(starts to do the dance of joy) Thank you for all of your great reviews! For all of you that have been wondering what the video is like, here's the chapter to read. And when the wedding is, it says when in this chapter too.As far as the gold note, I really don't know how it's done, I only do it as I see it in the movies. Christine hasn't payed her rent and is getting evicted from her apartment. That was what the gold note was saying. If anyone has any idea how that happens, you know the formalities and stuff, let me know so I can get it right.You guys remember the question i posted and who ever got it right appeared in my story? Well, here is Kara, a.k.a- onelastchance. All right, here is chapter thirty-eight:

A New Celebrity

Christine swam in the cool water, kicking up the water as she took a breath. Returning from her third lap, she got out of the water.

UCLA had a pool and Christine used it to cool off. Maria and her had tried the beach but it had been so full that they went to the pool that was used for the community.

It wasn't full because it was a day of the week and Christine and Maria liked it.

They went to the women's locker room, where Christine discarded her clothes and was left in the dark blue bathing suit she had underneath. Maria did the same and took out her towel from her bag.

They went to the pool and jumped in, the heat unbearable. They swan for minutes, letting the cool water take away the incessant heat. Maria had commented that she was in heaven and looking at a guy with a Speedo.

Christine laughed, it seemed that she was more inclined towards men then women. After watching the guy walk by, she sighed. "Men are like parking spaces, all the good ones are taken."

Christine laughed at her comment. At least she had the man of her dreams.

Maria got out of the water, Christine following. They lay down on the lawn chairs to catch a tan from the scalding sun.

"Too bad Dustin couldn't join," Christine told her friend.

"Happy Hour at the Coco Bango, he couldn't resist," Maria said shrugging.

Christine smiled. "That's true."

After a couple of minutes, Maria spoke again. "Classes will start soon."

"Shh," Christine told her. "Don't say the 'C' word. This is too much fun to spoil."

"You're right," Maria told her. "At least you get one more vacation before the 'C' word starts. New York, New York. Lucky bit-"

"Don't be jealous," Christine told her.

"You get the rock star, that song, Paris, and New York all in one summer," Maria sighed. "I am dying of envy."

Christine smiled as she stood up to get back in the pool. "At least, something is going right in my life."

Maria sighed again. "True."

Christine walked around the pool, catching the eyes of some of the lifeguards. One of the girl lifeguards got down from their chair and walked to Christine with a smile.

She didn't notice what she had in her hands until she handed it to her. "Miss Daaé, can I have your autograph?"

It wasn't the first time that someone had asked for Christine's autograph so she smiled at her and signed the paper she had in her hands. The girl smiled with glee and went to the women's locker room.

That was when she saw them in the bushes hiding from her. She saw the light glint off the lenses and saw the people behind them.

"Shit!" Christine turned from the cameras and ran to her things next to the lawn chair.

Maria looked up at her worried face. "What's going on?"

Christine stuffed her stuff into her bag. "Maria, help me. The paparazzi are taking pictures of me!"

Maria looked around. "Where?"

"Does it matter?" Christine said taking her towel and wrapping it around her body. "Help me!"

Maria sighed after saying a couple of swear words under her breath in Spanish. "Act cool, I'll bring the car around the back of the women's locker room. Go there and jump out the window over the toilets."

"What!"

Maria eyed the entrance of the community swimming pool. "Make a decision fast, Christine."

Christine looked over her shoulder. The men with cameras were all over the front gate, trying to get in. Fortunately there were lifeguards blocking the entrance.

Christine bit her lip and almost ran to the women's locker room. She followed her instruction and found the windows to be quite large, unfortunately they were high so when Christine went over the other side, she fell flat on her face, scraping her elbow.

"Damn it!" She cursed softly. Once she saw her Jetta come around, and Maria inside, she ran to it.

Christine glanced at the pool, the paparazzi were looking franticly for her. "Going to my house is out of the question."

"Then we'll go to mine," Maria offered.

"I can see the headlines now, 'Christine Among The Humble People," Maria put her hand out for emphasis.

Christine rolled her eyes. "I've always been humble. I used to sing at my church when my dad played and at restaurants sometimes-"

"Pipe down, Christine," Maria said chuckling. "It was only a joke."

