Chapter 2: One Hour

December, 1954

As the years went by, Raoul and Erik became quite the duo. Raoul was right, in a sense. Destler and Chagny became a household name. A vice developed as the business grew though. Something of a weakness in Erik. If Raoul pointed to his arm, Erik couldn't help but submit to whatever he asked of him. It finally came to a head after a performance of their latest show in Raoul's home state of Louisiana.

"Raoul!" He turned and saw one of the chorus girls, Franny, was her name, walking towards him.

"Yes, honey?" he asked, stopping as Erik continued on to speak with someone else about something Raoul probably didn't find all that important.

"Hi Raoul," she said again, taking him by the arm and leading him over to a blonde wearing a sparkly pink leotard with a tulle train. "This is Carolyn. You know Carolyn, don't you?"

"I do. Hello Carolyn," he said with one of his famous smiles.

"How do you do?" Carolyn asked in a sing-song voice. Raoul opened his mouth to say something but the stage manager cut him off.

"Five minutes, ladies!" He called and they nodded, before turning back to Raoul.

Erik turned to look at Raoul when he heard the feminine voices calling his name. He rolled his eyes and only half payed attention to what the choreographer was telling him. He gave an uncommitted nod before excusing himself and walking over to where, Stew, the stage manager was standing.

"Hey, Stew!" he called and the tired young man turned to face him. "Do you have the notice?"

"Right here boss!" Stew called, pushing his glasses up with his shoulder. "Ten days of paid vacation for everyone for the holiday. That's the best Christmas Present anyone has ever got!"

"Well, everyone's been working so hard," Erik said with a small smile. "And you have Mr. Chagny and I's tickets to New York?"

"I do sir! The holiday traffic made it a little tricky, but I managed to get you and Mr. Chagny on the 10:00 train tonight, New York bound."

"Thank you, Stew," he said, giving him a small smile.

"No problem, sir. Too bad you two aren't taking a break. You work harder than all of us combined!" Stew cried.

"Here's to that," an approaching Raoul said. "Erik, you sure we couldn't spare a few days?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to go home?" Erik said, arching an eyebrow. Raoul had been complaining the day before about his sister's new baby.

"I'm glad we have Ned's show to do in New York. I love my family but boy if I have to look at another snapshot of my sister's kid, I'm going to lose it," Raoul bemoaned.

"Well yeah, but I meant maybe meeting up with some cute girls and have a few drinks," he said with a chuckle.

"Raoul, girls aren't exactly lining up around the block to go out for a night on the town with me," Erik snapped, tossing his voice so only Raoul heard. Raoul looked up at Erik's face before waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh, calm down. You're such a drama queen. You're famous! Girls will forget about your face as soon as you mention your name."

"I don't want that," Erik grunted, annoyed that Raoul had said that so loudly. No one was around, but he didn't need the whole cast talking about his mask. Again. "Besides, the show needs this. Nadir, or Ned or whatever he's calling himself on screen, has been bugging us for this for a while now."

"Before we commit, can you just meet someone? She might change your mind!" Raoul said when Erik tried to walk away. Erik groaned but let Raoul lead him towards two young ladies. He groaned again when he realized they were the ones Raoul had been talking to minutes earlier.

"Again?" he muttered in Raoul's ear and he rolled his eyes.

"Erik, you know Carolyn?" He pointed to a blonde in a pink costume. Her eyes widened at the sight of his mask but then she smiled when she realized who he was. She reached to set a hand on his arm, but he stepped out of her reach.

"How do you do?" he said with the minimal amount of politeness. She let out a giggle that sounded more like a cackle and tried to playfully swat his arm, but Erik dodged her again, earning a withering look from Raoul.

"Better now that I know you," she said with another laugh that was decidedly more forced than the first one. Erik glared at Raoul, who shrugged and gave him a smile.

"I thought You and Carolyn, and Franny and I could all go out before our train. A couple of nice clubs around here," Raoul said.

"Oh, we can't, remember? We're looking at an act," Erik said, pulling his arm away from Carolyn. She pouted and reached for him again but he glared at her before replacing his false smile. He started to back away, shooting Raoul a glare. "Sorry ladies."

"What?" Raoul sputtered.

"Raoul, you said…" Franny started, crossing her arms.

"I know, honey. Give me a minute," he said, hurrying after Erik. "Erik, what do you mean?"

"We're looking at an act, remember?" he asked, opening the door to their dressing room.

"You know something Erik?" Raoul asked, slamming the door behind him.

