Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm glad you all are enjoying it so far. Now it's time for a little trouble. Keep up the comments! Read and review! :)

Warmth!

"Ma'am? Ma'am? Are you still there?"

Christine was froze with utter disbelief. The phone almost fell from her hand but she maintained an even grip on it.

"Could…" she swallowed thickly, "Could you please repeat that?"

"Yes. There is a callback scheduled the fourth of March at 10:00 AM for a Christine Daae. Is that okay or would another date be acceptable?"

"Are… are you sure you have the right Christine?"

"…Is this Christine Daae?"

"Yes…"

"Were you number, um… 92?"

She licked her lips. "Y-yes."

"Then yes. This call is for you. Unless you would not like to come to the audition in which your appointment can be canceled-"

"No!" she then said more calmly, "No. No, it will be quite alright. I will be there." Then she hung up.

Still shaking, she set her phone down and put her face in her hands. The fourth of March… that was in four days. Ms. Valerius knocked at her door, causing her to jump. But she heard herself say "Come in."

"There's someone- Oh. Is something wrong?"

"No, no, no. I just… Oh god."

"What is it?"

"I got a callback… for the theatre donation thing."

"Oh, that's wonderful news!" the woman smiled. Her smile was warming.

"Yeah, but I am so nervous! I did it for my father, but I didn't think I'd get this far. What if I embarrass myself?"

Ms. Valerius frowned. "Is that the worst thing that could happen?"

"No… well, maybe. I don't know. I might… accidentally fall of the stage and get hurt or…"

"You could. But you could also twist your ankle working at that scary ice cream job. Stop and smell the roses Christine. Everything will be fine. All in good time."

"Thanks."

"Now, for the reason I came in here, there is someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"Blonde girl."

"What? Oh! Yeah, I'll go let her in." she jumped up and ran to the door where Meg was standing out there. It was weird not seeing her in her uniform. "Hey! How'd you find my address?"

Meg slyly grinned as she made her way into the house. "I may have looked into Joe's files and found where you lived."

"Meg! Isn't that illegal?"

"Doesn't matter. I want to hear everything."

Christine's heart skipped. "What are you talking about?" Had Raoul told Philip about their date? Did he tell Meg?

"Your audition! How'd it go?"

She let out a breath she'd been holding. "Oh Meg! I got a callback!"

She gasped. "That's so cool! Way to go, Chris!" she then hugged her and they giggled together. Christine suddenly remembered Ms. Valerius in the hallway.

"Come. Meet my... uh, guardian." She led Meg to where Ms. Valerius was and introduced them. "Meg, this is Ms. Valerius, my guardian. Ms. Valerius, this is Meg, my co-worker and friend." They exchanged pleasantries and then Christine led Meg to her room. She was slightly embarrassed.

Had she known she was going to have company, she would have cleaned it up. Her room was bland and messy. Shirts were thrown on the floor. The walls were stark white, not a single poster marred any of it. A bed with white sheets and a green blanket rested in the middle of the room. A wooden dresser was right next to it, the only thing on that was a picture of her father and her. There was a nightlight in the sockets and a bookshelf full of books, but besides that, it was rather dull.

One of the lights in the room, flickered. "Sorry about the mess. I didn't know anyone was coming... I haven't had anyone over in a long time."

"No, dude, it's cool. I don't mind. My room looks like a tornado went through it." She laughed.

Christine nervously nodded. "Yeah, well, next time it'll look nice."

"But I didn't come here to talk about your room." Her voice went low. "What's going on between you and Phil's brother?"

Christine paled. "Why? What have you heard?"

"Nothing. It's just that when you guys met at Baskin, you guys seemed to see into each other's souls for a second. What was that about?"

"We used to be really good friends back in elementary school. But then in sixth grade, he had to move away. We were both just… so excited to see each other again after almost 13 years."

Meg was on the edge of her seat. "Are you gonna see him again?" Christine blushed but before she could open her mouth, Meg beat her too it with a gasp. "Christine Daae! You will tell me everything!"

