A New Year

It is easy to believe that life is long and one's gifts are vast -- easy at the beginning, that is. But the limits of life grow more evident; it becomes clear that great work can be done rarely, if at all. - Alfred Adler

Erik was seated at his desk when he heard the knock on the front door. With a quiet curse he glanced at the clock, only to curse again when he noticed that he had lost track of time. With a resigned sigh he rolled down his sleeves and picked out a burgundy waistcoat. He had no doubts that the count would be unhappy with him, so he dressed as quickly as he could.

He put the cravat pin on as he exited the room, praying that it was straight as he did up his jacket. He then slipped silently down the stairs, knowing that he made no sound when he walked.

There were three guests, all of whom had dark hair, though the man's was starting to get streaks of grey in it. His wife, however, seemed to have been spared the effects of aging, save for a few wrinkles around her eyes. With them was a younger girl, around the age of twelve, if he had to guess. He was fortunate; the greeting seemed to be ending as he slipped into the group.

"Erik dear, trying to avoid the guests, are we?" the countess asked.

"Not at all," he answered. Truthfully he wasn't trying to go unnoticed at all. In fact he didn't see how he could go completely unnoticed, "I merely did not wish to intrude."

"Well then," the count said, motioning him forwards, "I would like you to meet Mister and Misses Bardon, and their lovely daughter."

"A pleasure," Erik said, shaking the man's hand.

"Nicolas," he said, "my wife, Katherine and my daughter Alicia."

Erik bowed to each in turn, "A pleasure to meet you as well."

They both smiled as Nicolas spoke up, "Well, Richard, there are certainly more people here than I expected."

"Yes, well the Chagnys were only going to visit for a couple of days after Christmas. Unfortunately, with this unusually bad weather, they have not been able to leave. But the more, the merrier, am I right?"

"Of course," Katherine said.

"A bit of a shame, actually," the count said, "I'm sure they had festivities of their own to attend to in France."

"But alas," Philippe sighed, shaking his head, "forced to stay here in dull, old England to celebrate the New Year with our friends. Curse our luck!"

"The dining room!" the countess chimed, tapping Philippe's arm mockingly, "dinner should be served in a matter of minutes."

"I do hope it isn't casserole," Erik mused, enjoying the flicker of anger in the count's eyes, and the barely hidden laugh from Raoul.

"Impudent boy," the count grumbled.

"Truly intolerable," Alex agreed sarcastically.

Once they were all settled in the dining room and dinner was served Nicolas started up the conversation, "Well, Richard, you must tell me about this new estate you are building. I'm afraid that I haven't spoken to you in so long and missed all the gossip."

"Of course," the count laughed, "I will tell you all about it."

"Wonderful! I've heard rumours that you have the strangest architect working on the project."

Christine and Raoul both paused, turning their heads slightly to watch Erik's reaction. Adrienne and Alex also both stopped eating, Alex holding his breath while Adrienne bit her lip nervously. Erik, however, seemed to take the comment in stride.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself strange," he said thoughtfully, "eccentric, certainly, but strange?"

"Oh…you're the architect?" Nicolas asked, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"I am," Erik answered.

"Well…they were just rumours," he said.

"Of course," Erik said coolly, "I will have to show you the designs. Surely you have heard rumours about them as well?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I was told that they were amazing."

Once the meal was finished Erik fetched the designs for the new estate and met the others in the parlour. They were somewhat pressed for space in the room, but everyone managed to find a place to sit, and Erik managed to steal the armchair in the corner. He would let the count show off the designs for the house, as it didn't require any true explanation. Anyone could read a floor plan and look at sketches.

"It's quite beautiful," Nicolas murmured, "amazing on paper. How is the building coming along?"

"Quite well," the count said, "we managed to get a lot of work done before the winter, though it did cause Erik a fair bit of travel time. Still, I would say that it was worth it. We are certainly making record time with the construction."

The minutes seemed to tick by slowly, and Erik found himself drawn into a conversation with Alex and Philippe. It didn't take long for him to bore of the discussion though, and he finally leaned back in his chair to survey the room. Raoul, the count and Nicolas were talking about something, while Adrienne, Christine, Katherine and the countess were talking, while Alicia listened, looking thoroughly bored herself.

