Hey everyone, it's just another rainy day here at home and can't go out. Here's the next chapter so enjoy….

"Clorinda! But…why?"

Erik just couldn't figure out why on earth Clorinda of all people would want to cause him and Christine a sea of problems…..he didn't know but he was surly going to find out. Christine ran down to the lair in anger, she just couldn't believe that Erik had done what he had just done. In all her years of knowing him never had Erik ever done something as hurtful. Once Christine reached his bed chambers, in her angry rage she began to punch his swan bed. After that, Christine walked over to his mirror and smashed it over and over again with a candle stick that she picked up off the nightstand.

"I hate you! I hate you Erik!"

"No you don't."

Christine turned around and spotted Erik standing there in the door way to his chambers.

"Go away Erik!"

"You're actually in my bedchamber."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be gone in the morning."

"Where are you going?"

"As far away from here as I can."

Erik tried to fight back the tears that were watering his eyes and lowered his head.

"Please Christine, believe me when I say that I didn't write that letter to you."

"Really Erik? It was in your hand writing and the wording was at your vocabulary level."

"Christine, please I would never do anything like that. I would never write a letter as nasty as that, especially to you."

"So you're telling me that someone wrote that letter?"

"Yes I swear."

Christine picked up a pillow from off of his bed, and through it at him as hard as she could, causing it to hit his face and knock off his mask.

"You're the worst liar I know Erik!"

Erik turned away and covered his distorted flesh with his hand.

"And hideous."

Christine turned to Erik in surprise at what he had just said.

"What do you mean?"

"You think I'm a liar and I know you think I'm hideous too."

"You are a liar Erik, I just can't trust you anymore."

"Anymore? You never trusted me Christine, even when I swear to be telling the truth."

With that, Erik walked away and left Christine alone in his bed. Erik walked over to his organ and had a seat before placing his head in his hands. Moments later, Clorinda approached him and had a seat beside him.

"Monsieur Kire?"

Erik didn't bother to look at her and just stayed as he was.

"Why? Why did you do that Clorinda?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you ruin my dinner with your mother?"

"I did no such thing."

"You're lying Clorinda."

"I'm not Monsieur Kire but someday my real father is going to come back and he and my mother will be a family again. You are not my father and I don't want you to in my mother's life."

"Leave me!"

Clorinda got to her feet and left Erik alone as he sobbed over his organ. Clorinda on the other hand walked back to her bed and smiled in satisfaction. She had wanted to destroy Erik's romantic night out with her mother and that is exactly what she had done.

The next morning, Clorinda awoke early and noticed that Erik was slumped over his organ fast asleep and her mother was curled up in Erik's bed. Knowing that it would be a few more hours before either one of them got up, Clorinda decided to leave the lair. Once she climbed the stairs and entered the hall way of the opera house, she began to look for Colum. After a few minutes of walking around she spotted him in the dining room all alone eating breakfast. Clorinda walked in and gave him a hug before sitting down next to him.

"Good morning Father."

"Good Morning, how is your mother?"

"I did what you told me to do."

"Excellent, and did it work?"

"Yea I don't think my mother will be bothering with Monsieur Kire anymore."

"Monsieur Kire?"

"Oh yea that his name."

Colum picked up his coffee cup and took a sip from it.

"This Monsieur Kire, does he work in the opera house?"

"I don't have the slightest clue what he does Father."

"Well I shall proceed to get closer to your mother then."

"Father, do you think that she would take you back?"

"Lets hope so."

"I do have one question though."

"And what is that?"

"well Monsieur Kire was pretty upset about what happened last night and my mother is mad at him….but……well what if he tries to make things better again?"

Colum grabbed Clorinda by her shirt and pulled her closer to him.

"Don't let that happen, you keep making his life a living hell while I make your mother's life the best one yet."

"Yes father I will."

Colum let go of her and patted her on the head.

"That's my girl."

"Tonight is the Christmas eve pageant will you be attending?"

"Of course I wouldn't miss seeing your mother in it to save the world."

"Well tomorrow is Christmas day will I see you tomorrow?"

"Of Course."

"For the present giving too?"

"Um…yea sure."

"Ok I have to go see you tonight."

