Erik woke with heavy eyelids, late in the evening. He sighed and sat up in his bed, looking to see that Christine was already awake, probably waiting on him to retrieve-. He stopped, remembering his dream, and everything that had happened last night. All the same questions and curiosity filling his head again, he sighed.

"Darling? Are you awake? You need to fetch Madeleine." "Yes, I'm up my dear, I'm up. Give me a moment or two, I'll go get her." His mouth was suddenly dry.

After dragging himself out of bed, and wrapping himself in his cloak, he climbed into the boat and headed for the surface. He was pushing the boat through the water particularly slow, dreading having to face the girl.

Once he was at the mirror, he watched her through it for a moment. She was waiting for him obviously, for he had been coming the same time every day, like Christine had said he would. He took a deep breath, and pushed the mirror to the side.

Her head lifted and he caught her glimpse, but looked away quickly. "Madeleine." "Erik." She walked past him awkwardly and they made there way down the passages. He watched her move with a graceful yet awkward stride. He tried to correct his own rigid with awkwardness stride.

Once they were at the stairway, and began descending, he noticed Madeleine was moving rather quickly, a bit to quickly. "Madeleine, slow down. You'll fall. These stairs are quite damp." She did as he advised, slowing her pace slightly, without saying a word. He sighed. Great. Something else to worry about.

They were at the bottom of the staircase, and finally climbed into the boat. He poled them along the surface, not looking at her once. She sat to facing the side though, and he could feel her glancing sideways every few moments. "Madeleine, is something bothering you?" It was a stupid question, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to ask anyways. "Well you know...My tutor's husband was snooping around in my room last night. I should have the right to be worried, don't you think?"

Her words hurt him. They really had. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say a word, and closed his mouth.

Maddy hadn't meant to hurt him, but his awkward silence and the looks on his face that she caught said that she had. She sighed and looked down at the pillows in front of her. What was she going to do about this? She had spent all day thinking about the dream from last night. She had even tried reading a book to occupy herself, but it didn't help.

They had finally come to the shore of the lair. Maddy climbed out of the boat on her own, not taking Erik's offer for help. She was greeted by Christine as always, and again like always, Erik crept out of the way, and hid in the other room by himself, usually reading or sketching.

Maddy was having a difficult time concentrating during her lesson, and she felt bad when Christine began to get a bit frustrated with her.

Erik suddenly came from the room, and whispered something to Christine that Maddy didn't catch. He looked at her and she felt her cheeks grow hot. He corrected her posture and tilted her head up slightly. "Repeat after moi." He then let a note ring from his vocal's filling Maddy with a sensational feeling that took over her, and cause her to close her eyes. When he cut off the note, she came back, and did as told, repeating the note. Her voice rang through the cave, and he instructed her. "Higher."

She directed the pitch higher, holding it until she could no longer. "Higher." She tried her best, and again, brought the pitch higher, holding it. She noticed however that she couldn't hold the higher notes as long as she could the lower ones. "You've noticed you can't hold the higher notes longer?" She nodded and listened intently to him. "You don't practice your voice enough. Take time outside of lessons to practice Madeleine. Just this time with Christine is not enough."

"I recommend spending time on the stage, after rehearsal. It will help you get used to the feeling of being on the stage, and you'll have more practice time." She nodded, and decided she would take this to consideration. "Well then. Times up." She looked to the lake and sighed, walking over to the boat, and climbing in.

She waited there for him and when he climbed in as well, they set off. As always he dropped her off at the stairway. "Until tomorrow, Madeleine." She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Uhm...Thanks for the advise..." He nodded and she left, climbing up the stairway.

Erik didn't leave right away. He sighed and pulled the boat ashore after he was sure she was out of ear shot, and laid down in the boat on the pillows. Staring at the cave wall, he wondered why he seemed to be so attracted to Madeleine. She was nothing like Christine...and Christine was his perfect other half. Sometimes he looked at her as the good side of his face. Madeleine was merely a child...

He sighed and thought like this for a few hours. Pulling himself out of his subconscious state, he realized how late it was getting, and hurried to get home, knowing Christine was waiting. He would tell her there was a problem with Madeleine...She fell. Yes, that would be his excuse.

Once he was home, he found Christine waiting for him, as he knew she would be. "What took so long? Was everything alright?" "Oh, yes. Madeleine tripped on a damp spot on the stairs, she'll be fine." She nodded and stood as he walked past her. "Erik?" He turned and looked at her, a questioning expression on his features. "You and Madeleine...Theres nothing..." She trailed off. "Nothing...what? What is it my dear?" "Oh, nothing. It was foolish of me to even think of it." He was confused, but he let it go, and left to go to bed. "Are you coming ma cherie?" He asked, peeking around the corner. "Yes, yes I'm coming." Something was still wrong.

He walked back to her and put his arms around her shoulders. "Christine, what's wrong?" She waited a moment, but began speaking. "You and Madeleine...the way you looked at her when you were instructing her-." He suddenly understood and cut her off.

"Christine there is nothing going on between us. She's just a child, Christine. No more than our student, I swear it."

She nodded and gave him a quick hug around the waist. He placed a soft kiss in her curls, but he couldn't help but feel like he had lied to her. Why! Why though?

There was no reason for it, that he knew of! Why was it this way? Curse the child for seeming so vulnerable and needy!

He sighed into her curls and held her for a moment longer before they parted and went to bed together. He was going to have to figure this out sooner or later. He couldn't keep feeling this way. It would tear him apart, especially if he let it go very far.

...

Maddy was just finishing practicing her scales on the stage. She sighed and looked out across the darkened rows of seats. One day she would be singing in front of a whole crowd. On this very stage.

The thought excited her, and she found she loved being up on the stage. It made her feel almost special, for she had the chance to be a singer one day.

Yawning heavily, she decided it was time to head back to the comforts of her bed, the thoughts of her dream reoccurring in her head. She walked quickly through the dark and changed into her night shift. She was afraid to sleep, she honestly was. As much as she enjoyed the dream she didn't want one like it again. It was much to tempting.

She laid herself down, blew out her candle and crashed, falling deep into the darkness of her surroundings.