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Defying Gravity

Something has changed within me

Something is not the same

I'm through with playing by the rules

Of someone else's game

Too late for second-guessing

Too late to go back to sleep

It's time to trust my instincts

Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try

Defying gravity

I think I'll try

Defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I'm defying gravity

And you won't bring me down

- Defying Gravity, Wicked

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, or the song Defying Gravity.

Long time no see, am I right? ;)

Primmadonna28 was the lovely reader who suggested this song, and the idea for today's one-shot, so a big thank you to her! I hope you all like it, and if you do, don't forget to leave a review!

"Daaé!" A voice called out from behind the piano. "Christine Daaé! Are you present?"

Christine gasped and looked around. Surely they didn't want her! She sighed pushed her way to the front of the group of her fellow chorus girls, biting her lip nervously. What had she done this time?

"S-Sir?" she whispered, hardly looking up to meet the eyes of the chorus director.

"Ah! Here she is, Messieurs! May I present to you Christine Daaé," he announced loudly.

Christine allowed herself to look up only to have her breath get caught in the back of her throat. Not only was the chorus director there, but both managers who were running there eyes up and down her.

She looked back down.

"Well," Firmin said slapping his business partner on the back, "it looks like we have found ourselves a replacement."

André twitched, his mustache going a little cockeyed at the movement, before replying. "That is, if she can sing..."

Firmin shook his head, waving a note in front of the other's face.

"Of course she can sing!" he said very suddenly before dropping his voice down to a whisper at the site of the other one's face. "If the Opera Ghost says she can sing- obviously she can sing! After all, we must always obey his orders, lest-"

"We wish for a disaster beyond our imagination to occur...yes, I know, I know- I've read his rules."

Firmin gave a nod. "Very well then, now that we are all on the same page-"

"What is the meaning of this! I demand an answer- Now!"

The door of the theater slammed shut behind her as La Carlotta stormed down the aisle to the front of the stage, a bright red envelope clutched tightly in her fist. She marched up the side stairs before shoving the note into André's face.

"What is this? Some kind of- of joke!"

André sighed and lowered he paper out his face before speaking. "Madame, please, I'm quite sure that I'm not aware of what you are talking about-"

Her face went even redder, if that was possible, as she unwrinkled the piece of parchment and pushed it into his hands.

"Read it!" she squawked.

He nodded with much more intensity than one would approve as normal, and with a shaking hand brought the letter up to read it.

"To the current lead soprano of the Opera Garnier, tonight's performance, and all others, of Marguerite in Faust shall be played by none other than Mme. Christine Daaé. Her lovely voice far out shines your own shrieking excuse of one, and therefore shall be replacing it. Please take this as a notice of your departure from the Opera House, seeing as we no longer have a need for your services. Enjoy your now permanent leave. Sincerely, Ph.O.," he read aloud, his voice quivering and his eyes never leaving the sheet of parchment.

The same could not be said of La Carlotta.

Her eyes roved around the room, seeking out this so called 'Daaé girl' as her mind was constantly referring to her. Finally, she stopped searching when she heard a small gasp from the girl behind her.

"He wants...he wants me to sing?" Christine squeaked, her eyes wide.

André nodded his head, the letter tightly held in his fist. "It would appear so-"

"You!" Carlotta spat, whirling around on the spot. "So you're the little ingenue that has set her eyes on my prize...ha! Look at you! You're nothing more than a scrawny little chorus girl," her lips curled up into a sneer. "I see that I was worried over nothing..."

She gave a dignified 'humph' and tossed her thick scarf over her shoulder.

"Madame, I don't quite understand...you wrote us a letter just this morning informing us that you very ill, and that there was no way that you could go on this evening. And yet...here you stand in front of us in perfect health!" André explained, already very white in the face.

"It's a miracle!" Firmin agreed, giving his partner an encouraging look.

Carlotta shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye. "I do not get sick."

"But, Madame-"

"Silence! I see what faith you have in me...I show up and you already have a replacement- and without my consent!" Carlotta sniffed.

