She smiled, watching as Gustave played in the piles of snow with the other children. Gustave ran over to his mother, pulling Christine over to join him. She sighed, watching her friend. They had come to stay with her for the time being, as winters were a bit colder in the country. Not to mention that travel was often more difficult, and Christine had insisted that Gustave had been miserable without seeing Adellade last winter.

"Mother and I made a snow castle!" he pointed out, running over to her. "You can be the princess!"

"Then what will Christine be?"

"She'll be the queen! And father will be the king!" He looked around. "Where is father?"

"I believe he went to look at some of the shops."

"Really? Can we go and look too?"

"You might want to ask the queen first."

She giggled as he ran over to Christine, pulling her away from the castle.

XXXXX

"Father look!" Gustave called out as they walked. "It's the opera house, isn't it? It always looks bigger and more beautiful every time we walk past it, don't you think so?"

"It was certainly designed to be that way. Every detail more beautiful than the last. Not to mention that it once hosted the loveliest sopranist and most graceful ballet dancer."

"I wish I could've seen it then. Why did they have to turn it into a ballet school?"

"I'm certain the sopranist would be more than willing to give you a private concert should you ever ask."

"You know her?"

"Of course. She is your mother, after all."

"Mother? She used to sing in there?"

"And no other could ever compare."

"Why'd she stop then?"

"She had a wonderful son to look after." Erik smiled and they continued on. "Ah. Here we are."

He walked into the store and Gustave frowned, looking around at everything.

"Books?" he asked.

"Adellade's favorite. The perfect thing for her birthday present."

XXXXX

"It's lovely!" She smiled. "Thank you!"

"I helped!" Gustave pointed out.

"No wonder it's so perfect."

He smiled and ran off to help Christine with something. Adellade walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

"It is lovely, Erik," she murmured. "But you didn't have to buy this for me, you know."

"Of course I did. It is a special day, after all."

"I don't recall it being a special day…."

"Well I find the day you were born to be a very special day indeed."

"Oh." She blinked.

"You've forgotten your own birthday?"

"I didn't forget…. I just supposed I stopped caring. It was another year. There wasn't much reason to count then…."

"Well I suppose I have reason enough for both of us then." He smiled and kissed her head.

He groaned, pressing his hands harder against his ears. Despite the books and things he had piled up at the door, he could still hear the thing! Thankfully the wails called their attention, leaving him to be left alone in peace. Still, if he could manage some sleep, that he would be grateful for.

He smiled to himself. It was hard to imagine that he had once despised her arrival into his life. Now he could hardly imagine a life in which she didn't exist. Some days he had found it strange how little he had once cared for her. That had been before he had truly known her-in the days when he had considered her to be only Madeline's daughter and nothing other than that.

Then there was the little girl who had run into the attic and slept beside a monster who could protect her from the storms. A little girl who had begged him for stories and games. A little girl who had given him a doll because he had none to play with. A little girl who had seen his face and hadn't ran in terror. A little girl he had considered to be the only person in that house worth caring about.

He never knew when he had started counting the years she had been alive. But every year counted meant another year he had spent with her-another year he had spent caring for her. True, he had done a few things to honor her in the past: an extra piece of bread when they had lived on the streets, a day when he didn't work on the palace in Mazenderan, a showing of her favorite opera at the opera house….

Erik watched as she settled down to read her new book. This time though he had decided to find her a present-a real, true present. She deserved at least one normal birthday. One normal birthday with a normal present. No gypsies, no Mazenderan, no monsters. One normal birthday with one normal day.

He frowned though when dinner came and she half-ate her food despite it being her favorite. True, she smiled and chatted as she normally would, but there was something else. He couldn't tell what it was, but there was something behind the smile, something that simply wasn't her.

He watched as she helped with the dishes, silently putting them away. She looked over at him and paused, seeing the way he was looking at her.

"Erik?"

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he lied, walking over to her to help. "I trust you've enjoyed your birthday?"

"It still feels like any other day."

"But it means that you are another year older. Besides: it's another year that I've known you-and that is worthy of its own celebration."

She smiled and glanced over at where Christine was sitting with Gustave. "Strange how this all happened, wouldn't you agree?"

"What do you mean?"

"A normal life with a normal family."

He sighed, looking at her. For that to be all she wanted…. A normal family with a normal life…. No monsters, no living in fear, no demanding mothers…. He still wished that she could've known that life-the life she might've had had she not followed him to the gypsies….

She set the dishes away and walked over to where Gustave was. Adellade sat down and he crawled into her lap, happily listening as she began reading to him. Then again: if she had never been forced to be with the gypsies, he may never have had the chance to have a normal family. It was because of her that he had Christine and Gustave.

"Father!" Gustave called out, running over to him. "Play one of your songs! Please, father? Please?"

He smiled and walked over, going to pick up the violin. "Of course! Though tonight is a special celebration and that deserves a special song."

"You don't have to," Adellade pointed out.

"How could I not?" He began playing one of the songs he knew as her favorite.

Gustave smiled and stood, offering his hand to Christine. She joined him and they began dancing to the music while Adellade sat and cheered. Erik smiled as he watched his family, seeing how happy they were. He continued to play, sometimes making up the melodies as he did. There was one song where Gustave insisted that Christine sing. She happily obliged and Erik couldn't help but stare as she sang, reminding him of the sopranist he had fallen in love with at the opera house.

It was indeed nice to have a normal life with a normal family. A family he could truly enjoy and be proud of. A family who loved and cared for him-who truly loved and cared for him more than anyone he had ever known.

Erik doubted he could imagine a better life for himself, though he still wouldn't want to change a moment for anything the world had to offer.

He had what he had dreamed of since he had been a child. He had people who loved him. And he wouldn't want to change a single thing.