A/N #1: Okay, here's some more C/C action. Nothing fluffy, though... angsty and dramatic kinda stuff, really.

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A week later, Christine and Cameron sat in her lair together, reading seperate books and every so often talking about random things.

Christine read La Prisonniere once again. She was already halfway done with it, and she'd only started reading it again earlier that day. She flipped a new page every few minutes.

Cameron read Du Cote De Chez Swann, which was the first volume of La Recherche Du Temps Perdu. Christine had gotten him into the series about a week ago, and now he was intrigued.

Christine finished La Prisonniere and closed it, sighing. Then she glanced down at Cameron, who was - once again - sitting in front of her on the floor. "Cameron, do you not like being down here with me?" she suddenly asked.

Cameron glanced up from his book. "What makes you say that?" he asked, turning his attention back to his book again.

"Well," she began, "ever since Francois came last week, you've hardly said a word to me. Are you wishing to go back up? It's been three weeks, you know."

He closed his book and shrugged. "Well... I don't know," he said slowly. "I mean, I like being down here with you, but then there are times when I get so confused by things that happen down here."

"What kind of things?" she asked, feeling herself stiffen.

"Never mind," he said, waving it away. "It's just that you... oh, I don't even know. You say things and do things that are so odd."

"Like what?" She gazed down at him, intrigued.

"Well, one day, we somehow got on the topic of science, and when I talked about how cruel science could be, you said, 'Science is never as cruel as love.' It was rather unusual. What made you say that?"

She shrugged. "Love is cruel."

"See, look!" he said, pointing at her. "There's another thing - you dismiss things when I try asking you about them, like you just did! It's so peculiar! Why do you do that?"

"Maybe I don't want to talk about them." She felt her left hand twitch - she was starting to get angry with him. She clenched her left hand into a fist in an effort to control her temper.

"Well, don't do it. It's annoying."

That made her snap. "Annoying?" she snapped, throwing down her book and standing up. "You think that I'm annoying? Well, you ought to listen to yourself talk about Emilie Chastain!"

He stood up, placing down his book. "Well, why shouldn't I talk about her?" he demanded. "I love her!"

"Why?" she cried out, clenching both of her hands into fists now. "How? How can you love her, for all the trouble that she gives you that you talk about? She doesn't even trust you, Cameron! She doubts your loyalty to her! So I ask you, how can you love her and not love -" She stopped short and stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words.

"How can I not love who? You?"

Her eyes widened in alarm. "What makes you think that I would say that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

He laughed. "What makes me think that you would say that?" he said. "Now, really, Christine, do you think that I'm that deaf and stupid? Jannes has a very loud voice when he shouts, you know."

Her face went pale. Then he continued.

"Oh, yes, I know your little secret... I know all about it! Of course, I'm sure that you can't help loving me... what is it that you say your father used to say? Oh - 'None of us can choose where we will love.' So I suppose that that works for your feelings for me."

She swallowed hard. Then she drew herself up to full height, which was as tall as his nose. "Yes, I suppose it does work," she said softly. "So I'll ask you again... how can you love Emilie Chastain, for all the trouble that she supposedly is, and not love me?"

He was silent for a moment, staring at her. Then, suddenly, he felt some sort of unexplained anger explode in him.

"How can I not love you?" he shouted. "How can I not love you? You already know the answer to that, Christine! Look at you - look at your face! God, it's... I don't even know! 'Hideous' doesn't do it justice! But you're not attractive, not in the least bit! I hate your face! I hate your stupid opera... I hate your bloody music! I only come down here because I feel sorry for you, don't you know that, you stupid monster? I hate the sight of you, with your mask and your eyes and everything else! I hate the sound of you, your voice that sounds like a choir of angels all on its own! I hate the sight and the sound of you, with your devil's face and your angel's voice! I hate you; are you so vain and stupid that you can't comprehend that? I hate you!"

He watched as she seemed to shrivel up and die right in front of him. Whatever she had been a few moments before was now gone, and now she was back to what she truly was - a teenage girl who was being told by someone that she loved that she was hated.

He watched as tears sprang into her grey - green eyes, and then she continued to stare at him hopelessly as she lowered herself down from her actual height by starting to slouch.

She turned away from him and placed a hand on the piano, as though steadying herself. Then she covered her mouth with her other hand and made an effort to control herself.

After taking several deep breaths, she placed her hand down from off of her mouth.

"Cameron," she said, as civilized and gentle as every other time she spoke to him, "I'd be very much obliged if you simply... went to bed now. It's been quite a long day, and I'm sure you're tired. I'll see you in the morning."

He opened his mouth to express the slight remorse that he was now starting to feel, but then decided that he didn't want to provoke her, so he wordlessly walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

She continued to stand there for a moment after he shut the door, and then walked over to where her cloak was hung up, grabbed it, and placed it on over her shoulders. Then she walked over to the gondola, stepped on, grabbed the rowing rod, and rowed away.

When she was sure that she was a safe enough distance away, she stopped rowing, allowing the gondola to glide across the lake, rested her head on her rowing arm, and started to sob.

"I hate you!"

The first time that someone says those words and directs them towards you, especially if it's someone that you care deeply about, you feel as though you've just been punjabbed a thousand times. Well, actually, it feels a lot worse then that.

Cameron told me that he hated me tonight. Oh, God... he hates me! How does one handle that calmly?

Quite honestly, I'm shocked that I didn't kill him. I've killed men for far less than what I meekly took from Cameron. I suppose it's because 'none of us can choose where we will love...'

Did I think that he was going to fall in love with me? Did I? How idiotic! I was a fool to believe... a damned fool! Why did I let this go on for so long? Why didn't I listen to Francois that night at supper?

Well, it's no matter... I won't let him see me any more after tomorrow, when I take him back to the above world, where he quite obviously wants to be. I'll make them stop production on Genius's Mistake; I'll have everything disappear... I can make anything disappear, if I really want to.

Actually, I can't make the hurtful words that he said to me disappear.

Stupid monster.

I hate the sight of you, with your mask and your eyes and everything else.

I hate the sound of you, your voice that sounds like a choir of angels all on its own.

I hate you!

I'll never forget that he ever said those things. Especially not 'stupid monster'. Strange... I didn't think Cameron capable of saying such cruel things to anyone! My God, half the time, he looks like he doesn't know how to say 'Boo' to a goose!

Of course, I didn't think about a lot of things... like the possibility that he might hate me.

I just wasn't thinking at all, actually.

Well, I'm through being the idiot; I'm through being the fool; I'm through being the 'stupid monster'. I'm through with him!

When I take him back above tomorrow, that shall be the last time I ever see him... ever! There is no going back this time; there is no wavering resolution. No more of this! No more!

I'll go back to my solitude, my music, and my morphine... and I won't leave them ever again!

One can't totally rely on people, you see, but you can always rely on things! Yes... I can always trust morphine. It will help me forget... for a little while, at least. But then I just use more morphine for when I start to remember!

And maybe, just maybe, I can have Francois back. Dear Francois... my dear friend who will never, never leave me, no matter what he may say. Hello, Francois!

Goodbye, Cameron Luc... goodbye forever!

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A/N #2: Ooohhh... intense! -plays doom music- But will she be a 'fool' and take him back - again? Tell me what you think! (No, it won't affect my writing!)