After explaining how she had saw him at the audition, then how they went out and made plans for a date, Meg practically squealed with delight.

"Awesome. This is awesome. Dude, where were you in college? Having you around would have made it a hundred times better."

Christine shrugged. "I don't know. Different career choices, I guess."

"We still ended up in the same place though. What was your major? I was going to be an artist. I took all these art classes and stuff."

"That's cool." She said, trying to swerve the conversation away from herself. "Did you paint or draw?"

She frowned. "You didn't answer my question. And paint."

Defeated but still on guard, she quickly answered. "Music."

"Oh. That's cool. What kind of music? The keyboard or like… singing and stuff? Or were you training to be a singing teacher?"

"Just you know…. Singing and stuff. Heh."

"Oh. Cool. Do you still sing?"

"It's…" she swallowed a huge lump in throat. "…not something I do often."

"Yeah, I mean, I sing in the shower but that doesn't make me an Adele, am I right?"

"I guess."

She pat Christine's thigh. "So… do you like any sports? I like the Giants but honestly, I don't get the big deal. Sports are hella boring. I don't know why people care so much and spend so much money."

Christine mentally thanked Meg hugely for leaving it alone. She would have to go back and put the audition in her calendar, but for now, she was perfectly fine sitting there listening to Meg chatter on and on for the time being.

She was once again standing outside the doors of the theater, but this time, she had more confidence and less worry on her shoulders. She's asked Joe to take the day off to which he agreed as long as she worked the night shift for him. She had agreed but hoped it wasn't on a night her and Raoul wanted to go out. She had been thinking about him more and more lately. He seemed to consume her thoughts, but not in an obsessive way. She checked her phone. She had two messages. One was Raoul.

Hey! Sorry I can't be there to support you, but I want to tell you to break a leg! See you at Casa

Her heart fluttered as she wrote back.

Thank you! And yes, can't wait!

Her second message was Meg.

Don't fuck it up! Haha. Kidding. Love you. But really, don't fuck it up.

Christine rolled her eyes and send a smiley face with a tongue sticking out then a red heart.

She put her phone back in her bag and entered the theatre. The same man greeted her, but with a smile this time in which she returned. She only had to wait a few minutes before her number was called. She took a deep breath and made her way up there. The judge's muttered to themselves for a second then gained their focus on her.

"What will you be playing today, Ms. Daae?"

Surprised they got her name right, she smiled and told them the name of her song.

"Whenever, you're ready, Christine."

She then played the piece and this time when she finished, she felt a bit better. What had changed? Was the song better? Was it her confidence? People always said more confidence makes a person more attractive.

After hearing the pencil scratch on the paper, the man spoke: "Congratulation, Christine. You have earned the part."

She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Oh… oh! Well, thank you so much!"

"You will be a part of the band Premadona. Go over and meet George. He will explain everything." He pointed to a man with a long brown beard. He waved at her. She wanted to wave back. She felt like she was walking on clouds.

"Hi." She said when she came up to George.

"Hey." He panted. He seemed out of breath even though he had just been standing there.

"So… what do I need to learn?"

"Not much."

She frowned. "Well… what will I be learning?"

He sighed, seemingly exhausted. She could see sweat in the armpit of his shirt. "Simple stuff. You'll get a few music sheets and you'll learn what songs you'll be playing and what part-" he suddenly looked abruptly up. "Now while the band is called Premadona, I feel it should actually be called Prima Dona."

"What? Why?"

He leaned towards her. His breath smelled like tuna and she winced. "Because the lead singer of the band is a huge bitch."

Before Christine could recuperate, a girl with medium-length, red hair walked up. She heard her before she saw her. Her heels making noises across the wood floor. "Hello, George." She spoke, her voice pleasant and strong. "I need to speak with you about our new drummer. He keeps making weird remarks and is annoying the hell- who's this?"

