Over the last few weeks, Alois and Claude would meet up daily for lunch. Claude wanted to meet with him after work so they would have more time together, but Alois would come up with one flimsy excuse after the other for why they could never meet at night.

In any case, their daily meetings were innocent enough. The conversation was always different, delightful and enchanting. Claude would talk about his work and Alois would listen attentively to everything said. Being a well-trained courtesan as he was, it was easy for Alois to keep up with Claudes' various interests and ideas – helping the flow of conversation along.

He couldn't help but feel enamored by Claude, he was enamored and inspired, always going home and studying up on whatever topic Claude had brought up that day, eager to learn and to be just as knowledgeable as he was for their next meeting.

As Alois skips along to the Town Hall, he hums along to a song he is preparing for the evening; it is going to be French this time, Sous les ponts de Paris. There is always a slight twinge of sadness in his heart whenever he sings songs about places he knew he'd never get to see. Aleister has him trapped, trapped and owned. Even though everyone in Storyville thought it a term of endearment, Alois hates to be called the Songbird. He always finds it to be nothing more than a cruel joke. It isn't just because he can sing, it is because he is caged and can do nothing but sing. Aleister keeps the reins so tightly on him that the only times he is really allowed out of Beaux Rêve is to see Luka in the hospital.

Stopping for a moment to collect his thoughts and to calm himself down, Alois tries to cheer himself up. What good is it going to do if he reflects on just how lonely his life really is, especially at this moment in time and especially when he is going to get to see Claude. Holding on to that last thought, he slaps a gleeful smile on his face and heads up the marble steps to the Town Hall.

Walking down the empty corridor, Alois finds the office of Claude Faustus. He has never been inside the Town Hall before and thought that instead of meeting outside as they always do, he would show up a little early to collect him instead.

He leans against the wall and pops his head into office. Alois is unsurprised to see that the whole of the office is in an impeccably neat and tidy order – with the exception of the desk. That is a wreck.

Papers and books are strewn about the top of it, cluttered, crowded and stacked on top of each other. For someone who seems very neat and kept together, this desk is a shock, although, it is oddly comforting to know that Claude is just as human as the rest of us. He, however, isn't here.

Alois steps inside the office to get a better look at the surroundings, as he wants to get more of a feel of Claude in his own environment. He strolls over to the desk and runs his fingers over the stacked books on tort and law, examining each one with interest. Maneuvering himself in front of the desk, he sits down on the chair and pulls himself into the edge of the desk. He feels the papers under the pads of his fingers and breathes in the scent of manuscripts. This is where he spends most of his day, he wonders as he tries to take it all in, to get a feel of him here.

He places his face down on the top and closes his eyes. He tries to imagine Claude working tirelessly behind this very desk, looking through those very books and writing these very notes. His mind wanders off to what it would be like to see him here, working. Alois would come into the room and Claude would look up at him as he closes the door behind him.

He would saunter over to the desk as Claude sits up, lacing his fingers together and watching him intently as he approaches. With a flick of both wrists, Alois would push the books and papers to the floor, letting them land with a heavy thud, and then would then climb on top of the desk, arching his back, slinking over to Claude. He would then reach out and grab his tie, wrapping his fingers around it tightly and pulling him close to his face as he licks his lips just before he -

"I really do insist that you join me for lunch Faustus."

Aleister! Alois gasps as he jolts up from his daydream.

He can hear him as they approach the door, he must be with Claude! Alois looks around the room frantically before he does the first thing that slips into his head, go underneath the desk. He slides down and crawls underneath the desk and uses the feet of the chair to pull it in – shielding him.

"Unfortunately, I am otherwise engaged this afternoon." Claude replies as he enters the office. Aleister strops over the desk and leans against it, Alois can see his white leather shoes just barely touching his knees as he hides.

"Can't you break your appointment, there are some things that I'd like to discuss with you." He insists.

"If it's about Storyville, then I'm not interested. Besides, it's too late to cancel now."

Aleister is starting to fume with rising anger. He doesn't like to be rebuked, not by anyone and especially not by Claude. However, being the Southern Gentleman that he is, he just smiles trying not to let his irritation show.

"Is it a woman? I would understand if you were brushing me off for that reason."

