Merry Christmas everybody! Here's your present! It's an extra long (well for me anyway) chapter! And it's nearly all fluffy! Do you know what's better than fluff? Christmas fluff! You guys definitely got off better with this than my other fanfic. They just got a nasty cliff hanger. But I feel bad I haven't been updating this one as much as the other. So here you are, enjoy! Read and Review!

~nibblesfan

Ella was amazed when she awoke one more morning to find the Opera covered in holly and ivy. In the middle of the foyer was a large evergreen tree, beautifully decorated. "Oh wow," she whispered in awe. "What's all this for?"

"It's Christmas Eve," Meg explained, pulling her away from some mistletoe hanging up in a corner. The plant was everywhere, putting all the ballerinas on guard from a group of stagehands who had hidden the plant everywhere. When Ella's fascinated expression didn't change she added, "Haven't you ever seen Christmas decorations before?"

"No," she whispered, staring at the tree. "I've never had a Christmas before. I thought it was just a fairytale that people told small children. I didn't know it was actually real."

"My God, you've never celebrated Christmas before?" Meg asked in shock. "What kind of childhood did you have?"

A thousand different replies whirled through her head, but Ella settled on the vaguest one she could think of. "Not a very good one apparently."

"Were you poor?"

"Yes, I suppose we were," Ella replied evasively. "And my father was never one for holidays anyway. There was never much cause for celebration in my house."

"That's awful. Well I swear that I will make tomorrow the best holiday you will ever have in your life!" Meg declared. "Christmas tomorrow, the Masquerade on New Year's Eve. And I swear Archer will want to accompany you. I promise you that you're going to have so much fun, it'll be criminal!"

She smiled. "I'm glad I have a friend like you."

"Now come on! There's a party for the cast tonight, and we're going. I am going to make sure you have the night of your life! Well, at least until Archer takes you to the Masquerade."

"He's not going to take me to the Masquerade!" Ella insisted. "He hasn't even mentioned it all!"

Meg gave her a knowing wink. "Oh he will. I've seen enough guys like him. He's going to try and sweep you off your feet. Men like him like to take the hopeless romantic approach. Besides, he has spent too much time trying to chase you down to let you slip away that easy."

"Will you just drop the Masquerade? You've been going on nonstop about it for nearly a month now!"

"I can't help it!" she cried.

"I think someone else is the hopeless romantic," Ella replied with a grin.

Meg laughed. "C'mon or we'll miss the party!"

Never celebrated Christmas? Erik couldn't believe it. Even Antoinette gave him some present every year. As indifferent as he usually was to the holiday, he had to agree with Meg. Ella deserved a good Christmas.

It wasn't hard. Everything he needed was already lying around the opera, and the entire cast was off in the foyer for their party. Ella wouldn't be back here for hours, mostly not until morning. He quickly gathered what he needed and headed off to her dressing room.

As he worked, he thought of what Ella had let slip. She had mentioned her father disliking the holidays. What kind of father would deny their child Christmas? Granted, before Antoinette brought him here he had never had one either, but his parents were the kind that sold their six year-old son to a band of gypsies. Then it struck him. What if…?

"Oh my…" Ella whispered when she walked into her dressing room Christmas morning. It was covered in Christmas decorations, and in her opinion even more beautiful than the rest of the opera. "Where did all this come from?"

"Whoa, someone was busy last night," Meg said as she let herself into the room. "When did you do all this?"

"I didn't," she replied. "It was like this when I got here. I was wondering if you did it since you knew about me not having Christmas."

"No, it wasn't me," Meg admitted. "But it's brilliant. I wonder who did do it." Ella instinctively turned towards the vanity, and like she expected, there laid a white rose waiting to be noticed. She picked up the delicate flower and inhaled its intoxicating fragrance. Meg grinned. "Your secret admirer left his calling card again. He must have decorated to try to impress you."

"I don't think anyone's trying to impress me." Erik certainly wasn't a secret admirer, let alone one desperately trying to win her affection like Meg was making it sound. The Phantom had made it clear that he was only interested in her voice. But the gesture was sweet, and Ella made a mental note to thank him dearly for it.

