(blushes) Thank you all for your support and words of encouragement. I have decided that I won't delete any of my chapters so far! yay! So because you guys have supported me and my story and sent me 26 reviews for one chapter I have decided to update the other chapter right after this one. ;) Okay, here is chapter Thirty-Four:

Performing

Not too long after, she received the phone call that it was time to get up. For what she didn't know because the day before the director had called it a wrap and they were done with the video.

But still, she got up, showered and went down to breakfast where Lucy sat by herself at a table eating a bagel and reading The New York Times.

Christine thought about going back to her room but thought better of it, because in truth she was hungry. Gathering every ounce of self-control she had she approached Lucy.

"Good morning, Lucy."

Lucy didn't answer, she only looked at her from above the newspaper then resumed reading it.

"You slept well?"

"I'm sure you did," Lucy told her coldly. "Then again, anyone who wakes up in a man's arms does sleep well, if there is any sleeping."

Christine's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Bitch! It took a lot of her not to take her head and bang it against the table in front of her, instead she pulled out a chair and sat down. "Listen Lucy, I don't know what you think might have happened but nothing did. Got it?"

Lucy took a bite of her bagel and continued reading her paper, ignoring her.

Christine got up forcefully making Lucy's coffee spill over the side.

Christine didn't apologize for that, instead she went to the buffet table where she started to serve herself the complimentary breakfast. Her thoughts ran away with her and she didn't notice how much eggs she was putting on her plate until someone spoke next to her.

"Planning to feed a country with that plate, Miss Daaé?"

Christine blinked and looked at the mountain of eggs in front of her. "Oh." It took her a second more to put a face to that sultry voice. That was when she turned. "Good morning, Erik."

He smiled down at her and Christine smiled back, all anger drained.

He was dressed in a black dress shirt, the first three buttons undone and slacks. It was amazing how he could make ordinary clothes look custom tailored for him.

Maybe it is.

He had combed his hair back and was cleanly shaven, she could even smell his aftershave. His sunglasses were on his head and Christine could have sworn they were Ray-Bans.

His smile faded and then he looked worried. "Christine, I want to apologize for last night. I was going too fast, I shouldn't have-"

"Its fine, Erik," She told him. "We all get caught up in the moment sometimes."

He smiled and took her hand. "But not you, right, my angel?"

She smiled mischievously. "Not me. I'm perfect."

He laughed and kissed her hand.

When he let her hand go she pointed to the eggs. "You want some?"

He shook his head firmly and took the plate from her hand, placing it on an empty table. "Might I suggest something else?"

Christine nodded and he led her to some native food of the country. There were tarts and crêpes with fruit. She trusted him completely and when he gave her the plate and juice they sat at a table by themselves. As soon as she started eating, she couldn't stop.

"This is delicious," she found herself mumbling as she ate her breakfast.

When she saw he wasn't eating, she questioned him about it.

"I'm not hungry," he told her almost dismissively.

She knew it wasn't true and offered him some of her own, which he didn't decline.

Halfway through her breakfast Erik cleared his throat. "I wanted to tell you something."

Christine nodded as she proceeded to stuff her face.

"A nearby radio station is having a concert tonight, with some known stars of Paris and all around the world. They want me to perform, I would like to perform our song."

Christine swallowed the almost whole strawberry. "What?"

"I want you to perform with me Phantom of the Opera tonight at a concert that will benefit the UNICEF foundation," he told her as if they were discussing something as unimportant as the weather. "The question is, will you sing with me?"

Christine glared daggers at him. "You threw that whole UNICEF thing in there so I'd say yes, didn't you?"

He shrugged smiling. "It doesn't make it any less true." Then he put on an expression that she had never seen him use before. "Think of the children."

Christine stared at him with an open mouth. "Are you pouting?"

"Is that what this is?"

She smiled. "Even without the face you're hard to resist. I'll do it."

Erik leaned across the table and kissed her shamelessly.

When he pulled away, Christine asked, "Is that why I had to wake up so early, so you could ask me that?"

He smiled. "I want you to spend the day with me." He stood when he saw that she was done with her breakfast. "Take my side in the spotlight."

Christine wiped her mouth on a napkin as lady-like as possible. Taking his hand she said, "Whatever you say, Monsieur."

The day was full of interview after interview which for Christine was very dull. She didn't know how Erik had the energy, in every interview he entered and answered their questions with an unwavering liveliness she, herself, didn't possess. There wasn't a person who didn't ask him about his new CD or apparently the million dollar contract that he received for making it.

Christine blanched when she heard that.