Kara laughed. "You have got to lighten up."

Christine only smiled weakly. "You try to go to the pool without people with cameras hunting you down."

Kara was Maria's cousin. She was staying with her for the remainder of her summer vacation. Kara, unlike Maria, was a natural blond with no tattoos and was very well behaved. At least Christine thought so but she could never understand what she said when she mumbled in Spanish. Christine on more than one occasion thought it was curse words because the first time it happened, Maria had been yelling at her.

Now all three sat in Maria's living room. Christine with a tea that Kara had made for her, Maria sat across from her as she drew with her oil pastels. Kara watched TRL saying how hot Carson Daly was.

"When are you leaving for New York?" Maria asked.

"I don't know, some time this week," Christine told her. "I have to talk to Meg to ask her what time to be at the plane."

"No offense," Maria said rubbing the canvas. "But why can't you just call Raoul and ask him?"

Christine sighed. "I can't just call him up and say 'Yeah, what time do you want me to come over?' It'll be too weird. We haven't spoken since he broke up with me." Taking a sip of her tea, she continued. "Especially not after Erik and I got together."

"Why's that?" Maria asked scrunching her eyebrows.

"Raoul and Erik hate each other. They can't even be in the same room together, I'm afraid they might try to rip each other's throats out."

"Because you're with Erik?" Maria asked confused.

Christine shook her head and sighed, speaking softly so that Kara wouldn't hear. "Maria, my past is not that great. I didn't come from a happy place, it's very difficult."

Maria put down the pastels. "You want to talk about it?"

Christine took a deep breath, she hadn't spoken to anyone about her past. But Maria seemed rightly concerned. "Cliff notes version, after my father died I moved to a different town with a friend of his. I was orphaned and she took care of me and her daughter and I we got together and were the best of friends. I met Erik then but not really. You see, he never showed me his face, he would give me singing lessons and he would teach me everything I needed to know. He was like a teacher to me but he was mad. He did everything he could to get me into the limelight, he even hurt people." She shuddered, she couldn't tell Maria that he killed them. "He was obsessed with me but I was in love. I was in love with Raoul and well, he didn't like it." She bit her lip. "They hate each other, Maria, they can't even look at a picture of each other. If I tell Raoul that I'm with Erik, who knows what he'll do?"

Maria looked at her with a smile. "I see. I think I understand." She leaned back in her chair and looked at Kara, who was still watching television. "Raoul has to face the fact that you two aren't together and that Erik is with you. He was the one that broke up with you remember? Not the other way around."

Christine sighed. "I suppose so. I guess I'll call him lat-"

Christine was interrupted by Kara's shrill screaming. "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"

"Mujer, qué te pasa? Estas loca? I think my eardrums burst out," Maria said shaking her head as if she were trying to get water out of her ear.

"I absolutely adore this song!" Kara said as she stopped squealing and sat down in front of the television just as The Phantom of the Opera music video started.

"Turn it up!" Maria said dropping her pastels and lunging for the front of the television.

Christine watched the television intently, curious to know what the final result of the video had been.

It started out with the exterior shots of the Palais Garnier. In between the sunny shots, peeked in shots of Erik with his mask and fedora. The whole video was about Christine waking up from a dream of her and Erik being together in the black outfit. It was as if it haunted her and the man of her dreams, Erik, followed her around the opera house even while she was awake.

Christine's stomach turned. Was that how he was before? Did he follow her around the auditorium hanging on to her every word? Stalk her from shadow to shadow?

Christine shuddered and held her arms around her. It was too creepy to even think about.

The video continued as it followed Erik seducing Christine to his dark catacombs. When he took her hand, and led her away, her white dress magically transformed to the black one. It was as if she were a pure creature being seduced by the dark.

Then it changed and it was as if they were in Erik's –the Phantom's- mind. When he would look at her he wouldn't see the flaming seductress, instead he would see her in her white dress, as if she were an angel. Forbidden yet irresistible.

Even Christine found herself appealing. Was that how Erik viewed her? A being of light but forbidden to his darkness? To him?

