(A/N: Well… Let's just say, I know you all hate me right now. I'm SOOO sorry! For a little while… (a …couple of weeks…maybe months…) I was completely sick of and really didn't feel like updating anything. Actually, the first week or two I had an excuse—Projects, finals, and then I went to Pittsburgh. But yeah, I could have updated sooner… I'll try to update whenever I can now, but I got into a program at the Fulton Opera House, and that takes up a lot of time… ahh, well, I'll try… I promise… REALLY!

Ravenmyst:… umm… I wasn't reading Happily Ever After! I wasn't! That was… someone else logged on in my name! Lol, it's funny, I was actually working on an update when I … didn't… read that… Well, I was trying to. :)

Oh, and Kigono…I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your funeral. (read your last review if you don't understand this!)

Oh, but wait, one last note… It's been a while, monroe-mary, but I haven't forgotten… ((sticks out hand)) You lost the bet. Now cough it up!


Chapter Twenty-Eight: All Alone

Christine looked around uneasily as they got out of the carriage. She felt as though she was being watched… and she didn't like that at all. Erik wouldn't follow her here…would he? 'Yes, he would…'

"Christine? What's wrong?" Raoul asked concernedly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She pulled away, and then took a deep breath.

"Raoul… maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. I… I want to go back."

"What?" Raoul stared at her. "Christine, I brought you all of this way, and now we're going to have dinner! Come on, what's bothering you? You were never like this before!"

"What do you mean, before? From when I was a child? Raoul, you hardly know me anymore—"

"That's the point of having dinner with you! I want to get to know you again, Christine… and, well, I had thought that you wanted to get to know me better again. Was I really so wrong about you?"

Christine gave him a pained look. "Raoul… there was a time when maybe this might have worked… but I…"

"You're not even giving me a chance." Raoul interrupted, getting slightly angry now. "Please, Christine… Just dinner tonight, and if you really don't want to see me again, I'll leave you alone. Fair?"

Christine bit her lip, and then nodded.

xxxxx

Golden eyes followed Raoul as he led Christine into the diner. Idiot boy… he'd pay for this!

Erik slipped into the diner a good while after them, keeping to the shadows. He got a few odd looks, but at least no one said anything. Making sure to stay as far out of the light as possible, Erik moved so that he had a better look at their table.

Christine appeared uneasy, but Raoul looked like he was having the time of his life. Turning his gaze away from the grinning Vicomte, Erik focused on Christine. Her eyes flitted about in the corners of the room… almost as if she expected him to be there. He smiled slightly—good, she was starting to understand.

Erik looked back at Raoul, his grip tightening around the Punjab lasso. How easy it would be to rush in and snap the boy's neck! But then he imagined Christine's reaction, and he hesitantly put the Punjab away. No, this wasn't the time to kill off the Vicomte. He had let his anger control him too much.

Erik took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He would let them go… at least for the night. When Christine got back, however, he would certainly have to talk to her about this… or maybe not. Maybe he would just let her come to him

xxxxx

Christine stepped out of the carriage and, without waiting for Raoul to say goodbye, hurried up the stairs before the Opera House. How angry was Erik? Would he be able to understand?

"Christine!" Raoul cried after her, but she didn't even turn. He began up the steps, and then stopped. He had promised her he'd let her go, hadn't he? Reluctantly, the Vicomte turned and began walking back down to his carriage. Without a backward look, he got inside and told the driver to take him home.

xxxxx

Christine waited for Erik to come in her dressing room that evening, but he never did.

The next morning when she awoke to find that she was still alone, she began to worry. Was he that angry at her? Did he never want to see her again? She debated going to him in his lair, but then decided against it. Perhaps he just needed some time to cool off…

Finally she decided that if he still hadn't come to visit her by the end of the week, she would have to seek him out. She was certain that he would talk to her by then…

The days passed slowly, and Erik never appeared.

At the end of the week, they were going to have another performance. This time, however, since Carlotta was back, she was going to play the lead role. Christine had been given a smaller, less important role, but was still happy with it. It was more than she had ever had before, anyway. At least she wasn't back in the chorus!

The rehearsals went without a hitch, and the performance promised to be a good one, even if Carlotta had the lead.

Andre and Firmin had never been happier… until they received the letter. Once again, it was from "O.G," and once again it was ordering them to give Christine the lead role.

"Firmin…" Andre began hesitantly, "Maybe we should just give the girl the role… she does have a good voice."

"And lose La Carlotta? She wouldn't put up with it…you know she wouldn't! As soon as the girl got the role, she'd throw a temper tantrum and never come back. Is that what you want?" Firmin retorted angrily.

"Well…no, I suppose not. But what about this O.G. person? Surely they're going to do something horrible if Daae doesn't get the role."

"We'll see about that. Personally, Andre, I have a feeling that this 'disaster' is just an empty threat to get us to do what he wants."

"Maybe…" Andre allowed, "But what if it isn't? What if this madman is actually serious about it?"

Firmin looked as if he were about to say something, and then shrugged. "We'll just see what happens."

xxxxx

Christine changed into her new costume for the opera, glancing hesitantly at the mirror. She had debated on going to Erik before the performance, but there was just no time. Promising herself that she would go to see him afterwards, she finished pinning up her hair and went to meet Meg backstage.

xxxxx

Raoul had sworn to himself that he wouldn't go back to the opera, but found that he couldn't resist. He needed to see her, just one more time! He knew by now that all of the seats would be sold out…

All but one.


(A/N: WHOO-HOO! I UPDATED! It took forever to write this chapter, simply because it was SO boring and NOTHING happened. Gah, I know it was probably as boring to read as it was to write, but it was a necessary chapter. The next chapter, which will be up sometime this week, will be a lot better, I promise! Almost all of it is from Erik's viewpoint, too, so you get to see what was happening to him… Okay, well, I know it was boring, and really short, but at least I updated, right:)

Hilary