Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that appear in any of the versions of "The Phantom of the Opera". The lyrics that appear in this fiction are from Jekyll and Hyde, my obvious inspiration for this fiction. They do not belong to me. Though I wish every damn day that I had thought of it first. Really. Anyway, as previously stated in all other chapters... I only own Dawn and the plot idea.

-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-

…I am you…

Christine rushed to the stage only to be told by Madame Giry that she was wanted in the managers' office. Swallowing the dread that had formed in her throat, Christine slowly made her way to the room. She heard a loud commotion coming from inside, and paused before she entered. Upon doing so, she received a glare from Carlotta.

"Ah, 'ere's our little flower!" Carlotta exclaimed.

The managers stepped forward, holding the script. "Mlle. Daae, you understand that you have the largest role in this opera?"

Carlotta scoffed, "Ha, Christine Daae! She cannot sing!"

Piangi added his agreement.

"Signora, please!" exclaimed Firmin who was tired of hearing Carlotta's ranting.

"Then I take it you're agreeing to this madness?!" said Raoul as he entered the office.

"She's behind all of this," Carlotta whispered to Piangi, loud enough for Christine to hear. The said party turned and looked at Carlotta.

"We don't have a choice!" claimed Andre.

Carlotta stepped forward and pointed to Christine, "She's the one behind this, Christine Daae!"

Christine was able to deal with Carlotta's weak glare, but this was too much. Her eyes formed daggers as she yelled, "How dare you!"

"I'm not a fool!" Carlotta screeched, stepping closer.

"You evil woman, how dare you?" Christine's anger rose.

"You think I'm blind?" Carlotta retorted.

"This isn't my part, I won't have any part in this plot," Christine stated, defending her honor.

However, at this declaration both the managers' looked at her, shock written on their faces.

"Mlle. Daae…" started Firmin.

"…But, why?" finished Andre.

"What's happening?" asked Piangi, trying to understand. His English was rather limited and at this point, he was rather confused.

"She's backing out!" Carlotta smirked. She knew Christine couldn't handle the pressure. She'd probably get stage fright, the amateur.

"Christine, you have a duty!" shouted Firmin.

"I will not sing it!" cried Christine.

"Christine, you don't have to," Raoul comforted, coming to Christine's defense.

At that moment, the Giry's entered the room, baring another note.

"Another note?" asked Andre.

Madam Giry merely nodded before she started to read.

"Fondest Greetings to you all,

A few instructions just before rehearsal start. Carlotta must be taught to act, she cannot flounce around the stage in her usual manner. Piangi must loose weight, it isn't healthy for a man his age to be his size. And to my managers, they must remember their place is in the office, not on the stage.

As for Mlle. Christine Daae, she'll do her best. Her voice is better than any other in this facility, including Carlotta's. However, she shall need instruction on her role and will return to me to practice.

Your obedient friend and angel,

O.G."

A silence descended as each individual was lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Raoul gasped. "We have all been blind and yet the answer was there all along!"

Everyone's attention was on the Vicomte although his attention was on Christine. She certainly didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"We will play his game, by his rules. But we hold the key. For if Christine sings he will come! And then-," Raoul began.

"- we make sure the gendarmes are there and armed!" Andre interrupted, realization filling him.

"He shall be dead and our troubles will be gone!" Firmin continued.

Christine's mouth was agape. She was sure she looked like a fish out of water. What did they think they were plotting? Not only, were they playing dangerous, they were also doing it in Erik's territory! Perhaps Erik was listening right now!

However, before Christine could express her feelings, Madame Giry did.

"Madness!" she exclaimed. "You are all quite mad!"

"Either you are with us or you are with him!" cried Raoul.

"Go back to the ballet, Giry. You are not needed here!" yelled Firmin.

"He has killed and will kill again if he hears of this!" warned Madame Giry.

"And who would tell him?" asked Andre, suspiciously.

Carlotta, meanwhile, used this opportunity to place the blame on Christine.

