AN: Thanks for the reviews! Here's one of Gerry's interviews on YouTube—yes, he seems to be total bros with Patrick…which makes sense why Patrick would be confused when 'Gerry' suddenly acts like he hates him….hm…anyway, here it is.

watch?v=LhWyz-6iG2w&feature=my_watch_later_videos&list=WLC18729865DC07B39

CHAPTER 11

Erik expected to be shunned by people now after the accident with Patrick, but no one seemed bothered. In fact, the crew fawned over him more than ever for his performance.

"Only one take for such a complicated scene! Well done, Mr. Butler, well done!"

"Little accidents like that are what makes it look real. Don't you worry, sir."

"You were so believable, I could practically feel the anger radiating off you!"

Feeling a bit claustrophobic, Erik muttered a few thanks and hurried out to his own trailer, closing the door behind him. Taking a few deep breaths, he fell back down on the small couch, looking at the modernized space around him. He knew he was happy in this situation. He knew it was exactly what he had wanted and hoped for all his life—to be normal. And he got MORE than that, more than just being accepted as a person, he was loved by the entire American public! He had also just found himself in a much better future, with ingenious inventions and a fairer government and a much more tolerant society. And he wasn't exploring it alone. He had a beautiful, helpful young lady to lead his tour of the 21st century. And she looked just like Christine.

Why then were his eyes stinging?

It has to be Christine. I miss her. But it's only been a few days…I went three months without her once, planning my opera…oh, I did miss her then, but I did NOT cry. Maybe I miss the life I was used to, understanding everything around me and knowing everyone, even if they did not know me. Maybe I miss the Opera itself. Or perhaps I do not miss anything at all, it's just I know I am trapped somewhere and I can never leave as long as I live. Poor Christine…I was thinking of subjecting her to that same fate…

Someone knocked on the door a couple of times. Reluctantly getting up and wiping his eyes, Erik checked the window to see who it was. Emmy, of course. He opened it and forced a smile to greet her.

"Hi," she said simply, looking a little nervous. "May I come in?"

"Of course."

After she stepped inside, Erik relaxed on the couch once more and motioned her to sit beside him. Once she did, she noticed his face.

"Um…are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"You look like you've been crying," she said sympathetically. He shook his head.

"Not a lot. Just a couple of tears. I don't even know where they came from, they just did."

"Oh…that happens to me sometimes too. Most of the time I have a reason but then one day I'll find myself randomly crying and I don't know why."

For some reason, the idea of an upset Emmy fell heavy on Erik's heart, just as when he saw little Christine for the first time, all alone, weeping for her father.

"Well, I only have theories but none of them seemed to match in my head," he murmured. After a moment, he looked up at her again with a small smile. "So, what did you come here for?"

"Um…well…"

"Yes?"

Emmy quickly put on a perfectly casual face and said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing, you know, to make sure you hadn't blown up the coffee machine or something…"

Chuckling a little, Erik shook his head. "No, I don't touch anything you haven't taught me how to use."

"That's good. Ah, and um…we aren't on set tomorrow, since they're just filming the end grave scene with Patrick as an old man—"

"End grave scene?"

"Oh. Well, it's a flash forward after Christine and Raoul have grown old together and she's died, and he goes to an auction at the Opera in the beginning of the movie and buys your old monkey music box, then takes it to Christine's grave and puts it there, but finds a rose with a ring around it—your ring."

"How very depressing."

"Yes, from what I've read, it does seem quite sad," she mused. "But if they finish with that scene, then they're going to move to the chandelier crash—just to get it over with. We aren't needed for that. They'll just have a few shots of us separately after we do 'Point of No Return'…"

At this, Erik genuinely smiled. That was one part of his life that he'd love to relive—at least up until the unmasking part.

"Oh…will I be wearing the prosthetic during that whole song?" he asked worriedly. Feeling self conscious would not exactly help him in such a bold scene.

She shook her head. "No, no, they'll just put it on at the very moment of the unmasking."

"Oh, alright then."

"Yes…"

Emmy looked down at her hands, biting her lip subtly as she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Is there something else you came here for?" Erik asked nonthreateningly. Sighing , she looked up to the side, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, nothing has actually happened, but…"

She stopped again, turning her face down, her curls falling in front of her eyes as she shook her head. "Nevermind, it's nothing."

"Emmy, you can't just build up suspense like that and not tell me what's going on."

With a nervous, shifty smile, she shrugged and said. "Well, maybe you were right about Patrick. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. See, like I said, he hasn't actually done anything like made a move or something, but I just get this feeling…"

"What makes you have that feeling?" Erik persisted, very interested now.

"After filming this, he just gave me more compliments than usual and I just noticed him looking at me while I walked off, a different look than he normally does. Almost like the 'scan', you know?"

"No, I don't know," said Erik bluntly. Emmy shifted uncomfortably as she explained.

"The scan is when you look at someone up and down like you're checking them out—er…admiring them, rather."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I mean, I know he doesn't see me as a dumb little teenager he's forced to work with, I know he respects me as an equal coworker, but…."

"It's just odd for a man of that age to be 'scanning' you?" Erik inquired. She nodded but said nothing.

"What kind of compliments does he give you?" he continued.

"Um…well, usually, it's just a simple 'good job, Emmy' or something, then he walks off, but he stayed there, going on about my acting like I was so amazing, and said they really picked the perfect Christine—"

"Well they did, you're her exact copy."