Erik cleared his throat to catch her attention, then motioned for her to come over. She hesitated for a moment, glancing at the white mask, and then back at the other women. Erik ignored the look, knowing that she was only a child and that it didn't mean anything. After a few seconds she finally joined him.

"Yes, Sir?" she asked nervously.

"Sir," he chuckled," your name is Alicia?"

She nodded her head, "It is, Sir."

Another slight chuckle on his part. How proper children were raised to be, "You seem bored, Alicia."

"Oh no!" she said, biting her lip nervously.

"Do not lie to me," he said, resting his chin in his hand, "quite frankly, I am bored."

"Well…maybe a bit," she admitted.

"Would you like to see something amusing?" he asked, dual coloured eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes, or course!" she smiled.

Erik smiled before pulling a pocket watch out of thin air. This trick quickly caught her attention, as well as that of the other people in the room. He then proceeded to levitate it, along with another number of seemingly impossible tasks, before making it disappear again with a small flourish, and a puff of smoke.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Magic," Erik answered simply.

"But how?" the girl asked again, "there has to be a way."

"A good magician never reveals his tricks," Erik answered seriously, "and I am the best."

The girl pouted slightly to try and get her way. It had no doubt worked countless time on her parents and her nannies, but Erik was not so easily swayed. In fact he found it a rather pathetic way to try and get what one wanted, and was quick to scold her for it, "You should not pout. It is unflattering, and you will find that it holds no sway with me."

She seemed taken aback by his tone and bowed her head, "I'm sorry, Sir."

As midnight approached the countess had glasses of champagne brought to them. Everyone got a glass, even the young girl. Alex seemed to be thrilled about it, and kept glancing at the clock.

"It's almost the new year, Erik," he smiled.

"How thrilling," Erik grumbled, swirling the liquid around his glass.

"At least pretend to be happy," Alex said.

Erik flashed a wide smile, earning a laugh from Christine and Adrienne. Alex just rolled his eyes, and Erik let the smile fade away.

"Was that so difficult?" the count teased.

"Hmm, I think I might have pulled a muscle," Erik answered.

Alex started to count down, and Erik turned to watch as the second hand ticked off the last ten seconds, before dragging itself and the minute hand and the hours hand across the twelve. Alex cheerfully proclaimed the New Year by claiming a kiss from Adrienne and exclaiming, "Happy New Years!"

"A toast," Philippe said, raising his glass, "may the new year bring with it a fresh start, and the opportunity to make new memories and cherish the old."

"And may it bring happiness," Alex added.

Erik raised his glass before sipping the drink, "Happy New Years, indeed."

Christine smiled and kissed Raoul before going over to Erik. Undeterred by his dark mood she smiled at him, "Happy New Year, Erik."

He gave a small sigh and kissed her forehead, "happy New Year, Mademoiselle."

Alicia hurried over to his then, looking up hopefully, "happy New Year, Sir!"

Erik smiled at her enthusiasm, and bent down to kiss her forehead as well, "Happy New Year."

"What, only the ladies get your attention?" Alex asked.

"Why would I give you my attention, young man?" Erik asked, "They are far prettier."

"He has got a point there," Philippe said, jabbing Alex with his elbow.

The countess gave an airy laugh and patted Erik's forearm, "Happy New Years, dear."

He gave a faint smile and sipped his champagne again, "Is this it?"

"I'm afraid so," the countess laughed, "we don't hold any grande balls with dancing and music. Unless of course you wish to supply some."

Erik raised his eyebrow, "Very crafty…however, I do owe you Christmas gift, now don't I? Perhaps one song…though I hardly know which one to choose."

"What about…" Christine started, then trailed off, "oh, I can't remember what it was called. You sang it for me one New Years eve."

Erik's brow furrowed slightly as he tried to recall the song, "Yes, I believe I know the one you are talking about. Do you remember any of the words?"

"No," Christine admitted.

"A shame," Erik sighed, "if you remember, feel free to join in."

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter, crappy ending for it I know, but I'll try to get the next one up quickly. Just so you all know, I will be helping with a riding camp starting Monday, so updates may take a bit longer (I know, they can't take longer than they do now) but I'll try my best. Anyways, leave a review and I'll try to reply.