Sorry that this update is on the later side! My best friend/Beta got engaged today (to my brother's best friend actually... small world), and I was tasked with hiding in the bushes and taking pictures. Well, the fire ants found me, but I still got the shot! And that's what really matters. I can neither confirm nor deny that I cried on the way back to the car...

Ahem.

Anyway.

Lots of you are anxious to hear from the Daroga and I can't say that I blame you. He's been silent for a while now... So, onward!

XXVI

"Well?" Christine insisted. "Are you going to tell me?"

Erik hummed but instead of untying the last of the defendants, he took hold of the back of his chair and pulled, the legs giving a terrible squeal as they scraped against the stage.

Christine cringed at the noise, but thankfully Erik did not go far with him, evidently only wanting him away from the panel that sank into the floor.

"What are you doing? And please give an answer this time!"

Erik sighed and turned toward her. "This man's story is a bit more… personal. And I would rather we have as few witnesses as possible."

"Oh," Christine murmured, and she watched Erik return to the shadowy recess of backstage as Mr. Debienne and Ms. Poligny began to vanish into the darkness below.

It was uncomfortable being left with the bound man, his gaze never wavering from hers even as she steadfastly ignored him. She could have untied him, she supposed, but she knew nothing of him, had no knowledge if he was of the violent sort, and it seemed much safer for them both if she kept him as he was.

To her great relief, Erik reappeared a moment later, yet as Christine regarded him, she grew wary of his strange demeanor. He seemed almost proud? Or at least pleased with himself, yet there was tension in his shoulders and hints of anger in his eyes as he strode forward to the newly restored stage.

"There is only us now, Daroga. And I am certain you are simply bubbling with questions."

The man's eyes flickered pointedly to Christine, and she shifted awkwardly. Where was she supposed to go? There was history between these two, that much was obvious, and while she would have to grant them privacy if Erik so wanted, she did not relish the thought of being locked away somewhere alone.

But Erik glanced at her also, no hint of displeasure at her continued presence. "I am going to release your tongue, Daroga, which should be such a relief for you given how you do so like to talk. Though I warn you, do watch what you say in front of the girl. I am rather protective of her, you know."

Christine sat down on the steps of her platform as she watched Erik step behind the man and remove his gag.

"Erik, what are you doing?"

Erik moved back to face him, his expression the perfect picture of confusion. "Doing? I thought it was perfectly obvious."

Mr. Nadir rolled his eyes. "Do not play dumb with me. Should we start on the subject of the girl, or perhaps this ridiculous sham of a trial you have concocted?"

Erik walked about in front of him, tapping at his chin lightly, all the appearance of deep contemplation. "I think we will avoid your sermonizing on both subjects for now. Instead, let us discuss your dealings in all of this, shall we?"

The man—the Daroga? A funny word, that—did not appear wholly convinced for his attention once more settled on her.

"Has he hurt you?"

Christine blinked and she gave a quick glance to Erik, not certain if she should speak with this particular captive. He seemed agitated, despite his best efforts to appear otherwise, and she did not want to be the one to upset.

But the man already looked as if he already believed that Erik had. And the very idea… the very notion that Erik had hurt her in some way, either with bruises or sharp words, or some acts too painful and horrible to consider for even a moment, was so utterly wrong that she could not remain silent. Not in regard to Erik who had been so sweet and gentlemanly in his own clumsy way…

"No, he has not," she stated firmly. "In any capacity."

There. She hoped that was clear enough without listing off a myriad of possible hurts.

The Daroga however still looked at her with a mixture of doubtfulness and pity.

"It's all right," he said quietly. "I know you are frightened of him…"

"Daroga," Erik interjected, stepping in front the man's view of Christine. "These are precisely the idiotic fantasies I warned against speaking of. She has already stated that she is unharmed, and I have already stated that we are going to talk about how you aided the police in charging me with a crime I most certainly did not commit."

Mr. Nadir's face grew pensive. "Why would you not want to talk about her? If she is unharmed, if she is here willingly…"

Erik's eyes must have revealed something, for the Daroga's expression turned to one of triumph. "Ah! So she is not here willingly. She is as much a captive as myself, although even more so since she has not the benefit of years to give her knowledge regarding your true character."

Erik scoffed openly at that. "It took Christine only a moment to see me far more clearly than you have ever proved capable."

The Daroga did not appear wholly convinced, and Christine wondered if she should intercede. Was she here willingly? She wasn't exactly... unwilling. At least, not anymore. It was all very murky and confusing, and she was sure if there was a host of doctors looking at her they would be quick to supply diagnoses of temporary psychosis or Stockholm Syndrome to explain her affection for Erik. But when it was just her, alone with her own thoughts, with no one to judge or prod or tell her she was unreasonable...

