Part 5: Ramon Noodles and Raoul bashing!

Silence followed the two through the rest of the day, until Willow finally crawled into Erik's care without even asking, just assuming and knowing that he would let her. She brushed her mask vaguely while she stared out the window. She kept on thinking about their song. What was going on with her, her cool exterior melting, and all of her shields crashing around her?

"Willow." Erik finally said, the first word spoken between them since their song. She looked over at him.

"Yes?" she didn't know what in the world it was that was in his eyes. They flashed to her, and then back to the road. She looked at him for a long moment, wondering if he were going to answer her…

"You did a good job." He looked back at the road… stupid Erik… great job. 'You did a good job.' Aren't you just juvenile?

She looked at him, aware that maybe that wasn't what he was going to say to her. "You did good to… Umm… Erik… you just passed up my apartment." He looked at her, and then silently turned around, and she could have sworn that she saw a faint blush trace his cheeks.

He pulled into her parking lot, and then turned off the car. They turned and looked at each other. "You know… you didn't eat lunch today… why don't you come up, and I'll fix you something." The words came out in a jumbled mess. Erik looked at her, and she saw a small smile slowly curve on his face.

"That would be nice." They got out, and he followed her up the stairs. She pushed the key into the door, kicked it once rather hard, and then shimmied it a little. It finally sprang open. She gave him a slight smile. "It's my burglar system. If they do all of that, they deserve to steal my things." She laughed, walking in, and holding the door as Erik came through.

He took in his surrounds quickly. Entertainment system that looked like it came. Door to the left… probably a bed room, bathroom door was standing open. The kitchen connected to the living room, and everything was an off white color that they seemed to paint everything now a days.

Willow looked around as well. "It's not much, I don't have all of my stuff, and I haven't paid the extra to paint it different yet. I only brought the necessities…" Erik gave her an odd grin. "What?"

"You're stash, as you put it, is necessary?" She looked at him like he was daft.

"OF COURSE IT WAS!" She giggled, then made her way into the kitchen. "I've flipped through the script, it's the movie, not the play." She looked back at him. "Apparently they got the script for it from there this year. That means that watching it is indeed practice. It's laying on the counter, you can slide it in if you want." She heard him go over and rummage through the movies a bit, then heard the 'click' of the DVD player opening.

"What do I push now?" He asked. She turned.

"Have you never used a DVD player before?" she laughed.

"Erm…" 'No…' he thought… "I just haven't used one like this." Easy lie there.

"Just press play." She heard him give a soft, 'Oh.' And then the previews for the movie started. She stirred her food carefully. It was the good old American try here. She fixed one of the only things that she could, and carried two bowels into the living room, sitting down on the couch beside Erik as the previews still rolled, and handing him the bowel.

"What is this?" he asked, as he put a forkful of the noodles into his mouth. He nodded satisfied. "It's good."

Willow nodded. "It's called Ramon Noodles, and I brought like a hundred bags with me, so I could actually make me some food." She laughed, as he made quick work of the noodles, only pausing to ask for a drink, which she gladly got up and got for him. When he was through, she had only eaten half of hers.

"That was good." He said, then turned his attention back to the screen, where the Overture had just began to play.

"I hate Raoul…" Willow muttered, making a face as he came onto the screen. Erik turned to look at her.

"Why?" of course he had a long list, but she had no reason, other than that he was indeed a fop.

"Well, for starters, look at his nose. His hair, he looks like a girl, sword fights like a girl, he's a fop, and he's stupid. He doesn't deserve Christine, and he called Erik a thing. You aren't allowed to call him a thing, he's not a thing, he's a very sexy man, who deserved whatever he wanted, because he was three times a wonderful as Raoul with his mask off." She concluded, and then quickly sucked in a breath of air, while Erik laughed.

"You really hate him, don't you?" She nodded.

"I wish that Erik would have just strangled him and gotten it over with. It would have been better in the long run, anyway." She shook her head. "Do you just want to stay and watch this?" She blinked, adding it into her conversation quickly and then barley managing not to blush. He looked at her.

"I'd like to. Practice after all. We need to…" What was the term… what was it? Oh yes… "Hang out, and get comfortable around each other, so we can practice and act better…" He was rambling…

She gave a laugh, and then nodded towards the screen. "You can be my partner in Raoul bashing." She held out her hand for him, which he took. They shook on it.

"Very well, you are my partner in crime. The thing that I'm worried about has to sing All I Ask of You with the person who plays Raoul. I may just strangle him myself if I have to sing 'love me, that's all I ask of you.' To him." She made a gagging motion.

He laughed softly, shoulders shaking. "You could just come into the shadows with me, and we could change it." She laughed happily.

"You could trip and push him off the stage." They both laughed at that.

"I feel sorry for the poor boy. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into taking the part." They both continued to laugh and make rude and mean comments about Raoul through the whole movie. At The Point of No Return, however, they both became silent, and just stared at the screen. They had acted it out perfectly… down to the last touch. They managed to give each other sidelong looks, and Willow blushed.

The movie ended, and they watched the credits roll. Silence followed.

"Well, you'll have to come up more often, and we can practice after school." Willow finally managed to get out. Erik looked over at her and nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea, maybe one day, I'll show you my place." Yeah.. Right. Here Willow, let's go into the depths of the Opera House, into the catacombs… oh, by the way… I AM the Phantom of the Opera… still want that kiss. He shook his head.

"Well, we do have to do our daily bashing now, you did shake on it." He nodded, and laughed.

"You have to make me more of those… Ramond Noodles.." She laughed as he stumbled over the name.

"Ramon, and of course I will." She grinned, and they both looked at each other…

"Well… I guess I should get going… should I?" Erik finally said. She nodded at him, and walked over to the door, opening it and leaning against it.

"It was fun having someone to bash with." She smiled at him. He realized exactly how… silly they were both acting.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow when I come to pick you up for school…." He said making sure that she knew he was going to, and then, walking over to the door, stepping reluctantly out. He looked back at her.

"Tomorrow." She smiled at him, reluctant to close the door. They finally both managed to turn, as she closed the door, and he went down stairs.

Erik brushed his mask as he walked back down to his car. If only she knew… if only… He was going to have to make sure that they didn't get any closer… if they weren't already too close.

Willow pressed her back to the door, sliding down, and holding her face. If he knew the truth… he would just never have to know. They could be friends, but they couldn't get close… she shook her head, fingering her mask softly, standing, and restarting the movie, falling asleep to the soft singing…

"You alone can make my song take flight…"