He stared down at her from his seat on the wagon. "Christine, Monsieur." he said acknowledging them both. Then purposely ignoring Maxwell, he gave Christine his warm smile. "Christine I heard that our friend," Christine flinched at his tone and tight smile, "is holding a masquerade. I was hoping that you would accompany me to the festivities." Out of the corner of her eye, Christine could see Maxwell clenching his fists tightly- she could tell that he had been planning to ask that as well.
"You will have to accept my deepest apology to both of you; I'm planning to go by myself." Christine said truthfully. And she was going by herself- unless the Phantom asked her...
"Unless you are saving yourself for the Phantom." Raoul muttered under his breath. Christine closed her eyes as she tried to keep her temper in check. He's trying to play with your feelings- don't let him get to you!
She knew both men were staring at her. But she didn't need this right now. She didn't want three men fighting over her. It had been two men before, and Christine had been mislead. She knew who she wanted, yet she didn't know how to reclaim him.
"Vicomte de Chagny, Vicomte de Witten. I must ask you to excuse me. It seems I have forgotten that I have rehearsal that I will be late for if I do not return back to the opera house. Monsieur Witten, shall we return?" Christine asked flirtatiously, offering a dazzling smile that had before captured the Opera Ghost's, Raoul's hearts and now captured Maxwell's. Offering his arm, Christine accepted, putting her arm through his.
She smiled graciously at him then turned to Raoul. "Be warned Monsieur de Chagny, while you insult my friends and myself with your spoken thoughts, you do not remain my friend- you remain as an acquaintance whether or not I grew up with you."
With that, Maxwell led her away, her face calm. But inside she was jumping for joy that for once she did not let herself be pushed around by the opposite sex. As the modest carriage began to put distance between Raoul and themselves, she heard him say, "I will not lose to a monster- nor to another man!"
"Christine, you need to concentrate! You are putting no emotions (no passion!) into this song. What is wrong?" the Phantom demanded after having to make Christine restart the aria several times during her lesson. Christine flushed. She did not want to tell the Phantom of her problems as she had when she was ten. She was now nineteen and did not need a father figure in her life- she needed a man to love. And this was her choice. She shook her head, but the Phantom would not give up this easily. "Did you meet anyone at the cemetery?" Christine flinched but remained silent yet he knew he had hit a chord or she would not have responded like that. "Christine..." he said warningly.
She hesitated for a moment before drawing in a breath. "wheniwentthereibumpedintotheotherpatron,monsieurmaxwell,andtheniacceptedhisofferoflunchatthecafeacrossthestreetandthenRaoulinterceptedusandthenaskedmeto gowithhimtothemasqueradeandiknewthatMawellwasgoingtoaskmesoisaidiwasgoingbymyselfsothattheywouldn'tfight-thoughtruthfullyididn'twanttogowitheitherofthem." She said quickly, hoping that the Phantom hadn't understood her.
"Say it again but slower." the Phantom demanded. He had heard both Vicomte's names and also mention of the masquerade, but he wasn't sure what else she had said.
"When I went there I bumped into the other patron, Monsieur Maxwell, and then I accepted his offer of lunch at the cafe across the street and then Raoul intercepted us and then asked me to go with him to the Masquerade and I knew that Maxwell was going to ask me so I said I was going by myself so that they wouldn't fight-though truthfully I didn't want to go with either of them." she said slowly.
"And why did you not want to go with either if them?" the Phantom asked quietly, unsure if he wanted to hear her answer.
"Because I made a mistake before- and I don't want to make that same mistake again." Christine said glancing his way before blushing. He silently thanked whatever Gods present that this time had not made this a dream.
"And what mistake is that?"
"Losing you." those two words changed the Phantom's life after that. He cleared his throat for a minute, thinking he had misheard.
"Mademoiselle, I am not sure but I think you said the two words: losing you. Am I correct?" he said watching her. She blushed then nodded. "Well then Miss Daae, may I have your permission to accompany me to the Masquerade?"
Christine blushed. "The teacher and the student, the patron and the prima donna. It has a nice ring to it." she decided happily.
"So I assume that is an acceptance?"
"It is."
AN: yay! so anyway the Phantom and Christine are going to the Masquerade together! But this isn't the end of this part. So anyway... on with the story
"Monsieur de Chagny! You must stop this! She chose to go with neither of the Vicomtes. You did not lose, nor did you win." Raoul's manservant Charles did his best to console his master. But to no avail, Raoul was pacing in front of Christine's private dressing room. If the door had been unlocked, Raoul would have barged into her room- but it was locked and so he knew that Christine had gone down to his lair once again.
