MAY 1922

ERIK

It had been a few days since Christine's arrival, which had given Lara time to rest and to start navigating her duties as a new mother. I had made an effort to visit as much as possible, quickly learning to forego wearing suit jackets because they would just be spit up on at one point or another and changing more diapers than I ever had in my life. Nevertheless, I fell more and more in love with my granddaughter with every moment that I spent with her, although she seemed to have that effect on everyone.

Once Lara was back on her feet, Jane was able to throw the baby shower that she had been planning for a few months. I hadn't been invited explicitly, but I had a gift to give the new parents anyhow, so I figured I would join them and help where I could.

Adele and Nadir had joined me to go over to Gustave and Lara's home before the party, and Jane was the one to open the door and greet us, her son, William, in her arms.

"Hello, you three. Thank you all for coming over; your help is much appreciated," she said with a warm smile.

"Of course. We're happy to," I said, taking William from her when he reached out to me. "And hello to you too, young man."

"Hi," William replied, quickly starting to fiddle with the buttons of my shirt. "I get to stay for the party."

"You do? Well, that will be very nice. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun," I said as I slipped off my shoes and stepped into the sitting room, smiling when I found it decorated with streamers and flowers. "And your Mama has made the house look so beautiful, hasn't she?"

William nodded, gesturing to one particular streamer string low on the bookshelf. "I did that one."

"And it looks very nice. The best of them all, I must say."

"Thank you," William said with a giggle. "Papa doesn't get to come."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the boy seemed amused by his father's exclusion. "I'm sure he'll find something to keep him busy at home," I said, turning my head and smiling when Gustave came downstairs with Christine cradled in his arms. "Well, looks who's here, William. Shall we go say hello to Christine?"

"Yes! I see baby," William said eagerly, clapping his little hands together as he expressed his opinion quite clearly, whether his grammar was proper or not.

"Alright, alright," I replied as I walked over to my son and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Hello to you too, Gustave."

"Yes, hello. I'm still getting used to being chopped liver when my daughter is around," he said with a chuckle, smiling at William as he gazed intently at the baby. "You like her, don't you, bud?"

William nodded, finally peeling his eyes away from Christine to look up at her father. "I hold her, Uncle Gustave?"

Gustave smiled and turned to Jane, who nodded from where she stood in the kitchen doorway. "Of course. As long as Uncle Erik helps," he replied, kissing William's round little cheek.

A delighted squeal was the boy's response as I took a seat on the sofa, then folded my arms under his so Gustave could let him hold the baby.

"Be very gentle and quiet, alright?" I said as my son gently set Christine in William's waiting arms. "She's a delicate little girl, we have to be very careful."

"Okay," he replied, his voice noticeably softer than before as he looked down at Christine, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Hi baby."

"I'm sure she'll be saying hello back to you in no time," Gustave said with a smile as he knelt down in front of us. "But look at her; she hasn't taken her eyes off you, Will. I'll bet that means she loves you."

The boy immediately looked up at Gustave. "Really?" he asked before he turned to me. "Uncle Erik, Christine loves me!"

"Of course she does. There is no way she couldn't," I replied with a smile.

I looked up a moment later when the front door opened and Marguerite, along with quite a few other women that I assumed were aunts and cousins of Lara's. "Good afternoon," I said to them, letting Gustave take Christine back before setting William on his feet and stood up myself. "I just came to help set up a bit, I'll be out of your hair in a moment."

"Yes, I'm sure you'll want to be. All we'll be doing is talking about pregnancy and babies and opening gifts. Nothing a man would be interested in," Marguerite replied, laughing along with her family.

I forced a small smile, though I hardly understood her point; if I had been a father to a new baby, I would want to soak up any information I could get.

"And why is that?" I inquired. "Should a father not know those sorts of things?"

"He is to support the child, not actively raise it. He would have no need for those sorts of details," Marguerite said simply, shooting me a tight-lipped smile before she stepped away with the other women to set down their gifts.

I stifled any desire to reply to that remark and simply let them start getting ready for the party while I stepped out of the room, heading upstairs to check on Lara, who had been told to stay up there until the party was ready. I had never understood the feeling that a father should have no role in the rearing of their child; they played a role in creating the child, why shouldn't they help? Not to mention the fact that the mother already did so much, so to me, it only made sense that the father would assist her. Still, I didn't want to ruin the day with my commentary, so I bit my tongue.

I pushed those thoughts aside once I reached the master bedroom, knocking softly and waiting for a moment for the door to open, then gave Lara a smile once I saw her.

"Hello, dear. How are you doing?" I asked as she gave me a hug. "You look lovely."

"Oh, I'm doing well. And thank you; Jane insisted that I dress up a little bit," Lara replied as she stepped over to her vanity and sat down. "Gustave bought this dress for me not long before I found out I was pregnant with Christine, so I didn't actually get a chance to wear it until now."

"Well, he has good taste in dresses for a man, I'm impressed," I said with a laugh. "Your mother and who I presume are aunts and cousins arrived a moment ago, by the way, so you won't be a prisoner up here much longer."

"Fantastic. Thank you, Erik."

I noticed then that she was having a bit of trouble with braiding her hair, so I took it upon myself to step over and stand behind her so I could offer my assistance with the task.

"I suppose I've fallen out of practice with doing my hair. I've only had it in a low ponytail or down altogether these last few months; I haven't had the energy for more intricate styles," she said as she gave me a smile as silent thanks, I assumed, before starting to put in her earrings. "I'll get back to doing braids soon enough."

"Well, I'm happy to help for now. I've had plenty of practice with Lizzie over the years," I said, rather proud of how quickly I managed to put together a braid that draped down Lara's back. It had ended up more intricate than I had originally intended, but I figured that a few extra details wouldn't kill anyone. "There you are. Now you just have to wait a while longer to be permitted to join us downstairs. Christine is doing just fine, by the way; William has been fawning over her. I even helped him to hold her and he was thrilled."

Lara turned to me with a smile as she got to her feet again. "How precious. He's such a sweet little boy. I'm so glad Jane has him in her life."

