The rest of the semester passed in a blur of activity, and before Christine felt like she had even had time to breathe there were only a few days left. Most of what she had to do for finals had happened the week before, so she was left with a few strangely peaceful days to run out before winter break. It was nice to finally have some time that wasn't as hectic and stressful as so much of the semester had been, but there was just enough left to do that she couldn't fully relax yet, and those in-between days left her feeling restless.

Her lessons, at least, relieved this feeling for a while. With her schedule easing up in these final days they had been able to work a little longer than usual, and Christine was grateful for the extra time. Her audition was quickly approaching, and especially given the stretch of time between now and then when she wouldn't have lessons, the little added time to work was more than welcome. But as long as she was in that practice room, Erik's melodious voice calmly instructing her, her nerves about the audition were kept at bay. His patience and unwavering belief that she would do great things balanced her apprehension, and while she knew that that alone would not make up for any confidence that she lacked, it would at least help her stand a little taller and hold her head a little higher when the day of the audition finally came. And honestly, although she was still a little nervous, every day that they worked made her a little surer that this was something she could do. She couldn't believe how much she'd improved over the course of the semester, and if that much was possible, couldn't this be, too?

They had fallen into an easy pattern with their lessons—Erik would first run her through warm-ups and some technical exercises, then whatever smaller pieces he was having her practice, and then the score of Candide itself. If any other teacher had been so precise and demanding, Christine was sure she would have grown frustrated or bored long ago. But there was something about working with Erik, some kind of kindred thinking between them; they shared passion and a vision, and although Christine couldn't see the entire path leading to their goal, she could see enough of it to be sure that Erik was leading her exactly where she needed to go.

The final notes from the piano faded with the faint echo of her voice, and she grinned as Erik turned and gave her a nod of satisfaction. The notes came naturally, and the passages that had tripped her up a few weeks ago now flowed easily. It wasn't quite as polished as she would have liked given how little practice time she had left with Erik before the audition, but it was good.

"You've come quite a long way," Erik told her, echoing her thoughts. "You should be very pleased. I am."

"Thank you. I am really happy—there's no way I would have believed I could come this far in just a few months." Christine hesitated before adding a little anxiously, "Do you think I'm ready?"

"For the audition? Absolutely. You're very well prepared, Christine. You just can't make yourself nervous."

She laughed a little at this. "That's easier said than done. I know I shouldn't really be nervous, and it's not like I've never auditioned for anything before, but this just feels important. This is the first audition I've really cared about since my audition for the program, and I at least want to know that I'm genuinely giving it all I can. It makes me a little nervous that we'll only have a chance to meet a few more times before the audition."

"If you would like, I'm happy to meet with you before the semester starts," Erik said. "That is, if you don't mind giving up some of your vacation."

Christine immediately perked at the idea of some extra practice time, but she sighed when she remembered her plans with Raoul. "That sounds really great," she said, "but I'm actually going to be out of town. I kind of promised my boyfriend I'd come on this big trip with his family, and, I don't know, it's kind of a big deal…"

"It's fine, Christine," Erik replied quickly. "Like I said, you're well-prepared. But the offer stands if your plans change."

"Thanks," she smiled, trying to ignore the pang of disappointment she felt. "I really appreciate it."

Doing her best to shake the slightly disconcerting thought that she'd rather spend her vacation here in the practice room with Erik than with her boyfriend, Christine turned to slip her music into her backpack, exchanging it for a small package of red- and green-frosted cookies. Erik didn't strike her as a particularly festive person, but she'd felt like she should give him something, even if it was only a small gesture. Turning back to face him, she held out her offering to him and he looked at her with surprise, his hands pausing in the midst of gathering his things.

"I don't know if you celebrate Christmas or not, but I figured that most people like cookies, at least," she explained a little embarrassedly. "Unless you have a food allergy or something, which I probably should have asked about beforehand…"

"No, this is—" Erik accepted the little bundle, looking away but not quite able to hide the smile creeping onto his lips. "Thank you. This is very nice."

