--grin-- I had the ten reviews in the first two hours... YAY! I am SO glad that you enjoy this story! So here is chapter Twenty-Eight:

Keeping His Word

In the following weeks, Christine put everything in order, explained things over at work that she needed some time off. Heidi's exact words were: "You seem to do that a lot lately."

"Not like I haven't earned it," Christine responded coldly. "I'll be gone for about a week I'll be back but then I'll eave again a week after that. My friend is getting married after my trip. I'll be back most likely in the middle of August."

"That's using all your days," Heidi told her. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Christine smiled thinking of what was awaiting her. "Yes."

So three weeks later, she was on a plane on her way to Paris. They were on a small plane, filled with Erik, Noah, Lucy, Erik's leading guitarist Joel and herself.

Christine hadn't told Erik, but she was deathly afraid of airplanes. Never being on one herself, she was beginning to worry that it might crash. Not to mention fall thirty-seven thousand feet to their doom.

Christine mentally slapped herself. Get a grip, Maria was only exaggerating. There is no way that would happen.

Everyone looked as if they had done that thousands of times before, even Erik, who casually flipped through a magazine not even glancing at the small window next to him as the plane began to take off.

Christine tried to maintain her cool, trying not to be obvious that she was terrified. She was successful, no one seemed to notice her.

And to think it's only seventeen hours of this, Christine rolled her eyes. It was absolute torture, she decided right then that she hated airplanes. But she decided she wasn't going to let it get the best of her so she instead read a book she had bought not long ago.

The conflict was well thought out but the plot was developing too slowly for her taste, this prompted to bore Christine very quickly. But she had to keep herself busy one way or another so she continued.

About forty pages into her book Lucy offered her a drink which she kindly accepted without letting the words 'Lying skank' stumble from her lips. Lucy didn't seem to be at all pleased that she was giving her a drink, it was as if she was forced to do so.

But she made the drink easy for her. "Just water, please."

Lucy left her back to her very boring book. Christine sighed and continued reading how Charlotte was going to get out of the current situation she was facing. Black shoes or brown?

My God this book is boring, she thought. She wondered why she had picked it up in the first place. She saw a magazine on the empty seat next to her and took, catching up with the latest gossips in Hollywood.

One of Hollywood's happy couples broke up for the fifth time, a baby was born to another and there was a catfight between two celebrities at a club. Have they no shame?

Lucy handed her the bottled water with a tight smile.

Christine thanked her and took a sip setting it on the cup holder next to her.

It was like she was in first class only she wasn't because she was on a private plane. The seats were wider than her body by too much, leaving room for her feet if she wanted to place them on the seat with her. Everything was white and had wooden accents with leather seats.

I could definitely get used to this, she thought.

She looked over to the window and saw the passing clouds. She glanced at her watch. Two hours down, fifteen to go.

She went back to the magazine and read what was happening in the music news. A former pop star was pregnant and a couple of rappers were getting their first CD's out. She read the top ten lists.

The new movie by her favorite director was number one followed by others she had heard of on the television. The Soundtrack to the film was also number one. She smiled when she read the top ten CD's. Erik's was at number one. She smiled once more when she saw his single The Phantom of the Opera was also number one on the single's list.

She had been so happy when she heard her voice on the radio for the first time. She heard the song countless times on the radio as it was requested all the time. When she first heard it she was with Maria and Dustin at the beach.

They were all enjoying soaking up the sun when she heard it being blasted from a radio nearby. Christine had squealed when she heard her voice on the radio waves. And the girls around the radio squealed when they heard Erik's voice.

It seemed that he had that affect on everyone. Well, the girls, obviously.

Maria laughed at them and then joined Christine in a victory dance. Dustin just stared until they explained and he too, was dancing.

A loud noise made her jump and come back to reality, thinking it was that something had hit the wing of the plane.

Joel was laughing to himself and making little paper balls and putting them in the pocket of his jacket. Christine watched as he continued to rip up a magazine page and made them into small balls.

Joel looked at his pocket then ahead of him.

Christine suddenly realized what the noise was. Noah was sleeping, mouth open snoring very loudly. She didn't need three guesses to know what Joel was about to do.

Erik looked from Joel to Noah, shaking his head.

Christine laughed slightly as not to wake Noah.

Joel noticed this and put a finger to his lips in the international sign for silence.

Christine watched as he started to play mini-basketball with Noah's open mouth. One hit his forehead and he stirred slightly.

Christine hid her laughing face behind the magazine, trying not to be obvious that she had been watching him. Christine looked over the magazine and saw that Joel started playing with a GameBoy.