"How can I calm down Charles? Christine's down there with that- that thing! Anything could have happened by now! Why couldn't she have just stayed in her dressing room! I could always win her over again! Just leave me Charles, you are dismissed for the day." Raoul snapped annoyed. Charles bowed and left but Raoul paid no attention as his thoughts were on Christine.
This was not the Little Lotte he knew. She would have never gone off in her younger years. He knew she should have stayed at his mansion when her father had passed away- but by the time they had reached the Daae's home, she had left.
"He is not a thing Monsieur de Chagny. I would be most grateful if you stopped calling him that." Madame Giry appeared from the shadows. "Christine and the Phantom are in love. Do not let your jealousy interfere- because you will not be the winner in the outcome."
"Who was the one who knew Christine since birth? Who was the one who shared stories with Christine? Who saved her from the Phantom's madness? Me! I have been her friend from childhood and-"
"And that is what you will remain Monsieur- her childhood friend. You cannot give her what the Phantom has given her- you would not have let her sing."
"She could have sang in company. But not on stage! That would have been a disgrace!" Raoul cried out, not noticing Christine behind him arm in arm with the Phantom.
"Angel, you were right: he is a fop!" Christine spat out. Unlinking herself from the Phantom she walked up to Raoul, jabbing her finger into his chest. "And that is why I wasn't in love with you: you could never give me my freedom!"
"But we were engaged!"
"I was young Raoul. I didn't understand love! I thought it was a friendship! But it's more than that, and it's something you're not ready for!" Christine shouted back. Raoul was frantic. She was leaving him, he didn't want that: He wanted Christine! So he did the only thing that he thought was right: He kissed her.
It wasn't like the time on the roof. It was just a kiss: there was nothing at all, no emotion- except desperation from Raoul. That was when Christine realized that he didn't think of her as nineteen year old Christine, he thought of her as six year old Little Lotte. Pushing away only moments later from being forced into a kiss, she slapped him, the sound echoing down the hall way.
"Raoul you need help! I told you that I don't love you! Do you not understand that? Just because we were friends does not make us lovers." Silence settled around them as Christine realized that neither Madame Giry nor the Phantom had moved.
Except for her Angel who had by now begun knotting his Punjab lasso. Raoul paled as he noticed the Phantom's actions. But still in his distraught mind he tried one last daring act.
"You will be mine again Lotte! I swear it by your father's grave that you will be my bride!" Raoul snapped. That struck a nerve in the Phantom's mind and the next thing he knew it, Raoul found his hands trying to loosen the lasso that was around his neck. In the distance, he could hear Christine's pleas to stop, then suddenly found himself gasping for breath on the carpet.
The Phantom knelt down next to Raoul and hissed, "I'd keep your hands at the level of your eye, if I were you. Next time my hands might slip." Getting up he put his arm around Christine's waist and they walked away towards the stage.
Madame Giry wrung her hands. "Monsieur de Chagny, I suggest you stay clear of both Mademoiselle Daae and the Phantom- unless you have a death wish. Talk to her at the Masquerade under your disguise if you must. But do not talk to her until then!"
"Why are you trying to help me?" Raoul demanded. "How are you involved."
"I told you my story Monsieur. And I am trying to help you from earning an early grave."
"Where are we going Angel?" Christine asked as he led her at a fast pace to the Manager's office.
"We are going to speak to those two fools. They do not know how to run a theatre properly. Mon ange, I need you to stay here- The sight inside may not be the prettiest site." Christine nodded silently, knowing that the Phantom had her intentions at best. Pulling her into a quick embrace, he ran a finger down her cheek. He had to go now. Abruptly he fell out of their embrace and after a last look at Christine walked into the office.
"By God! What the hell do I give money to this opera house for if they can't even protect their prima donna?" He yelled out, pounding his fist on the wooden desk causing papers to scatter. Monsieur Firmin seemed to tremble at every word the Phantom said, while Monsieur Andre just watched him calmly.
"What would you have me do Monsieur, throw him out?" Monsieur Andre said in monotone, as he bent down from his chair to try and pick up the papers.
"Throw him to Hell for all I care, Andre! Just make sure his feet never touch a blasted bit of property that belongs to the Oper Poulaire. Unless you wish for more props to suddenly hang from the support beams." The Phantom said reaching under his cloak to show his lasso. Firmin seemed to shake even more at the sight of the deadly rope. Even Andre seemed to pale at the sight of the weapon.
"No, no, no! He will be removed immediately! We assure you Monsieur!" Firmin seemed to say between each curse muttered under his breath.