Christine's smile widened at the quiet, sincere thanks. "You're welcome. I hope you enjoy them."

"I, ah, actually have something for you, too," he said shyly, shifting a little. "For Christmas."

"Erik, you didn't have to get me anything," she told him. "You've already been giving me lessons."

"I've told you before that you are not indebted to me for the lessons," he replied. "I wanted to get you something. It's only something small." With that, he produced a small black box tied with a gold ribbon.

Christine accepted the box, looking curiously between it and Erik. "Thank you. It was really nice of you to think of me. Do you want me to open it now or save it for Christmas?"

"You may open it now if you wish."

Her expression softened at his nervousness. Even now, exchanging gifts, she couldn't see him being especially into Christmas. That he had thought to get her a gift meant that he had thought about her and had gone out of his way to be kind to her. He sometimes insisted when he praised her that he was not a kind person, but for as long as she had known him, he'd done nothing to make her believe that that could be true. She wasn't sure what she had done to earn such a good friend.

Slipping the ribbon off the box, Christine gently removed the lid to reveal the most delicate necklace she had ever seen. The only ornamentation on the thin gold chain was a tiny round pendant, no more than a few millimeters wide, with a clear stone set in it. It was simple and beautiful, and she was almost afraid to lift it from its resting place.

"Erik, it's gorgeous," she told him, a little stunned by such an unexpected gift. "I love it. It's perfect. Thank you so much."

"I'm glad that you like it," he said softly. "It seemed like it would suit you well."

Christine beamed, gently taking the necklace and fastening it around her neck. The tiny pendant settled in the hollow of her throat, and she looked back at Erik, sweeping her hair back out of the way. "How do I look?"

"Lovely." Erik held her gaze as he spoke, and she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said again. "I really love it."

Before he could speak, she was stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. She could feel his breath catch, but in a second he brought his hands to her back, carefully returning the embrace. He released her quickly, then, looking away as he stepped back.

"Have a nice vacation, Christine," he told her. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"See you in a few weeks," Christine smiled. "Merry Christmas."

The afternoon drifted by as Christine packed up her things to head home. Meg was determined to leave immediately after she returned from her last final so they wouldn't make the same mistake twice and end up sitting in traffic again. Her bags were already sitting by the door, just waiting to be thrown into the car so they could rush out of town. When Meg did get back from class, there was a brief flurry of activity as they loaded the car and double-checked that they weren't forgetting anything important, though they always managed to leave something behind anyway.

They were just climbing into the car when Meg glanced over at Christine. "Is that necklace new?"

Christine's fingers rose to the little pendant and she wondered how Meg could have spotted such a subtle piece of jewelry so quickly in the midst of all that. "You know you're weirdly observant, right?" she said. "But yes, it is new. Erik gave it to me for Christmas."

"Hmm." Meg suddenly seemed very focused on starting the car, and Christine frowned.

"What?"

"I don't know, it just seems… it's more than I'd expect from someone who was my teacher," she said hesitantly. "I mean, I guess it's fine if you're okay with it, but…"

Christine thought for a moment. "I can see what you mean, but it's not like one of my professors or someone gave this to me," she said. "We spend a lot of time together, and I guess we've gotten close in a way. I think he just wanted to do something nice."

"You know him better than I do," Meg conceded. "Maybe that's it."

Christine could tell that Meg was holding back, but she decided not to press further. Of course Erik had only wanted to be nice, and he had given her a thoughtful gift. They were friends, and there was nothing wrong with friends giving each other gifts. She was sure it hadn't even occurred to him that the gift might seem a little too thoughtful. But she knew him, and the gift didn't feel inappropriate. Meg's reaction did make her wonder what Raoul might say, though.

She shook the thought from her head; she was making this into a far bigger deal than it really was. Raoul knew that she and Erik were friends. There shouldn't be any problem.

