A/N: Holy cow. The actual story is at... 24,798 words as of now. It's crazy! I've never written a story this long before. While today might not be "a perfect day" it's pretty good. Life is good.

Chapter Twenty-one:

A Perfect Day

Today was going perfect. Darcey had been able to know almost the entire way to his lair which meant soon she would be able to come and go as she pleased without Erik's help. She had had another violin lesson and was improving greatly. All the hours she had spent playing were paying off and Erik anticipated that she would be ready to join the orchestra in three or four days. Now they sat next to each other by the lakeside talking.

"Tell me about your past," Darcey suddenly asked. He was silent. "I'm sorry. I'm curious and want to know more about you."

Erik sighed. It wasn't fair to expect her to answer all his questions about her past without doing the same. He took a deep breath. He would just keep it short and avoid any details he could. "My mother didn't love me. She was horrified at my face. She bought me a mask and forced me to wear it whenever I was in her presence. When I was young, the gypsies came through Paris. My mother sold me to them and I was put on display. The Devil's Child. People would watch as the leader of the gypsies would beat me. They would laugh at my pain and my face."

She gasped. "How horrible. How did you get out?"

Erik smiled a bit. "Mme. Giry helped me out when I was seven. Antoinette was only sixteen at the time. The gypsies had stayed in Paris for a few years and the ballerinas came to see. When all the people left and he was counting the money, I made a lasso and strangled him. I was terrified. I stared at him until I heard a gasp. When I looked up, there she was. She opened the cage door and we ran. She hid me in the opera house and I have been here ever since. It was my playground and is now my realm."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. They were silent a while, before she spoke again. "Thank you for telling me. I know it's not easy."

He didn't respond but neither did she expect him too. What was one to say in that kind of situation? Erik couldn't think of anything. Today had been good and other than her question, had been happy. He didn't want the day to end like this. It was only four in the afternoon but Darcey had said that she wanted to spend some time with Meg before their nighttime lesson. He was glad she still planned on having a lesson with him tonight even though they had already had one. They only had an hour left until she was going to meet with Meg. He picked up a smooth stone and skipped it across the lake. He was counting the number of skips when Darcey spoke interrupting his count.

"Will you teach me how to skip rocks? I've always wanted to learn but my father never knew how and the neighbor boys wouldn't teach me."

He grinned. "Of course. It would be my pleasure to instruct you in the fine art of skipping stones." She giggled. He stood and helped her to her feet. "The best stones for skipping are smooth and flat. Like this one," he said picking one up and handing it to her. "Now you hold it like this." He positioned her hand with his. Her fingers were only slightly warmer than his own. He moved to stand behind her as he showed her how to throw it, flicking her wrist. He felt a thrill from standing so close to her, their arms touching and her back against his chest. He stood back from her after moving her through the motion again. "You try it now." She tried to copy the move but it only skipped once before sinking. She sighed and he handed her another stone, moving behind her again. "Let me help you." They threw it together and were able to get six skips until it sank. "Good. Try on your own now." She bent and picked up another stone. He smiled to see her press a lucky kiss to it before throwing it.

"One. Two. Three. Four," her voice raised in excitement, "Five. Six. Seven. Eight!" She was practically jumping with joy. She picked up another one and this time only got three. They continued skipping stones until it was time to return. He grinned when he saw her place a exceptionally smooth stone in her pocket. For some reason, he had a feeling that she would save that stone. "May I lead the way this time?" she asked when she was ready to leave. He nodded and she smiled, reaching out for his hand. He took it and they started off down the passageway. At each intersection, he would pause and allow her to say which way they should go. She was able to say the right direction on all but two of the twenty intersections.

"Thank you for today, Erik. It was perfect." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight." She turned and ran from the room to go meet Meg.

"You're welcome," he whispered even though she was no longer there. He placed a hand over his cheek where she had kissed him. She had kissed him on the cheek twice now. Something he had never expected her or anyone to ever do. He walked to her bedside table and set the violin case down. He should get her a stand for her music. He would see if he could find an old one somewhere she could use. He turned and left her room after a quick look around. For a female, she had few material things. Though she didn't have very much money, he still expected her to have something but it seemed she did not. She appeared to have no jewelry but her grandmother's locket and the timepiece Mme. Giry had given her. He sighed. He should just leave her be but he couldn't help but care about her and want her to be happy. She had been so happy to receive his gift earlier. Surely he could give her something else to make her happy. With these thoughts, Erik left to head down to his lair.