"Raoul!" Mia screamed as she saw her brother aim the pistol at Erik's back. She pushed her lover aside with all her strength, and successfully moved him just enough that the bullet whizzed past his ear, thankfully missing him. Mia rolled out from underneath Erik and landed on the floor with a thud. She gasped and tried to ignore the agonizing pain in her chest, forcing herself to her feet. Erik was trying to protect her by pretending to force himself on her, but since Raoul had seen, it was going to be much harder to convince her brother to let his enemy live.

She was about to run to her brother, to stop him from shooting, but she hadn't taken more than a step when Erik's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to his chest, and his free hand wrapped around her throat. "Don't worry." Erik's voice was barely audible as he whispered into her hair so Raoul couldn't see. "I won't hurt you."

"Let her go!" Raoul raised the pistol. "Or I'll shoot."

Mia's body went rigid. Her brother was a mediocre shot at best, and while she didn't doubt he'd be able to hit them, she knew that with Erik holding her in front of him, shielding his own body, Raoul most likely would hit her. "Raoul, wait!"

"Your sister's reaction tells me she doesn't trust you with a gun Monsieur," Erik sneered. "Which means you'd better put it down like a good lad, before you hurt yourself."

"Listen to me Raoul!" Mia cried, trying to twist away. She needed to him to see that Erik was just putting on an act. He was doing this to protect her. But before she could get another word out, Erik's fingers gently squeezed, and she understood the message. I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you do this.

"Tell me, Monsieur," Erik called. "Have you brought Christine? You've caught me in a good mood today, and I am willing to make a trade."

"Christine is gone!" Raoul spat in response. "I've sent her away, somewhere you'll never find her! Now release my sister!"

"I don't think so. You've lost your only bargaining chip, unless of course, you had something else of value to trade. Your life for dear Mia's perhaps?"

"Raoul, just go! I'll be fine!"

Erik let out a maniacal laugh, one that frightened Mia. If the Phantom took over him, there was no telling what sort of chaos he'd create. "Yes Vicomte, listen to Mia. We were just fine before your arrival." His voice dropped to a seductive purr, one that sent a shiver through her, one Raoul no doubt thought was from fear. "Weren't we?"

Her brother took a step forward, and Erik's hand moved just enough that Mia instinctively grabbed his wrist, as though he were actually choking her. "Stop!" Raoul shouted, backing up again. Erik's hand relaxed so it was just lying against her collarbone, his fingers limp around the base of her neck. "I'm not leaving without her. And upstairs I have three dozen gen de'armes armed and ready. If I don't return with my sister within the hour, they'll storm your lair and you'll be dead. I'd say, oh, twenty minutes or so have already gone by, so I'd make a decision sooner rather than later if I were you Monsieur."

Mia's eyes went wide and she began struggling against Erik again. If he'd just release her, he could escape without being hurt, but Erik refused to relinquish his grasp. It seemed like all of her worst fears were going to come true. She couldn't let anyone hurt Erik. "Let me go," she cried. "Please!"

He leaned down and murmured in her ear. "Stay away from here while I make plans to get away. I'll come for you when it's safe. We'll leave then. I love you." Before Mia could react, Erik shoved her forward roughly, and she stumbled into Raoul's arms. Her brother pulled her close in what she thought at first was a protective embrace, but everything changed when she heard a soft click and something cold and metal pressed against her temple.

The moment Erik released Mia, everything went wrong. He had counted on Raoul's protective nature to fuss over Mia for a moment before dealing with him, allowing him to slip away. However, that hadn't happened. As soon as the Vicomte had his sister, he pulled her close to his chest and put the gun to her head. "Raoul?!" Mia screamed, trying to pull away. "Have you lost your mind?! What are you doing?!"

"If you move, I'll shoot her."

Fear welled up inside Erik, but he couldn't lose his cool. If Raoul suspected anything between them, reacting would only make things worse. Besides, he knew the Vicomte. Erik doubted his ability to hurt anyone, especially his own sister. Keeping his voice even, Erik called out, "I don't think you understand how this works Vicomte. I do the threatening. You do the rescuing. By now you ought to have figured that much out." Erik allowed a malicious smirk to creep across his face. "Go ahead, shoot. In order for threats to work, you need to have something of value."

Mia's eyes were wide with terror and she screamed, quite possibly in pain if he had put pressure on her rib, as Raoul tightened his hold on her. "Have you lost your mind?" she shrieked.

