Thanks again to my recent reviewers: KitsuneRW, Priestess of Anubis, letthedreamdescend, and Blissful Rose.

Please, please let me know if I've gotten too cheesy or overly sappy with this chapter. It sounded fine when I wrote it a couple of weeks ago, but now it just seems kinda silly sweet... :)

Chapter 12

They sat there, gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, neither wanting to break the precious bond that had formed between them. She found herself lost in his eyes, wishing she could take all of his pain away. He was lost in her eyes, his mind filled with conflicting emotions. He relished the affection for him that he seemed to see in her eyes and feel in her touch, but in the same instance, he couldn't comprehend how it was that she could so easily overlook his outward appearance, her actions going against the set standard of fear and loathing that nearly everyone else he'd ever encountered had either met or exceeded.

She sighed deeply before breaking the silence. "Well, dear Erik, I don't know about you, but I'm positively exhausted," she said with a tired smile. Her right hand was still resting on his hand. She squeezed his hand lightly before retracting her hand so she could sit up straight and stretch her back.

He took a deep breath himself and just nodded in agreement.

"Come, I need to check on your wounds, and then you need to rest. It's getting late," she said as she got up and stretched her hand out to him. He gently took it and got up, following her to his bedroom. When they reached the bed, he sat down and looked up at her with the sweetest, sad puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen.

She smiled at him and again caressed the right side of his face lovingly. She vaguely noted that he closed his eyes each time she caressed his face, and it was somehow very endearing to her. That simple action seemed to convey how grateful he was for her tender and willing touch.

"Okay, off with your clothes," she said, accidentally breaking the bond between them by not paying attention to the words she had used.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a slight smirk. "Off with my clothes?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and then laughed at herself. "You know what I mean. Off with the jacket so that I can check your arm," she said, shaking her head with a faint smile at her own inattention to the words she had chosen.

He took off his jacket and laid back against the mass of pillows near the back portion of the swan bed frame. She slid up his sleeve and checked on his arm and then rolled up his pants leg to re-examine his leg wound. "All looks in order. I'll change the bandages out tomorrow, so you're good for tonight," she said.

He gave her a single nod as she rolled his pants leg back down. As he moved around a bit to make himself more comfortable among the generous amount of pillows, he winced slightly when he moved his right shoulder in a manner that his body didn't much appreciate. He glanced at her, hoping she hadn't seen.

"How's the shoulder?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to the right, waiting to see if he'd tell her the truth. His wincing had definitely not escaped her notice.

"It's fine," he lied. "No problems."

"No problems, huh? That would explain the look of pain that just washed over your face. Nice try," she admonished. "Let me have a look," she said as she gestured for him to sit up.

He rolled his eyes, sighing heavily, but complied with her silent request for him to sit up. She sat in the tiny space between him and the back of the bed frame and proceeded to massage his shoulders gently. She could feel him take a big breath and hold it as soon as she touched him. She continued massaging as she whispered in his ear, "You've got to relax, Erik. Otherwise it does no good."

He could feel her warm breath on the back of his neck, and it took all his might to force himself to release the breath he'd been holding and try to relax. She could feel a slight tremble come over him and heard the shudder in his exhale as he slowly released his breath. She smiled to herself as she imagined his eyes closing again in the tender way he had done earlier each time she had caressed his face. She continued to work on his shoulders, her soothing touch working out the tension from their earlier melee.

"How does that feel?" she asked, not really needing him to answer. She could feel the tension melting away and heard a few soft moans escape his lips. She briefly reflected on the fact that these moans pleased her more than the moans she'd heard when she first saw her angel, given that he was injured and lying among scattered debris at the time, moaning in pain. She had the feeling she was putting him to sleep, so she swept her fingers lightly over his neck and shoulders before gently caressing his right arm as she made an attempt to get up.

When Erik felt her having trouble getting up, he had an overwhelming urge to be ornery and lay back just a little in an effort to keep her where she was. It took Nicole a moment or two to finally realize what Erik was up to. "Excuse me," she said with mock irritation. "It's time for me to get up and for you to get some sleep, so do you mind?"

He laid back further, resting his head on her shoulder. He looked up at her with an impish grin. "I'm sorry, am I in the way?" he asked with false innocence.

