In The Wings

Act IV Scene VII

The final dress rehearsal had creeped up on the cast of the Light in the Piazza as if it were a cat - no one had seen it coming, and now it was right upon them. So much of their time had been spent within the chorus classroom after the Phantom had brought along all the new songs and music, but now they were forced to go back out onto the stage. After all, the performance was coming.

Of course, dress rehearsal meant costumes. For the first time, the cast was able to come together and see how the show would run with full tech and costuming. Christine was pleased with the way her outfit had come together - she could only hope the Phantom was too.

The Phantom was practically the new director of the production, despite the fact he avoided speaking himself to most of the cast. Instead he would relay his words through the actual directors in the form of notes. He maintained just enough fear in their hearts for him to be able to keep control.

Many of the members of the cast and crew were too frenzied to even think about being afraid of the mysterious man. Flashes of black swished by everyone's eyes, and no one ever questioned it because they knew it was just techies trying to get to their side of the stage, to their props and set pieces.

Right at the center of it all was Christine Daae and all of her friends. While she had tried to make small talk with some of those she knew from dance school, she had found that they were just as frenzied and worried as she was (even though it was for slightly different reasons). Despite people being everywhere, she knew that she was completely alone.

Christine didn't mind being alone all that much. While Meg always seemed to need people around her, this had never been all that appealing to Christine. Perhaps this difference between them was what kept them together so tightly.

But despite her not feeling a need to be surrounded by people, there were still many she cared about immensely. Paul, the man who she said she loved, was right there beside her throughout this production. She found herself forgetting this from time to time, but she was making sure to keep herself on track.

Paul knew that his time to get the Phantom back for what he had done was coming - opening night would be the time for it all. Everything had been precisely planned out so that he could make sure no harm came to Christine, nor anyone else. But he kept this from his girlfriend, fearing her reaction. 

If she were ever to bring the Phantom up, he would attempt to be blind to what she was speaking of - no, he couldn't have her worrying about it. He had seen that there was some part of her that actually cared for the man that was terrorizing them, evidently something left over from when he had been the Angel of Music and a father-like figure to her. 

But now he was everything but someone who cared, and Paul intended to show this to Christine without being explicit. Besides, he wanted to keep himself positive with the opening night of the Light in the Piazza being just the very next day. Paul approached her with a smile on his face, making sure to be right in her line of vision so she wouldn't have to worry about being frightened.

"Christine Daae, you look lovely," he said, examining her costume. He was being completely truthful - she was dressed up in a blue dress that went out in a poof due to the petticoat she worse underneath it, an outfit all tied together with a hat perched on her curls. 

"And you don't?" Christine asked. Through this she silently acknowledged the fact that he wasn't in his costume yet. 

"Thank you," Paul said. "It's always good to know that people think I'm lovely."

"Do you feel pretty?" Christine asked, raising her eyebrows to see if Paul would understand the reference she was throwing out there.

"Oh so pretty," he replied, making her burst out in a round of giggles. She certainly needed herself to have something order to avoid the stress that pressed down on her shoudlers at the moment, and she decided to make Paul just that.