The start of the spring term brought less time for Lyle and Addison to be together. Addison filled the gaps by practically moving into Eva's dorm. She had noticed the ring almost immediately and promptly punched Addison for not telling her about it sooner.

Lately Addison had taken to practicing his violin for long periods of time. Eva had a sneaking suspicion he was composing some kind of grand Romantic piece.

It was on one particular evening near the end of January, January twenty-second, to be exact, when Eva asked, "So, any plans for tonight?"

Addison was in the middle of dressing up as Daniella. He was shimmying his way into a tight floor length midnight blue dress. He styled his hair into a fancy up do, complete with platinum diamond studded hair features and an extravagant shimmering necklace.

"I'm going to work," he told her like it was obvious, or something.

'Dressed like that?" she questioned ever the skeptic.

Yeah," Addison shrugged taking one last look at himself in the mirror. Deeming himself ready, he headed toward the door. "They gave me this and told me to wear it." He didn't see anything strange about the request. Occasionally that happened. It's not like asking him to wear certain things was something new. Although, this outfit was a lot more refined than he was used to wearing.

"Wait, you start now?" usually Addison didn't start until at least eight at night. It wasn't even four yet.

"Yeah, apparently someone called off."

"But, Addi, it's your birthday," Eva whined with a put.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday to me," he sang sardonically before slipping out of her dorm room and heading towards the bar.

Once the door was closed, Eva pulled out her cell and sent a quick text.

Eva: he still has no idea <3

The return text was instantaneous.

Excellent.

                                                        ~ARC~

As soon as he got to the bar Addison knew something was up. The lovely people he worked with didn't even assign him to a section. So he went and found the manager and asked which section he was supposed to take care of and the guy told him table six.

Thinking he had heard the man wrong Addison inquired, "Just table six?"

"Yup."

Addison narrowed his eyes at his smug sounding boss. "Are you sure that's right?"

"Just go to the damn table already," the man snapped then stomped away moodily.

Addison sighed and shrugged deciding he might as well listen to the man and go to the table. He could take a hint. There just better not be some kind of awful mess there or he'd flip.

When the table came into view and Addison saw nothing his brows crinkled in confusion. He was just about to go complain to the manager when Lyle suddenly appeared dressed to the nines in some fancy, probably designer, suit holding a shoal out for Addison to wear. When Adison made no move to put the shoal on Lyle coaxed him with a, "Come on, we're gonna be late."

"For what?" Addison asked suspiciously.

"It's a surprise," Lyle answered casting a charming smile in Addison's direction. The smile changed to one of triumph when Addison sighed and slipped into the offered garment.

He let Lyle wrap an arm around his shoulders relishing in the feeling of contentment that washed over him with the easy display of affection. They headed out the door passing Addison's manager who smirked at the couple suggestively, "Have fun."

Addison stuck his tongue out at the man's comment and Lyle laughed pulling him out of the door and ushering him quickly into a waiting car.

Once they were situated and the vehicle had begun to move Addison turned to Lyle and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for?" the man whined rubbing his shoulder. Addison could throw one hell of a punch.

"For making me think you forgot my birthday," Addison pouted.

"Never, I just wanted it to be a surprise," Lyle affirmed.

"Well, it was," Addison crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't suppose you'd tell me where we're going now?"

"Nope," Lyle said cheekily popping the P.

And when they got within a block or so of the destination Lyle pulled out a blindfold and wrestled it onto a protesting Adison. The car stopped and Addison waited for Lyle to come and let him out. He heard the door open and felt a gentle breeze flow into the car. Lyle reached a hand in and helped him out of the vehicle.

"Is this really necessary?" Addison huffed reaching a hand up in an attempt to remove the blindfold.

A gentle hand stopped his, "Yes, Daniella, it's a surprise," Lyle hissed in good humor.

Addison sighed, giving up, and spent the next ten minutes (although it seemed so much longer) being lead somewhere.

He knew he was inside. The floor was carpeted. There were lots of people. They rode an elevator and then were led to some fuzzy seats by some kind of usher person. Once they were seated Lyle leaned over. Addison could feel his warm breath on his ear before the man whispered, "You can take the blindfold off now."

