Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story except for the few you do not recognize.

Author's Note: Thanks to my great story editors Musicallover and Penmora Zenith.

Chapter 3

An Overture for Mankind

The lecture was utterly fascinating and the remainder of the hour saw a flurry of note-taking as imaginations were fired at the very thought that one man, or one woman for that matter, was actually changing the course of musical history in their lifetime.

The hall was eerily quiet as Dr. Khan finally reached the point everyone had been waiting for. "It's very possible you haven't heard this piece before even though it was released six months ago, but you can believe that the people working closely in this genre have been hearing it almost every day, listening to it and studying it to find out what makes it so haunting. This is called 'An Overture for Mankind.'"

No one can say this composer is small minded Christine thought.

As the music began, everyone was in high expectation of the greatest piece of music ever composed. No one moved or made a sound for the next forty-five minutes. Christine knew that this was the most emotionally wrenching musical experience anyone would ever have. Never had she heard such pain and sorrow, desperation and longing, or such beauty, brilliance and glorious love and ecstasy. There were grand portions with horns, others with strings or piano, such a wide range of instrumentation, it was hard to believe such a piece could even be created. What genius was in this music, it was the quintessence of the human spirit. Everyone in the hall was affected at some very basic level, many had tears streaming down their face, a few were even sobbing.

When the piece was finally over, everyone was still and it was obvious that all were moved beyond understanding. When Dr. Khan opened it up for questions, the discussion quickly became heated and impassioned, so much so that it had to be cut short at the end of the third hour by Dr. Martin.

When Dr. Khan had first announced questions after his lecture, Christine was surprised when Megan had been the first to raise her hand. This was a first as she'd never known Megan to raise her hand for any discussion the entire time she'd been at the conservatory. But Christine suspected that it wasn't entirely due to academic curiosity.

"Megan Gerard, sir. Is there any idea who this anonymous composer might be?"

"There have been a number of suggestions, Ms. Gerard, and even a few who have claimed to be him, but from what we knew of their training, education and skill, we knew we still didn't have him. We may never know who he is unless he comes forward, but that's not likely to happen soon." Dr. Khan gave her a smile. Megan smiled back.

Many gave their interpretations of what the composer may have meant the piece to mean, most concluding that it was obviously a very hopeful message to mankind that through all its struggles, mankind is always reaching out for knowledge and love, that the human spirit is unquenchable in its striving for excellence. Toward the end of the third hour, Christine raised her hand.

"Christine Karlsson, sir. I disagree with the comments that this piece has to do with the advancement of mankind. I don't believe the composer was talking about mankind at all, I believe he was talking about himself."

All eyes were now on her, a number of people murmuring their disagreement or surprise, or chuckling softly, as though her opinion was silly or unworthy of serious discussion. Dr. Khan studied her for a moment. He had seen her earlier during the lecture. So this was the young woman Erik was interested in. He could understand why. "What do you feel the composer was expressing, Ms. Karlsson?"

Christine looked only at Dr. Khan. "I think this music is a diary of the composer's life. He's experienced things most people never will, he's experienced all the sadness in the world, but he's got an incredible mind, a beautiful soul, and he's a genius. This music is about what's in his heart, about what he's experienced, and what he yearns for. This music is one man's soul. He's making musical history and he could be rich and famous. He could have anything he wanted. So my question is, why would he want to hide from that?"

"Interesting insight, Ms. Karlsson. It could be for any number of reasons. Maybe money doesn't mean anything to him, maybe he doesn't need it. Maybe he doesn't want the attention. Maybe he's crazy. It could be for a reason we haven't even thought of yet. But the important thing is that we have his music, and now generations of people will be able to hear it. It's been described as otherworldly, ethereal, spiritual. But everyone seems to agree that it's the most significant piece of music that's been composed in over 500 years."

As the lecture concluded, Christine and Megan gathered their supplies and made their way to the exit. As they walked past the podium, Christine noticed that a number of people had gathered around Dr. Khan so he could address their questions and comments personally. But when she glanced over to him, she was surprised to see that he was looking at her from between the people surrounding him. For some reason, this made her nervous. She turned away and followed Megan from the hall.