"This is Christine."

"And why is she so important to be disrupting our important conversation?" Christine felt embarrassed but angered. She had been talking to him first!

"She… will be your keyboard player."

The woman's smile immediately disappeared. "What?" Before George could repeat she spoke again. "I told them three times I didn't want a keyboard player. Three times! And what do they do? George, what'd they do? And not only is she a keyboard player; she's female!"

Christine was confused. "I… don't understand." Her voice sounded timid and weak. Exactly how she felt.

"It's an all-boy band." the girl turned to her. "Except me. I'm supposed to be the only girl in the group but apparently that doesn't seem to go through the judges' heads does it?"

"Charlotte, please." George sounded exhausted. "I'm sure we can figure something out."

"No. It was your job to mark what positions were open. All were filled and you made another one up just to squeeze another nobody in. I'm done."

"Wait!" he shouted when Charlotte made a turn to leave. "Oh God. I'll handle this." Then he bustled over towards her. After a few minutes of Christine awkwardly standing around wondering what she did to make that woman hate her with so much passion, she turned to Christine with a sly grin. "But the real question is, would she do it?"

Sudden anxiety filled every part of her body.

Charlotte took a few steps towards her. "Christine, is it? Christine, if you were to join my band, you'd have to masquarde as a boy. Do you think you could do that?"

Dress… as a guy? "What?" Her anxiety was coupled with utter confusion. She made a glanced at the judges whom were watching her but quickly looked away when Christine met their eyes.

"See! See! She gets it!" George butted in. "She can wear hoodies and stuff… and stay in the back where the spotlight doesn't hit. She could pull her hair back and you can, uh… call her Chris." Every word he spoke made the weight on her heart heavier. She didn't like her nickname anymore.

"Well?" the girl pursed her lips. "Think you can do it? Unless you don't want to be in the band."

"I… I don't want to have to pretend to be a boy." She felt very small in that moment.

Charlotte sighed, not wanting to deal with this. "Then you can't be in the band. Either you be a boy and stay, or be a girl and leave? What will it be?"

She felt tears threatening her eyes. She wanted to say no but she thought of how happy it would have made her father. Time was ticking and she could feel Charlotte's anger radiating off of her. She felt she didn't have a choice but say yes. "Okay."

"Great. See you at rehearsal!" With that she handed Christine a bunch of papers and skittered off. Before George could speak, Christine covered her face with one of her hands as a few tears trickled down. She just couldn't help it. She had just been so emotional lately and under the stress of auditioning it kind of all came tumbling down again.

"They put me in an all-boy band knowing I was a female?"

He was getting antsy and itched his sweaty forehead. "They must have looked at the genders wrong…"

"I r-remember specifically circling female."

"Well maybe they just-"

"Christine! Christine! Hey! Christine!" Christine looked up. It was Meg. Meg ran towards Christine and George made his great escape. "Guess who is now crewing the lights! I'll get to do the spotlight! And that means I might sneak it on you a few times, Ms. Keyboard Player- hey. What's wrong?"

"More like Mister." She sniffed. "They put me in an all-boy band and… and now I have to pretend to be a guy to keep the job."

"What? Oh… my god. What the hell? Have you talked to the judges?"

"No but I spoke with the lead singer and she demanded it or else I couldn't be in it."

"And you said you'd do it?" Christine nodded. "Wow… well, I'm proud of you. But I'm also sorry. That really sucks."

"Yeah." Christine wiped her tears of her sleeve. "They said I have to wear boy clothes and put my hair up and stuff."

"Dude, I'm so sorry. You know what? I'll make you a really cute boy. I'll make your hair look cute and stuff and give you some of my boyfriend's clothes he lets me borrow. Even though we know I won't give them back."

She cringed at the thought of wearing Simon's clothes on her body. "Thanks, Meg. It just really… hurts, you know? I mean, I was doing this whole thing for my father to make him proud and now... now it kind of back fired."

