It was quiet in the asylum. I doodled as per usual. Erik was actually asleep tonight. I didn't know if he was going for a quick cat nap or if he was sleeping through nights now. I hoped not. My nights were going to get very long and very boring if Erik decided to sleep through the night. Not to mention that would seriously cut into our time together.

But my worries were put to rest when he walked into the room, rubbing the eye that wasn't covered by his mask with the heel of his hand and kind of looking freaking adorable. He had a bit of a disheveled look going on , his shirt being untucked and hair in a mess. I didn't think he got bed head but I was proven wrong. If I could have taken a photo I would have. And you better believe it would have been the lock screen on my phone.

I grinned at him and left the cubicle. He looked at me with sleep dulled eyes and yawned. I almost flinched as the mask wavered slightly.

"Good morning, sunshine." I told him, putting my hands on my hips. "Enjoy your nap?" I asked. Erik smoothed out his hair and like magic it was tamed, jealousy was something I won't admit I had. I didn't even understand why he used hair products with hair that behaved that well. (He had confessed a few weeks ago to using gel. How he got it into the asylum I don't know. Nautia and I definitely didn't get it for him.)

"You should give me your email address. We can speak outside of the hospital through that." He told me. I grinned.

"You've set up an email address? What is it?" I asked, half expecting something to do with the Phantom of the Opera. He told me. It was just his first and last name. Nothing cute or funny.

"What else would it be?" Erik asked, heading over to the couch in the day room.

"I dunno. It doesn't have to be your name. I mean it can be. I have two email addresses, you're getting the one I use for professional stuff because the other address is weird." I told him.

"Oh, what's the other address?" Erik asked with a twinkle in his eyes as I sat down next to him. I shook my head.

"I won't tell you. I was twelve, it's embarrassing, no." I said.

"Come now, darling." He said quietly, lulling.

"Don't you dare pull that charm on me, sir." I demanded. He laughed softly and put a kiss to the top of my head as I leaned against him. I grinned and smiled up at Erik. He was freaking gorgeous. Gracious.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked. He nodded.

"leamoo13 " I told him. Erik started to laugh.

"I don't need to other email, I'll use that one, thank you." Erik said. I started to laugh too.

"Please don't." I whined. Erik chuckled.

"I will. If you were twelve, why thirteen?" He asked

"Because I wanted to be thirteen. That's why. But seriously don't email that one." I said.

"Too late, you shouldn't have told me." He replied. I groaned.

"I guess it isn't that bad. It's actually a little cute. Leamoo." I grinned.

"That is officially my pet name for you, Lee." Erik told me. I started to laugh.

"No, seriously, please don't! I don't want that." I begged. Erik smiled I sat up and looked at him. He was close to leaving the asylum. Then we'd be living in the same house together. More than likely as a couple (considering we were already a couple… but he would be moving in with me and that meant going to a whole new level in the relationship) My heart fluttered at the thought I smiled at him and he gave me a confused look, reaching up and tucking the a lock of hair behind me ear.

"What are you smiling at me like that for my darling?" He asked. My smile turned into a mischievous grin and I put a chaste kiss to his lips. I felt the heat of an ephemeral embarrassment due to my usually reserved nature. He smiled softly at me and I nearly grinned like an idiot.

"Do you know how Angeline is doing?" Erik asked me quietly.

"By my standards or the money hungry jerks that run the hospital that give people unneeded treatments in order to milk them?" I asked bitterly. We had gotten a new super intendant and he was the greediest pig I had ever laid eyes on.

"I suppose the money hungry opinion is the one that really matters." Erik said. I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.

"I hate that you're right. I'm scared he might discharge you. He's the first person to run this hospital that hasn't been in the same family you checked in under." I told him.

"He isn't part of the Blackwaters?" Erik asked, clearly feeling unthreatened by Super Intendant Greedy.

"No." I said. Erik grinned softly and started to pet my head affectionately, his fingertips ghosting through my hair.

"Interesting." He said simply. I knit my brows at him.

