"Ulterior Motives"

Author's note: Oh, I can't WAIT to see how many flames I get from people who didn't even read the story and just saw the summary. I will accept constructive criticism, though. As long as you've READ the story. And don't bother complaining about the pairing. Yes, it's going to be an Erik/Raoul. No, I don't care for Christine. Yes, I think Erik and Raoul could make for an interesting couple. Yes, I know they usually hate each other in the fandom. But hey. Things can happen. This whole story is basically a "What if?". I'm not doing it as a parody, or as a dare, or to be controversial. So again, if you're gonna criticize me, don't complain about the pairing. If homosexuality isn't your cup of tea, there's a VERY handy device people tend to ignore. It's called the BACK BUTTON. It's your friend. Hit it if you don't want to read this. I'm not forcing you to read it. Now, enough with the uber long author's note, and onto the fic. Oh, one last thing. This chapter is kind of short. It's just an introduction, really.

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Anger. Fury. Frustration.

A monster, with glowing eyes of jade, threatening to consume his very mind and body.

Fingers wrapped tightly around a banister, knuckles the shade of ivory.

Then, a pause.

A gradual relaxing.

A need to return to the realm of rationality.

Erik strode down the stone steps of the Opera House underground, his cape billowing angrily behind him. His eyebrows were bent in frustration. "So the boy believes he is superior to me? Let him try. See where going against me gets him," he thought as he continued to make his way down to his lair.

Once inside of his home, he sat down, throwing his cape and hat to the side. He leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair in what seemed to be a nervous gesture. He needed to let his anger go, take control of himself and of the situation at hand.

Calming down, began to think about his main trouble. Christine Daaé, the talented, beautiful blossoming opera singer whose voice he was nurturing, raising to perfection. A woman who had stirred something in his heart. What it was, he could not fully understand, so he accepted it as love. This woman…seemed to be the only one who could possibly love him for who he was. She was not afraid of him, nor of his face.

However, one thing came in the way of all this.

It was Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny.

What started as a seemingly innocent child reunion turned into something that even Erik could not admit to himself. Raoul. Christine. RaoulandChristine. It was as if those names could not be separated. The two were constantly together, like naïve children, unwilling to admit that behind all the friendliness there was something more.

No matter how hard he tried, the boy seemed to capture Christine's heart effortlessly. It was getting to the point where Erik was willing to do anything, anything to win Christine over. To break her free of this charming aristocrat's spell. But that was the problem. Anything he tried failed. He did not want to resort to physically harming the boy, as it would hurt Christine. But there had to be some way…

He was sitting there for nearly an hour when an idea slowly began to form. Perhaps…he should win Christine over in a more indirect manner. If somehow, he managed to get Raoul to stop loving Christine…

A smirk gradually filled his visage. It was a completely and utterly crazy idea, one so far-fetched that surely, it could not work. Yet…something told him that with enough skills, with enough mastering the powers of lies and deceit…

What if he, instead of futilely continuing to win Christine over, he instead focused his attentions on the Vicomte? What if he got Raoul to fall in love with HIM? It was…possible. It seemed as if Raoul did not yet fully understand his feelings for Christine. And he was still young, impressionable… Once Raoul's attention was turned towards him, he could hurt Raoul, make him feel worthless… And Christine would be open for the taking.

Such a haphazard plan, and yet…

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Ending note: I would like to dedicate this to John Cudia, my favorite Raoul on Broadway evar. I also dedicate this to all the Raoul fans out there. Raoul is bashed here way too often. ::hugs a Raoul plushie:: Us Raoul fans must stick together. Well. More of this fic to come whenever I get a burst of inspiration!