Christine tried to clear her mind of all thoughts except those that would prepare her for the role she was about to play. But she could think of nothing other than her teacher. It was his voice that had boomed across the theater tonight. And she knew it could only be his fault that Carlotta had lost her voice. He was doing it all for her and she knew it, but she didn't find comfort in it. He was so devoted to her; he did not care much about others' feelings. Not that she really was too fond of Carlotta, but was it necessary to embarrass her in front of the entire audience?

She shook her head; it was starting to pound dully. She needed to be well and ready for the performance. Erik had practiced the part with her many times. She had wondered why she was preparing for a role that was not hers, but she did not want to question her teacher. If she had known what he had planned, she surely would have asked him not to go through with it.

Madame Giry pulled the strings of the corset too tightly then. She tried to suppress the gasp that was about to escape her, but had no luck. "Too tight?" Madame Giry asked. Christine looked at her through the mirror and nodded. Their eyes met. "Nervous?" Christine nodded once more. "Try to calm down, my dear. You'll do fine." When this didn't seem to do anything to help the girl relax, she added, "He believes in you." Her eyes focused on the table across the room from the mirror. Christine looked over to it, confused, only to see the red rose with a black ribbon whose author was no secret. She picked it up and stared at it. She had found many of these before, had never put too much thought to the meaning behind them. She had always assumed that it was a symbol of approval. Her teacher was telling her that he was proud. But was that all? Or did it have a deeper meaning? A red rose, after all, represented deep and passionate love.

Her heart fluttered. She remembered the wax figure of her in a wedding dress. So he did love her. But did she feel the same? Madame Giry undoubtedly sensed her perplexity and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, my dear?" Christine stared at the rose, unsure of what to answer. She felt as though her mind had been severely jumbled. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the woman's eyes through the mirror. "He didn't…hurt you?" Christine's gaze dropped to the floor and she shook her head.

"I saw his face…" she said absently. Madame Giry looked shocked. She walked around to face Christine and placed both her hands on her shoulders. Christine looked up. "I think he loves me, Madame. And I think I—" There was a knock on the door and the managers walked in. They were still rattled by what had happened and asked if Christine was ready to put on the skirt and wig. When they saw that she was only in the first layer of underclothing, they became frantic. Madame Giry calmed them down but suggesting they skip the second layer and jewelry and move right on to the make up and third layer. Christine tried not to inhale when the powder was applied to her face and collarbone area. When the dress and wig were put on, she felt awkward, as if she were a tent. The skirt was very large and difficult to move in, and she was afraid that a wrong nod of her head would cause the wig to fall.

To loosen up she tried to keep her mind on other things, like how the other roles have changed. Carlotta was apparently too shaken up to be onstage right now, because Meg was dressed in the Pageboy's costume. One of the ballet dancers was in Meg's role of the maid. Meg spotted her and walked over to her.

"How are you, Christine? You look pale…" Christine grinned at her.

"It's the make-up, Meg." Meg grinned back. Christine knew Meg was only trying to cheer her up. Although she felt in a moment Meg would revert back to her interrogation of Christine, to find out what happened to her last night. When Meg's grin faded and her face turned serious, she was glad to hear "Places!" shouted by Firmin, and took her proper spot on the bed beside Meg as the music started up. The curtains opened.

The Opera had gone fairly well. The audience loved Christine. They were slightly tired of seeing Carlotta as the star every single time. Christine was softer on the eyes and ears, and much more charming. Christine knew Carlotta's part quite well. Everything went smoothly. In Act III, the ballet was skipped, but the audience did not seem to mind. Everyone had enjoyed themselves immensely. They did not, as the managers feared, feel cheated by what happened, but instead found the whole occurrence rather funny. At the end, they gave a standing ovation. Christine felt much better once the ordeal was over with. She was glad to have the skirt and wig finally off. She walked into her dressing room to find it flooded with flowers as it had been the night of her performance in Hannibal. Sighing in fatigue, she collapsed in the chair in front of her mirror, crossing her arms and putting her head down. A moment later she raised her head to look at the rose with a black ribbon that lay on the table. It was the same one she had seen before the performance.

Christine barely had any time to change out of the remainder of her costume when there came a knock on the door and Raoul walked in. "You were wonderful, Christine! Carlotta could have never done that well." Christine smiled and thanked him. "I had a perfect view in the beginning from Box Five, but then the managers asked me to sit someplace else after you took her part over. They actually seem to believe that the Opera Ghost is real."

"He is real, Raoul. Didn't you hear him before? And Carlotta's croaking?"

Raoul shook his head, unconvinced. "She has been singing for a long while, I've heard. It's not so surprising that she lost her voice after all this time." Christine was surprised at his stubbornness.

"I've seen him."

Her friend stared at her a moment, not knowing what to say. "Are you sure you weren't…dreaming?" he asked. Christine shook her head.

"No…but it did seem so….He took me to his home. I was in shock, at first, that he was tangible, and not an angel like he led me to believe. But then he sang to me. His voice…it filled my spirit and made my heart soar…" Her eyes closed in reminiscence.

"He kidnapped you!"

"No, Raoul, no. I went willingly. And he did not keep me there against my will. He didn't hurt me."

Raoul sighed. Something would have to be done about this "ghost". But meanwhile, he had other things to think about. "Christine," he opened the door of her dressing room, "would you come with me for a moment? There is something I need to discuss with you, but I'd prefer to do it somewhere…more accommodating." Christine gave him a confused look but stood up and followed him. "You might want to take your cloak," he added.

