Ok, so you may find some things that seem a repeat of the first chapter (not really anything big though), and I don't want to hear any complaints. As I've said in the first couple chapters, it will explain itself in due time, just have to place all the pieces so the picture puzzle will look right. Also a little shout to one of my good friends Bonnie (Bonjour ma cherie! I hope you don't find it too odd to know I write things such as this ;D ) who is probably one of the only people at my school who knows about my story.

Let's just say I'm taking care of the idea that some of you have had that Erik is falling for Faye too fast. I told you all "You will understand in time!" Now don't be a Raoul anymore and have a little patience! This is my first time ever writing anything fluff (if you ever read my one-shots, you know I do nothing but angst) so please leave a review if I was able to get you squeeing, I'd certainly appreciate them!

Actually, there shall be no new chapter until I get at least seven reviews, and don't get mad, I did the work on how many people have actually reviewed, and seven shouldn't be too hard to handle.

Faye and Erik made their way out of the restaurant, Faye fully content with a stuffed stomach, Erik still a bit annoyed that she made him eat that much. The woman would not let them leave until he had devoured most of his meal.

"Where to now Erik?" Faye said happily, stretching her arms out in the warm sun. Erik looked at the change in her, now that she was out with him she seemed a different person. When he had met her, she was frightened, quiet, and looked quite sickly. It appeared that now that she had been with him for a while, she was happy, laughing even, and had an attitude to fit her name.

"Wherever mademoiselle wishes, I would say, it's still only mid-afternoon," Erik replied, pulling nervously on his hat, "would a carriage ride suffice?" Faye spun around to him quickly.

"Oh! Could we do that?" she giggled andcontinued spinning around, "I've never been on one here- ahh!"

Faye started to fall over, and with practiced reflexes Erik quickly lunged out and grabbed hold of her waist and arm, pulling her to his chest. Faye winced a moment at being slapped right into him, but also tried to stop the spinning in her head. She held onto Erik, her eyes clenched shut. After taking a few deep breaths she steadied herself and looked to Erik.

"Thank you," she said calmly, "I don't know what I'd do without you to catch me, first the bridge, now here."

"I suspect you'd have quite a few lumps on your head," he joked wryly, but then took a serious face at her. "are you all right? Do you need anything?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm fine, I guess I shouldn't have spun so fast," she laughed happily, "although, you can let me go now, I'm capable of standing on my own,"

Erik was indeed still grasping to her, for fear that she would slip again, he wasn't entirely certain she had simply become dizzy. He still remembered how light she was when he first met her, and he had a feeling that lunch was the largest amount she'd had in sometime. He finally did release her and Faye smoothed the front of her dress.

"Now then, our carriage ride?" She said hopefully.

Erik waved for a hansom, going back to the nervous habit of pulling down his hat. Truly he'd been out much longer than he meant, but his damn human needs were too overpowering, the last person he had spoken to was his only savior and mentor Madame Giry, whom he had not seen since his disastrous opera. Silently he cursed the fact that he was such a monster with such weak needs.

A rather dirty looking man drove up to Erik and Faye, eyeing the odd pair; a man dressed clad in black and a young woman wearing a light blue summer dress, and he was certain the girl he'd seen somewhere before. He ignored the idea though, a paying customer was a paying customer, and he hadn't had any business so far today.

"Need a ride somewhere m'sieur?"

Erik raised his brow and coked his head, a look that stated 'Did I not just call for you?', but he held the comment and instead replied "Yes, the lady and myself would like a ride through the park, can you handle this?"

The hansom nodded in reply to him, "Ye need to pay up firs', good monsieur," he sneered back at him, "300 francs," he said flatly.

Erik's face went from annoyed to appalled, arguing with the man, "I will not pay that much right now, you'll get half at this moment, the other after, and only if mademoiselle has a pleasant ride, or we will take someone else's carriage," he ground at him through his teeth.

The hansom was silent a moment, an angry stare coming from his dark eyes, but finally again nodded to Erik and jumped down from his seat. From there, he opened up the carriage door to the couple, offering his hand to Faye to lift her up. Erik quickly got to her other side though to lend her his help, which she gratefully accepted and sat down in the small but comfortable carriage. Erik climbed in after her shutting the door behind him, but opening the curtain a bit to still allow sunlight to shine in. He sat next to Faye somewhat awkwardly, realizing he had left her with his mask to look at, and took to staring out the window to avoid her eyes.

