"Wow! You look so pretty, Miss Giry!", said the boy, cheerful.

"Thank you, Gustave.", Meg replied.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a date."

"A date?", Gustave asked, confused. "What is a date?"

Meg blushed a bit.

"Didn't your parents have dates?"

"I don't know."

"Well... A date... you see...", Meg internally cursed Gustave's parents, all three of them, for never explaining it to him. "It's when two people go out together. They may take a walk together, or have a nice dinner, or watch a show. Anything that they like."

"This sounds fun! Do they always wear nice clothes, like you?"

"It is good if they do."

"Cool! Can I go to a date with you too?"

"I think you are still too young for it, my dear.", Meg replied. The boy was eleven already! It was time his parents had some important talks with him, and Meg didn't want to be involved in that.

Gustave didn't like her reply. Why didn't kids ever get to do anything fun?

"Father. Did you and mother use to have dates?", Gustave asked, as they had dinner together.

"Of course we did.", Raoul replied.

"Why don't you go on dates anymore?"

"Because your mother is not here anymore." It was still painful to talk about Christine. Raoul wondered if Gustave did understand the concept of death. It was hard explaining to him over and over again that his mother wouldn't come back.

"But why don't you go with someone else?", Gustave insisted.

"Because I'm not interested in anyone else.", Raoul replied, a bit irritated.

"What about your friends?"

"A date is not something you go to with a friend." Did he always had to spell things for Gustave?

"Wasn't mother your friend?", Gustave asked.

"She was my wife.", Raoul explained, having no patience for it anymore. "Will you please stop with the questions, Gustave?"

"Sorry, father."

Gustave wanted to ask more. He didn't understand why his father was so bothered. He only wanted to understand.

So, a date was something you went to with the person you married? But Miss Giry was single. It made no sense.

During a music lesson, Gustave decided that he would finally solve this mystery. If his father was not going to answer his questions, then his other father would!

"Mr. Y.", he called, still used to calling him by his name instead of "father". It would make things too confusing. "Did you ever go to a date?"

Erik got so shocked that his hands went to all the wrongs places, making a horrible sound. Gustave found it funny.

"Of course I did.", he answered. What kind of question that even was?

"With who?", Gustave asked.

"With your mother, of course."

"But you were not married to her!"

Erik sighed. The situation was getting awkward. He thought Gustave already understood by now the nature of his relationship with Christine. He wasn't sure of how to explain it, he didn't want the boy to think badly of his mother.

"But we loved each other very much.", he explained.

"Love?" Now Gustave was confused. What did love even have to do with dates?

"Yes. We loved each other a lot. That's why we had you."

This sentence cleared everything. So that's what a date was. Now Gustave understood. Two people who had a child together.

He asked no more. Erik felt relieved. They continued the lesson like usual.

Raoul didn't understand the note very well, but followed it even so. Dressed in his best clothes, he walked to the restaurant, hoping to meet Gustave there.

When he arrived, he didn't see Gustave, but another person that he did know.

"You." Maybe he had misunderstood when Gustave wrote "father".

Erik was dressed in his usual fancy clothes, black suit, black cloak and white mask, that gave him an appearance both elegant and intimidating.

"Gustave sent you a note too?", he asked, taking a paper out of his pocket.

"Yes.", Raoul replied. So Gustave invited both of them. Why?

Erik seemed confused as well.

"Maybe he is waiting inside.", he suggested.

They both wished he was, as it felt awkward to be in each other's company.

Raoul walked to the receptionist.

"Excuse me. Is there any reservation in the name of Gustave de Chagny?", he asked.

She checked her papers.

"Yes. A table for two, for his parents' date." She noticed that there were two gentlemen in front of her. "I am sorry, this was probably my mistake. Please follow me to your table, sirs."

Raoul felt his face grow red from both embarrassment and irritation. How could his own son do something like this to him. Walking behind him, Erik also tried to hide his embarrassment. He tried to understand how he ended up in this situation.

They followed the receptionist to the table and sat down, one in front of the other.

"Date?", Erik said, chuckling nervously. "Gustave asked me about it these days. I don't think he got it right."

Raoul didn't reply. He was too angry with the boy for putting him into this.

