Author's Note: Another chapter for you lovely people. As always please read and review.

Inspiration: As Far As You Know by Gretchen Wilson

As Far As You Know

Erik paced the room fuming. 'How dare Jennifer act as she knows my angel better than I do. The insolent boy will leave and we will be wed.' He felt as thought he were filled with such raw energy that he picked up the score to his opera Don Juan Triumphant. He began writing his quill scratching against the paper as his rage transferred into notes on the page. He was so entranced in the music he barely heard the bell alerting him that someone was nearing the Rue Scribe entrance. From a series of tubing he could hear Christine's voice faintly calling out his name. As much as he wished to finish his score undisturbed he could not deny his angel an audience. He put the quill down wrapped his cape around himself and rushed off to his sweet student. He felt his lips curl upwards into a faint smile as he neared her. However when he saw her agitated state his smile turned into a scowl. He felt some I the previous anger resurface as he wondered if Jennifer had spoken harshly to his angel about the arrangement.

"What is the matter my angel? Has anyone harmed you or spoken unkindly to you?"

She looked at him like a deer caught in a hunter's sights; she looked around wildly before shaking her head. "No...no...it's nothing I only wished to see you."

She hurried past him into his lair soon taking a seat as though her legs wouldn't hold her much longer. While he was thrilled by the prospect that she came to see him he could sense she wasn't being entirely truthful. She appeared fretful and she was wringing her hands while observing the floor intently. He waited for her to speak but the silence lengthened as his angel continued to fidget. He arose and began to pace, his mind traveling back to the fight he had with Jennifer.

"ARE you sure NO one spoke harshly or unkindly to you about anything?"

His tone was so sharp that a startled Christine looked up at him for the first time since she arrived. "No Erik no one said anything unkind to me. It's just..."

"Go on my angel. You know that I know all that goes on in the opera house so it is not wise to keep something from me."

"It's Raoul he says…he says he does not want to leave for his trip. I am worried Erik, that he will not be happy when he leaves and I want him to be happy." Christine's head dropped as she looked back at the ground her voice dropped down to almost a whisper. "Perhaps he doesn't have to leave, perhaps he could stay here. I'm sure it wouldn't affect us." Christine looked back up at him her eyes pleading with him to allow Raoul to stay in Paris.

He knew that look well it was the same look that she had given him the last time she had told him about Raoul leaving and wanting to do something to show him she would be happy after he left her. It was the look he couldn't deny and she knew it, her lower lip stuck out in a pout and his resistance began to waiver. Suddenly he could hear Jennifer's voice in his head telling him that Christine was manipulating him and how she wanted Raoul to stay so they could be together, which was the last thing he wanted and he was about to agree to her wishes just to please her. However he needed to put his foot down and send Raoul far away so that Christine and he would be together. "I commend your compassion my dear angel and that you want people to be happy, however I am afraid that it will not be a good idea for Raoul to stay in Paris."

"My dear Erik it would be a good idea why should he be forced from his home and sent to some harsh land when all he loves is here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he were sent so far away. I would miss him far too much, which wouldn't make me a very good wife to you." Again she pouted and looked upon him with her large doe like eyes.

"It seems my dear that you feel more for him that just as a friend." Suddenly he could see that Jennifer had been right all along he hadn't wanted to see it but here his angel was begging him to let that boy stay and how she wanted him near her and was looking at him and speaking in such a way to sway him to her views.

"No…no I only see him as a friend and because of that I do wish for him to be happy and I feel he would be happiest in Paris with me. He doesn't need to leave…me….us…we…could all be happy."

Christine was quick to recover from her slip-up however it wasn't quick enough Erik heard all he needed to and knew that Raoul was a far bigger threat that he had imagined. He had been so wrong and Jennifer had been right and she had tried to warn him and instead he shunned her and told her she was no longer his friend. Now was time to allow Christine to see the phantom side of him and for her to know he wasn't to be trifled with and to have her send Raoul away.

"I do want your happiness my angel however I believe he shouldn't stay lest he fall prey to a fatal accident of some kind." He sneered after the last word.

He watched in a bittersweet mood as Christine flinched and understood his meaning all too well. "Perhaps you are right Erik he should leave on his trip as planned after all he has been planning it for so long it would be wrong of me to ask him to stay."

