I still do not own Phantom! All I own is Ezra, Kat, this laptop and the the cat that is currently laying on it! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter and Erik's part. I would have made it longer but I really wanted to post SOMETHING and it's two in the morning here and I just had a very large spider crawling on me so I'm giving up for the night. Oh and if you were wondering, it was a very scary experience, I do not like spiders, and I woke everyone up because I screamed. Just thought you guys might have wanted to know that little bit of info. Oh and !PLLLEEEAAASSEEEE! don't forget to comment and vote!!

Kat's POV

        "Mom? Dad?" I pulled my covers off and got out of bed. The house was dark and eerily quiet. I started to walk down the hall, I knew something wasn't right. 

        I soon found myself in the kitchen. There was a dim light coming from the basement door, I could see smoke slithering out from under it. I tried to open it but it was locked, just like it always was. The smoke grew heavier and thicker. It appeared to be moving straight through the door and was creating a large dark cloud around me. It was then that I realized the house was on fire. I turned to run for the door when I heard something, it sounded like a laugh. An evil giggle that came from somewhere behind me.

        "It's time for you to go." My mother sat in the corner of the living room. She looked at me as I stared through tears, grinning devilishly she revealed a match. 

        I already knew what she meant but I asked her anyways. "What do you mean?"

        "I mean," her grin grew wider and her words were acid, "that it is time to send you back to hell."

        "What?" Fear echoed in my voice.

        Her grin faded as she stood to face me, darkness radiating from her eyes. "Don't play stupid, we both know what you are."

        "I'm your daughter." I was pushing her, not caring what happened next. If she was going to kill me then she was simply going to kill me and I no longer had sense enough to care.

        "No," her grin returned making her look more sinister than ever, "you are a demon. Don't play games with me, I know what you want, what you're capable of, I know everything. And I just want you to know that I wont let you take me as well."

        I swallowed my fear and met her deadly gaze with my own. "Where is my dad?"

        She opened her mouth wide and laughed, her black curls falling around her face. It was the most horrid sound I had ever heard. "I saved him, I couldn't let you have have him."

        I knew what she had done, she had killed him. He was in the basement. I shook the image from my mind, I couldn't bear the thought of him burning, alive.

        I wanted to yell and scream at her but it wouldn't do any good. She stepped closer to me, the smell of kerosene filled the air. I could tell that she had soaked herself in it. Whatever she was planning it definitely involved both of us going down in flames. 

        She lifted the match so it was right in my face and lit it, she went up in flames instantly. I turned to run but she had a hold of me, her arms wrapped around my waist. 

        "Fire cleanses all, even the damned." She whispered the words in my ear, her voice weak and snakelike. I knew she wouldn't last much longer and I wasn't sure I would either. The fire spread around her fragile body to my back. I screamed in pain and fought hard to remove her from me. I kicked and screamed but she was too strong. Smoke filled my lungs as a deep pain ran through my body. Then she was gone and I was alone, surrounded by flames. 

        I sat up as a scream escaped my lungs, my eyes were full of tears. I hadn't dreamt of that night in years. The memory echoed through my mind, shaking me to the very core. Breathing heavily,  I lifted my right hand to run it through my tangled hair. I let out a small yelp as a sharp pain ran through my shoulder. I twisted around to find what was causing the pain, but that only made it worse. What happened? I looked around trying to figure out where I was at, but was soon distracted by the sound of footsteps. Panicking, I searched for some kind of weapon. Then I noticed something, I was wearing a nightgown. I pulled at the fabric, trying to figure out where it had come from. Then it hit me. I was in the Phantom's lair! 

        "Is everything okay? I heard a scream." A man pulled back the curtain that was the room's door. His black hair was slicked back and he wore a white mask on the right side of his face.

        My jaw nearly hit the floor. Yep, that's him, that's the Phantom. I quickly closed my mouth and nodded. 

        He raised his unmasked eyebrow at me. "Could you tell me why you're crying?"

        I quickly rubbed the tears from my eyes. "Just a bad dream." 

        "I am going to assume that is why you were screaming as well?" He was questioning me like a father would a scared child.

        "Yeah, just a nightmare. That's all." I said with a nervous grin. "I'm okay now."

        He raised his eyebrow again, but quickly decided to drop the subject. "Alright then." Slowly, he walked over to me and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. It was almost as if he was afraid I would scream and run from him. "May I?" He pointed at my shoulder.

        "Oh go ahead." I turned so my back was to him and sat up straight. 

        I cringed and bit my lip as he pulled the nightgown away from my shoulder. "What happened?"

        "You don't remember?" His voice had gone emotionless.

        I shook my head. "Nope not a thing."