"On the bright side, at least you got in, right? They thought you were that good."

She nodded and sucked in a breath. "I guess."

Meg looking around awkwardly. "So, uh, any plans for tonight?"

"Oh yeah. First off, congrats on getting the lighting job. I know you wanted it. I know you'll do great. And who knows, maybe you can sneak the spotlight on me a few times."

Meg grinned and Christine could see a small blush. "What's the second thing?"

He waited in the table. He watched as the other man he was watching adjusted his sunflower he had set in the middle of the table. He watched as the other man ran his fingers through his hair, took a quick glance if anyone was coming, and then pulled out his phone to look at himself in the camera. He continued to watch as Raoul Changy nervously tapped his fingers against the table, obviously anxious about something.

And it was his job to find out what.

He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was disposable and there was no way of tracking it. Just in case.

The second he opened it a voice spoke:

"Anything yet?"

He spoke in a low voice. "Nothing. He's waiting for someone and seems rather impatient about it."

"Well, keep me updated, okay?"

"I'll do what I can, Nathaniel, but I can't make it look obvious."

"Sh! Don't say my name out loud! What if-"

"I've been in the police business for over 30 years, Nathaniel. I know what I'm doing."

"Whatever, Nadir. Those 20 long years have gotten to your head at some point. Tell me if anything… Ok. Ok. Claude says hi."

"Tell him I said I'll be there soon and not to worry."

After hearing Nathaniel repeat his words to Claude, Nadir looked up to Raoul and saw a female companion walk towards his table. She had long, curly, brown hair and was wearing a nice dress. She rushed over to him with an apologetic look on her face. He couldn't hear what they were saying, the restaurant was too loud and he was too far away. "Nadir… Nadir? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. It's a girl."

"What?"

"He was waiting for a girl. They're hugging."

"Is she cute?"

"That's not the point. I'm going to call you back in 3 minutes."

"Okay." And then he hung up. He got up to head towards the bathroom but not before going past their table. He pretended to be a lot slower than he actually was and hobbled near the table. He strained to hear what they were talking about.

"…still like Sunflowers? …

"Yes…It is lovely..."

"…grown in my…."

"…you know… think I was weird..."

"Christine...absurd…"

Then their voices faded away and blended in with the rest of the loud Mexican restaurant. Nadir sighed and went into the bathroom. He was confused. Since Raoul was a part of the whole donation thing at the theatre, he thought maybe he would be behind Volta. But apparently this was just a lame attempt at a romantic dinner.

When he got back to his table, he called Nathaniel.

"Well?"

"It's just a date."

"How do you know?"

At that moment, the waitress came by. "Are you ready to order, sir?"

"Yes, thank you. I'll have the…" he told her what he wanted and the second she turned away from him he picked up the phone again. "Sorry. You still there?"

"You didn't get me anything?"

"Seriously."

"How'd you know they're a couple? They got rings?"

"No. But by the way they were talking all gooey, it's kind of obvious."

"What's the girl's name?"

He spoke low. "Christine. Curly, brunette hair. Doesn't raise much suspicion but I'll keep an eye out."

"Oh, well. Enjoy your chicken chalupa… call me if anything else happens. Me and Claude are having sorbet, if you were wondering."

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll alert the newspapers." Then he hung up. He sighed. He came here, thinking it might be good to stalk a Changy and see what happened but all that was happening was laughing and talking. The boy would laugh and lick his lips a lot. The girl would play with the flower and her hair. She rested her head in her hand. He ran his hand through his hair.

Nadir took another sip of his beer. It was going to be a long, lonely night.

Christine couldn't remember the last time she had smiled this much.

The night was going perfect. She had arrived a little late due to Meg taking forever with her hair. She said she added volume but Christine didn't really see a difference. But she knew she looked presentable. Maybe even… pretty. The waiter came by with their drinks. Christine ordered a virgin Shirley Temple and Raoul ordered water.