"How was the lecture?" Erik was softly playing the piano when his friend walked in.

"It was fine, fun actually." Amir went over to Erik's refrigerator and got a beer. "She was there."

"Who?"

"Christine. She asked about you."

"What do you mean?"

"She asked about the anonymous composer and why you didn't want to be rich and famous."

"And I suppose you told her?"

"Of course. I told her you were crazy."

Erik sighed. He turned back to his piano and looked out the window that looked out over San Francisco Bay as he softly played his now famous overture. As part of the agreement to build the Philharmonic, they had constructed a spacious apartment atop the building with a private entrance. His apartment included a fully equipped, soundproof studio, and he was to be their in-house composer for the life of the building. The addition of a carefully worded and enforced privacy clause guaranteed his anonymity for as long as he wished. Not bad for one design project, he thought.

And yet, he knew he'd gladly give it all up if he could just be happy with someone for the rest of his life.


Megan was smiling. "Do you think he's married?"

"Who?"

She looked at Christine in exasperation. "Dr. Khan, silly. He is so hot!"

"Mm, he was okay." Christine just wanted to get to her car.

"Did you even notice? I mean, how could you not notice?" Megan was still smiling.

"But did you hear what he said about the anonymous composer? This is happening right now during our lifetime!"

"Actually, I think you got more out of that than I did, hon. You're into opera and the classics, I'm into dance. Now, if you wanted to talk about someone changing the face of ballet…."

"Point taken." Suddenly, there was a sharp rumbling noise. The few people who were walking past on the way to their cars looked up.

Megan laughed. "Christine, was that a jet or your stomach? I think we'd better get something to eat, you're attracting way too much attention."

Christine placed a hand over her stomach, embarrassed. "Sorry, can't today. I'm meeting Rick for lunch over at the opera house."

"Okay, talk to you later then, and I still want all the details!" Megan called as she hopped into her car.

Christine got into her own classic Volkswagen Beetle and made her way through lunch hour traffic to the opera house. She and Rick needed to talk and she hoped she wouldn't be late. She had known they'd have to have this talk sooner or later and she'd been dreading it, but last night left no doubt in her mind that now was that time.

Gaston's was a private but quaint outdoor café during the day, and at night was a very intimate and romantic dining experience. It was one of their favorite hangouts and usually attracted the local theater crowd as well as those trying to perfect their craft by performing free for the diners seated outside. Today there was a mime who was dressed in a French apache costume to get into the spirit of the adjacent restaurant. As Christine hurried up the steps to the entrance of the restaurant, she was vaguely aware of being chased on her heels by the mime, who, by his flamboyant arm motions and facial expression was clearly in the role of the jilted lover. As she reached the top of the entrance, Rick came out and greeted her warmly and gave her a peck on the cheek. As they turned to go into the restaurant, Rick turned and glared at the mime, who ducked his head and dejectedly walked back down the stairs to polite laughter and applause from the dining audience.

"I'm sorry we won't be able to eat outside, my love, all the tables are taken. We'll have to eat in here." Rick took her hand as they followed their hostess to one of the favored booths in the back. As they ordered their drinks, their hostess said she would be back shortly, and they turned their attention to their menus.


Erik didn't usually care for the lunchtime crowd, but Amir had insisted he accompany him to try some nouvelle French cuisine that would 'knock your socks off.' Erik actually liked Gaston's because he felt they had the best French food the likes of which he hadn't had in over a decade, but Amir had been raving about one dish in particular all week. Erik quietly contemplated the appetizer as he placed the delicate morsel in his mouth.

Amir watched him. "What do you think?"

"It's wonderful," he whispered reverently. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back slightly, allowing himself time to thoroughly relish the flavors. Amir was true to his word. The wasabi-crusted ahi tuna was exquisite.

Amir chuckled. He allowed Erik a moment of culinary bliss. It was an on-going contest to find the best food in town. So far he was winning. "I'm glad you like it. It's light and it doesn't make you sleepy after lunch." From the expression on his face, it was easy to imagine that Erik had escaped to a land of rolling green hills and blue skies. "So, when are you going to ask her out?"

Erik stopped chewing. "Excuse me?"