Addison didn't need to be told twice. He ripped the blindfold off of his face letting the scrap of fabric fall to the floor.

"No shit," he breather out in awe.

Lyle laughed, "Not quite the reaction I was hoping for," he joked.

Addison was busy looking around the building. They were in a theatre. In a balcony at a theatre. He drank in his surroundings with excitement. Then turned to Lyle, eyes dancing with mirth. "What are we seeing?"

Lyle didn't answer, merely passed a playbill to his excited date. He watched as hundreds of emotions fluttered across Addison's face as the man read the front of the playbill.

George Bizet

Carmen

Then those warm eyes looked at Lyle. Addison threw his arms around the man. "Thank you!" and he kissed Lyle on the lips before righting himself and waiting for the opera to begin.

When the lights went down Lyle reached a hand over to grasp Addison's and that's how they watched the rest of the performance.

                                                    ~ARC~

Elsewhere in the theatre a very agitated Marissa sat watching the happy couple in the box. This was the third night of the stupid opera and she was immensely glad to see the man finally at the production. She had learned that Lyle Prince had special access after the show and that's when she decided she'd make her move. So Marissa sat through the whole boring show glancing up at the happy couple through her opera glasses.

When the horrid show was finally over Marissa hurried to the area she knew Lyle Prince and his date... Daniella... were headed. She hung back from the entrance to the back stage area and waited.

Soon she saw the object of her desire pulling his date gently behind him. "Where are you taking me now?" she laughed in a voice that was lower than Marissa would have expected to come from the girl.

Lyle leaned against the door and pulled the tall girl against him, "Now really Daniella, what kind of birthday would it be if all I did was take you to a show?" Lyle brought a hand up to her face and drew the girl into a quick gentle kiss.

"A good one," the girl muttered in her strange low voice.

Marissa clenched her fists in rage. That should have been her!

Lyle knocked on the door. It was quickly opened and two backstage passes were flashed at the guard. They were granted entrance and the door was shut.

Marissa waited outside for around forty-five minutes and then went over to the door hoping enough time had passed for the guard to be gone. She slowly opened the door ready to flash her tits for a distraction if someone was there.

No guard.

She snuck inside and walked down the hallway to a door that was cracked open light shining into the darker area of the hallway. There was singing coming from inside the room. She stood outside unsure of what to do next. She supposed this had to be the room Lyle and his date had gone into. All the rest she had passed appeared to be very much unoccupied. Making up her mind, Marissa decided the best time to catch the man would be as he exited the room.

She recognized the song being sung. How could she not after sitting through that bloody opera for three days? It was the one the lead female sang. Habababa or something...

As the beautiful tune came to an end there were sounds of clapping and bravos.

"Awesome performance Daniella!" An accented voice, Marissa assumed was one of the stars, praised.

Oh Jesus, the girl could sing too? It wasn't fair! That should have been Marissa in there. Lyle Prince was supposed to fall for her. Fuck Daniella, what did that girl have that Marissa didn't?

"Isn't he amazing?" that on was Lyle boasting about—wait.

He?

"Aye, that he is," the voice agreed. He? HE?

"Your boyfriend's an amazing counter tenor," the man complimented.

BOYFRIEND?

"Fuck," Marissa hissed. Lyle Prince was never gonna fall for her. How had the magazines missed this?

Lyle was dating a chick with a dick. Marissa definitely didn't have one of those to offer him. She let out a strangled sob and ran out of the theatre.

She pulled out her cellphone and texted two words to her stepmother.

Marissa: He's gay.

                                                        ~ARC~

Addison shivered, not for the first time, in Lyle's arms, causing his date to sigh. "Addi, take my coat. It's my fault we're in this mess anyway," Lyle insisted.

"It's not your fault the car had a flat," Addison countered.

"No, but it is my fault you're only wearing a shoal," he looked into Addison's eyes begging the man not to argue the point further and just accept the offered jacket. Addison sighed and reluctantly agreed to wear the coat. He wanted to smack the look of triumph off of his boyfriend's face, even as he thought the look was almost endearing. Almost.

"So, we walking to Eva's? Lyle asked easily.

"No, mine," Addison decided. "No one will be up. It'll be fine." At the skeptical look Lyle shot him Addison insisted, "No, really, it'll be fine."