"What do I know?" Erik asked, shucking off the jacket of his tux and handing it to Raoul.

"Exactly. What do you know?" Raoul snapped as he toed off his shoes. Erik turned and Raoul tossed them to him. "I have the answer I think. I think that you don't know anything. Either that or you're crazy."

"Well if I'm crazy," Erik said as he unbuttoned his waistcoat. "Then you're absolutely insane."

"Really? And why the hell is that?" he asked, removing his own waist coat and handing it to Erik who put both of their vests on hanger and putting them in the trunk.

"For the past year you've been trying to get me together with some girl," Erik said with a sigh.

"Oh, ho, well I'm sorry-"

"No you're not!" Erik yelled. "You aren't sorry. And I keep telling you it isn't going to happen. Not to me. Not with these kinds of girls."

"Erik, you never know," Raoul muttered, then continued louder as he untied his tie: "I'm only trying to help!"

"Why are you trying?" Erik sighed, removing his tie and tossing it at Raoul, who caught it and folded it and his own neatly in a case.

"You're a cantankerous and crusty old man, not to mention wildly unhappy!" Raoul said, turning to face him with a hand on his hip. Erik gave a dark chuckle and unbuttoned his shirt. Raoul continued, ignoring him. "After all, I feel like I need to look out for you! You've done so much for me because of my arm, I owe you!" Raoul removed his pants and looked around for a pair of slacks he knew he had left somewhere nearby. He found the and pulled them up.

"Damn right you owe me!" Erik snapped, shaking his head. He hung his shirt up and when Raoul handed him his shirt he hung that one up too while he talked. "Every time you point at your arm or give me one wide-eyed glance I cave and you manipulate me into doing whatever you think is best!"

"Well business is booming, so maybe that's not the worst thing in the world," Raoul muttered.

"It is! But you've controlled almost every aspect of my life, why can't you leave the rest alone?" Erik asked hanging a cloth over the mirror about the sink. He turned his back to Raoul as he removed his mask, splashing some water on his face.

"No!" Raoul said, crossing his arms. Erik rolled his eyes and patted his face dry with a fresh towel before replacing his mask. He tossed the mirror covering at Raoul, who batted it down.

"Why not?" Erik asked.

"Because you're a cantankerous, crusty, and unhappy old man," Raoul said in a sympathetic tone.

"Don't forget ugly, if we're naming my best traits," Erik said. "But you're wrong. I'm perfectly happy, and one of those dames you're trying to entangle me with isn't going to make me any happier."

"Well maybe you are happy, but you're happy because ticket sales are going up, and the money is rolling in. And that's not the same as being genuinely happy and you know it. I know it. So stop trying to fool yourself that-"

"Oh, you've lost your marbles," Erik muttered, combing his hair. "I am happy for all the right reasons and I have everything I need. I could quit this show and be perfectly happy alone is some basement as long as I had a piano, pen, and blank paper."

"Right, right," Raoul said as he put on a crisp white button down. "I'm loosing my marbles and you have everything you could possibly need as long as you're writing music, except you don't have one thing."

"You're right. I'll never truly be happy unless I had the piano and a violin," Erik sniffed.

"No, Erik! You need a girl!" Raoul shouted, nearly kicking one of the trunks. His friend was a smart man, a genius some might say but sometimes Raoul felt like he was talking to a pile of rocks.

"God," Erik said, looking towards the ceiling. He clasped his hands as if in prayer. "I've never really spoken with you, but know I come to you with the most urgent request. RETURN MY BUSINESS PARTNER'S MARBLES TO HIM, OR SO HELP!"

"Erik, please. I'm doing this for your own happiness," Raoul insisted as Erik changed into a pair of black slacks.

"Raoul, my dear fellow," Erik said as he buttoned his pants. "Whenever you say you're doing something for my happiness, it always works out that you're happiness is improved as well."

"Well yes, because when you're happy, I'm happy!" Raoul said, buttoning his shirt. They were silent for a moment, staring at each other. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" They called at the same time.

"I have your tickets," Stew said, holding them out. Without breaking eye contact with Erik Raoul took them and put them in his pocket.

"Thank you, Stew," they both said. He nodded and left with out commentating.

"You really want to know why I'm doing this?" Raoul asked.

"Yes, I really do," Erik sniffed as he button up his shirt.

"Fine then, I'll tell you," Raoul said. "Ever since we became producers, you've nearly worked yourself to death! And the weird thing is you enjoy staying up night and day hunched over a piano, without any food or sleep and then getting up and doing a show. And who has to take care of the business and provide lyrics for all that music you crank out? Me."

