Thomas looked down at the paper Charlotte had given him and then back up at the house. It was certainly the place. Carefully, he stepped up and knocked on the door, patiently waiting.

The door opened and Thomas looked up at a tall man dressed in a dark suit with a white mask on his face. "Good evening," he said. "Can I do something for you?"

"Yes. I'm here for Charlotte Daaé. We have a date this evening," Thomas nodded.

"Ah," Erik said with a nod. "You must be Thomas."

"That would be correct," Thomas replied, smiling a bit. "May I step in for a moment?"

"Yes, of course." Erik stepped aside and let him in. "I'll go get Charlotte. Just a moment."

"Thank you," Thomas nodded, watching Erik walk upstairs.

"Charlotte," Erik said as he knocked on her bedroom door, "Thomas is here."

"Thanks," Charlotte said before opening the door. "Gosh, I haven't done this in ages."

"I'm sure you'll have fun," Erik said. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," Charlotte smiled, before glancing at Thomas, who was standing at the bottom of the staircase. "I should go."

"Yes, don't keep him waiting. Enjoy your evening."

"Thanks. You too," Charlotte nodded, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before she hurried downstairs.

Erik smiled, watching them until they walked out the door. Then he couldn't help but sigh, finding himself disappointed to see her go.

"Are you alright, Papa?" Gustave frowned, peaking out from his room.

"Yes, I'm just fine," Erik replied quietly.

"It's okay if you're sad to see her go," Gustave said softly.

"Oh, why should I be? She'll enjoy herself, which is what's important. I've barely known her for two days, it doesn't matter," Erik said with a shake of his head.

"But I know you fancy her and that it might be disappointing to see her taken with another man."

Erik looked over at his son in his room. "When did you become a little expert on romance?"

"I read a lot," Gustave shrugged.

"Read what?" Erik asked with a chuckle.

"Books. Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Victor Hugo. That sort of thing."

Erik smirked and walked into Gustave's room. "You certainly are my son. Reading things way past your level," he said fondly.

Gustave smiled. "You know, you should talk with Charlotte about books. She's very well read. I don't know how, considering the life she's had."

"Is she? You seem to know each other well already."

"Mhm," Gustave nodded. "She told me a lot about her life. Even a lot of the ugly details of her time in Italy."

"I should ask her for the details, not you, right?"

"Probably," Gustave said with a thoughtful little frown.

Erik nodded. "I'm glad you two are getting along. It's nice to see."

"Yes, she's a kind person. She reminds me of Mother," Gustave smiled.

"She reminds me of Christine as well," Erik replied quietly.

"Is that why you like her, Papa?"

"Perhaps a bit."

"Well, maybe she'll fancy you back," Gustave said encouragingly. "You never know."

"I doubt it. I've never had much luck in that area of expertise," Erik said with a laugh.

"But Charlotte's different," Gustave smiled, setting his book aside. "She understands you. Perhaps, more than you know."

"How much have you two talked?" Erik asked, sitting on his son's bed and leaning against the headboard.

"A lot," Gustave nodded. "Going to the market with her was certainly an enlightening experience."

"Well, that's nice. I'd like to get to know her better, but I just need to find a good time. As well as how to properly talk to people...women especially," Erik said, only to cover his face with his hand. "Why am I talking to my ten year old about this?"

Gustave shrugged. "Beats me. Do you want help with dinner?"

"I wouldn't mind that, yes. Though I've gotten comfortable on your bed," Erik said with a smirk as he closed his eyes. "You don't need dinner, right?"

"Go ahead and fall asleep. I don't care," Gustave chuckled.

"I know you don't mind, but I have to be a good father and feed you, so I can't," Erik said as he groaned and got to his feet. "Let's go."

"It's fine, Papa. Charlotte offered to make me something later."

"No, she's enjoying her evening out. I'll handle it. What do you want?"

"Whatever you feel like making," Gustave shrugged.

"We are an indecisive pair, aren't we?"

"It would appear so," Gustave laughed. "Let's go downstairs and see what we have."

—————

Charlotte smiled as Thomas walked her to the door. "Thanks for taking me out tonight, Tom. I had a lovely time," she smiled.

"My pleasure," Thomas said with a smile. "It was nice getting to catch up."

"Certainly," Charlotte nodded. "Will I see you again before you travel back to London?"

"I'm afraid not. I leave in the morning," Thomas replied with a shake of his head. "But it was lovely to see you again. Perhaps I'll visit soon."

"I'd enjoy that," Charlotte smiled, kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Tom." She watched him climb back into the carriage and waved at him for a moment before going inside.

"Welcome back, Charlotte," Erik said when she walked in the front door.

"Good evening," Charlotte nodded. "How was your night?"

"Good, good. Gustave and I managed to get dinner together and then we played chess for awhile. I just sent him up to bed not too long ago."

"You play chess too?" Charlotte smiled. "I adore chess. I used to play it a lot with Nadir in London."

