ending the kiss. "We...we can't do this," she whispered. "We can't do this. I'm married. Gaston...if he were to..." Mia's voice trailed off as she realized Erik was staring at her peculiarly.

"Mia?" he said softly. She tilted her head ever so slightly to the right, wondering what he was doing. Erik put his hand on her cheek and repeated her name. "Mia?"

His eyes widened briefly, like he expected someone el-...Suddenly it all came crashing back. He had kissed her, and she tried to stop it and she was afraid she was going to lose...Oh no. Mia felt her heart began to race as she backed away from Erik until she hit the wall. No one could know, no one could ever know, and now he knows. Her hands flew up to her mouth as the realization hit her. "Oh God," she gasped. "Amelia was here, wasn't she?"

"Don't you remember?" Erik asked quietly.

"No," Mia whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, still in shock. "No, I never do."

Mia could hear her mother fighting with a man outside her door as she tried to process the sight of her heavily bandaged arms. She glanced at the fireplace and could see the ashes of her beloved poetry books, as well as her own work, hours upon hours wasted."Madame, I insist! Your daughter is clearly troubled and needs the help of a professional."

"You're suggesting that I put my daughter into an asylum." Mia held her breath, praying that her mother wouldn't agree. She wasn't insane! Surely her mother knew that! "Never! Putting Amelia in an asylum would ruin our family! We'd be the subject of Parisian gossip forever! The de Chagny's and their mad daughter! I won't allow her to slander our family's name. We'll keep her here, under close supervision, lock and key if we have to, but I'll not let her ruin us!"

"Madame, I don't think you understand how deep her problems are!"

"There is nothing wrong with Amelia that she won't grow out of!"

"She came at the maid who found her with the razor!" What?! Mia though in disbelief. She hadn't done that! She had fainted! The last thing she remembered was the girl screaming when she saw the blood. "And I had to sedate her in order to get near her injuries. She fought me like a wild animal until I did!" No I didn't! Mia screamed internally."Your daughter's mental state needs drastic intervention before it's too late."

"Amelia has never done any of that before," her mother protested. "You're describing a completely different person from my daughter, and I have no reason to believe that Amelia cannot be molded into the perfect lady. This was a one-time situation because she was after attention. Thank you Doctor, but your presence is no longer required."

As she heard the footsteps outside her door fade to nothing, Mia tried to comprehend what she had overheard. There was no way she could have done those terrible things that the doctor had described, right?