Bwhahaha! once again, i have returned with a new chapter under my wing! or under my Microsoft Word file...nevermind. (sighs) sorry for the wait, but it has been a very tight and tense week/month so typing has been out for awhile. (cries) BUT i am back!

I'm hoping i will be able to get on and have no misshaps again...geez my mother split Diet Coke over the old keyboard and we couldn't find out what was wrong for DAYS until i tipped it and all the soda came pouring out. (shakes head)

anyways, hope you enjoy the chappy and plz tell me if i got Erik's character in better, my other phan phriend told me he wasn't very good in the last chappy...(grrrr)

DISCLAIMER: the only thing i own is my incredible typing fingers!

Part Forty-five:

Lark awoke with a start and lay silently in her bed, trembling. It was the nightmare again. The one with Mama…She looked hesitantly at the black, worn mask sitting quietly on her bedside table and felt one or two tears trickle out onto her paled cheeks. Lark sat up and hastily wiped at her moist eyes with her arm. Then she sighed and looked around at where she was. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised. It was Christmas and she had to give Erik her gift. The girl dug under her pillow and was relieved, and maybe a little disappointed, that her gift was still there.

She grinned and flounced out of bed, not bothering to even comb her hair, and ran out the door.

Erik was sleeping by the time a shriek of joy woke him up. "Erik! Erik!" He felt a heavy object fling itself on top of him. He gave a groan of pain and opened his eyes to find himself face to face with a flushed, excited young face. "Wake up!" the pretty face demanded impatiently, "Wake up, Erik! It's the morning!" He slowly sat up and shook his head, trying to remember where he was.

"What?" he asked groggily. The face, or Lark, made a face and waved a parcel in his face. "Christmas!" she crowed, throwing herself on top of him again. She bounced up and down in the small space of the coffin jolting him around uncomfortably. The coffin…Erik started, horrified, and glanced hastily at the child's reaction of the coffin. He still slept in it, but nowadays, he had felt more and more unease sleeping in a box where the dead were supposed to rest. But looking at the excitable child, Lark seemed undisturbed, or unaware, that he was in an open coffin.

"Erik, please wake up!" she demanded, bouncing them both again. "You have to open your present!" He looked at her with unclear eyes, still fuzzy from sleep. "Present?" he echoed, surprised. Did he get gifts? No, he never got gifts. Why was he getting one now? Had he been good? Lark looked at him worriedly and touched his shoulder. "Erik?" she squeaked, "are you in there?" He snapped out of his musing to look at her oddly, his face still blank.

She grinned suddenly and poked him in the head singing out, "Hello?? Hello in there?? Anyone hoooome??" She knocked carefully on the side of his head like a door. That did it. Erik caught her hand and glared at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, peeved. The child just clapped her hands together. "Oh good!" she exclaimed, pleased, "someone is home!" Laughing at his surprised face she pushed the parcel in his hands and snuggled closer to him.

"Open it!" she ordered in a hushed voice, "You'll like it, I think." And, with both of them staring at the parcel as though it was a treasure chest, Erik gently tugged the wrappings away from a gorgeous mahogany violin. He stared at it and felt his jaw go slack with surprise. "Do you like it?" she asked softly. He looked at her and then back at the flawless instrument, tears pricking his eyes.

"Yes." He whispered. "I do like it." Composing himself a bit more, he became aware that the instrument was- "So, no viola, I see." Lark glared at him while he smirked. Then her face fell slightly and she hung her head. "I forgot what they looked like, okay?" she whispered, her face reddening with embarrassment. Erik shrugged. "It doesn't matter; I always liked the violin better." Lark looked at him with surprise. "Really?"

"No, not really, but it doesn't matter." He pulled off the rest of the paper off the violin as the girl stared at him with disbelief, mouth open. Erik glanced at her once. "Bugs will fly into your mouth if you let it hang open that way." Her mouth immediately shut, he grinned and turned back to is gift. Then it hit him. "What…do I give you?" Erik asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Huh?" He sighed and tapped his violin. "You gave me a gift, correct?" She nodded. "And so I have to give you one in exchange, correct?"

She looked blankly at him. "Isn't that the way this holiday works?" Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open again. "You'd give me something?" she asked incredulously. "You would give me a present?" Erik shrugged. "Well, why not?" he asked. Lark bit her lip. "Anything?" she questioned. Erik paused then stated, "Within reason, of course." She nodded then thought heavily about it while he checked the strings and plucked a few, adjusting when needed.

"Can I…" Lark hesitated. Erik glanced at her. "Yes?" She fumbled with a piece of her hair, twining it around her finger. "Can I ask… questions?"

Questions, questions...Plz review! i need to get better!