She knew she could do good here. She knew that something good would come of her time with Erik, however ridiculous it might seem to others. And if he told her to go, to leave, to return to the life she once knew, she wasn't at all certain she would obey. Not when it meant leaving him alone to suffer and despair, not a scrap of human kindness to ever be bestowed upon him again.

"My relationship with Erik is just between us," she finally stated, as that seemed a safe enough explanation. "And it really only needs to make sense to us. But if it makes you feel better, I... I like Erik very much, and enjoy his company and..." She blushed, words suddenly failing her at the man's skeptical look and the tentative smile that played about Erik's lips.

"There, you have had your answer," Erik directed to his final captive. "Now perhaps we can focus our attentions on the far more pressing matter."

Mr. Nadir sighed, suddenly appearing weary. "What is it you'd like to know?"

Erik leaned forward, much closer than he had come in any of his previous interrogations—almost as if by sheer proximity he could absorb the information he desired. "Why did you help the police? Why did you bring them to my home? Why?" This last word was a hiss of pain and anger, and Christine flinched at the hearing of it.

Whatever the Daroga's intention had been, Erik clearly was deeply hurt by it, and Christine hoped for the man's sake that he had at least a plausible account for it.

Erik pushed away with a scowl, and the man maintained a calm air as he regarded him carefully. "You believe I have betrayed you."

Erik snorted derisively. "Belief has no bearing here. I know of your betrayal."

Mr. Nadir nodded. "I expected you to think so, even though I had hoped you would know me to be a better man than that."

Erik glared back at him. "My assessment of your character is formed from the sum of your actions. Perhaps if you wanted me to think well of you, you should have behaved differently."

The Daroga gave a low grunt, his expression pensive. And to Christine's nervousness, his gaze once more settled upon her. "How do you remember him when the trial first began?" His eyes flickered briefly to Erik. "The real trial."

Christine's brow furrowed as she wondered to what he referred. "You mean… his… face?"

Erik cringed and thankfully Mr. Nadir shook his head. "No, not that. His demeanor."

Christine thought back to her initial impressions, wishing suddenly that she had thought to ask Erik for her notebook back, the better to ensure all of her questions were answered.

He had been… strange in the early days of the trial. Almost corpse-like in ways that had nothing to do with his appearance, but everything to do with the deadness in his eyes, the stillness of his body, the lack of recognition of anything about him.

She had supposed that jail had done that to him as well as the embarrassment he suffered by his obvious discomfort at his face being clearly visible, but…

"He didn't seem truly… there. I remember wondering if he'd had any kind of assessment to make sure he should even be on trial, he seemed so out of it."

Mr. Nadir nodded. "You likely do not know our history, and I will not presume to enlighten you at this moment as that will only upset a certain someone," he looked pointedly at Erik who continued to glare menacingly, his arms crossed elegantly as he stared down at him in warning, "but it is important to know that I… I feel somewhat responsible for him."

Erik rolled his eyes. "A misplaced notion I have tried to alleviate many times."

The Daroga shrugged, stunted though it was by his bonds. "You have certainly tried, and I have certainly given it much consideration. But every whiff of gossip, every note of scandal at the theatre reminded me that you were there and causing mischief, and no one would know how to deal with you."

Erik's lips thinned. "Quite."

Christine bit her lip to contain the smile that threatened to emerge at Erik's droll reply, but she reminded herself firmly that there were hurts being discussed here and now was not the time for amusement.

"Before you continue," Christine interrupted. "May I ask a question?"

It was Erik who was quick to respond. "You may ask anything you wish, my dear. You have not relinquished your judgeship."

She did smile at that, wondering if there would be cause to use her gavel again before the day was over, but forced her attention back to the men before her—most particularly the Daroga. "Do you think Erik is an evil man?"

She didn't know why it mattered to her to know the answer. Perhaps it would help shape her view of his testimony if she better understood this man's knowledge of Erik's character. During the first trial he had claimed to be a friend, but his accusation of what might have transpired between Erik and her, once again made her question his perception.

He was right about one thing, of course. She did not know their history, nor was she like to in the foreseeable future unless she gathered the courage to ask Erik directly. But still she knew that Erik was not evil. Not after seeing his treatment of herself, and most decidedly not after he saw the way he cared for Boo.

Mr. Nadir cast a wary glance at Erik, who looked at him expectantly. What did he think he would hear?

