LazyCat- Pray tell what you are confused about! Fayt was a character that I needed to balance things out between the girls. Protagonist is the leading actor in a literary work/play/opera. Since Piangi died in the movie and it is now around two years later, and I hadn't mentioned another male lead, so I decided that it was time for one. As for the Elsa and Danielle fighting over Erik and Fayt, no. 1) they would never do that and 2) it seems like that idea is in many of these stories, and I despise repetition. Thanks for the suggestion though!

"Fayt" is pronounced the same way as "fate" as far as I know. I got that character from a friend that I role play with all the time. He chooses very interesting names for his characters, doesn't he? All the same, I like his characters, they are nice and enjoyable and never arrogant egotistical asses.

On to the chapter!

Raoul had come to the Populaire by foot with a basket in his hands around eleven the next morning after the human puzzle incident. Upon seeing the basket, Nicole laughed lightly and shook her head, "You aren't bringing me a baby, are you?"

"No, no, no," he said as he grinned, running up the stairs to greet her, pulling her into a soft kiss. "It's a lovely day, and I thought you might like to go on a picnic or something."

"A picnic? I'd love to!" Nicole was excited about this. She absolutely loved picnics. He must be the man of her dreams! She had never dated any one who planned outings that she loved to do. It was always to an inside place, which just got boring.

"You look absolutely ravishing!" Raoul exclaimed, having now noticed the sundress Nicole was wearing. Wait. Nicole. In. A. Dress. Willingly? Oy vey, she's changed! It was a pretty little dress though. It was a light, mint green with a few ruffles here and there and the straps rested right on the spot where the joint of her arm and shoulder met. Oh, and lace! LACE! Nicole is wearing lace now? And light colors? What has the Vicomte done to our precious little non-frilly Nicole?

She blushed and moved some of the reddish brown hair from her face, replying with gratitude, "Thank you very much Monsieur de Chagny."

Raoul wrapped an arm around her waist and led her towards Le Parc Monceau. It was a lovely little walk there. Nice and serene even though the streets were extremely busy. They strolled together, holding hands, neither having a care in the world about what the gossip would be on the morrow. Once they arrived at the park, there was a nice half hour walk from the entrance to the main pond, which had a row of Roman columns on one third of the shore, a patch of breezy angel-oak willow trees at another portion, and a clearing leading off of the walking paths at the other part.

Raoul spread the thin blanket at a nice little spot they found underneath the willows and seated himself and began to lay out the food. There were croissants (as usual), sandwiches (as for what kind, I don't think anyone knew), fresh fruits and vegetables and champagne, of course. It was only the best that you could ever get in Paris, and Raoul would have it no less for Nicole, even though she didn't even care about the quality of the food. Being able to share it with him was enough to make it great.

After hours of joking around and trying to toss pieces of croissant in each other's mouth, it was time to relax and sip the champagne. Raoul was sitting against the trunk of a tree, one leg extended out onto the blanket while the other knee was bent and pulled near to his chest. Nicole was resting against him, her lower back against the leg which was straight out and her upper back propped up against his other leg. His right arm was draped across her stomach, and his left was holding his glass. Her left hand was placed on his right forearm and her right hand was holding her own champagne flute.

She let out an almost exasperated sigh. "What's wrong?" Raoul would ask her.

"It's just Elsa… she was gone all night the other night and didn't get back until after I did yesterday afternoon. We asked where she had gone, and she made up some lame excuse about going and getting the paper and not having the money and having to sing for so long to get the money up. It was totally unbelievable! I don't understand what she could have been doing all night and half the day. It's so unlike her to just disappear and then lie about it." Nicole could hear Elsa in her head right now saying "Pirate!"

"Maybe she's just homesick? You all have been here for almost a year now. I'm sure she misses the things you have back there."

"No… if it was that she missed it, she would have told me."

"Let's not think about it for now. You can always confront her about it later." Raoul offered a smiled to her as his fingers traced over her collarbone. She shivered at the feel of his fingertips on her skin and on that particular place of her body.

"Raoul, please don't touch me there… you have no idea what that does to me," she half whimpered out.

"Then pray tell what it does to you, mon cher," he replied as he bent down and kissed another spot on her collar bone. Nicole instantly turned to butter in his arms, completely submissive to him now. She would have killed him for doing that, and oh how she wanted to! But she couldn't, not with the way his warm lips on her skin made her feel.

She let out the cutest little groan. "It does that to me, now stop."

"It's too fun." A wide grin crossed his lips as he shook his head. He shifted around some how to where she was now laying on the ground, and he was propped on an elbow beside her, his left hand resting on her hip as he tortured her further with the contact with her collar bone.

Back at the opera house, it was already fifteen minutes till six o'clock and Elsa was helping Danielle prepare for her date. Elsa had helped Danny decide on a lovely cobalt blue dress, with guess what- a corset. Go figure.

"So, you think you like this guy?" Elsa asked. She really hoped she did. Then she might be able to let up on this guilt about her sneaking around with Erik.

"Umm… sure? Do you really think he'll like this?" Danielle asked walking out from behind the dressing screen. She was nervous. It was the first time she had been out on a real date with a guy who was actually planning on courting her than dating. Courting was good.

"Yes, he'll love you in it." Elsa smiled at her friend. She was so cute when she was nervous! "But do you like this guy?"

"Well, yeah… I mean, he's handsome, he's nice, and he has a sense of humor. He asked me out. He's just very intriguing to me. Besides, I'll be working with him in the future. I might as well go ahead and get to know him." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug as she moved out of the room, Elsa following her.

They walked through the opera house in almost absolute silence with small conversation here and there.

"Are you sure he's going to like this?" Danielle asked again as they entered the main hallway again. She was always self conscious about things.

"Yes! He'll think you're a goddess in that thing. Geez, Will!"

"I'd think she was a goddess even if she was in a pair of old trousers and a blouse," a smooth voice said from the doorway. It was Fayt, of course. He was dressed up as well. Well, dressed up meaning he was in a pair of nice and clean pants and dress shirt.

Elsa looked down to her attire, which was indeed old trousers and a blouse. 'What's wrong with them?' she asked herself in her head.

"Shall we go then, Mademoiselle Dodson?" He smiled brightly as Danielle took his arm and they began their walk to their destination.