Claude rolls his eyes as he walks around to his chair. He tries to pull it out but he can't, it just won't budge. He glances down to see a curled up ball of blond tucked away under the desk and two hands holding onto the feet of the chair.

He looks back at Aleister and sighs. "No, it is not a woman but if you will excuse me, I really must finish up before I go, I have a schedule to maintain and I hate to be late."

"Fine then, how about dinner?"

Claude realizes he simply will not go away without an agreed rendezvous and, glancing down at Alois again, he concedes. "Yes, all right. Dinner should be fine."

Aleister claps his hands together, joyfully. "Wonderful! You'll come to my estate, I shall have an automobile come and collect you at 7pm."

"Fine. Now, if you will please excuse me. Good day Mr. Chamber."

Aleister regards Claudes' strange behavior for a moment but shrugs away any suspicions, he always finds him to be strange so this isn't anything too out of the ordinary.

"Good day to you Mr. Faustus." He smiles as he walks out of the room.

Claude quickly goes to the door and closes it behind him as Alois pushes the chair out from under the desk.

"Alois, what are you doing here and under my desk?" He asks as he helps pull him out and up from underneath.

"I wanted to surprise you today." Alois looks down, sheepishly; this wasn't the way he wanted to meet.

"Well I am surprised." He smiles as he starts to tidy up and pack his briefcase. "Are you ready for lunch? I thought we could go to-"

"Actually, I had another place in mind today."

"Oh?" He stops and looks at a grinning Alois.

"Yes. It's my favorite place in the whole of New Orleans." He beams.

"All right, then let's go."

The pair arrive outside Alois' favorite place in the whole of New Orleans – the public library.

"This is it."

Claude turns to him curiously, "The library?"

Alois nods as he takes his hand and drags him in.

The library is very unassuming from the outside; just a basic wooden building painted in a very light blue color. The inside, well, that is a different place all together. It is expansive and large, with shelves upon shelves adorned with books that range from general interest, history or literature. The windows let the light pour in as concentrated beams that hit the rows of tables and chairs in the center.

Alois yanks Claude down the rows and through the various catacombs of bookshelves until they reach a hidden door in the back. Looking around and seeing that they were alone, Alois turns the knob and they both slip through, closing the door behind them.

This too, is completely different than where they just were. There is a small window near the top that allowed in very little light but that was it. The rest of the place is covered in darkness – not to mention that it is cluttered and very, very dusty. It is as though this room was once a storage area long since forgotten about.

"What is this place?"

"This is the annex." Alois replies as he lets go of Claudes' hand in search for something as he hunts around for the mysterious object underneath the lone table and around the cobwebbed covered bookshelves. "No one comes here, well, except for me." He finds what he is looking for, a rusty old stepladder.

"Why do you come here?" Claude wonders as he sits his briefcase down on the rickety table and views Alois as he counts the shelves aloud and stops at number twelve.

"I come here to escape."

"Escape what? You know, I don't really know all that much about you still."

"It's better that way." Alois shrugs as he pulls the ladder to shelf twelve and starts to ascend.

"Will you tell me why you were hiding under my desk from Mr. Chambers?"

Alois stops but doesn't look at Claude, he just quickly thinks of a response. He could tell the truth, he could, but he knew that it would most likely result in Claude never wanting to see him again – he couldn't risk that, not yet at least.

"I don't know who that is." He lies, "I just hid because I heard voices and I really wasn't sure if you were in an important meeting." Well, at least that part was true. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Claude nod to that response so, for now, it seems that he bought it. Alois returns to his search, and he finally stumbles onto what he is looking for. He pulls out a book and tosses it to Claude, who catches it and looks at the cover.

"Walden; or Life In The Woods. By Henry David Thoreau." He reads aloud.

"That's my favorite book." Alois responds as he searches around for another. "You would like it, it's a book about the need for spiritual awakening, human kind as part of nature and how nature is merely a reflection of human emotions."

"Hm."

"Also, there is a lot of discord on how the government is unjust and corrupt. That's something you're interested in, right?" Claude watches Alois as he enthuses over this book with delight and he smiles that there is at least something that can make him happy. "Really, it's a book about self reliance and simple living." He finishes.

"A book about self reliance and simple living?" He thinks aloud. Alois stops for a moment and turns to Claude who is trying to understand what that all means for the young man who is currently looking at him.

