Chapter 10

At 7:59 on Christmas Eve, Christine was rushing around the cellar, not unlike a chicken with its head removed.

"Erik, will you get out of my way!" She snapped. Erik glared at her.

"I want my wife back. I don't like the crazy, party-hosting, Christmas-loving psychopath!"

"Well, you'll just have to put up with her until the party is over!" She looked at him in horror. "Erik, you're not wearing that shirt, are you?"

"I was planning to, yes."

"There's a coffee stain on it! You can't possibly appear like that. Go and change at once!" Christine ordered. Muttering mutinously under his breath, Erik disappeared into the bedroom.

At that moment there was a knock at the door. Christine hurried to answer it.

"Raoul, Dennis! Come in." She stood back and they entered, handing her presents as they did so.

"Oh, Christine, it looks lovely!" Dennis cooed. "Where's Erik?"

"Just changing his shirt. Help yourself to food and drink."

By the time Erik emerged, clean shirted and thoroughly cantankerous, all of the guests had arrived. Christine and Madeline were darting around with plates and glasses like some sort of darting animal. Maybe a rabbit. Anyway, Christine spotted him.

"Erik, go and say hello to the guests!"

Slouching, Erik shuffled off to 'greet' a.k.a 'glare at and insult' the guests who had invaded his home. His first stop was the managers who both beamed at him.

"Monsieur le Phantom! Excellent work on that last chandelier, the public are pouring in thick and fast, hoping for a new catastrophe." The short one said. Erik couldn't remember their names. Nor did he particularly care. The big one with the stupid haircut clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"Excellent party, old chap. These sandwiches are marvellous!"

Erik moved away without replying. It was easier than killing someone. Unfortunately, his next port of call was Carlotta and Piangi. Carlotta kissed his cheek with a huge dramatic gesture. Erik resisted the urge to vomit.

"Erik! Darling!"

"Monsieur Phantom." Piangi said, bowing.

To clear up confusion, Erik did NOT kill Piangi. When he was strangling the short man, Erik had suddenly realised that he wouldn't have time to kill him before his cue came on and had decided it would be easier to just hit him over the head with a prop. Luckily, Piangi had suffered so much severe head trauma that he had no recollection of the event and continued to think of Erik as the friendly, if slightly odd man who lived beneath the Opera House.

"The cellar is looking magnificent, darling." Carlotta said sweetly. Erik eyed her suspiciously. Why was she being so… nice? The explanation came a moment later when she turned to take a sandwich and Piangi whispered,

"I crushed a pill and put it in her drink."

"Good move."

"I thought so." The tenor beamed.

Meg and Nadir were rifling through the CD collection and snorting with laughter. Erik saw Meg holding a Madonna CD and rushed to defend his manliness.

"That's Christine's."

"What about the Take That?" Nadir asked. Erik refused to answer. Luckily Madeline appeared with some mini sausages, which proved an adequate distraction for Erik to move on to the next set of guests.

Unfortunately for Erik, the next set of guests was Raoul and Dennis. Dennis gave him a tight hug, which Erik didn't entirely loathe and Raoul gave him a smile and a handshake, which he did.

"Hi Erik! How were the cookies?" Dennis asked happily.

"Very good. I prefer Smarties to chocolate buttons though." He hinted, rather unsubtly.

"I'll send a batch over next week." Dennis promised.

"Have you tried her Smartie brownies?" Raoul asked. Erik's eyes widened.

"Smartie brownies?"

"New recipe. Raoul likes them but I think you'd better try them before we put them out in the bakery."

Whilst Erik and Dennis discussed the merits over cookies over brownies, Madame Giry and Madeline were talking about Erik.

"I can't thank you enough for taking care of my little boy all this time." Madeline said earnestly. Madame Giry smiled.

"It was no trouble. He can be quite a dear when he's in the right mood."

"Do you know, he always used to write and tell me about you? Positively gushed about you."

"Really?" Madame Giry seemed quite pleased. Madeline smiled.

