A rush of emotions came over me as I saw Nadir's tender face. With thinking of Erik and my need for him, and the unexpected arrival of Nadir, I couldn't control my sentiments, and I leapt up from the couch eagerly. I needed someone to want to hug me, to want me embrace them, instead of Erik's hesitation at my very touch. A hug could wipe away the day's troubles, and I felt a jumble of troubles jumping about in my head. Completely forgetting about the bundle of material and sharp pins at my feet, I stumbled forwards, slipping on the sleek and slippery material, falling into Nadir's open arms.

"Ow." I winced as I clutched at Nadir's jacket. He chuckled as he held me, but when he realised I had stepped on several pins, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me like a child.

"Allow me." Erik offered, jumping forward instantly, pouncing on the chance, whatever it was.

Nadir chuckled some more as he carried me back to the couch, staring at my face, his moustache twitching with his laughter. He laid me carefully on the couch, before leaving Erik to tend to my feet. Erik laid my calves in his lap excitedly, slowly and gently beginning to pull the pins out of my feet. I smirked at his easgerness, despite being a little confused at why he was acting so weird. Nadir began to pick everything up from the floor, groaning as he did so, his back pain giving him some trouble.

"I see you haven't changed." Nadir commented happily between groans.

I laughed, rubbing away my tears. "I was never this clumsy before."

"Maybe not but you are still as enthusiastic as when I last saw you."

I blushed, grinning happily, but from the corner of my eyes, I could see that Erik was not amused. I looked at him, pouting.

"Erik, cheer up, Nadir's back!" I said. "You've been acting weird since that night on roof-"

Nadir's ears perked up. "What night on the roof?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Erik beat me to the punch.

"I have finally revealed myself to Christine. It has not gone the way I had hoped. It would be going to more smoothly if the vicomte was not around."

"I'll say. She's a little strange though, don't you think? You've gotta be a certain kind of stupid to believe that it's more likely that you're talking to an angel instead of a man, no matter how many tricks you play on her."

"But you're trying to set me up with her!" Erik complained, looking at me in a different light. Nadir stood upright, gawking at Erik and mine reactions to each other.

I shrugged. "Hey, I'm not the one who'll be bedding her, and thank god, I wouldn't want my kids carrying her genes."

Erik winced at my choice of words. He patted my leg, and gently slid it out his lap. I laughed.

"Erik, I'm sorry if my words hurt you, but you've got to agree, she isn't like most normal people-"

"Exactly! She is better than normal-"

"Yeah, some would say she's special." I said slowly, emphasizing the word 'special'.

"Jennifer, stop this. You're going too far."

"No, I'm not. Why can't you see that she's not the one for you? You need someone who can put up with your dark moods, someone who will match your intelligence, your wit. She can't handle you and your insane thoughts! Nadir, tell him!"

Nadir was, needless to say, flabbergasted. "Don't involve me; I gave up shortly before you arrived."

I laughed, distracted. "You tried before me? You agree that Erik shouldn't be with Christine?"

Nadir laughed with me, glad the tension has eased, of only slightly.

"Yes, but my arguments weren't based on Christine, they were based on the pressing details of crime and punishment." Nadir said, a wise glint in his eyes. "The police are after him for any number of crimes, and he's here lovesick for some woman. I told him years ago that he should have fled to England. But he's never listened."

"No, the stubborn ole mule!" I laughed.

Nadir and I continued chatting, laughing at each other's jokes, and Erik sat between us, his sullen expression soon turning into a small amused smile as we turned to other topics, like Nadir's travels, my encounters with Rouge and Texas, and then our conversation turned to the masquerade ball again.

"Will you be going?" I asked, setting down the tea tray on the table that Erik had produced from behind some curtain.

"I shall be on duty, but yes, I daresay I will be around." Nadir replied, licking his lower lip as he leaned forward to reach for an iced bun.

I frowned, sitting down beside Erik, who had begun to eye Nadir's iced bun greedily.

"On duty? You'll be working?"

Nadir and Erik smirked. I looked at them, puzzled, when they both burst out into laughter.

"What? What?!" I asked, noticing Erik wink at me before twiddling his fingers. "What's happening?"

Nadir pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "The managers have hired me to find and, in their terms, 'capture' Erik."

I sat back, shocked as my mouth fell open. "Oh my God! And you agreed? Why?"

Nadir wiped his brow, while Erik lazily picked at the raisins from iced bun in his hand and flicked them into the lake. I tired not to smirk as I paid attention to Nadir's next few words.

"Erik persuaded me. It's better that they chose me instead of someone who actually wanted, or even could, find Erik."

I pausing taking this all in, while Nadir stared at his hand for a few seconds, before giving Erik a dirty look, who had discarded his bun having only eaten half.

"I see what you mean. That would have been difficult. This term they used, 'capture', they didn't say arrest, did they? So they must still presume Erik to be a ghost. That's good, but they still suspect of Erik making an appearance."

"Yes, and I shall give them exactly what they want." Erik commented idly, now eyeing Nadir's caramelised biscuit that went with his coffee.