Lucy had scoffed at her reaction and Noah –who had been there—looked at Erik proudly. Like Erik was his son and he had gotten straight A's.

Erik continued oblivious to what happened. He had talked about his new single The Phantom of the Opera and how he would be donating money to the concert that night.

Christine smiled as Noah had before, she was proud that he had changed.

They had to do a sound check during the day and they did. It was all very new to Christine and when they gave her the equipment and told her what to do, Christine hesitated for half a second.

They only did half the song but Christine felt an eerie sort of calm as the band played behind her and Erik sang beside her. How she loved it, and then later that day, she was going to do it in front of hundreds if not thousands of people.

She wasn't at all nervous but bubbling with excitement. How she wished the day would go faster!

She did find the day going faster during the afternoon when she finished her early dinner. Everything went off without a hitch as Antoinette helped her dress into her clothes.

The black leather skirt barely let her move her legs and the corset was considerably more loose than the day before.

She asked if it was really necessary to be in costume again but Antoinette said that if she were to go out in jeans and a white shirt, the fans would be disappointed.

Her hair was moussed and she put glitter all over her exposed flesh.

Right before she went onstage, she could hear the roar of the crowd as a performer went off.

When she saw who it was, she nearly screamed with joy.

Antoinette looked at her as if she were mad.

"It's B-Black Eyed Peas, oh my God, I love them!"

Antoinette shook her head as she ushered her onstage.

She passed a lot of stagehands and technicians as they eyed her and said some things in French. Christine continued down toward the stage, seeing Erik's band.

She waved at them and they all waved back. She was happy they were so friendly.

She hadn't seen Erik ever since they got out of the car and went their separate ways to prepare. Joel saw her and waved mouthing a 'good luck' to her as he stepped on stage.

A man's voice came over the speakers and started speaking French end with, "Erik Destler et Christine Daaé!"

A smile crept on her lips, she had never heard anyone announce her like that before. The people in the audience cheered even louder as they lights dimmed.

Christine took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The microphone was handed to her by a technician and Christine smiled at him.

Then she heard the most beautiful sound in the world. Someone was playing an organ on stage and by the way the people reacted in the audience, she could tell they were enjoying it. The instrument played away and Christine shut her eyes lost in the music.

The solo ended with the familiar six notes that began the song that she was about to sing. Joel took over with Stevie on the drums, pounding away the beloved song.

The audience upon recognizing the song cheered even louder than before (if that was possible) almost leaving Christine deaf.

She smiled to herself, her senses on end and her nerves calming at once. She was born for this, it was her father's dream for her to be famous and now she had it.

This is for you, Papa, she said to him.

She began to walk onstage, the microphone to her lips. "In sleep he sang to me…" Christine thought she had lost her voice because she couldn't hear herself singing over the cheering audience but she continued anyways.

She sang her heart out, giving everything she had in that performance she had dedicated to her father. The people closest to her in the audience reached out to her, trying to get to her. She smiled and waved to them and they in turn, waved back with huge grins on their faces.

When Erik started singing, she could hear the girls in the audience scream out his name and a couple of 'I love you's' or 'Marry me's'. It was wild, she had never heard anything like it.

Christine looked up at Erik, who was sitting on the organ bench perched up on the steps of the stage.

Christine smiled knowing that he had been the one who had played the organ earlier. How was it that his music always made her stop what she was doing and listen? It was as if he had her under his spell.

He sang as he went down the steps with energy and passion. Their song went on, and in the end when it was Christine's solo, everyone screamed her name.

They loved her, they loved her performance. And it was her first one!

She was so happy that in the end, she reached a note so high that it seemed to reach the heavens. The audience cheered and Christine knew a couple of them were going to loose their voice the next day. The stage lights turned off and Christine could feel Erik's hand on her wrist as he pulled her along, they had to make room for the next act.

Panting from the exhaustion that claimed her body from having her soul bared out into the audience, she handed the technicians her earpiece and microphone.

Erik did the same, took her hands and kissed them. "That was magnificent, my angel. You were absolutely wonderful." He kissed her hands again. "You continue to amaze me, my dear."

Christine smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Come on, let's listen to the rest of the performances," he told her.

Christine followed but her eyes glued to a man that passed her line of vision. All thoughts before then blurred away. Her mouth dropped at the sight of him and she didn't even notice that she squealed. "Oh my God! That's Tom Cruise! I've loved him, since, like forever!"

And as for Raoul coming back, we'll just have to see then won't we? (snickers) But I can tell you this, Raoul and Chrisitne will not be getting together anytime soon. :) Coming up: Chapter Thirty-Five: Embracing Her Angel