Raoul had given her a sunflower; her favorite flower.

"Do you still like Sunflowers? I remember they were your favorite when we were younger."

"Yes! Thank you so much Raoul. It is lovely."

"No problem. It was grown in my mom's garden. Heh."

"That's so cool. You know, my dad used to think I was weird because I didn't like roses like the other girls."

"Christine Daae, that is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Remember the field we found that one side?"

"Oh, how could I forget?" She remembered. Her and Raoul had been in the 4th grade but they still liked to play tag and such. In the middle of a game, she came across a beautiful, huge field of sunflowers. The sun seemed to glow off of them. Raoul ran towards her and tagged her, but she was too in love with the sight. He had tried to pick some for her but her father had said not to and to let it grow in the Earth where it belonged. To simply admire its beauty from afar.

"I remember how mad your dad got when I tried to pick one."

"Yeah." She chuckled but didn't push it.

"I'm still really sorry about him. He was always so sweet to me and did so much for us."

"Thanks, Raoul. It means a lot. I mean, I did the whole audition thing mainly for him."

"Who else was it for?"

"You." She let the simple word float in the air.

"Oh."

Her face turned beat red. "Uh, I knew I'd get to see you since your father was running the whole thing."

"Ah. I see. You know, I was hoping the whole time that I'd see you audition." Their food then arrived. She ordered the cheese quesadilla, he order a vegetarian taco. They ate for a while and talked a bit about the theatre project when he spoke again. "Congrats about the whole keyboard thing."

She hadn't told him the full of it. "Yeah, about that…" She had a sip of her drink.

"What? What happened?"

She rested her head in her hand. "They accidentally placed me in an all boy-band and now I have to pretend to be a boy if I want to stay in it." There. She said it.

"What?"

"That's what I said! And it was the only spot available so I couldn't just join another band."

"I… I don't… What… Did no one want to switch with you?"

"There were no male keyboard players."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I… God, I'm so sorry, Christine."

"It could be worse… that's what I keep saying to myself."

"Yeah. But you're strong like that. What do they mean by pretend to be a boy? You have to cut your hair or something?"

"No just pull it up. I'll have to wear boy clothes… my friend Meg said she'd hook me up."

"Okay. You can borrow some of my clothes if you want too."

"Oh…" she remembered Meg saying how it was her boyfriend that had given her the clothes. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Why is it so important that it's a boy band? What is so wrong with having a female keyboard player?"

She shrugged. "The leader is a girl and she said her band needed to be guys or else she's kick me out."

"I doubt she has the power to do that."

"I don't know. But she scared me."

He put his hand over hers. It tingled with warmth. "I'm sorry. I should have been there."

"It's okay. I mean, I would have liked having you there but… what's done is done."

"I'm so sorry, Christine." His hand didn't move. They were seated in the kind of booth that didn't separate the people. It curved around the side and now Christine and Raoul were very close next to each other.

"You don't have to apologize, Raoul. You've already done so much. I know you're the one who even got me a callback."

"What?" he looked worried. "Who told you? I told- It doesn't matter. I'm sorry. You told me not to but I couldn't help it. I just wanted to see you happy."

"Thank you, Raoul. I appreciate it. But let me handle things now, okay? And stop apologizing! You're making me feel bad."

"That's the last thing I want to do."

After that they just looked at each other. His eyes were a nice, clear blue. Hers were a deep green. They're faces came closer and closer but they were interrupted when a waiter came by obnoxiously and brought them their bill.

After their dragging conversation and awkward wait for the check, which Christine fought Raoul on paying even though she knew she couldn't afford anything, they finally left. The cool night air hit them in a relaxing haze.

"Thank you so much for tonight. I really had a great time."

"Me too. I've missed you so much. I feel like you're a whole new person."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes." And then he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't her first kiss, she had her first boyfriend in 11th grade with someone her "friends" had set her up with. The relationship lasted two months and he was a sloppy kisser. She steered away from guys from then to college. When her father died, romance was the last thing on her mind.