"Why?" I asked. He gave me a mischievous look that almost made me nervous.

"But what does the new superintendent think about Angeline's condition?" Erik asked.

"He thinks she needs to stay another month or two with ECT." I told him. It wasn't good for Angeline is she was going through an unneeded treatment. Erik hummed and put a kiss to my forehead.

"Thank you" He told me.

"No problem." I replied. Erik closed his eyes and a comfortable silence fell over us. I picked at my nails absently for a little while and then just enjoyed being close to Erik until my shift ended. I sat up and put a kiss to Erik's cheek and almost left before his hand grasped my wrist and pulled me back, he put a quick kiss to my lips and released me.

"Get home safe." He told me, rising and going to his room.

Upon entering the asylum the next evening something seemed to be bothering superintendent Verain's mind. He leaned against the counter dressed in a fine suit that had to be at least a thousand dollars, his steely eyes fixated on Erik, who sat innocently on the couch with Angeline. The masked man pretended not to notice the fact that Verain was burning a hole into the side of his head. I approached Verain.

"Is something wrong, sir?" I asked him. He looked at me.

"The one in the mask. How long has he been here?" He asked as I continued on to my post.

"Since he was young. He was born deformed and his parents mistreated him terribly. The neighbors found him one day, nearly beat to death and his psyche was shattered. On meds he does fine. But there really wasn't any guarantee that he would take them outside of the hospital so Monsieur is a permanent resident of the hospital. Why?" I asked, unlocking the filing cabinet and searching for Erik's new file. Once the Blackwaters lost the hospital, they had to make a cover story for Erik.

"What about relatives?" Verain asked, looking through Erik's file.

"I just said that his parents mistreated him. I think he might have a sister but she stays away from him." I answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I've been hearing rumors." Verain said. My stomach suddenly dropped to my feet. Tried to maintain my nonchalant appearance.

"What rumors?" I asked, putting my stuff on the counter.

"That you are not being exactly professional when it comes to Monsieur Destler." He said. I was practically cornered. Literally I was in the corner where the two branches of the desk met and Verain wasn't one that believed in personal space.

"If you have been unprofessional with him, that will completely ruin your career, you are aware of this, yes?" Verain asked, steel grey eyes pinning me to the spot.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to take a step away from her." I nearly leapt with joy at Peyton's perfectly timed arrival. Verain turned savagely and sneered at Peyton quite rudely but he did step away.

"You watch your step, the both of you." He spat at us and left the cubicle.

"I suddenly don't like this cubicle as much." I muttered. Verain was way too close for just a mere warning from superintendent to nurse. I looked outside and I saw Erik with the most deathly expression on his face. My blood turned cold as he watched Verain's every move with hawk-like precision until the superintendent had left the area.

"What was that all about?" Peyton asked.

"I'm doing things right as far as morals go but when the rules come into play I do things a little unorthodox and that upset him." I sent another glance at Erik and he still looked like he wanted to tear Verain's throat out with his bare hands.

"I knew he was a dirtbag. Asher said he made her feel uncomfortable the other day. He's a predator. Make sure you are never alone with him, even if you have to get Erik, don't you dare stay more than a minute alone with him." Peyton said, putting his backpack down.

"Why would I need to get Erik, Peyton?" I asked.

"I looked a this file before it got replaced. Your Aunt Margie told me one day too." Peyton said with shame on his face.

"Wait you know?" I asked. He nodded.

"Everything, the curse. The Opera House. That poor ballerina he accidentally killed. I thought he was strange but I could never figure it out." Peyton told me.

"And you don't think my family is a bunch of loons?" I asked, sitting down in my seat and looking at him tiredly.

"At first I did. But she pulled out this crazy old photo album and showed me these pictures and at first I thought they were of you but she turned them over and it said it was a woman named Elizabeth and there were ancient clippings from newspapers. I can't argue with evidence." Peyton told me. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. I feel better now that I don't have to harbor that secret from you anymore." I said.