They fell into a silence, not even looking at each other. Finally, Raoul stood up.

"I can't take this."

"Your son tried to do something nice for you. Are you really going to leave like this?", Erik said.

Raoul sighed, and sat back on his chair.

"He probably doesn't even know the implications of this.", Erik added.

"You are too soft with him."

"You are too strict with him. He's just being a child."

Raoul rolled his eyes.

"So, what are we doing? Having a", he lowered his voice to a whisper. "date?"

Erik wasn't very comfortable in that situation, but seeing how clearly the Vicomte was embarrassed made it enjoyable for him. Meanwhile, Raoul got only madder seeing how calm the masked man seemed.

"Just have dinner, share some civil conversation. That is, if you're capable of it.", Erik provoked.

"I am perfectly capable of, when my company is good.", Raoul retorted.

They glared at each other, fighting a silent battle with their eyes.

"Someone should the talk with the kid soon.", Erik said.

"You are his father.", Raoul replied, looking away, his pride still affected by the fact. Deep down he has known all along, but admitting it out loud still was hard

"For the first time, I feel like you may be more qualified for something than me.", said Erik. Though he was accepting a failure in his words, his tone made it sound somehow insulting.

Raoul nodded.

"It's better if I do it. We don't want him thinking it's okay to kidnap innocent girls."

"Let's just be careful so he will learn that he shouldn't put his nose in other people's business."

"Do you want to place your order?", the waitress interrupted. She immediately regretted opening her mind, feeling the deep tension in the air. Oh, she hated this job.

"If we are going to spend the next hours together, for Gustave.", Raoul said, after the orders were placed and the waitress left. "We should, as you said, try to have a civil conversation."

Erik nodded. The last thing he wanted was to be civil to Raoul but keeping the insults coming the whole night would be tiring. He could do it, but it would be tiring.

"So, how is business going?", Raoul asked, trying hard to change the tone of the talk.

"Pretty good.", Erik answered. He wanted to ask some question of the same nature, but realized he had no idea of what Raoul did now, if he even did anything. Feeling like he had to prove that he too could have a civil conversation, he said the first non-insulting thing he thought of. "Nice suit."

"T-thank you.", Raoul replied, a bit shocked.

Erik cursed himself for saying it. It felt like a personal insult just how annoyingly handsome the Vicomte was, and he didn't want to say any good thing about his appearance, never.

"Huh, so you can say nice words.", Raoul couldn't stop himself from commenting.

"Ask Christine about it.", Erik retorted. He took some seconds to realize what he just said.

Christine.

"If she saw us now", Raoul said, trying to hide his pain, "she would be laughing."

"Sure she would.", Erik replied. He could almost see her amused face right there.

"I miss her laugh.", Raoul confessed.

"Me too. She sounded like sunshine after a rainy day."

"I have no idea of what you mean." Damn musicians, speaking in code all the time.

"I meant that her laugh was beautiful.", Erik explained, amused. Did Christine really fall in love with that?

"I agree."

The food came, together with wine.

"Her son has her smile.", Erik said, taking a sip.

"That's true.", Gustave reminded him much of Christine. His gestures, his way of speaking, and even his smile.

"And the same ability of making us do absurd things.", Erik added. Raoul chuckled.

They ate and drunk and as time passed it became easier to talk. They talked about Christine, and about Paris, and Gustave, and even Madame Giry and Meg. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe because they were both tired, but there wasn't much teasing anymore.

Soon they finished, and got up to go home. When they left the restaurant, Erik noticed Raoul could barely walk in a straight line.

"You are drunk.", he commented.

"You are drunk.", Raoul replied.

Erik held Raoul's arm so he wouldn't fall and hurt himself or something. Raoul didn't complain.

Erik called a cab and pulled the Vicomte inside with him. He gave some extra money to the driver so he wouldn't stare. Worked every time.

"You know, you are actually nice when you are not blowing out.", Raoul said.

The compliment took Erik by surprise.

"Well, you are nice when you are silent.", he replied.

Raoul seemed to ignore the insult.

"Spending time with you was easier to bear than I expected.", Erik said after a while.

"Maybe we can do it again other time."

"In your dreams."