Yay! Ten reviews! Happy day! Okay, here is another necessary filler chapter ... let's just get right to the point. Chapter Twenty-one:

The New Margarita

The production went off without a hitch. Monsieur Barc even thought so. She remembered Romeo and Juliet and she had never been happier, all Phantom thoughts aside.

Raoul wasn't there. Meg said he would be, that he had promised that he would. Christine told Meg and in she in turn told Raoul.

Christine told Meg that she didn't care if he did go. But she was wrong, she did care. She wanted him to see her. She wanted to show him how important it was to her. She wanted to show him how important her music was to her.

Even backstage, when she was in her dressing room getting out of her Margarita costume, she had expected Raoul to call her cell phone.

Nothing.

Maybe he didn't care.

Sighing, she started changing. Taking off her dress, someone walked in.

At least she was behind the curtain when she heard the door swing open allowing everyone's screams and voices outside carry into the small room.

Christine yelled, putting her shirt to her body.

When the door closed, she heard Dustin say, "Good grief, woman. As if I've never seen that before."

Christine let out a sigh of relief. "Your sister doesn't count," she said as she finished putting the shirt on.

"How is the star?" Dustin asked.

Christine smiled. "Great."

"You were great, I wouldn't be surprised if Monsieur Barc tells you to perform the next opera in the coming year."

Christine smiled even broader. "Really?"

"You are the new Margarita," Dustin proclaimed.

Christine ran to him and hugged him. "This is the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time."

Dustin hugged her back. "I can see that."

Christine let him go and put her sweater on over her white shirt. "I mean, this is absolutely thrilling. I haven't felt like this since my high school junior year. Even then, it wasn't like this. There are so many people-"

"Not to mention the critics from the newspapers that came to watch the performance. I heard Bob the one from 'The Star' saying that he had never heard such a sweet voice."

Christine tried to hide her smile as she placed the messenger bag over her shoulder. "God, do you think I was that good?"

Dustin laughed. "Do I think? Honey, I know."

Christine squealed with joy.

Dustin cleared his throat and held one of the water bottles on the table next to him. "Ladies and gentleman the Oscar goes to Christine Daaé."

As he handed her the water bottle, Christine started to gasp. "I want to thank-" she fake sobbed. "There's so many people I want to thank. My father for always believing in me, my best friends Meg and Dustin and-"

"How about your Angel of Music?"

Christine turned to Dustin. "What?"

Dustin held a rose in his hands with a black silk ribbon around the stem. "I found it in here." He handed it to her.

She read the small note attached. "To Christine, from Your Angel of Music."

Christine smiled fondly. She knew Erik had seen her performance, she had told him about it once when he called her to ask how she was doing. "How sweet of him." Maybe she hadn't seen it when she walked in.

"Raoul?"

The name was so unexpected, it took her a moment to digest what he meant. He asked if Raoul was her Angel of Music. Christine shook her head and put the rose in the messenger bag. "My secret admirer."

Dustin smiled. "Ooh, yummy."

Christine laughed and started opening the door. On the other side, she was met with a smiling face.

"Maria!"

She was wearing a dark blue halter top and a skirt with boots that strapped around her legs. Christine could see her tattoos on her ankles.

"Te dije que iba a venir. I told you I was coming."

"Maria," Dustin said through gritted teeth. It was obvious that Dustin couldn't get along with Maria. He didn't know about Christine and her being friends. "How are you?"

"Voice is shot to hell, but I came to celebrate her triumph." She pointed with her chin. Maria took her wrist and pulled her roughly. "Let's party."

Christine took Dustin's hand with a squeal of laughter they left everything to do with Faust behind.

I didn't get into the detials of Faust because I really didn't find them necessary in this story. So yeah, that's it. I want to apologize for my last update, if it upset anyone of you, i'm very sorry.
SleepingBeauty53- I think you're the only one to bring up the man in the barand connect it to the mysterious man in the club. ;) Keep that chapter in mind as you continue reading, he will show up again, I assure you and all questions surrounding that man will be revealed. (Evil laugther, okay let me stop that habit) Coming up Chapter Twenty-Two: Her Treasured Possession