I do not own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, although I do rather enjoy borrowing them from time to time.
ToryD
Broken Sparrow
Chapter 21
Meg entered the dinning room later than her customary 7:00AM due to her last minute rush to pack. She found Erik, Nadir and Christine already seated and enjoying their breakfast. "Good morning." She greeted the three as she helped herself to coffee.
Nadir gave Erik a conspiring wink before he turned his sole attention to his prey with a gleam in his dark eyes. "Meg," he called to her in a false sympathetic voice, "I am afraid that Erik's plane has been detained in Seattle, some business with the new program launch."
"But how am I supposed to get home?" Meg asked as though she was a helpless child without any resources in the world.
Christine looked down at her plate unable to watch the carefully planned payback that Nadir had designed for her friend, even though she thoroughly believed that Meg did have it coming.
Nadir leaned back in his chair, enjoying the set up of his beautifully orchestrated plan to extract some measure of revenge for the humiliation he had experienced at the hands of the mischievous dancer. "Not to worry little Meg, not to worry." He said as he looked at her beneath his dark lashes. "I have taken the liberty to order you alternative transportation with a private driver; it should be arriving in about fifteen minutes."
Meg suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Some thing was amiss here, her mind warned her. Carla was always the one to make her travel arrangements, why had Nadir suddenly taken an interest in my comfort, she asked herself. She looked to Erik to try to gage his reaction, but he was merely watching the events unfold with absolutely no expression on his face. She glanced at Christine to see if she had any information to impart, only to find that Christine had suddenly adopted a ravenous appetite. "That is very sweet of you Nadir, but if I could just get a ride to the airport I can catch a commercial flight."
"I guess you haven't heard of the fog delays in the New York airports. I am afraid that all flights have been delayed for several hours. No, your best bet is to take the private transportation that I have arranged." Nadir informed her with a note of triumph in his voice.
Meg more suspicious than ever had little choice but to comply with Nadir's travel plans. She took her seat with a feeling of unease, once again glancing at Erik and Christine to try to read their expressions only to find that neither could meet her eyes.
Erik deciding to ease Meg's discomfort for the time being anyway asked about her upcoming performance. "Meg, when is the opening night of your performance?"
Meg looked up into Erik's questioning gaze, "November 26th, the day after Thanksgiving. I don't have to rehearse on Thanksgiving so I will be able to spend the day here."
Christine's thoughts turned to her family's Thanksgiving traditions and felt a sharp pain in her heart. From her mother's southern pecan pie to her father's roasted turkey, she decided that through her, the Daae holiday traditions would carry on. She turned to Erik "Erik, if you don't mind I would like to prepare the Thanksgiving dinner." She said with a hopeful look.
"Christine, I rarely celebrate the day, but if you would like too I will have the servants prepare a traditional dinner."
Christine looked unhappy at his suggestion. "One of my fondest memories from my childhood is where my family would all participate in the preparing of the Thanksgiving meal." Her eyes took on a faraway look as she remembered Thanksgivings past. "My father was quite the cook when it came to roasted turkey. Mother would start preparing her Thanksgiving pies two days ahead of time. My sister and I were responsible for the stuffing and the sweet potatoes." She once again focused her eyes intently on the man who held her hopes for her future happiness. "It would mean a lot to me if we could start our own traditions Erik."
Erik felt his heartbreak for her, as this would surely be the painful beginning of the first holiday season without her family. He knew that he would do anything to ease her pain and if that meant that he had to cook a turkey then so be it. "You have only to tell me and I will make the arrangements, but I will forewarn you, I do not know how to boil water let alone cook a turkey."
Christine's smile lit the room and warmed his heart, "Oh Erik, thank you!" she said as her grasped his hand tightly. "I promise that I will help you with your chosen dish. Nadir, Meg I will expect you to also contribute to the meal."
Meg looked exasperated at the thought of cooking on her day off. "Christine, remind me why I like you again?"
Christine merely smiled her happiness at her friend.
"I myself am quite adept in the kitchen, if you will allow me I will attend to desert selections." Nadir informed Christine.
"Thank you, Nadir." She said a she bestowed a grateful smile upon him. "I think we should also invite Daniel, or maybe he has some family nearby and already has plans. I will ask him just in case." Christine said as she was talking more to herself than to the other three.
Meg felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of an entire day spent in Daniel's company. Maybe cooking won't be so bad after all she thought to herself.
Charles, Erik's butler entered the room to announce Meg's drivers arrival.
Meg rose from her chairs to see that the other three had also arisen from their seats. Now I know something is up. As she started in the direction of the door the others fell into step just behind her. She was finding herself unsurprised at their uncharacteristic attentiveness, for she knew that whatever revenge Nadir had deemed fit to plan for her, she was about to partake in, willing of not.
Charles held the large mahogany door wide for her with an amused and triumphant look twinkling in his eyes. "I have already loaded your luggage, Margaretta."
Meg gave him a death look at the use of her full name, "Thanks Chuck" she retaliated, but she was disappointed to see that her barb had no effect on the supremely happy man. Turning to exit the door she stopped dead in her tracks. Her blue eyes grew wide with astonishment as she found that Nadir had truly outdone himself, for before her stood the largest, brightest, gaudiest green bus with the words "The Elvis Travel Tour Bus" emblazed in large purple letters. To make matters worse the Elvis hit "Viva Las Vegas" was blaring from the loudspeakers, which were attached to the front of the obnoxious bus. Just as she thought her humiliation could not reach any greater proportions, she gasped as her eyes fell upon not one, not two, not even three, but four Elvis impersonators in full Elvis white jumpsuit regalia. At the moment, all of her four escorts were gyrating to the beat of the recorded music as the walk toward her. One Elvis in particular had adopted the famous lip curl as he spoke to her.
