Before Christine knew it, it was the beginning of December. The semester was only two weeks away from ending and finals would be coming up soon. It was opening night as she and Meg were backstage putting on their makeup and costumes. "Why Mr. Pageboy," Meg said playfully, pretending to be seductive as she wrapped her arms around Christine and rubbed her hands all over her body. "You look so handsome. You're too handsome to ever be in love with a silly little maid like me."

"Stop it," Christine giggled as she pulled Meg off of her.

"Come on, lighten up. At least you got a part."

"A part that I don't get to even sing in."

"Stop worrying about it. After this weekend it's never going to matter anymore."

"I know, but still."

"Places!" the stage manager called. Meg smiled as she held Christine's hand, leading her to the side of the stage to make their entrances.

When the curtains opened, the opera began. Things were going smoothly when Carlotta started singing her aria. "Poor fool, he makes me laugh. Ha ha ha ha ha!" She sang the staccato cadenza with ear-piercing perfection. "Time I try to get a better, better half." Then the chorus joined in. "Poor fool, he doesn't know. Ho ho ho ho ho!" They sang the cadenza yet again before continuing. "If he knew the truth he'd never ever go!"

All of a sudden, the show was interrupted by a voice speaking through the sound system. "Did I not instruct that Christine Daaé was to play the Countess?" it demanded.

Everyone looked up at the speakers above the audience in fear. "No," Christine murmured. "It's him."

"Your part is silent, little toad!" Carlotta hissed into her ear.

"A toad, miss? Perhaps it is you who are the toad."

Carlotta regained her composure, and they picked up from right before the aria. "Serafimo, away with this pretense. You cannot speak, but kiss me in my…" Instead of finishing the phrase, a strange, almost croaking like sound came out of her laugh. The voice from the speakers laughed. Nervously she continued to sing. "Poor fool, he makes me laugh. Ha ha ha ha ha." She began to sing the cadenza again but instead of singing she continued to croak.

The more she croaked, the louder and madder the laugh became. "Behold, she is singing to bring down the chandelier!"

Carlotta was rushed offstage as the curtains closed and the deans appeared onstage. "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize," Firmin said. "The performance will continue in ten minutes time when the role of the Countess will be sung by Miss Christine Daaé."

"In the meantime, ladies and gentlemen," André continued, "we shall be giving you the ballet from act three of tonight's opera. Maestro, the ballet!"

The stagehands frantically changed the set behind the curtain as this was going on while the ballerinas were rushed onstage. While the ballet was happening, Christine was busy changing costumes backstage.

At the same time Joseph Buquet, one of the set instructors, was walking around above the stage, making sure things set-wise were in order. When he wasn't looking, Erik appeared behind him, slipping a noose around his neck and strangling him until he stopped breathing. Once he was dead, he lowered the noose onto the stage, showing the dead body to everyone. All the girls stopped dancing and screamed at the sight while Erik's maniacal laughter filled the theater yet again. Everyone ran offstage while the audience gasped in fear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, remain in your seats," Firmin said trying to reassure the audience. "Do not panic! It was an accident, simply an accident!"

Meanwhile Raoul had run backstage to check on Christine. He let out a sigh of relief when he found her. "Christine, come with me."

"No, to the roof, we'll be safe there," Christine said, grabbing his hand and leading him.

When they got to the roof, Christine could barely support herself. Her heart felt so heavy after what she just witnessed that it literally weighed her down so that she sat down against one of the statues, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Christine, why have you brought us here?"

"Don't take me back there," Christine begged. "You saw what he did in there!"

"Who was that guy?" Raoul demanded. "Why would he kill someone just because you didn't get a part?" Christine looked up, tears forming, wanting to speak but couldn't bring herself to. Raoul bent down next to her, wrapping both of her hands in his. "Christine, what aren't you telling me?"

Christine knew she would have to respond sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke. "Remember that night after the gala, when I told you that I had plans to meet up with a friend?"

"Yes…"

Christine smiled uncomfortably through her tears. "That's the friend."

"What?" Raoul exclaimed.

"I didn't know he was so unstable! Before that night we hadn't actually met in person. We were online friends."

"Christine, don't you know better than to trust strangers on the Internet?"

"At the time no. We've been friends since I was in high school. I was a stupid and desperate teenager with no father. So when this kind and caring man came along offering to give me free voice lessons and unconditional affection, of course I accepted. He'd always given me a reason to trust him. But when I finally met him, it turned out that he was obsessed with me!"

"How so?"

"Despite being old enough to be my father, he wanted me to move in with him. Then he showed me a mannequin he had of me wearing a wedding dress, asking me to marry him! I was so shocked that I couldn't even answer, I simply blacked out. The next day he took me back, and we agreed not to speak to each other anymore with the exception of me telling him what part I got in the opera."

"Wait a minute." He paused, thinking. "The letter," he muttered.

"What letter?"

"Before the cast list went up, the deans called me about a letter they thought I wrote demanding that you be cast as the lead. This friend of yours wrote the letter!"

"That's why he wanted to know what part I got! But I didn't know he was so obsessed with me that he would go so far as to murder someone just because I didn't get the part. Unless he did it to make me happy, knowing how badly I wanted it."

"Christine, you have to turn him in to the police. He's a criminal!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just… I can't! I could never betray him in such a way!"

"But what if he kills again?"

"Raoul, you don't know him like I do. When he took me to his home that night, I felt so overwhelmed by him practically throwing himself at me, practically worshipping me. So much so that I couldn't help but pity him for being so obsessed with me to the point of wanting to keep me with him. And he sang to me, and oh my god, his voice is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. When he sings, he makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. But the thing was he was wearing a mask the whole time, and I needed to know what was underneath. The next morning when I woke up, I took it off while he wasn't paying attention, and I got my answer. All of a sudden, I was able to figure him out completely just by looking at his face. I'll never forget it, it was so distorted and deformed that it was hardly even a face. Yet in his eyes, I could see all the sadness of the world; those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore."

"Christine…"

"Christine," another voice called from the shadows.

Christine pulled away from Raoul's grasp and looked around nervously. "What was that?"

Raoul pulled Christine in close to him, pressing her head against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing will harm you. I promise that I won't let this man do anything to you ever again."

Christine looked up at him. "Raoul, do you love me?"

Raoul smiled down at her. "You know I do."

Christine smiled back. "Oh Raoul, I love you too!" He pulled her in for a passionate kiss. When they pulled away they couldn't stop smiling. That was until after a look of realization hit Christine. "I must go," she said frantically standing up, still holding Raoul's hand. "They'll wonder where I am. Come with me Raoul."

"Christine I love you." Smiling, they ran back inside the building.

Once they were gone, Erik stepped out from his hiding spot. He could feel his heart crumble to pieces in his chest as he struggled to fight back tears. His sadness eventually resulted in rage, as he stormed back into the theater.

The rest of the performance continued as planned with no other interruptions, that is until the end. Everyone had come out to take their bows, and Christine was greeted with a standing ovation. All of a sudden the chandelier started shaking while Erik's laughter filled the theater once again. "Go!" he shouted. The chord holding it up snapped and the chandelier plummeted down into the audience as everyone onstage ran away from the disaster.