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 love them and find that often songs just fit in too well in my stories. I'm going through another "Scarlet Pimpernel" phase right now, so more lyrics from that show might pop up here… oh, right, and I don't own any of the Shakespeare either. Please read & review, I am always open to any ideas and suggestions.

Many thanks to my faithful reviewers! One of you gave me such a good idea with your review of Chapter 11! (If I didn't already have the rest of the story planned out I'd totally switch gears and do that…)

When Carlotta returned to the Opera House late that evening, her hands were loaded with presents. She had spent the entire day Christmas shopping and was still only half finished. As she went to drop her bags off in her suite, she noticed two notes taped on her door. She put her purchases inside and returned to the door to grab the notes.

Signora,

There is a matter of utmost importance that M. Andre and I

need to speak to you about; please come to our office upon receipt of this

note.

M. Firmin

She sighed and took the other note off her door.

Lotta,

I need to speak to you. It's about Lucio. I'm frightfully worried.

Please come to my house as soon as you get this. No need to call, just come.

I will be waiting.

Carmen

Carlotta grabbed her purse and the two notes and locked the door behind her as she left. It was ten o'clock at night. She doubted that the managers would be in their office at this hour of the night, but she nonetheless went to their office. Just as she suspected, they were not there, so she grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a note back to them:

Monsieurs,

I apologize that I did not receive your note until ten o'clock of this evening. I am simultaneously being summoned on personal business; I do not know what time I will return, but I will return before tomorrow's performance. I trust we can speak then.

Carlotta Giudicelli

She taped the door on the door of the managers' office and headed out of the Opera House to Carmen's. As soon as she stepped outside, it hit her that she would do well to call for a cab, but it was late enough as it was and Carmen had waited long enough. Hoping that she would be all right, she made her way hurriedly down the street and around the corner to Carmen's apartment building.

She made her way inside the building and up the flight up stairs to Carmen's apartment and knocked on the door loudly.

"Carmen? Carmen open up, it's Carlotta, I just got your message!"

A neighbor swung his door open and stuck his head out.

"You mind keepin' it down, lady? It's 10:30 at night!"

"I'm sorry sir", she said coldly as she continued to knock on the door.

Carmen finally opened it and let her in. She had bags under her eyes and her hair and clothes were a rumpled mess. Her lip was swollen and she had bruises on her face.

"Carmen, what happened!" exclaimed Carlotta as she walked into the apartment.

"He attacked me… he came after me today and attacked me!"

"What!"

Carlotta let Carmen to the couch.

"I was doing things around the apartment… setting up my Christmas tree and whatnot, when I heard the front door slam and he came barging in yelling about how I had betrayed him and how I knew where you were and how we was going to kill you but he would kill me first for betraying him… and then he attacked me! He just threw himself on me and I screamed and tried to fight him off and finally a neighbor heard me screaming and came in and pried him off, but he ran away before we could catch him! I went to the Opera House to warn you but you weren't there so I just left that note on your door!"

Carmen burst into tears and Carlotta held her as she cried.

"Carmen, please told me that you called the police…"

Carmen continued to cry.

"You haven't called the police! Carmen, you need to call the police! I'm going to call them right now!"

"No! He'll only come back and kill us both!"

"Not if he's caught and thrown in jail, he won't!"

Carlotta called the police department and made Carmen some tea. She finally settled Carmen down and got her to sleep and then decided that there was no way that she was leaving Carmen alone; she would spend the night at the apartment and take her back to the Opera House tomorrow.

After securing the front door, she grabbed a blanket from the linen closet and went to sleep on the couch.

The following morning, she awoke to a horrible pounding on the door.

"OPEN UP, YA DUMB COOZE! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

She bolted straight up in the couch. She knew that voice too well.

"OPEN UP, DAMMIT!"

Carlotta looked around the room for something to defend herself with. Carmen wasn't coming out of her bedroom for some reason, so she was all alone. She grabbed some oven mitts and a bucket from the kitchen and went over to the fireplace. She grabbed the hot embers out of the fireplace and threw them in the bucket; if he came in, she would be prepared.

Just as she finished with the coals, Lucio broke down the door, sending splinters everywhere. He was carrying a knife.

As soon as he saw Carlotta, he let out a mighty roar and hurled himself at her, raising the knife in an effort to stab her. He succeeded in stabbing her in the arm, but not before Carlotta flung the contents of the bucket in his face.

What followed then was by the far the worst sound Carlotta had ever heard in her entire life. It was a combination of anger and pain. Lucio dropped the knife and backed off, hitting the wall and falling to the ground. Carlotta could see the embers burning the flesh off his face and she watched in horror as blood trickled down his face and onto the floor.

Carmen chose that moment to walk out of her bedroom and upon doing so proceeded to scream bloody murder. Lucio managed to stand himself back up while tearing at his face with his hands. He stumbled out of the apartment and was gone just as soon as he came.

The two women were paralyzed with fear.

"You… you… what did you do to him!", shrieked Carmen.

"I threw embers at him… it was the only thing I could think of, and, well, it worked, didn't it?"

Carmen was silent.

"Come on… we're not staying here a moment longer. We're going back to the Opera House… you'll be safe there."

Carlotta called a cab while Carmen gathered up some essentials, and within twenty minutes, they were out the door and on their way to the Opera Populaire. They burst through the front door and quickly made their way to Carlotta's suite. The place was a mess littered with shopping bags and gift-wrap. Had she really left such a grand mess?

Now wasn't the time to fuss about the mess. Carlotta settled Carmen and called the police to inform them of what had happened. They agreed to be at the Opera House within the hour. Now all they could do was wait.

Realizing that it was Christmas Eve and that she ought to change, Carlotta opened the door to her dressing room. She knew she had a red velvet dress in her dressing room. She found her dress and was just about to leave when she saw not one, but two packages on her vanity table.

Carlotta could not decide which card was better. The card with the first gift was short, but sweet and direct to the point:

Cara mia:

Magical evening, no?

The second card left her heart hanging on the edge of a cliff.

Mio amore:

Meet me in the gardens at midnight.

Until then I shall count the seconds.

Inside the first package there lay a brand new purple dress, and inside the other, the most beautiful and exquisitely expensive diamond bracelet that Carlotta had ever laid her eyes on.