"As am I. All things considered, she has made a beautiful life for herself. I know that William is the light of her life for more than one reason, and Alistair definitely seems to be treating her well, although I suppose you would know more about that than I do."

"You would be right, their marriage has been smooth. It's had its bumps, as every marriage does, but Alistair takes care of her," Lara said with a nod. "Things must be going well at the moment, though; Jane is expecting again."

I smiled right away, hardly even realizing that I was doing it; Jane was like a daughter to me and I had been by her side when she had lost William in the war, so to hear that she was to have another child to call her own warmed my heart.

"That's wonderful. I will pass on my congratulations and ensure she doesn't get upset with you for telling me," I said, laughing to myself.

I turned my head to the door then, hearing much more laughter from downstairs than I had a moment ago. "By the sounds of things, your friends and Maddie are here. I'll go down to say hello and someone will be up in a moment to fetch you for the party."

"Thank goodness. I've spent enough time up here over the past few days," Lara chuckled, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Oh, does the statement to stay out of the nursery still stand? I really want to see it."

"It does still stand, and you will see it later today. I intend to make it my grand reveal today after the party," I said with a smile. "Patience, my dear."

"Alright, alright. I'll wait," Lara replied. "Thank you, Erik."

I nodded and gave her a smile before I made my way back downstairs, greeting Natasha and Peggy as I went and stopping to chat with Maddie and Lizzie for a moment before joining Jane in the kitchen again. "So I heard about the baby," I said, glancing at her and laughing when I saw her surprised expression. "Yes, Lara told me. Don't be mad, I will keep the secret."

"I know you will, I just didn't realize how you'd heard," Jane said with a laugh, setting her hand on her stomach. "But thank you, Alistair and I are very excited. William doesn't know just yet; we're waiting until we tell everyone else so he doesn't tell them first."

"That's definitely a good idea. Little ones don't have the best filter," I nodded. "But if I recall correctly, all of your guests are here, so go fetch Lara; she's all dressed and ready to come down."

"Wonderful. Thank you."

I watched her step out of the room, smiling when she walked past the door towards the stairs a moment later, hand-in-hand with William. I then stepped into the dining room adjacent to the kitchen and smiled at Nadir and Gustave when I found them already seated there. "And so our confinement to the kitchen begins," I joked as I walked over to sit with them.

"It does, yes. We had some company when Madeleine and Lizzie arrived and popped in to say hello, but now they've joined the party, as has Adele, so we are indeed on our own to keep ourselves busy," Nadir replied as he opened the newspaper that had been sitting on the table. "It shouldn't be too long. They'll have their finger foods and open the gifts and then it'll be over."

"Then I'll get to go through and organize the gifts when you all leave," Gustave said, laughing and running his fingers through his hair. "So many little dresses to fold."

"Get used to that; you will be folding little clothes and putting away little shoes for a while," Nadir chuckled.

I simply gave my son a smile as I sat down at the table and took the newspaper from Nadir while the pair talked. I was remarkably less informed about life with an infant than my friend, so I let him take the reins when it came to advising Gustave. It never failed to make me a tad discouraged; one decision so many years ago barred me from advising my son about settling into his new role as a father. That was my private guilt to cope with, though; so long as he was still getting the guidance he needed while I helped in other ways, I was content.

The three of us did manage to occupy ourselves, between making conversation and playing a game of cards after Gustave had gone to get a deck for us to use. The ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves as well if the laughter and frequent 'awws' from the living room were anything to go by.

After a while, though, we heard Christine start to cry, so Gustave set his cards down and got to his feet. "I'll be back," he said before he walked briskly out of the kitchen to the sitting room.

"Look at him, bouncing off to be a good father," Nadir said with a smile as he collected our cards to shuffle them again. "Let's just hope she's not crying because she's hungry; Gustave won't be of much help if that's the case."

I laughed quietly at the comment and turned to my friend as he dealt my hand of cards, only looking back to the door when Gustave walked back in, bouncing a still-whining Christine in his arms. I quickly noticed that his mood had shifted, however; the smile on his face that was always present when he held his daughter was nowhere to be found, which was enough to tell me that something had happened in the short time he had been gone.

"Are you alright?" I inquired, watching him closely for any other visual cues.

"Yes, I'm fine," Gustave replied quietly, keeping his eyes on his daughter as he shifted to prop her on his shoulder and rub her back.

"No, you're not," I said frankly, just wanting to get the truth out of him.

He sighed, staying quiet for another moment as he hushed his daughter. "It's nothing, Papa, really. I'm probably just overthinking things, being too sensitive or something of that nature."

Another attempt to brush it off. "What happened in there, Gustave?" I asked.

"Just backhanded remarks from Lara's family. It's fine, I'm...I'm sort of used to it by now," he finally admitted.

"What did they say?" I inquired, my irritation with the noblewoman in the other room growing steadily. I couldn't help but recall the insensitive comments they had made at Gustave and Lara's wedding, as well as the ones Marguerite had made to me earlier that same day. They had no grasp on what comments they should not have been making or on the feelings of others, and if given the opportunity, I could set them straight in a moment.

Finally, Gustave revealed what had been said to him, which only served to increase my frustration: "They called me 'the help' when I went in to get Christine from Lara."

I set my jaw firmly when I heard him and noticed Nadir straighten up before he got to his feet. "I have to fetch my wife before she hurts someone," he said before he stepped out of the kitchen. A wise decision; I wouldn't have put it past Adele to throttle someone for directing that comment at Gustave.

"That's it. In your own home, that's unacceptable," I said as I stood up with every intention of going into the other room to confront those women. I had bitten my tongue too many times, but when it came to insulting my son and his right to be a hands-on father, I had to put my foot down.

"No, Papa, don't. It's fine, just...just leave it," Gustave said quietly, walking over and setting his hand on my arm.

I looked at him in disbelief and noticed he was avoiding my eyes, which gave away the fact that the comment had stung more than he was letting on. "No, it is not fine," I retorted. "It couldn't be further from fine, Gustave."

"I knew I was bound to get comments from them, what with the class difference between me and Lara. I've just come to terms with it," he explained.

