Raoul spent the next few days plotting and planning. He didn't know how, exactly, but he knew for certain he was going to trap that rat and bring him home for Christine.
Raoul had spent a great deal of time catching animals - well, perhaps 'catching' was being generous. Birds with concussions and rabbits with sore feet were not the most adept at putting up a chase. This rat seemed fast, but Raoul would find a way.
His first plan was the simplest - he would simply grab the rat off the ground. Was that not how he acquired most of the animals he took in?
He started off on this plan by nonchalantly asking Philippe if they could go to the opera a little early that evening. Philippe had smiled and immediately agreed. Once there, he asked what Raoul wanted to do until it was showtime. Raoul just stuck his hands in his pockets and ducked his head.
"I want to spend a little time alone..."
Philippe laughed and waved him off.
"I see! Well, go enjoy yourself, then," he watched with fondness and pride as his little brother set off by himself. Perhaps a certain someone had caught his eye!
Raoul headed for the same room he had seen Christine go into days ago. He had a feeling that she might still be there.
He feeling turned out to be correct.
"I'll see you, soon, Erik!" Christine bid her angel farewell as she headed for the big door.
"Goodbye, Christine," his voice was a little sad.
She trotted up to the door, knowing Raoul would be waiting for her where he always was.
She was shocked into stillness to find him waiting for her just outside the door. She hesitated as he stared down at her with a glint in his eye. Did he know? Know about Erik? She sat down and began to groom her fur as though she hadn't been doing anything suspicious at all in the room just behind her, as though she hadn't even noticed Raoul there.
He reached down and scooped her up, placing her into his breast pocket in front of his handkerchief. To her dismay, he pushed the door open and walked inside.
He looked this way and that for the rat, but saw no sign of him. Raoul scratched his head. Where could he be?
Completely unaware of what was happening in the room he had just exited, Erik was swaying a little as he walked through the secret tunnels back his home, a dreamy smile on his terrible face, still intoxicated on the presence of Christine.
Christine's little heart was fluttering fast. Raoul knew! He was looking for Erik! She squeaked and squirmed, trying to distract him, and eventually it worked. She breathed a sigh of relief as they went and sat in the audience. She would have felt terrible if Erik had been discovered, and all on account of her.
Things went normally from there, but Christine hadn't forgotten.
His second plan was to catch him in a net - he had stuffed the mesh net into his pocket, a telescoping rod stowed in the other pocket, ready to be assembled as soon as he saw his prize. The next time when Raoul dropped her off in the hall, he waited just around the corner, peering around to watch where she went, ready to follow her again - he would get that rat this time! His grin disappeared when, instead of running down the hall like she had before, she nearly immediately found a tiny little hole in the wall and disappeared into it.
She loved Raoul and trusted him, but she knew Erik didn't like being looked at.
Raoul stared at the hole for what felt like forever. Was she coming out? Did she have a secret tunnel? He huffed. How could she do this to him?!
Christine sat inside the little crevice in the wall, patiently waiting for Raoul to leave. Her sensitive ears could hear him pacing and huffing. But that was okay - he would leave eventually, she knew.
His footsteps grew closer and she could see his shadow looming ever nearer. She scooted to the side so he couldn't see her, and just in time, too - Raoul kneeled down and tried to stick the side of his face to the floor so he could see inside the hole.
At that moment Andre, one of the managers of the opera house, turned down that hallway to go to his office. He had a moment of confusion as he saw a guest with his rear in the air and face to the ground, but realized that this was the Vicomte de Chagny. He immediately turned around and left. He didn't know what the Vicomte was doing, nor did he want to know. The young man was an odd character, but his older brother was quite popular - not to mention quite generous - with very many who worked at the Opera, and he felt that excused whatever eccentricities the younger brother might have. If the Vicomte wanted to put his face on every inch of the Opera House's floor, well, Andre was going to let him.
But Raoul could see nothing inside of the crevice. He squinted his eyes, frowning, and held his breath in the hopes of being able to hear any possible noise from inside.
Christine heard him stop breathing and held her breath as well.
All was silent.
He sighed heavily and stood, and Christine breathed again. He left, and she waited a good long while until she could hear the singers on stage - surely he was in his seat by now, watching the show.
She crawled out of the hole and scurried off to Erik. She would be late, and Erik would be a little sad, but it would be worth it - she couldn't lead Raoul to Erik, after all!
This carried on for some time, to the great frustration of Raoul. He had laid the cleverest of traps, planned the most cunning tricks - all to no avail. The little box propped up by a stick had no attraction for Erik, not even with the large chuck of cheese used as bait, though Erik and Christine did stop using that room afterwards. The carefully laid snare that would grab him (gently!) by the leg was wisely avoided by Erik as well.
When Raoul finally succeeded, it was through sheer dumb luck.
Raoul had been moping in the corners of the theater, agreeing to tag along with Philippe even though there was no show that evening, but not wanting to talk to anyone at the little party currently going on upstairs that Sorelli had invited them to, he had wandered off on his own.
He was in that corner, sulking, when suddenly a single limelight on the stage burst to life. He looked up, startled.
In the glow of that light stood a tiny figure, completely unaware of anything except for her maestro.
Erik had wanted to rehearse up on stage that night, and Christine had readily agreed. It was a special occasion, too - she was to sing a song from his new opera. What an honor!
She stood up on her hind legs and began to sing.
Raoul stared at the little moving something up on stage. Was that-? He crept closer. It was! It was Christine! And someone was with her!
She dramatically clutched her paws together in front of her as her voice sang out-
Past the point of no return, no backward glances!
Erik watched her with glittering eyes. How lovely she was! He didn't even hear the shuffling noises backstage. He scooted closer to Christine.
The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn!
His voice rang out with hers, and her eyes lit up. Had there ever been a more perfect duet?
Their voices trailed off, leaving near silence in the huge room. Erik wanted to seize her and kiss her, but he just barely refrained.
"Oh, Erik," Christine sighed. "What a beautiful song."
"What a beautiful singer, my dear!" he corrected her with a chuckle. "It was written with only you in mind."
Her little face blushed underneath of her fur.
Raoul, meanwhile, was standing behind the curtain on the stage. It was a heavy curtain, and he had noticed a small opening at one side, just the size of a rat. He realized, of course, that they could simply run the length of the curtain and go all the way around it, or they could try to claw their way through under any part of the curtain - but they might also take the easiest route and go through the hole. He squatted down, ready to grab at the rat when - if - it should come through.
A little glint of metal caught his attention. There, at the far wall, was a cage of sorts. A rat trap, he realized. He sprang up and went to get it as quietly as he could, and carefully inspected it to be certain that it wasn't lethal - he would feel so ashamed if he accidentally harmed Christine's little friend! But it truly did look to be merely a cage that a rat would run in and get caught.
He bit his lip in concentration as he angled the trap to be just in front of the hole in the curtain. If he was lucky- if he was very lucky-
The room seemed to crackle with a kind of electricity for both Erik and Christine. She took a daring step towards him. He cleared his throat, which seemed terribly dry.
"Should- should we return home, dear one?" he asked a little breathlessly.
She nodded, feeling oddly shy all of a sudden. All at once they were much too close yet too far away.
"We, ah, we can rehearse more when we get there, if you wish-"
"More of this opera?" she asked swiftly, eagerly.
His nervous paws fiddled with his little bow tie.
"Of course! Certainly!"
"Oh good!"
He felt any more words would only betray him, so he turned and began to run back home, Christine quickly following. He wanted to get there as soon as possible, heading for the shortcut to backstage.
He ran through the hole in the curtain and right into the trap.