"I believe that Erik is… dangerous. Not evil, but his sense of morality, of right and wrong, can be severely skewed to suit his own interests."

Christine grimaced. It was hard to argue with that, especially when she had thought as much herself over the course of her time with him.

"And yet you think you are his friend? Despite that fact?"

The Daroga cleared his throat. "I was perhaps hasty in my classification of our… relationship. I am as close to a friend as he has had, of that I am certain… until now." He looked at her pointedly, and Christine was filled with a warm sense of fondness. She wanted to be Erik's friend. Wanted it to be obvious that she cared for him and, while she did not approve of everything he did, she at the very least would make an effort to understand his point of view.

"I'd like to be his friend," she confirmed. "But I think a lot of compassion goes into being that."

Erik cut in gruffly. "While I am sure it is fascinating to dissect the innumerable qualities that are required to bear my company for extended periods, I would ask that we return to whatever inane malady you supposed I was suffering from that prompted your dalliance with authorities."

Christine glanced at him worriedly, not at all liking that he would be so quick to dismiss her offer of friendship. But as she stared at him, his eyes resolutely avoiding hers, she thought him to almost be... embarrassed?

Erik was an intensely private man, that was becoming abundantly clear. And perhaps he treasured such moments with her when they only had Boo for company, not when there was someone to watch and judge and possibly find fault with what was meant to be sweetly given.

The Daroga gave a placating nod. "Fine. As Christine has already attested, you were not yourself. When the incident with Joseph Buquet reached my ears, I was fairly set on intervening, of discovering your hiding place and insisting that you vacate the premise and cease your terrorizing. But then suddenly... you vanished. Only to apparently reappear with the murder of a manager."

Erik's irritation was obvious and he paced about the stage. "And you were only too quick to believe that I had been the guilty party."

"No," Mr. Nadir corrected. "I had my suspicions, I had my concerns, and I was going to find you to put my mind at ease."

"Ah yes," Erik answered resentfully. "For it is clearly my responsibility to ease your conscience."

The Daroga pursed his lips and gave Erik a chastising look. "I found that music room of yours, do you remember?"

Erik stilled.

"I found it, and I found you, but you were not the man I remembered. You were no mocking genius, no eloquent model of all things artistic. Instead I found a shell of a man, someone broken who would not even acknowledge my existence. You, who had built an entire domain based upon the defense of your home, and yet I entered it and lived!"

Erik stared at him intently. "You are lying," he accused, although his voice lacked any true conviction.

"No, I am not. I will not pretend to know the reason behind your withdrawal, only that I witnessed the results of it. You would not answer me when I spoke, you would not react even when I touched one of your precious instruments."

At that Christine waited for Erik's murderous glare to turn physical, but Mr. Nadir pressed on. "You can hate me all you like for what I chose to do next, but the fact that you stand here today tells me that I was right for doing it. Although I would have hoped that you used your freedom for something better than kidnapping, but perhaps I wish for too much."

Christine did not think that exactly fair. "So you admit that you allowed him to be arrested, you helped him be arrested when he hadn't done anything wrong?"

The Daroga chuckled. "With Erik there is always something wrong. But yes, I did. I had hoped that if given to the authorities, someone would finally be able to help him—in ways that I, nor anyone else, could."

"You think they helped me?" Erik snarled. "You think they saw some man worthy of aid? If you thought me so miserable before, you know nothing of what I then had to endure!"

Mr. Nadir flinched. "That was never my intention. Can you not understand my position? I wished for you to do no harm to others, while also receiving treatment for yourself. I hardly think that a matter of betrayal."

Erik mouth opened, his expression one that made it perfectly plain that he was ready to rage, ready to hurl all sorts of terrible words and curses on this man, and Christine wasn't quite ready to witness such a thing.

"Then you should have taken him to a doctor," she replied firmly. "You should have called for that sort of help instead of a police detective that was perfectly willing to pin a terrible murder on him. Did you really think he would be granted an asylum instead of prison?"

The Daroga frowned. "Given his state, I thought it a perfectly reasonable assumption, yes."

"Well, you were wrong!" Erik shouted, the last of his patience evidently spent. "It was wrong of you to presume anything in regard to my health and welfare, but clearly this goes beyond even my wildest imaginings as to the depths of your self-righteousness. You entered my home, you invade it willingly with the authorities, then proceed to testify in a murder trial of which you know perfectly well I was free from all guilt. How am I to take that as anything but a betrayal of the most extreme nature?"