Before Meg could go another one of her rants about Ella getting swept off her feet by some dashing nobleman, there was a knock on the door. She opened the door to reveal someone who 'coincidentally' fit almost all of Meg's criteria for a dashing nobleman. "Archer!" Ella cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you your Christmas present," he announced with a smile.

"A present for…for me?" she stammered.

He handed her the small wrapped box, obviously very pleased with himself. "Open it," he urged.

"Archer, you shouldn't have." Her jaw dropped and her face went ashen when she saw what it was: a diamond necklace. She immediately shoved it back into his hands. "You shouldn't have," Ella repeated. "I can't accept something like that. It must have cost you a fortune."

Completely ignoring her protests, he pulled it out of the box and placed it around her neck. "I was actually hoping you'd wear it to the New Year's Masquerade. I was also hoping you'd allow me the honor of accompanying you."

"I can't take this necklace," she declared.

"Ella, I insist," he replied just as stubbornly. "I don't know anyone more deserving than you. You look absolutely radiant." Archer took her hands and kissed them gently. "How about we meet at the top of the Grand Staircase at eight o' clock sharp on New Year's Eve?" He smiled and added, "And how about we try to avoid getting pushed down staircases this time? Merry Christmas Ella."

The second he left, Meg squealed. "I told you! The hopeless romantic approach never fails."

Now that he was gone, her attention was drawn back to the rose. It was so much simpler than Archer's present and yet seemed more meaningful to her. "Would you excuse me for a while?" she asked. "There's someone I need to pay a visit to."

Her friend seemed slightly surprised but smiled and nodded. "I'll see you later then. Merry Christmas."

She ran to the chapel, on the off chance that Erik was down there. It was their usual lesson time, but he had allowed her the day off for the holiday. "Erik?" she called.

"I had a feeling you were coming down here," he replied smugly as he stepped out into the open.

"Were you the one who decorated my dressing room?"

He smirked. "Rumor has it, you've never celebrated Christmas. I thought you might enjoy it."

"Thank you," she whispered. "It means so much."

Erik opened his mouth to reply but seemed to suddenly switch what he was going to say. "That's a nice necklace." His tone was much cooler than it had been just the moment before.

Ella's hand flew to her neck. She had forgotten she had it on. "Archer gave it to me. I tried to get him to take it back, but I don't think he knows the word 'no'. He wants me to go to the Masquerade with him, and it was part of his persuasion tactics."

"Well any man with you on his arm should consider himself very lucky."

She was surprised by how cold and aloof he had suddenly become. "I don't if I'm going to go though. Will you be attending?"

He shook his head. "No I won't. Last year, the managers made me feel rather unwelcome," he explained, his smirk returning. "I don't think they appreciate visits from the Opera Ghost."

"You know, you don't have to go as the Phantom," Ella whispered. "You could go as Erik."

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't count on it if I were you."

Her face fell. "Well I better get going." She looked up and realized Erik had stepped beneath some stray mistletoe. He glanced up as well and instantly sidestepped like the plant was poisonous. Without realizing what she was doing, Ella leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Merry Christmas Erik," she whispered before she ran upstairs.

As Ella disappeared from view, Erik reached up and rubbed where her lips had touched him. No one had shown him any sort of affection like that. Even she had only kissed him to save her precious fop. "Merry Christmas Ella," he whispered in reply, despite the fact that the girl was long gone.

Erik had tried so hard to keep his distance, to keep unattached to her. But since the moment she arrived, Ella had been steadily chipping away at his stony demeanor despite his determination to stay away. That kiss, that simple gesture, had shattered him. He could deny it no longer.

Silent as a shadow, he made his way upstairs. "Ella, Ella, guess what!" Meg cried, running up to her friend. The dancer was obviously very excited. "Christine and Raoul are coming for the Masquerade!"

The piercing pain Erik expected at that name turned out to be little more than a dull ache. He just shook his head and sang a quiet little melody under his breath.

"Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special"

He left the two girls oblivious to his presence, too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Perhaps he would go to the Masquerade. Just then, the boy who spent so much of his time pursuing Ella appeared around the corner, an arrogant grin on his face. Erik's blood began to boil. This boy was acting like he had already won Ella. Erik was going to make sure that didn't happen. He was going to that Masquerade if it was the last thing he did.