(AN. Just a small warning . I sorta started this then laid it down and just recently picked it up again so if the Pov changes randomly I'm sorry ;n; I'll try to control it but I'm not going to make any promises.)

Nicholas's Pov ~

I woke up and looked around my room. A few fuzzy memories of being carried by Erik played through my mind as I sat there, smiling I went to run my fingers through my hair stooping when they met the wrap from last night. I pulled it off and stood up, sighing and stretching to relive the soreness from sleeping in a corset. As I put on some normal clothes, I looked in the mirror and frowned at my blind eye. I'd lost my contact last night, but lucky me I'd recently gotten quite a few of them. I opened the top drawer of my dresser, and pulled out my stash of contacts. I had at least a year's worth left, but I hated to wast and I'd just put that one in recently. I frowned and put in the new one, then turned toward the door to look for my note from Monsieur John.

I grabbed it and sat in my new chair, it was of course a used chair, but it was still new for me. I opened it and read it, I was confused to see he had invited me to go out with him. Do I go with him to be courteous? I was hopping to look for Erik today, after all he never said I couldn't go looking for him. I reread the invitation and sighed.

I pulled my locket out of my shirt and looked at the time. 6:00AM, plenty of time for me to do all my chores and to get ready to go on this outing with Monsieur John. I dropped the note when I put my locket back in my shirt, it landed with Monsieur John's note facing down reveling another note on the back. I looked at this new found note with confusion and picked it back up. My eyes grew wide as I read it.

"Dear Nicholas,

After hearing your voice last night I would like to tutor you, and help you get past your fear of singing in front of others. Please come to box 5 at 1:00PM. I will join you there at about 1:10.

See you soon,

Erik"

My heart was thundering in my chest and ears by the end of the note. A smile split across my face and I jumped up, folded the note put it in my back pocket and raced out of my room to start on my chores. On my way to the stage I practically ran over Meg, Madame Gery's daughter.

"Oh goodness I'm terribly sorry Miss! I just didn't see you there!" I was blushing a bright red and stuck my hand out to help her up.

Lucky for me she just laughed and took my hand, "Its okay! Its okay! We've all done this one or twice in our life." I smiled back and curtsied to her.

"Thank you Miss, but I must be going I have chores to finish and today I have a time limit." I smiled up at her and took off again.

I ran to the broom closet and grabbed a duster. This presses continued till I was done with everything but the laundry. I quickly started on gathering the first batch, and on the way back to gather the second batch I checked the time, 9:30. I sighed, today the time seemed to fly by as where normally it dragged. By the time I was done with the laundry it was 10:00, I was cautious approaching Claudette's room to drop off her clean dresses, I didn't want to have to do some random chore for her.

Again I lucked out, as it would appear she was out right now. I ran to my room, but stopped dead in my tracks when a thought crossed my mind. I don't have anything to wear! Normally I wouldn't care, but in this case I wanted to dress to impress. Even of Erik only had eyes for Claire, I wanted to turn those eyes to me. I turned and ran to the costume room, inside there were clothes for every occasion. I grabbed a pair of black pants and a white and black corset. It turns out they weren't that uncomfortable, and they really did wonders for my figure. I dropped off my borrowed outfit at my room and took off to take a shower.

On my way back to my room I ran into Claire. She looked me up and down and gave me a knowing look.

"Getting ready for a date are we?"

I blushed and shook my head, "N-No!...well not really...sorta? I'm not too sure."

Claire draped an arm across my shoulder and sighed in a happy way. "Trust me by the way your acting it'll be a date! Now then you do have something to wear right?"

I nodded, "Yeah...I sorta borrowed it from the costume department." I laughed nervously.

Claire laughed and ruffled my hair. "That's okay everyone here does it all the time."