"Oh no you shall not! You're just giving them letters, remember? There's no need to go introducing yourself as a real live human that can be hanged, do you hear? Use your ghost persona while you still have it."

Nadir chuckled, gobbling down his biscuit before he could be distracted. "And please Erik, no running about, my back hurts still, I don't want to have to chase you!"

"Fine." Erik said, glaring icily at Nadir and his empty wrapper. "I shall not move an inch of muscle when the Gendarmes come for me."

I laughed. "We'll see."

"Oh! And what exactly will you be doing at this time? No doubt wooing some poor, unsuspecting fool!" Nadir asked, turning his detective voice onto me.

"Hah! Unlikely. I plan to work as well. I'm going to stand around, look pretty, and distract people while Erik plants his letters in said person's pocket." I said confidently, picking up my tea and stirring it around with the teaspoon, smiling. "I'm going as a Georgian lady, and Erik will be going as Red Death."

"I bought the costume for her." Erik added, smirking.

"Yes! Erik brought it into my room in a beautiful white box with gold lettering-"

The merriment in Nadir's face disappeared. "What?"

I stopped smiling, then realised Nadir's concern. "What? No, it's alright, he said he bought it, he didn't steal it!"

"Jennifer, how could you allow him to buy him such a garment?" Nadir shouted at me, standing up hastily.

I faltered, staring at him with mixed emotions of hurt and shock, my mouth open and lips quivering. I had forgotten what it was like to be shouted at, and sudden outburst had scared me into shock. "I…I…I don't see any harm in it!"

I could feel Erik tremble with anger beside, I saw his hands tighten into fists, grinding his teeth as he tried to contain himself. I reassuringly placed a hand on Erik's arm, trying to calm him, silently pleading for him to understand that he needn't go overboard on such a misunderstanding. This action only enraged both Erik and Nadir further, and Erik stood upright, leaving me to stare up at them both, a little confused and weakened by the moment. I needed to pull myself together.

Nadir glared at me. "Jennifer, it is not appropriate for a man to buy a woman a dress he is not married to!"

Erik's body tensed, and I leaned forward, trembling as I tried to hold back the confused and disoriented tears.

"I didn't know!" I said softly, wrapping my arms around myself. Erik noticed how uncomfortable I was, and sat down, glaring at Nadir, his eyes blazing like never before. "It's not like as though anyone'll know! We are exempt from society, Erik and I!"

"Jennifer, that is not the point." Nadir said calmly, gently reaching for my wrist nad pulling my forward towards him. "For a man to buy the dress as a surprise gift, he would have had to have measured the woman. Jennifer, you must tell me honestly. Has Erik assaulted you in any way?-"

I gasped, insulted, and Erik snarled like a wild beast and pulled me back into his embrace. I struggled for breath as I leant against Erik's body, for the first time, feeling his flesh against mine. It wasn't a hug, but I'd settle for this.

"How dare you insinuate such a thing, Daroga! Have you gone mad? Jennifer would allow a monster like Erik touch her fair hand! Let alone have sexual intercourse with her!"

I flinched. Not at the comment about him having sex with hem, but at the comment about my 'fair hand'. Since when had my hand been fair? And I touched him plenty of times, and he too had touched me. That night in his laboratory. I flexed my fingers. Sometimes, I could still feel the pain in my knuckles.

Nadir grabbed Erik's jacket and pulled the man to his feet, his own eyes flaring, his hands tightening on Erik's jacket.

"Maybe so, but that does not mean that you yourself are without sin! Erik, I warn you, touch Jennifer inappropriately, and you will have to answer to me!"

I winced, burying my face in my hands. This wasn't the conversation I wanted to have to hear. But I looked back up when I heard something crash, and some hot liquid fell into my lap. Erik had apparently swung his arm up and hit Nadir in the side of his head with his forearm. Nadir had fallen down onto the table, crashing the china teapot, spilling it everywhere. Some had splashed onto me, and I cried out in shock. I stood up, the spilt coffee bringing out my anger as I hissed in pain.

"That's enough from the both of you! Pull yourself together!"

Nadir and Erik looked at me, shocked to say the least. Nadir didn't bother to get up, staring up at me.

"Well done, both of you. You've both succeeded in embarrassing me, breaking the coffee table, and ruining this dress. Now, I'm going to go take a bath, and when I get out, I'm going to get dressed and come back to finish this conversation. You still want to act like children, then at least have the courtesy to wait until I'm out of here. Children! The both of you!"

I glared at Nadir. "Nadir, you have quite clearly seen how Erik and I are getting along, so this talk of Erik inappropriately touching me is absurd. Erik has been nothing but a gentleman to me. If I hear you badmouth Erik again, I slap that moustache straight off your face."

Nadir face fumed. I daresay he had never been scolded by a woman probably half his age before. I turned my attention to Erik, my anger burning up again. I pointed at my masquerade dress "Erik, would you hand me that dress please."

He nodded, a strange look in his eye as he passed it over. He smiled weakly, and I nodded my head.

Damn, it felt good to shout and scream out my frustration. I hadn't quite realised that I needed that until the coffee spilt onto my legs. I guess I just really needed it.