Fifteen minutes later Addison was outside the house he lived in saying goodbye to his boyfriend. He went into the house and watched as Lyle walked away. He sighed content. That had been an absolutely fantastic birthday. Probably the best he'd had since... well, since his dad died.

He reached up and took off his coat hanging it on the front hall coat rack and floated up to his room to get some sleep.

                                                         ~ARC~

Of all the things Lysette expected to learn about Lyle Prince while her daughter stalked err, pursued, him, the man being gay had not been something she was expecting. Looking at one of the magazines with him and that girl, she sneered.

He was dating a transvestite or, at least, a crossdresser. She threw the magazine across the room with an aggravated growl.

Now was not the time to give up. No. It wouldn't have an engagement ring until the masquerade. There was still time for Marissa to squeeze into the man's life. If nothing else, maybe her daughter could be the man's beard.

Lysette sighed. She had to go shopping. You know, people had to eat and all... She walked toward the front door. When she grabbed for her coat she found one she didn't recognize on the coatrack.

It was a large coat. Designer label. Quality way more than anyone in her family could afford. She touched the heavy fabric and pulled the coat gently from the rack.

It was a really nice coat.

Inside was a tag with the initials of the owner sewn artfully into it.

L J P

So it didn't belong to any of them. Just like she thought.

She hung the coat back up and grabbed her own putting it on. Lysette left to do her shopping all the while pondering who the owner of the mysterious coat could be.

                                                       ~ARC~

About an hour later Lysette was coming back into the house, grocery bags in hand, when she was greeted by a very unwelcomed surprise. Her stepson was cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

She was shocked to see the boy at home. Even more so to see him so happy. He was practically dancing with every step he took and was humming a little tune.

Lysette recognized the song immediately as Habanera. Figures the fag would have a girly voice too.

But... Marissa had said the Guy Lyle Prince was dating had a high voice. And she knew they had went to see Carmen just last night. It couldn't be that Addison was... She cleared her throat relishing in her ability to make the boy jump.

He looked at her warily.

"Who's L J P?" She did not appreciate the look of utter incomprehension that graced the boy's face.

"Huh?" he asked like the slack-jawed idiot she knew him to be.

"The coat on the rack. I'm assuming it belongs to you. It has L J P on the tag," she watched in amusement as a look of horror was slowly forming on his face.

"Shit!" he swore racing out of the kitchen. He grabbed the coat off of the rack and flung it on, ready to head out the door.

Lysette grabbed his arm tightly, "Whose coat is it?" she asked firmly.

"A friends," Addison choked out looking very vulnerable and very much like the innocent big-eyed girl that had been hanging around Lyle Prince as of late. She released him quickly as if touching him had burned her.

The boy had fled, but not before Lysette caught the glimmer of a ring on Addison's finger.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but the signs were all there. Adison had been out last night with a friend. Lyle Prince had been out with a guy dressed like a girl. Both Addison and this girly-boy sang high. She knew, thanks to the wonderful paparazzi that the girl had been given a ring and Addison had one on his finger.

Without another thought, Lysette raced into her office and booted up a search engine on her computer.

Q: What's Lyle Prince's Full Name?

A: Lyle James Prince

It couldn't be. There was no way that boy was dating Lyle Prince.

It was just a coincidence. A horrible, horrible coincidence.

Addison's probably never even seen the man in the flesh, Lysette convinced herself.

She went and picked up the mail from the front door. Among the bills was an envelope made of thick paper and closed with a fancy wax seal.

It was addressed to Mr. Addison Montgomery and Family.

Lysette tore open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper embossed with a watermark.

You are cordially invited to the residence of Lyle James Prince for the Giving Back Banquet.

Lysette felt her years of hard work, at keeping the boy from knowing about his father's profession, about the money, unraveling. The Prince's obviously had known Frank. There's no other way they'd be invited to a party like this one was sure to be.

And she knew none of them could refuse such a personal invitation. After all, it would be another chance for Marissa to leave her mark and an equally wonderful chance to confirm that Addison and Lyle really didn't know each other.

The banquet was nearly a month away but Lysette could wait if it meant an end to her doubts once and for all.