A/N #1: All right, for those of you just begging for a little C/C (Cameron/Christine; duh) action, this chapter's for you! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the song My Immortal by Evanescence. I just had it so that Christine was the original composer of it.
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Damn it - they've made up! They're talking again! I hate it! Emilie Chastain - how I hate her!
From the shadows of Box Five I observe her with stony - eyed contempt. She's just prancing about onstage, dancing and singing like she's some stupid floozy showgirl! It's a though she knows that I'm watching her, and she's trying to make me jealous!
It's quite clear to me, once again, that Cameron is, in fact, in love with her, which I couldn't see when we first met. He once more chatters about her incessantly, speaks her name as though it were a prayer, completely and blissfully unaware that each time he starts talking about her again, my hope of ever winning him over sinks a little lower.
But there are times when I make him forget about her, like when I tell him a story. Then he gets all starry - eyed and gazes up at me from his self - assigned place on the floor in front of me.
And then there's the times that I lower myself and do things that make me look like a complete fool. Honestly, in hindsight, I get rather ashamed of the idiotic things I do to amuse him! But then... to see him smile, to hear him laugh, to know that I am the reason that he's happy, makes it all worth it.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be winning him over yet...
Damn you, Emilie Chastain!
About a week after Cameron returned to Christine, Christine announced, "Francois is coming down tonight, and we're all going to take supper together in a civilized manner."
Cameron looked rather surprised. He'd never seen Francois in the lair before. "Did you invite him?"
"No, actually. He insisted that we all get together and eat - although he doesn't know that you're here; he thinks it's just me." She shrugged. "But I suppose it's all right... unless, of course," she continued, trying to be appeasing, "you'd prefer that he not come."
He shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm fine with it."
She nodded. "All right. Good. Then we'll all get together tonight at about seven - he said he'd be here by then."
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Later that night, at seven o'clock sharp, Francois arrived in the lair, dressed in a nice outfit and toting a bouquet of roses for Christine.
Christine, who was wearing a sky - blue dress that she'd made herself and had her black wavy hair pulled back into a shining silver clip, approached him. "Francois! How good of you to come, mon ami."
Francois nodded and embraced her. "How are you, my dear?"
"I'm wonderful, thank you." She broke away from him and motioned to the roses. "Are those for me?"
He smiled and handed them to her. "You know they are. Here."
"Thank you," she said, taking them from him and going into the kitchen to put them in a vase.
When she'd vanished into the kitchen, he sat himself on the sofa. Then he heard a noise and looked up.
Cameron stepped out of his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Then he started walking over to the sofa and looked up. He saw Francois gaping at him. "Oh, hello, Jannes!" he said brightly, smiling.
"Monsieur Luc," Francois said rather nervously, rising and extending his hand to Cameron. "Christine did not tell me that you were here."
Cameron shook Francois's hand. "Well, the more, the merrier, right?" He sat down on the piano bench as Francois sat back down on the sofa. "So how are you, Jannes? I don't get the chance to speak to you much, I'm afraid."
"I'm doing quite all right, Monsieur Luc." Francois paused and sighed. "I should have known that you were here... it explains why I haven't seen you around rehearsal for a week."
"Oh, they're still rehearsing without me there?"
"They must. It is the only way to possibly have everything at least cold - read by the end of this month, which is their ultimate goal."
"Ah." Cameron nodded. "I see."
Just then, Christine arrived back in the main part of the lair with a tray of tea, teacups, and saucers. "Here we go," she said, placing the tray down on the table. "Here's some Russian tea for us."
"Thank you, Christine dear," Francois said, pouring some tea into a cup for himself and sipping the tea. Then he placed the cup back down and continued, "So, Christine, you forgot to mention that Monsieur Luc would be joining us tonight."
She shrugged. "Well, old friend, I did not think that one more person would hurt. As is said, 'the more, the merrier'!"
Cameron nodded. "It's true."
She rose from where she'd been squatting on the floor while drinking her tea and walked over to the piano bench. "Excuse me, Cameron."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Cameron said, scooting over a bit so that she could sit down. Then he turned back to face Francois.
As she started tuning the piano, Francois leaned in closer to Cameron, who followed suit and leaned in closer to him. "Monsieur Luc," he said in a quiet, hurried voice, "if she is keeping you here... if she is holding you against your will..."
Cameron shook his head. "No, Jannes, she is not forcing me to stay here. I am here because I want to be here. She allows me to come and go of my own free will."
