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"!

And I know it's been a bit depressing up until now, it'll get better, I promise.

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. I don't own any of the Shakespeare either. Please read & review, I am always open to any ideas and suggestions. On with the story!

Carlotta awoke in a terrible state of depression the following morning. She was miserable from the moment she opened her eyes. Oh why could she not die as Tosca died! Then she would not have to endure all of this pain and anguish!

Sleep had been almost impossible to achieve. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ubaldo with that chorus girl.

Why was he kissing that girl? Did he love her? Was he kissing that girl in the same fashion that he had kissed her? Had he taken it back afterwards?

She did not have the answer to any of the questions that her mind threw at her, and she spent hours pouring her soul out to her new journal while eating the chocolates. Surely her costumes would be a bit snugger tonight, but it didn't matter. She needed comfort.

She felt like a lovesick teenager and thought of nothing but Ubaldo no matter how hard she tried to think of other things.

Finally, around noon she decided to go out to lunch. She needed to get out of the opera house and find something to distract her. One her way out, however, she happened to see Ubaldo laughing in the company of the chorus girl. She bit the inside of her lip and hurried out the door, making sure to slam it behind her. She slammed it so hard that the glass shattered, yet she did not look back. Instead, she pressed forward with her head down in an attempt to mask the fresh tears on her cheeks.

She took out her handkerchief to dab her eyes and slammed into another body. She looked up briefly to see who it was and stopped when she realized that the body was familiar to her.

"Lotta?"

"Carmen?"

"Lotta! Where have you been keeping yourself! I barely see you anymore!"

It was her best friend, Carmen Barcellona.

"I've been busy with Tosca… that's all".

She couldn't bring herself to look at her friend in the eye for fear of breaking down.

"Lotta, something's bothering you".

"What ever makes you think that there's something bother--"

Carmen grabbed Carlotta's chin and lifted her head up and met her eyes. Carlotta's eyes instantly betrayed her, and Carmen gasped. She had not expected to run into her dear friend Carlotta, let alone in this state. She looked around.

"Come on Lotta… we're going to my place".

Carlotta put up no resistance as Carmen led her up the street to her apartment. Once they were safely inside, Carmen began to interrogate her, and Carlotta let it all out like a rushing wave. She did not stop until she had told Carmen every last detail, from the stumbling and stuttering before the gala to their passionate kiss, to their argument to the chorus girl. When she was finished, she felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Carlotta had never been one to spill her soul to another human being for fear that they would someday betray her and use it against her, for but the first time in her life, she felt that her secret was safe. She knew that Carmen would understand her heartache and not judge her.

Carmen held the prima donna as she cried, and she eventually fell asleep on the couch. Suddenly the door opened, and a tall, dark man with wavy brown hair and piercing green eyes walked in. As soon as he walked through the door, his eyes fell upon the woman on the couch, the woman of auburn curls in a beautiful green satin dress.

"What is she-"

"Lucio, per favore, she's going through a rough time, she-"

The sound of the voices woke Carlotta and she opened her eyes and laid eyes on the handsome man before her. She immediately sat up.

"Lucio…"

"Carlotta."

Silence. Finally, Lucio broke the silence.

"What have you been doing with yourself?"

"Same… still with the Opera Populaire… you?"

"Same. Still with the Monte Carlo Opera."

Another silence. This time it was Carlotta who broke the silence.

"Lucio, I'm sorry… I never meant to—"

"That's all ancient history, Carlotta. It doesn't matter anymore. Carmen, if you need me, I'll be with Giuseppi."

He turned and left. Carlotta sighed.

"You know, I really don't need this right now…"

"Don't pay any attention to him, Lotta… he's just-"

The door swung open again and Lucio walked back in.

"I changed my mind… Carmen, may I have a moment with Carlotta please?"

Carmen looked at Carlotta, who nodded, and she got up.

"I'll be across the hall at Musetta's."

She left, and Lucio stared at Carlotta and took her in. How different she looked after four years, yet she still looked the same. Her deep brown eyes were still full of life, and her auburn locks still glistened despite the lack of sunlight in the room. Her skin still had its beautiful olive complexion; her lips were still rubies.

Similarly, Carlotta stared back at Lucio and compared him to her last memory of him. His eyes, once shining bright like emeralds, seemed to have lost their shimmer. He looked tired, and his beautiful thick brown hair had a few silver hairs despite his youthful age.

Lucio took a seat next to Carlotta, and finally, she gathered up the courage to speak.

"I had to do what I felt I had to do, Lucio… I'm sorry. It had nothing to do with you… or how I felt about you."

"I never stopped loving you, Carlotta".

He took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes with the same gaze that he had looked at her before. The touch of his hand was familiar, and his smell put her at ease.

"Lucio, I-"

"Don't talk. Just feel."

Before she knew what had happened, Lucio had placed his lips on Carlotta's. She gave in for a quick second before pulling back and standing up from the couch.

'"Lucio, no! What happened, like you said, it is ancient history!"

"Carlotta, did you not hear what I said? I never stopped loving you! You walked out of me, Carlotta, you left me; you humiliated me… yet for some reason, I never stopped loving you! Nothing happens without a reason, Lotta, don't you see? This is our chance! We deserve each other, we were made for each other! I love you!"

Carlotta was silent. These were words that she longed to hear. They were coming from the wrong man, and in her heart she knew that they were coming from the wrong man, but at that moment, something inside of her snapped, and she gave in.

"Oh Lucio…"

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

When she returned to the Opera Populaire, Carlotta Guidicelli was not the same broken woman who had left it four hours earlier. She was once again composed, cool, and bitchy, and confidence seemed to flow out of her every step.

She also arrived on the arm of Lucio Barcellona, one of France's most renowned and beloved baritones. As soon as the couple was spotted, reporters swarmed them, and Carlotta and Lucio had to pry them to actually get into the Opera House.

Once inside, Lucio turned to Carlotta.

"I will see you later tonight then, after the show, my dear", he said before kissing her and leaving.

Carlotta watched him go, her mind temporarily at ease. She was lost in her own personal musings, and as she turned to go to her dressing room to prepare for that evening's performance, she ran into Ubaldo.

Their eyes met briefly, but Carlotta quickly shifted her eyes.

"Carlotta, can we please talk?"

"Of course we may talk, Signor Piangi. We may always talk."

She continued on to her dressing room and walked in with Ubaldo behind her. As soon as she laid eyes on the third package, she forgot that Ubaldo had followed her into her dressing room.

"Oh, another one!"

She picked up the envelope eagerly and took out the card.

My dearest Carlotta:

By now you must surely be going mad with thoughts about

who I am. I will not reveal my identity to you until December

the 25th, but know that I am with you and watch you

and your elegance and grace from afar every day. My dream is that

you will return my love.

I think you'll find today's gift to your enjoyment; I believe you

once mentioned your particular fondness for pearls. You don't have

nearly enough pearls.

Your Secret Admirer

"Pearls?"

She opened the package and inside found the most beautiful pearl necklace she had ever seen.