A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I've had so much schoolwork, and I'm sick now, and there's just been so much to do lately, I never had the time. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own "There's A Man", that's from "Secret Garden".

Temper, Again

"Good."

"Say again, please?"

"I said good. I'm glad she's staying with him. She can't very well go back to dancing yet anyway, and she's his daughter. They should spend time together."

"Could it be that you're on his side?"

"I am not taking sides. There are no sides to be taken. Only you seem to think that this is some sort of contest in which Aminta is the prize."

"I certainly do not. I'm just concerned-"

"For what? That she loves him more than you? She needs this time to figure out exactly what it is she's feeling!"

"I'm not worried about where her affections lie so much as I am about yours."

Christine just stared at Raoul for a moment. "Oh Raoul," she said softly. "Do you truly believe that I love him more than you?"

"The fact that you love him at all is disquieting," snorted Raoul.

"I don't know what I feel for him. But whatever it is, it's only a fraction of what I feel for you. I love you, Raoul. I know I made a few mistakes, and I can't make up for them now. But I truly regret what I've done. Can't you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Raoul looked at her, and his gaze softened. "Of course I can." He took her into his arms and held her close. "Oh Christine, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." She put her arms around him and leaned into him. They just stood together silently for a time, contemplating each other. Presently Christine spoke:

"How long is she staying with him?"

Raoul sighed. "She said she doesn't want to see me until her arm is out of its sling. That should be about a week and a half to two weeks."

"That's a long time."

"I know." Raoul sighed again. "But there's nothing we can do about it now."

While Christine and Raoul spent two weeks fretting and worrying (though about what, no one's sure), Aminta passed a wild and wonderful fourteen days with Erik. She really could have gone back after a little more than a week, after waking up one morning to find that her shoulder didn't hurt anymore, but she didn't want to go back. Not just yet.

'Besides,' she reasoned, 'I don't know for certain if my shoulder is completely done healing yet. I should leave it in the sling for just a few days more.' It seemed logical enough, so she did. She had the nagging suspicion that Erik knew all this, but she kept it to herself. What did it matter anyway? Besides, maybe he didn't know. She could never be sure of anything where Erik was concerned. Erik was full of surprises.

Her first day with him (or the second, depending on how you judge the timing-suffice it to say that it was the day after Raoul had found out that Aminta didn't want to see him for two weeks) she began to get a grasp of this. She had just emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in her robe, and seen her clothes lying on the bed where she had laid them. For the first time she noticed how crinkled and dusty they had become. Her pants were dirty from the thigh down from slogging through the waters of the lake (which, in all honesty, wasn't all that clean). She decided to ask Erik where she could wash them (even the Opera Ghost had to do laundry sometimes!). He was at his organ, as usual, when she went out on the landing to talk to him. Before she could say anything, however, Erik, without even turning around, said, "Look in the wardrobe," and continued playing. Startled, but curious, Aminta did as he said. The wardrobe, a beautiful mahogany wardrobe that stood near her bed, had been empty the night before. Now, as Aminta opened it, she saw that this was no longer true. The wardrobe was full of clothes, and all in her size. Dresses, varying in fanciness from everyday to ball gowns, hung in one side. Four drawers lined the other side. In the top one were shirts of every colour and fabric, even silk. In the second were comfortable pants, all in black but some with buckles or belts. In the third drawer was an array of undergarments. In the last drawer was an assortment of combs, brushes, ribbons of all colours, some with lace or other adornments, and even makeup and perfume. Moving the skirts of the dresses, she saw a variety of shoes and black boots. Everything was brand new, and the contents of the drawers were all neatly folded and unwrinkled. Aminta just stood there staring for a while, unbelieving.

'Erik did all this for me?' she thought. She reached out and fingered one of the gowns lovingly. 'I can't believe it. He did all this just for me. Just so I'd be comfortable.' She felt a twinge of guilt, thinking that she had done nothing for him.

"What do you think?"

She spun around in surprise. So absorbed in her own thoughts, she hadn't heard Erik come up behind her. He smiled at her, seeming to enjoy having surprised her. When she didn't respond, he said, "Well?" very gently.