Clorinda walked back down to the lair and crawled back into bed before her mother or Erik even noticed that she was gone. A few moments later, she heard a loud pounding of the organ and noticed that Erik had awoken. Within seconds of that, Christine was also awake and in the kitchen making herself cup of tea. Erik just stayed where he was and began to write some more ideas for his music down on his sheets of paper.

Clorinda dressed herself in her green Christmas dress and walked into the kitchen to join her mother.

"Morning Mother."

"Good Morning Clorinda, sleep well?"

"Yes, you?"

"If you can call it that."

"Something wrong Mother?"

"No, just do me a favor and give this to Monsieur Kire."

Christine sat a cup of tea in front of her daughter and watched as Clorinda looked down at it in confusion.

"Mother, why are you making tea for Monsieur Kire? Especially after what he did to you last night."

"Clorinda, just do as I say and give that to him."

"But Mother….."

"Clorinda, just because I am mad at him doesn't take away my right to make him a cup of tea."

"Yes Mother."

Clorinda then took the cup of tea and walked out of the kitchen area of the lair and began to walk to where Erik was sitting. She couldn't give Erik the cup of tea because it would show that her mother still cared for him. Quickly, Clorinda poured the tea out of the cup before approaching Erik's side. She then slammed the empty cup down on the organ to get his attention.

"Mother says if you want a cup of tea you need to make it yourself."

Erik angrily crumbled a sheet of music up into a ball and turned to Clorinda in anger.

"Well you tell your mother that she is starting the day off on the wrong foot."

Clorinda then picked up the empty cup and carried it back to the kitchen and placed it down on the counter.

"Well did he drink it?"

"No."

"No?"

"He took the cup and through it down on the ground in anger."

"And did he say anything?"

"Yes he said to tell you that he wouldn't drink a cup of your horrible tea because you probably poisoned it."

"Oh did he?"

"Yep, and he also said that if you knew what's good for you, you better stay out of his sight today and any other day."

Christine through on her cloak in anger and turned to her daughter.

"I'm going to rehearsal Clorinda, be good and I expect you to be at the pageant tonight on time."

"Yes Mother."

When Christine left, Clorinda walked over to her bed and began to take out her dolls. If she were going to be grounded then she was at least going to play until she had to go to the pageant. She wondered what she was going to get from her Mother for Christmas. Last year she had received a new dress and shoes, which was pretty boring. The only thing that she had to play with was the two dolls that had been given to her on her first birthday years ago. Clorinda picked up her one doll and hugged it in her small arms.

"This is going to be my first Christmas with my father. I wonder what he'll get me? Maybe a whole doll kingdom or a new dress for my dolls. I should make him a present to show him how much I love him….I mean I would feel pretty dumb if he got me something and I wouldn't have anything for him."

Clorinda then put down her dolls and took out a piece of paper and began to draw with a few old pencils that Erik had given her.

"I'll draw him a picture."

Erik had sat at his organ, working on his music all afternoon in solitude. He just couldn't understand why everything that was happening was happening. His daughter had deserted him and Christine had become an unbelieving little vixen. He was going to give her his Christmas present early but because of her anger he began to have doubts about giving it to her at all. As he looked at his pocket watch, Erik noticed that the pageant was getting nearer and he at least wanted Clorinda to be on time for that.

"Clorinda, it's five. Shouldn't you be thinking about getting to the pageant?"

Clorinda who was on the floor drawing finished up and put away the pencils before folding the picture. She had drawn the opera house with her holding Colum's hand and under it wrote…..

"To the best father in the world, love Clorinda."

After folding it, Clorinda placed it in between the sash of her dress and walked towards Erik.

"Are you coming tonight Monsieur Kire?"

"No, just go away and leave me be."

Without another word, Clorinda walked away and went to the theater to meet her mother. Christine was in her dressing room getting ready for the show when a knock occurred at the door.

"Come in."

Just then Colum walked in and handed her a dozen roses.

"Merry Christmas Christine."

Christine turned away from him and proceeded to brush her hair.

"It's not Christmas yet Colum."

"No reason why I can't come in here and wish you an early Christmas."

"I'm still mad at you Colum for sleeping with me."

"Look Christine I am terribly sorry, can't you forgive me? I want to start off on the right foot with you."

"The roses are nice."

"Yes please forgive me Christine."

"I'll think about it."

"Great, I am going to go find Clorinda and take a seat with her."

"Ok, thank you Colum."

"Good Luck tonight my love."

