"Where's Alanna?"
"Sleeping. I didn't want her to be involved in this."
Christine, Meg, and Erik all stood in Christine's room. He had just explained the situation, and Christine had not shed a tear since she learned of her husband's death.
"What do we do? I don't think we can go to the police." Meg muttered.
"Why not? My husband is dead!" Christine yelled, emotion finally showing on her face. "Why should we protect him?!" She jabbed a finger at Erik. "Why?!"
"Christine," he couldn't think of anything to say. He was in no position to be asking Christine Daae for any favors.
"You want to widow his wife and leave their child fatherless?" She snapped. "Like Adeline?"
Christine sobered, glancing at Erik. Erik wondered what had happened with Adeline's father.
"My mother chose to pull the trigger, this isn't about Erik." Meg murmured. "In this situation he didn't do anything wrong."
"I suppose."
"But if we take her to the police and she tells them what she knows..."
"Then I'm a goner." Erik muttered. "If you could convince her, she could claim insanity, plead guilty, and they'd just lock her up for a few years, no trial or anything."
"If I can convince her." Meg agreed. "But it's a good idea."
Christine stayed silent.
"It's all her fault."
"What?"
"Alanna. This was all because of her."
()
Erik had his arms folded as he watched Alanna at her vanity, leaning against the wall by the bed. He watched her silently as she expertly applied powders to her face as she prepared for her last show. Christine refused to perform after Raoul's death, and the manager was going to retire the show after tonight's performance. Alanna was the only option he had, since tickets had already been sold for that night. She looked up at the mirror and saw him staring at her.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing, I just… I don't know." He smiled wryly.
"If you say so." She returned to her task as though she hadn't been interrupted. Erik continued staring at her, completely entranced. "I can't believe it's almost over. When I was brought onto the cast it felt like a dream, but now it's done." She shook her head. Erik walked over, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"At least now we can leave, go to Italy." He said. "We can finally be alone. Maybe find some peace." After Raoul had died, his fiancé had expressed the distinct desire to leave the opera house, once and for all, so they could live in peace in Italy.
"Hopefully." She reached up and put her hand over his. "Sometimes I wonder…"
"Wonder what?"
"If we… forget it." She muttered.
"Go on, say what's on your mind." He insisted.
"If we're doing the right thing. I mean, it's not like we got engaged because I was pregnant, but sometimes I wonder if we're moving too fast. I just want everything to slow down."
Erik hesitated and flinched as someone knocked on the door.
"Curtain, half hour, Alanna."
"Thanks Alice," Alanna called, standing from her vanity.
"Everything is going to be alright," he said, stooping down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning into him.
"I need to get backstage." She said, pulling away.
"Alright then." He scratched the back of his head wearily.
()
Erik lingered in the catwalks as he looked down on the stage, watching the cast mill around behind the curtain as the audience took their seats. Alanna must still have been in costume because he hadn't spotted her onstage.
His eye was caught by a woman who was lingering backstage, sitting on a pile of crates. It was Christine. Erik climbed down from the catwalks, sliding down silently on a length of rope. She was hidden behind a few backdrops, so Erik was able to speak to her without anyone seeing.
"Christine?" He asked.
"What the hell do you want?" She spat. Her eyes were red and her face was tear streaked.
"I'm sorry, Christine, I didn't mean to startle you," Erik said calmly, crouching in front of her.
"Just go away." She said, wiping her eyes. "Just leave."
"Christine." Erik put a hand on her shoulder.
"Go. You have Alanna. And she has everything." She muttered.
"What do you mean?"
"At least she has you! She took my job and everyone liked her better, before the scandal, that is. Everybody just wishes that she could stay on, that she hadn't gotten pregnant. That they wouldn't have to deal with bitter Christine." She folded her arms, looking away from him. "Even Raoul…"
"Christine, you know Raoul didn't love her like that." Erik insisted. "And you are a wonderful singer. I should know. I taught you."
She laughed bitterly. "He might not have loved her like that, but he preferred her company to mine. Who could blame him? I wasn't a very good wife. I'm not a very good mother." She wiped her eyes again.
"I put you through hell, Christine. And I'm sorry. You did want any normal person would do to cope." He put a hand on her knee. "If you want to hate anyone, hate me. Blame me."
"That's the thing though," She said, not looking at him. "I don't hate you. I can't." Her words came out as a hoarse whisper. "Even with Raoul gone, I still love you. I can't help it."
Erik stared into the large, dark pools that were Christine's eyes.
"Christine…" His voice trailed off as she leaned in. Their lips connected and all thought escaped Erik. The four years they had spent apart didn't matter in that moment. Passion consumed them both.
"Erik?"
It was a moment until he heard the voice, returning to his senses. He pulled back from Christine, looking behind him, his heart plummeting. Alanna stood with her hands on one of the backdrops, her face blank.
"Shit," He said, the impact of what he had just done hit him like a sandbag, striking him square in the chest. "Alanna," He stood, reaching a hand toward her. She stepped back, emotion finally dawning on her face.
"Don't touch me. Don't fucking touch me." Her voice was low, dangerous. "I can't believe you. I should have known. I should have…" She pressed a hand to her head. "I can't believe… No… No…"
"Please, just let me explain."
"No. There is nothing you could say." Malice dripped from her words. "You can't fix this. Not this time."
"Alanna, please," His voice cracked as he took another step toward her. "I'm sorry,"
She didn't respond. She stared down at her hands. "I thought you had changed. I thought you were different. I guess that makes me an idiot." She shook her head. "God, I was so damn stupid to ever believe a word you said." She looked up at him, a burning rage burning behind those placid gray eyes. "So how long? Before Raoul died? After?"
"Alanna, it was one kiss, one time."
"And you only hit me once." She retorted. Her words stunned Erik, striking him hard in the chest.
"Alanna,"
"No. Stop." She took a deep, wavering breath. "I'm going to perform. And then I never want to see you again." She removed her ring, throwing it at Erik's feet, tears brimming in her eyes.
"No. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry." He insisted. "Please. I can't do that, you can't ask me not to fight."
"If you were fighting for me or our baby you wouldn't have kissed her." She murmured.
"Alanna! Five minute warning!"
"I have to go,"
"No! Alanna, please!"
But Alanna had already walked away, heading for the stage. Erik couldn't risk revealing himself, so he didn't follow her.
"Even now," Christine muttered, "you still pick her."
"I shouldn't have done that, Christine. Don't think anything of that kiss, please."
"I don't know why I should. You still love her."