"You shouldn't have to, my boy. They are judging you and your right to be a good father to your daughter based on an archaic system that has absolutely no merit," I replied.

"I know they are, but it's who they are. They aren't going to stop."

I scoffed. "They will after about five minutes with me."

At that, the two of us turned as Nadir joined us in the kitchen again, pulling his noticeably peeved wife by the hand. "Adele, you cannot say anything. There is a time and place and it is not right now," he said quietly, a noticeable firmness in his voice. That was a tone I didn't normally hear him take with her, but with the look on her face, he needed to use it.

"They cannot be allowed to make comments like that, they just can't," Adele retorted.

"And no one should be allowed to make racist comments to me either, but that is how people are, my love. Classism is no different," Nadir replied with an expression of what could only be called exhaustion on his face.

Gustave sighed as he watched Adele shake her head and push away from her husband to walk over to the table, sitting down and rubbing her temples with her fingers. The relationship between her and my son had changed over the years; though Gustave still wasn't incredibly close to her just yet, they had grown to be friends and he knew she cared about him, so I imagined seeing her so frustrated on his behalf wasn't something he wanted to happen.

"Papa, don't go in there, please," he said as his attention returned to me.

I still wasn't ready to back down, even with his repeated requests for me to do just that. "Gustave, I have endured comments about everything imaginable over the course of my life. I will not have you go through the same thing if I can help it," I replied.

"So you're just going to march in there right now and tell them all off? During the shower? With Lara there?" he questioned. "Is that really something you want her to see?"

"If it means defending you, maybe. She needs to know that I am willing to stick up for the love that you two have for each other and for your right to be a father to your child. I won't sit back and let you be ridiculed like this."

"But do you really want her to see that side of you? Something that you've kept even from me for the majority of my life?"

I sighed, the truth in that statement sticking out to me. My temper had never been something I was proud of, and once I had become a father, I had made an effort to smother it; I almost never raised my voice to Gustave, the few instances occurring in his later teenage and early adult years when he could yell right back, and I had certainly never done so in front of Lara, nor did I want to start.

"Gustave, I just don't want you to have to deal with the same sort of thing that I did; I don't want you or Lara to be subjected to those sorts of comments. You've worked so hard to get to where you are, and now you have your little one. You shouldn't have to put up with that," I said softly, taking a step closer to him and gently resting my hand on my granddaughter's back.

"Sometimes the best revenge is showing them that their comments don't phase you," Gustave replied, shooting me a smile that I could tell was meant to reassure me.

"I know, I know," I said with a sigh. "I just want the best for you, you know that. For you, your wife, and your baby."

"And I appreciate that, but bursting in there and confronting them won't do any good."

"Which I am aware of. I just wish I could stop it. You don't deserve that."

Gustave gave me another smile and set his hand over mine where it still rested on Christine's back. "I've just accepted that some things and some people cannot be changed," he said.

"And I'm sure I will come to terms with that where you are concerned too," I replied, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Just stay in here with us for now. Don't go back out there and let them say any more horrible things to you."

He chuckled at that. "Well, it's a baby shower. It's not like we would have been in our element out there in the first place," he pointed out.

"Very true. We are quite out of place here," I said. "Alas, we must pass the time, so to do that, may I see my grandchild?"

"Yes, of course," Gustave replied before carefully settling Christine in my arms. "There's Nonno, my darling."

My new title still made me smile whenever I heard it and that was exactly what I did as I looked down at my granddaughter, finding her wide blue eyes gazing back up at me.

"Hello, my angel," I said, moving her blanket away from her face before I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Your maman picked a very pretty outfit for you today, didn't she?"

"Actually, I will have you know that I picked it out for her," Gustave said with a proud smile.

"Oh, did you?" I asked, laughing quietly at the look on his face. "Well, pardon me, then. Well done, my boy."

Gustave laughed along with me and gave me a hug from the side, then stepped over to the table and sat down with Adele and Nadir, hopefully to reassure the former that all is well. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was actively paying attention, I walked to the doorway of the kitchen to listen in to the party, purely out of curiosity. I was none too pleased when I heard the women still chatting about how amusing it apparently was that Gustave helped with the baby, but just as my frustration started bubbling up again, I realized that someone was already holding down the fort.

"Well, it is his baby too; I would expect him to help," Maddie piped up, bouncing Lizzie on her lap as she spoke. "If that's what you're referring to, of course, but I see no reason why he shouldn't be able to help care for his baby."

"A father shouldn't be expected to help; that is far from his area of knowledge and expertise," a woman, whom I presumed was one of Philippe's sisters going off of her looks, replied. "And if the baby ever got to be too much for me, I would just pass it on to the nanny. There are people that you can pay to deal with that rather than forcing it on your husband."

"Given that he helped create the child, I wouldn't call it 'forcing' him to do anything," Maddie said, her voice cool and calm, which told me that she was trying not to snap at the woman. "But that aside, imagine how much closer you would be with your children if you spent time with them yourself and didn't refer to them as 'it'."

And with that, she stopped; satisfied with her response and the shocked look on the other woman's face, Maddie turned back to Lara and smiled, then told her to keep opening her gifts. I looked at her slightly slack-jawed, though that turned into a smile when she glanced at me and gave me a wink. She never failed to amaze me with how much fire she kept wrapped up in her tiny little body.

"That is your Auntie Maddie, Christine and she can always handle herself. She's strong like your maman," I whispered to Christine as I walked back over to the table. "But let's go see your other strong auntie, shall we?"

Adele glanced up and smiled as I sat next to her, then leaned over to kiss Christine's forehead. "Hello, sweetheart," she said softly, brushing the baby's cheek with her fingers. Even as she cooed at my granddaughter, though, I could tell that she was still upset about what had happened in the sitting room; she was fidgeting with the skirt of her dress with her free hand and was noticeably quieter than normal. I knew that if I could tell she was off, Nadir had noticed even before me, and it seemed we were on the same page in terms of trying to find a way to cheer her up.

