disclaimer: don't own Phantom etc. etc.
That night they snuck into the fop’s room. Raoul had decided to sleep in the opera house in case the Phantom tried to take his precious Christine. Erik and Paige crept through the doorway, in their hands they held a bottle (that matched Raoul’s hair products exactly) and a cage covered with a blanket. “Okay, you switch the bottles and I’ll do the rest.” Paige whispered. Erik tiptoed into the fop’s private bathroom and exchanged the bottles sitting on the sink with the ones in his hands. Then Erik reached into his bag and pulled out black paint and painted the Vicomte’s mirror black and then wrote in silver paint: O.G. watches then he replaced all the fop’s clothes with ball gowns.
Paige snuck up next to the sleeping Vicomte and carefully uncapped the glue paste and brushed some on him, careful not to wake him. Erik snuck up next to Paige and said “Ready?” Paige nodded and they unlatched the cages and dumped four chickens on the sleeping Vicomte and then ran for their lives back to the secret door in the wall. To both Erik and Paige's surprise, nothing happened. Erik peered out the peep-hole and covered his mouth to keep from laughing at the sight of Raoul curled up with four chickens sleeping on him. Erik motioned for Paige to look at the outrageous sight. “We’ll have to stay here for the night, so we don’t miss him in the morning.” Erik whispered. Paige nodded again and Erik took off his cape and wrapped it around Paige. As hard as they both tried to stay awake, neither of them could stop their eyelids from drooping and slowly sliding shut…
The phantom and the girl woke to the sound of shrieking from the other side of the wall. Paige was up first, peering outside and watching Raoul jumping around, trying to get chicken feathers off of him. The chickens themselves had scattered, sitting atop various pieces of furniture and staring at Raoul. He stumbled into the bathroom, muttering to himself and Paige grabbed Erik’s hand and pulled him to box five, so they could watch the rest of it unfold.
“When I get my hands on that maddening ghost, I swear I’ll wring his neck!” they heard Raoul long before they could see him. The cast of the opera house stared at the fop with wide eyes, trying (and failing) at trying not to laugh at him. Raoul stood at the center of the opera house, hands on his hips, trying to look dignified. He was wearing a puffy, lacy, pink silk dress, which ironically matched his hair that was also bright pink.
“Stay here.” Erik whispered in Paige’s ear as he left her side.
“Um… the dress is quite… er… flattering…” one of the managers stuttered. “but why…?”
“The Phantom switched my normal clothes with dresses!” the patron whined.
“Why didn’t you just wear your night clothes?” one of the ballerinas asked, snickering.
Raoul blushed and said “Look what he has done to my room!” the whole company followed him and Paige raced back too. She met Erik in the passage, sitting with a chicken on his head.
“Erik…?” she said giggling as she looked at him.
“Not a word.” He growled. “Chickens are difficult to round up.”
Paige chuckled to herself as she peered into Raoul’s chamber, gasping as she saw everything was back to its original state. Raoul opened the door and gaped at the now clean room. “But… but…” he stuttered. The rest of the crew looked around for anything out of place, but found nothing. Even the mirror was clean!
“Raoul… it’s okay.” One of the ballerinas said.
“Yes, if this is a new… chapter in your life, that’s alright.” Another one said. “We can even help you break the news to Christine if you want!”
His fists clenched and he yelled “Everyone, OUT!” Paige and Erik ran back to the lair, laughing hysterically.
“We have to get down to the stables now!” Paige said as they ran to the place Raoul’s carriage sat waiting. She loosened the ropes that attached the stallions to the cart and then hid to watch Raoul’s horses race away without the carriage.
It was around noon by now and the company was preparing for rehearsals. The company heard a few various snaps! Followed by a yelp and they looked out to the seats to see Raoul jumping around with a mousetrap stuck to the back of his pants. Christine looked at him with an alarmed expression. “Raoul… are you alright?” she asked.
“Someone put mousetraps on my seat!” he exclaimed furiously.
