A/N...sorry for the update delay. There were a few changes I wanted to make, so if you have already read chapter two, I encourage you to do so again. The changes might be subtle, but I feel that they needed to be done. If you notice them, then brownie points to you!

Thank you to all of my reviewers...I LUFF reviews, so they were absolutely appreciated. You have been very supportive, and I have been thinking of you as I have been trying to get this chapter together.

Hope you enjoy, and please, please, please review!

Thank you!

Beautiful Revolution

No one was ever prepared for when they met Luka.

Before him was no strapping man as Erik had assumed, but instead a little boy, of four or five. His left hand held on to the wall, displaying his shyness and distrust of Erik and preventing him from seeing most of the child; only part of his left side was visible. His hair was disheveled from sleep, and his eyes were those of Alexa. He was undersized for his age, but was not unhealthy as some small children are. His skin was much darker than that of Alexa's, but he was still fair. Strong cheeks and a rounded jaw made him look like the ancestors of far-away princes, the kinds that are spoken of in fairy tales. Erik sat there, not believing what he saw…a little boy! He smiled at the child, trying to compel him out of the shadows, but Luka just looked back at Alexa, his large blue eye reflecting fear and betrayal. Seeing the child act so oddly made Erik uneasy. He could not place it, but there was something about his demeanor and the pleading look in his eyes that seemed oddly familiar.

"It's alright, honey, come on out." Slowly the little boy looked at Alexa, then at Erik, then back at her, his eyes giving away the fear of showing himself. "Its alright, he is a friend." Never loosing the trepidation in his glances, Luka emerged from the shadows of the hall, and Erik tried with all of his might not to let his face reflect the complete and utter shock that spread through him.

The ravaged flesh that spread across his innocent face was like fire floating on the ocean. His right cheek was covered in disfigured flesh, red and mottled tissue that began just below his nose and reached up the right side of his face to stop slightly above his eyebrow. It appeared to Erik that it circled around his eye like an oversized patch, not marring the skin to the far right of his eye but focusing instead on the area below and slightly above it. Christ.

Erik's head swam as he continued to observe Luka, not knowing what to think. He couldn't believe it. His entire life had been based around the fear and disgust that his face had instilled, and here was this child, this little boy, who was loved and wanted, everything that he had never been. Jealousy was replaced by jealousy as he tried to imagine the life that he could have had if he had been born into Alexa's world, with her love and affection soothing the stings that the world so effortlessly inflicts. Christ.

Luka, who had so perfectly hidden the right side of his face while clinging to the wall, now hung his head before Erik, clearly ashamed of his face. Erik could now see that in his right hand he held onto a stuffed bear, whose white fur was covered in small patches of red and green where it had been torn from being passed down generation to generation. Slowly he brought up his left hand so as to hug the bear tighter to his body, conscious of Erik's intent gaze directed on him. The traces of empathy began to ebb into Erik's embittered and resentful heart as he looked at Luka, an emotion he had never, in his entire life, been able to feel. The emotions that dictated his life had always been born out of hate, jealousy, and sorrow, reflecting his anger at not being accepted by others, by not being understood. But as he watched Luka clutch the tiny teddy to his heart for comfort and protection, he finally realized what he had been reminded of when he first saw him hiding in the hallway. He reminds me of… me. Encouraged by this internal revelation, Erik pushed himself to talk, to show him that he could be trusted.

"Hello, Luka. It is very good to meet you." Erik's smile went unnoticed as the little boy continued to stare at the ground. He looked back at Alexa, who just nodded her head, urging him to go on. Glancing back at Luka's bear gave Erik an idea, and he anxiously rose from the chair he had been sitting in, and walked over to kneel directly in front of the little boy. Please let this work. "My name is Erik…does your friend have a name?"

Luka looked up. Unsure of what to do, he looked over at Alexa, who smiled as she nodded to him. "Bela." His voice was barely a whisper, his eyes returning to the floor.

"Bela. That is a good, strong name. My bear's name is Marcel, and he is hopeless." Two blue eyes slowly made their way from the ground and found Erik's, listening to his every word very intently.