Christine, who had the ears of a cat, had heard what Francois had said to Cameron and turned around to face the two of them. After shooting Francois a look of pure venom that would have made Erik proud, she looked at Cameron, smiled, and said, "Would you like me to play for you, Cameron?"
Cameron nodded and smiled. "Oh, yes, please! Won't you play something from Genius's Mistake?"
She shook her head. "I am afraid that that is the one thing I cannot play for you, Cameron. You must only hear Genius's Mistake above the ground, during rehearsal. But I shall play something else of my own composition, if you wish."
"All right," Cameron said. "Then please play something of your own for me. I love the music that you write."
"Well, thank you." She turned back to the piano and thought about what to play. Then she started playing the introduction to one of her songs that she'd written.
After a moment, she started to sing.
I'm so tired of being here,
Oppressed by all my childish fears.
And if you have to leave,
I wish that you would just leave,
'Cause your presence still lingers here,
And it won't leave me alone...
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears,
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears,
And I held your hand through all of these years,
But you still have all of me...
Cameron stared at her, fascinated by her talent, for a moment. "Wow," he breathed. "That was wonderful, Christine. Was that all of the song, though?"
She shook her head. "No. But did you like it?"
"Yes."
"Good." She turned to Francois. "What about you, Francois? Did you like it?"
Francois stared at her for a moment, understanding the meaning of the song to Christine and Cameron. Then he said quietly, "Christine, may I speak to you for a moment, please... in private?"
She nodded, looking rather confused. "Well, I suppose so." She motioned Cameron towards his bedroom door. "Cameron, could you please go into your room while Francois and I talk?"
Cameron nodded and rose. "Certainly." Then he walked into his room and closed the door. But, little did Christine or Francois know, he stood close by the door and pressed his ear against the door and listened.
Francois rose and walked over to her. He grabbed her arm rather abruptly. "Christine, do you realize what you're doing?" he demanded, sounding rather nervous and irritated.
She stared down at his hand on her arm, as though surprised by the way that he'd grabbed her. "What?" she asked, looking up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"You're getting yourself into this way over your head," he said quietly. "This is a dangerous game that you're playing, and if you don't stop soon, you're going to get yourself into a lot of trouble, and you're going to regret it."
"I'm not getting myself into any kind of trouble," she snapped. "And I don't have any idea what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do," he said. "You may love him, but he's got another young woman on his mind. You must be mad!"
Behind his bedroom door, Cameron's eyes widened. Love? Christine was in love with him? Impossible! He pressed his ear against the door, intrigued. This had to be impossible.
"He won't for long," he heard Christine say determinedly. "I'll have him fall in love with me. And even if he doesn't love me now, I'll make him love me. He will love me."
"You can't do that!" Francois shouted suddenly. "You can't make someone fall in love with you, Christine... things don't work that way! You're so naive about these sort of things that it's ridiculous! He doesn't love you, and he won't ever love you, can't you see that, Christine? He doesn't love you!"
She stared at him, stunned. Then she pried his hand off of her arm. "I want you to get out," she said quietly, sounding extraordinarily calm. "I want you to leave my house, Francois - now."
"But -"
"Go!" she shouted. "I don't want you meddling in my affairs any longer! Now go... go and don't come back until I tell you that you may, understand? Leave!"
"Fine," he said crossly, stepping back from her. "But when you fail miserably, and you need someone to talk to, then I won't be around to comfort you. Remember that." Then he turned and walked out of the lair through the exit leading to the barns.
She stared out at the lake for a moment, angry. Then she turned around and walked over to the piano bench, then sat and started to write.
This will not fail. I won't let it fail!
Emilie Chastain, you will curse the day that you laid eyes on Cameron and fell in love with him!
Little did she know, right at that moment, Cameron was sitting at the desk in his bedroom, writing on a piece of notepaper, at the same time.
I just learned some most unwelcome information.
Christine is in love with me. She loves me! How did I not know that, for the past eight months? How?
Still, no matter... I shan't discuss it with her. I don't love her, I never will, and I shall never leave Emilie. That is for sure.
She is my friend, and nothing more, and she never will be anything more.
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A/N # 2: Ooohhh... so Cameron says he won't ever love Christine! What do you think? Let me know! (But it won't affect the way I write the rest of the story.)
A/N: Just in case you didn't know, earlier in the story, when Francois and Cameron were discussing Genius's Mistake rehearsal and Francois talked about getting all of it 'cold - read' by the end of that month (which is February, in case you were curious), he was talking about 'cold reading', which is a theatre term meaning reading a play for the first time without rehearsing it first.