"A difficult man to beat."

"Yes, very. I've only done it ten times."

Erik raised his brow. "Have you? I'm impressed," he said.

"Thank you," Charlotte chuckled. "Would you like to have tea with me? We could sit in the parlor and talk a bit."

Erik nodded. "I would like that," he replied with a smile.

"Wonderful," Charlotte nodded. "I'm just going to change into something a bit more comfortable. I'll be back in a moment."

"I'll get the water boiling."

"Perfect," Charlotte smiled, hurrying upstairs to her room. After a few more moments, she returned in an outfit that looked very similar to the one Christine wore when Erik brought her down to his lair for the first time.

Erik looked up as she walked into the kitchen, his eyes going wide when the outfit brought memories of Christine back to his mind. "Hello," he said, returning his attention to the kettle.

"Hello," Charlotte giggled. "What is it with you?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a quiet laugh as the poured the hot water into the teapot he had pulled out earlier.

"Every time I enter the room, you get this look on your face...I can't quite place what it is," Charlotte said with a small smile.

"Do I? Pardon me, then," Erik said.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Charlotte giggled. "It's charming."

Erik smiled, turning his head to mask the blush that he knew was inevitable. "Tea?" he asked.

"Please," Charlotte nodded, smirking when she did indeed notice that his unmasked cheek was a light shade of pink.

Quickly pouring her a cup of tea, Erik handed it over and picked up his own. "Let's go sit down," he said as he made his way to the parlor. "Your evening went well?"

"Yes, very. Thomas and I have been friends for years, so it was nice to see him again," Charlotte smiled.

"Is he in town for much longer?"

"No, he leaves tomorrow morning, so I won't get to see him again."

Erik nodded. "That's unfortunate," he said as he sat down in his armchair.

"Yes, well, all good things must come to an end, I suppose," Charlotte sighed, sitting on the sofa. "So, we should get to know each other a bit more."

"We should, yes," Erik replied with a smile.

"What would you like to know?" Charlotte smiled, looking at him intently.

"Well, I'm not sure. You seem to have quite the story," he said.

"That I do," Charlotte chuckled. "Is there something specific you'd like to know?"

Erik was quiet for a moment. He had a question in mind after what he had learned from Gustave, but he didn't know if he should ask.

"I know that look," Charlotte giggled. "Go on."

Erik couldn't help but smile. "Alright, then. Gustave mentioned that during your little excursion to the market, you told him about your difficult time in Italy...I would like to know about that."

"Oh, dear. I hardly know where to start," Charlotte sighed. "It was...unpleasant, to say the least. I was treated like their slave, not their daughter. They forced me to clean, cook, care for their two monstrous little boys...basically any duty they didn't want to deal with themselves."

"Sounds like they weren't meant to be parents," Erik said.

"No, certainly not," Charlotte said with an unenthusiastic little laugh. "Though, they treated their sons like little angels. I was basically the Cosette of the situation."

"Les Misérables? I'm not surprised. Gustave mentioned that you read."

"Yes, indeed," Charlotte nodded. "I read as much as I could during that time. It was the only thing that brought relief after getting whipped so many times a day."

"They whipped you?" Erik asked quietly.

"A lot, yes," Charlotte sighed.

"God, you poor woman. I've hardly known you for two days and I know you do not deserve it."

"Thank you. I've experienced things no child should ever experience," Charlotte nodded. "They also burned me on the back of the neck a couple times when the husband was too drunk to find his whip, but I'll spare you from hearing that."

"Well. How similar our lives are turning out to be," Erik said quietly.

"You've been whipped?"

"Countless times. My mother...she sold me to a traveling fair when I was a child. I was their prized exhibit, my face put on full display. To get me to cooperate, perform, do as they pleased...the whip was their weapon of choice."

"I am so sorry," Charlotte said sympathetically, putting a hand on his. "I can't imagine being sold by my own mother."

"Well, she wasn't much of a mother anyway."

"You poor thing," Charlotte sighed. "I guess the world hasn't been kind to people like us."

"Certainly not. They are incapable of even attempting to accept someone who is even the slightest bit different," Erik said softly as he wrapped his hand around Charlotte's, which still rested on his own.

"That's sadly true," Charlotte nodded, blinking back the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "Well, we have each other now, don't we?"

"I...I suppose we do," Erik said.

"Let's make a promise to do our best to put the past behind us, alright? It won't be easy, but we can help each other."

Erik nodded. "Agreed," he said before giving her a sympathetic smile. "Now, don't cry. That wasn't my aim with this conversation."

"I know," Charlotte nodded, brushing away a stray tear. "I'm alright, I promise. Let's continue."

"Well, we've told part of our stories. Is there more you want to know about me?" Erik asked

"Yes, actually. How did you meet Papa- uh, Nadir, I mean."

Erik smiled. "You call him Papa?"