"But don't tell anyone else, okay? If you do it's not Erik you'll have to worry about." I ordered him, Peyton grinned.

"I get it. I have never though you weren't one to be feared." He replied. I chuckled a little, although despite my amusement I was still rather ruffled from my encounter with Verain. We sat bored in the cubicle until we had to put the patients to bed. Verain would be leaving soon and I would have my opportunity to talk to Erik soon. After the patients were in bed I returned to the day room to see the janitor on a ladder, messing with a camera.

"What are you doing Quin?" I asked. His name was Quinten, but I called him Quin. He seemed to like it.

"I heard Verain was giving you a hard time. I think you and Erik are good together. So I'm tweaking with the cameras for you." Quin told me.

"Are you running from these rumors or what?" I asked, he shook his head.

"Erik told me. I've known since I started working here." Quin told me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Are you the one giving him hair gel?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. He grinned at me.

"I knew it!" I said, pointing at him.

"Mr. Levoe? What are you doing?" We heard Verain spit. I turned on my heel and instantly put the ladder between Verain and I.

"Fixing this camera, sir. You see it's started to bug out." Quin said. Verain gave a dismissive wave.

"Miss Archer, what are you doing away from your post?" Verain told me.

"Holding this ladder, sir. Isn't it dangerous to work on a ladder and not have someone holding it? Quin could fall and very easily sue. He'd win too. So I thought I'd do the hospital a favor and hold this ladder." I said, quickly taking a firm grip on the ladder and sending Verain a look.

"Just hurry up and get back to your post, Archer." He told me. Oh so just Archer now? I'm not the bad guy here…

"Not a problem, sir!" I told him with enthuse. He turned and walked away. I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked around the corner.

"Real mature, Miss Archer." Quin told me. I shrugged.

"He's a jerk. I wish the Blackwaters had been entitled to a say in who was going to run the asylum after they lost it. When he looks at the patients he sees dollar signs. I don't like that." I said.

"When you focus on making money and not taking care of the patients is when you start to make mistakes and mistakes lead to lawsuits and lawsuits are what Mr. Sleaze-bag has nightmares about." I told Quin. He laughed. He was a man in his forties, he was always really nice to me even though we didn't talk much. When we did talk we spoke as though we were old friends.

"I hope Angeline gets better soon so Erik can leave. As long as he's a patient here what we do is wrong." I muttered to myself, half scared that Verain was waiting just around the corner just to pounce out and fire me.

"But that's not the only reason I want her to get better, I want her to get better because she deserves to be as mentally well as possible." I hurriedly spoke upon realizing how selfish what I had said was.

"Lee, are you alright?" It was Erik's voice. I turned and he came out of the hall with Peyton trailing behind him. Erik locked me in an embrace.

"I knew there was something off about him. I was just hoping he wasn't a predator. That's what I get… He didn't hurt you?" Erik asked. I shook my head.

"Peyton came in." I told him. Erik looked at my co-worker and gave him a respectful nod.

"I think this camera was still working." Quin said sheepishly, I instantly pulled away from Erik. He grinned, reminded me of a fox.

"That's fine, I'll just wipe the camera memory again." Erik said.

"Again?" I hissed, he laughed.

"The security footage is only checked in case of a disturbance and there hadn't been one since before this started, so I decided to wipe the evidence of your 'unprofessionalism' before something did happen so you wouldn't lose your job." Erik told me. He was such a criminal.

"You know you can't act like that in the real world, right?" I asked him, Erik nodded.

"Do you think I want to go from one prison right into another one?" He replied, turning and leaving the room. Probably to go wipe the security footage.

"Alright, this camera is nice and dysfunctional!" Quin said, starting to climb down the ladder. I went over and took a firm hold on the ladder.

"Don't worry Lee, you've got allies in us." Quin said with a wink once he got to the ground and started to fold up the ladder. Great a janitor, a co-worker that knows my family's darkest secret, and a big sweetheart of a criminal, who's going to stop us?