Author´s note: Thanks for all the nice rewiews! They really make my day.

12) Tell me more... please show me

It was the first time that Christine and Raoul were going out. This might sound strange, given the fact that they had met at least two or three times for the last three months. But these encounters had been limited to Raoul´s bedroom… or the corridor… sometimes the kitchen. Never before had the two people been seen as a couple in public. They were well aware of the curious glances and whispers at the other tables, although all that was very discreet. This was one of the most noble restaurants in Paris, after all.

Knowing how much it meant to Raoul Christine had agreed to come here with him, to grant him this one favour. They both knew it was a test – a test to show the girl what her life would be like if she accepted his proposal. Raoul did his best to pass; he was as charming and courteous as possible. His mouth was in a state of permanent smiling, but it didn´t resemble the waiters´ frozen smiles. He was simply unbelievably happy to have her at his side. Occasionally, when Christine looked at him with these beautiful eyes or her hand accidentally brushed against his, he could hardly keep himself from pinching his arm to check if he wasn´t dreaming.

Christine felt more comfortable that she had expected. The restaurant Raoul had chosen was lovely, with heavy silver candelabras and vases with white roses on each table. And Raoul himself… he was perfect. Even his slight nervousness was quite appealing. The girl almost wished she could reward him in the way he longed for. But she couldn´t. So he kept waiting patiently – he had had a lot of practice – and she tried to avoid his eye, despite a few sympathetic glances.

By the time Meg called their names so cheerfully they had ordered their dinner and just started their second glass of wine. "Oh, they have to sit with us.", Christine said in a whisper. "Meg hates this man. Perhaps we can help her deal with him." Raoul considered his options quickly. He liked Christine´s best friend, but the atmosphere he had worked so hard on maintaining would be destroyed. Still he nodded. He couldn´t deny his beloved a wish. Besides, the table they had been given was large enough for two more people to sit at.

Meanwhile Meg had approached them, just in time to see Raoul nod. She could easily guess what they had been talking about and smiled brightly. Not bothering to ask Pierre first she said: "It´s all right when he take these two seats, isn´t it? There is so much we have to discuss, Christine. At the opera we have little time to share the latest gossip." "Of course it´s all right.", Christine replied as she and Raoul stood up to greet them.

"M.Devoiraux, may I introduce you to Christine Daaé?", Meg muttered politely. Pierre frowned slightly about her constant refusal to use his first name, but the frown gave way to a radiant smile as he set eyes on Christine, secretly wondering how many pretty girls the Opéra Populaire had to offer. "I am very pleased to meet you, Mlle.Daaé. I hope you won´t think me insolent for telling you that you sung the role of Elissa like a nightingale.", he said, kissing her hand. Christine tried hard not to make a disgusted face as she asked herself if she had ever got a sloppier kiss. "Bon soir, M.Devoiraux.", she murmured.

"And this is Raoul-" "But we already know each other.", Pierre interrupted Meg, seizing the hand of the slightly startled Raoul and obviously trying to crush it with his own. "After all, we´re patrons of the same opera." "How nice to meet you, M.Devoiraux.", Raoul said through gritted teeth, squeezing his hand as strongly as he could. If he had recognised Meg´s companion sooner, he might have rejected. His feelings towards Pierre were not very different from Meg´s.

Suppressing the urge to massage his aching fingers he leaned forwards and let his lips brush over Meg´s hand briefly. The girl blushed a little and couldn´t help thinking that Christine´s companion for the evening was far better than her own. They all sat down; Meg and Pierre were next to each other, facing the other two. Before one of them could say a word a waiter came to the table. At once Pierre ordered a bottle of the same wine that already stood in front of Raoul and the best dinner the restaurant offered. The three others were equally appalled by his arrogant behaviour, but neither of them commented on it.

The tense silence that followed the waiter´s departure was finally broken by Raoul, who asked the other man about his business. Pierre´s father had earned a fortune by importing expensive fur coats, which were very popular in Paris. All his son had to do was keep up the old contacts and represent the company at social events. Yet even though he had nothing to do with the actual production, he loved talking about it. A quarter of an hour later Raoul and the girls knew more about fur trade than they had ever wanted to know.

When he started explaining the details of skinning he was fortunately stopped by the arrival of their dinner before he could go into much detail. Christine gave a soundless sigh of relief. Her stomach was still too sensitive from her throwing up this afternoon to be tormented like that. During the next minutes the air was filled with the sounds of clattering cutlery and jingling glasses. Christine eyed her salad warily and only took a couple of bites, but the others tucked in.

Soon the plates had vanished from the table, and they agreed on emptying their glasses before leaving. In Pierre´s case it was the third or fourth glass. His voice was much too loud as he exclaimed: "Aren´t we the luckiest men in this place, M. le Vicomte? We have the most beautiful girls right at our side!". He leaned closer to give Meg a clumsy kiss on the cheek. The girl endured it, just as she endured it that he took her hand. At least his hand was occupied and couldn´t wander to her leg like in the coach.

"Yes, we´re… quite lucky.", Raoul said uneasily, exchanging a nervous glance with Christine. It was clear that Meg was uncomfortable, even though she tried her best to smile. But they couldn´t do anything. Raoul eventually reached for the bottle and emptied the contents into Pierre´s glass. His intention was to distract him from Meg, at least for a little while.

It had just the opposite effect: Realising that the others were not looking at him Pierre whispered: "Wait till we are in the coach, my dear! I have plans for us… big plans…". Meg turned her head and saw that his dark blue eyes were shining with lust. She was so scared by this sight that she didn´t pay attention to the rest of him. Quickly he led her hand to the juncture of his legs. Meg jumped as she felt a certain something awake beneath the fabric of his trousers. She struggled to break free from his grip, but he was too strong. "Come on!", he murmured, moving her hand up and down. "This is only a little foretaste."

That was too much. Meg finally freed herself and jumped up. "I´m sorry… I need… a bit of fresh air.", she stammered and left the restaurant. For a second the three remaining people started at each other. All this had happened so quickly that Christine and Raoul hadn´t even noticed it before it had been too late. Then the girl followed her friend. Raoul shrugged. "Maybe too much wine…", he commented.