Oh! --sniffle, sniffle-- Thank you for all of your reviews! --sniffle-- I love them! Thank you! Some of you have been wondering about the assistant...you'll find out who she is in this chapter! Chapter Twenty-Seven:

The Morning and What It Brings

Christine opened her eyes lazily to find herself on the living room couch. She couldn't understand why she was there at first but then she remembered. She had fallen asleep watching a movie with Dustin, Maria and…. Erik.

She had wondered why her pillow wasn't as soft as always. That was because she wasn't in her bed hugging her pillow, she was hugging Erik.

She looked up at his face and smiled. He looked so peaceful sleeping, his legs propped up on the coffee table, while her own were on the couch. She stood up carefully as not to wake him and walked around the coffee table.

She tiptoed to her bedroom took her clothes and ran to the bathroom to shower. She showered quickly, and dressed in khakis and a baby blue shirt, placing her hair in a tight ponytail.

When she was out, she found that Erik was awake and looking intently at her balcony with a smile on his face.

"Good morning," he said, not looking at her.

"Good morning," Christine told him. "Would you like some coffee?"

Erik nodded and stood to the balcony.

Christine began to make the coffee from Colombia in her coffeemachine, humming.

She was humming because she had never felt so awkward in her life. She was waking up with a man in her apartment. Al though nothing happened, it was still very weird. She found it relaxing to hum her nerves away.

She wondered why neither Dustin nor Maria woke her the night before or why Erik didn't go home.

As she was preparing the milk, she found a letter on her refrigerator magnet explaining why.

"Christine,

We were meaning to wake you up last night but found that you two looked so peaceful that we thought better of it. You two would make such a cute couple! Although, because of the obvious we would never find out why. I still think you should fight the bitch. Dustin locked the apartment with the spare Señora Fernandez gave him so not to worry. Besides, I think that Erik would protect you if anything happened. Call us tomorrow and let us know if you want to hang out or something.

Maria and Dustin.

P.S. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Christine rolled her eyes and tossed it in the trash. "Those two will be the death of me," she thought out loud.

Sighing she continued making the coffee, that was when a cell phone rang and Erik's cool voice spoke. "Hello?"

Christine tried not to eavesdrop but the apartment was so small that she could hear everything he was saying. "Yes, good morning, Lucy."

Christine winced. God, she even calls him in the morning.

"No…At ten, is it?...I'll be there…No, you don't have to pick me up...Neither does Travis….I can drive you know….No, I haven't told her… Lucy, knock it off, you know I hate it when you do that…"

Christine snickered, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Fine, then…I'll be there…Yes…" Now he sounded desperate to get off the phone. "Yes…Fine!"

Christine emerged from the kitchen to reveal him in the living room looking at all the pictures on her walls, the cell phone clutched in his hand.

Christine could see that he was mad but she didn't say anything about it. "How do you take your sugar?"

"None."

Christine thought nothing of it, went to the kitchen and brought back in both her hands because it was so hot and handed it to him. "Careful, it's-"

She was cut short because she began watching him take a huge gulp of the scalding coffee.

"-hot," she finished lamely. "Something wrong?" she hated to state the obvious.

"Damn woman thinks she owns me," he said harshly.

Christine smiled kindly and returned to her own coffee in the kitchen where she proceeded to place the sugar. "I'm sure she only called to see if you were okay. I mean, can't girlfriends worry?"

As she blew into her coffee –because it was too hot to drink- she heard him laughing in the other room.

She reached over and drew the wooden shutters from the bar. She kept them closed when she didn't want to see the living room. But now, she did.

"What is so funny?"

Erik looked at her still laughing. "Girlfriend is hardly the word I'd use for Lucy. She is my assistant, nothing more."

Christine's eyes grew wide as she firmly placed her coffee mug on the counter with both her hands, making coffee spill over the sides and onto her hand.

"Shit!" Christine yelled as the sweltering liquid touched her skin. She reached for the sink and turned on the cold water to rinse off her hot hands.

