I do not own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, although I do rather enjoy borrowing them from time to time.
A/N Wow, I am so ecstatic with the response this story is garnering. To answer a few of the questions in the reviews…I don't plan for Christine to be as whiney (sp?) as the Christine from Broken Sparrow, but I do plan for her to suffer throughout the story. Yes, it will be E/C, but a very turbulent relationship. Meg will be similar but not quite as obnoxious, more supportive and a little eccentric. Nobody asked but I thought I would just throw it out there anyway; Raoul will be very hurt but will still be a supportive friend to our suffering Christine. Oh and lets not forget Cara, ooh I can't wait until the next chapter when I get to really start writing her! Get your death threats ready girls! Please review and let me know what you think.
Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
Author - ToryD
Beta – Potosynthesis (On vacation, please forgive the errors)
Choices
Chapter 3
"No Bradley, hold your pencil like this." Meg said as she demonstrated the proper technique of pencil grasp to the nine-year-old autistic boy in her care.
"NO! NO!" The upset boy yelled as he threw the offending pencil across the room.
Meg stood knowing that she had pushed him enough for one day. "Ok Bradley," she said to him calmly as she got down on his level to try to gain eye contact. "Why don't we take a break and go outside for a little bit."
Bradley looked off in the distance not really focusing on any one thing in particular. Raising his hands he began to move his fingers quickly in front of his face as he began to recite the previous nights American Idol episode word for word. "Good evening, my name is Ryan Secrest….And this is American Idol."
Meg looked on with a sad smile on her face. Putting her arm around his thin shoulders, she gently led him towards the closet to retrieve their coats. As she helped him into his coat and hat, she saw that Christine's car was pulling into the school's parking lot. Putting on her own coat, she wondered how Christine's morning with her wicked stepmother went. "Come on Bradley." She said as she held the door wide for him to precede her.
Christine turned off the engine and leaned her head against the steering wheel. Closing her eyes tightly she tried to shut out the visions of Erik Desmond that were playing across her mind. "Oh God, what am I to do?" She whispered softly. Straitening her thin frame, she glanced in the car's rear view mirror to check her appearance. "Damn." She said as she looked at her pale reflection. Reaching into her purse, she withdrew her lip-gloss to try to cover-up the look of fear that had seemed to be imprinted across her face.
Meg and Bradley walked towards the small playground within the fenced yard of the special education school where she and Christine taught. "Bradley, why don't you go and play while I talk to Ms. Christine." Bradley ran towards the jungle gym and proceeded to climb to the highest point. Meg waved to Christine as she walked across the school's faculty parking lot.
Christine saw her best friend waving towards her, smiling she waved back as she entered the fenced area.
"How did the step-monster fair this morning?" Meg inquired with a tilt of her pink and green striped hair. Christine shook her head at her friend's appearance. Anyone who first encountered Meg would naturally think that she was an irresponsible carefree party girl. However, to the privileged few who came to know the eccentric young woman, they would see the driven and dedicated woman who put herself through college and graduate school to receive her master's degree in special education. Christine had never seen a more caring or devoted teacher to the four boys who were currently in their care.
"Well, it was not quite what we had expected." Christine said with a sigh.
Meg gave her a questioning look from above her neon green framed glasses. "What was unexpected?"
"Father left everything to Erik Desmond." Christine informed.
"Erik Desmond!" Meg said with a surprised look on her face. "The same Erik Desmond who sent you flowers every week for the last seven months Erik Desmond?"
Christine merely nodded her head in affirmation.
"But…, I…," Meg began and stopped to simply look at her friend for further explanation.
Christine saw that Bradley was walking towards them and decided that this conversation would be best suited for after work hours. "I'll tell you all about it later."
"Ok." Meg said as she leaned down to take Bradley's hand. "Hey sport, are you ready to go in?"
Bradley nodded his head keeping his eyes focuses on his neatly tied tennis shoes.
As the three began to walk to the school's door Meg began to laugh hysterically.
Christine stared at her friend with a concerned look on her face.
As Meg tried to recover herself she saw Christine's look of concern and only began to laugh all the harder. "I'm sorry Christine, but you have to admit that your father finally got the best of the step-monster. I bet she is right now on Fifth Avenue, trying to get every last cent out of your father's credit cards."
Christine let a slight smile grace her face as she pictured Arlene rushing from store to store trying to get her greedy hands on all that she could. Good! She thought to herself, Let Erik Desmond pay for Arlene's shopping spree! It is less than he deserves.
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Erik sat in his leather chair starting out at the grey skies high above the busy streets of New York City's financial district. He cursed his conscience for plaguing him for the last three hours. Closing his eyes, he sought relief for the relentless pounding in his head.