"I know that, Erik…" Emmy sighed. "But he doesn't. And I think he said something like I was the perfect Christine because of my voice, commitment to the job, and because I 'definitely looked the part for a famously beautiful woman'-"

Slapping his knees and jumping up, Erik laughed and exclaimed as he pointed at her, "HA! See, I told you, Emmy! He fancies you, I knew it…I knew I wouldn't be able to escape Chagny even when I traveled to another bloody dimension where such a relationship isn't even proper! Oh God really is a joker, isn't he?"

"Is this one of your episodes?" Emmy asked, looking at him in concern as he walked around in circles erratically. Stopping and facing her with a mildly unstable grin, Erik replied, "Hm?"

"Erik, you don't have anything to worry about. First off, he's smart enough not to pursue me, even if he did actually mean that compliment in a flirting sort of way, and second…why do you care?"

"That's a very good question. Why DO I care? Hm…well, you look, sound, and can act like Christine, even though your actual personality is quite different-"

"So you care just because in your eyes, it's still the same situation because of appearances?" Emmy asked, a bit bitterly. "You know, for someone who feels so wronged by society for judging him on his own appearance, you're pretty superficial yourself—"

"You didn't allow me to finish," said Erik in a serious tone. Throwing her hands up in mock surrender, Emmy said, "Oh by all means, go on."

"See, things like that…things you say like that I rarely saw in Christine, if ever. I realize you aren't the same person. I know. And both your similarities and your differences is what makes you…." He trailed off, then turned away. "No, I'm not finishing that sentence."

The girl scoffed and chuckled in amusement of the irony. "Oh really? 'Emmy, you can't just build up suspense like that and not tell me what's going on.'"

"Fine. It's what makes you…interesting. No, fascinating is a better word. Intriguing."

"I think I would be more fascinating if I acted just like Christine too," said Emmy suspiciously. Erik shook his head.

"No, because I know how Christine works. Not that she isn't interesting, she was my entire world…wait, is…was…damn, I don't know anymore. Anyway, I can't predict you half as easily."

"You haven't known me as long."

"It's not just that. Christine responds the same way in almost every situation. She has her surprising moments, yes, but mostly, I can expect her to either be compliant or to shrink away in horror."

"Well, from playing her part, I can guess that maybe you haven't seen all sides of her personality yet," said Emmy. "People in this time are much less pressured to act a certain way. Maybe if you were in the right situation with her, such as if you had kept her with you after letting Raoul go, she might have shown her true colors after being away from the rest of the world for so long."

"Maybe…but wait. Do you think that you have the same personality as her, except you show it and she hides it?" Erik gasped, suddenly hit with this new idea.

Tiredly, Emmy only replied, "Erik, I have no idea."

For a minute, they were silent as Erik paced and Emmy adjusted herself on the couch so that she was laying down comfortably with one leg crossed over the other. She was just about to consider taking a nap when Erik spoke again.

"We can only know from a parallel. See, your Gerry and I must also have the exact same personality for you and Christine to be the same person as well. But Gerry and I do not even have the same face—except for one side of it, of course. But tell me about his personality."

Laughing shortly, Emmy said, "I can assure you, he is nothing like you."

Erik frowned. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Neither."

"Well, tell me how we are different."

Shrugging, she said, "I don't know. A lot of ways. He's extremely friendly, like I told you. He makes jokes a lot and is pretty flirtatious. That's what makes him so popular."

"So he's like Chagny?"

Emmy rolled her eyes. "No. He has a deep side too. He really understands characters like yourself. He's had his pain and struggles in life, but mostly against himself rather than the world. Oh, but he doesn't seem preoccupied with finding a life partner, or even a serious girlfriend. Most people by his age are at least in a long term relationship, engagement, or marriage. Sure, he has a lot of time left for that, but still. I don't think he cares much. He seems like he's more out to just have fun."

At this, Erik became a little worried. "So since he's me now…how do you think he's acting towards Christine?"

"Well, first, I'm sure he was completely freaking out. If she's helping him adjust, like I am with you, he's probably hitting on her like crazy just because he knows he's allowed to."

"What? Why, did he attempt to woo you before?"

"Well…sort of like Patrick is now only Gerry would hug me and stuff. We had to all hang out a few times before filming so we'd get comfortable with each other and be able to act properly. Patrick was only polite and friendly. Gerry tended to be the one who got real close to me. Only I always found Gerry attractive so I wasn't bothered by it. And I figured he just flirted with everyone. Famous, gorgeous actors usually do."

Erik couldn't help but feel instantly flattered, even though this wasn't even his own body. Then again, ninety percent of it was the same…he simply had to ask.

"Did you find him attractive even when he was in makeup and costume?"

Smirking, Emmy replied, "You mean would I find you attractive in your own body? Yeah, probably. Honestly the lack of hair was worse than the actual deformity. It's pretty easy to look past for someone in this century. So I still had a lot of fun kissing Gerry—then of course, you suddenly popped up."

Erik was about to be offended, but she laughed so he knew she meant no harm by this comment.

"That is good to know."

"So to answer your question earlier, I'm pretty sure you aren't hiding any parts of your personality, seeing as you've rejected society as they rejected you, and Gerry definitely doesn't have anything to hide, and you're still completely different. So Christine and I are still not the same person, even if she is pressured to act a certain way."

Erik, surprised to feel relieved by this, was very quiet for a while. He looked over to Emmy (who was still sprawled on the couch in a rather comical way) and went over to sit on the small space left next to her hip. She was a little surprised by the close proximity, but didn't show it. After a few more moments of thought, Erik shifted his gaze to her eyes.

"I have another question."

"What?"

"Which one of us do you prefer?"