Alexa watched the situation in wonder. Who was this stranger before her, this man who before had seemed so withdrawn and reclusive, who now talked to children of lifeless companions stuffed with cotton?

"Can I tell you a secret?" A nod from the little boy encouraged Erik to continue.

"Alright. But you cannot laugh when I tell you, promise?" Another nod was his response.

Looking back at Alexa, Erik leaned into the little boy's right ear and whispered something to Luka, who had turned his eyes back to the ground as Erik drew closer, hesitant to have someone be so near his face. Alexa watched the two, not able to hear what Erik was saying. Watching Luka's face remain indifferent as Erik continued to whisper disheartened Alexa; after two years of secluding him from the nightmares of the world, she had hoped that she would be able to create a friendship between the three of them. But she took into consideration Luka's inability to open himself up to people freely, and a part of her believed that he would be able to sense that there was something about this man that was different. But how can I know that? she thought, suddenly recognizing that she had no right to claim that this man was any different than those, the wicked and malicious, which had destroyed their lives. But then again, I have never been wrong before…She quickly pushed the memories that were flooding her mind away, understanding that there was no sense in living in the past. Knowing that there was nothing to do but hope, she said a silent prayer for the two before her.

As Erik continued to speak to him Luka continued to stare at the ground. It was not until after Erik pulled away from the little boy to look him in the eye did Alexa see Luka's features break in to a reserved smile, which quickly spread to a large grin. He raised his eyes at the stranger, who then said, placing his hand over his heart.

"I swear."

The sound of laughter resonated through the little home, and Erik was glad to see that the boy had warmed up to him. He had never been around children, and had not been much of one himself, and was thankful that his talent as a story teller had allowed him to concoct a tale of a bear that tripped over his feet and created disaster wherever he went. He looked back at Alexa again, and shrugged his shoulders at her. This produced one of her cheerful laughs, echoing along with Luka's. But Luka's laughs soon turned into hacking coughs, causing Erik to turn and look on his slight frame with confusion, and Alexa to remember what had taken her out of the safe confines of her home in the first place.

"Okay little man, come take a seat." She walked forward and grabbed the package from the table, removing a small bottle from inside.

Luka glanced back at Erik as he walked towards the table, climbing up to sit in the chair Alexa had previously offered Erik. She shook the bottle and retrieved a small glass cup from a cupboard above the sink. Pouring some of the hot tea into the cup, she opened the medicine and mixed in a small amount, along with water to cool it.

"Here. Drink it all, okay?" The little boy looked up at her, trying to see if she would bend and let him drink only half of the abhorrent concoction. Interpreting the pleading eyes that beseeched her own, Alexa shook her head.

"Okay?..." Luka looked to the ground as he nodded, then reached out to take the cup from Alexa.

"Thank you. It will help you feel better, and besides," she had gone off to put the medicine above the sink to keep any accidents from spilling the precious liquid, "the sooner you drink it the sooner it is gone. And, once it is gone, you will not have any more to drink."

This seemed to please Luka, for he smiled at her and looked down into the cup before quickly draining its contents, cringing at the taste as he handed it up to Alexa. She rinsed it out and filled it with more water for him to drink before sitting down herself, which he gladly took to clean his mouth of the sour flavor of the medicine. He drank all of it, and upon finishing it he began to look over at Erik, who had now taken a seat on the other side of the table, as if using the furniture as a weapon against the situation playing out before him.

I am not alone, Erik thought. Well, of course you aren't, you idiot. There were bound to be others like you. But he is just a child…so were you.

As Alexa continued to prepare tea for Erik, he suddenly became painfully aware that the little boy was looking at his mask, and watched as he realized that it was on the same side of Erik's face as his scar was on his own. An awkward silence filled the room as the three sat there, none knowing what to say. Erik cleared his throat, but that did nothing to inspire conversation, so he turned his gaze back to the murals. Looking at them again, they seemed to be more alluring than his previous impression implied. The vitality of the paintings became more apparent to him, and it truly seemed as if the flowers were moving to the caresses of the wind.