Nadir entered the room and saw that his boss was in the beginning stages of one of his migraines. Crossing the room, he opened the door that led to Erik's private rooms and proceeded to gather the medicine to help his pain-ridden employer.
"Erik, here take these." Nadir said in a quite tone so not to cause his friend any undue pain. "I'll cancel the rest of the day's meetings."
Erik only nodded his head to let his assistant know that he had heard him.
Nadir sighed and resisted the urge to say that Erik deserved the stress-induced migraine for proceeding with his outrageous plan to entrap the young Ms. Daae. Instead, he asked him if he needed anything else.
Erik opened one eye to look painfully at his friend. "No."
Nadir walked towards the door to leave his boss in privacy only to turn back once again. "Do you want me to call and cancel your evening with Cara?"
Erik allowed a curse to escape his lips. "Shit!" The last thing he needed was to spend the evening trying to untangle himself from Cara's web. "No, damn it. I need to get it over with. Did you get her something?" He inquired from the tall dark man.
"It's in your middle desk drawer." Nadir said with no emotion.
Erik opened his drawer to see the signature wrapping of New York City's most exclusive jeweler. "Thanks Nadir."
Nadir nodded and left the room with a feeling of impending doom hovering over his head. "Oh Erik, I fear that what you have set in motion this morning will only end in pain for everyone involved." Nadir whispered to himself as he thought of the events that Erik had planned so carefully over the last two months. But what his boss had failed to foresee was the loss of his own heart to the young woman he sought so ruthlessly to possess. Nadir sighed deeply as he knew that there was nothing he could do to prevent the pain of the coming months. All he could do was to be there to pick up the pieces that would surely be left behind when this travesty played out to its tragic end.
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Raoul Cagney knocked confidently on his girlfriend's door as a smile of anticipation danced on his handsome face.
Christine rushed to the door with only a towel wrapped around her slim body. Opening the door for Raoul, she apologized as she rushed back to her bedroom to finish getting ready for their date. "I'm sorry; I will just be twenty minutes."
Raoul smiled at the view of her retreating backside. "Our reservation isn't until 9:00, you have plenty of time." He said as he reached for the remote control to access the cable's business channel.
Seventeen minutes later Christine came out to see Raoul on his cell phone deep in discussion regarding one of his many stock trades. Smiling she crossed the small living room to give him a kiss on his cheek.
Raoul gave her a look of apology as he continued his call. "NO! I want you to dump it first thing in the morning. I don't care what you think their next quarter's profits will be, just do as I say and sell it." He said with a tone that brooked no arguments. He paused as he listened to the advice of his broker. "Fine, buy 24,000 shares. Ok, call me in the morning." He pushed the button to end the call as he turned to take the breathtaking Christine in his arms. "Wow, Ms. Daae, may I say that you look positively ravishing tonight." He said, as he took in her elegant black lace overlay dress that hugged her slim frame to perfection.
Christine smiled at his compliment. "Well thank you."
Raoul leaned down to take her lips in a lingering kiss.
Christine felt the familiar sweet sensation that Raoul's kisses evoked in her. But as she gave herself up to his kiss, she cursed her traitorous mind for comparing the comfortable feeling to the explosive desire she felt with Erik earlier that morning.
Raoul pulled back to look down at her with a concern in his blue eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked with a frown.
Christine looked away from his questioning gaze. "Of course. Shouldn't we be going?" She said hoping to distract him from his current inquiry.
Raoul continued to study her intently. "Yes." He said as he took her coat and held it out for her.
"Thank you," She said with a small smile.
As they exited Christine's apartment Raoul couldn't help but feel that something was bothering her. Squaring his broad shoulders, he promised himself that by evening's end he would have her smile once again reaching to her beautiful eyes, for he didn't think he could rest if she held on to the pain he saw reflected before him.
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Erik took a long drink of his twenty-year aged scotch as he looked at Cara across the elegant table in the cities most sought after restaurant. His head had reduced itself to a dull pounding that played relentlessly across the back of his eyes. "Cara," he began as he placed his drink carefully on the white linen covered table. "We have been seeing each other for more than a year now, and I think that we have come to the time where we should re-evaluate the status of our arrangement."
Cara looked up sharply at the man she had come to love in the past year. As her heart began to beat rapidly within her chest, she though that maybe he was ready to move beyond their current relationship into a more serious commitment. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the long awaited words from her long time lover. "Erik, I have never been happier than I have been with you this past year." She said with sincerity reflected in her brown eyes.