He looked up and saw that Noah had gone back to sleep. Joel proceeded to do this until he hit one eye got one in one ear and almost got one in his mouth.

Noah was a very deep sleeper. Christine watched him the entire time and tried to cover her laughing face from Erik and Joel across from her. Joel looked satisfied with himself and Erik only shook his head in disapproval.

After twenty paper balls, he finally made one into his mouth causing Noah to be scared awake. He stood and looked around the cabin.

"Wh-what?" he spit out the paper ball and looked at Joel furiously. "Damn it, Joel!"

Christine bit her lip to keep from laughing and Joel continued to play on his GameBoy. "What now, old man?"

"Joel, knock it off, or you're fired!"

With that said, Noah stormed to one of the bathrooms.

As soon as the door shut closed, Joel started laughing as much as Christine herself, almost falling on the floor. Christine put the magazine to her face to hide her scarlet face.

Joel sat down next to her, making the chains on his pants jingle as he walked. "That was entertaining?"

Christine could only nod.

"Good. I'm glad I came to your rescue, you looked very bored."

Christine smiled and as soon as knew that she wasn't flustered, she put the magazine on her lap. "My hero."

Joel took her hand. "We weren't formally introduced, I'm Joel."

Christine shook his hand. "Christine." She looked at the door that Noah had gone through. "He's not going to fire you, is he?"

Joel shook his head. "Nah. I'm his nephew, he wouldn't fire me. At least not for that."

"Good," Christine smiled.

Joel reached over and took the book Christine had been reading. "Wow, what a snore. Well, at least that's what my sister told me."

"Are you French?" Christine asked curiously. "You have an accent."

Joel sighed. "Yeah, I hate my accent. We're going to the motherland now." Then he looked puzzled. "Motherland, I wasn't even born there."

Christine smiled. "Noah's French?"

"Nah," Joel said waving his hand. "Only my mom is French. His step-sister."

Christine nodded.

"And you?"

"American," Christine admitted. "But my father was Swedish."

"Oh, I see," he said smiling. "That's cool."

"Not as cool as being French," Christine told him. "I'm going to France and the only phrase I know is the one I learned from Lady Marmalade."

"Which is?" He said smiling delightfully.

Christine laughed sarcastically. "I'm not falling for that one again. I said it once during my sophomore year in high school, boy was I sorry for that one."

Joel sighed. "Damn." Then he laughed. "Not to worry though, I can teach you some phrases if you like."

"Sure," Christine told him.

After a couple of phrases, Christine began to tire of it. "Joel, you can be my tour guide and then I won't have to worry about mispronouncing poison and poisson."

"It's a deal," Joel said shaking her hand.

Then he looked at her hand. "I'm great at reading palms, may I?"

Christine nodded. "Sure."

He looked over hands. "Oh, long life. Suffered a lot, have you?"

Christine raised her eyebrows, nodding.

"Burned by some guy, broke your heart?"

Christine nodded thinking about Raoul.

He smiled mischievously. "It won't last long, I promise you that." He gave her her hand back. "They don't call Paris, The City of Lovers for nothing, you know. It's the best town."

Christine smiled and popped a couple of peanuts Joel got for her into her mouth. "I'll keep that in mind."

She liked Joel, he had made her forget her fear of the airplane and helped her be more at ease. They spent almost he whole flight talking until five hours later, they had nothing to talk about.

That was when Christine decided to go to sleep. She used the pillow to put it against the window and cuddled herself against it, her feet on the seat next to her.

She fell asleep quickly and was awaken by Erik who told her to put her seat belt on.

She looked out the window to find the Eiffel Tower come into view. She had never seen a more beautiful city. She looked down at her body and found that she was in a blanket. She reached under and put the seat belt on.

As they landed, happiness bubbled through her making her smile once again as she looked out the window.

Erik sat across from her a smile spreading over his lips. He wasn't looking out his own window, he was too busy looking at Christine's happy face. "Welcome to Paris, Christine."

I loved Joel. I think he's my favorite...but Erik is still mine! (hisses) Anyways, i mad him in the likeness of a friend I have. Anyways, any comments (cough) revies (cough) are more than welcome. I love to receive reviews! if anyone wants to talk about...whatever, my email and such is one my profile. Don't hesitate to contact me... i don't have a lot of contacts on my buddy list and get every bored on the internet by myself...toodles! (ten reviews, and update, blah blah blah)
Next Chapter: Twenty-Nine: Paris, The City of Loners