Nadir decided to take the first stab at it: "You know, Marguerite acts all high and mighty in moments like this, but little does she probably know that her husband used to be very fond of a ballerina at the Opera. If they hadn't been intended to one another, he likely would have married that Parisian girl."

"Which one of my girls?" Adele asked, already perking up slightly at the mention of the ballerinas at the Populaire.

"Oh, I remember her," I said, the comments starting to jog my memory. "Sorelli, wasn't it? I always liked her best out of all of the ballerinas, besides Christine, of course. Her and her little dagger tucked in her garter."

"Wait, really?" Gustave asked.

Nadir laughed quietly at the baffled look on his face. "Yes, really. La Sorelli was not a young lady that people toyed around with; she was sort of like the older sister to all of the other ballerinas. She did have a soft spot for Philippe, though, and him for her. I would say they truly loved each other," he said.

"She scared me, honestly," I admitted.

"Which says a lot, but whether she frightened you or not, that certainly wasn't the effect she had on Philippe. In my observations around the Opera House, trying to keep a certain Phantom in check, I..stumbled upon some things I wish I hadn't."

I noticed Adele cringe. "I don't particularly want to hear this," she said unsurprisingly; those girls had been like her daughters, so hearing about their intimate lives had to be uncomfortable. I knew that well enough after my own awkward experiences with Gustave.

"Sorry, love. I'm just being honest," Nadir said with a laugh.

"I think I'd rather go back in there than hear this," Adele replied.

"And I'm not letting you do that, so we'll move on," Nadir said. "But I don't think Marguerite realizes that. It's no wonder Philippe is so accepting and has no problem with Gustave and the fact that his social status differs from his own; he was almost in the same position all those years ago."

I nodded, more memories of the Comte's relationship with the ballerina starting to return to me. "I do remember him being quite taken with her."

"I'm sure you noticed some of the little gestures he did for her that I didn't see," Nadir said.

"Oh, of course," I replied. "The flowers after every performance, waiting in the wings to kiss her cheek as soon as she stepped off stage."

Finally, Adele laughed. "I do recall having to swat him out of my way on more than one occasion," she said.

"You put the fear of God in that man once upon a time," I said with a chuckle.

"I put the fear of God in everyone once upon a time," Adele said to correct me, quirking her brow and silently daring me to argue.

I nodded, raising one hand in surrender while keeping Christine nestled in the crook of my opposite arm. "Indeed you did. Still, he never learned; he tried to stay around at the Opera House and steal her away during rehearsals whenever he could."

"I remember you scolding him," Nadir said with a chuckle. "It was hilarious; it didn't matter that he was a patron paying your paycheck."

"No, no it did not," Adele replied. "He was distracting one of the lead ballerinas from rehearsals, I had no time for their flirtation. I didn't want angry managers about refunds and peeved letters from our resident Opera Ghost over lacklustre dances thanks to him pulling her away."

"That was much appreciated," I said. "But you really were ruthless."

Once again, she raised her brow as she looked at me. "I don't appreciate your use of the past tense."

"Forgive me; you are ruthless, Madame, when you wish to be," I said with a hesitant smile, hoping the apology would suffice.

There was a pause before she finally nodded. "That's more like it."

"Okay, all of that aside, do you really think Marguerite has no idea?" Gustave inquired.

"I would wager a good deal that he never told her," I said with a nod.

"It likely wouldn't go well if he did, which is probably why he kept it to himself," Nadir pointed out. "Plus, I would imagine it's a bit of a sore subject if he was as in love with her as it seemed he was."

I nodded before deciding to try and bring the conversation back to the true topic: "The moral of this, I think, is to try not to let their comments get to you if you can, Gustave. We're all on your side, you have your wife, and you know Philippe is behind you, even if he doesn't say it out loud."

"I suppose it is comforting to know," Gustave replied, giving me a smile.

"We know it's hard, but we're here for you. Maddie as well; you should have heard her defend you a moment ago," I added. "So you're not alone. That's my point."

"Thank you, all of you. I intend to thank Maddie when this is done as well."