Erik cleared his throat at her misinterpretation. "No Cara, I think you are misunderstanding my meaning. I believe that it is time that we moved on." He said in an unfeeling voice that pierced her heart.
Cara felt her blood freeze within her veins. Looking up into Erik's half-masked face, she saw that he was indeed ready to move on from their affair. "But Erik, have I done something to displease you?" She asked in a desperate voice. "Please, tell me so I can fix it."
Erik looked away trying to hide his annoyance at her uncharacteristic show of emotion. "Cara, there is nothing that you have done." He reached out to take a drink from his almost empty glass. Signaling a passing waiter, he ordered a double of the scotch he was enjoying. "When we entered into this relationship I was upfront with my expectations as well as what you could expect from me."
Cara felt tears begin to well within her eyes. Blinking them away, she looked up into Erik's cold green stare. "But, I love you." She said in a tortured whisper.
Erik cursed to himself silently. Damn it to hell! This is just what I need tonight. "Yes well for that I am sorry. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew the gift-wrapped bracelet that Nadir had picked up for him. Placing the package in front of Cara, he began to thank her for her companionship of the past year. "Cara, I have enjoyed our time together, but as all things must come to an end so has our time together. Please accept this small token as a gift of friendship."
Cara looked up into his traitorous face she snatched the package with a little more force than necessary. "Is this all I meant to you? A prettily wrapped piece of jewelry?" She said as her face took on an ugly shade of red. "Well let me tell you what I think of your gift."
"Cara!" Erik's voice though softly spoken veiled the deadly threat of retaliation if she continued with her emotional outburst. "Why don't you take a moment and visit the ladies room. When you come back I am sure that we can continue in a more civilized manner." He said with his green eyes spearing her with his distaste.
Cara rose and walked quickly towards the restrooms, unconsciously knocking into the young couple who were being escorted to their table.
"Excuse me" Christine called after the striking redhead who was walking quickly away. As she turned back to follow the maitre d to their table she felt as if someone was staring at her. Glancing around the room, she felt her heart stop as she looked into the anger-filled eyes of Erik Desmond.
Erik felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach at the sight of Christine with Cagney's arm around her waist.
Raoul saw that Christine had stopped to look at Erik Desmond. "Christine, do you know Mr. Desmond?" Raoul questioned her in awe.
"Yes, I have met him on several occasions." She said with her eyes still focused on Erik's magnetic gaze.
Raoul couldn't believe his good fortune of the night. "Introduce me; I have been trying to get a meeting with him for years." He said as he pulled her towards Erik's table.
Erik rose politely at their approach. "Ms. Daae." He said as he took her hand and brought it to his lips to bestow a soft and lingering kiss, never once breaking the contact of their eyes.
Christine felt her breath catch in her throat at the sensation of Erik's kiss. Pulling her hand abruptly away, she noticed his apparent amusement at her discomfort. "Mr. Desmond," she said with a small amount of censure in her voice. "Allow me to introduce you to Raoul Cagney."
Erik turned to look at Cagney. "Mr. Cagney, I believe that you have been trying to gain an audience with me for quite some time." He said with a condescending tone.
Raoul all but gushed like a schoolgirl in the presence of one of the greatest business minds of the century. "Yes Sir, I have number of opportunities that I think you maybe interested in."
Christine felt a small measure of embarrassment for her poor Raoul, who knew nothing of the undercurrents at play here.
While his attention appeared to be politely focused on the young man before him, Erik's senses were filled with Christine. "Let me give you my card. Call me tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps we could have a short discussion about your ideas." He said with a dismissive nod.
Raoul smiled at the rare opportunity to meet face to face with the legendary Mr. Desmond. "Yes Mr. Desmond, I will call you tomorrow." He said excitedly.
Erik nodded his head. Turning his burning eyes back to Christine, he once again took her hand in his. "Ms. Daae, a pleasure as always." He said in a seductive voice that set her pulse racing at the base of her throat.
As Christine turned to walk away, Erik held onto her hand to still her for just a moment. Leaning close to her, he whispered softly in ear causing her blood to race as his breath caressed her bare neck. "Remember Christine, the choice is yours, so choose wisely."
Christine pulled her hand away from him and turned to walk quickly back to the safety of Raoul. As she took her seat, she looked back at Erik who still stood where she left him. His burning eyes scorching her with the heat of his intense stare. Oh God! Please help me. She cried out silently.
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A/N The little boy in the beginning of the chapter is my son Bradley, who is autistic, just a little real life thrown in. I thought that I would end the chapter here even though I didn't get to the letter of Christine's father. I guess I should stop promising what is to come next because I always change my mind when I am actually writing. Sorry. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!