A/N: I did stay on late to type the story. Aint I sad? Dun own it.

Henriette woke up ill. Her head hurt, her throat hurt and she had to get up early because she needed a drink and some cough tablets. She didn't know where it had come from it had just appeared out of nowhere, and now she felt awful, and on top of that she refused to be social – she just locked herself into her room and listened to her favourite West end Tracks on full volume.

She didn't bother getting out of her room to eat or drink, once she'd had one glass of water she locked herself away and didn't emerge which just made it worse because then she started to feel faint.

Jess rang, and that was the first in a series of unfortunate Events.

"Henri are you okay? You sound ill." Jess squealed down the phone.

"M'okay Jess… honest…" Henriette mumbled. Jess was not going to be convinced…

"You are not. You're sick. Do you want me to come over?"

"No."

"Good. I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't move."

Jess hung up. Henriette groaned into her pillow, Jess was a fabulous friend but when Henri was feeling antisocial she tended to avoid cheerful people like the plague… Jess was a cheerful person, an unbearably cheerful person.

As promised she arrived at the door a few minutes later – and let herself in with the spare key. This was Event number 2.

"Shit."

"Henri? Hey babes, how are you."

"Mmmnf mmmnff mnf mnf." Translation: Much better sod off.

Jess rolled her eyes and pulled the pillow out forcefully from beneath Henriette's head. As suspected Henri was pale, Jess sighed and produced a chocolate bar seemingly from nowhere. She shoved it under Henri's nose. "Eat." She instructed.

It was well known in Henri's small but rather mentally disturbed circle of friends that she had a habit of just not eating when she didn't feel like it, turning into an anti-social hermit and as a result making herself feel sick.

The chocolate bar was reluctantly devoured and Jess, grinning, replaced the music with an old Werewolf movie.

Henriette, having been forced back to the land of the living bunched Jess in the arm. "Bitch. I was fine. What'd you have to make me all sociable for?" She said, smiling.

Jess just hugged her and bounded away to make drinks. There was like an un-squashable cheerfulness in her and to Henriette, who had a lot of bad issues, it was really odd that someone could be happy all the time AND watch a lot of Japanese anime without their brains imploding. She just shrugged it off and accepted it. After all – she now had chocolate where there was no chocolate before.

"Lenneybabes, get the ice cream out of the freezer and two spoons while you're up!" Henri yelled, stretching as she got up and wandered into the bathroom. Henri got washed and dress and by the time Jess came back with the drinks she was stretched out on the bed to watch the movie with her bandana firmly tied on.

Jess tugged it as she jumped on top of the covers with the ice cream firmly in hand. "You don't need to wear that."

"I really do."

Jess shrugged. All Henri's friends had to put up with Henri's quirks, it was one of the reasons Henri didn't possess many friends.

--------------------------

"Erik Amore… my, my… to what do I owe the pleasure of your call at this damn hour of the day? I'm busy." Angelique drawled. She was balancing the phone on one shoulder whilst trying to measure out a length of material for a prototype design.

"It's a Sunday." Erik said bluntly, "How can you be busy?"

"Fashion never sleeps love. What do you want?" She dropped the tape measure and had to catch it one handed whilst balancing the roll of cloth with her elbow.

"Have you spoken to Henriette recently?" He tapped his fingers on the desk. Girls were annoying… But Henriette isn't like other girls.

"Indeed I have Monsieur Amore, why do you ask?" The chalk she was meant to be marking with disappeared into thin air and she had to crawl under the table to retrieve it. The measuring began again from scratch.

"Did she say anything about yesterday?" Angelique's tape measure clattered to the ground and she cursed loudly. The mission was abandoned. So he realized something wasn't right. Well done batman.

"No. She wouldn't tell me anything. Why?" Angelique loved organising her friends' love life – after all they were all so rubbish at organising their own.

Erik sighed, there was no point lying. "She seemed tense when she left. I was just wondering if you had an insight as to why. She's insecure about her mask isn't she?"

Angelique smiled to herself. "Well done Monsieur Amore, I thought you of all people would understand that."

Erik chose to ignore the second comment. "I think then that maybe that was it, I am never good in social situations for the same reason. Good day Madame Jameson." He answered curtly, hanging up on her. His fingers still tapped a steady tattoo on the desk.

Angelique gazed open mouthed at the phone. Firstly she wanted to know how he knew her Fiancée's second name, and why he'd called her by it. Secondly she wanted to talk to Henriette. If she'd mucked up her date because of her stupid issues then there was going to be trouble. The phone call was Event 3.

Angelique's decision to phone Henriette was Event 4.

"Hey Angie! It's me, Jess!"

Angelique frowned, why did Jess answer? Had she dialled the wrong number? That didn't take long to work out as in the background Henri yelled "Bring the phone through here and put her on loudspeaker!"

"Jess… Hi…" Angie murmured. A series of beeps told her loudspeaker was on.

"Hey Jess, Hey Henri!" Angie said, "Henri you might want to take me off loudspeaker now."

Henri laughed, "Why ever would I want to do that?"

"This is an important phone call about your love life." Jess looked at Henri. Henri looked guilty and worried. She grabbed the phone and a few more beeps indicated that the conversation was private again. A click told Angie that Henri had locked herself in the Studio.

"What about my 'love life' Angie?"

Angelique smirked, "It's nothing bad… except that Erik just called and he told me you were tense yesterday. You idiot! So much for 'nothing happened'! Why were you so damn tense that he actual got worried? It's not like he was going to think you were weird because of the mask! The one guy who actually likes you enough to call up your BEST FRIEND just to find out if he'd done something wrong, the one guy who doesn't give a flying fuck about your mask and you go and act all stupid around him! Get over your damn insecurities woman! HE DOESN'T CARE! He's got issues enough of his own without bothering about yours so just relax and enjoy the relationship you ass!"

Henriette listened to Angie's rant in silence and when it was finished she snorted down the phone. "Angelique Vouchaire will you please get your nose out of my business? Firstly I have met Erik all of twice and that does not count as a love life. Secondly when I was with him I didn't even notice the masks and thirdly my insecurities are also my business. If you're trying to fix me then get lost because I can cope with my problems."

Angelique sighed. "Fine. But you'll be sorry."

There was just enough time for Angie to hear Henri snort again before she hung up.