"He's really very fond of you. Not that he'd admit it, obviously.

"Oh, of course not."

Christine looked around. All the guests were now armed with party food and drinks. Carlotta was 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over the Christmas Tree whilst Piangi tucked into the three types of sandwiches. Meg and Dennis were with Raoul, playing Jenga, whilst a bemused Nadir watched in entertainment. Madeline and Madame Giry were exchanging baby photos of Erik and Firmin and Andre were exchanging Pokemon cards. Erik himself was sipping at a glass of milk and casting suspicious looks around at the guests. Christine joined him,

"See? Everything is fine."

"…I suppose."

"Ye of little faith."

"I have perfect faith in you, Christine. It's them I don't trust." Erik muttered, with another dubious glance around. Christine eyed him.

"If you trust me so much, why won't you let me wash Mr Punjab?"

"He may only be washed by my hand. You don't have the proper training."

"Erik, it's a teddy bear. And what about Mrs Punjab?" Christine gestured to the grubby pink bear. Erik pouted.

"She'd feel unloved."

Christine looked over at Madeline.

"I don't suppose you dropped Erik on the head as a baby, did you? Because it would explain a lot."

At the end of the evening, they exchanged Christmas presents. Firmin and Andre opened theirs to find the matching his-and-his towels. Christine's jaw dropped in horror.

"Erik!"

"Oh my goodness!" Andre roared with laughter. Firmin clapped Erik on the shoulder again.

"Fine joke, old chap! Very amusing!"

Both managers had consumed a vast amount of wine. Otherwise they might not have been quite so pleased with the gifts. Carlotta and Piangi were delighted with their own towels, even though Erik had 'accidentally' mixed up the tags, so Carlotta ended up with the man towel and Piangi with the woman's.

"Well, she looks like a man and he sings like a girl." Was his excuse to Christine later that night.

Meg was overjoyed with the Chinese Throwing Stars.

"Mine have gotten blunt! This is fantastic!" She cried. Christine had no desire to know how she had blunted them and quickly turned to Madame Giry, who was opening her new cane. To test its ability, she hit Firmin round the back of the head. He blinked momentarily and then fell face first into a bowl of pineapple chunks. Madame Giry was very pleased with the result.

Raoul received a pleasant gift, much to Erik's chagrin. Christine had point-blank refused to let him purchase it. So the fop ended up with an easy-bake oven and some gift vouchers. Dennis had gotten a new chef's apron that read 'kiss me, I love fops!'. Erik HAD purchased that gift. Fortunately Dennis found it hilarious and Raoul was too busy playing with his easy-bake oven to see it.

"Thank you for coming." Christine smiled, as everyone left. Nadir was collapsed on the sofa and once everyone had gone, Christine handed him a box.

"Here's your Christmas present, Nadir. Don't worry, I bought it." She said. Nadir opened it enthusiastically and his face broke into a smile as he found the DVD box set of Marilyn Monroe films inside. Christine looked over her shoulder to make sure that Erik was properly occupied with cookies and milk before slipping him a cheque.

"Your Christmas bonus. Don't tell Erik."

Madeline stretched her arms.

"Well, I'm just about ready for bed."

"Me too. Nadir, do you want to stay on the couch?" Christine asked.

"Wouldn't mind, thanks Christine."

"We'll tidy up in the morning." Christine said. Erik nodded and said,

"After we finish with the presents."

"Of course." Christine grinned. "C'mon, let's get to bed."

With Nadir cuddled up on the sofa with blankets and a pillow, Christine climbed into bed and lay across Erik.

"Erik?"

"Yes?"

"…You didn't save me a Smartie cookie, did you?" She asked hopefully. He reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a cookie. She ate it happily and Erik put his arms around her, switching off the light.

"…Christine?"

"Yes?"

"…You're dropping crumbs in the bed."

A/N: Tomorrow's chapter might be up a bit late. I'm working late, but it shouldn't be more than a few hours. Hope you enjoyed the party! Only two more chapters to go, woohoo!

Love

Katie