Tiny microbes skittered and probed each other on a vial of glass, unaware and unconcerned with the rest of the world. Erik adjusted his microscope and refocused the lens. He'd been gone from his apartment for several hours already, and despite himself he was anxious to see if Christine had chosen to stay there or to leave, only to return to him later on in the night.

If she'd gone, then no harm done. If she'd stayed, however, Erik knew that he'd aroused her curiosity enough that she would be tempted to snoop through his things. He was counting on it. But for now, Erik was in the dungeon of Columbia, observing blood cells infected with various diseases. He was always very careful to wash his hands when leaving the lab.

"Erik, you almost out of here?"

He glanced up to find his longtime friend and colleague, Professor Derek Landou in the doorway of the laboratory. Other medical students in white lab coats looked over at Erik. There were five long tables set in the large, white room, each with a few students hovering over their own microscopes. He was an anomaly among them- older, on a first-name basis with their instructor, and the mask aside, Erik wasn't even a student at the university. He didn't mind if they looked at him, he'd grown used to the curious glances with every year that he'd spent in the lab.

Erik pressed his fingertips to his mask to make certain that it hadn't shifted, and then stripped off his own white coat to reveal the sleek black suit underneath. He glanced at the clock and almost allowed himself to smile. "I hadn't realized that it was so late,"

Derek raised a gray brow at him. "Are we looking at the same clock? It's fifteen minutes until lunch, not exactly closing time."

Erik shrugged. "No, not for you. I meant for myself, I need to get back,"

Derek followed Erik out of the lab and into the hallway, towards the exits. "What's your hurry? You always stayed after class to visit with me before,"

Erik shrugged and pulled his car keys from a breast pocket. "That was before,"

"Before what?"

"Just before!" Erik called to him as he made his way into the building's parking garage. Derek watched as Erik slid into his car and winced at the sound of screeching tires as he sped out, presumably home to something far more precious to him than scientific research.

Christine knew that she shouldn't have stayed. It wasn't her home, this wasn't her life. 'But then, I haven't had a home in almost ten years,' she thought to herself with a bitter frown. She was standing at the window wall, gazing out to the view that so often inspired Erik.

She couldn't help but wonder, again, perhaps for the hundredth time as she gazed across the city's skyline, why Erik was so keen on her. Her, Christine Daae, a girl of no intellect, no beauty and no talent. What could he want with her, just one more dumb slut writhing on a pole?

Christine sighed lightly and looked down to the street. Yellow taxis and cars of every other color weaved in and out of the painted white lanes while people, tiny people, either cut across traffic or more wisely kept to the sidewalks. She stepped back from the wall of windows and adjusted the blinds, absorbing the sight of Erik's home bathed in the early light of a new day.

The apartment really was wonderful. Elegant, eclectic, everything from the high ceilings to the dark hardwood flooring added a strange, lonely mystique to the man's home that she hadn't noticed in their nights together. His loft reminded her in a way of Raoul's family home; they had often spent time there together after school, and even sometimes during school when the mood struck them to skip a class period or two.

Just thinking of Raoul brought a wave of bittersweet memories to mind, but with a practiced hand she pressed them down and away.

Unable to stop herself, Christine stepped past the bathroom in the hallway, and she paused before a door. Curiosity ruled her hand as she grasped the polished gold knob and gave it a quick twist. The door swung in to reveal to her a rather impressive guest bedroom. It was impeccably tidy, decorated with slight hints of a woman's touch. The bedcovers were a deep emerald; the sheets a pale, complimentary beige. She closed the door and stepped back out to the hallway, turning her attention to the one remaining room.

Erik's room, she knew. Christine ignored the voice in the back of her mind that warned her against what she felt so compelled to do. Azure eyes settled on the large bed in the center of the room. The bed was large, and covered with a black comforter. Scarlet sheets were underneath. The bed itself was not so impressive; it was of a simplistic design, there were no overdone posts or decorative boards- it was masculine and direct. The covers were still rumpled from where Erik had slept and then risen earlier that morning.

Christine tried and failed not to think of the man in this bed, sleeping alone.

The dresser next caught her attention, as did the clutter atop it. She stepped in closer to find a blue bottle of cologne. Feeling slightly foolish, and more than a little curious at this point, Christine lifted the bottle and breathed in the scent. It was slightly musky, a hint of smoked earth and rainwater. Erik.

She replaced the bottle and saw a small picture frame close to the edge. Lifting it, Christine raised her brows and smiled at the image of a much younger, unmasked Erik. It took her a moment to be sure, but Christine recognized the shape of his hairline, the flash of his eyes.

It was Erik at perhaps twelve years old, his unveiled face full and captured in the camera lens. He had been a lanky boy, tall and awkward with long limbs. His dark hair was shaggy in the photograph, long enough that it had brushed his shoulders. He was smiling, he seemed very happy.

Christine set the frame back in its place and left Erik's bedroom, but not before she ran her hand over the ebony comforter atop his bed. Christine was and always had been a very physical person. More often than not, when she was comfortable, she communicated by touch. The comforter was soft under her hand; soft, smooth, very warm.

