Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash fic.

Warning(s): homosexual content, slash!

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

A/N: Got another chapter for you. This one's a pretty bad chapter to leave you on, but we'll see what happens. I dropped everything today just to write it. Consider it a Labor Day present! It's kinda short, but only because if I continued it, then it would be incredibly long – and we all know that wouldn't do. grin Yes, I'm evil.

Thanks for these reviewers and everyone else who has reviewed:

darklady5289 – you're ruthless when it comes to Christine. :o) it's amusing… I don't think I'll kill her (at least not in this fic) fluff will eventually occur, I can't stand not adding it, too.

NightmareFX – I'm trying not to let House take over… thanks for your enthusiastic reviews. I'll take your extra 7 reviews and work faster!

Giggles – Yeah, but technically actions speak louder than words (well, mouthed words in their case) and I'll let you have that first kiss, you know. It was the second one where she was excavating his mouth with her tongue that would make me think she had chosen who she wanted to be with. It's very true though, it was a lose-lose situation. Christine lost. But it wasn't like Erik said 'make out with me and I'll let you go', that in itself was a gamble she took, and she seemed to take it way more willingly the second time she made out with him. That's just my theory… that and the fact that it helps my plot (so dramatic license it is). Christine annoyed me to no end anyway.

MHorseRider – that would be fun; it does provide an amazingly fun mental picture.

o.o.o.o

Pass Time: Christine's Revenge o-

o.o.o.o

By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

o.o.o.o

Last Time: Christine's going to something stupid as she swears revenge on Raoul. Meg tattles on her to Madame Giry, and Christine's not in her room. Erik rushes off to the Vicomte's household to make sure Christine doesn't do anything.

o.o.o.o

-.-

Meg shied away from her mother slowly. She could practically feel her anger. Meg would have felt sorry for Christine, but she was beginning to see that Christine brought all this trouble upon herself. Then, she would go lying to everyone and making threats and accusations on people who have basically avoided her. Meg really didn't understand what was going through Christine's mind these days. They had been really close at one point, but now they had just drifted so far apart.

Madame Giry shook her head. Christine was like a daughter to her, but if she persisted in lying and acting up, Madame Giry didn't think she could protect her. Erik was more of a son than Christine would ever be a daughter to her. She would protect Erik as long as he needed protecting. She would try with Christine, but the girl would not even listen to her.

Right now though, if she guessed correctly, Raoul would be the one who needed protecting. Christine had been quite merciless in her dealings with the Phantom. She could not help be biased, but Meg had told her about the appearance of the Phantom's lair. Madame Giry had known that Christine's angel and her Erik were the same people. She had not thought betrayal was in Christine's nature, but the girl had proved her wrong. She had unmasked the man and revealed who she thought to be a monster. If that rejection was any indication, Raoul would have to be wary about his whole dealings with Christine. She was not quite sure what the child would really do or plan, but Madame Giry would rather be on the safe side and keep the two away from each other.

"Meg," Madame Giry turned to her daughter, "go to sleep."

"But, mama, aren't you going to do anything? What if Christine does something to the Vicomte?"

Madame Giry walked her out of Christine's room. "I will send someone over to visit the Chagny estate and tell the Vicomte that Christine knows he is here."

"Why would he hide the fact he was here?"

"He probably felt betrayed," Madame Giry answered.

Meg had thought the same thing, but having it verified made it seem more true. She felt badly for the Vicomte. Meg had witnessed how much the blonde had loved Christine. He was always doting on her and giving her his undivided attention and numerous gifts. He had spoiled her, and in return, all he received was a broken heart. The whole opera house knew of the story of when Raoul had been recovering. He yelled at Christine about loving the Phantom of the Opera and broke off their engagement. Then, Raoul was said to no longer speak at all and the Chagnies left Paris.

At least that's what everyone thought. It would seem that not everything was as it seemed before.

Meg didn't think Christine would do anything too harmful, but she may do something rash. Meg hoped that someone would make certain that Raoul would be safe.

o.o.o.o

Christine had managed to find her way inside the walls of the Chagny estate. Holding a lantern outstretched from her hand, she picked her way through the small woods outside of the estate.

The carriage driver hadn't asked her the reason she needed a ride to the estate in the middle of the night, and Christine was glad for that. Now that she was creeping through a very dark and very scary area of the woods, she did not remember what had driven her to make such a drastic move.

There were many other ways to get revenge. Many that did not include traipsing through someone else's property in the middle of night.

Christine looked around warily. She swore she heard something. Her head whipped to the left. The bushes had moved. Holding the lantern out to shed some light, she saw nothing. An owl called out startling her. She had the eerie feeling that some animal was staring at her. It unnerved her.

Still, she pushed her way forward still. A light was still on in the house making it easier for her to head towards her destination.

