"This will be your room, Midnight." Erik said as he guided the young girl, wrapped in her dressing gown and his black cloak into a room opposite his. Leaving her side for a moment, he walked to the fireplace and started a fire and lit various candles so she could see where she would be staying.

This was the finest room in his small house. He didn't know why he had bothered to keep his mother's furniture or why he had even made it into a guest bedroom. It wasn't as if he had guests coming over every week and staying with him. He kept it spotless for absolutely no reason. Truth be told, it was the only thing he did without reason.

Ruby gasped as the candles illumined the room. It was a room truly fit for a princess. The red and black hues reflecting the golden light from the candles and fireplace warmed her. The four-poster queen-sized bed was tucked into one corner with the large Louis Phillippe wardrobe opposite it and beside the dressing table. Next to the bed was a door that no doubt led to a bathroom, a luxury that Ruby couldn't remember when she had been in possession of the pleasure of. On the wall opposite the entry door was the fireplace and even a small sitting area, consisting of a fainting couch and two high-back arm chairs; all arranged in a semi-circle around the fire.

She stepped into the room and her barely shod feet sank deep into the carpets that covered the floor. Her surprise was so great, she couldn't even form a 'thank-you' for Erik as he stood there, his eyes revealing how pleased he was with her unspoken opinion of the room.

"This way." He said as he walked forward and took her hand, leading her towards the bathroom door and opened it, standing back so she could see the various amenities that lavatory held.

If the bedroom had been a surprise for Ruby, the bathroom was double that. It was a pristine white. The tile was white as were the walls but on closer inspection she saw that the walls weren't perfect white but had little red roses all over them. In a little alcove, there was a latrine that flushed; a marvel she had only heard about but never dreamed of actually using! Up against a wall was a fine bathtub, fitted with hot and cold running water. Beside it was a sink, also with hot and cold running water. Above the sink was a cabinet that would easily hold any feminine necessities she might need to store.

Ruby was, honestly, about to cry, she was so happy! Never in her life had such conveniences been in her grasp. She turned to look at Erik and gave him a happy smile, brushing away the stray tear from her cheek.

"Thank you! I don't...I don't know how to thank you!" Erik waved it off and gently stepped inside, taking her hand in his and lightly bringing it up to the cold lips of his mask. It was his delight to see her smile and see her happy. There was no doubt that she would enjoy her new home. He could see the light in her eyes.

"Think nothing of it." He led her back into bedroom and over to the Louis Phillippe wardrobe and opened it with his one free hand, revealing several dresses and assorted undergarments. "Make yourself at home, Midnight. Everything you see is yours." He bowed to her and walked to the door, closing it behind him.

Ruby heard the click of the door lock but didn't feel confined. She felt free! With a childish grin on her face, she removed her dressing gown and chemise, grabbed fresh undergarments and ran back to the bathroom, a hot soak calling her name.

|~-_-~|- -|~-_-~|

Erik lightly played the melody to his latest composition and smiled softly to himself. Midnight had been with him for about three weeks and was absolutely thriving. He'd taught her how to cook and she had been loving every moment of it. The color was returning to her cheeks and her eyes were again bright. He had discovered, much to his surprise, that she could sing like a nightingale and many of their evenings were spend lost in song.

She had even taken to helping him in his haunting. Her receptiveness to his advice and knowledge was incredible. The way she looked at him sometime caused his heart to freeze for a moment. Though Erik couldn't name the emotion that flooded those midnight blue eyes, he felt that it was a powerful emotion. The strength of it echoing through her. It was growing increasingly more difficult for him not to, when she was near him, to drop whatever he was doing, pulled her against him, and ravage her mouth with his.

But, such an action would no doubt drive her as far away from him as she could go. His love for her told him repeatedly that such thoughts were wrong. He shouldn't think such things. Words like love, marriage, touch were all sickening when thought or said by him. Every day and many times a day, he chastised himself for his every thought towards her.

