Erik: Hello faithful reviewers! Hikari is….not with us at the moment.

(awkward silence)

Erik:…SHE IS NOT DEAD!

Hikari: -coughing from other room I'm–cough- -gag-here!

Erik:she has a dreadfully awful cough so I'm updating for her…she thinks I'm getting medicine.

Hikari: -whines- Errrriiiikkkkk!

Erik: -tosses her medicine- Alright, I can't do review responses beings that Hikari has the list and she's sick. So you will get your due next chapter.

Hikari:….Erik…is that you? –cough- Who are you talking too?

Erik: No one, dear….-waits for the medicine to kick in…which it soon does and Hikari falls asleep- I'm just rampaging though your PC...

-going through my pictures-

Erik: Goodness, Women! How many pictures of useless animes to you have! …oh look here I am! Eh? What's this little comic thing? Heh, me strangling Raoul, Points to the phangirl who made that one.

-silence…again-

Erik: oh right….the chapter.

Chapter 5

Several Weeks later…December 23,1872

Silver bells rang though out the streets of Paris, as all of France prepared for Christmas. A thick layer of white snow covered the ground. Everything seemed perfect, last minute shoppers swiftly moved from shop to shop without a care in the world. Expect for the fast approaching holiday. In a quite little gift shop in the middle of the city, Clarity stood browsing the shelves for a gift.

It had been weeks since Erik had signed her up at the opera. She never realized how paranoid everyone was when it came to the Phantom. When the letters appeared telling them to give Clarity the lead, the managers' panicked and everyone started pointing fingers.

"It's that little nobleman's girl! She is behind zhis just like Christine was!" Clarity rolled her eyes, Carlotta has done nothing but harass her since she walked in.

"Now, now, Signora…try to calm down."

" Andre, I told you that girl was trouble!"

Madame Giry was the only one who was nice to her, "Be Kind, Monsieur…she is nobility and is recommended by the Phantom."

Everyone was pretty much silent from then on about the letters. Clarity's mother was so proud of her daughter and wanted to meet the man responsible for this sudden theater success. Well, if all went according to blame…she would meet him alright. Clarity purchased a gift and left the shop, heading back toward the opera house.

In the Cellars…

"Christmas? What in Bloody hell is Christmas?" A rather confused Phantom asked, staring at the girl in front of him, who was dancing around in a red and white dress with holly leaves in her hair. She held a wrapped package in her hands and he wondered what that was for. No doubt he noticed that around this time people at the opera would go home to their families for some strange occasion, since he ran away from his home…he didn't know much about holidays.

"It's only the most wonderful time of the year!" Clarity yelled gleefully as she twirled and danced around. She stopped suddenly, "You don't know what Christmas is?" Erik shrugged, and was met with Clarity's sudden outburst. "How can you not know what Christmas is?" Erik nearly fell out of his chair, he looked at her strangely.

"Let's just say my childhood left much to be desired."

Erik briefly mentioned his childhood to her before but this time, he knew, he wasn't getting away without telling her the whole story…so he did. He told her about his mother and his first mask, and how he ran away from home. So on and so forth. She stared at him wide eyed.

"Oh you poor, poor soul! To have this weighting on your mind at Christmas time!" She gathered him into a hug, she had been doing that a lot lately and neither of them knew why. She shoved the tiny package into his hands. "Open it Tomorrow, its your Christmas present"

Erik blinked, confused with the concept, "Why not now?"

"Because, silly, it's not Christmas yet! Tomorrow is Christmas eve…open it then!"

Erik shrugged and placed the box on his desk.
"Oh and Erik…?"

"Yes?"

"We're both having dinner at my house tomorrow….you're meeting my family"

"WHAT?"

To be continued…;3

Erik: Sorry for the short chapter…Hikari has been working on this and somehow she's amazingly better.

Hikari: -ecstatic- Erik! I can sing again! Listen, Erik, listen! –sings-

Erik: not now…-to readers- second part is coming soon! This should be good…dinner at a nobleman's house.

Hikari: Bye all! Don't worry the next one will be A LOT longer… –Drags Erik off- Message and review!

AIM: Hikariangel426