She didn't know exactly what she would do to get her revenge. Not yet, but the walk from the perimeter to the estate was long enough for her to figure out some threat. First she would surprise him by forcing him to acknowledge her. Maybe she could tell him to stop harassing her. Tell him that his scare tactics did nothing but make her laugh. Of course, she could leave out the part where she had actually screamed because of the rats, but that was a minor detail.

Then, she would use her real weapon. Raoul thought that the Phantom was still alive and he was trying to make nice. Christine could use that to her advantage. She could say that the Phantom had told her that he wanted nothing to do with the Vicomte. She could terrorize Raoul under the guise of it being the phantom. It was perfect. It was brilliantly perfect, and Christine wouldn't have to worry about the Phantom of the Opera revealing her lies. Raoul would then really be forced to leave Paris, and Christine could live her life with her happy ending.

Christine stifled a scream when she felt something brush against her leg. Enough of the evil planning, Christine walked faster to get out of the woods. The sounds were frightening and she was getting jumpy.

She was nearing and had to find a way to get inside the house. She couldn't just knock on the front door. Actually…

o.o.o.o

Raoul placed the violin down for a moment. He stretched his sore limbs. He had been playing the whole day, and now not only did his limbs hurt, he was finally hungry. He only remembered faintly when one of the servants had entered the room to light the candles. A glance outside the window told him that it was already well into the night.

A yawn broke its way through his mouth. He felt exhausted. His arms hung limply down at his sides, but he felt better. His mind felt blissfully vacant.

Raoul left the room to sneak his way downstairs and to the kitchen. The others should be asleep by this time, but he was certain that he could make something for himself. Or at least find something that required no effort at all.

The Vicomte smiled to himself when he saw a covered plate already placed on the kitchen counter. On the plate were fruit and bread along with a note from his staff.

He knew they spoiled him. Even though they were his servants, they were closer than that; Raoul never actually told them what to do. They knew why they had been hired and were wonderful in their jobs. Not only that, they were exceedingly thoughtful. He was glad that some had stayed. In retrospect, it would have been impossible for him to brood and keep the house clean.

He had just started on his second piece of fruit when he heard what sounded like someone knocking on his front door. He wondered who would be out at this time of night, and who would be bothering him. He was tempted to just wake one of the others since he was supposed to be out of town, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to just take a peak through the windows.

Looking down at his apparel, he knew he couldn't open the door because he was only in his pajamas.

Fruit still in hand, he silently padded in the darkness towards the front door. Raoul made sure he stayed in the shadows. As he crouched low under a windowsill, the polite knocking turned into pounding on the door.

And a voice Raoul loathed with his very being spoke out, "Raoul! Raoul, I know you're there. I want you to open this door right now."

Raoul didn't bother to look out the window. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, the fruit fallen forgotten on the floor. How would Christine know he was still in Paris? The only person who knew that he was still in Paris besides Andre and Firmin, who were under strict orders not to tell with penalty of losing their funding, was… Erik. Erik told Christine he was still in town. The torture continues.

"Raoul. Wake up! Wake up!" Christine pounded on the door with more fervor. She was annoyed that she hadn't just taken the pathway up to the house. She had decided last minute just to use the front door, but then realized that hiding in the woods had been pointless then. She was certain she had torn her gown with the trek and that some bugs had crawled upon her. She was irritated that she had gone through that ordeal and now no one was answering the door. She would wake up the whole household if she had to.

Raoul leaned his head against the wall. He didn't want the others to wake up and deal with her. If Christine got an idea in her head, she would not quit until she got her way. The household would never find peace. Raoul stood bravely. He would just face her and tell her some lie.

"Raoul!" Christine's voice became shrill, and Raoul flinched in response.

Before she could continue, Raoul braced himself and opened the door.

"Hello, Christine," Raoul stated calmly, "Won't you please come on in?"

Christine huffed and primly walked into the house, lantern still in hand. She walked to the sitting room in silence.

Raoul turned to see his whole staff standing nearby. He motioned for them to go back to sleep and followed Christine into the room. Raoul hadn't brought a candle with him, so they used the one from Christine's lantern. He opened the door and pulled out the candle, lighting the fireplace easily.

He indicated for Christine to take a seat while he placed the candle back into to lantern, leaving the door slight ajar just in case they needed more light in the room.

Instead, she stood glaring at him. Raoul considered glaring back but figured that the effect would be neutralized since he was really only wearing his pajamas. Instead, he chose to look at her with boredom. Raoul hated the girl in front of him so much, he could feel his hands tremble slightly with the suppressed emotion. He fisted his hands but kept them behind his back to hide his emotions.

"You, you liar!" Christine yelled again. She had been more eloquent in her head.