She stepped back into the living room and retook her place on the sofa, wondering what to do with herself as she waited for Erik to come back sometime around lunch, as he had written to her. The idea came to her that to repay Erik in some small way, she ought to have a meal waiting for him when he got in.

The girl rose from the couch and went into the bathroom to wash her face, brush out her ragged mane of hair, and she then applied a bit of makeup for the day. She was very careful not to wear too much.

Erik's kitchen yielded a great bounty, so many different foods were available that she stood for a full five minutes mulling over what might make the best lunch for them to share. In the end she decided on sandwiches, and she got to work setting out the spread of cold cuts, cheese, vegetables and bread.

Out of respect for Erik, Christine ignored it when his house phone began to ring. She might be his guest, but she wouldn't presume to answer his telephone- it might have been one of his business colleagues, and she thought it would be best if she more or less remained invisible. 'No one needs to know that I'm a part of his life- he doesn't need the embarrassment of his friends knowing that I'm here,'

The phone continued to ring until the answering machine picked it up. Christine dropped her knife at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Erik, where are you? It's me, May. Just calling to let you know that all the expense reports will be sent over to your office by Monday. And just so you know, Erik, if you want pussy you don't have to buy the bitch a coat- next time just wave a dollar in the air!"

The line clicked to signal that May had cut the connection. Christine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Why bother to be angry? She's right,'

She leaned over the kitchen counter once she heard movement at the door. A click of the lock, a firm twist of the knob, and in strode Erik. He looked as formal as ever in his tailored black suit and silk necktie. Christine wondered if this strange man was perhaps part Italian as she was; it would go a long way to explain why his attire was always so well put together, even in the midnight hour when she came to him in her nightly visits.

Erik pocketed his keys and his expression brightened tenfold once he saw that she had not left, as Christine assumed he thought she would. His eyes shone brightly in the sunlight coming in from the windows. The man's lips slanted upward in a warm, humble smile, and despite herself Christine was surprised that he'd worn his mask outside of his home. Perhaps he really did need it to cover something wrong with his face.

"Christine, you stayed," he said as he shut the door.

She shrugged and nodded, clearing her throat before speaking. She felt awkward for some reason, but why should she? Wasn't this the same man that she had met and dined with for several days already? She tried to tell herself that nothing had changed, but she was only fooling herself.

The memory of Erik's large, gentle hands on her shoulder and cradling her face easily swam to the surface of her memory; he had warmed her, fed her, given her gifts and now opened his home to her completely. Christine would have had to be deaf, blind and dumb not to have understood him.

It could never happen. Everything that May had said was true. It pained her to know that it was all an act. "Yeah, I made you some lunch. The least I could do after you took care of me…I'm sorry for falling asleep in here like that," she said, feeling heat rise to her face and neck. "I've just been a little tired lately,"

Erik moved forward and took her hand into his, and shook his head. "It was nothing- whenever you need a place to stay, or even if you're tired after we have dinner, you may stay here without question."

Christine smiled and rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, Erik, I can't sleep on your couch every night,"

"Absolutely not. You can have the guest room whenever you like. I was going to carry you in there last night, but-" he faltered for a moment before catching himself. "I…mm, didn't want to disturb you. Anyway, think nothing of it. Are you ready for the opera?" He asked quickly, changing the subject.

She nodded. "Yes. One of the other- a girlfriend of mine is going to let me borrow a dress. I'm guessing that a little black dress will be all right for the opera, won't it?"

Erik nodded. "There is no official dress code, you're lovely as you are."

Heat rose to both their cheeks at his comment.

"I should probably get going," Christine said abruptly, sidestepping Erik to take up her purse and retrieve her coat from the front closet.

"What? No, you don't have to leave, won't you stay and have lunch with me?" He asked, following her out the door and into the hallway.

Christine shook her head. "No, it's ok. I'm not really hungry,"

Erik's eyes flashed in irritation- why was she running from him? "Little liar, I can hear your stomach echoing off the walls!"

She gave him a slight smile and pressed the button to summon the elevator. "I promise you, I'm fine. I'll see you later on tonight though,"

"Wait, let me call the cab service and I'll have them take you home-"

Christine raised her hand to silence him. "It's all right, Erik. I don't need you to do that for me. Besides, I'm not going home."

The elevator doors slid open and Christine stepped in quickly. She did not say goodbye to him as the doors slid shut again to take her away. Erik stepped back into his apartment, his light mood doused by the swift departure of the girl. What had happened to make her avoid him all of a sudden?

Thoughts and questions that he could not answer flew in and out of his mind. 'Was I coming on too strongly? Did I scare her? Why wouldn't she stay to have lunch with me? I only wanted her to myself for a little longer…'

It was only after listening to May's message that Erik understood.

"I like them all, they're fantastic," Diamond said as her eyes took in the different dresses hanging in the dressing room of Mama V's.

Crystal smiled, "You have great taste, Tawny. I sort of like that backless one, but the one with the sequins is nice too. I don't know how you're going to decide, Diamond, they're too similar and too different at the same time," she observed.

Diamond winked at her, "Don't let my ratty day clothes fool you, I used to have a great wardrobe. In high school I was once voted as best dressed."