        "Well, you were wondering around in the dark and bumped into me. Then you fell on your shoulder and cut it, I had to stitch it up." He said dryly and grabbed a bottle of, what looked like, rubbing alcohol from a table near the bed.

        I winced as he put the liquid on my shoulder blade. "I bumped into you?"

        "Alright, I hit you, but it was an accident." There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

        "Oh, I'm sure it was, Mister Opera Ghost." I turned my head to grin at him.

        He looked surprised and maybe even a bit amused. "There." He said as he let lose of my shoulder. 

        I pushed the nightgown back up and turned to see that his expression had gone serious. "What?" I asked in a confused manor.

        "If I may," he looked kind of embarrassed, "how did you get those scars." 

        A lump caught in my throat. "Um. what scars?" Had he seen them? Of course he has stupid, he was probably the one who changed you. Wait, he saw me naked!? Oh that's awkward. 

        "The scars on your back." He knew I was playing stupid, I could see it in his eyes. Man he had gorgeous eyes! They were so green and deep, I cold easily lose myself in them.

        "Oh you mean those scars." I gave him a sheepish grin. "You know, that's a really long story."

        "I have plenty of time, trust me." He wasn't giving up.

        I decided to take on a rather bitchy attitude, hoping it would make him back off. "Why do you care anyhow?" 

        I wanted to tell but I just couldn't. I'd never been able to tell anyone, not even my shrink. I didn't know why, but every time I tried it felt as if I couldn't breathe. Like someone was strangling me and then there's flames and smoke. I shuttered at the thought.  

        His eyes grew dark with anger but slowly softened. "I understand if you don't wish to tell me." He turned to stand.

        "No." I grabbed his arm. "It's not that."

        "Then what is it?" He looked confused and a bit shocked by my touch.

        I sighed and stared at the sheets that covered my legs. I began to fiddle with the red fabric. "I...I just.." There it was again, the mental block. "It..." I sighed and swallowed hard, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. I've always been a bit too emotional and my mother had only made it worse. "I hurts to remember, to think about it."

        He frowned and looked down at the floor. "It's okay, I shouldn't have asked anyhow." A small smile threatened his hard composer. "What is that saying? Curiosity killed the cat?"

        "Yeah," I smiled and pulled my knees close to my chest, "So, how long was I out?"

        "Two days." He looked up from the floor, his face returned to its normal emotionless state. 

        I snapped out of my temporary depression. "Two days!? Christine is probably freaking out! And Madame Giry isn't going to be happy." I tried to jump out of bed but was stopped by a hand on my non-injured shoulder. 

        "It's alright." His eyes lightened a bit. "Madame Giry knows where you are."

        My cheeks grew red in embarrassment at my outburst. "Oh. So am I being held hostage down here or am I healed?"

        "Eager to leave are we? I don't blame you." He smirked and stood, looking towards the door.

        "No." I jumped up and stood next to him, I didn't want to leave yet. "I was just wondering if I have to leave."

Erik's POV

        "I was just wondering if I have to leave." The words ran through my mind over and over again. Why would she want to stay down here, with me? I just stood there and gawked at her, trying to figure out why this girl wanted to be in my company. Was she mad?

        Snapping out of my shock, I answered without much thought. "I suppose you don't have to leave, if you don't want to that is."

        Her navy eyes lit up. She jumped and smiled widely, then realizing how childish that seemed, stood up straight and wiped the grin from her face. She was a silly little thing. And she was little, maybe an inch or two over five feet at the most. She was about eye level with my chest, although I was rather tall myself.

        "There should be a few dresses in the wardrobe." I pointed a gloved finger to where it stood in the corner.

        She nodded happily. "Okay."

        "I'll let you change." I turned and was about to walk out when she placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stop. It gave me a funny feeling inside, almost like excitement. No! I DO NOT in anyway have feelings for this girl.

        "I never caught your name." She said in a nervous tone.

        I absolutely cannot figure this girl out! First she asks me if she can stay and now she wants to know my name! My actual name! I shook my head, Christine would have never done that. She has never been down here, but something told me she wouldn't care for it, or me.

        Instead of shrugging her off like I typically would anyone else, I gave her an answer. "My name is Erik."

        Her smile widened. "I'm Katerina, but everyone calls me Kat."

        "I know." I pulled the curtain back and left the room.

        I could hear her scamper off to start digging for a dress as I walked over to my organ. It was three in the afternoon and I hadn't been able to write a single note of music since yesterday morning. Why was I finding my self so infatuated with this girl! My mind was spinning in anger and confusion. I sat down on the bench and stared at a blank sheet of paper until I heard small footsteps behind me.