With that, Colum exited the dressing room and walked to box five where he found Clorinda sitting.

"Clorinda, how are you doing?"

"Great and yourself?"

"Great I actually just spoke to your mother."

"And?"

"She has forgiven me for leaving you when you were a baby."

"She has?"

"Yes and we might be getting back together."

"Really?"

"Yes but you can't let anyone know that I told you. It must be kept between you and I."

"Of course."

"We make a great team Clorinda."

"This means so much to me Father."

"I'm glad."

Clorinda took out the picture that she had drawn Colum and handed it to her.

"Father, I made you this….Merry Christmas."

Colum looked at the picture and then folded it again.

"Um….thank you Clorinda."

"You're welcome, anything for a father like you."

With that, Clorinda waited for a present that never came.

"What did you get my mother for Christmas?"

"Roses."

"And what did you get me?"

"Oh nothing I'm afraid."

"Oh ok."

After the pageant was over, Clorinda rose from her seat and walked back down to the lair where she spotted Erik still sitting at his organ.

"How was the pageant?"

"Ok I guess."

"You don't sound so happy."

"Well neither do you."

"How can I be when the love of my life hates me."

"Yea well I hate Christmas."

"Don't ever say that Clorinda."

"Well I do."

"Maybe it is best if I gave you my Christmas gift now instead of when your mother is around."

"What are you talking about?"

Erik rose from his organ and placed his hands over her eyes.

"No peaking."

He then began to lead Clorinda around the corner.

"Monsieur Kire what are you doing?"

He then took his hands off her eyes and let her look.

"Merry Christmas Clorinda."

When Clorinda opened her eyes what she saw surprised her. There on the table was a doll sized model of the opera house. The inside of it was just like the opera house they were in, it had the theater with a doll of Christine standing on the stage. In one of the boxes sat Andre and the late Firman, and down at the bottom there was the lair which had a doll that was carved into Erik.

"Where did you get all of this Monsieur Kire?"

"I made it of course."

"You made this?"

"Yes, everyone that works in the opera house I made into a doll."

Clorinda picked up the doll that looked like Erik and smiled at it.

"This one is my favorite."

"Why?"

"You never gave me a present before."

"Well no better time than the present."

"Thank you Monsieur Kire."

Just then Christine walked back into the lair and entered Erik's bed chambers.

"Your mother is very angry with me."

"I know."

"Good Night Monsieur Kire."

"Yes, goodnight Clorinda."

After Clorinda crawled back into bed, Erik entered his bed chambers and began to get dressed into his pajamas.

"So….how did the pageant go?"

"Don't speak to me Erik."

"Please Christine it is Christmas Eve, can't we all just be merry?"

"No, just leave me alone Erik."

Christine then left the bed chamber and walked over to Clorinda who was asleep in her bed. She began to tuck her in when she spotted a doll in between her arms. When Christine got closer, she noticed that it was a doll that looked exactly like Erik down to the white mask on his face. Christine smiled at it, and then tucked her daughter in for the night after giving her a kiss goodnight.

When she got back to the bed chamber, Erik was asleep and she crawled in bed with him.

"You didn't have to do that Erik."

"Do what?"

"Give her a doll for Christmas."

"I didn't just give her a doll, I gave her an opera house and all the dolls to go along with it."

"Why? Why did you do that?"

"Just trying to be a good father."

With that, Christine fell asleep without saying another word. The next morning, she awoke, and spotted a wrapped present sitting on the edge of the bed. Full of curiosity, Christine opened it and took out what was inside of it, which was rose with her ring attached to it. There was also a note beside it, and she took it out and began to read it.

"Christine,

Merry Christmas, here is your ring back. You once gave it to me in remembrance of you because you were leaving with Raoul and then it was given back to you in hopes of marriage. You then gave it back to me because of your denial and I am now giving it back to you in hopes of you finding a better use for it. I can no longer hold this ring in my possession without seeing it on your finger and I truly hope that you are happy with the path that you have chosen….

Erik."

Christine then touched the rose and immediately dropped it when she felt a strike of pain hit her fingers. When she looked down at them she noticed that they were bleeding because of the thorns that had made contact with her fingers. It was at that moment when Christine realized that Erik was serious because in all the years she has known him never has he given her a rose with the thorns still intact. He had always removed them to show Christine how much he loved her and now it was the complete opposite.

More to come soon!