Being the avid Phantom of the Opera fan that I am, I have decided to write my first Christmas Phantom fic, and seeing as Carlotta is my favorite character, she shall be my "first victim"!

Disclaimer: I do not own most of these characters, just a few here and there that I have made up somewhere along the line, and you'll be able to pick those out easily. I do not own any of the songs in the story either, I just really really love them and find that often songs just fit in too well in my stories. Please read & review, I am always open to any ideas and suggestions. On with the story!

Carlotta returned to the Opera House, her escort at her side, around two in the morning, her mind filled with wonderful thoughts and memories of a fabulous day and a wonderful party. It had been the perfect ending to the perfect day.

As they made her way up the stairs to her grand suite, she couldn't help but feel as giddy as a schoolgirl. Perhaps it was the champagne that she had consumed, but she felt like was floating on air. She had had a glorious evening, and Ubaldo had been the perfect companion. He had never behaved quite so eloquently, and she had regaled at his company.

Carlotta stuck her hand in her purse to search for the key to her suite, and in trying to find her key and musing about Ubaldo in the dark staircase, she missed a step. Ubaldo's arms were there immediately around her waist to catch her fall, and Carlotta found that she let herself go. She looked up at him and their eyes met, and it was as if nothing else mattered and the rest of the world had ceased. She gazed into his brown eyes, transfixed and mesmerized by their power, and could not will herself to break the contact.

They stood transfixed in each other's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, until finally, Ubaldo leaned in and gently kissed her. Carlotta seemed to be temporarily paralyzed at first, and then finally her body responded and she returned his kiss.

It was pure heaven, and Carlotta could not remember the last time that anybody had ever made her feel like that. Ubaldo's touch was warm, gentle, and sincerely loving. She was suddenly happier than she had ever been in her entire life, even happier than when she was singing on stage or receiving an ovation. This moment was what she had truly lived for.

Suddenly, Ubaldo broke their bond.

"I apologize, Signora! I do not know what came over me… surely I have had too much to drink!"

Carlotta stared back at him not knowing what to say. Her mind was a jumbled mess. He had kissed her because he had had too much to drink, and not because he felt anything? Surely he did feel something… she had felt it, and a woman is never wrong in what she feels and sense from a man. She felt tears start to prick the back of her eyes and she jerked herself out of his arms, which were still holding her up from her fall and looked down at her hands, which contained the key to her suite.

Ubaldo spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Signora, I-"

"Get away from here!" she snapped at him as she turned to open her door.

Ubaldo stood in his place frozen.

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

Ubaldo longed to explain himself, but he dared not anger the prima donna further. He started to back away immediately and turned and headed to his own suite, which was down the hall, as he once again offered his sincerest apologies.

As soon as Carlotta was inside her suite, she set herself free to her emotions, and within seconds, she was sobbing. She was sobbing her heart out, sobbing as she never had before in her life.

She felt betrayed. She was sure that she had felt love in Ubaldo's kiss, but he had said that it had been an accident. She flung her purse halfway across the room and heard something shatter, but she didn't care. She felt as if her heart had been shattered.

She crossed her room and opened the door that led to her dressing room as she continued to try to make sense of her erratic thoughts. The battle to have her suite connected to her dressing room had been long a go been won, and she basked in the convenience of her victory.

Carlotta had never been wrong about a man in all of her life. Why did she care so much about the exchange with Ubaldo? She didn't feel a thing for Ubaldo except admiration and respect as an artist and sincere friendship. She couldn't, for she was already in an intense and passionate love affair with her career, and the career would permit nothing and no one else to enter into the picture.

Why did this matter so much?

It is probably the champagne, Carlotta told herself.

Just then, she noticed a package on her vanity table. It hadn't been there earlier before she left for the party. Had she seen it earlier, she would have opened it.

She made her way to the table and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Get over it, Carlotta!, she scolded herself. Get over it or you will have puffy eyes tomorrow.

The package was small and perfectly wrapped in red and gold paper with a beautiful red bow on top. There was an envelops with the package.

A bit early for Christmas presents, it is only December the 14th.

She opened the envelope first.

My dearest Carlotta:

You sang like an angel tonight. You light up my world,

and I cannot remain silent any longer. I love you, Carlotta,

I have loved you since the first time I watched you walk onto

the stage and heard you sing your first note. If you give me

the chance, I will love you forever.

Please accept these as a small token of my love. I know that

You will put them to good use being the avid writer that you

are.

Always,

Your Secret Admirer

Carlotta opened the package and inside found a journal with gold quills and expensive imported ink. She was totally speechless. There were very few that knew of her passion for writing, but none of them would ever spend this much money on a quill, let alone ink!

She grabbed for the note again, determined to figure out the identity of her secret admirer from the handwriting, but an hour later, she had committed the note to memory but found herself no closer to figuring out the identity of the secret admirer.

Sleep eventually consumed Carlotta right there in her dressing room, and when it finally did, she went to sleep with her head resting on her new journal, its first few pages brimming with questions and thoughts about her admirer.