"Please if you could only give me a moment to explain," André started, desperately trying to think of a way to calm her down and rationalize the situation.

"We are acting on another's orders!" Firmin said at the same time.

Carlotta froze, and cocked an eyebrow. "Another's orders?"

The managers gave each other a weary glance.

"Yes, by the, er," André started, staring down at his shoes. "By the Opera Ghost," he let out in one jumbled mess of a sentence.

Carlotta gasped, her hands clenching at her sides. "The Opera Ghost, eh? Oh yes, let us all bow down to this Opera Ghost!" she threw her head back as if she were going to swoon before letting out a cackle that would have better matched a crow. "I have never heard such nonsense in my life!" she screamed, her face twisted in fury.

"First, I am told that I have been forced into retirement, then I come in and find that everyone expects that I'm sick. And to top it all off, I come only to see that you are replacing me with a pathetic, cowardly, little shrimp of a girl- all on the order's of this infamous Opera Ghost!" she finished, shaking with anger.

Christine had enough, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her hands were clamped down hard on the sides of her dress, wrinkling it beyond repair. With a sudden burst of courage, she grabbed Carlotta's shoulder and spun her around so that they were face to face.

"I am not a coward, and I will not stand for you to treat me in such a way," she said evenly, doing her best not to let her anger slip through.

Carlotta raised her eyebrows so high that they seemed to almost disappear in her hairline. After a few muttered words in Spanish, which Christine was quite sure were curse words, she turned around to face the managers.

"Well," she started, her face almost as vibrantly red as her hair. "I have never, in my entire life..." She trailed off, thinking to herself before continuing, "As of tonight, you need not concern yourself any longer with my presence- I quit!" she snapped, collected her letter from André's grip and stomped back down off the stage and through the double doors that led out of the theater.

"Wait! La Carlotta, come back! We will make it up to you!" Firmin called after her, following her down the stairs. He gave a sigh of defeat when he realized she wasn't coming back, and trudged back up on to the stage.

"What are to do?" André asked, his head in his hands.

"CHRISTINE DAAÉ IS TO SING TONIGHT!" A thundering voice boomed throughout the auditorium.

Screams were let loose and almost everyone was fumbling and running around in a state of panic.

"It was the Phantom!"

"Christine Daaé? Surely not!"

"I told you he was real!"

The stage seemed to be getting smaller as more and more people piled themselves onto it, joining the excitement and others wondering what exactly was going on.

Christine however, knew better. That was no ghost she had heard- that was the voice of her angel! Her face broke out into a smile and her hand flew to her heart. He had told her at their last practice that she was finally ready to perform, and now she knew that she was ready.

"Monsieur!" she called, as the commotion settled down. Firmin and André both turned to her, temporarily stopping their attempts to pacify the crowd that had gathered.

"I will sing tonight, if you will allow me," she said, still smiling.

Firmin and André looked at each other.

"But the question remains," André said, crossing his ams. "Can you sing?"

But before Christine had the chance to answer, she was interrupted by the unseen voice that floated down from the rafters.

"SILENCE!"

Christine had never heard it so quiet in there, even the ballet rats had ceased their gossiping at the sound of the mysterious voice.

"Louis, if you would, play the first aria for us, please," Firmin said to the pianist.

Christine let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding as the piano began to play. She glanced nervously around as the music neared where she was to begin the song. She sighed and closed her eyes.

And she began to sing.

The notes glided carelessly from her lips as if she were a music box and required no more effort than opening her mouth. The music swirled around her and she felt herself lift up, if not physically, at least emotionally- for at the moment she was soaring! She took another breath and sung out again, the refrain echoing out through the room. She let her arms reach out as if to grasp something as the notes went continually higher and higher. With one final burst of energy, she allowed her soul to burst forth into the song, lifting her eyes to the heavens as she did.

She was so wrapped up in the music and the moment that she barely noticed the roar of applause of the words of congratulations from the managers, informing her that she had the job.

On the contrary, all she could hear was her angel whispering sweet words of praise in her ears.

"You did wonderfully, now earth will finally be able to taste a little of heaven's music..."

The End.