I relaxed and smiled up at her. I let Claire go in first and closed the door, then turned to see her inspecting my outfit. She looked it over and nodded approvingly, "I like it. It'll cover you enough, yet expose enough to leave your mystery man wanting more." I blushed and gaping at her. She just laughed and waved a hand at me, "Don't look at me like that you know its true! Now then! Do tell who is it your meeting tonight?"

I dropped my towel and grabbed the corset and some panties, trying to stall as I thought of something to tell her other than the Phantom. She tapped her foot at me and huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. I sighed and pulled on the strings of the corset, "Help me and I'll tell you."

She smiled and practically skipped over to me to tighten it. I looked in the mirror back at her, even now, with no make up and her hair in its natural state, I could see why Erik would want her over anyone. Claire is like the gems on display in museums, everyone comes and gazes with awe at her, but only a lucky few will ever get through her glass case. She caught my gaze and smiled at me, I smiled back sadly.

I know I'm going to have to tell her its him, but I'm so scared of how she'll react. He was her's long before I ever came here. She smoothed my hair, giving me a confused look. I looked down at my hands and sighed again...well she'll hound me till I tell her so I might as well get it over with.

"You can tell me. If you want him to remain a secret I promise I wont tell anyone!" Her eyes pleaded with me. I tuned and looked up at her frowning.

"You won't like it. He's been yours for a long time now."

Her eye brows knitted together as she thought, then her eyes grew angry. "It had better not be James. I swear to god if it is I'll.."

"Its not!" I cut her off, shaking my head. "No. I could never do that to you...I can barley even do what I am doing to you..."

She eyed me still frowning, "Then who is it?!" She crossed her arms waiting.

"The phantom." I whispered.

Claire's eyes widened, then she laughed letting her head fall into one of her hands. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"I thought you would be mad at me..." I looked down playing with the frill at the bottom of the corset.

Claire laid her hand on my shoulder, "I'm not...Quite frankly you can have the freak all to yourself.."

My head shot up and I glared at her, "DON'T call him a freak! He has done nothing, but love you and teach you! And this is how you repay him!?" Claire stared in shock at me and removed her hand from my shoulder. I sighed and took a few seconds to calm myself.

"I'm sorry..I just..." She stuttered through the apology, and even though she did sound apologetic I could see that she wasn't sorry about it so i stopped her.

"No its fine. I never should have snapped like that. We are all entitled to our own opinions."

She shook her head, "No. No your right I never should have called him that, and the way I worded that sentence was going to make it sound a lot worse than I had intended it to. So if its okay I would like to retry."

I smiled and nodded at her. "Yes of course, but would you mind too teribly if I finished getting ready while you talk?"

She smiled, going back to normal, and nodded at me. "Well what I had really ment to say was that it doesn't bother me in the slightest if you take him from me...I mean I will miss him as a teacher, but..."

"Who said I was taking your teacher?" I looked back at her in the mirror.

"OH? I thought for sure that, that is what you wanted from him."

I thought about what she said and shook my head, "No no...well yes...but no." I laughed at how stupid I'd just sounded and turned around, having finished my makeup, wasn't too much just enough to make me not look dead. "I guess what I mean is that yes, I do want him as a teacher, but at the same time...I would like him as more than that."

Claire's eye brows shot up. "You've only known the...man...for what? Not even a day now?!" Claire shook her head.

(~~AN. Random Pov change is here~~)

"What's so wrong with that!?" Nicholas exclaimed, her face a dark shade of red. "It's not like I'm asking him to MARRY me or anything! Am I not allowed to have a crush!?"

Claire put her hands up in defense. "No. No! I didn't mean it like that! I'm just saying you don't know much about him...he's done a LOT of bad things Nicholas...and I just don't want you to get hurt."

Nicholas looked down and hugged herself. "So what if he's done bad things. I had to be with people that have done worse...and don't worry about me getting hurt...I'm tough!" Nicholas look up and flexed one of her arms, patting her muscle.

Claire laughed and shook her head, "No you silly girl...I mean emotionally."

