The rain fell diagonally from the sky as it rode on westerly winds that whistled over the trees. The sky darkened and a cloud burst. Alastor internally cursed himself for not checking for rain before inviting Charlie on this fishing trip.

"What a disaster." He said as they rushed to toward the house. "Forgive me my dear, I really should have looked into the forecast for today."

"Oh no it wasn't a disaster." She assured him. "Really, I had a wonderful time."

"You won't be hurting my feelings. I know this wasn't at all what you had in mind."

"No but just because something was unexpected, doesn't mean it's bad and in all honesty there are worse things than getting caught in the rain."

"I take it this doesn't mean you regret accepting my invitation?"

"Of course not. In fact I'm glad you offered. It's been a very long time since I did something simple yet fun. Also I don't get a chance to go outside very much. This was really nice. Thank you for inviting me."

"You're most welcome. Thoguh I do believe I should find some way to make this up to you Charlotte."

"That's not neccessary. But may I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"Why are you trying so hard to impress me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's just that, ever since I've arrived here you've gone out of your way to make me feel comfortable and happy. You seem so nervous and so eager to please me. It's very sweet but why?"

"I guess it is because it's been so long since I've had a guest. Especially one who can appreicate my home and my culture. Most people aren't very fond of my household or the history surrounding it. It's very nice to finally meet someone who can recognize the splendor of it."

"I can't understand why very few people don't like it. It almost feels like home here."

Alastor's smile grew.

"I'm glad you feel that way."

Niffty brought them towels as soon as they entered the house, and Charlie then moved to her room where she called Vaggie to check up on Angel, but due to the storm the cellphone service was not working very well. After three failed attempts at calling, she starting drying her wet hair with the towel Niffty gave her. After that she combed her hair out with a brush from the vanity and doing so caused her to notice the music box again. She slowly moved her fingers over the lid of the box and slowly lifted it, just as before, a melody played.

She listened to the song intently and watched the dancers as though mesmerized. A fanciful scene of unaccustomed vivdness was drifting through her imagination. Images of a glittering ballroom where gentlemen and ladies in bright, flashing clothes would waltz the night away to music. She could see masks, paper faces on parade. A king and a queen, a fool and a priest, a cat and a dog, an angel and a devil, so many strange and colorful faces. Yet she could see one who did not wear a mask. One who did not wish to hide his face from her.

"It was a gift of love."

Charlie turned to find Alastor standing in the doorway, he had come up to bring her an extra towel and she had left the door open. His eyes seemed full of sorrow when they fell upon the music box.

"I'm sorry." Charlie said confused.

"The music box. My namesake made it especially for her."

"Who?"

"His sweetheart, his love, his bride." He explained while slowly entering the room. "My namesake was destined to struggle in life. He was born in wedlock between a white man and a woman of color, and society could not accept that. He was constantly tormented. White people thought he was lower than dirt and people of color thought he was a traitor. When he was eight years of age his mother had bought him new clothes to wear to school but a group of white children tore off his clothes and threw dirt and rocks at him, saying that he shouldn't walk around all clean and fancy like he was one of them. And when he was ten a group of colored teenagers held him down and poured bleach on him, saying that if he wanted to act white then they would make him white. His skin didn't turn white but the tone would never be the same again."

Charlie suddenly felt a great sorrow in her heart as she listened to his words. Horrified that anyone could be so cruel.

"But truly one of the most brutal things they did to him was when he became a man and he was making a delivery to the Magne Plantion. It was so late when he arrived and when the landowner's neighbors saw him on his property, they assumed he was a thief. A group of them chased him down, knocked him to the ground, and lashed his back with a whip. Forty lashes to be exact. The whips cut through his skin, he bled and scars were left. Soon he lost consciousness and those demons in human skin left him for dead."

"Did he die?"

"No. He was saved by the landowner's daughter. She heard his agonizing cries and could not bring herself to leave him to suffer. She saw no color, no class, she saw only a man who was hurt and needed help."

He looked directly at Charlie.

"She was of unsurpassed beauty. More lovely than the heart could bear. A true belle."

Charlie found herself smiling for some reason.

"When he awoke, he was in her bed chamber and she herself was tending to his wounds. She looked upon him with eyes of warmth and gentleness. Almost instantly, he fell deeply, madly in love with her."

"Did she return his love?" She asked.

"At first he was too afraid to speak his heart to her. Back in those times, a man like him would probably be hanged for daring to love a woman like her. So he started out as a dear friend to her, a companion, someone to comfort her on the many days her widowed and work obsessed father would leave her alone."

In his mind's eye, beautiful amber rays of enchanted sunlight cascaded into the room all around her. Two shadowy silhouettes appeared. A young man joined by a maiden, laughing and chasing each other around the room.

"Through jokes, stories, music, dances, and games, he become more dear to her." Alastor continued.

Charlie could hear laughter echoing, the silhouette of the young woman was caught from behind by the man and he spun her around. Then they were waltzing together.

"One day he decided that he couldn't keep silent about his true feelings any longer. So he confessed his love to her through a special gift, a music box that he made himself."

"And it was the most wonderful gift anyone had ever given her." Charlie spoke as if in a daze. "She wept tears of joy and told him that she loved him so dearly. That she had never known a man so honest, so kind, so thoughtful."

The silhouette couple slowly stopped their dance and leaned in to kiss.

"He had been the one thing that she had been denied even as a child. A friend, and that's why she fell in love with him."

Alastor leaned forward, almost surprised by her words.

"You speak as if you know the story." He said.

Charlie looked away from him.

"Your voice and your words, there's something very familiar about them. I can't...I can't understand..."

She felt dizzy and began to fall backward. Alastor immedately caught her. She looked up at his face. He was biting his lower lip, obviously in emotional pain. She stared deeply into his eyes and he into hers. Her right hand was at his cheek, gently carresing it. She was sudddenly yearning for him, she closed her eyes and brought his face closer to hers. At long last their lips met and they kissed.

In the beginning it was so chaste, so innocent, so unsure. But soon it grew passionate. He held her in his arms, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, and their lips moved together with repressed desire. Then his mouth moved to pepper her throat with the most light kisses.

"Oh please." She sighed, not knowing what she was pleading for exactly. "Alastor please...Please I..."

"My belle." He whispered longingly between kisses. "My most lovely belle, just let me hold you."

Reason had become so quiet in that moment. They were both being completely ruled by emotion. Passion and desire urged him to lay her on the bed, to remove her clothing, to kiss and caress her body, and to join his own body with hers. He almost gave into those urges but he stopped when he saw someone watching them from the window.

His eyes flared red with anger and he quickly broke away from Charlie.

"Forgive me." He said making sure she could not see his eyes. "Please forgive me, I forgot myself."

Whatever trance Charlie had put herself in wore off in that moment and her face turned crimson with embarrassment.

"No I'm sorry. It's my fault." She apologized. "I instigated it. I…I don't know what came over me."

"Please excuse me. I must see to something immediately. Again I apologize for my inappropriate behavior."

She almost asked him not to leave. She felt ashamed and humiliated by her actions. How could she just start making out with someone she just met? She wasn't that kind of girl. Yes she found Alastor attractive but she normally got to know someone for a few days before she would even kiss them.

But the strange thing was though, in that moment, she felt like she did know him. She felt like she had known him all her life.

"He was so cold." She thought. "But I felt so warm in his arms."

She was so confused. So very confused.