"I imagine she would appreciate it very much."

~~~~~

The party ended within the hour, leaving the new parents along with myself, Nadir and Adele, Maddie and Lizzie, as well as Marguerite, who had stayed behind to help clean up and organize the gifts they had received. While she cleaned the last few dishes, I decided to finally give my own gift to my son and daughter-in-law.

"Well, I think I've made you two wait and barred you from your daughter's nursery for long enough, so why don't we go upstairs and I can give you my gift?" I suggested with a smile over at Gustave.

"Oh, yes, let's go. I've been so curious about what you've been working on," Lara said, getting to her feet "Everyone can come with us to see it, can't they?"

"If they want to, of course," I replied as I stood up, laughing when everyone got up along with me. "I have a feeling they're coming."

"What told you that?" Gustave queried with a chuckle.

I shrugged my shoulders teasingly. "Just a hunch."

Leading everyone upstairs, I stopped outside the nursery and smiled. "Hopefully, this will explain why you haven't been allowed in here," I said as I opened the door and let Gustave and Lara inside first, laughing quietly when I heard their simultaneous gasps.

A completely furnished and decorated nursery awaited them; the walls had been painted a neutral cream colour, having been done without knowing the baby's gender; I had painted a small forest scene - flowers, a tree, and woodland creatures included - on one wall and stars, the moon, and a colourful night sky on the ceiling; a wooden rocking chair sat in the corner with a knitted white blanket tossed over the arm; and the bassinet, dressed in lace, sat just beneath the window and had a mobile I had made myself hanging above it, music notes dangling just above the cradle. With all of the rooms and buildings I had designed, the nursery we stood in was by far one of the creations I was proudest of.

"It may have taken every minute that you two were out of the house, but it's finally done," I said, smiling as Lizzie ran over to inspect the toys sitting on the bookshelf I had made. "I do hope you like it."

"Oh, it's so beautiful. Thank you, Erik," Lara replied as she gave me a tight hug before she went back to looking around the room.

"Of course," I said as I gave Gustave a hug, careful not to crush Christine before I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I thought it was the perfect gift for mio soldatino, my warrior, and my little angel."

I glanced down then when I felt a tug on my trousers and found Lizzie looking up at me. "Can you put me on your shoulders so I can see the pretty painting on the ceiling, Uncle Erik?" she asked.

"Of course I can," I said, scooping her up and ducking my head to lift her onto my shoulders, then looked up at the painting. "I must say that I'm happy with how this came out. Well worth all of the hard work and...little incidents.

"What do you mean?" Gustave asked. "It doesn't seem like there were any incidents in here."

"Oh, you have no idea..."

~~(insert flashback music)~~

I stepped off of my footstool and took a deep breath, setting my palette and paintbrush down so I could stretch out my arm. I looked up at the mural of stars above my head, the splotches of blue and purple as eye catching as I'd hoped they would be. Things seemed to be going well thus far, so I could only hope things continued that way.

As I stepped back onto the footstool to start my work on painting the moon, I heard the door open and glanced over my shoulder to see Nadir step in.

"How-" he began, only to stop and sigh when I hushed him as I carefully painted the circle for the moon. "May I speak now?"

"Now that I've successfully painted a circle, yes, you may," I said as I started to fill in the circle with white paint. "What brings you by, Daroga?"

"Well, I took the day off from work, and Adele went out for lunch with Maddie, Jane, and Lara, so I had nothing to do at home," Nadir explained. "I knew you'd be here, so I thought I'd join you."

I nodded, setting my palette down again as I finished painting the moon. "Company would be nice. I've just been occupying myself with my own humming," I said, squeezing out some fresh paint onto the palette, only to sigh when I realized I had used up all of the blue and white paint in the tubes I had purchased.

"You are being quite casual today, aren't you?" Nadir asked. "Making your own music instead of listening to a record, a plain shirt and slacks rather than a button-down and trousers. Who are you and what have you done with my friend?"

"Okay, are you here to pester me or-" I began as I turned to face him, only to stop when he covered his mouth with his hand to muffle a laugh. "What is it?"

"Just go look in the mirror," he replied, laughing through his words.

I frowned at that, but followed his instructions and walked over to the dresser in the room, looking in the mirror over it and sighing when I saw my reflection; my mask had gotten splattered with blue and purple paint, as had a bit of the unmasked side of my face and my shirt.

"Gives it some flair, don't you think?" I asked.

"It does, yes. You should have done this sooner," Nadir chuckled.

I shook my head, laughing to myself. "I should have taken it off earlier," I said as I slipped my mask off to set it aside. "I just wanted to get started as soon as possible. I don't know how much time I have left to do this, so I didn't think this through all the way."

"As per usual."

"Okay, if you're not going to be useful, why are you here?" I asked as I turned around to face him again.

"Well, can I be of service in any way?" he replied. "Give me a task to help you get this done."

"You can make sure that I'm not disturbed and that Lara and Gustave don't come home and try to peek in here."

Nadir raised a brow. "So...a security guard," he said flatly.

"Give it whatever title you wish, but that is your task. I have to get back to work with these stars, then move onto the trees and flowers and- what have I gotten myself into?" I wondered aloud, running my fingers through my hair.

It was then that an idea for another task to give to my friend crossed my mind: "On second thought, you can do something besides that for me; go pick up some more paint, please. Take the tubes I've finished for reference."

"You don't trust me to pick it out for myself?" Nadir asked with a frown.

"No, no I don't," I replied. "I need these colours to be right."

"I'm offended you think so little of me, Erik."

I laughed at his mock offence. "You know I tease, Nadir. Now go and get these paints before I run out," I replied as I gently shoved him towards the door.

"Alright, alright. No need to panic," Nadir said.

"I have to panic! For all I know, this baby could come tonight and I am nowhere near ready."

"You'll find a way, my friend. You always do."

~~(Insert end of flashback music)~~

"Well, you certainly did a brilliant job," Maddie said with a smile. "Now, I'm so sorry to have to go, but we're going out to visit my parents in the country. With my mother's health, we want to go and help my father when we can."

"Don't apologize, that's alright," Lara replied as she gave Maddie a hug. "Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"No, we're not sure. We'll probably be away for some time, though; either until she gets better or passes away, unfortunately," Maddie sighed, turning to take Lizzie from my arms and set her on her feet. "And if that happens, we would extend our stay to support my father."

Lara nodded. "Of course. Give your mother and father our love. Perhaps you can write to us if you can."

As the pair talked, I crouched down to Lizzie's level and gave her a smile. "So you're going to see your grandma and grandpa for a while, hm?" I asked. "That ought to be nice."

Lizzie nodded as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around me. "But I'm going to miss you," she said softly.