The entire auditorium heard laughter which seemed to echo from everywhere at once. Paige and Erik hid up at the very top of the auditorium, almost even with the chandelier. Their laughter rang out all over the theatre and Raoul yelled up “This isn’t funny!”
“I’m afraid you are quite mistaken Monsieur, my companion and I think it is rather amusing.” Erik said, his powerful voice resonating all around.
“You have a… a friend?” Christine’s timid voice asked.
“Of course he has a friend!” Paige answered in a heavily accented voice. “I am the Phantomess of the Opera dearie.”
Erik gave her a strange look and then said “Yes, and we are the ones who run this fine establishment. You must remember that Vicomte, you have no idea what you’re dealing with!” then Erik cackled and the lights went out and back on as Paige and Erik ran to the little door on the balcony. They collapsed in the secret room, laughing and holding their sides. “Phantomess?” Erik asked chucking at Paige.
“What?!” she said “I can’t think up clever names on such short notice!”
“So you chose ‘Phantomess’?” Erik laughed.
“Yes.” Paige said. “What is next and final on our list of hilarious torment for the fop?”
Erik looked at her and smiled wickedly before disappearing from sight. Paige sat in box five, waiting for Erik to reveal his final prank on the poor fop. She heard a click and looked up, wondering who could be sneaking around the balcony. Paige saw the ends of Erik’s cloak swirling as he pushed Raoul and Raoul’s bed atop the balcony. Raoul was fast asleep, completely clueless to the imminent danger he was currently in. Erik looked down at Paige and smirked as he held a bucket full of water over the fop. He dumped it on Raoul and raced back to box five, the sound to Raoul’s cry of shock echoing at his back. Paige watched as Raoul leaped up, drenched to the bone and soon very aware of where he was… and the fact that he didn’t know how to get down. “Help!” he yelled. Paige watched as he started panicking, and promptly slipped and fell, plummeting to the chairs only to catch himself on the edge of the balcony.
“Erik, he’s going to die!” Paige called. She hated the fop as much as Erik did, but she didn’t want to kill him!
Erik froze at Paige’s words and looked back at Raoul, hanging off the balcony. It would be so simple… to just let him fall. The night when he was going to reveal himself to Christine, if he had the fop’s life in his hands then he would have let him die. But now… now the fop didn’t matter, just Paige. Paige, who was staring at him fearfully as Raoul began to lose his grip on the edge, realized that this was the chance Erik had been waiting for. An opportunity to rid the opera house of its patron. He’s going to walk away! And let him fall! Paige thought. But she watched in shock as Erik flew to the distressed patron and grabbed his hand, saving his life. Raoul yelped as Erik’s gloved hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him to safety. Paige ran to the balcony and once Raoul was back on his feet, he asked. “Why did you save me? You hate me. I tried twice to kill you, and yet you didn’t take the opportunity to kill me… why?”
“Call it…” Erik broke off as Paige arrived by his side. He smiled gently at her and then finished. “Call it a change of heart.” And then they were gone, leaving the door to the stage opened so he could get down.
“You saved him.” Paige said, smiling at Erik once they were back in the catacombs.
“You told me to.” Erik grumbled.
“Oh no, don’t you dare blame me!” Paige laughed. “You saved him of your own accord!”
Erik looked at her and said “It’s almost like I have a heart…”
Paige laughed a bit and walked over to him. “Erik, you couldn’t be alive unless you had a heart.” She reasoned. “You’re just learning how to be human.”
“Wonder who’s fault that is…” he muttered slyly. Paige froze and her thoughts screamed wait, what?!
“What?” she asked.
“Goodnight Paige.” Was his only reply. And with that, he slipped into the dark and left Paige to her thoughts.
Tomorrow… she thought. Tomorrow I’ll tell him of what I feel… dear God in heaven let this work… and with that thought she drifted into a fitful sleep, dreaming of the ghosts of the lovers in the garden and Erik’s voice.
A/N: Sorry Paige, I know you don't like Raoul but.... XD Anyway, only one more chapter left! :) Hope you liked it!