"Ohhh...well you don't have to worry about that either..." Nicholas frowned and laid one of her hands over her heart. "This doesn't work that way any more."

Claire sighed and hugged the smaller girl. "Well ya know what? I don't think his works either." Nicholas gave Claire a disapproving look and opened her mouth to say something but Claire just pulled her back into the hug and stopped her. "Let me finish!" Nicholas sighed and nodded. "What I mean is maybe y'all could get your hearts to work again...together.."

Nicholas looked up at Claire with wide eyes and then smiled and hugged the blonde as tight as she could. "Thank you Claire."

Nicholas practically ran out of her room and toward the meeting point, she grabbed her locket to keep it from bouncing everywhere, and while looking down to grab it she ran right into someone. She caught herself to keep from squishing the person below her and instantly was pouring out apologies. Her cheeks were already turning red, but when she saw that it was Monsieur John her whole face turned dark red. Nicholas jumped off of him and helped him up.

"I'm so sorry Monsieur John! I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

He laughed and patted her shoulder, and in Nicholas's opinion left it there for too long. "It's okay! In fact I was just coming to ask if you were going to be able to join me today."

Nicholas stepped back from him and looked down at her hands nervously. "Ummm about that...no I will not be able to join you...I already had plans today. I'm sorry." Nicholas squirmed under his touch, as his hand went from just laying on her shoulder to gripping it painfully. Nicholas finally ripped her shoulder out from his hand and rubbed at it, she looked up at him confused as to why he would do that.

He shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry about that Nicholas." He reached for her again, but Nicholas backed away.

"No I'm sorry Monsieur John, but I need to go." She turned and walked away as fast as she could.

(AN. Gonna try and make it from Nicholas's Pov again!)

I grabbed my locket and checked the time, 1:12, I snapped my locket shut and gulped walking up to curtains. 'I'm late...he's gonna be mad.' I peeked into the box and saw him sitting in one of the chairs. I crept in and got up right behind him. I slowly reached forward to try and scare him.

"You're late." Erik stated, I jumped and made an eeping noise. He stood up and looked back at me. I glared and crossed my arms over my chest, he laughed and raised his visible eyebrow at me. "Did I scare youuu?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, "You scare a lot of people."

He shook his head still smiling and turned to open his secret door. "You got me there." He stepped inside the dark passage way and reached his hand back for me, "You coming?" I took his hand and closed the door behind us, and then instantly regretted it. I couldn't see a thing, I tightened my grip on Erik's hand he sighed and walked behind me.

"There are quite a few stairs, can you see anything at all?" He placed his hands on my hips and gently push on them to get me to move forward.

I grabbed his wrists and shakily took a step down. "N-no. Being blind in one eye and being in the pitch black dark never really works out for me." I had made it down maybe three stairs and was staring to feel okay about it, but I guess it's like they always say, the minute you get slightly confident about something you're bound to mess up. And mess up I did! I slipped on the next step. I squeezed my eyes shut, (not that it really mattered) clutched Erik's wrists and prayed I wouldn't fall too far.

"Easy there, I'd like to keep my hands." I opened my eyes and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Some how he wasn't even effected by my slip up, he just supported my weight as if it were nothing.

"Oh sorry!" I relaxed a little and re-situated myself on a step. He sighed and moved one of his hands to behind my knees. "Errm w-what are yo-" But before I could finish my sentence he lifted me up bridal style and started to carry me down the rest of the stairs. I instantly had a death grip on his shit and pulled myself as close as I could to him.

"Why are you always so jumpy when I pick you up?" I felt my face heat up and tried to losen my grip, but I just couldn't, each time I tried I remebered a not so fun time in my life. Erik sighed, "You dont have to tell me if you dont want to but you really dont have to hang onto me like your life depends on it. I promise I won't drop you."