Christine wanted to say that she understood some of Mr. Nadir's position. She tried to picture the helplessness that would come with a despondent Erik, one that did not react when she touched his arm, did not smile when she acquiesced, or when she allowed him to cook something particularly delicious for her. What would she have done?

Not what the Daroga did. If Erik had shut down so completely, he needed a doctor, not a jail. The authorities should have seen that, should have brought in a psychologist to ensure his mental wellbeing, but perhaps he had been better by then? Had he awoken confused and frightened, suddenly in chains without any memory of the reason?

Mr. Nadir continued to look at Erik steadily, showing little fear at Erik's temper. "I do not expect you to understand, nor will I pretend that this is the outcome that I hoped for. But might I point out one small observation?"

Erik's lip curled, his disgust for the man apparent. "As if I would allow you anything."

The Daroga nodded but spoke anyway. "If I had not acted as I did, you would not have found the girl. And somehow I think you value her company more than anything else."

Christine waited for Erik to continue his rage, but instead he stood stiffly, and was... looking at her.

She didn't know what to say to that. She would have still gone to court that day, but perhaps it would have been for the trial of Ms. Poligny or Mr. Debienne, the police's perceptions of the case unmuddied by Erik's involvement. Or perhaps she would have been dismissed entirely, no pending trials requiring members of the public to see to their civic duties. She would have returned home, gone to work, only to continue the cycle for... well, at least for the immediate future.

And while she shouldn't, she knew she shouldn't think so, that life seemed perfectly boring now. It was a safe one—for the most part at least—and definitely less confusing. But now, after she remembered what it was to have conversations, to have hugs, to be kind and sweet and for such gentleness to be returned in full... she didn't want to go back to a life without it. Not now.

And hopefully not ever.

"I hope you do not expect me to be grateful to you," Erik forced out eventually.

Mr. Nadir smiled ruefully. "I would never dream of it. I only hope to offer perspective."

Yet that was still too much to ask from Erik, too much for him to have borne, regardless of her appreciation for certain outcomes now.

Maybe they would have met another way. She would have entered a raffle and won tickets to see a performance here. She would have gotten lost leaving the theatre and stumbled upon one of Erik's rooms which ended with a secret passage. He would have found her, would have offered to escort her home, and then…

It didn't matter.

Their experiences had led them here, and while some gratitude could be found for it, of course it could, that did not mean that they must appreciate every circumstance either.

"If Erik won't say it, then I will. What you did was wrong. You let an innocent man be prosecuted, you let a… if not a friend, then an acquaintance, one who needed help and a doctor, be bullied and abused while he waited for his trial and you said not one word to stop it. If you were just waiting for him to come back to his senses, you could have said something months ago and saved him the horribleness of that trial! Why in the world did you let it go so far?"

Mr. Nadir looked at her quizzically. "But his senses did not return. Not until the trial had already begun did he even begin to speak."

Christine paused in her indignation at that. "What do you mean?"

She looked to Erik for some explanation, but he offered none. But something about his eyes, the avoidance of her own gaze, the tiniest hunch of his shoulders… perhaps he was not so unaware of himself as the Daroga supposed. "Erik?"

"I told you," he answered numbly. "That it did not seem worth it to fight back."

How lonely had he been to think that? In how much despair?

It made her heart ache just to imagine it.

He had spoken of how the one smile she had given him had changed so much, but it hadn't really occurred to her what that truly meant. But to hear Mr. Nadir speak of his apathy, for it to have lasted months and months, through all the indignities he so unjustly suffered, yet it was her simple gesture that broke through his fog of misery…

It was absurd.

Wasn't it?

But he looked at her so earnestly, his eyes so wide and vulnerable as he stood before her, there was no doubting him.

She stood and walked toward him unsure if her gesture would be rebuffed given that they had an audience, but finding in that moment that she would rather face the rejection than allow him to go a moment longer without more proof of her affection.

That someone cared.

She wrapped her arms about his torso, and once again he was hesitant to hold her, but it didn't matter. In time he'd come to realize that he was welcome to.

"I want this to be over," she murmured into his lapel. "I don't want you to dwell on your hurts anymore. I want to see about mending them."

And when one tentative hand came and brushed against the crown of her head, stroking ever so lightly as if afraid that he would cause her discomfort, she was glad at his reply.

"Very well, Christine. Let us proceed to sentencing."

Sooo...Thoughts on the Daroga's actions? Do you think he did the right thing by intervening as he did, or should he have found another way? Is he absolved? And who was surprised by poor Erik's condition before any of this even began? And what should happen to everybody now?

Thanks for reading and please review!