He loved her so much and it was quickly becoming too much for him to handle.

|~-_-~|- -|~-_-~|

Ruby smoothed a corner of the table cloth and shifted the position of a fork before determining that the table was set perfectly. Ever since her arrival she had begun to find a side of her she hadn't known existed: perfectionism. Her mission was to make Erik's little house under the Opera House to glitter and shine. She liked to think she had succeeded. There wasn't a speck of dust to be found in the whole of the house with the exception of Erik's room. She had yet to see inside the room and had the feeling that Erik probably wouldn't appreciate her interference in his domain.

With a satisfied smile, she walked out of the dining room and into the hall. Her ears quickly picked up the sound of Erik's organ playing and hurried towards his door. Rapping lightly, she called through it,

"Supper is ready." There was no response from within but she well knew Erik had heard her. Without another word, she walked back to the dining room and settled down in her chair to wait for him. supper was the only meal he would share with her. Otherwise, he didn't really eat anything. He would spend his hours in his room or in his Opera House. there were times when she wondered if he was purposely avoiding her. Those were the times when she would lapse into sadness or even depression, wondering if he was regretting bringing her to his home.

Then, he would emerge from his hiding place, give her a smile (delivered through his eyes) and her depression would vanish in a moment. Whenever he was with her, Ruby was the happiest of all women. She mentally frolicked in his company. But, she was still always on her guard for any parapraxis that might betray why she enjoyed being around him. The pain of rejection would be too much for her if he knew she loved him. It was certain the moment he knew of her feelings she would be thrown out of his house and be back on the streets in the same position she had found herself before arriving at the brothel.

Therefore, she would tell nothing. No man wanted the obloquy from having a prostitute love them.

|~-_-~|- -|~-_-~|

Erik heard the light knocking conjoined with her announcement of the evening meal and was hesitant to leave his room. To once more be exposed to her presence was to be once more exposed to the temptation of her smiles and attentions. He glanced over at his bottle of whiskey and for one moment wondered if he should use it for something more than medicinal purposes. It was a momentary thought, one that was pushed away the instant it was formulated. He couldn't risk for her to smell liquor on his breath. She had never known him to drink and it wouldn't start now.

With that resolution in mind, he rose to his feet, straightened his attire and made his way to the dining room where he found her, waiting as was usual. The gown she wore was quite appealing, more so than many things she wore. During her first week with him, she had worn the most modest dresses that were in the wardrobe. Often combining them with a shawl. His first reaction had been to assume she was cold (underground houses are not the warmest) but he quickly understood that it was a need to feel her skin covered after so long of having it bared to the sight of everyone.

Week two had proven to be progress as she stopped wearing the shawl and began to truly act a little more like the girl he was certain lurked beneath the façade she always showed. Now, she was practically teasing him with the outfits she was wearing. The bruises were almost completely gone and she had taken to showing off her shoulders to his perusal. Something he loved and hated.

"Good evening, Midnight." He said as he sat down opposite her and pretended to be fascinated with the food she had prepared. It was easier than actually meeting her eyes and trying to conceal his emotions. He well knew that she could read his eyes as well as any person could read facial expressions. Perhaps better. Sometimes he felt almost naked beneath her gaze. A feeling he didn't much care for. The mask was on his face for more than keeping his face hidden. It also hid his emotions.

"Good evening, Erik." She said cheerfully and he threw up the bars of his heart against her voice. Sometimes he wondered if her mother had been a siren for her daughter's voice was luring him to his doom.

"Did you have an enjoyable day?" He inquired as he dished out some potatoes and then began cutting a slice of meat for each of them. Midnight nodded and for a while chatted about her activities for a while as they ate, requiring nothing more than a few words of acknowledgement from him. it was pretty much the same as the day before had been; cleaning, sewing, practicing her crocheting, and testing out her latest lesson on the piano in the living room.

Ruby finished talking and then decided to turn the conversation in a direction that they had never mentioned before.

