Chapter 13 –

Elizabeth sat, contemplating what Erik had said. There was so much she didn't know about him, and she would never know. It made her pity him, but she knew that he would never accept anyone's pity. She was starting to find it difficult to find the right things to say. She always had to think about it first, before outright saying it, just in case it would make him sad, or make him go into a fit of rage, like before. She had been terrified of him at that moment; he had looked like he would truly harm her.

Then, of course, there were moments when he could sit nicely and have a nice, normal conversation with not only her, but also his students, and her whole family. It didn't make sense at all. When anyone else she knew was angry, you knew it right away. Erik was very good at keeping his anger inside and taking all his frustrations out in one single moment. She fell asleep, trying to understand a fragment of everything Erik, but it seemed impossible.

The next morning, Elizabeth woke early and decided that if they were going to be exchanging gifts that morning, she should go and buy something nice for Caroline. She was ready and heading downstairs when she saw Erik leaving the house.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked curiously. Did he leave like this all the time, or was it just something she didn't notice?

He turned around. "I'm going out."

"Where?"

"I'm going into town, if you must know."

"What for?"

"A gift."

She looked at him and half smiled. "Could it be for me?" He just looked at her.

"Sometimes you really do just act like a child."

"I am a child, but anyway, I need to go to town and pick up something for Caroline. I'd feel bad if everyone else was receiving gifts and she was forgotten."

"That's very sweet of you," and he motioned for her to walk in front of him.

When Erik walked out of the house, he hadn't been looking at Elizabeth, and she hit him with a snowball in the arm. At first he looked at her, a little surprised. Then he smiled.

"That's for calling me a child."

"Well, you are one. Now come on." He walked a bit ahead of her, and, as she walked around the corner of the house, he hit her with one. She was even more surprised that he had done it; it was not typical Erik behavior. Afterward, he just turned around and got the horses ready for traveling to town. He acted as if it didn't happen. This made Elizabeth burst out laughing.

Erik looked to her, and couldn't help but smile at her. As much as she annoyed him, and brought out the worst in him, he couldn't help but like her at this moment.

The ride to town was relatively silent, as the two were lost in thought for what to buy. Elizabeth didn't know what to get for a twelve year old, and Erik knew even less about what to get for Elizabeth.

The two reached town and went to the largest store there. It wasn't open yet, but Elizabeth knew the owner, and he was happy to let them in early. Elizabeth immediately found a table of porcelain dolls like the one she had bought for her niece. She didn't think Caroline was too old for this type of doll, but she thought she might look around more. She found a few little table ornaments that the girl might like, but she still didn't think they were nice enough.

Erik made his way around the store, trying to stay out of Elizabeth's way. He wasn't sure at all what to get her; he never even really given a proper gift to Christine. He walked around the store, still not knowing what to get her, when he came across what he thought was a very pretty jewelry box. It was made of ebony wood and it had carved leaves around the sides of it. When he opened it, it began to play a song. At first he wasn't sure what it was, but then it struck him: it was a version of Johann Pachelbel's Canon. He knew that this was the perfect gift, mainly because he had heard her playing it the morning before.

He waited until Elizabeth had walked over to something near the window, and he rushed- as much as someone like Erik ever rushes- to the counter. He quickly paid for it and had it wrapped. Elizabeth saw him a few minutes later with a wrapped package. "I thought you didn't have any money—since I haven't paid you yet?"

He smiled. "I found some money hidden away."

"I'm sure of it. Now, please help me find a gift for Caroline."

"I thought the dolls you were looking at were nice."

"I don't know, she is twelve, and maybe it is a little immature for a twelve year old." she replied, looking back at the dolls. She walked back over to them. Erik stood behind her. "I like that one. It almost looks like her, with the hair and the blue eyes." Elizabeth offered, "But she wouldn't ever wear a dress like that."

"Does the doll have to look like her?" Erik asked, but he was completely ignored.