"Well, at least your humor has returned," she said with a smile. "I'm glad. Now, if you don't mind, I really do need to get up. This bed frame is terribly uncomfortable, I'm afraid, and my back is killing me."

He decided to comply and let her up, though he silently relished being so close to her.

"Thank you," she said as she clumsily got up. "My back thanks you, too."

"Well, then. Perhaps I can return the courtesy of a shoulder massage," he suggested, trying to ignore the instant jolt of irrational fear that she might shy away from his touch.

"Hmm…I think I could handle that," she said with a smirk. She got herself into position in front of him, waiting patiently as he adjusted his own position, sitting up a little straighter so he could easily move and work on her shoulders.

He'd never given anyone a massage before. Heck, he'd barely even touched anyone else before. So he found himself to be quite nervous as he put his shaking hands on her shoulders and then paused. He was pleasantly surprised when he felt her tremble at his touch and found it intoxicating.

"Is something wrong, Erik?" she asked, yanking him out of his reverie.

"Er…no. It's just that I…I've never given… That is, I've never…" he stammered.

"Given a massage before?" she finished for him.

"Yes, that's it," he said with a little embarrassment.

"No worries. Let me show you," she said. "Give me your hand."

He hesitated before he slipped his left hand between her left side and arm, and again released a deep, shuddering breath. She turned ever so slightly and saw that, as she had predicted to herself, his eyes were tightly closed. He looked so beautiful in that moment that it took all her strength not to turn around and kiss him. Instead, she settled for smiling at him before turning her attention back to his outstretched and trembling hand.

She took his hand and started massaging gently with both of her hands. She held his hand up enough so he could see over her shoulder, but she had the feeling his eyes were still closed. "Erik, are you able to see what I'm doing, or are you too lost in a state of relaxation?" she inquired with a smile.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Did you say something?" he asked dreamily. Focusing his attention on watching as her hands moved lovingly over his, he said, "Oh, okay. I think I get it."

"Here, give me your other hand. It always feels strange when only one half is done," she said, laying his left hand off to the side and waiting for his other hand. After a moment's hesitation, he gave her his other hand, and she proceeded to massage it as well. When she was done, she placed his right hand to the side, and asked, "Okay. Is that better now?"

He took a moment to flex his hands, opening and closing them multiple times before saying, "Yes, thank you very much. That felt…wonderful." He then put his freshly-massaged hands back on her shoulders and proceeded to mimic her actions. Unfortunately, his inexperience caused him to squeeze a bit too hard, and he heard her cry out softly.

He quickly stopped, his hands flying from her shoulders to her upper arms as he pulled her back towards him and called her name, "Nicole? I'm sorry. Was I too rough?"

"Just a little on the hard side," she said, "though not to worry. I'm not as fragile as I look. You're not going to break me. Shall we try again?"

"Yes, if you're sure about this" he said timidly as he put his hands back on her shoulders and tried again. Again, he was a bit rougher than she could handle, and again she cried out.

"Damn! Nicole…I'm sorry. Apparently I don't have what it takes to be gentle," he said with disappointment in his voice.

"Nonsense," she replied. "I have an idea. Treat my shoulders as you would your keyboard."

He thought for a moment and then put his hands back in place and caressed her shoulders with a tenderness she had never felt from him before. Apparently her suggestion was the perfect analogy. She let herself relax, and Erik took sweet pleasure in hearing the same gentle moans from her as she'd caused him to make earlier.

He knew her words had given him the right mental picture, and he reveled in being able to touch her in such a manner as he'd never done with anyone before. He was rapidly forming the opinion that this was by far the best day of his entire life. It was the first time he'd ever felt truly appreciated for his talent; the first day he felt wanted by anyone; and the first day someone had made him feel like a true man and not a monster.

After the massage, she got up and thanked him for an incredible job on her shoulders. While she had the urge to just lie down beside him and feel his strong arms envelop her, she knew she must be getting home and he must rest. So she said her good-nights to him and kissed him on the forehead before she turned to go.

"Nicole?" he called to her as she reached the door.

"Yes, Erik?" she asked

"Thank you again…for everything," he said.

"You're more than welcome. I'll see you in the morning, my sweet angel of music," she said with a smile. She then walked out the door, gathered her stuff, and went home.