I sighed and chewed on my lip thinking about how to explain it, or to just play it off as something stupid. I sighed again and relaxed a little looking up in the general direction of Erik's face, 'I wish that there was at least SOME light in the stupid stairway...then again then he'd be able to to see me blushing and spazzing...but didn't he say he can see in the dark? Hmmm ya know if you combine his reflexes, attitude and supposed ability to see in the dark...he sounds just like a cat!' I stopped the first laugh but couldn't stop myself from shaking trying to hold them in. I could feel him looking at me and I tried to get control over myself again, but failed and just laughed loudly instead.

"And just WHAT is so funny?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" I covered my mouth trying to stifle the laughs. I could feel him glaring at me, but it only made me laugh harder. "I'm sorry! I just -laugh- can't -giggle- stop!" Erik snorts and huffs at me, and I take a deep breath finally stopping the laughing. 'Imma have to see how he reacts to being called a cat one day!'

"Well at least you don't have a death grip on my shirt anymore, but I think it's a lost cause now. Most likely stretched beyond repair." He sighed dramatically. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll see if I can fix it, if it's even damaged." I felt, more than heard him laugh, but was quickly distracted by the fact that there was light! It wasn't too far away and was steadily growing with each step Erik took. "Yay" I whispered.

Erik stopped and set me down at the beginning of a long hallway, that was luckily lit the whole way. I turned and looked up at him. "WHY does it seem to take so long to get to your "lair"?"

He grabbed one of the candles off the wall and looked down at me smirking. "Because it makes it more difficult for unwanted guests to find me." With that he started to lead the way down the hall. "That's why the stair way is pitch black, to make it pretty much impossible to see."

"Well you did a good job with that one. I couldn't see anything...I don't think I would have been able to see anything even if I had both of my eyes." I looked around the hall as we walked and noticed a lot of random doors and passages. "Soooo what's all of this?" I'd stopped at a particularly strange looking door, it was a double door that looked like it would lead to an office. I traced my hand on one of the big bronze handles and wondered what could possibly be on the other side of them.

Erik's POV~

I looked back and shook my head at her, 'This girl is such a pain. Then why bother keeping her? Just let John have her.' I shook my head again and grabbed her hand. "Wouldn't open those. There spikes on the other side, rigged to spring up when the door opens." Her eyes widened for a moment then moved to look up at me with an amused look in them. I raised an eye brow at her, but she just continued to look up at me with the same damned look. "What?"

Nicholas turned back to the doors and smiled at them, shaking her head. "Just thinking about how much of a mad genius you are. I mean because if people came looking for you and somehow got in this hallway they would come across these doors and think that you're most diffidently behind them because they look like the doors to a bosses office or something." She looked up at me and smiled. "It's so flipping clever!"

I stared down at her. 'Whats wrong with this girl. If I'd told Claire about the spikes she would have looked at me with discuss or fear. Yet here is a seemingly normal girl that somehow accepts and marvels at my traps.' I turned and pulled on her hand to get her to follow me down the hall. 'This is why I can't leave her. She's different. And I don't think the world could stand to lose another different person. Yep that's why I'm not letting go of her hand, because if I do she'll probably kill herself on one of my traps. Not because I like holding it. Nope, she's not Claire! She's not my angle. She's just some stupid girl.' I glanced back at her and watched her look at all the different traps I'd set up, she didn't look frightened by them, but instead interested. She turned back to me and caught me looking, I watched her as she smiled at me her left cheek denting in for her one dimple, she eyes squinting closed, and her hand squeezing mine slightly. I turned back shook my head. 'She's NOT Claire! She's just a stupid, over trusting, stubborn, annoying girl! And that's all she'll ever be to me. Just an extra student. Someone to help me get to Claire's heart!"

'I kept telling myself this as we walked, but as much as I would deny it, I never once let go of her hand, because the thought of her getting hurt...especially by something I built, made me sick to my stomach...that and the fact that she held my hand like she wanted to, and not because she had to, it just...it made me happy...but she'll never know. My heart, voice, body, my everything belongs to Claire.'