Christine rushed over to the ballet room, she had overslept that morning due to her adventures the day before, and now she was sure that she would be behind on the steps for the new opera. She wasn't sure why Madame Giry didn't wake her, or why Meg, or one of the other girls didn't, but she guessed that those questions are better saved for their lunch break.

She was still thinking about the events of the previous night, the love she saw shining in his eyes as he looked at her, the care with which he touched her, and the desperation and longing in his voice as he sang to her. And last but not least, the anguish she saw itched in his face when she ripped the mask away, the fear of impending lost, of impending heartbreak. It is true that he had lashed out at her, and even threw her to the ground, but she took him by surprise, and she guessed that people never reacted nicely to his face, and the reaction she received last night became more of a second nature-a reflex if you will- to him, rather than something that required thinking and consideration on his part.

She was a bit surprised that when she got back to the room she shared with the other ballerinas, Madame Giry did not inquire about her whereabouts, she only told her to get some sleep. She had spent the better portion of the night contemplating the older woman's strange behavior. It was almost as if she knew where she had been, who she was with, and saw no reason to be alarmed. It was almost as if she knew the man behind the mask.

Her thoughts hadn't reached a further point the previous night, since her exhaustion overwhelmed her and sleep claimed her before she could contemplate that last thought any further. And now she was also unable to ponder upon it, because she realized that the usually loud music room, was eerily quiet, save for the whispered conversations between the ballerina girls. She snapped out of her thoughts, and the closer she got to the room, the more abundantly clear it became that rehearsals hadn't even started yet.

This struck her as unusual seeing as she knew how punctual Madame Giry was, and she couldn't think of any explanation as to the delay.

Unless…

She picked up her pace and quickly spotted Meg standing at the back of the huddled girls, and headed for her.

"What is going on?" she asked, keeping her voice down, to make sure that she doesn't attract the attention of the furious owners.

"The Opera Ghost sent Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Dare letters, and they are furious about it" Meg explained, though her tone hinted that there was still more to the story that she hadn't said yet. She cursed under her breathe at his actions.

"What is it Meg? What aren't you telling me?" She inquired urgently.

Her answer did not come from Meg, however, it came from the angry voice of Monsieur Andre, "he wants that understudy to be the star of the show" he screamed incredulously, and Christine couldn't help but scowl at his words.

'He didn't' she groaned to herself.

"Need I remind you monsieur, that this understudy as you called her got a standing ovation last night" Madame Giry reprimanded patronizingly, and Christine couldn't help but feel proud that her mistress was defending her, especially at the monsieur's fallen face. But then the oddity of the older woman's behavior struck her; she wasn't just defending her, she was also defending the actions of the Phantom, or her angel of music, or whatever his name or moniker may be. But why?

She is once again snapped back to planet earth, by Monsieur Firmin's voice this time, "people come to this opera house to see Carlotta sing, not some understudy wanna be who filled her shoes at the last minute" he retorted, and Christine saw her mistress's jaw clench.

"If she hadn't filled in, Monsieur, it is my understanding that you would've lost quite a large sum. I understand your hesitation to put her in the leading role, but there is no reason for you to undermine her, or to ridicule the man who is very much keeping this opera house open through his music compositions" Madame Giry said firmly, and both owners realized that she was not a woman to be messed with, and wisely decided to keep their mouths shut when they saw the fire in her eyes, as well as the dare for them to prove her mistaken.

"Well, this is NOT his composition, and it is OUR opera house. Ergo, we get to choose who is in lead and who isn't. This Christine Daee will play the role of the mute lover" Monsieur Andre declared, looking directly at Christine, who merely nodded her agreement.

I know that this is short, but it has been three weeks and I didn't update so I figured better than nothing. I am very sorry for the wait, but work has been kind of very very crazy, but I promise that I will do my best to try and update (a long chapter this time hopefully) this weekend.

Thank you to all who read, followed and reviewed.

Let me know what you all think of this.