"This one has a dark blue dress like the one she wore yesterday, but it has black hair and brown eyes." Erik opened his mouth to offer another suggestion, but Elizabeth hurried over to the counter. "Am I allowed to change to outfits on the dolls?" she asked the storeowner. He laughed a little but then nodded and Elizabeth turned back to the dolls. When she finally had the one she wanted, the two headed back for the house.

"It is almost nine o'clock, so everyone should be awake, or almost ready to wake up." Elizabeth said on the carriage ride back. She seemed happy that she had gotten the right gift.

When they arrived at the house, Erik went straight for his room, while Elizabeth took the wrapped doll to the tree.

When everyone had awoken and eaten breakfast, they all moved their chairs around the tree. "So, who would like to go first?" Elizabeth asked. Amelia looked like she was going to fall off her seat if she didn't get to open one of hers. "How about if Amelia goes first?" Elizabeth asked, and saw the girl's face light up immediately. She handed her a small package from her brother. Inside were some supplies she needed for school. It wasn't a very exciting gift, but she was happy, for the time being. Next went, Daniel because it had been his gift to Amelia. He received some things he needed for riding from Elizabeth.

Elizabeth opened her gift, and it went on like that. She made sure she saved the two dolls for the very end, and she gave them to the girls at the same time. They opened them and Amelia smiled and hugged hers. "They're so pretty." she said, looking between her own and Caroline's. "And they look like us." Elizabeth took a second look and laughed.

"Oh I'm sorry, I gave you the wrong ones, this one was Caroline's and this one Amelia's."

"But I like this one, it will remind me of my new friend." Amelia said happily.

"I agree. Besides, I think having a little doll that looked like me would be a little scary sitting in my room." Caroline added and everyone began to laugh.

Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder about Erik's gift. He had been given a small gift from her brother and the family, because she had written them about her houseguest, but he had stayed very silent through the whole thing. She also was curious about the gift he had gotten her earlier.

Around eleven o'clock, Caroline's carriage arrived and she went home. She said goodbye to everyone and Daniel offered to walk her to the carriage. The adults eyed each other but stayed silent.

Around two o'clock, after an early tea, David and his family decided to take a trip into town. Elizabeth said she wasn't in the mood, and Erik declined, so the four set out alone.

Elizabeth was sitting in her study when Erik knocked on the door. She let him come in. Behind his back he held the package he had gotten that morning.

"I have a gift for you." he said nicely. Elizabeth smiled.

"I figured you did." she replied happily and he sat down in the chair next to hers. She took off the wrapping carefully and found the wood box inside. "Oh, it's so pretty!" She exclaimed. "The carving is amazing."

"Open it." Erik said with a smile.

She looked at him strangely, but she opened it anyway and the music began to play. Her hand went to her mouth. "I love this piece; it is one of my favorites. How did you know?"

"I heard you playing it yesterday morning. I just came across it at the store by luck."

"Oh, thank you Erik, it's so sweet!" She set the box down on her desk and hugged him. At first he was a little surprised, but he hugged her back. "It makes my gloves seem very unimportant." she said, after they broke the hug.

"I like the gloves, and I needed gloves, so don't worry about that. I think that my hands are at least of some importance." Elizabeth laughed at this.

"Still, your gift is very sweet." He nodded. He scanned over her desk for a minute.

"What are you working on?"

"I was just going over ideas for the spring show."

"Already? The break's not even over yet."

"I know, but first I have to find the story, then I have to compose it, and then we have to teach it to the students. Last year they barely got two months to practice after we had auditions."

"Well, this year you have me to help compose it, so we should get it done in no time." Elizabeth nodded. "So—tell me how this show works again? We hold auditions for the main roles for dancers and singers and we compose the music for the band and audition solos for them?"