"Did you really paint these?" he said, not taking his eyes from the frescos that graced the walls of the paltry little home.

"Speak up, Luka." Erik turned to look at Alexa, and realized that the little boy had nodded his head, still not confident enough to find his voice.

"Yes."

Erik looked at Alexa, who simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled at him, as if to say 'give him time.' Ugh.

He cleared his throat again before continuing. "Well, they are very good." Looking across the table at Luka, he was pleased to see that he had caught his attention again. "Very Good. I do not know of any one who could paint even half as well as you. They truly are beautiful."

Watching Luka, Alexa decided that more was needed to get him to come out of his shell of solitude. "Luka why don't you go get some of your other sketches to show Erik, hmm? I am sure that he would love to see them."

Seeing the eager nod from Erik, Luka caste a side glance to Alexa and scooted off of his chair to disappear down the hallway.

"He really is quite brilliant." She sighed, bringing the tea in and setting it down before Erik. He noticed that she had taken none for herself, and cautiously looked into the mug. The kid drank it, you fool. Oh. He took wary sip before he let himself savor the unusual, refreshing taste of the strange tea.

"You see? I just knew you would like him!" She tried to keep her attitude light and amiable, knowingly trying to avoid the questions that were to come. But upon seeing Erik's unreadable face, her blithe attitude disintegrated, replaced by the incessant fear of the rejection she had become so accustomed to.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Erik's voice gave nothing away, unsettling Alexa slightly. God, please help him understand. Please.

She sighed again, but this time it was laden with the bitter memories that come with continuous rejection, and the apprehension that this man before her, whom she had rested her last ounce of hope in, would turn out like all the rest.

"I didn't want you to have any… misconceptions…about him."

She looked up at him, hoping that he would understand. She had never been comfortable explaining to people why she kept his face a secret. Her biggest fear, besides hurting Luka through her foolishness, was that people who found out would think that it was because of her own shame rather than her concern for Luka. She knew too well what the world could do or say to hurt him further, and she had dedicated her life to eradicating that element from his life. But each time she tried she had failed, and Luka was the one who had to bear the burdens of her mistakes.

"Misconceptions?" Erik's voice was barely audible, not wanting Luka to overhear the conversation should he return to the room.

You were supposed to be different. Alexa wanted to cry out of despair. Why did society have to care so much about appearance? It reflects nothing about the person. Nothing. But no one could see past it. You were supposed to be different. Frustrated with the cruelty of man, Alexa took a deep, raged breath before looking Erik straight in the eye.

"Yes, misconceptions. Most people, upon hearing about his abnormality, recoil in horror after hearing of such an existence. They tuck tail and run, not realizing that he is a person, a child, and that 'it'" she spit out the word like poison on her tongue, "is, in fact, a brilliant little boy, with feelings and emotions, who had absolutely no control over the way that he looks. You will have to forgive me for not telling you, because obviously I was a fool for thinking that you would not be so shallow as to judge a book by its cover."

The fire in Alexa's eyes startled Erik. The vehemence that he saw made him wonder about the sincerity of her words, and he was left speechless upon realizing that she was very serious. As she stared at the table, not wanting to look him in the eye after rebuking him so brutally, he could not help but laugh to himself. Her eyes shot up and bore holes into his soul, but his laughter continued.

"Have you never, in the whole, oh, I don't know, two hours that we have known each other, wondered as to why, exactly, I wear a mask?

The bluntness of the question stunned Alexa. She thought about how she had approached him, replaying it in her head. She had not noticed it at first; with the kiss she had just assumed that his skin was cold. Very cold. She had thought about the mask after she turned to look at him but had not dwelt on its existence. She shook her head because, after thinking about it, she could honestly say that she had never wondered about his reasoning for it.

Watching her shake her head enraged Erik. How could she lie like that? She can't honestly think that I believe her! Of course she damn well wondered. Why the hell wouldn't she? But as he was about to respond to her obvious lie, they both heard the floor boards creek and looked up as Luka padded into the room, holding a rather large folder.

Looking at Alexa one more time, Erik turned his attention to the little boy who would change his life forever.