"I'm glad you see things better now my angel. Perhaps you should stay with me for a couple days so I can show you what happiness you can look forward to. I won't be able to entertain you much as I have become inspired to work on my opera. You remember it don't you, Don Juan Triumphant, it will be my crowning achievement and perhaps one day when it is finished I will have you sing it to the world after I have gone from this mortal plane."

Christine looked down at the floor again perhaps weighing her options and knowing Erik always kept his word and would indeed harm Raoul, as well as realizing her situation. "Perhaps that is best, I know how caught up you get when you begin your opera so spending some time together will be wonderful."

"Come let me play some music for you and we can do some vocal exercises." He also wanted to think how best to apologize to Jennifer.

Jen walked into the kitchen woodenly. Normally cooking and prepping was therapeutic for her and she hoped dearly that it would help her now. Thankfully no one was in the kitchen so she didn't have to keep up a façade. First thing she did was drink two glasses of water still partially dehydrated from the torture room. Some vegetables were grabbed as well as a chef's knife and cutting board. The cutting board was just set up and the knife in hand when the doors to the kitchen slammed open startling her. She tightened her grip on the knife and turned to glare at the offending person, hoping it wasn't Erik because she wasn't sure she wouldn't snap at him. However it seemed as though she would end up snapping at someone just not Erik. It of course ended up being Carlotta the last person she needed to show up. "I am-a back. Did you miss me? Of course you did. Now I don't-a want the same gruel that you dared serve me before. I demand better food to match my position here."

Jennifer tried to breathe however it wasn't working as well as she had hoped especially when Carlotta continued speaking. "I have-a made a new list for what I-a want and I will not eat anything that is not-a on this list."

Jennifer quickly glanced over the list. "Foie gras, caviar, lobster…are you serious? There's no way you can eat this on a daily basis. The managers can't have agreed to this."

"When I asked them they said I could have-a anything I want."

"There's no way in hell they knew this is what you wanted. This would take up most of the budget and we wouldn't have enough to buy food for the others."

"That's not my problem; after all I am more important than they are. I am the diva."

"You are a diva alright and a spoiled brat."

"Watch how you speak to me puttana."

"Watch who you're calling a bitch."

"I just call them like-a I see them."

While clutching the knife tightly Jennifer walked towards Carlotta anger blazing in her eyes which caused Carlotta to step backwards until her back was against a wall. "Look I've had enough of you I've told you not to barge into my kitchen and I've tried to accommodate your tastes and desires but nothing is good enough for you. I'm done coddling you, I don't care if you're a diva or not. You're gonna eat what I make you and you're gonna like it or I'm gonna use this knife to slash your throat." Jennifer pressed the knife against Carlotta's throat pinning her in place. "Am I understood?"

"But…I could-a tell the managers." Carlotta's normally confident voice was shaky.

"You constantly complain about everyone and everything and I'm the constant professional who never gives them problems. Who do you think they would believe? Plus everyone knows the phantom doesn't like you so I could always ensure some accident befalls you and it could easily be the phantom that did it. So don't make me do something to you cause believe me I would." Jennifer pressed the knife even harder into Carlotta's neck releasing a small bead of blood.

Carlotta's eyes widened and she clearly got the message after seeing the truth in Jennifer's eyes. "I-a…will leave you for now. I will not-a bother you."

"Good now leave me." As soon as Jennifer pulled the knife away Carlotta all but ran from the room as quickly as she could while trying to maintain some dignity. Jennifer went back to the cutting board and finished the prep and felt better than she had since she got some of her aggression out. After putting the prep away she cleaned the knife and cutting board and headed to her room.

She quickly changed out of her work clothes and got her night clothes on. Before she got into bed she went to the vanity to take the pins out of her hair which took her longer than expected because she was so tired. She brushed her hair out and turned to her dresser to get her work clothes for the next day since the ones she had worn sorely needed laundering. Everything went smoothly until she looked at the top of her dresser and saw the rose that the phantom had given her and all the memories of the fight came back and all the anger came back. She picked up the vase and through it at the mirror imaging the phantom standing behind it which shattered revealing a brick wall and the rose fell to the ground petals littering the floor. She sat on the bed eyes barely focusing on the chaos on the floor when a greater chaos was going on in her mind. Much like the rose she soon fell apart and began to cry, releasing all the pain and betrayal she felt. Soon her exhaustion won out and she fell asleep tears still falling from her eyes.

A/N: Erik finally sees Jennifer was right but is it too late to repair the damage done? And will he rush to repair it or spend his time placating Christine and keeping her from Raoul?