"Oh, I'll miss you too, dear," I replied, giving her a gentle squeeze before I leaned back to look at her, only to sigh when I saw tears in her eyes. "Don't cry, it's okay. You'll have fun with your grandparents, and you can write me letters if you'd like. Mommy or Daddy can help and you can put your lovely drawings in the envelope too. we'll see each other soon, don't you worry."

"Okay. I love you, Uncle Erik," she said with a small smile.

"I love you too, princess." I kissed her cheek and gave her another tight hug before standing up and doing the same for Maddie. "Travel safe, alright? I hope all goes well with your mother, but do keep us up to date."

"Yes, of course," Maddie replied, taking Lizzie's hand and stepping to the door. "We will see you soon, everyone."

I smiled at her and gave Lizzie a wave as we all said our goodbyes, then turned to glance around the room with a sense of contentment now that I knew Lara and Gustave were happy with it. I hoped Christine would be too, but that revelation would come in due time.

As I scanned the room, I set my sights on the mobile above the bassinet and realized that I had forgotten something. "I almost forgot to show you the final touch," I said as I stepped over to the bassinet and wound up the mobile, smiling as it played a piano rendition of the song I had heard Christine sing to Gustave on Coney Island so many years ago.

"It's beautiful, Erik," Lara said, smiling as we both turned to Gustave when we heard him already humming along with the music while rocking his daughter in his arms.

"We'll let you two get her down for a nap," I whispered, stepping out of the nursery with Nadir and Adele following my lead.

"So you're back to making little music box sort of things, are you?" Nadir inquired. "I thought you said you'd forgotten how."

I laughed quietly, remembering the excuse I'd given for why I no longer crafted trinkets like the one I had once made for Reza. "I forgot how to make the clapping mechanism. A mobile like that wasn't too much trouble," I explained.

"Well, the room is beautiful, Erik," Adele said, shooting Marguerite a very forced smile as she walked past us to go upstairs. "You did a wonderful job. I'm sure Christine will love it as she grows up."

"I certainly hope so," I replied as I sat down in the sitting room. "Let's play another round of cards to pass the time, shall we?"

We quickly decided to do just that and got through two games - both of which were won by Adele - before Gustave and Lara rejoined us. "Christine is asleep and Marguerite is organizing some gifts, so we have some time to chat," my son said with a smile. "And I have something we can discuss because Lara, Nadir told me an interesting story about your father earlier."

"Oh really? What was it?" Lara asked as she took a seat on the sofa. I could tell she was nervous; as soon as Gustave had mentioned a story about her father, she had tensed up.

"He was mentioning that he was quite head over heels for one of the ballerinas at the Opera House," Gustave replied.

Lara's brows creased when she heard him. "You're joking."

"No, apparently he was quite taken."

"That's...unbelievable. He's never said a word about her? What was her name? What was she like?" Lara inquired. She was clearly invested in the story all of a sudden; her series of questions had begun.

"Her name was Sorelli. All three of them - Papa, Uncle Nadir, and Adele, that is - remember their romance in great detail. One of them even went as far as to say that he might have considered marrying her," Gustave explained.

Lara's frown had returned; her range of emotions at that moment was interesting to see. "But that's impossible. If he'd done that, he would have had to give up his title and everything he had. He was already intended for my mother."

"That was the extent of their love; he was ready to do just that," I said, deciding to add my two cents to the conversation. "In the end, though, he realized that it just wasn't possible for the two of them."

With a sigh, Lara shook her head slightly, no doubt trying to process what she was hearing of a secret woman from her father's past. "I'm sorry, I'm finding this all very hard to believe," she admitted.

"Understandably, but their relationship went on for a while. They were very much in love from what all of us could tell," Nadir said.

Once again, the room fell silent, all of us waiting for Lara to speak again. "It does make me wonder, though," she eventually said. "If he regrets it. Leaving her to marry my mother."

"While it might be a bit of a sore subject, we can tell that he truly does love your mother, Lara. He shares two beautiful children with her, their love is plainly seen," I said in hopes of reassuring her. I didn't want her thinking Philippe regretted starting his family with Marguerite just because of an old flame from his younger days.

"Truly? If he was as in love as you are making him out to have been?" she asked.

"I still don't believe he regrets the decision to agree to marry your mother, even if they were arranged and he was in love with Sorelli before he met Marguerite. He made the decision and has given no indication that he wishes he hadn't made the choice that he did."

"I suppose you have a point."

Nadir reached over then to set a hand over hers. "Your mother does mean a lot to him, Lara. That's something that you have to understand."

"Sometimes I forget how arranged their marriage truly was, especially when I hear he got to fall in love the traditional way before her," Lara said.

"Arranged, perhaps, but it has worked for years and it is a loving marriage. Not many people in that situation are quite so fortunate," Adele pointed out.

"I suppose you're right," Lara replied, giving her a small smile. "I'm just going to go fetch a glass of water. I'll be just a moment."

I watched as she stepped out of the room, then sighed and leaned over to retrieve my own drink. "Perhaps we should have kept that to ourselves and let Philippe tell her," I said.

Before anyone could even reply, the front door opened and the man of the hour looked in at us. "Is it safe to come in? Are all my sisters gone?" Philippe asked, his voice hushed, no doubt as a precaution in case the answer wasn't the one he had hoped for.

"Yes, they're gone. They left about half an hour ago," I said, laughing quietly when the Comte sighed out of relief.

"Oh, good. I won't get their lipstick all over my face or get bombarded with all their questions about being a grandfather again," he replied as he stepped into the house and leaned down to untie his shoes.

"You're safe, don't worry."

Just as Philippe straightened up again, he frowned slightly when he saw Lara making a beeline for him. "Are you sure?" he asked, a quiet grunt escaping him as his daughter rushed into his arms. "Be careful, dear, you've only just had a baby. You shouldn't be rushing about."

"Why did you never tell me about Sorelli?" Lara asked, ignoring her father's concern in favour of getting the answers she wanted.

Philippe frowned immediately. "Wh- how did you find out about that?"

"To find the guilty party, look no further than right here," I piped up as I immediately pointed to Nadir, eager to have fun by exposing my friend.

"I forgot you were always around the Opera House," Philippe said, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Nadir, though his smirk revealed he wasn't truly angry.

"We all were - myself, Nadir and Adele, that is. I was just a bit more well-hidden," I replied.

"Yes, you did have that mastered, Monsieur le Fantôme," the Comte said, his comment making the both of us chuckle.

His attention then returned to his daughter as she prodded his shoulder. "Father, you didn't answer my question! Why did you never say anything?" she inquired once again.

"Because it was never something that needed to be mentioned," her father replied simply.

"But...it sounds like you truly loved her. I would have liked to have heard that story from you," Lara said softly.