"And Christine Daae, shall stay with me for the remaining time she is here! She will not be at risk!" The Phantom said laying down his last card, knowing that once more he had won.
"Monsieur, we are at you disposal. Just no more deaths and we will all have an understanding." Andre said after a moment's hesitation.
Christine sat outside, straining to listen the voices that seemed to bellow out of the manager's office. Two shadows caught her attention, and she could hear the bickering voices of Raoul and Madame Giry. She would not see him! Hiding behind a column, she saw Raoul walking towards the office, muttering words about re- signing documents. With Raoul's form turned away from her, Christine frantically tried to get Madame Giry's attention, and finally did but at the wrong moment. She pointed to the door, then made motions concerning a rope, and Madame Giry paled. Today really was not a good day. "Monsieur Chagny, might I interest you in- in- the newest collection of paintings we have acquired?" she said brightly trying to direct his attention away from the office.
"No Madame, I have no interest except to see Andre and Firmin. I will teach them how to run my theatre!" he proclaimed as he opened the door while talking to Madame Giry, not realizing that the three men in the room had heard his last exclamation.
"Dear Monsieur, do you not mean my theatre?" the Phantom asked spooking Raoul as his voice feigned sweetness. With a hiss, he leaped at Raoul, sword in hand- one that Raoul distinctly remembered. Not wasting another moment, Raoul drew out his own sword and quickly fended off a stroke from the Phantom.
"You- monster! I will get Christine back! She has not been tainted by you yet!" Raoul cried out. The Phantom seemed to hiss in annoyance and once more lunged for Raoul's shoulder, this time cutting his arm. "You son of the Devil! My blood is more expensive than your own repulsive body!"
Christine seemed to cry out. "Both of you stop this! You're both acting like fools again!"
They crossed blades again, this time, their bodies almost pressed close together. "Boy!" the Phantom hissed, "Do not assume you can beat me so easily! I am not called the Opera Ghost for nothing! You shall not have Christine!" he said grimacing at the pressure that seemed to retract from their swords.
"Christine is pure! Unlike your monstrosity! Or has she become you whore!" Christine seemed to let out a shriek of repulsion. "Have you already enjoyed her? When will you grow weary of her? When she has performed your opera!" The Phantom snarled and pushed the fop as far away from him as possible. But that was his mistake. Raoul lunged knocking the Phantom off of his feet, then quickly kicked the sword out of the Opera Ghost's hand. His blade seemed to whistle in the air, as its point barely touched the Phantom's neck. "So now you die Monsieur!" Raoul spat out. "Not even your whore's cries will save you." At those words, he felt cool metal against the back of his own neck.
"Then what about your own life, Monsieur de Chagny? Would you not kill if your own life is threatened? Are you as cowardly as you act? Only a coward cheats at swords!" Christine said quietly, the Phantom's sword in hand.
Growling, Raoul swung around intending to knock the sword out of Christine's hand, only to find the block parried. They fought for what seemed like hours, until finally Christine had knocked Raoul's sword away from its master and had him against one of the marble columns. The Phantom, gently stepped on Raoul's blade to keep it from escaping.
"Bitch!" Raoul cried out, the Phantom's sword at his neck. But there was no escape for him.
"You know what they say Monsieur: keep your friends close- but your enemies closer." Christine spat out. "I don't want to see you step foot in the Opera Populaire ever! Or next time, I will not attempt to save you from the Phantom of the Opera!" She backed away, the point still directed at Raoul until she reached the Phantom. "Take it- I do not want to hold a tool of bloodshed in my hands no longer. This ordeal is finished." Both managers, the Opera Ghost and Madame Giry looked at her stunned. Where had she learned to fight? Finally the Phantom nodded, then kicked his opponent's weapon back to its owner.
"This is not over Monsieur! We will have a proper joust- the next time we meet, one of us dies!" Raoul announced, before sliding the blade back into its sheath and walked away towards the entrance.
The Phantom reached for Christine's hand. "Come my dear. We must go below where you will stay until the opera. Grab what belongings you will need." Christine became ecstatic, as she quickly hugged her Angel then blushed realizing that they had an audience before dashing off towards her dressing room.
Raoul knew where Christine had been taught. He knew the double meaning in the phrase she had told him. He would remain an enemy until he accepted Christine's happiness- but he could never do that. He only thought of the Christine he had known before. Once outside, and safely in his carriage, he broke down. "Why Little Lotte, why?" he sobbed as his carriage rolled away towards the Chagny property.
There had been only one man before who had known them both as youths while Raoul had been learning the proper forms of jousting.
"Driver return me to my mansion. It seems as if I have a betrayer in my midst."