The next morning Erik woke to the familiar smell of coffee. He sighed and rolled out of his coffin.

Did he have to share his house with the early birds?

Amanda was in the kitchen talking with Lauren, who had her fiddle under her chin.

"What smells so good?"

"Flap-Jacks." she said,

"What?"

"Pancakes."

"What?" Amanda tried to explain what pancakes where while Lauren refrained from hitting Erik over the head with her fiddle.

After that conversation was over Lauren got up to get a cup of coffee and hopped up on the counter to drink it.

"Lauren get off the counter"

"Bite me." he sighed.

"You are impossible."

"I know."

"I am not surprised you do not have a bou."

"I do! I have two! A long bow, and a compound-"

"He means a boyfriend."

"oh! Long story! The short one is- Too much work, too much time, too much hurt."

"In other words." Amanda said.

"She is terrified of Men."

"Damn straight!"

"Do I scare you?" Erik said.

"No."

"But you just said-"

"I am not interested in you...like that."

"I see."

"Pancakes?" Amanda said

"I made the syrup!" Lauren said hopping off the counter

"How?"

"Brown sugar and hot water."

"thats not-"

"I know but it tastes good!"

Erik found that the pancakes where the best thing ever. American food wasn't half that bad. He also found that the only thing that Lauren could cook. Was brown sugar and hot water.

He remembered why he let the early birds live with him. One because of he didn't they would be selling maps to his house. Two. They where not such bad cooks.. Three they kept the house clean.

They talked about music during breakfast. Dance, art. And lots of things. Lauren kept dropping hints that the opera the house had been rehearsing for months was about to open. Erik ignored her to the best of his capabilities. After breakfast Lauren cleaned up, and Amanda and Erik went to go have singing lessons... so they said. Lauren didn't even want to know what they where doing. She did hear singing for a while..But then it got very quiet. Lauren pulled her guitar out. And softly began to sing.

How do you explain,
How do you describe,
A love that goes from east to west,
And runs and deep as it is wide?

You know all our hopes
Lord, you know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear

So listen to our hearts
Hear our spirits sing
A song of praise that flows
From those You have redeemed
We will use the words we know
To tell You what an awesome God You are
But words are not enough
To tell You of our love
So listen to our hearts
So if You listen to my heart
Every beat would say,
"Thank You for the Life, thank You for the Truth, thank You for the Way."

That was her Favorite praise song.

She heard it at camp once. And it never left her.

She put her head on Sam's shoulder, and sighed.

"Good. Now try to bring the notes up higher." Erik instructed Amanda.

She did. Perfectly. She was the perfect student. Erik sighed.

"What? Was that not good enough?" Amanda said. In response to his sigh.

"No! It was perfect!"

"oh! Okay good."

Erik began to flicker the notes on the piano they where sitting at.

"Amanda?" said Erik

"mhhmm?"

"Do you want to...do something tonight?"

"Sure. Like what?"

"Well...What would you do for a ...date?"

"So this is a date?"

Erik went scarlet under the mask.

"Yeah." Amanda said answering for him

"Its a date."

"So...What would you..do?"

"Well the typical date is dinner and a movie. Buut... that Opera sounds more fun than a movie."

"Right!" He pretended to know what a movie was.

"What about Lauren?" Amanda said

"She and her rock will have a splendid time together." Erik said.

"True." Amanda said

"Its a date."