Tawny peeked around a curtain as she changed into her fly-away stage costume. "Well what happened to that fashion sense? No offense or anything, but even I can manage to buy a decent coat. Although I do admit that your sugar-daddy has great taste,"

"He's not my sugar-daddy," Diamond asserted quickly.

Crystal scoffed, "Yeah, right, that's what we all say. 'He's just a friend' or 'he's just being generous'- please! I know that you're new to this whole thing, but the sooner you learn, the better."

Diamond rolled her eyes, "Oh, what now?"

"You wait and see. This guy that invited you to the opera is the same guy that gave you the coat, right?"

"Well, yeah."

Her dark eyes narrowed shrewdly. "And he's the same guy you've been seeing for dinner? He's May's friend or something, isn't he?"

"…yes…"

Tawny pulled back the curtain to reveal her costume-Santa's Saucy Helper- a getup of scarlet leather and white marabou feathers. "Too tacky?" She asked, looking for approval.

Crystal didn't bother to point out the obvious fact that it didn't matter how tacky the costume was since it wouldn't remain on for very long once she stepped onto the stage. She ignored Tawny's question and turned back to Diamond. "You'll figure it out soon enough. Just be sure to make him wear a condom- most of the time it's the girl who catches something from a John, not the other way around."

Diamond swallowed at Crystal's warning, and grabbed a dress off its hanger. She turned to Tawny, "Can I borrow this one?"

"Oh, Christine. I was afraid that you wouldn't come back," Erik said as he opened the door and took a step back to let her into his home. His relief was visible as his eyes met hers.

There was tension in the air, Christine felt it the moment she'd looked into his worried gaze. Still, she tried her best to appear casual as she slid off her coat and allowed Erik to take it from her. "Nope, I'm afraid it's really me."

"I just thought that, well, after hearing May's message, you might…" Erik let his words hang in the air, hoping that Christine might fill in the blanks. She didn't.

"I might what?"

There was a new, almost defiant spark in her eyes that Erik found both challenging and somehow irresistible. The young woman before him had spirit, it was thrilling.

"Might not want to come back to see me anymore," he finished lamely.

Christine sighed and turned away from him to stand before the fireplace. The flames seemed especially bright that night. "That depends on if what she said was true or not,"

Erik was silent. He couldn't understand her line of questioning- did she really think that he'd made her out to be a…?

"I'm no one's whore," she said with sudden conviction as she turned around to face him. The overhead lighting was so low that the fire itself had been the main source of illumination; the gold flames framed her in powerful silhouette. She enchanted him, but Erik's mind did not waver from her words.

He wasn't sure how to respond. "I never said that you were. What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Look, you didn't have to go through all this trouble. You didn't have to make me believe…I need that job, Erik, so if you want it, let's just get it over with and-"

"Christine! Stop it, just enough of this! What the hell has gotten into you?" Erik demanded, his stomach clenching at what she was implying.

She rolled her eyes, "A reality check, for one,"

Erik's eyes flashed, but not with excitement. He was becoming frustrated and uncertain, emotions that were as unwelcome to him as a winter's flu. "I won't ask what that means. Something happened today, I want you to tell me exactly what it was. I've never hurt you, I never…never propositioned you. I'm nothing like those other men, Christine!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you doing this? Why are you always being nice to me?" She demanded, her voice strained.

"Because I…well, because…"

She nodded, "Because why? You thought I'd be on my backfor the money? On my knees for the coat? What was the ticket for, Erik? A weeks's worth of the Kama Sutra?" Her voice was demanding, harsh and painful.

Erik closed his eyes for a moment to attempt to calm his nerves and took a deep breath. He couldn't believe the filth coming from such a beautiful mouth! What had happened to make her think of him this way? He'd never touched her! He had explained on their second night together that he wanted nothing from her, nothing!

"Christine, stop it. You tell me what happened right now," he ordered her, his voice dropping low. Erik was becoming furious with her for continuing on this fit- the girl wouldn't even explain herself to him!

"Or what? You'll rape me? Beat the shit out of me? Kill me and dump me in the river? Go right ahead- it's the perfect crime, there's no one that would look for me, there's no one…" The girl's rant dissolved suddenly into choked sobs.

Ignoring her protest, Erik moved forward and braced his hands over her shoulders, forcing her to sit on the sofa. He kept his grip sure so that she could not run from him; Erik knelt down before her on the floor. Christine brought her hands up to cover her face and cried for several minutes.

Somehow, Erik's arms came around her fully, and Christine found herself crying into his shoulder. His deep voice rumbled into her ears, coaxing and calming, steady as a distant drum. "Christine, Christine…please, whatever trouble you have, I want you to tell me. I will help you, I can take care of you," he pleaded with her, desperate to remove this unnamed burden. Erik wanted her in his home and his life, but above all he wanted her happy.

There was something there between them, some trust, some kinship. Maybe Christine only needed someone to hear her voice, maybe Erik was the only one she could trust to listen, but the reasoning did not matter.

What mattered was that Christine told Erik everything, and that she did not go back to her apartment that night.