Philippe sighed as he led his daughter to join us in the sitting room again. "I did love her very much, but she and I had to come to an agreement that our lives were just too far apart. For the longest time, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about what happened to her."

"Do you still think about that? About her?"

"Sometimes she crosses my mind. After the incident at the Opera House, I was worried about what would happen to her. For the longest time, I had no idea what had happened, but I decided to look and see if I could dig up any information," Philippe explained as a far more solemn expression crossed his face. "From what I found, it seemed like she stayed in Paris, but was never able to find work again; many of the ballerinas couldn't. In order to survive, she must have turned to some unsavoury means of employment. But there was one newspaper clipping that I found; it turns out that she had been found in the Seine."

I couldn't help but sigh at that, a tad upset at hearing that such a strong young woman had gone to those lengths. The gasp from Adele quickly got my attention, though, and I turned to see a heartbroken look on her face as Nadir wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. I couldn't only imagine that hearing that about a girl she had cared so much for would sting, even if it had happened some time ago.

"My heart shattered that day knowing that I could have done something for her. I could have chosen her instead of your mother and she might still be alive," Philippe continued quietly. "She had meant the world to me and I left her there without even realizing it. She was a shining light when I thought that I had no idea where my life was going. I used to call her my sun in private because of the closeness her name had to the word in my heart. She will always own a piece of my heart and I know that, but we agreed that it would be best to go our separate ways because our lives were taking us in different directions. She had her dream of becoming a star and I would never have interfered with that, while I had Marguerite and my family waiting for me. That said, she always has been and always will be one of the greatest things that have ever happened to me."

The Comte had a fond smile on his face, but when he looked up, that smile immediately faded away. Following his gaze, I realized why - Marguerite stood on the other side of the room, wearing an expression of both anger and heartbreak.

"Marguerite-" he started to say.

"So I never have been enough for you," the Comtesse said abruptly. "You would have chosen a little ballerina over someone you could build a life with."

"But I did choose you. I wouldn't trade the life we have for anything," Philippe replied.

Marguerite simply scoffed. "By the sounds of it, you wish you had chosen this Sorelli and kept that whirlwind romance you had. I know I was chosen for you, Philippe; you had gotten a chance to choose her, fall in love with her first. You had to marry me and fall for me after, which is nowhere near the same thing."

"Please don't twist my words. I was saying that I wish I could have tried to protect her more. I left her alone with nowhere to go after I left and I didn't even try to help. Yes, our story may be different, but that doesn't make it any less real."

"You said she still owns a piece of your heart; that shouldn't be true if you ever were and ever have been committed to what we have - or what I thought we had," Marguerite retorted, having walked across the room to stand toe-to-toe with her husband. "I always worried about not being enough for you - the Comte de Chagny - and it turns out I was right. I've always been right."

"Marguerite, you always have been and always will be more than enough for me. I have always been committed to what we have; I left Paris because I was committed to what we have and what our future held," Philippe said, almost pleading with his wife to understand. "You will always be the one I choose, but I cannot deny what Sorelli contributed to making me into the person I am. She owns that piece of my heart because, as a young man in Paris, I gave it to her myself. I will not ignore that fact, but regardless of how much of my heart she has, you will always have my soul."

As his wife shook her head and took a few steps back, the Comte reached out to take her hand, only for her to pull away. "Not now, Philippe. For once, your abilities to romance a woman won't get you anywhere."

"Marguerite, please," he said, and I could see the tears he was trying to hide as he watched his wife, who had her sights set on the front door.

"No, Philippe, I just...I can't do this right now," Marguerite replied as she held up her hand to stop him from following her. "You know how to get through a situation with your words and I need time to myself to think about everything, to consider if that's what this is."

"Please don't go. If you are, at least tell me where you're going."

"I'm going home, Philippe. If you're going to come as well, I expect you to take what you need and sleeping in the same bed as you won't give me that."

And with that, she was gone, leaving us all in silence with our eyes locked on Philippe, who stood stunned in the middle of the room. "What have I done?" he finally said, his voice far quieter and shakier than I had ever heard it before.

"Father, I...I shouldn't have pressed for answers. I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry. I didn't know that Mother had no idea," Lara said softly as she stepped over to her father and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have gone into such detail, I should have told your mother earlier. I've made a lot of mistakes," Philippe replied, resting his chin atop his daughter's head.

"Having a past is not a mistake, Father. Having loved someone is not a mistake," Lara said. "I probably have her to thank for the fact that you allowed me to marry the love of my life."

Philippe sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, his exasperation making it obvious that the disagreement with his wife was holding his focus far more than his daughter's words. "Perhaps you do, but now look. Your mother's furious with me and won't even let me share her bed. I've made an enormous mess because I don't know how to shut my mouth."

"Philippe, as someone whose mouth has gotten him into more problems than necessary, I can confidently say that you are going to be okay. Just give her some time to process all of this," I said, wanting to try my hand at offering some advice to him.

"I just hate that I've given her anything to process at all," he said. "I've hurt her and that's something I never want to do."

"I'm sure she'll realize that herself, but perhaps giving her tonight to cool off is a wise idea," Nadir added.

"I know that, yes, and I'm going to give her that, as much as I want to fix this right now."

Gustave got up and walked over to his father-in-law, setting a hand on his shoulder. "See if she's willing to talk in the morning. You're more than welcome to stay here," he said.

"I appreciate that, Gustave. I'll just have to get something to sleep in for tonight, which means I'll have to go home anyway," Philippe said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, it will work itself out. I just know it," Lara replied as she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek.

"I certainly hope so," her father said, giving her a small smile. "Now, could I go see my granddaughter? I need a bit of a distraction."

"If you go up now, Lara can show you the nursery that I designed and decorated," I said with a smile. "And the baby, of course."

Lara nodded, tugging her father towards the stairs. "Come on, let's go take your mind off of things."

Once they were out of earshot, I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "Let's hope this blows over soon. Marguerite makes life dramatic enough as it is."

