(A/N: Hi everyone! I know I'm suuuper inconsistent with uploading on this story but the end is in sight! I do want to note that from here on out, I'm following the book far more closely than the musical. So, for those of you who've read the book, I'm sure you know what comes next. TW: torture chambers.)

"She's an engineer," Philippe said. "She can figure out how to diffuse a bomb… right?"

"I don't think they taught that in school," Meg said.

They were following Bhuvan through the streets of London. Raoul wasn't sure where he was, and he knew the city quite well, so that worried him. He trusted Bhuvan because he had saved Raoul's life by telling him about the noose. But there was that nagging suspicion in the back of Raoul's mind, telling him that Bhuvan was just leading them all to their deaths.

This intrigue was too much for Raoul. He wanted to be able to trust people again. He wanted to believe that people were good. But this whole business with Erik had made him doubt. Christine was a good person, but even she had somehow fallen under Erik's spell. Poor Erik, indeed…

Of course, that wasn't stopping Raoul. He had always saved Christine. He had always come when she called. He was certainly not going to abandon her now.

That nagging voice came back to him. What if she didn't want him to come back? What if she wanted to stay with Erik?

No, why would she?

But what if?

"Raoul?"

Raoul jumped. "What?"

Meg was giving him a very weird look. "You look scared."

"Of course I'm scared," Raoul snapped.

"She still loves you," Meg said. "I know she does."

Raoul glared at Meg. "I didn't doubt it," he said angrily. "Is this it?" He pointed to a rather obvious trapdoor in the ground next to a run-down, abandoned pub.

"Raoul, I'm serious," Meg said. "I know you said she went with him willingly, but maybe she has a plan. She never goes into anything without a plan."

"I know," Raoul said.

Meg frowned, still unconvinced. "Listen…"

"I think our priority is finding her," Raoul said. "We can talk about this later."

Philippe put a protective arm around Raoul. "She's going to be fine," he said. "Her family is looking for her."

It took Raoul a moment to realize that Philippe was talking about them.

"No one takes our Christine," Philippe continued. "Sam will miss her."

"Why are you going to so much trouble?" Raoul asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Why do you always go to so much trouble for Christine?" Raoul repeated, turning to his brother. "You took her in as one of the family. You've gotten her a cat. You cried at our wedding. When I first brought her home, you told me she was going to try to get pregnant so she could ensnare me. What changed?"

"I was proved wrong," Philippe said simply. "I saw what you saw. I started out with my prejudices. And then, I got to know her and realized that you loved a brilliant, kind, gentle girl who was always fighting for equality. And I suppose, ever since then, I've tried to make up for my initial comments. I never thought Christine forgave me."

"But she did," Raoul said. "She did almost immediately."

Philippe gave Raoul a half-smile. "I suppose," he said. "I also still need to forgive myself."

"Oh," Raoul said. "Um."

"Don't worry," Philippe said. "I've been through the old arguments. I was raised to think like that, and as a lord I've rather been out of touch with society." He shrugged. "It doesn't seem like a good excuse to be inhumane."

"It was only for a couple days," Raoul said. "You've more than made up for it."

"I hope so," Philippe said.

"We will have to be quiet now," Bhuvan said. "Be careful. Follow my steps exactly. Erik has traps set everywhere and if we set them off, that would be the end of our expedition, and the end of us."

"A very poetic way of saying we could die," Meg said. "All right, carry on."

They went in through the trap door one by one into a darkened corridor. Bhuvan turned on a flashlight. Raoul couldn't help but gasp. The walls were all stained with blood.

"Is that…?"

"Not real, probably," Bhuvan whispered. "He likes to terrify his victims in their minds as well as their bodies."

Raoul shivered. Erik probably hadn't taken Christine this way. He wouldn't want to terrify her. Or maybe he had. He was insane enough now. Raoul remembered the day Christine had appeared when she had first been taken, almost four years ago now. She had been wearing her pink Glinda dress, torn and frayed. Her hair had been matted. But her face had been the worst part. She had looked so frail and helpless. Just thinking about it nearly crushed Raoul's heart. His fiery, strong-willed, determined Christine had been broken that night. He didn't want it to happen again.