Everyone was shouting at each other, saying who was to blame. The managers were yelling at Madame Giry while Raoul tried to convince her to join them. She was telling them that they were making a mistake. Carlotta was screaming at everyone about how Christine was at fault. Piangi, of course, was repeating her every word. Meg was staring at Christine as she slowly clutched at her ears as the noise reached a climax before she shouted loudly.

"If you don't stop, I'll go mad!" she cried before she collapsed in the chair.

Meg ran to Christine and clutched her arm, giving her support. Christine turned her sad and crazed eyes to her.

"Meg, I'm frightened… don't let them do this. Meg, this is madness! To put me through this façade… it's too dangerous," she cried.

Standing on shaky legs she turned to the managers and Raoul, "Don't make me do this, Monsuiers! He'll kill you for your betrayal. He'll kill me! You, you mustn't do this! It will destroy us all!"

Christine was slowly dissolving into muddled sentences of disagreement. Raoul wrapped his arms about his bewildered fiancé.

Carlotta, for the first time in her life, looked upon Christine with pity. She really was only a young girl. A young girl who shouldn't have to deal with all this crazy talk.

"She's mad!" she whispered to herself.

"Christine," Raoul whispered, wiping away her tears. He tilted her head so that she was looking at him. "He's nothing but a man, he's not invincible. We have to kill him or he'll destroy us."

Christine stared at him before looking away. "You have twisted this in every way," she said, referring to everyone. "What else can I say? You force my hand! You will make me betray everything I once believed in… the person who believed in me." She paused, catching her stolen breath. "He kills without a thought. I cannot even stop him. He'll kill you all if you even attempt this!" she warned. "Oh god!" she cried, dissolving into tears. They were really going to make her do this.

"Christine…" Raoul called again, pulling her to him. "It's not that I don't care but we cannot do this without you…"

Christine jerked away from him. "You make me prey and then, you claim to love me?"

Raoul reached for her, to comfort her but she stood before she fled the room. Meg gave Raoul a dirty look before she followed her distressed friend. With anger in his eyes, Raoul glared at the floor before he too chased after them. Madame Giry paused before she sighed. Obviously, Raoul would not abide by the advice she had given him after the masquerade. She shook her head. There was nothing else that she could do. Staring at the managers disapprovingly, she left the room.

-*-

Meg ran into the room just before Christine shut the door and locked it. Christine walked slowly to the vanity and sat down. She stared blankly at the mirror. What was happening to her? She reached for her brush and slowly untangled her curly blonde locks.

"Christine, what's going on?" Meg asked after watching her friend. She almost looked like a doll. Beautiful, but lifeless.

"I don't know… I don't know…" Christine whispered before she turned.

Her bright blue eyes met the Meg's green ones.

"I'm scared," Christine admitted.

"Of… the Phantom?" Meg asked.

"No," Christine enforced. "Of Raoul." She stood at Meg's shocked look. "He… he treats me like a possession," she spat. "I can't go on doing everything he says, Meg. He … he wants me to hurt Erik. And I can't. Not after I hurt him so badly. Oh Meg, what am I going to do? You know Erik. You know he isn't a horrible person. You know! Oh god…"

Meg gathered her sobbing friend in her arms. "Maybe… maybe you should leave him."

"Erik?" Christine gasped, confused. She thought Meg understood!

"No, Raoul. Maybe you should break the engagement."

Christine shook her head. "No! I'm scared of what he'll do!"

Suddenly realization filled Meg's face. "He hit you!"

Christine's eyes widened. "Just once, I swear! It didn't even hurt that much… and it wasn't a big deal-!"

"Christine," Meg said, shaking her friend for good measure. "He HIT you. That is never a good thing. I think you should-."

A banging on the door interrupted Meg.

"Christine! Christine! Open this door, we need to talk!"

Christine's eyes flew to Meg's. "Raoul!" she whispered, frightened.

The doorknob rattled. It was locked. "Christine, please open the door!"

Christine grabbed her friend by the wrist and rushed to her bureau, opening it. She shoved Meg inside and hushed her before she grabbed her robe off the door and wrapped herself in it. She quietly shut the bureau's doors before she picked up her brush. Then she unlocked the door and let Raoul in.