Raoul made his first visit to the Giry house the day before Christmas Eve. He had been the one to suggest the visit, and Christine had been both excited and nervous since then. It wasn't like Mrs. Giry was unfairly harsh, but she was a stern, straightforward woman who could be intimidating in any circumstance, much less when it came to ensuring the welfare of her daughters. Raoul was confident in his ability to charm her, assuring Christine that, even if for no other reason, Mrs. Giry would like him because of how much she liked him.

"You clearly don't know Mrs. Giry," Christine had told him when he'd suggested this. "She's not the kind of person who will pretend to like someone more than she does just to spare feelings. She's always polite, but she lets Meg and me know what she really thinks."

"What do you think she won't like about me?" Raoul had asked with a chuckle and a teasing grin. "Should I be offended by what you think about me?"

"I don't mean it like that," she had laughed. "I just hope you get along well."

"We will, Christine," he had told her. "You have nothing to worry about."

Christine wasn't exactly worried by the time Raoul arrived at the house, but she suspected that Raoul underestimated just how intimidating Mrs. Giry could be. Tall and lithe, the woman carried herself with the grace and discipline that years of ballet had instilled in her, observing everything with the same alertness that kept her students—from wildly energetic children to headstrong teenagers—in line. A stern look and a subtle shake of her head had subdued many a misbehaving person. She wasn't one who could be easily won over with a charming smile; her liking was genuine but was only given when well deserved, and her respect was even more difficult to earn.

She quickly emerged from the kitchen when Christine invited Raoul inside, looking him over with appraising eyes and a smile that was unforced but not overly warm. Raoul stepped forward and shook her hand, returning her smile assuredly.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Giry," he said.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Mrs. Giry replied. "Christine has told me a lot about you. Please come in. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

Christine followed Mrs. Giry, leading Raoul into the living room and sitting down on the couch while Mrs. Giry took the chair across from them. Christine pressed her lips together to keep from laughing to herself when she saw Raoul move to take her hand but stop and settle back into his seat when he caught Mrs. Giry's gaze. There was nothing hostile in the exchange, but apparently he was finding her more daunting than he'd expected.

"Christine tells me you're applying to law school," Mrs. Giry said, and Raoul nodded.

"Yes, it's been a tough semester dealing with that on top of my course load," he said. "But I've worked hard and I'm pretty optimistic."

"It sounds like it's been a busy semester for both of you, then."

"It has been," Christine replied. "I think we're both very happy to be on vacation now. Last night I actually got eight consecutive hours of sleep for the first time since Thanksgiving and I feel like a new person."

"I'd say I'm ready to graduate in the spring, but I'm just going on to an even harder few years of school, so I don't know how excited for that I can really be," Raoul said with a laugh.

"And from there you're planning on joining your family's firm?"

"That's right."

Mrs. Giry nodded, though Christine couldn't tell if it was in approval or just an acknowledgement. "Christine says the two of you have known each other for quite a long time."

"Yeah, we met when we were kids," Raoul replied.

"It was that summer when Dad and I lived in that little cottage by the beach," Christine said, smiling at the memory. "We lost touch after that summer but just happened to run into each other at the beginning of the semester."

Again, Mrs. Giry nodded. Their conversation didn't progress much further before she had to leave for her studio, though, and she said goodbye to Raoul with the same politeness she had greeted him with, saying that it was very nice to meet him and she hoped to see him again soon. Christine had to admit that she had been hoping for a slightly warmer response, but at least Mrs. Giry didn't not like him. She'd only like him more the more she got to know him.

"So, how was that?" Raoul said lightly after Mrs. Giry left. "I didn't feel like that went too badly."

Christine laughed. "No, I thought it went well. She likes you. I think she just wants to keep you on your toes."

"She does have a very commanding presence," he agreed. "I'd hate to be the kid who's acting out in one of her classes."

"None of the kids in her classes act out," Christine replied with a playful smile. "They all know better."

Raoul looked around the quiet house. "Meg's not here?"