So yes, he was coming for her, whether she wanted him to or not.

"Careful!" Bhuvan whispered. "Follow my footsteps exactly, Vicomte."

Raoul started. He looked at the ground where he had nearly placed his foot and saw a very carefully hidden lever that presumably made something awful appear. "Sorry," he whispered.

"We'll get to her in time," Meg said. "Don't worry."

"I'm not," Raoul said. He was scared, nervous, angry, and determined. But he wasn't worried. Christine had come a long way. He remembered how she laughed when Erik appeared again. She wasn't that helpless eighteen-year-old girl anymore. She was a fighter. Raoul smirked; this time, Erik would be furious that he got in Christine's way.

"He certainly will get more than he bargained for," Philippe said. "Chris is a lot tougher than he thinks she is."

Raoul looked up, blinking back tears. He wasn't sure why he wanted to cry all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the stress of everything. Or perhaps it was the fact that his brother, a proud member of the snooty aristocracy, had practically adopted a common girl just because Raoul liked her. Philippe cared more than he let on. Raoul blinked back his tears and looked forward again.

"Erik won't plan on us, either," Meg said. "I'm sure he plans on you." She looked at Raoul.

Raoul shrugged. "It's likely," he said.

"But we'll show up and surprise him, I bet," Meg said.

"He underestimates how close our family really is," Philippe said. "She's a de Chagny now, and we de Chagnys don't go down without a fight."

Raoul wanted to point out that no one in his family had ever been in a war, ever, but he kept his mouth shut. Now, when they entered a barren room with what looked like torture devices in the corner did not seem the best time to tease his brother.

They passed through the barren room without incident. Each room brought a new fear into Raoul's heart. This room was also barren, with grey cement walls and one door out. Raoul was terrified of getting trapped in one of these rooms. There would be no way out, and they would all just suffocate. No one would ever find them, either. Raoul shuddered.

Bhuvan opened the door to the next room, which looked like a weird, tropical rainforest. Raoul frowned. He walked in.

"Not there!" Bhuvan suddenly screamed.

Raoul spun around.

Philippe had trod where Bhuvan had not, and he had activated… something. Raoul moved to run back to him, but Philippe frantically waved his arms. "Stay where you are!" Philippe said.

The gunshot echoed in the cement room. With a thud, Philippe fell to the ground.

Raoul screamed.

"Hush!" Bhuvan said. "He'll hear you."

Ignoring Bhuvan, Raoul rushed to Philippe's side. The bullet had gone directly through his head. Raoul was shaking so badly that he could barely put a finger to Philippe's neck to see if he was still breathing and still had a pulse. Raoul didn't need to do it to know. But he still did. He wanted hope where there was none.

Raoul grabbed his big brother's body and howled. His surrogate father of five years was gone because of a madman in a mask. Philippe, the man who was so apologetic about a comment he made once to Raoul's girlfriend that he spent the next four years of his life making up for it. This was what Erik did; he killed everything that was good and kind in the world and replaced it with coldness.

"You have to let him go," Bhuvan said. "Come on. We have to move on."

"We're not going without him," Raoul sobbed. "I'm not going anywhere without him."

"Save your tears," Bhuvan said. "The next chamber is a heated one."

"I'm not going without him," Raoul said. "I'm not."

Bhuvan was much bigger than Raoul, so he forcibly picked Raoul up and dragged him away – although not without a lot of difficulty.

"No!" Raoul screamed. "You're not leaving him in there!"

"We can get him later," Bhuvan said. "You have to concentrate, Vicomte. Christine is still in danger."

At this moment, though, Raoul didn't care. He just wanted his brother back. He started to feel angry towards Christine. It was her fault he was dead. If she hadn't gone with Erik in the first place, Philippe wouldn't be dead and Raoul wouldn't be, once again, an orphan. Why did she have to go? Why had she gone? Why had she stupidly thought that she could defeat Erik alone?

