"Papa!" Mary screamed as a shadow figure moved towards her. 

Gustave quickly moved Mary behind his back and let out a scream of his own as he took one of the lamp posts from the wall. 

"Please!" Mary sobbed. "Get rid of it! It's a ghost I know it is!" 

"Nonsense!" Gustave said sternly, looking forward in slight annoyance "It's not a ghost! I've known ghosts, they're just people without anything better to do." 

The man took a step forward and Gustave yelped again in fear. 

"Begone Ghost!" he shouted flailing the candlestick about madly. 

A young man's voice laughed heartily, "Father?" 

Gustave frantically felt around for light and watched as the young man took a match from his back pocket and lit the candle in Gustaves hand. 

Mary's tears evaporated and glee overtook her features. 

"Luke!" She screamed bombarding her brother hugs and kisses. 

"Look at you!" He laughed sweeping her upward and twirling her around, "If you aren't the Queen of Sheba I don't know what else." 

Gustave smiled proudly, his eyes watering. 

Luke set his sister to the ground and grinned cockily at his Father. 

"Father." He chuckled brushing his suit off. 

"Luke," Gustave grinned pulling his son into a tight hug. 

"How have you been?" Luke asked holding tight to Gustaves shoulders, "I feel it's been ages." 

"One year four months and six days," Mary chided as both heads turned to look at her. 

She blushed heavily, "It's just, that I've been counting." 

Luke grinned and walked her along forward, "So I heard you were a regular mathematician. At how old now?" 

"I'm nearly five." 

"Five!" Luke stammered looking to Gustave in horror, "Good Lord has it been so long since she was born?" 

He meant to say since Mother died but he knew better than to bring that up. 

"I'm afraid so," Gustave nodded. He squinted and tried to make sense of the passageways. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Of course," Luke said, pulling a small piece of paper, "Mother always wrote me directions."

Mary gave a small gasp and looked to her Father expecting a fit of anger. 

" You see Mary, Mother always like to be sure-" 

"We're not supposed to talk about mother Luke." She exclaimed pulling on his jacket, "Not here, not anywhere." 

Luke frowned, "Not at all Mary?"

"Not one bit!"

Luke looked to Gustave curiously in confusion.

"It's alright Mary," Gustave muttered patting the girls head, "Luke doesn't know better." 

Luke frowned, some awful feeling taking hold in his heart. 

As long as he could imagine his Mothers face, sing her songs, find remnants of her life she was still there. 

Without stories, without mention, what little did Mary have left to hold on to? 

"Right... this way," Luke mumbled, hoping that neither his Father nor sister would notice the change in his voice. 

Gustave sensed Lukes disapproval keenly.

Neither said anything further. 

"A boat!" Mary squealed, "And look a girl in it!" 

Luke paused, his eyes fixed on the young lady fighting the ropes and tides in the boat.

She truly was breathtaking.

Gustave gave an uncomfortable glance in Lukes direction. 

"Ilios?!" Luke called with a nervous laugh. 

"Aunt Ilios!" Mary yelled excitedly rushing to the boat. 

The young woman stood up in a mad rush and backed away, "I'm afraid sir you've mistaken me." 

Mary's face fell downcast, "Who are you?" 

"I just got lost," The young woman lied. 

Her eyes locked with Lukes and he sensed she was lying. 

She looked familiar, almost as if he had- 

It couldn't be that girl from School last year could it?! 

"Are you here to see Eli?" He asked slowly, his eyes narrow and deep as if they were reading her every thought.  "Or perhaps...Winnie?"

The young lady seemed taken aback and Gustave wondered how Luke could have surmised all that in such a short time.

He gave his son a quick glance full of intrigue, but Luke noticed it not.

"Yes," The young woman choked out fearfully, "I had realized something I needed to tell him. But his Father can't know I was here. Please, I'm begging you." 

"It's alright," Luke laughed, his eyes fixed into her shining green ones, "He can't know when a lot of our visitors are here." 