"It's…I…oh Erik, you didn't have to…" she stammered, trying to collect herself. Erik laughed.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. Aminta grinned and hugged him. He hugged her back without a moment's hesitation, and then left her to get dressed in privacy. From her new array of clothes she chose her usual pair of black pants and decided on a blood red silk shirt with ruffles at the collar and the cuffs of the sleeves and black ribbon for her hair. As she was pulling on her boots, she heard Erik start playing again down below her. She listened, and realized he was playing "Music of the Night". She knew him well enough by now to know what that meant: he was thinking about Christine.

Aminta edged to the landing and looked out. In the reflection of the pipes, she could see the sadness in Erik's eyes. He stopped playing abruptly and leaned forward, putting his hands to the sides of his head. Aminta wondered what was wrong, and if he knew she was standing there watching him.

'I wish I could be Mother for him,' she thought sadly. She didn't like seeing him like this, and tried to think of something she could do for him. A thought came to her, and she smiled as she began to sing:

"There's a man who no one sees

There's a man who lives alone

There's a heart that beats in silence for the life he's never known…"

Erik straightened and turned around. Aminta just gave a small, innocent smile and a shrug. Erik smiled and shook his head.

"Join me, won't you?" he asked, gesturing to her usual spot on the steps. She smiled again and descended the stairs, seating herself comfortably on the bottom steps, and listened to him play.

Thus two weeks passed more or less in this fashion. Aminta felt like a princess in a world kingdom of magic, mystery, and music. She liked the feeling, and was sorry when two weeks were up.

It seemed only an instant between Aminta's decision to stay for two weeks with Erik and the time when she knew she no longer needed her sling and therefore had to go back. As usual, she and Erik were to attend the performance that night together, and then Aminta would return to her parents-or rather, to her mother and Raoul-by way of the mirror. For the occasion Aminta dressed in one of the dresses Erik had procured for her, a dress of silver and midnight-blue. She even put on makeup and perfume, just because. She was starting to fix her hair in a style Christine had always loved, a hairline twist with an English braid, when she heard Erik begin to play again. Somehow he was always ready before her. She smiled and went out to listen, attempting to fix her hair at the same time. However, she found that braids come out a lot better when someone else is doing them for you. She made a sound of frustration and Erik turned to see what was wrong. He laughed when he saw her struggling with her hair. She tried to glare at him, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, and I suppose you can do better, can you?" she challenged. To her surprise, Erik gestured for her to come closer. He rose up off the bench as she did.

"Here, turn around," he said. Curious she did as he said, and he started braiding her hair. It was an interesting sensation, his fingers against her face as he swept her hair back and twisted it into the style she wanted. "There."

Aminta stepped forward a little and lightly felt her hair. "Perfect," she said, unable to keep the surprise from her voice. She turned to him. "So the fearsome Phantom of the Opera braids hair now?" she asked with a teasing smile. Erik only laughed.

"By the way, I have something for you," he said.

"Oh Erik, really…" began Aminta.

"I insist," said Erik firmly. "Turn around and close your eyes." Aminta did as he said, and felt something cool against her neck. "All right, open your eyes." She did, and found herself gazing into a hand mirror that Erik held up before her. She gasped when she saw what he had given her: a beautiful teardrop-shaped silver necklace with a multi-faceted teardrop mystic fire topaz.

"Oh," she said softly. "Oh Erik, it's beautiful. But you didn't have to…I mean, with everything else you've given me…"

"I wanted to," replied Erik simply. Aminta smiled up at him, then gave him a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Father." She could feel Erik's surprise when she said the word. He stepped back and looked at her. She just smiled, gazing steadfastly into his eyes. He sighed and smiled back at her, and offered her his arm, which she took readily.

What followed was much the same as the time before. Erik and Aminta attended the performance, Erik saw Aminta safely to Christine's mirror, Christine and Raoul fawned all over Aminta, and they went home. However, there was one slight difference this night.

