"Where the bloody hell did I put it," Charles muttered as he searched through the study. Charles had purposefully pulled a book from the library for Erik's mother when they arrived back home on the Saturday he met her. He knew she would love it, and was excited to share his love of books with her…and now he couldn't find. He remembered putting it on his desk so he wouldn't forget or lose it in between then and now when she was coming to the house for dinner…great plan. Charles sat down in his desk chair in a frustrated huff. He sat staring at the papers on his desk trying to remember anything when Erik pushed the door open looking like he was obviously searching for Charles.

"There you are…what are you doing? You disappeared almost a half hour ago."

Charles sighed dramatically and let his head fall and hit the desk. "I can't find the bloody book that I was so excited to give your mother…the one—"

"The one you specifically took out of the library so you wouldn't forget…and put on your desk."

"Yes," Charles' head was still on the desk so his reply was muffled.

"The one you then continued to move around the desk realizing you had too much stuff on."

"Yes," again muffled.

Erik Chuckled. "The book you, on Monday, realized would have been better off staying in the library so you didn't stick it somewhere out of the way and lose later. The one you put back?"

Charles snapped his head up and groaned. "I'm an idiot," Charles stood up with his mouth in a flat unamused line. "I am such an—"

Erik chuckled and pulled Charles to him for a kiss before Charles could get past the doorway. "Don't worry about the book right now. You can show mamma the library after dinner and then when she gets done begging you to keep us you can give her the book to take home," he kissed Charles again and Charles couldn't help but melt into him.

Charles pulled back quickly. "Oh lord what time is it?"

"Time for you to go pick up mamma while I finish dinner," Erik chuckled as Charles literally ran down the hall.

"I cannot believe I lost track of time," he could be heard as ran down the stairs past the girls grabbing his keys on the way out.

Erik stood by the door holding his coat and scarf waiting and smirking with Raven and Angel holding in a laugh that they couldn't hold anymore when Charles ran in the door cursing under his breath while grabbing the shoes he neglected to put on. He rolled his eyes when he grabbed his coat from the smiling Erik, but kissed him anyway before bounding back outside into the cold.

Charles pulled up to Eva's house twenty minutes later and quickly jogged up to the front door and didn't have to knock before Eva had opened the door with a smile. She was terribly good at that…

"Charles meine Liebe," she kissed Charles and gave him a tight hug.

Charles smiled into the hug. "Mamma, it's lovely to see you. Sorry I'm late I completely—"

Eva waved him off as he led her to the car. "Don't worry. You're here now aren't you, and you are only," she glanced at her watch. "Six minutes later than you said," she chuckled.

"I hate to keep you waiting…not very gentlemanly." Charles opened her car door and she got in.

When he got into the car she regarded him with sad eyes but with a smile. "You are a perfect gentleman Liebe."

Charles smiled. "Well thank you my lady," he said in his most over the top English.

The ride over was sort and pleasant. Erik had already talked to his mother about the fight on the Monday of the staff meeting and Erik was certain Eva would bring it up when Charles and her were alone. Erik had said he was surprised she hadn't called Charles' cell phone, and that he didn't think she could wait four days for anything when it came to meddling. Charles had prepared himself for the questions, but they never came. Instead they talked about gardening, or Charles asked Eva questions and listened when she explained the difference between tending winter flowers and spring. Charles had always loved to learn and even though he would probably never be a gardener, it was lovely to hear Erik's mother talk about it. She had such a peaceful voice and, even with a thick German accent, made everything almost sound like a poem. When they pulled up into the drive Eva gasped.

"Charles…"

Charles blushed while turning off the car. "It's a family home…passed down to me. I didn't buy it," he was always uncomfortable with bringing people to the house. They always had so many assumptions about him once they saw it, and frankly he could do without them.

"It's beautiful. I wonder...," Charles held her hand as she got out of the car and scanned the front of the building. "The architecture is close to some I have seen in some paintings," she pointed to the west end near the roof. "The way that balcony overlooks the garden must be beautiful in the moonlight."

Chares stared at her with his mouth half open as she scanned the garden. That was not what he expected her to say. He had had a few, "It's huge!" or "You're loaded!" or simple "Oh my god", but it seemed the Lehsherr's were a force all their own and Charles couldn't help but smile when Eva turned to him at last. "It's lovely although we don't have a gardener so it could be better. You'd be welcome to work your magic," he chuckled and took her arm as they turned heading for the door.

Eva sighed dreamily. "Do not tempt me Liebe…you will never get rid of me."

Charles barked with laughter. "Your son said the same once…I'm not good at taking advice it seems."

When they made it inside Angel and Raven came to the foyer with smiles.

"Ms.— mamma, this is Raven and Angel," Charles gestured.

"It's lovely to meet you Ms. Lehnsherr," Raven and Angel said together with a smile both doing a kind of curtsey awkwardly.

"Bah," Eva waved and then pulled them into a tight hug each kissing their cheeks. "It's absolutely wonderful to meet you beautiful women. Erik and Charles have told me so much about you two, and do not call me Ms. Lehnsherr," she raised a brow at a chuckling Charles. "Call me mamma, got it," she smiled.

The girls both laughed and smiled. They made their way into the kitchen passed the dining room.

"The dining room is lovely Liebe! You could have a huge dinner her," Eva said as they walked towards the sound of the food cooking.

Charles bit his lip. "Yes yes I suppose we could, but we haven't in years. We actually eat in the kitchen instead of in here," he waved his hand. "This room is too big and cold to eat in."

Eva nodded smiling. "The kitchen is one of the warmest rooms in a house…in more ways than one," she squeezed Charles hand.

Erik was just dishing up the last plate when they all walked in. He brought his head up and smiled. "Mamma, how are you," he circled the giant counter and kissed his mother.

"Wonderful my boy, and what are you cooking? It smells deilicious," she pushed Erik out of the way dramatically looking past him at the plates while everyone laughed apart from Erik who just rolled his eyes smiling.

Dinner went marvelously. The girls fell for Eva just as Charles did. She was able to pry information out of them about Sean way better than Charles and Erik. Later when Charles asked how she did it, she had said she was a mother and that's what mothers do of course. Charles had just laughed. His mother never got any information from him…she didn't really try to really unless it was about whether her plans to have him married to some rich proper girl was working. After dinner Eva insisted on a full tour which Charles happily gave minus the study because of the chaotic state of flux it was always in, and he ended the tour in the library where Eva immediately started whispering to herself in German on entry.

Erik chuckled and wrapped his arms around Charles from behind. "Told you," he whispered in Charles' ear.

Charles smiled. "So you approve of the library?"

She snapped her head towards the pair. "I am in love."

The two men burst into laughter.

Later that night Charles curled himself up under Erik's chin in bed. "I think your mother would have been happy to stay here and sleep in the library…'

"She would be more than happy on a cot in there," Erik chuckled running his hand down Charles' back.

"She's truly lovely Erik…it's no wonder how you turned out so well adjusted," Charles started to doze off.

Erik scoffed and then kissed Charles' forehead. "Go to sleep Charles, you're not making any sense. You just called me well adjusted."

Charles muttered something unintelligible but Erik didn't comment.