Raoul tried to stop sobbing. What was he saying? Christine hadn't done this. Erik was responsible, and Erik alone. He was the killer. He was the one who had stalked Christine and maybe seduced her and preyed on her. He was the one who, when her husband came to get her, set up death traps so none of them would be able to rescue her. Erik was the murderer. Raoul gulped. That was what made him ugly. His face wasn't that bad, but his soul… his soul was twisted and monstrous.

"Okay," Raoul said, sniffling. "Okay."

"Philippe would have wanted us to keep going," Meg said softly, putting a hand on Raoul's shoulder.

"I know," Raoul snapped. "He was my brother."

Meg put her hand by her side. "I'm just trying to help."

Raoul sighed. "I know," he said. "I – I just want space right now. I want to find Christine on my own. You two head back."

"No," Meg said.

"And as much as we might want to," Bhuvan said, looking mildly at the doors, "we cannot."

"We're not locked in," Meg said, sounding small.

"For a while," Bhuvan said. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. "A bit hot, isn't it?"

"It is," Raoul said. He was comfortable in warm temperatures, so he was all right for a while.

"Ah," Bhuvan said. "A heat trap."

"A heat trap?"

"Don't speak," Bhuvan said. "He heats the metal in the room so that it dehydrates us until we nearly die. We cannot touch the doors, for they are too hot to touch even for a second. And then, when we are on the brink of death, we're released into a lake."

"Fantastic," Raoul said. He turned to Philippe. "I don't suppose you have-"

But the words died in his throat. How could he have forgotten in those few moments? Philippe was dead.

Raoul wanted to cry again. He was with Bhuvan and Meg, but he had never felt more alone in his life.

The heating came on. At first, Raoul welcomed it. For some reason, he had started shivering. Or no – he was shaking. He wanted Philippe.

He had always been the strong one. He had always been the one who had comforted Christine, but was rarely this upset and vulnerable himself. But he had had Philippe then.

Raoul's breaths came in shallower and shallower. The air was getting so thick with heat that he could hardly breathe. A dry spot formed in the back of his throat that wouldn't go away. Then his tongue felt dry. The sweat evaporated from his skin until he was worried he would shrivel up like an old fruit. Exhausted, he put his back to the wall, which was even hotter than the floor. Raoul looked to Meg, who was hopping from one foot to the other to avoid standing on the metal floor for too long.

He started to cough. He tried to swallow, but there was no liquid left in him. His throat was completely dry. He grabbed it as it throbbed and ached but that did nothing to soothe the pain.

He thought of Philippe. It had all been so quick. Philippe was lucky. All over in one shot. Raoul's death would be slower. Agonizing. Erik wouldn't let Raoul die quickly.

No, what was he talking about? He had to keep going. He had to keep going for Christine. She was stuck in this madman's chamber. If only he could have just one sip – one drop – of water…

Every breath he took dried up his throat more. He couldn't stand any longer. He collapsed to the burning hot floor, not caring if it seared his skin off. Now, he was burning up on the inside and the outside. He looked vaguely at the skin on his hands, which was now bright red and scalding. But he couldn't keep his eyes open. They were too dry.

Again, he wished for water to no avail.

The floor suddenly opened and Raoul, Meg, and Bhuvan were dropped into a pool of water. Raoul gasped in relief as the water rushed over his burning face and hands. He took gulps of air that was cool and refreshing. He put his mouth into the water.

"Don't," Bhuvan croaked.

"Poisoned?" Meg said, her voice barely audible.

"Might be," Bhuvan said.

Raoul gulped as the water washed down his throat, clearing the dry spots. "We'll find out," he said, his voice a little stronger.

Bhuvan and Meg watched Raoul carefully. They stayed there, standing in the water for the next few minutes, while Raoul thought about his last words to Philippe. What had he said? Had he told Philippe that he loved him? Had he told him that he appreciated everything Philippe had done for him? Had he told him that Philippe was the person he most admired in the world?