Unlike her 11th grade boyfriend, Raoul's kiss was soft, sweet, and reassuring. She kissed him back eagerly and he responded. After a few seconds, they broke away for air. He rose his hand and cupped her cheek.

"I'll see you again?"

"Of course." She smiled but she knew she was blushing.

"Good night, Christine."

"Good night, Raoul."

And then he kissed her cheek then left. She stood their paralyzed for a second but then felt utter adoration rise up from inside her. She knew she had romantic feelings for him but was unsure if he returned them, which he apparently did. Her lips still felt tingly. She hadn't been kissed in a long time.

She was about to text Meg that she was ready to be picked up but then realized she had forgotten her sunflower. She ran back into the diner and was relieved to see her table hadn't been cleaned yet. She ran towards it, yet when she got there, there was no sign of the flower ever being there.

It had just disappeared without a trace.

Nadir plucked the petals off the small flower that now resided on his kitchen table. The girl had left it when they had left. The second they walked out the door, he grabbed it and left the restaurant. He examined the flower, wondering if maybe a recording device was in it or something. If so, they could possibly know his address. He plucked another petal off.

He doubted it.

Tonight had been a bust and he knew it. Every night was a bust. Nothing happened. There no reports of any justice. Only more sickness. Death. His head had begun to throb. He was getting older and all of this stress wasn't good for him. He rubbed his forehead, hoping to ease some of the pain.

He reached for his bottle of Advil and Ibuprofen and put them together, deciding which one to choose.

"What's the damned difference anyway?"

"The difference is that a typical person would take the medicine before their pain intensified. You, on the other hand, wait until the last minute when the pain is at its peak."

Nadir jumped. "You can't just sneak up in the shadows like that! I could have had a heart attack."

"It's a good thing you were near a medicine cabinet then. Besides your current predicament, tell me: was tonight successful?"

"There was nothing to be successful about. He was just going on a date."

"Are you so sure?" she voice slithered throughout the shadows.

He shivered. "I'm pretty sure. They were speaking very fondly of each other… he gave the girl this flower." He held up the sunflower.

The shadow took it into it's hands. "Very odd flower to give a women."

"I guess."

"You seem off." it tsked Are you forgetting your place?"

"No... of course not. I'm just... I don't know about this one. We haven't thought of anything… every time we go in, they kick us out."

"Then how come I am able to stay in the theatre from early morning to evening, Nadir? Is it all to be placed on my shoulders? You are not even trying."

"Of course I am! I just… I've lost a lot of willpower."

"Perhaps remembering your son's pained look as the illness ate away at his insides will restore your willpower. Perhaps knowing that hundreds of people are affected everyday isn't enough for you. Maybe remembering your wife's last words doesn't do it. Must you remember Nathaniel's daughter? You only saw her once, but the condition she was in will haunt you for the rest of your life. Claude will never be the same ever again. He can barely say a full sentence without struggle. It's affecting everyone, Nadir. And if you don't get your act together, I might just never pop out of the shadows ever again."

"I-"

"Hey, Nadir? You out there?" Nathaniel's voice rang into the room. With a soft blow of cold air, Nadir knew he had left.

"Yes. It's me." his headache was now at a migraine. He recalled his earlier words. How could he ever forget what was so very importantly executed in front of his daily life? He picked the broken flower that was on the ground and thought about his more recent words. He remembered the terror of agony in his son's eyes. He remembered his wife's last words thrown into a raspy, bloody cough. He remembered Nathaniel's daughter, Delaine, and how sickeningly skinny she was. He remembered finding Claude's half-alive body. Now he possessed the grammar of an eight year old and stuttered on the simplest of words. It was affecting everyone and he almost wondered if it affected him. His head was now just a sharp, piercing pain.

"You okay?" Nathaniel's sleepy voice cut through.

"Yes."

And Nadir crushed the flower with his fist.