The girl gave a soft smile, "Seeing as Eli has company I best call a different time. This was stupid anyway, me doing this, thinking that-" 

"Wait a minute!" Gustave roared, scaring Mary into the boat. "I know you!" 

The young woman raised an eyebrow in equal fear and excitement, "You do monsieur?" 

Luke stared, "She looks like-"

"Like Mother-" Mary said below a whsiper.

"Like Clara Dechangy!" 

Gustave froze and turned to his son, and then the girl in front of him. 

"I am Clarice Dechangy," The girl nodded slowly, "As for my likeness to someone else you knew I can not account for it." 

Luke shook it from his head, "I'm sorry, it's just- I know it's rude to stare but-" 

He helped Clara from the Boat and made sure his sister was secure. 

"It's just your beautiful."

Gustave gave a small laugh before supressing it and Luke blushed crimson red awkwardly flailing his arms about trying to gravel for an excuse, "Anyways! We've gotta go, Like this never happened... We won't tell Erik a single thing." 

"Whos Erik?" Mary thought to herself. "And why's Luke acting like such a sissy all the sudden?" 

Gustave jammed his hands in his pockets and gave a small nod to Clara before finding his way into the boat. 

"Perhaps we'll meet again?" Clara called as they undid the rope. 

"Perhaps," Luke nodded back. "Perhaps." 

Luke gave a heavy sigh of relief and tried to ignore Gustaves amused glances in his direction.

"Papa?" Mary said after they'd been rowing in awkward silence for quite some time. "Who is that man on the shore?"  

Gustave squinted and Luke stood up waving his arms, "Ahoy!" He called out gleefully. 

"I believe it to be-" Luke paused and looked harder, "it can't be, Father! Father look-" 

Gustave grinned, on the sands there stood his Father, no mask, but no deformity. 

"He swore he'd never let Eli do it," Gustave chuckled. "Has he really changed so much since I saw him last." 

"Who is he?!" Mary asked impatient frustration. 

"That's my Father," Gustave said to her softly, "Your grandfather." 

Mary looked over the distant gentleman curiously, "He must be a funny sort of fellow to live in a place like this." 

"Well," Luke shrugged, jumping out of the boat and into the waters as soon as the depth only reached his knee. "He's a special kind of fellow. He was a prince, that was cursed to stay down here until a princess came and taught him love. But the princess liked it down here so they just agreed to stay." 

Mary chuckled, "I think you better let Papa tell the stories Luke. Yours aren't very good." 

"Mind your manners Mary," Gustave scolded coldyly.

Luke shot Gustave an angry glance but said nothing. 

"Father?" Gustave laughed jumping out of the boat. 

"My son," Erik laughed, taking Gustave up in his arms. 

Gustave frowned as he faced his Father. The man had tears welled in his eyes, a sad but anxious smile on his face. 

"Father?" Gustave frowned. 

"Are you my grandfather?" The small voice peeped from behind Gustave. 

Erik quickly brushed away tears and stood up taller, "Who is that?" He asked, his voice deep and concerned. 

"This," Gustave said softly with a smile, "Is Mary." 

Mary stepped forward nervously, biting her lip and looking up with bright little eyes and crimson cheeks. 

Erik looked first to his son, then to Mary, then to Luke, the absence of time between their last visit and now truly hit him. 

"Hello Mary," Erik said as kindly as he could. He was never very good with children, they made him feel awkward and incompetent. 

Mary sensed his anxiety and felt her own mounting. Perhaps it was like her Father always told her though, it is better to show your afraid and be afriad together than to hide it and brave it alone. 

She confidently went up and took Eriks hand, giving a small emotionless stare upwards at the stranger she knew she was to call familly. 

"Will you show me inside?" she asked in a small voice. "sir?"

Erik couldn't help but smile softly at the small warm hand in his own calloused cold one. He gave Gustave a nod, and placed his hand on Lukes shoulder. With that he led the small girl inside by the hand.