In the video, just as he was about to kiss her, she ran away from him and through the dark passageways. As she ran her outfits flickered back and forth as if she was at war with herself. Then she saw them kissing.

So they had been recording it, she told herself smacking her forehead. She would never live down the embarrassment.

The video finished with Christine singing on stage by herself in the white dress with Erik watching her from the catwalk on the top. Telling her to sing for him. With a twirl of his cape, the video finished.

True to his word, Richard kept the video in black and white, Erik looked enticing with his world of darkness while Christine looked heavenly with her light.

Kara turned around with a mouth open. "You kissed him? You kissed Erik Destler?"

Christine didn't know what to say.

"That's not all she did," Maria murmured.

Christine looked at her wide-eyed. "Maria!"

Kara's mouth seemed to get even bigger. "Y-You two slept with each other?"

Christine smacked her forehead again. "No, not really," she lied. The last thing she wanted was for someone to know what happened between them. She preferred to keep it quiet. How did Maria know?

Maria laughed sheepishly. "And here I was guessing."

Kara's mouth closed. "So you two didn't-"

"No," Christine said quickly.

"Not even-"

"No."

"But you two-"

"No."

Kara smiled slyly and stood. "I won't tell anyone Christine." Then she left with a spring in her step to her room on the second floor.

"Christine, those weren't very convincing no's especially with you blushing as badly as you were."

Christine covered her face with both her hands. "How embarrassing!"

"So you two did?" Maria said with obvious joy. "Oh, my God!"

Christine whimpered against her hands. "This is not happening. No one needs to know."

"How many times?" Maria said with a grin that spread from ear to ear.

Christine shook her head in her hands.

"Twice?"

She shook her head again.

"Three times?"

She refused to answer.

"Four!"

"Maria!" Christine said looking at her friend furiously. "What if someone is eavesdropping?"

Maria laughed so hard she fell over the side of the couch. "Daaé, why are you so worried? No one cares if you slept with the man or not! It's not a big deal!"

Christine crossed her arms. "It is to me."

Maria's face softened. "It was your first time?"

Christine didn't answer.

"Oh, I see," Maria said to her, then her voice softened. "You never forget your first. I know I haven't."

Christine smiled slightly.

"So was he any good?"

Christine's mouth seemed to drop open.

"That good, huh?"

Christine stood and retrieving her bag she said, "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer! How is it that every time we talk to each other we end up talking sex?"

Maria smiled mischievously. "Because it's the only thing worth talking about."

Christine rolled her eyes and reached for the door. "I'm leaving."

Maria put her hand on the door preventing Christine from opening it. "Look, I'm sorry. I know it's a big deal to you, the first time always is. Especially if it's with the guy you love. I'm happy for you. I really am. I'll keep my mouth shut and tell no one."

Christine hugged her friend. "Thank you. Please can you ask Kara-"

"She and I will have a talk about keeping secrets, don't worry," she said smiling.

Christine sighed. "I have to go pack for New York, I'll see you in a week."

Maria opened the door. "I wish you best of luck, toots."

What Christine said is true, everytime they talk about Erik, Maria always ends up talk about you know what. I knowit's annoying but that's how Maria is. (she is modeled after a friend of mine) All right, i have other news. You guys are catching up with me, therefore I have to slow down on the updates because if not then it'll take me a week to update and I know you guys don't want that. Other news, I made a chapter from Erik's POV. There is no smut but it's pretty graphic and I might have to up the rating. I'll try to get it to a minimum but I won't promise anything. The chapter is important to the story. (think about this, if the chapter of Erik's POV has to get a higher rating, imagine what he's been through) I'm not one to let the rating go up because I'm all sunshine and giggles (yeah right) but i like to keep my writing clean. Concerning me having writing as a career choice...I'm gonna do it. Soon. I have stories, tons and tons of stories. Fanfiction is practice for me, the big guns are in a folder somewhere in my computer. Thank you all again for your encouragement, I really really really appreciate it. god bless you guys for all of the reviews, I never tought I'd be up to more than 400 reviews. Erik hugs for everyone (he's in the leather pants again, by the way if that helps) Okay, coming up chapter thirty-nine:
Forgiveness