"Yes. This year, however, I think I'll do it a little differently. I think that, instead of one long story, I'll do a mixture of different fairy tales, so almost everyone gets a singing and dancing solo. What we usually do is double-cast each of the main roles as a dancer and a singer, so, for example, while Cinderella is singing about something she is a vocal student but while she at the ball dancing with the prince, she is a dancing student. That way, everything is fair. The musicians will all play all the songs, both singing and dancing pieces, and students audition for instrument solos. We usually write enough instrumental solos for almost the whole band, since they don't get to be seen. Oh, and the roles in the stories that don't have singing at all, we always give to dancers."

"That makes sense, I like it. It's very fair." Erik agreed. "What fairy tales do you have in mind?"

"I know for sure that I want to do Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. I think we should do seven in total. I think that any more than seven would drag it on too long. Here's a list of a few more I've been looking at."

Erik looked them over and found that he had actually read most of them when he was younger, from a book on fairy tales Madame Giry used to read to Meg when she was little. "I like The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rupuzel." Erik replied after a while. "I can almost pick certain students for each role. I think Caroline would make the perfect Cinderella, Emily would make a wonderful Red Riding Hood."

"Yes, that is what I like about the mixture of fairy tale ideas, I've already written down a cast I would like for each one."

"I think that instead of auditions, we should just decide for ourselves who could do it. It would give us more time. We could send a message to Meg and she could do the same for her dancers, and Mr. Colvin and Mr. Jacobs probably already know who they are giving the solos to." Elizabeth nodded. "If we had the cast decided right after the break, we could have costumes made right away.. If we work hard enough, we can get some of the music composed before school starts again. It would give more time for rehearsals and less chance of people forgetting things. Why don't we go over who we think would be good for each of these roles?"

Erik set down a piece of parchment and the two began thinking of who could play whom. The only problem they found was that they would need to use girls as dwarfs in Snow White. They talked for hours, and they didn't even realize that everyone else had arrived home. Reluctantly, they went for dinner but they still had a ton of work to do.

A/N- I thought I'd be a really nice storywriter person and reply to all my nice reviews!

Christy Day - My first review! Thanks...i like Elizabeth's character, I wanted someone who wasn't really afraid of most people...sorta to challenge Erik. So Elizabeth's character seemed to work well.

ante mortem - You have replied the most and I'm glad you like it...I love ELizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice so I thought I'd incorporate little things from that book into my story, I didn't want anything like an exact copy of it, but I decided a few things were worth using in the story. And I'd like you to rave as much as you'd like because I lvoe the reviews

The Siltent violinist - Thanks, I'm glad you like it, I'm having and blast writing it. And I'd like more reviews, but If I'm getting good ones from a small amout of people that's enough for me.

KitsuneRW - Yeah thanks, I love little reviews liek this...and I'm sorry I took almost a month for one of my chapters, I had a ton of people over at my house and it couldn't get any time on the computer, but thanks for being loyal!

MastersofNight - Your comment was really great, I'm really really glad you liked the interaction with teh children, at first I wasn't sure if their reaction to them was very good, but then I thought that because of his teaching they wouldn't be so judgemental about the mask... Also thansk for the comment about Elizabeth, I like her too. And yes, "you guys" probably not the best choice of words, I really need to go back and find where I did that.

Harem98 - Thanks for teh comments at the 2 chapter mark, I love it when people reply every once in a while. Also, thanks for teh comment on the Christine part, I wasn't srue if the confrontation was very good, but thanks. Also thanks for liking ELizabeth.And yes I thought I should do his outburst because he was becoming a little to OOC fora while, so he needed to get angry.

Eleniel of the Stars - Yeah his temper is a bit more controlled, he outbursts a bit but he is still Erik. And I'm glad you like it.

light barrer -I'm really glad you like it, and here'sa new chapter for you and I love it when reviewers use exclamation points (!) because then I know they are probably excited about it. (yes a little strange, but I'm like that sometime.)

Also huge thansk to Gevasia because my story would be nothing without her wonderful Betaing I love her! I don't think she even comes here at but she is on Aria...but thanks to her anyway because she is great!