Catherine was frantically trying to pick out an outfit to wear to dinner with her half sisters. "No...No...No," she said as she tossed aside garment after garment. "I have nothing to wear!"

"What's wrong with what you're wearing right now?" Matt asked from the doorway.

"Everything," Cath moaned, tossing aside another top. "What about this?" She asked, holding up a blue shirt and jeans. "Will this work?"

Matt glanced awkwardly around the room, contemplating whether or not to speak. "It...looks just like what you have on, only darker."

Catherine laughed. "Alright. I'll just wear what I have on. How's dinner coming?"

Matt frowned. "I thought you set the timer."

"I did," Catherine giggled. "I'm teasing." She moved over to her boyfriend and put her hands behind his neck, gazing lovingly into his eyes. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You were kind," he said after a moment's reflection. "Kind when it seemed no one remembered how to be."

Catherine kissed Matt and as she did so, there was a knock on the door. "Showtime," she smiled. She moved to the door, took a deep breath and opened it. "Hello," she greeted kindly. "I'm Catherine. And you must be-"

"Emily," the tall woman interjected. "And these are my daughters, Ashley and Scarlett."

"It's wonderful to meet you. Come in," Catherine invited. She fiddled with the ring on her finger as she said, "I would like you to meet my fiancé, Matt."

"It's lovely to meet you, Matthew," Emily said, shaking Matt's hand.

"Mommy," Scarlett whispered nervously, "Mommy, why is he wearing a mask? Is he a magician?"

Catherine laughed and quickly interjected, "He likes to pretend to be Erik from The Phantom of the Opera."

Ashley and Scarlett both giggled. "We love Phantom of the Opera," the former smiled. "We saw you play Christine."

"You did?" Catherine asked in surprise, turning to Emily.

"When your father came to visit you, we came with him. We had seen you perform that night," the woman explained.

"Please sing for us," Scarlett begged.

Catherine smiled. "Maybe later."

Ashley turned to Matt. "Do you sing?"

Matt's eye went to Scarlett, who was looking him over critically. Before he could answer, Emily gave a brisk little nod to her daughter. "He does. I can tell. Let him be, Ashley."

"But-"

Emily's face twisted into a frown. "I said let him be."

"It's quite alright," Catherine said kindly. "Dinner is ready. Are you girls hungry?"

Ashley and Scarlett nodded eagerly.

"Then let's eat," Catherine smiled.

Dinner was going splendidly and Catherine found that she actually liked her half sisters.

Everything was wonderful until Emily got a business call. "I'm afraid we'll have to leave a bit earlier than planned. I have to fax some important papers to a client."

"No," Scarlett whined.

Catherine got an idea. "How long would that take?"

"About an hour," Emily replied with a questioning stare.

"Why don't the girls stay with us and you come pick them up when you're finished?" Catherine suggested.

Emily gave Matt a look of judgement, but replied, "That would be wonderful. What do you think girls?"

Ashley and Scarlett pled with their mother to let them stay. She quickly gave in and departed while Matt cleared the table.

"I bet that you girls could convince Matt to sing for you," Catherine smirked.

The two girls immediately ran to the kitchen.

"Please, please, please sing for us," Scarlett begged Matt, making an adorable sad face.

"Maybe," Matt chuckled with a shrug, feeling his anxiety tighten.

"Your name's Matt?" Scarlett repeated to herself with a thoughtful look. "What's your last name?"

Matt's jaw flexed and tightened. "Why you ask?"

"Who cares about a silly last name?" Ashely mumbled to her sister in frustration. "He was gonna sing for us."

"I just need to know, alright?" Scarlett snapped.

The girls ran off and Catherine moved to Matt, noticing that he was still tense. "Are you alright?" She whispered, putting a calming had on his shoulder.

"Kids stress me out."

"They're cute," Catherine laughed.

"Matt," Scarlett said in a soft voice, approaching nervously and gently tugging on his vest, "can I talk to you? Alone?"

Catherine answered for him, "Of course. Come, Ashley, I'll show you my music room," Catherine said to the girl, smirking at Matt.

"Scarlett likes Matt," Ashely sneered teasingly.

"I do not," Scarlett shrieked in righteous indignation. "How dare you assume my thoughts and intentions!" She stuck out her tongue and tightly grasped Matt's hand.

He looked down at her in silent admiration, a small smile creeping up into his lips.

Catherine giggled. "Come now, Ashley. Let them be."

Scarlett led him to a corner and looked up at him with wide, solemn eyes. Eyes that seemed older than they should have been. "I think," she said softly, "I know who you are. Mother used to play it in the car, your CD. She tried to throw it out when dad died...but I dug it out. It's you? Isn't it?"

Her little lip quivered and Matt felt the air being knocked out of him. "I...I don't..." he stammered.

Before he could stop her, Scarlett reached up and pulled off Matt's mask.

Catherine was silently watching from the doorway. Her heart stopped as she watched the scene unfold.

Scarlett jumped up and wrapped her arms around Matt's neck.

Catherine smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Scarlett asked in a kind tone, showing genuine concern.

"There was a fire," Matt choked out.