"I'm still breathing, and so are you!" Erik retorted. He put two fingers on his wrist and nodded. "And I have a strong pulse."

"Oh, ha ha ha, I said nearly," Raoul snapped. "I just want you to relax and take a little time for yourself."

"It was your idea to become producers in the first place!" Erik said. "I was happy just writing music!"

"I know it was my idea but I didn't realize I was creating a Frankenstein!" Raoul said. He straighten his collar and grabbed a navy blue tie sitting on the trunk. "I haven't had a minute to lie down!"

"Really? And what do you want me to do about it?" Erik snapped.

"I want you to find a girl. I want you to marry that girl. I want you to have six, wonderful children with that girl. I want you to spend ten minutes a day with each kid. That's one hour. And during that one hour of free time, I can go and find myself a girl, or get a massage or something."

Erik let out a low chuckle as he tucked in his shirt. He crossed the small dressing room and sat down, carefully pulling on a shiny pair of black wingtips. As he laced them up he said, "And you think girls like Carolyn are going to provide me with those six kids? Girls like the ones you and Franny have been pushing into my arms?"

"Those a quality women, Erik," Raoul argued. It was a feeble argument and he knew he was going to lose.

"Sure, quality performers maybe, but they aren't the kind of girl I could spend my life with," he said.

"And what kind of girl do you want? One who went to Wellesley or Vassar?" Raoul asked.

"One who at least knows her right from her left," Erik grumbled.

"Oh, you're so funny you know," Raoul said. He had put on his shoes while Erik was talking. "We should abandon theater and become comedians."

Erik sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew Raoul was looking out for his best interest, but he just didn't understand. Raoul could have any girl off the street. Erik could have any girl who knew his name and the number of digits on his pay check. He didn't want a girlfriend, or a wife even, who only married him because of his wealth and name, especially if she was trying to make it in showbiz herself.

"Raoul," he started softly. "Girls like that, who are full of hopes and dreams about their careers aren't going to settle down. Not with an old sack of bones like me-"

Raoul's brow furrowed, "You're only forty-three-"

"I know, but that's still older than what these girls want. They want young, handsome men who will buy them a few drinks before moving on. They don't want commitment, a family… certainly not from me. I get what you're saying, but it's not for me. Not right now. Someday, if a nice young lady happens to tolerate my presence enough to reproduce, then I'll make sure you get that hour of free time," Erik said. A new quiet settled over the room. It was peaceful this time, not like when Stew had come in.

"Wow. I've never heard you open up like that," Raoul said. Sure they had had long talks about life and death and business, but those were usually fueled by several bottle of whiskey. This one was different. It was earnest and meaningful, and they would both remember it in the morning.

"What train car are we in?" Erik asked, breaking the quiet. Raoul reached into his pocket and pulled them out.

"Drawing Room 5, car 203," Raoul read off of one of the creamy slips of paper.

"Good. We'll go right over to the train station after we take a look at this act," Erik said, buttoning his waist coat. It was a navy blue silk embroidered with black threads. He tied a his matching tie tightly and pulled on his trim black suit coat.

"What is this act anyway?" Raoul asked as he combed his hair.

"A sister act," Erik said.

"Why are we wasting time with a sister act? We don't need a sister act!" Raoul snorted as retied his tie.

"I know, but I got a letter from Jim Grant, our mess sergeant from the war," Erik said. Raoul's hands fell to his sides.

"Not Jim Grant. Please tell me its not Jimmy Grant, 'ole' doggy Grant' who drooled like a basset hound!" Raoul moaned.

"Jim was a fine young man," Erik said softly.

"Erik, his face rivaled yours, and he had a nose!" Raoul cried. Erik didn't argue. "What has he got to do with it?"

"There his sisters," Erik said.

"HIS SISTERS? Someone as ugly as him doesn't deserve to have sisters," Raoul muttered. Erik couldn't help but crack a smile. "He's got a lot of nerve."

"What if I told you I had sisters?" Erik asked.

"I'd tell you that you have a lot of nerve," Raoul said as he pulled on his suit coat.

"And brave parents," Erik muttered with a bitter laugh.

"Riddle me this Erik: Why do we have to go watch the sister's of dog faced Jimmy Grant, instead of going out and having some laughs with Franny and Carolyn?" Raoul begged.

Erik attached his cuff links and looked up at Raoul, his face somewhat somber. "Let's just say we're doing it for a pal in the army."

"That's not good," Raoul muttered. "But it's a reason."