"It's what I hope to be able to be one day." He sighs, his voice steeped in melancholy and a complete reversal to what it was not one minute ago. Claude looks up at him curiously.

"What do you want to be?"

"Free." He replies.

Claude is completely taken aback by that statement. Just one word, a simple one and it cuts him to the core. The more time he spends with Alois, the more he wants to know everything about him. What makes him tick, what makes him so sad and what can he do to help him? Alois returns to looking for his other book, gripping his left hand on the ladder and feeling around with his right. Suddenly, he feels a sharp stab on his index finger.

"Ow!" Alois exclaims as he recoils his hand from the top shelf, releasing the book and causing it to fall to the floor. Claude bends over to pick it up as Alois steps down from the ladder.

"What's the matter?"

"I think I was just bitten by something." He winces as shakes his right hand continuously.

Claude places the book down on a near by table and guides Alois down the rest of the steps. He puts his large hands around Alois' tiny waist and lifts him up, propping him on to the table, next to the book. Claude steps in between his already parted legs and takes Alois' hand.

"Here, let me see it." He adjusts his spectacles on the bridge of his nose as he inspects the wound. Sure enough, there was a little red mark on the side of Alois' index finger. "Hm, it does look like you were bitten." He remarks quietly as he examines the hand.

"By what?"

"It looks like a spider bite." He concludes.

Alois squirms slightly at the close proximity of their bodies. Claude is so close, all Alois has to do is wrap his legs around his waist and bring him in. He thinks about how his white fingers would contrast against Claudes' messy black hair as he wraps and tangles his fingers around the locks. He wonders what it would be like to have his body pressed up against his and he closes his eyes to envision it further.

Claude notices Alois' change in demeanor and watches his cheeks flush; it must be because he's in pain? He thinks to himself. So, in an effort to try and alleviate any discomfort Claude does what he thought would help, he places Alois' wounded finger into his mouth.

Alois' icy blue eyes blot open as he feels Claudes' tongue on his skin.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sucking the poison out." He replies very matter of fact, with the finger still in his mouth.

"Why?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do when bitten by a spider?"

"I thought that was for snake bites?"

"Is it?" Claude releases Alois' hand and gingerly puts it down on his knee. "Oh, I am sorry." He apologies as he regards Alois' crimson cheeks and assumes he must have thoroughly embarrassed him. Luckily there is no one else around in the annex or else he doesn't know what Alois would have done - probably slapped him.

Alois holds his hand and adverts his gaze as he tries to slow his heart and cool his face. In that moment, he thinks about how this man he barely knows can make him feel so electrified, just by standing next to him.

Claude observes him quietly, everything about Alois he is starting to love – love? It probably is. He has never loved anyone in his whole life but then again, no one has loved him in return. There were his parents but they have now since gone and no one has taken their place in his heart, well, until this moment in time. He does remember how they were with one another and often believed that that is what true love should look like – and it looked a lot like this.

Claude loves the fact that Alois always looks so wistful, even when he has brought him to his favorite place in New Orleans. He loves the fact that Alois' favorite place is a rundown library annex and how he gets a mischievous glint in his eyes when he enthuses over a book. Claude loves watching Alois walk, always a slight skip in his step and how his hair, not unlike the brightness of the sun, would bounce and refract the light that radiated from him. All of these things, Claude loves about Alois – this boy he just met.

There was only one thing troubling him, he doesn't really know anything about this boy who has started to take his heart. He can't imagine anything awful, but it is clear to him that Alois is keeping things close to his chest. He tries to dig deeper but Alois simply won't allow it, the only hint he has is this book and the request for freedom.

Alois slowly turns back to face Claude, whose golden eyes never stray from him. Leaning in and placing his hands on the tops of Alois' knees, Claude delicately kisses Alois' cheek, taking the young man by surprise causing his heart to nearly beat out of his chest.

"Alois, would you like to go to a ball with me?" He asks as he pulls back.

"A ball?"

"Yes, I was invited to a ball by that man who was in my office earlier and I wonder if you would do me the honor of allowing me to escort you." He smiles.

"I would love to." He blurts out without thinking. There it is again, that fluttering heart beat, it is pounding so hard that Alois is sure, this time, it will escape from the confines of his chest. Is this what it's like to be truly happy? He wonders to himself.