Raoul looked down at his scalded hands. Philippe gave his life so that Raoul could continue on to save Christine. And after all that, Raoul had drunk some poisoned water and wouldn't even get to Christine.

"Raoul?"

Meg sounded scared. "Raoul, say something. Please."

Raoul shook his head. "Useless," he said.

"It's been a few minutes," Meg said. "Surely it's not –"

"The water won't kill him," Bhuvan said. "Erik prefers fast-acting poisons. He has not poisoned the water."

A wave of relief washed over Raoul. He dipped his head in again as Meg went underwater.

"It's probably not sanitary," Bhuvan said.

Meg laughed, pushing her long, wet hair out of her face. "At this point," she said, "I don't care." She walked over to Raoul. "Raoul," she said, suddenly very sober, "I'm so sorry." She hugged him tightly.

Raoul didn't know what he felt. He wanted to feel happy that the water wasn't poisoned and that he would live to see Christine again. But he wanted to feel desperately unhappy that Philippe wasn't here. Was it wrong to feel relieved that he was alive, when his big brother was dead? Was it wrong to feel somewhat happy that he would see Christine again, when Philippe would never get to see her again?

"You guys," Raoul said finally, "are the best friends I ever could have asked for."

Meg patted Raoul's shoulder. "So are you," she said.

Raoul wasn't sure about that. He had led his brother to his death.

"The water is rising!"

Raoul looked down. His feet were beginning to float. "Good thing I was a sea cadet," Raoul said. He looked around and saw two pipes that were blowing out air bubbles. "You two go over there." He motioned to the pipes. "I can hold my breath for a while."

"How long?" Meg asked. The water was past her neck.

"Three minutes," Raoul said. He looked around. They were in a cement block, but the floor was glass. Or, at least, it looked like glass. He hoped.

Meg started to swim over to the air pipes. Raoul took a deep breath and dove under the water. He pulled out his Swiss Army knife. It wouldn't help much, but Christine always insisted that he carry one around because they were "man's greatest tool". He used it to punch the glass. He counted each punch to the glass as he went, as if that would help. One – two – three – a crack was showing – four – he was starting to feel slightly lightheaded – five – another crack – six - he pulled out the knife and tried to pry the glass open – no, that was a stupid idea – seven –

The three of them washed up in another cement room with one tiny window. The water drained into a small drain in the middle of the room. Raoul took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, once he had caught his breath back. "What's this one?"

Bhuvan looked around. "This seems… normal."

"I assume it's not," Meg said. "There" – she coughed – "has to be something."

"Meg?"

Raoul looked up sharply. That was a woman's voice.

"Oh my gosh," Meg said. She crawled over to the window and peered into it. "I can't see anything."

"It's been blacked out."

Christine.

Raoul put a hand to his mouth to stop him from crying out with joy. She was there, just behind the wall.

"Can't you open it?" Meg said.

"No," Christine said. "Erik confiscated my Swiss Army knife and I'm tied to the bed."

"You're-"

Raoul's words caught in his throat.

"Not because-" Meg said.

"No," Christine said. "Not this time."

"Why are you tied to the bed?" Bhuvan said. "That is not Erik's usual style. He would want you free."

"I kept getting free," Christine said. "Well, I thought you weren't coming. I thought – well – I thought Raoul was mad at me. And I'm so sick of running. I wanted Raoul to live a normal life, and I wanted Erik to die. And I didn't have anything so I – I tried smashing my head against the wall."

Raoul groaned. "I always come for you," he said. "Always."

"Raoul?" Christine sounded relieved. "You're here!"

Raoul went to the window. He was too weak to walk, but he crawled there and put his hand on the wall. He closed his eyes, wishing desperately that he could just hug her. Just once.

Meg put her hand next to his on the wall. Bhuvan did the same.

"Of course I'm here," Raoul said. "We all are."

"We promised we wouldn't leave you," Meg said. "And we meant it."