"Yes, I do," Charlotte smiled. "But that wasn't my question."

"Oh, I know. It's just interesting," Erik said. "Anyhow. The traveling fair I was apart of travelled to Persia at one point. I was a young man at that point. Nadir saw the fair and me by extension, as well as the abuse I suffered. He helped me escape, took me in for a time. We got to be good friends. He was like my brother."

"That's sweet," Charlotte nodded. "He's a kind man."

"He is, yes. We drove each other absolutely mad, but we cared about each other. I'm not sure how he balanced out caring for me and for his son."

"I'm sure he managed," Charlotte smiled, chuckling quietly as Erik yawned. "I can see you're tired. How about we discuss this in the morning?"

"I'm alright, but I feel like you're going to make me go to bed, aren't you?"

"Yes," Charlotte giggled. "You can barely keep your eyes open."

"Okay. I'll get to bed. You've had a long day as well, though - you should do the same."

"I will," Charlotte nodded, getting up and giving his cheek a quick kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Erik said with a smile.

—————

Erik had gone up to bed not long after Charlotte had, a smile on his face the entire time it took him to get ready. He was pleased to be getting to know Charlotte better, even if what he had learned was less than pleasant. On top of that, he couldn't help but be the slightest bit pleased that Thomas wasn't going to be around anymore.

Even still, the happy mood that he had fallen asleep in had no bearing on his nightmares, as it didn't take him long to wake with a sharp gasp as the night he had lost Christine replayed in his head with added horrors that only his own mind could create.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and got to his feet, grabbing his robe and walking down the stairs to make himself a cup of tea, trying to relax his mind.

A few moments later, Charlotte appeared in the doorway, frowning a bit. "Erik?" She whispered. "Why are you up?"

"Just couldn't sleep," he replied quietly, his back to her. "I'm alright, Charlotte. You can go back to bed."

Charlotte approached, gently putting a hand on his back. "Why are you crying?" She asked softly.

"It's nothing, I'm fine, really."

"Hey," Charlotte sighed, turning him to face her, "I asked why you were crying. I want to know."

Erik sighed shakily as he caught her eye. "I had a nightmare," he replied sheepishly, feeling like a child seeking comfort. "It's nothing I'm not used to, it just...caught me off guard tonight."

Charlotte gently put a hand to his cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was the night Christine died," Erik said, quickly starting to come clean. "Just reliving that in itself was horrible, but my mind can never just replay memories, so it...played the cruel trick that Gustave had been shot too and I was just holding them both in my arms and..." He trailed off as he lifted his head to blink back tears. "But I shouldn't be troubling you with my nightmares. Goodnight, Charlotte."

"No, I want to hear it," she nodded, embracing him in a tight hug. "I care about you, Erik. You're my friend, and friends look out for each other."

Erik hesitated, but eventually hugged her back gently. "I appreciate it, Charlotte," he said softly.

Charlotte smiled comfortingly as she brushed away a stray tear that had fallen down his cheek. "It's alright now," she whispered. "Don't worry. Would it make you feel better if we checked on Gustave?"

"Perhaps a bit," Erik admitted.

"Alright," Charlotte nodded, taking his hand. "Come on."

Erik followed Charlotte up the stairs, his breathing falling into more even breaths as they walked. "You don't have to do this, you know," he whispered as Charlotte walked with him to the door to Gustave's room.

"It's perfectly fine," Charlotte assured. "I want to make sure you're okay."

Erik nodded. "Okay. I just feel bad for keeping you awake."

"Don't worry about it, love. I care more about you than sleep," Charlotte said softly, opening Gustave's door. "See? He's perfectly fine."

Erik slowly stepped into the room, kneeling by Gustave's bed and gently smoothing down his hair as he slept. "Thank you, Charlotte," he whispered, looking over at her.

"It's my pleasure," Charlotte smiled, glancing at him in adoration as he kissed his son's forehead. "I'll go finish your tea."

Erik smiled back at her. "Okay. I'm just going to try and get back to sleep," he said as he got to his feet and walked out of the room, slowly closing the door behind him.

"Alright. Why don't you lay down and I'll just bring your tea in when it's done?"

"If you're alright with that, it would be nice."

"I'm perfectly fine with doing so," Charlotte nodded, kissing his cheek. "Go lie down."

Erik nodded. "Thank you," he said as he walked back to his bedroom, slipping his robe off and getting into bed to wait.

A few minutes later, Charlotte brought up his tea. "Here you are," she smiled. "Do you feel a bit better?"

"Thank you," Erik said as he took it from her. "And yes, I'm feeling better. Thank you, Charlotte."

"You're welcome, dear," Charlotte nodded, kissing his forehead. "Get some rest, alright?"

"I will, thank you," Erik replied, hoping that the dim light of his room would mask the fact that he was blushing after all of the kind gestures and kisses that Charlotte had given him that evening.