"You know who I'm talking about, stubborn. For four years you've attended every recital and performance she's ever been in. Once she graduates, she'll be gone. Are you just going to let this go?"

Erik frowned at him. He turned and looked around for the waiter so they could pay their bill and leave. He suddenly locked eyes with someone across the room and froze. It was Christine.


Christine loved the Caesar salads at Gaston's, but she knew she couldn't eat now although she knew she was famished. She looked across the table at Rick, and he looked as though he didn't have a care in the world as he attacked his veal piccata, which Christine knew was excellent. It wasn't as though Christine had been totally oblivious to Rick's subtle hints and humorous comments about moving in together or getting married, although he hadn't come right out and asked again since she'd refused him six months ago. But she knew it had gotten to the point where the relationship could no longer stand still. After two years, he deserved to know where this was going.

Christine felt the familiar clutch of anxiety surround her heart whenever she knew there would be a confrontation. She took a drink of water before starting. "Rick, I wanted to talk about what we started talking about last night before we fell asleep."

"Sure, what part?"

"The part about our future. My parents had saved up enough for me to finish college before they died, but since I got the scholarship, I have enough to live off of for awhile after I finish school. Once I graduated, I wanted to audition for an internship at the Philharmonic, and then maybe audition for some of their productions."

Rick took a sip of his water. "That's a great plan, babe, but where's the part about us?"

Christine unconsciously took a deep breath and started slowly. "Rick, would you agree that when someone knows what their future will look like, that it's easier to make decisions about it than when you don't know?"

Rick looked at her. "Yes, I think that's an accurate statement. And…?"

"I mean, you know where you're going because of your family. You know you'll one day be helping your brother run your family's business when your dad dies, and you'll probably get married and have kids. Is that right?" Christine hoped this went well, so far so good.

Rick nodded his head slightly. "Yup, that sounds about right. I don't know when all this is supposed to happen, but that's pretty accurate."

So far, Rick was saying exactly what she expected he would say. "Well, I don't have as clear a picture as far as what my future's going to look like. I know where I'd like to go professionally, but I don't know when I'll ever want to get married or have kids. I just know that that's not what I want right now."

Rick readily agreed with that. "That's not what I want right now, either. There's still a lot I need to learn about our business, and working at the Phil is part of that. Eventually I'll work with my family, and then I'll probably get married."

Christine felt like this was starting to get side-tracked. "Rick, I think what I'm trying to say is that I don't know if I'll ever want us to get married."

Rick just stared, realization slowly dawning. "Christine…wait. You're saying you won't ever want to marry me." It was a statement.

"No, Rick, I'm saying I don't know if I will," she said softly

Rick felt a sudden chill in his heart. "Christine…. is there someone else?"

Christine shook her head, "No, there's no one else."

"Then, it's me. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Rick, you haven't done anything wrong. You've been perfect."

He knew the shock had finally processed from his mind down to his heart, because it was starting to hurt painfully. "Then, why? I love you, and I thought you loved me. I thought everything was fine."

"Everything was fine. But after two years, I just realized that it's not fair for me to keep stringing you along when you're ready to get married and I'm not. I love you, but I don't know if I'll ever want to marry you. Something just seems to be missing, and I think we just need to give each other some space."

Rick wasn't sure what he was feeling now, anger, rage, despair, he wasn't sure, and he didn't know what to say. He covered his eyes with a hand.

"Rick, you can marry anyone, you're the most eligible bachelor in the city. And I do still want you in my life…."

"No," he cut her off, "you don't understand. I can't love anyone else." He needed to get out of there, this was too much. He stood and placed some money on the table for the waiter. He reached out and gently touched her face. He whispered, "Christine, I love you…"And then he left.

Christine felt numb. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She hadn't even noticed that she'd been crying until she felt her face where Rick had touched her. After her parents had died, she had felt so alone in the world, each day blending into the next. But then Rick came into her life and she enjoyed living again. They had been together for two wonderful years, and now he was gone. She hated crying in public. She felt she should go before she started sobbing.

She looked around the restaurant as she reached for her purse when her eyes suddenly locked with someone's a few tables away. All that registered in her mind at that moment was that those eyes were beautiful, and she was drowning in them.