"Why did you lock the door, Christine?" Raoul asked as he entered.

"I just… wanted sometime to myself," Christine replied before she returned to her vanity.

"Christine, I know this upsets you but the only way to get rid of that- that MONSTER is to-!"

"Don't call him that!" Christine hissed before she realized what she said.

Raoul's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What did you just say?"

Christine just shook her head. "Listen, Raoul. I'm tired and I have a lot on my mind. So please, leave."

Raoul glared at her, "You are harboring feelings for that thing!"

Christine grit her teeth as she suppressed the urge to strangle Raoul.

When Christine didn't deny it, Raoul became furious. "You actually care about him! Is that it? You love him? Is that why you let him touch you?! Is it?"

Christine stood up. She had to defend her own honor this time. But she wished Erik was here.

"I didn't let him touch me, Raoul. He just did. It's not like he hit me!"

Raoul pulled back. "Is this what this is all about? Is that why you haven't let me touch you?" As if to prove his point, he went to take Christine into his arms. As predicted, she turned from him. "Christine, I'm sorry about that. It really was an accident. I was just so mad and I just… I wish you would forgive me."

Christine sighed, "I know, Raoul. It's just that it frightened me, you frightened me."

"I know… and I'm sorry," Raoul said as he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"A man should never hit a woman. Dawn told me that and I believe her," Christine whispered.

Raoul immediately let her go. "You told someone I hit you?" The anger was slowly starting to rise in his eyes. "And who is this… Dawn?"

Another unladylike urge came to her, the urge to swear repeatedly for her slip. "Dawn Mastin is… my friend. I met her very recently near home. We became fast friends…"

Raoul's mind automatically prickled with the sense of precaution. He knew this name. But when he tried to grasp for why, it simply disappeared from his mind.

"I see. Is she nice?" Raoul said, not really interested.

"Yes. She's great, talented, and intelligent. Plus-."

"Great," Raoul interrupted. "Then maybe she can talk some sense into you about the whole matter. I will speak to you later. Hopefully, you might have changed your mind by then about that monster."

Christine finally lost her mind.

"Get out," she hissed.

"What was that my dear?" Raoul asked.

"Get out, right now!" Christine growled. Raoul almost jumped at her murderous glare. Her usual deep blue eyes were the color of ice.

"Christine, if this is about-."

"I said, get out!" Christine shouted. "Get out, get out, GET OUT!"

Raoul stepped closer until Christine picked up a vase full of flowers he had given to her and threw it at him. It narrowly missed his head. He looked at the smashed vase for a few seconds, shocked, before he turned to Christine.

"What in the world has gotten into you?" Raoul questioned, his patience running thin. Perhaps Christine was insane.

"Leave this instant, you pathetic little fop. I never wish to speak to you again," she snarled, her tone eerily calm.

"Christine…" he tried one last time.

She pointed at the door, "Leave and never come here again."

He walked towards her and slapped her. "Don't ever speak to me that way again!"

Her head flung to the side on impact. Grasping her cheek, she turned. He expected her eyes to be full of tears; instead, they were even colder than before. For the first time, Raoul felt a chill of fear creep up his spine.

And then she slapped him, hard. She flung open the door and pushed him out. All of this was so unexpected that the Vicomte lost his balance and fell on his bum.

"I will never speak to you again," she whispered fiercely. "The engagement is off."

She slammed the door and locked it. She slowly looked in the mirror. Who was that devil that stared back at her? Did Erik possess her body? She felt so powerful. Never before had she felt so strong, so in control. Her cheek still stung when she pulled open the doors to her bureau. Hushing the startled Meg, she opened the mirror and disappeared within, the young Giry in tow. A breeze swept in and blew out the single candle lit as the room fell to eerie darkness. The silence was broken only by the click of the mirror.

-*-

And that, my dears, is the end of this chapter. BUT I'm issuing a warning now.

If I do not get more of a response from my fans in the future, I will discontinue. I hate making promises like this but it's the only thing that affects the readers. I, too, am a victim of laziness, but as a writer you should know what it's like to want reviews.

So, please review.

Thank you.

Claire Starling