Let it Snow Chapter 1, a phantom of the opera fanfic

Let it Snow ©

By Phantasmarose

Dear Readers,

This is a continuation of "I'll be home for Christmas," which was published a few years ago. I thank you for your continued interest in my stories. This Christmas I am offering a FREE copy of Book One from my series Masque by Caridad Martin AKA Phantasmarose at . It is based on my story "Black Despair" published here 2006 and taken down 2013. To download, go to Amazon Free books. It will be available on Amazon FREE starting tomorrow 12/25/16 until 12/28. I wish all my dear fans a very Merry Christmas.

I will be updating "Let it Snow" every two days.

Disclaimer: I do not own or lay claim to the characters Erik, Christine, or Raoul. I do not own or lay claim to the original story of the Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. This version of that story is my own. Aside from Leroux's original characters, I have created my own.

Summary: Modern. In "I'll be home for Christmas," Erik saved Christine from deportation by marrying her. They have been happy together and now it's a year later. It's Christmas Eve and a snow storm threatens to disrupt their festivities. Will it unravel what they have built?

Chapter 1

Erik looked up from the small basement window at his conservatory. The snow was accumulating rapidly. Half of the lower window pane was covered, but he could still see the school's empty parking lot. Christmas was still two days away and it would be a white Christmas as Christine had predicted. He wanted to be home with Christine helping her wrap, cook or doing any of those things never would have done had he still been a single man. All he had to do was find the missing file and as soon as his friend Raoul picked him up, he could hurry back to his wife. His secretary, Mrs. Zhan insisted that from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the school play Christmas music everywhere except in the classrooms. Erik didn't care for most of the Christmas songs, but since Christine had entered his life he could tolerate the schmaltzy holiday tunes. Yesterday morning, Mrs. Zhan, had wished Erik and the staff a merry Christmas and flown off to Chicago. She had forgotten to turn the system off. When the loop began to play for a second time, he attempted to put an end to it. The attempt was not successful.

Let it snow was just ending and sure enough, the first strains of Let it Snow began to play ― again. Thanks to his interference, only one song remained on the loop. Erik gritted his teeth. The weather outside is frightful… How ill-timed of Dean Martin, to remind him ― yet again ― of the unceasing snowfall on this particular day, that a blizzard was bearing down on the town. Erik wouldn't have cared how much it snowed, had he been home with Christine. He wasn't, and the song was beginning to strain his nerves.

The day before his most talented and admittedly, favorite student, Maritza, had phoned him from Paris. There was some issue over her paperwork and if it was not resolved immediately she would not be registered for that semester. He could not let her miss out on a scholarship to the Conservatoire de Paris ― his Alma matter. He would find and fax her all the papers she needed, so that as soon as the holidays were over she could register, even if tonight was Christmas Eve. Erik brought down two more boxes and begun going through them systematically. He needed to be finished before Raoul arrived to drive him home.

Erik felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He gritted his teeth and answered quickly before the annoying sounds that passed for music on most cell phones began to play. Christine had insisted he have different music for all his contacts. It made no difference, because he only remembered two, Christine's and Raoul's.

"Raoul?" asked Erik.

"Erik, why are you still there?" Christine's sweet voice came through clearly. Maybe he didn't remember any of the tunes. The sound of her voice immediately put him in a good mood.

"I am still looking for Maritza's admission file."

"Everything should be on the computer."

"I retrieved what I could from the computer, but the form she needs is in her file."

"All right. Mrs. Williams is here and wants to know if you prefer that she bake an apple pie or cherry pie?"

"I prefer neither and you know that!"

"Those are the options she's giving you Erik."

"Whatever pie she bakes she will smother it in cinnamon and it will have only that flavor. Awful."

His good mood slid away.

"I'll put her on."

"No!"

"I heard you Erik Boneville. The cinnamon is good for those old bones of yours." she yelled into the phone. Erik held his cell phone away from his ear.

"Cinnamon irritates my stomach."