"Erik, why do you wear gloves?" It was a question that had been bothering her for some time. She understood that he wasn't the handsomest of men and even realized there was a possible deformity reason for which he wore his mask. But, the gloves were a mystery. There was no truly logical reason for them and they obviously inconvenienced him on occasion.

Erik's gaze departed instantly from his meal and their eyes locked, fear filling his eyes to the brim. He tore his eyes away and took a deep breath to fight off the wave of panic that had washed through his heart. Her question was an innocent one. She hadn't mean any harm in asking it. Yet, he knew women. If he wasn't able to answer her question satisfactorily, she would want him to remove the gloves. The moment she laid eyes on his dead hands, she would recoil, scream, and never let him anywhere near her whether he wore gloves or not.

His mind began to try to form a response to her question but it was clogged with his panic. While he was frantically groping for an answer, Midnight stood up and walked over to him. He felt paralyzed as she reached out, taking one of his gloved hands in hers.

"I know that these hands are probably not the prettiest of hands." She said as she turned the gloved extremity over and examined the palm. "But, I want to see them." She squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes for permission. Though his mind screamed at him to run, to fight, to stop her somehow he couldn't. He knew she would accept his silence as agreement but he couldn't say anything to restrain her.

Ruby watched his eyes carefully and saw the war inside of them. She gave him a gentle smiled and began to slide the glove off of his hand. She glanced up at him but didn't see the two points of yellow light that symbolized his eyes. He had closed his eyes. She squeezed his hand again and completely removed the glove, revealing the hand beneath it.

The dry skin was yellowed, like very old parchment. Blue vessels crisscrossed and bones were almost visible through the somewhat transparent dermis. Gently, Ruby turned the hand over so she could see the back of it. She gasped slightly as she saw hundreds of little scars marring the tawny flesh. She felt the shudder than went through him at her exclamation. Quickly, she squeezed his hand as a comfort and asked quietly,

"Where did these scars come from?" Ruby looked up at his still-closed eyes.

"Erik punched a mirror when he was five." Erik whispered softly, unable to open his eyes or remove his hand from Midnight's. The sensation of another's skin against his own was too precious to reject. He would hold her hand as long as she would allow him. his eyes were fighting to open but he was afraid that when they did, he would find it had all been a dream, a realistic dream, but a dream nevertheless.

Ruby ran her thumb over the scars, wondering what might have possessed a boy of five to punch a mirror. Gently, she drew the hand to her lips and lightly kissed the little scars, praying she hadn't been too bold in her actions and he wouldn't find It disgusting that an ex-harlot was kissing any part of him. her love for him caused her to desire too opposite things. One was to get good to him and not touch him so she wouldn't soil him but the other was to cover him in kisses. The two were hardly compatible.

Erik nearly sobbed when her soft lips touched his hand. if he had thought that holding someone's hand was wonderful then this was heaven! The soft warmth was quickly chasing away the cobwebs and darkness in the recesses of his mind. It was his first kiss. Ever. He now understood why the stagehands loved to steal kisses from the ballet rats. Though the kiss had been only on his hand and so feathery soft, he could easily imagine it on his lips. His imagination had been the only thing that kept him from going quite insane.

At last, he opened his eyes and saw her, standing before him, with that strong emotion he yet couldn't name flooding her eyes. his eyes locked on her lips and he perceived that his fantasies of her lips on his had been far from the wisest course of action. It mattered not that he considered himself a monster, he had the mind of a hot blooded man. His breathing increased and in a moment, he well knew, that if he didn't remove himself from the situation immediately he would regret his actions.

With a hitched groan, he sprang from his seat and bolted to the doorway, stopping only long enough to look back and see her standing there, more than adorable, with his glove in one hand. Their eyes were locked for what seemed to be an eternity before he closed them, breaking the contact and absconded to his room.

He had thought that he couldn't love Midnight any more than he already did. But, he was wrong.