~~~~~

PHILIPPE

I sat at the table in my daughter's kitchen after a night of restless sleep, fidgeting with my necktie aimlessly. I planned to go home to try to talk to Marguerite, but the thought of her not wanting to see me was practically crippling. We had bickered and argued in the past, but nothing that could truly be called a fight until the one we had had the day before over Sorelli. I could only hope that she would understand just how much she meant to me, whether I had once loved Sorelli or not.

I turned then and gave Lara a small smile when she came to stand next to me and rested her hand on my shoulder. "Just take it slow, Father. If she feels she needs to say something, just let her," she advised.

"I know, I know. We've been over this about a million times, but I must admit, I am still terrified," I replied with a sigh.

"Don't be. It's Mother, it's going to be fine."

I managed to laugh quietly at that statement. "That doesn't make it any less terrifying," I said. "I don't want to say the wrong thing and have her never speak to me again."

"And that isn't going to happen. You two are going to work this out, and I'm sure she is missing you just as much as you are missing her," Lara replied.

"I think that might be the only leg I have to stand on," I sighed as I stood up to set my breakfast dishes in the sink.

"It'll be okay, Father. It was probably just a bit of a shock factor that made her react so strongly. Now that she's had time to think over all that you said to her after the fact, she'll realize how much you love her, even if you did love Sorelli in the past."

"I never wanted to hurt her. That's why I never told her; we had been set up and I didn't want her to feel like she was a second-place option, but it looks like I missed that plan up royally."

I felt Lara's hand on my shoulder then and let her turn me around so she could hug me tightly. "It's going to be fine, Father, I know it. I know how much you love her, and I also know how much you mean to her. This will work out," she said softly.

"Thank you. I hope you know as well that I would never trade this life for anything. You and your brother are my greatest joys," I replied, holding her close to my chest. I had never spoken truer words; my children were my everything and I would give anything to make sure both of them had anything and everything they could ever want or need.

"I do know that, don't worry," Lara said, smiling up at me. "André and I love you very much."

"What would I do without you, baby girl?"

"I pose the same question to you."

I smiled as I pulled away from our embrace, adjusting my tie yet again. "I should probably stop stalling and go talk to your mother. I've been fixing my tie for the past ten minutes," I said.

"I've been trying to think of a good way to tell you," my daughter replied, laughing quietly as she straightened my tie and pushed my hands away.

"You should have just told me straight. That tends to be what gets me moving better than anything," I pointed out.

"Yes, yes, now go. I know you can do this."

"I certainly hope so. I'll see you soon, my dear."

With that, I kissed her forehead and walked to the front hall where I ran through everything I wanted to say while I slipped on my shoes. An apology, of course, I thought. An explanation for why I never told her could be good, as would trying to help her see that I love her even with Sorelli in my life before, then-"

As I opened the front door, my train of thought quickly drove off the rails when I found my wife on the porch, her hand raised in preparation to knock. "M-Marguerite?" I managed to make myself say, even though I knew I probably sounded completely dumbfounded.

"Hello," she said. I noticed she wasn't quite meeting my eyes, which was enough to tell me that her mood had shifted drastically from the day before.

"What are you doing here?" I inquired. "I was just about to make my way home to try and speak to you."

"And I had come here to do the same," she replied.

"Well, that worked in our favour, then."

"I suppose it did."

We stood in silence for a moment. Marguerite still hadn't met my eyes and I was fidgeting with my fingers, but I finally bit the bullet and spoke: "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday, Marguerite, I truly am. I never wanted to hurt you, you know that's never my intention or goal. I just can't deny the life that I've lived in the past, but that doesn't mean that I prefer it to the one I am living now."

"My reaction to you was unfair as well. We both had other lives before we got married and I should have realized that. I was just overwhelmed by it all," my wife replied, finally looking up to meet my eyes.

"I know, I understand," I said with a nod. "It was a lot to hear all at once, and in all honesty, I shouldn't have said all that I did. I'm sorry about that."

"And I should have let you explain yourself without getting angry."

"You were upset. I understand why you weren't willing to hear me out."

Marguerite laughed quietly. "I think we're going in circles," she said.

"Yes, I think we are," I replied, a small smile on my face. "I just don't want to say anything else that's going to push you further away. I don't know if I could bear that."

"Then why don't we stop being afraid of pushing each other away and just be together?" Marguerite suggested, returning my hesitant smile even as tears welled up in her eyes.

That sight alone was enough to make my heart ache, so I stepped forward to pull her close. "I would want nothing more," I said softly, cupping her cheek in my hand as I leaned down to kiss her gently. It was that alone - the feeling of her lips pressed to mine and of having her so close to me - that made me realize that I had everything I would ever need right there in my arms. Arranged or not, I adored the woman that I got to call my wife and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

We pulled apart a moment later but stayed in each other's arms, Marguerite's head tucked comfortably in the crook of my neck. "I missed you beside me last night," I whispered.

I felt her nod. "The bed was on the colder side," she said, her voice hushed just as mine was.

"I definitely do not enjoy having to sleep on my own. It's not something I'm used to anymore," I replied.

"Then I say we remedy that situation tonight," Marguerite suggested as she looked up at me.

"That sounds like a perfect idea."

I smiled as she gave me another quick kiss, and I took her by the hand as I pulled away. "Why don't we step inside for a while instead of standing out here on the front step?" I proposed.

"I'd like that," she said with a nod.

"Wonderful."

As the two of us stepped inside, fingers interlocked, we found Lara practically jumping up and down when she saw us. "Well, hello," I said, laughing quietly when she simply hurried over to hug me. "You seem happy."

"You would be correct," she replied.

"Well, I'm glad. Now, your mother needs a hug too, baby girl, not just me," I said as I kissed the top of her head.

"I was getting to her."

"Get to me faster, then," Marguerite said with a laugh.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Lara said, giggling as she huffed her mother, then looked over at me. "So you two have made up? You won't have to sleep in the guest room, but not really sleeping because of Christine waking up so much?"

I simply waved her off. "We made up, yes, but don't worry about Christine; she's a baby, it's alright. It's been a long time since I was woken up like that."

"Which is why I assumed you weren't happy about it," she replied.

"I will admit that it wasn't my first choice."

"I would imagine not. But as much as we enjoyed having you here, I"m sure you'll be glad to go home with Mother tonight."

I nodded, smiling over at my wife before leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "As am I."

"I think we're all glad about that. We talked and determined how much we missed each other, so he will definitely be coming home with me tonight," Marguerite said.

"I couldn't be happier for you both," Lara said with a smile.

"Yes, we're quite pleased ourselves," I replied as I pulled my wife and daughter - the two women who mattered the most to me and who could only be described as gifts - into my arms to hold them close. 

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Hey hey guys. So excited for you to read this chapter. So many interesting dynamics and easily some of my favourite dialogue. So glad we got to explore more with Marguerite and Philippe and I think they're great. We're gonna try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible but I can't make any promises because school exists. As always please leave your comments here because we love to read them.

Stay amazhang and stay safe wherever you may be.

~Buddy_2002 💙💙💙