Raoul glared at Erik, who casually walked over to his favorite armchair and sat down. He couldn't let the Vicomte think he had any emotional attachment to Mia, and by disobeying his demand, Erik was showing he had no vested interest in keeping Mia alive. "I want your word that you'll never attempt to come near my wife and I again, or I swear I'll pull this trigger!"

"Even if you could trust my word, I won't give it to you."

"I mean it!"

Erik waved his hand dismissively. "Then shoot." Mia let out another cry of fear. "If you were so keen on killing her off, you didn't have to come all the way down here to do it. I would have gotten tired of waiting and strangled her eventually. But if you insist on doing it yourself, go right ahead."

"Please Raoul," Mia whimpered in desperation. "I'm your sister." She kept staring at Erik, her pleading eyes begging him to do something.

"Shoot her, Vicomte," Erik snarled, allowing a note of contempt in his voice. "I'd like to see you do it. I'd like to see you become just as much of a murderer as I."

He could see Mia's heart breaking in her eyes. She was terrified that she would be killed, but Erik knew Raoul wouldn't hurt her. Her brother cared too much; if he was willing to let her die, he wouldn't have come here in the first place. But there was a sudden change in Mia's gaze, and he knew she was gone. Erik felt his heart stop. Amelia complicated the situation that much more. "Goddammit Raoul, don't shoot me, SHOOT HIM!"

There was a moment where time stood still. Raoul looked at the gun in his hand and the completely unprotected Phantom as though realizing that was indeed an option that he hadn't thought of yet. He hesitated for a heartbeat more before pulling the gun from his sister's head, pointing it at Erik and pulling the trigger. The candles in the lair all went out at once, one of Erik's favorite tricks, and used the cover of darkness to vanish. There was a sharp pain in his shoulder, but he had to get away in order to protect Mia.

Raoul tightened his grip on Mia as everything was plunged into darkness. He wasn't about to risk the Phantom stealing her away again. "We need to move before he comes back," he hissed in her ear. Keeping his sister close and his pistol in hand, Raoul began to lead Mia back the way he had come.

The journey back up to the surface was a relatively silent one. Raoul was on guard, listening for any sign of the Phantom in the darkness, and Mia seemed to be in shock. Every so often when one of them stumbled on the uneven flooring, Mia would cry out in pain. The Phantom had hurt her, and Raoul could only hope that he hadn't been too slow and his bullet had hit its mark.

It wasn't until they reached the surface and found the gens de'armes who were about to storm down that Raoul finally released his hold on Mia. "Where's Gaston?" she asked softly, wrapping her arms around herself. "Where is my husband?"

"He's not here," Raoul answered, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We'll get you home okay? You're safe now. Everything is going to be fine." Raoul led his again silent sister out to his carriage and demanded that his driver take her home.

Mia wouldn't look at him, wouldn't speak to him until they reached her home. As soon as the carriage rumbled to a stop, she threw the door open and bolted up to the house, Raoul close behind. She screamed her husband's name over and over, attracting the attention of everyone in the house, including her still-drunk husband. "Calm down, everything is going to be okay." He put a comforting hand on her back.

"No! Don't touch me!" she screamed, twisting away and throwing herself in Gaston's arms. "I never want to see you again!"

"Mia," Raoul cooed, trying to approach her. "You're home now. You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore."

"It's not him I'm worried about! You put a gun to my head!"

"WHAT?!" Gaston roared.

"Why would you do that to me?" Mia sobbed into her husband's chest.

"I was trying to protect you!"

"By shooting me?!"

Raoul shook his head. "No! I would never have hurt you! I was trying to manipulate his feelings for you so that he'd leave us all alone."

"What feelings?! He tried to kill me Raoul!"

"He called you Mia. I'm the only person in the world who calls you that."

Gaston's eyes widened. "You did this!"

"What?!"

"You just said so yourself that this monster called her by a petname only you have for her! You didn't want us near the opera! This was your doing to frighten us away because you didn't want us involved with the Populaire!"

"That's absurd!" Raoul replied. "Mia, tell him that's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. Monsieur, you're still clearly drunk."

"Get out of my house," Gaston ordered. "And if I ever see your face again, I'll make sure you'll regret it forever."

"Mia, tell him he's being ridiculous." His sister remained silent. "Mia?"

Her eyes were blank, as though she was staring at nothing and the color was disappearing from her already pale complexion. "You…you put a gun to my head," she stammered.

Gaston took a menacing step forward, but a maid, Mia's maid, Hazel, stepped between the two of them. "It's best if you just go now Monsieur."

Raoul reluctantly nodded and walked out the door. He turned back, hoping that Mia would defend him, but the last thing he saw was Mia collapsing into her husband's arms before the doors closed in his face.