"Thank you very much, it is time that we left the building," he said as he held out his white polyester incased arm to her.
Nadir took great pleasure in informing her that the four gentlemen, who were now performing for her benefit, would be her company for the entire six-hour drive.
Turning her pleading eyes to Nadir she found that she would receive no amnesty from him. Looking to Erik for her salvation, again she found only amusement at her expense dancing in his eyes. Turning to her last hope of Christine, she found sympathy reflected there but she also found no hope of reprieve from her punishment. Taking the offered arm resignedly, she began her slow walk towards the bus, finally reconciled to the fact that for once, she had been regulated as the recipient of the joke.
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Daniel had just completed the meeting with the profilers regarding the email for the Buquet entrapment plan. Turning to make his way towards the Director's office to deliver an update on the case, he failed to notice the appreciative stares directed towards him. Even if he had noticed the inviting glances from the females in his vicinity, he would not have acted upon them, for some strange reason he had lost all interest in women save one. The image of the perky petite blond came bounding into his head uninvited. Marchino get a grip! Your on duty, and even if you weren't she is a friend of the woman you are protecting. She is off limits, at least for now. Jesus why can't I stop thinking about her? He asked himself as he quickened his pace.
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Erik, Nadir and Brad all sat reading the email that Daniel had just delivered to them. Erik finished reading the purposed email and looked to Nadir for his opinion. "Nadir what do you think?"
Nadir lowered the paper to glance at Erik, "I believe it is a reasonable choice for the first contact, it provides the details of how he helped her chose the best lab table in the classroom. I think before we proceed that we should have Christine review it so that she can let us know if there are any inconsistencies with the wording or events."
Erik looked thoughtful for a moment. "I agree," reaching out to activate his speakerphone he summoned Carla, "Carla, would you please find Christine and have her join us."
Carla looked disgustingly into the phone, "Yes of course sir."
"Thank you." Erik continued to look at the paper he held. "The mention of their first conversation, will that be enough to get him to believe that he is indeed conversing with Christine?"
Daniel turned away from the window, "The profilers agreed that it is a specific enough topic to be singled out by Buquet as a significant event in their relationship. You must remember that to Buquet even the smallest smile from Christine will leave a lasting impression upon him."
Brad crossed the room to where Daniel stood, "What do the profilers think Buquet's next step is after he receives the email?"
Daniel cleared his throat, "We believe that he will utilize the email as his main source of communication. He will be wary to come out of hiding so we anticipate that this may take a few weeks or even months before we can lure him out. Our main goal is to keep him as calm as possible and keep the channel of communications open, it will be a matter of time before he slips."
Erik leaned back into his leather chair, surprised to admit to himself that he was happy with the plan that Daniel and the FBI had come up with, as he would be able to ensure Christine's safety with the use of email.
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I cannot believe that I, who graduated MIT at the top of my class have been delegated to search out some little twit! Calm down Carla girl, just a little longer and Miss The Whole World Revolves Around Me will get her just deserts for daring to usurp your position. Just a little more time.
Oh look, there the little bitch is. Oh isn't that sweet, she is making a flower arraignment from fresh cut flowers from the garden, how very Martha Stewart of her. God how I hate her. "Christine," she called out in a friendly voice "Erik would like you to join him in his office."
Christine smiled at Carla, "Hi Carla, I will be right there I just need to get cleaned up first."
"I will let him know that you will join him shortly." I just need to get cleaned up first. Carla's mind repeated in a singsong voice as she made her way back towards the office. I'll clean you right out of Erik's life you stupid whiny bitch! God, how can everybody be taken in by her little simpering act!
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Christine knocked on the door before entering Erik's office. "You wanted to seen me."
Erik rose to cross the room to take her hand to guide her to the leather sofa, "Christine, we would like you to read the email that the FBI would like to send Buquet."
Christine felt a chill go through her at the mention of Joseph's name. Squaring her shoulders, she took the paper that Daniel was holding out to her. As she read the email, she was astonished to see that the FBI had taken great steps to make the email as realistic as possible. If she had not known for a fact that she had not written it, she would have believed that she was reading her own message. "Daniel, this is perfect the way it is, I would not change a thing. When is it to go out?"
"Now that we have your approval, we will send it out this very afternoon." He informed her.
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Carla sat outside of the room with a satisfied smile gracing her face. It was amazing what an inexpensive listening devise purchased off the internet could accomplish. Finally! Finally, I can get my extermination of the pesky Christine underway. Ok Carla girl, time to contact Mr. Crazy Ass Buquet again. He will surely believe that I am in a position to help him if I let him know before he receives Christine's email what the message contains. Oh girl, this is just too easy! Carla began to type quickly as she addressed the email to J-friend.
Mr. Buquet, I have come into some more information to help aid you in your quest to reunite with your Christine. You will be receiving an email from her this very day, the email will contain a reference to the first conversation that you had with her regarding the best seat in the lab. She will mention in her email that you were very helpful in her first days in class. I trust that you will now believe that I am in your service.
I will contact you again when I receive more information.
Your servant,
A-Friend
Carla clicked her mouse on the send button, leaning back in her chair, she felt a true sense of accomplishment, for she was now an active participant in the eradication of the unwelcoming Christine.
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A/N Next chapter will be a advance of three weeks to Thanksgiving, it should prove interesting to see our Erik in the kitchen. Also, we will have Meg's performance as well as Joseph and Carla's scheming. Thanks! Everyone please, please, please review. Thanks!