"Remember last week, I told you I could hear that bad knee of yours creaking when you were coming up the stairs."

He remembered. Erik capitulated quickly. He did not want Mrs. Williams or anyone mentioning his bad knee and reminding Christine of his ageing body. "I'll be happy to have your cherry pie."

"I only have apples," Mrs. Williams said.

His pique grew.

"Then why did you ask if I wanted a cherry pie? Never mind. I'll eat your cinnamon pie and you can flavor it with any fruit of your choosing."

"I should make you a lemon pie to match your personality," Mrs. Williams yelled into the phone. "Christine, your husband is in an ill mood again, I just wanted to bake him a nice pie to help him with his knee problems. And now his accusing me of upsetting his stomach."

"Erik! What did you say to her? You hurt her feelings," Christine reprimanded him.

"The woman has no feelings to be hurt. She is hamming it up for you."

"She is not baking ham. She is baking you a pie."

Erik bit his tongue. In the last year Christine's English had improved tremendously. But every once in a while…

"I know my dear," he said.

"You will have to make it up to her when you come home,"

"I will my dear."

Christine sighed and he thought of the wonderful sounds she made even without speaking. Just before she fell asleep she always bore into his chest and when he placed his arms around her she sighed and fell into a deep slumber. He watched her for a while, then slept his usual three hours and got up to work on his music. "

"Whatever she bakes, you will have to eat it and say you enjoyed it."

"I have a sensitive stomach which you are willing to sacrifice to Mrs. Williams' feelings, but I will do as you ask," he groused.

"Don't be a baby. If you eat the pie, I will rub your tummy tonight." She giggled.

Christine's promise of physical contact made him anxious to go home. If he was lucky he would get that tummy rub as soon as he got home. She laughed on the phone. The little minx. She knows exactly what her words just did to me. Joy was his once again.

"Raoul just arrived here with a big turkey," she told him.

"Why would he stop there first? He's supposed to pick me up. Never mind. Just give me another 30 minutes. I'm going through the last few boxes. It has to be there. Remind him to pick me up."

"No, I'm sending him out to get you right now. The roads are getting really bad."

"Tell him to make sure he honks when he gets here. I'm in the basement."

"I will. Love you." Every time she said those words to him, it coated his world with sunshine.

"I love you too. My dear."

Erik looked out the window, the lower pane was completely covered and snow was quickly working its way up the second pane. The parking lot looked like a thick duvet. Snow was accumulating faster than the meteorologist had predicted. He dug through the files faster. As soon as Raoul arrived, he needed to be ready to leave. His own car was still at the mechanics. Since when did I become so dependent on cars? Once Christine came into his life he couldn't wait to get home. The only times he took a long walk was in her company.

There it was, Maritza's file. Erik pulled it out and began to repack the boxes, when the phone vibrated again.

"Erik, Raoul's battery is dead. He's using that boost you gave him for the car."

"You mean the jump-starter."

"Raoul said he was going to give himself a boost not a jump."

"Um… never mind. Well, I'm done here."

"Good darling, just wait for him near the front door."

"I'm walking up now…" The lights flickered once, twice and the building went dark except for the blue emergency light by the exit… which gave no light at all. The only worthwhile light came from the moon, coming through his office window. Erik swallowed hard. His instincts screamed: danger! He controlled his hands from searching for a weapon. "There is no war. I am not in danger," he said aloud to himself. He could not help his accelerating heartbeat.

"Erik? Erik? Can you hear me?" Her voice broke through the fog beginning to envelope his mind.

"Christine? The lights went out here."

"They are out here too. Wait… Raoul says he'll take me with him so I won't stay in the dark by myself."

"No, Christine, not a good idea. The roads are treacherous…hello? Hello?" The cell towers must have gone down as well.

He didn't want Christine out on the roads tonight. Raoul should know that. Even in the dark she would be safer at home. For now, he would have to give it time and wait for their arrival. Then he would have a talk to his friend, about his poor decision making skills. Christine's safety came first ― ALWAYS.