He led her to the roof. Christine was glad he told her to bring the cloak along because it was very cold. It was only the month of November, but there was already snow on the ground. She shivered and pulled the cloak tighter around her body. "Why have you brought me here?" Whatever it was that he wanted to discuss, did it have to be in the freezing cold? She loosened he grip slightly, as to not hurt the rose she had taken with her.

Raoul smiled at her. "Christine…Do you remember when we first met?"

"Of course. You saved my scarf." She smiled back, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

"From that very moment, I knew I never wanted to part with you. I care for you, Christine. More than a friend should. If you let me, I'll be by your side forever, to keep you safe and happy."

Christine looked at him in utter surprise. He was surely asking her to marry him! Though she loved him very much, it was love that one had for a dear friend, not a husband. She knew she had to tell him this, but she was afraid of hurting him. He really did seem to love her. But what could she do? Marrying him to spare him the pain of rejection was out of the question. "I…I will think about it." She smiled at him again, hoping he would accept such an answer.

Raoul had expected a "Yes," but he supposed Christine did not want to rush into marriage, being only a girl of 16. "Alright, Lotte. Take all the time you need." He smiled back and left. Christine sighed at walked over to the edge of the roof. What a stupid thing she had done! She had given him hope. Now it would sting even more when she told him she did not feel the same. She hugged the rose to her and cursed her senselessness. It began to snow. As the temperature seemed to drop further and further by the minute, she decided it was time to go back. When she turned around, she was taken aback to see Erik standing in front of her.

"Erik…you frightened me….I…wanted to ask you….Carlotta's croaking….It was your doing, wasn't it?"

He smiled darkly. "Of course. She needed to be put in her place. Her diva attitude has been getting on my nerves for too long. And you perform her parts so much better…"

"That doesn't matter. Erik, you greatly embarrassed her! That wasn't nice!"

"And it wasn't nice of her to call you a toad, or for the managers to disobey my commands."

Christine exhaled sharply. She decided to change the subject. "Did you see me perform tonight?" Erik smiled again, but his eyes were full of pride and love as he responded.

"Yes, I did. You were riveting, Christine. Your acting was impeccable and you sang like an angel." Christine blushed. She could feel her heart sped up at the thought that he was proud of her. "I was coming to congratulate you…but that boy got there first." He looked at her in a scolding manner. "Didn't I instruct you to not have any contact with suitors?"

"Raoul is…just a friend…."

"A friend whose marriage proposal you agreed to consider." His words dripped with anger and sarcasm. Christine was at a loss for words. His anger scared her. She wanted the man who had sung to her so sweetly and touched her so gently, as if she were a porcelain doll. He enraged so quickly…perhaps he was not the tender soul she had thought him to be? Could this really be the same man that had so selflessly tutored her all these years? A part of her wanted to explain to him that she had only told Raoul what she did because she needed time to let him down gently, while the other wanted to run. It terrified her when he was livid such as this, and she hated feeling frightened of the man she had trusted for so long.

As the seconds ticked by and still she remained quiet, Erik took her silence to mean that his suspicions were accurate. The thought of her with that boy angered him to such a

degree that he felt he could not control himself any longer. He had given her specific instructions to refuse any suitors, and here she was, completely ignoring his commands. After all he had done for her! Yet as he looked at her trembling form, he softened a little. She was cold and petrified of his anger, and it hurt him that he was the very reason she was upset. But what could he do? There was no way he could compete with that Vicomte fairly…the boy was young, rich and handsome, while he barely measured up to any of those qualities….If he allowed himself to soften and let her have any sort of relationship with the boy, she would certainly leave him forever. No…he could by no means permit that to happen….He would have to be harsher toward her to keep her with him, for how could he live without her? He had been alone for so long, and now that he had finally found someone to love who might one day love him back, the world intended to take her from him! Could the universe not even allot him this one small right that every other being on this dreadful earth has?

"The next time you see that boy, you will tell him that you cannot marry him or anyone else. Until you do so, we will not have another lesson." With those blunt and cold words, he turned and left the roof through one of the many passageways he had built himself, leaving Christine shivering in the darkness. As he disappeared, she clutched her arms around herself and tried not to cry. Was this what her angel was really like? She could not stand to be around him when he acted that way…she did not want to feel small and frightened. If she did as Erik had said, Raoul would surely persist. It would not do her any good to refuse him now, if Erik's real self was the way she had just witnessed him to be. She needed time to think. But as she discovered her old friend waiting outside her dressing room with a hopeful, questioning look when she finally ran back downstairs, she knew she would get nothing of the sort.

(A/N): Sorry that took me so long. I actually had this chapter almost finished months ago, but the ending gave me a lot of trouble. I know the ending was a little depressing, but it'll get better, I promise. :D The next chapter is the Masquerade Ball, and I will try to have it up as soon as I can.

About Raoul taking Christine up to the roof to propose, I admit it did not make the a great amount of sense, but don't be too critical; he could have thought it was romantic…it was snowing and everything….I've always liked the roof, but not as much as I could if it wasn't tainted as THE PLACE CHRISTINE BETRAYED ERIK AND SANG WITH THE FOP.
Oops, Raoul-bashing Sorry. I can't say I love Raoul but I don't hate him. He's annoying, though. Very. Much. So.
To those of you who haven't read the Kay book, I really suggest you do. Find it in the library or eBay or something, it's worth it.
Finally, do you any of you want to see something quite a bit frustrating:
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…come on, if you've already clicked on it and read it, what's the harm in reviewing? It makes me veeeery happy. And a happy author means less amount of time to wait for the next chapter ;D

Aug. 24th: (A/N): I had the 4th chapter all planned out when I realized I screwed myself over with the ending of this chapter XD;. So I went back and changed the last few lines. I'll have the 4th chapter up soon (no, really XD; ).