Raoul and Aminta came back.

Aminta had been unable to sleep, tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable in her bed. She had grown quickly used to being underground with Erik, safe in the sanctity of the darkness and seclusion. Now she felt exposed and cold. Frustrated, she had kicked off her blankets, dressed again, and went for a walk around the garden. As she was returning to the trellis to climb back up into her room, she noticed Raoul sneaking down the main path to the livery. Curious, she followed him. He was hitching his horses to the smallest carriage.

'Where on Earth could he be going at nearly three in the morning?' wondered Aminta. Still more curious, she waited in the shadows until Raoul went by, and then grabbed onto the back of the carriage, holding fast so she wouldn't fall (obviously, she had had practice). Thankfully there was no one on the streets, save for the inebriated bums and tavern-goers who didn't really give a damn about a girl hanging onto the back of the Vicomte de Chagny's carriage. Raoul stopped in front of the Opera House, leaving Aminta fearful for Erik. She knew how stupid Raoul could be when he was jealous, and he was certainly jealous of Erik. Then again, Erik was more than capably of watching out for himself, which consequently caused Aminta's fear to shift to Raoul. He wasn't her father, and she was still vexed with him, but she still didn't want him to get hurt. She snuck in after him, sticking to the shadows, removing her boots so she could proceed silently. Unsurprisingly, Raoul went straight to the stage. From his stride, Aminta could tell he was angry.

"Phantom!" he shouted in fury. There was no response. "Erik! I know you're here!"

"What is it with you and always shouting when a little common civility will get you a much more positive reaction?" came Erik's calm voice. Raoul spun to face him where he stood casually leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "Good evening," he said politely.

"Don't toy with me!" snarled Raoul. Erik held up his hands in mock defense.

"Certainly, Monsieur," he replied. "You'll forgive my good manners." Aminta covered her mouth to muffle her snickering. Silently she left and went up to Box 5 to get a better view.

"You think you can buy my daughter with an expensive necklace?" Raoul demanded.

"Not to split hairs, but I believe Aminta is my daughter," said Erik. "And that was never my intention and you know it. I only wanted to make her happy."

"No, you only care about making you happy, and to do that you want to steal Aminta from me!" retorted Raoul.

"Stealing from a thief is no theft," answered Erik mildly.

"What are you saying?"

"You stole Christine from me."

"I never!"

"You did! But I can accept that she is happy, and that's enough for me, unlike you."

"Christine never loved you!"

"Oh, and I suppose she told you this herself?"

"She doesn't have to. I saw what you did to her. Your only hold on her was fear and superstition."

"I thought you came here to discuss Aminta?"

"Yes, Aminta, my daughter, the daughter whom I raised and loved and cared for all her life."

"Only because she never knew the truth 'til now."

"What truth? That you took advantage of Christine in her emotional confusion?"

"Oh, here we go again. Christine must have told you by now. I did not take advantage of her in any way. Besides, I haven't heard her complain about any of this. Or Aminta, for that matter. They both seem perfectly content, especially Aminta."

"Only because you're buying her off!"

"That necklace was a gift, as was everything else I provided for her during her brief sojourn with me."

"You can't buy her love!"

"Love can be neither bought nor created. It can only be found. Something Aminta said once."

"I know that! But you can't seriously believe that she loves you!"

"Why not? She's not a liar. Your arguments must seem pathetic even to your own ears. Accept it, Raoul. I've won. Aminta's heart is mine."

"You can't have her! I won't allow it, do you hear me? I'll die first!"

"How dare you! Both of you!" shouted Aminta, unable to contain her fury any longer. Both Raoul and Erik looked up, clearly startled. "Standing around haggling over me like I'm some sort of prize bull? I am not just some prize to be won!" Wild-eyed and broken-hearted, she spun on her heel to leave.

"Aminta, wait!" called Erik.

"No!" she yelled. "Haggle like misers all you want, I will not be bought and sold like an animal! My heart is mine to give, and mine alone!" With that, she slammed her fist into the wall, opening the hollow column, into which she vanished.