Author's Note: Well, here it is. I stepped away from the story for about a month. Yesterday, out of complete curiousity, I opened up the file. Rereading it, I realized I did want to use it for Chapter Eleven, so here it is!

But first, Reviewer Thanks:

MJ MOD - Thanks for reading the story! Glad you like it.

oMAo - I'm glad you liked Chapter 10! This one's for you.

Jack's Confession - Glad you like the story! Enjoy, enjoy!

Theresa - maybe things like these DO happen in real life. Ask me about the butterfly part. You'll see what I mean.

To all my past reviewers - Thank you! You guys have some catching up to do. :D

And now, Chapter Eleven.

THEY AWOKE…

…with the rising of the sun.

"Oh!" said Katherine, surprised that they have been in the garden all night.

"Good morning," said Erik, smiling.

She rubbed her eyes childishly, and replied with a muffled "Morning."

"How about we take a walk around the garden? It is far more beautiful in the morning sun." said the Masked Man, standing and taking her hand.

As the sun moved overheard, it lit up each bed of flowers. They walked, hand in hand, smiling, looking at each other every once in a while. Erik proceeded to tell Katherine about the garden, how he and Madame Giry had started cultivating it, adding a new group of flowers every few months or years. She listened intently as Erik proceeded to point out each group of flowers that he had added, and she told him what they symbolized, if she recognized the flower.

"The first flowers I put in the garden were the baby's breath."

"Purity of the heart," said Katherine, squeezing his hand.

"Those heathers," he continued.

"When you felt lonely," she said, nodding.

They continued to walk, when Katherine noticed a patch of flowers that was wilting horribly.

'Begonias,' thought Katherine. Her heart swelled in sadness. 'Begonias symbolize dark thoughts and deformity,' she thought, not saying a word of it to Erik. She sympathized for the man whose hand she now held. 'Such a poor creature,' she thought.

Erik seemed to know which flowers had caught her attention. "Those begonias are wilting," he said, "but I have no reason to water them. They remind me of…" he stopped, and let go of Katherine's hand.

"Erik," Katherine said quietly, trying to reach for his hand again. His breath had quickened, and suddenly, he jumped into the patch of begonias and proceeded to rip out each and every flower, and every bulb and root that remained. Dirt flew everywhere, and when he was done, Erik was breathing heavily. Standing up, he walked up towards her again.

She couldn't help herself. Katherine started laughing. The Masked Man, usually so proper and serious, had just completely let his guard down. He was covered in dirt and what was left from the torn begonias. Katherine laughed so heartedly, that, Erik, first surprised at her reaction (but only slightly), quickly joined in. Her laugh was infectious. They laughed so hard that soon, they both found themselves crying with delight.

Clutching her stomach, Katherine sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed."

Wiping the dirt off of his clothes, Erik said, "I don't blame you." He then smiled at her, and continued, "I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time."

"Neither have I," she replied.

The two spent a long while in the garden, walking about. They even passed by a small creek, where they relaxed for a while. Katherine dipped her toes into the creek, and watched the sun gleam through the leaves as Erik remained silent, watching her. She really was beautiful. Perhaps it seemed hard to notice in the day-to-day sense, but here, out in the garden, with the quiet atmosphere, she glowed with a beauty he had never seen before.

"Look!" she whispered suddenly. She smiled at him and pointed to a big yellow butterfly floating through the garden. The creature seemed to come straight from the sunlight. It settled itself not too far from the pair, and Katherine silently walked towards it.

She watched the butterfly as it busied itself with a flower. It seemed to notice her presence, but was not threatened by it.

When Katherine was less than a foot away from it, she called to Erik, "Come here."

And, truly intrigued, he went to where she was, still observing the butterfly.

Slowly and carefully, Katherine put two fingers out near the left wing of the butterfly. As it fluttered, she felt each beat of the wing against her finger.

The wing of a butterfly, if you ever get to touch it, is unlike anything you've ever touched. It is so delicate that you fear to harm it, and yet so soft that you feel like you have been let in on a magnificent surprise. It is a wonder almost beyond words. It is something different, and something you will never forget.

Katherine took one of Erik's hands and removed its glove. "Here," she said, directing his hand in the direction of the butterfly. Soon, Erik too had felt the beat of the butterfly's wing against his skin. "What a wonder!" he thought, amazed.

And, just as Erik pulled his hand back, the butterfly lifted itself off of the flower and circled both him and Katherine. Katherine giggled softly, and Erik smiled. The butterfly floated away silently into a farther part of the garden.

Katherine turned to Erik, and, putting her hand on his chest, whispered, "We've been blessed!"

Second Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Please, don't forget to review! Adieu.