"It was you!" Scarlett exclaimed with tears rolling down her cheeks. She brought one small hand to her mouth and another to Matt's cheek. "I can see it in your eyes now. You were the only one who could stop me crying when I was a baby. The lullaby, you wrote it." She quickly jerked back her hand and stumbled a few steps backward. "I'm sorry," she mumbled hoarsely, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," Matt smiled, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Catherine walked over and kissed Matt's burned cheeked. She gestured for Scarlett to join Ashley and the young girl ran off.

"She wasn't afraid," Catherine smiled. "I can definitely see myself in her."

"I forgot," Matt admitted, "that anyone ever had that CD. I wrote it for Mel...I don't know how they ever got their hands on it."

"Maybe it's a good thing that they did," Catherine pondered. "Now we just have to make sure that they don't tell Emily."

"I don't know...maybe they would drop charges if I came forward, if i tried too-" Matt groaned and ran a stressed hand through coarse hair."I just can't catch a break, can I?"

Catherine looked worried. "No," she said breathlessly. "No, you can't. I won't let you. Matt, if they find you...I purge the thought of what they would do with you. I can't lose you."

"If they would just-" Matt groaned again before being cut off in frustrated panic. "Why can't they be like Scarlett? Why can't justice be just? I just want to love and live, Cath. I want a normal life with a house and a crappy job and a bratty kid who steals my money to pay for their car insurance. Is that too much to ask? I mean, I know I have Josh who fulfills the whole only-child-money-parasite, but-"

Catherine placed a calming had on his chest. "We can still have that. I mean, our lives will never be normal, but at least we'll have each other. We can still have children. Matt, I know you wish things were different, but they aren't. They are how they are ,and we have to live with that. Please don't worry yourself. This will all work itself out, I promise."

"It's just- I wasted everything. I wasted Mel, my time, my chance...I was cruel, Cath. Took me seven years to get my head around that," Matt moaned.

"You didn't waste anything. Besides, you're talking as if you're seventy years old. Matt, you're twenty-six. You're still young and there's still time," Catherine smiled. "Let the past just die, alright?"

"I never told her I loved her, Cath. And I'm afraid of forgetting to tell you to. My job, it just crowded out everything and-"

"Catherine!" A cry came from the kitchen. "She's trying to slap me!"

Catherine ignored the girls. "I'm sure she knew," she said, wrapping her arms around Matt's waist. "Don't worry, my love."

"We should probably stop them from murdering each other," Matt sighed, placing his mask back on.

Ashley came running out of the kitchen with Scarlett chasing her. "Help," she cried.

Catherine picked up Scarlett. "What are you doing?" She asked slowly.

"Um...nothing," she replied with a mischievous grin.

Catherine shrugged. "I'll except it," she said, placing the girl back on the floor. "Don't bother your sister, alright?"

"Alright," Scarlett sighed.

"Will you sing for us, Cathy?" Ashley asked pleadingly.

Catherine laughed and glanced at her boyfriend. "If you can convince Matt to do a duet."

Scarlett tugged gently on Matt's shirt. "Please," she begged with big eyes.

Matt smiled softly. "You want the lullaby, right?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that one," Catherine smiled.

"You can sing something else," Scarlett said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Matt, sing the lullaby!"

Catherine told the girls that dessert was in the kitchen and they ran off. She walked over to Matt, who had moved to the piano bench, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Yes," Matt smiled softly. "Have I told you?"

"No," she shrugged, kissing his cheek. "But that's alright."

"I love you, Cath."

"I love you too," she smiled.

"Aw," both heard a small voice say.

Catherine turned her head to see Ashley peeking her head out of the kitchen. "Can I help you?" She smirked.

"No," Ashley giggled before rejoining her sister.

"They're definitely something," Catherine chuckled.

"I should probably sing that song before they murder me," Matt laughed.

"Probably," Catherine smiled.

The girls reentered the room and sat down next to Matt on the piano bench.

Matt sang the girls the song and Catherine smiled as she watched him. "He'd make a great father," she whispered to herself.

When Matt finished, Ashley begged Catherine to sing them a song from Phantom of the Opera. Catherine took a deep breath and began, "Think of me...think of me fondly when we've said goodbye..."

Not too long after, Emily came to pick up her daughters and bid Matt and Catherine a good night.

As Catherine shut the door behind them, she laughed and said, "I think Ashley and Scarlett liked you more than they liked me."

"And you?" Matt smiled, crossing his arms. "Did you like them?"

"Yeah," Catherine smiled shyly. "They were actually really nice."

"They definitely inherited your spunk."

"Yeah," Catherine shrugged, putting one hand behind Matt's neck and taking off his mask with the other. "You say that kids stress you out, but you're really great with them. You'd make a good father...You're afraid. I can see it in you eyes. What's wrong, my love?"

"Nothing...I'll tell you later. And if I don't, Lord knows Josh will."

Catherine smiled as she looked into Matt's bright blue eyes. "Gosh, you're handsome."

He smirked teasingly. "Why, thank you."

Catherine sighed. "Will you just shut up and kiss me?"

Matt grabbed Catherine around the waist, pulling her in tightly. His lips crashed against hers as her fingers tangled in his hair.

Only one word could be used to describe that moment: perfect.