Raoul motioned for her to keep her voice down, "I would appreciate if you would speak at a normal volume. I am neither deaf nor far from you. It is late at night and you have already woken me." Raoul lied easily.

Christine glared harder, if that were possible. Her voice quieted and held an undertone of her own suppressed anger, "I'll make this quite simple for you then. You stay away from the Opera House. The Phantom of the Opera does not want you near it, and if you attempt to try anything against me again, he said that he will make you regret it."

Those words felt like a physical blow to him. Raoul could feel the tears threaten to show, but he held them back. He swallowed through the sudden tightness in his throat and said politely, "I have done nothing to you Christine. I do not know what you are referring to. I merely came back to see the first opera in the Opera Populaire since the reconstruction."

Christine almost felt her anger dissipate. What if she had been mistaken? What if Raoul hadn't left those rats on her nightstand? What if he had left Paris only to come for the first show? She narrowed her eyes at the man she had almost married and reminded herself that Raoul was trying to get her off-guard so that he could continue to harass her. She felt her rage increase. She wanted to hit him. "Liar!" She yelled again. This time she ran toward him and tried to slap him.

Raoul easily caught the hand that had meant to strike him, and tried to get Christine to calm down. Instead, she struggled harder against his grasp. His arms were already tired from playing the violin all day, and he didn't have much strength left in him. They crashed against the wall beside one of the windows in the room, tearing the curtain down. They knocked over some more chairs and an empty candle holder, until finally, when she calmed down enough, Raoul let her go.

Christine straightened her gown and walked toward her lantern. "You, Monsieur, are a liar and a monster. Erik will have his way with you."

Raoul wanted to kill his libido at that moment as an involuntary memory came up. He blushed and was thankful he could blame it because of the struggle with Christine. Of course, it was a double-edged sword. Erik did want to have his way with him, but it was all simply to break him. Christine had made that point quite clear. Erik would protect Christine. It was their story. That's just the way it went. The Phantom of the Opera would want Christine and do anything to keep her, but this time around, Raoul didn't want the girl. He wanted the man.

In the coldest voice he could muster through his embarrassment and sadness, he replied, "Mademoiselle, I believe that you are the monster. You must be delusional since I have not done anything to you. Take your insane accusations and never step onto my estate again, whether or not I am on it. Good night."

Raoul barely dodged the lantern that flew at his head.

o.o.o.o

Erik was lucky that it was nighttime. He stole a horse from the stable and raced towards the Chagny estate. Christine would have ordered a carriage to take her there, and he would have to play catch-up.

Erik's mind was racing, too. He had not planned on seeing the Vicomte so soon. It was not part of his plan, but he had to check on the boy just in case.

He did not quite know why he was so worried. What could Christine do to Raoul? It's not as though Christine had any skills in fighting and Erik knew for certain that the blonde could hold his own. Not only had he experienced Raoul's strength during the swordfight but he had felt the lithe body pinned beneath him. Erik forced his mind to stay on task.

Something felt wrong. When it came to Raoul, all the bad feelings he had had in the past were true, so he would not ignore it this time. He just knew that something was going to happen.

Christine did have something in her favor though. She had the element of surprise. At this hour, the blonde could be sleeping and for all he knew, Christine could smother him in his sleep. He doubted that would happen, but the thoughts came unbidden. That and many other even more unlikely scenarios crossed his mind. It did nothing but worry him more. The ideas were absurd, but if something felt wrong, something would be wrong. Everyone's vulnerable in their sleep.

Nearing the estate, Erik cursed whatever god could hear him. His heart contracted painfully as cold fear grabbed his senses. He smelt it before he actually saw it. Smoke. The Chagny estate lit up the darkness as the house burned. Flames strained towards the heavens. The smoke rose slowly. There was no night wind. The sounds reminded him faintly of when the Opera Populaire had burned.

Erik left the horse outside the estate. With so much grass and trees, the fire could reach the perimeter, but Erik hoped that the stone wall would keep it contained.

The fire was only consuming the house, but Erik knew it would not remain as such. He raced through the lawn, using the shadows the tall grass and trees provided and took the route that would bring him directly to the rear of the house. The front was too open for him to get close enough. Anyone would be able to see him from there. So, he would have to sneak around the house eventually.

He could not believe that Christine had tried to burn Raoul alive.

o.o.o.o

A few minutes after Erik's discovery, Madame Giry hears the news from a tired messenger. She doesn't believe her own ears. Christine burned Raoul's house to the ground, but what about the man. Did he make it out alive?

She could do nothing but wait anxiously for more news.

o.o.o.o

A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!

Crazy huh! I didn't even see that one coming! Christine's just bad luck in this fic. Poor Raoul. Is he okay? We'll find out. Happy labor day!

So, five reviews for the next installment. Thanks to all those who reviewed so far. I appreciate it:o)