The carriage went off with a slightly rocky start, causing Faye to tumble in her spot a little, but she stabled herself and sat upright. She'd always watched horse-drawn carriages as a little girl with fascination, but never did she really think she'd be able to ride in one. The inside of it was a tad dirty, but still beautiful none-the-less, with cushioned seats the color of a rich, dark, red and gold hangings around the windows. The glow from the sun was giving it a very calming effect and making her quite tired, her eyes drooping a bit. She turned to speak to Erik, only to find his back hunched to her.

Erik still sat in silence, keeping his gaze intent outside the window, thinking about what he was doing. He was out on a carriage ride with a woman. He was with a woman. Only now he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, he knew that soon he would have to let her go back to the brothel, but a part of him didn't want to send her to that treachery. Over lunch they had laughed, he had even learned some of her past, and she was quickly becoming a good companion, could he really just watch a friend go to a fate where she obviously didn't want to be? His thoughts were stirred when he felt a light pressure on his shoulder, and he turned his head to find Faye leaning against him, sighing contently with her eyes shut.

"It's lovely, isn't it? To ride around like this, as if we're royalty…" she said in a sweet and soft tone.

Erik relaxed his body and leaned back, allowing Faye to still rest against him, he wanted to grant her this little bit of pleasure, even if it was coming from a monster. At least he was not as lowly as some, though he'd certainly had the opportunity, oh yes. Many a night during his wanderings a woman would call to him and offer a warm night for a bit of money. Yet he couldn't do something like that, no matter how much his body shook with lust, no, that was a time for his music. His only real lover, one that he could pour his emotions to and not worry.

Faye leaned further still into Erik, breathing in his calming scent, flowers and ink among other faint smells. They reminded her of when she was but a child, she would set in her father's lap as he wrote his poems. She became quite surprised though when she felt Erik lift his arm, she opened her eyes a moment thinking she had angered him somehow, but he merely lowered it again around her own body, pulling her closer. He smiled at her and said "I thought I might make you at least a little more comfortable."

They sat like this through the rest of the ride; her sitting curled against his body, his arm around her gently, as they watched the world outside the little window. As long as they were in that carriage where no one could see them, they could be at peace.

But even a blissful moment on earth has its end.

Too soon the carriage slowed down and came to a halt, jerking Faye and Erik from their silent happiness, Erik released Faye before the handle was even moving. The door was opened quickly by the old hansom, a look on his face as if he expected to catch them in the act of wrongdoing, but finding no such thing he said "The two of ye' enjoy your ride then? Mademoiselle?" with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Faye nodded her approval as Erik took out the rest of the money for him, even he couldn't deny it had been quite pleasant, though it seemed over much too fast. He was shocked when Faye also reached into her basket and gave him a folded note, with a wink she said to him "For your daughter."

The hansom looked at her with a confused face, "How did you… I knew it! I have seen you before! Well thank ye's very much mademoiselle, bless ye' for this!" He exclaimed happily offering her his arm, which she gladly took as she climbed out the small door, Erik following her without delay, wondering just what conversation was taking place.

The hansom got back onto his rightful seat, his manner completely different now, giving a toothy smile to Faye, "Bless ye' again, mademoiselle, she'll be delighted!" he said before starting off his horse, waving as he left.

Erik could only stare at the man as he drove off until he was gone, leaving them at the entrance to the park, till he could no longer stand the question burning in him and rounded on Faye. "What was that?" He said breathlessly "Why did you give him your money, you know he was paid well enough by me, so why did you do it?". Erik wasn't angry but still couldn't hold the bit of venom that was towards the hansom. Faye smiled sadly to him.

"Because… I've seen that man before, at the brothel," she sighed, "he has a little girl, I heard him bragging about her once when he was with another mistress, I could just tell by the way he spoke that his daughter is the only thing he has to keep him… good, to put it that way,"

Erik thought on what she said and understood, even if the man was nothing but scum, she still wanted him to keep what humanity was in him. Faye was such a good person, it pained him to know what would happen to her. He looked into her eyes, not really sure what to say to her.

"Faye, I-"

"Oh! Erik, I've been out much too long! I need to get back, I'm sorry!" Faye cried out, standing back from Erik.

"Faye!" Erik yelled before she turned to leave, "May I… can I see you again?"

Faye looked at him with soft eyes "Yes, but when will I see you?"

He smiled at her, "Don't worry, you'll know my presence when it's there."

She waved and turned about dashing fast as she could, heading away from the park, away from Erik.

Away from her friend.