"No, she's out with a couple of her old friends from ballet."

"Well, good. There's kind of something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Christine turned to face him more squarely, sobering a little at his serious tone. "What is it?"

Raoul paused, seeming to consider his next words carefully. "Do you ever think about getting married?"

She watched his face, expecting him to give her a lighthearted smile but instead finding his expression thoughtful. The question felt sudden, but he had asked her so seriously. This clearly wasn't meant to be a light discussion about a distant, hypothetical future. No, his expression made her think that he was looking at this in far more concrete terms, and she wondered how long he'd been thinking about this.

"I guess so," she said with some hesitation. "I mean, I think it's something that I'd like to do eventually, but it still seems like it's kind of far off."

Raoul straightened, steadily meeting her eyes. "Well, I've been thinking a lot about how I'll be graduating in a few months and then going off to law school while you have another year here." Christine opened her mouth to interject, but Raoul help up a hand to stop her. "Now, I know that getting married then would be impractical, with you living here and me halfway across the country. But I was thinking that I'd like to be engaged before I leave."

He paused, waiting for Christine to react. She was beginning to feel like she was trying to catch up in a conversation that had started without her, and all she managed was a small, "Oh?"

That was all the encouragement he needed to continue. "Yeah, so, you know, we'll be committed to each other even when we're doing long-distance. You can finish your degree, and then we could get married that summer and you could move out and join me. It would all work out perfectly."

Christine hesitated, struggling a little to sort her thoughts into cohesive questions. "Do you think that we wouldn't be committed to each other if we weren't engaged?" she asked.

"Of course I don't think that," he said. "But wouldn't it be nice if we could make our relationship a little more official? I know I'd feel better about living so far away from you if people recognized you as my fiancée rather than just my girlfriend."

She wasn't sure the reasoning sat well with her but decided to move to her next thought anyway, still trying to catch up with him. "I don't know, Raoul. We'd be getting engaged after dating for less than a year. And it's been great, of course. I love you and I'm so happy with you, but don't you think it seems just a little soon? And then, what, we see each other a few times over the year that we're engaged, and then we just get married and I drop everything to move to where you are?"

Raoul gave a little laugh. "What do you mean, 'drop everything'? It's not like you have all that much here that you'd be giving up." Christine frowned, and he continued quickly. "Don't get upset. I didn't mean it like that," he said placatingly. "But think about it: all you really have here are Meg and Mrs. Giry. I'm not tearing you away from your childhood home, and it's not like you have all these amazing career prospects here that you'd be giving up."

"Meg and Mrs. Giry are my family," Christine told him. "They're all the family I have."

"But be reasonable, Christine. Do you really want to live no more than an hour or two from here for your entire life?"

"Maybe not. But if I do move, I'd like to have some say in the matter."

"Christine—" Raoul began, but she shook her head.

"I think we should talk about this later," she said. "It's a lot to think about."

"You mean you haven't thought about our future at all?" Raoul asked, hurt mixing with the lingering annoyance in his voice.

"Of course I've thought about our future. Just apparently not in the same terms you've thought about it. You kind of just sprung this whole life plan on me, and I need a chance to think about it."

Raoul sighed. "Fine. But for the record, I don't think that there's really much to think about. We love each other, and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why not make that commitment sooner rather than later?"

Christine took a deep breath, gathering her frazzled thoughts. That was exactly the problem—there was nothing to think about for him. They would be together, and he would go to school and continue down his path exactly as he would if she wasn't in the picture. Her life was the one that would be taken down a completely different path. Her life would have to conform to his plans. And, true, it wasn't like she had career prospects here or anywhere else in particular that she was trying to pursue. She really didn't have a plan at all. But right now she had the freedom to do what she needed to do to start her own life, and she wasn't sure she wanted to constrict that so soon.

She loved Raoul, and she did want to be with him, but marriage just wasn't something she had counted on in the near future. But if Raoul wanted it as much as he seemed to… she would need to consider it.