All the while her head was spinning with new thoughts, starting with: The bitch lied to me! How dare she! How could she! That little lying tramp! But that would make Erik available. I can be with him. So I've been moping around for three weeks for nothing!

She was so into her thoughts that she hadn't realized that Erik had taken one of her dishtowels and wrapped it around her hands. "Christine, you must be careful with hot coffee."

Christine winced as he touched them. "Ow. Thanks for the warning," she stated sarcastically.

He smiled and took the towels off. "You really must be careful, dear." Then he placed his lips on her hands. "Is that better?"

She was so moved by the gesture that she nodded although it hurt her.

Then he kissed her other hand on her palm and the inside of her hands. She was thinking about using the Indiana Jones technique, Oh, yeah and my lips got burned too, but thought better of it.

"So you two never went out or anything?"

He smiled and let her hands go. "Nothing happened between us. She just has an infatuation with me."

Christine smiled inwardly. I can finally tell him how I feel!

"Besides, how can I be with her when I have my sights set on someone else?"

Her heart began to do somersaults. He does love me! I must tell him how I feel. "Erik, I have to tell you something."

Erik nodded and looked at her warmly.

Christine smiled and opened her mouth to speak when his cell phone cut her off.

Erik didn't even glance at it. "Yes, dear?"

Christine looked at the cell phone in his hand and sighed. "You better answer that."

Erik looked at her disappointed but took the call in the next room.

Damn it! Her mind seemed to scream at her as she kicked into the air in frustration. I should have told him, why didn't I tell him?

It's because you're a damn chicken that's why.

Damn it.

After a couple of minutes and a cool cup of coffee, Erik came back with a smile on his face. "I had forgotten why it was I came here."

"And you remembered?" Christine asked.

"Yes," he said with an obvious smile.

Christine urged him on.

"Noah liked The Phantom of the Opera and would like to launch it as soon as possible to promote my next CD."

Christine smiled in genuine delight. "Erik, that's wonderful. Congratulations!"

Erik smiled slyly. "You'll be my side the entire time, yes?"

Christine couldn't help but smile. "Of course."

"The song will be out on the radio by the week," he said, smiling in obvious joy. "You'll be a star, my angel. A celebrity soon."

Christine's smile matched Erik's. "Really?"

"I promised you, Christine," he told her simply.

Christine's smile seemed to get bigger with each statement. "You always keep your promises."

"Yes, and I have bigger news," Erik said to her.

"Bigger than that?"

"With every single I have I must have a video and since you sing the duet with me…" he drifted his sentence off.

"You want me to film with you?"

"I can't do it without my star."

Christine blushed and hid it by drinking her coffee.

"We'll be leaving for Paris in a couple of weeks to start shooting the video."

Christine choked on her coffee as it went down her throat. "P-Paris?"

Erik nodded with glee.

"Paris, France?"

"Yes, to film the video at the world renowned Palais Garnier."

Christine was speechless and the only thing she seemed able to do was squeal with joy. "I get to go to Paris?"

He nodded. "Yes, with me and my band and my manager-"

"I'm going to Paris? Me? Christine Daaé?"

Erik shrugged. "If you accept, of course."

Christine smiled showing off her perfect white teeth.

"How about it Christine Daaé, will you accompany me to Paris?"

Christine couldn't answer with words so she just settled for having squeals of joy do the talking for her. Christine put her arms around him in an effort to thank him and she laughed as he picked her up, making her seem as if she were as light as a feather.

Woohoo! Paris! And to top it all off it's at the Palais Garnier where the original Phantom of the Opera took place. :) I'm such a genius (not really, I guess it's been done before but I like to bask in my own brilliance for the time being)
Queen of Perfectionism- I was watching the movie while I wrote that...that was about...two months ago?
Thank you everyone for all of your great reviews and for thinking that chapter was sweet! So anyways, you know the drill, ten reviews and an update! Love you guys!
Coming up: Chapter Twenty-Eight- Keeping His Word