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Christine felt as if she was drowning. There was darkness eating at the corners of her vision, and she knew she was going to faint soon. She didn't know what would befall her if she lost consciousness, so she tried to stay afloat on the stormy sea Erik's rage had tossed them into.

"Christine lied to Erik! She only wanted to see his face," he cried. His voice sounded far away, as if her ears were underwater. She still understood the words even though his voice was so indistinct. Even in her hazy state of mind, Erik's words provoked Christine. It bothered her that he would think that she would lie to get what she wanted. Moreover, it pulled her up out of the water. She felt like she had just woken up from a murky nightmare.

Gasping for air, she grabbed the float and kicked her way out of the waves. She wasn't going to drown now that she was awake.

"I am not a liar!" she said, trying to pull her hands away, "I meant what I said."

"You lie!" He tightened his grip around her wrists more. She bit her lip so that she didn't cry out. Tightly, she curled her hands into fists digging her nails into her palms. She felt fury begin to well up in her chest. It wasn't exactly clear who or what Christine was angry at, but the emotion was unmistakable.

"I did not lie! Stop sulking and accept it!" she cried, the anger flowing out through her words.

Erik relaxed his grip, and Christine wrenched her hands away from him quickly. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm down. Unsure of what to say next, she waited for Erik to speak, but he was silent. At that moment, his mind was somewhere else. What Christine supposed were his eyebrows were knitted together in thought, and he was staring at her with a curious expression. Christine blushed.

"You are confusing Christine. You puzzle me," he said softly, almost in a sad tone. Even though he was looking at Christine, his eyes had a far away look to them. Feeling an eerie sort of calm, she smiled. She thought that Erik smiled in return, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Christine opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. The atmosphere in the room had curdled to an awkward feeling, and Christine looked down, unwilling to meet Erik's eyes. The action reminded him somewhat of a disobedient child about to get punished. It occurred to him that he didn't want Christine to feel that way around him. He would have said something about it, but Christine's outburst had given him much to think about. Besides, there was also a new melody weaving its way through his head.

Seeing that neither of them had anything left to say, Erik put on his mask and turned and walked away without a word.

He sat down in an armchair for a moment, deep in thought. Christine's outburst had been the first time he could remember her not being quiet and complacent. Always, she would just take whatever came to her passively. She had been little more than a rag doll. It was the first time that she'd actively resisted something. Something had changed in Christine; she had matured. Now that he thought about it, his hindsight was unbelievably clear. If he had been paying more attention, he would have seen the little signs that pointed to the subtle change. Her posture, the expression in her eyes... If only he'd been paying attention!

When Erik walked out so suddenly, Christine stood for a moment, trying to process all that had transpired. After a moment, she decided to go to bed; it was late. She recognized Erik's "composing" mood, and knew it was best to leave him alone for a little bit. It was no surprise to her to hear music coming from the music room. The melody had been in Erik's head begged to be released, so he played the piano. Christine, who hadn't gotten into her nightgown yet, stood outside the door listening.

The beginning of the piece was soft and sweet, almost like a lullaby; she smiled listening to it. Suddenly, the music swelled and grew. This new section wasn't very different, just more...substantial. The sound was fuller, somehow. Christine thought that it was a tribute to Erik's composing ability that the song didn't completely lose its innocent, childish qualities while still making clear that the melody was powerful. Apparently, it was unfinished because the music ended suddenly. Opening the door, Christine used the pause as an opportunity to tell Erik goodnight.

"Erik?"

"Yes," he asked, turning around on the piano bench.

"Goodnight." Feeling confident, Christine walked over to Erik and embraced him lightly. He stiffened slightly like before, but he reacted more quickly than last time. Christine smiled; he was learning.

"Goodnight Christine," he said softly in her ear.

Something spurred Christine to kiss him on his masked cheek. Without another word, she straightened and walked to her bedroom.

Erik could tell from her smile and the kiss that he was completely forgiven for his outburst.