DISCLAIMER: I own Gabrielle, Anton, and my new original plotline for Don Juan Triumphant!

Preparing for the performance of Don Juan Triumphant proved to be no easy task for anyone, due in part to the opera itself. In the second act Don Juan's, right hand man, Passarino, and Aminta were to have a romantic duet, which they had never had to perform in front of an audience before. Needless to say, it was impossible to even force the necessary chemistry to happen between Gabrielle and Carlotta, for obvious reasons.

Carlotta, not at all in character, refused to even lay a hand on Gabrielle, unless it was to push the younger girl out of the way. Gabrielle, however, displayed maturity just as long as she could, resisting the urge to elbow the diva back. Still, when working with la Carlotta, it was impossible to hold your tongue forever.

"She's not even'a trying!" Carlotta whined shrilly. "Honestly, she's 'orrible! How can anyone stand to listen to that squealing she's doing?" She gestured lazily toward the younger girl. "It's impossible for us to work together." Gabrielle gritted her teeth, spun on her heel, and faced the managers.

"I have to concur with Carlotta, gentlemen," she said, looking at Firmin and Andre. "And this is completely ridiculous, giving Carlotta this part! She can't play Passarino! It's a male role!"

"Yes, and it's not silent, either," Anton pointed out as he was working on a prop, standing atop a scaffold. Gabrielle looked up and laughed, in spite of her current fuming.

"Besides," she added, ignoring Carlotta's affronted squeals. "She's understudying for me, and that's a job within itself!"

"Then what do you propose?" Firmin groaned, rolling his eyes. For once, he wished that Erik would arrive, just to exert his authority upon these now rather disorganized cast members. Already, the dancers and chorus members were distracted from their rehearsing, beginning to circle around and jostle amongst themselves for an ideal view of the ruckus. Their chaotic rustling about surprised the managers to no end. They had expected that the constant presence of the Opera Ghost would be some incentive to behave. But they were all merely naïve opera brats, invincible to fear until it was pounded into them.

Come to think of it, the Opera Ghost's presence itself came as a surprise. But things had changed since the glory days of the Opera Populaire, as had the man who had created it. Now, there was really no sense hiding when everyone knew where your hiding place was, was there?

'Perhaps we can just find another Passarino?" Meg piped up from her spot among the other dancers in the corps du ballet, who were waiting in the wings.

"Monsieur Fouinard could do it!" Gabrielle interjected brightly. "He knows the lines and everything! He's been helping me with my lines for the entire time." She paused, looking at the managers, who seemed to seriously be considering the possibility.

"He's definitely more believable in the role, especially the costume!" Meg added, coming to her friend's defense. Carlotta stood, gaping at whether or not she was pleased with this or not.

Firmin and Andre discussed with one another for another long, excruciating minute, then looked at Anton, who stood, rather dumbfounded, still on the scaffold. Firmin cleared his throat. "Well, let's see how he does, then," he said.

Anton hurried down the ladder, staring in confusion at Gabrielle who smiled, half coyly and half apologetically.

"From the top of the duet, then," Andre said.

Whatever awkward discomfort that had been there with Carlotta performing now disappeared. What the duet lacked in all around vocal skill now was at least more credible because of the sheer sincerity. The fondness that hovered in their eyes was not forced. Upon its closing, the managers merely managed to nod to one another dumbly.

"What's going on?' Erik said, now walking authoritatively into the room. "What's the porterboy doing on the stage? I thought you were rehearsing." Right away, he could tell that she had done something absolutely, irreparably irrational again.

"He's our new Passarino," Gabrielle said with a certain amount of finality. "I couldn't work with Carlotta, so we needed to make a few changes."

"And you made this decision by what authority, pray tell?" Erik asked, crossing his arms and looking at Gabrielle crossly.

"None," Gabrielle said logically, "But I assumed that it would have been the same decision as you would have made. After all, Carlotta didn't seem to want the part at all—"

"This is a scandal!" Carlotta cried out shrilly, storming out to the center of the stage. "That's MY part! You can't just give it to some little boy who has probably never stood on a stage, other than to build the set—"

"If I remember correctly, Signora," Gabrielle interrupted, "You didn't even appreciate being cast in the role, in any case. You obviously don't care much for it, seeing as you seem to be meandering off while you're supposed to be acting."

"Enough!" Firmin hissed as though the two women were a pair of sisters caught in a particularly intense rivalry. "Signora, Gabrielle is correct in saying that you are not the best candidate for the role of Passarino—" Carlotta let out an exaggerated gasp, "But you, Mademoiselle Clairmont," Firmin continued, looking at the younger girl, "Could show a bit more decorum if you absolutely cannot keep such comments to yourself."

"Not my fault that I'm right," she muttered under her breath, When Carlotta glanced at her as though she had heard, Gabrielle averted her gaze to look at Erik, who stood in the doorway in the same fuming silence for the entire time. Innately, she begged him to agree with her.

"Well, I believe that no one of importance contests Mademoiselle Clairmont's decision," he said, his head held in the air as he shot a glance toward a brightly reddening Carlotta., "Gabrielle is absolutely indispensable to this production, and as it is for her comfort, I believe the choice is clear." He gestured carelessly towards the stage. "Carlotta, hand your script to—" he gritted his teeth at this. "Monsieur Fouinard."

Furious, the woman threw her copy of the script onto the ground at Anton's feet and stormed out of the theatre, cursing loudly in Italian as she went.

'Well, that went rather well, didn't it?" Gabrielle said, breaking the silence. Upon hearing her, Erik looked at her with an annoyed glare that said, We'll be discussing this later. Then, with an ominous twirl of his cape, he walked out as well.

"I think that means you're in trouble…" Meg muttered. Gabrielle just nodded quietly.

A/N's

Not going to reply to everyone on each update for a while, because I have to be putting everything up in a hurry. What with school and all.

JUST AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR REVIEWERS...I've already finished writing out this story, and I was just wondering if any of my readers/reviewers would be interested in a sequel? Please tell me, so I know whether or not to consider it! Plzthnx!

Diana-Lupin, you're just like me! I've been very, VERY severely sidetracked from my HP obsession by the miracle that is PHANTOM.

Cassie, (KensDragonet), I'm trying really hard! No more falling chandeliers! . pretty please?

XOXO

x333 vicky