thegeyerguesthoouse, thank you for the wonderful review. I can always rely on you for fantastic feedback. You really flatter me.

This is going to be a little filler. Because I think the plot needs to slow a little.

So anyway, let's carry on and stuff.

Cynthia woke, feeling silk all around her. She believed she had never been so comfortable in her entire life. Gentle and soothing music drifted through the room. She sensed that it was cold outside her fort of comfort, so instead called out.

"Erik?" She was surprised at how weak her voice sounded, it cracked from lack of use. So she cleared it, but before she could call out again a finger pressed against her lips.

"Shhhh." Erik whispered in a hushed tone. Slowly, he took away his hushing finger from her rosen lips. Once again she opened her mouth to speak and he had to stop her. "Please, don't speak. Your voice is swollen."

Cynthia looked at him oddly, cocking her head; nonetheless obeying his wish. "If you want it to get better rather than worse, you'll do your best not to use it and let it recover. Okay?"

She sighed in disbelief but went along with charade. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, about last night- she supposed they could wait. She felt his warm hand wrap around hers and tug gently.

So she let him lead her out of bed and felt as her feet padded along the cold but surprisingly smooth and clean feeling ground. They walked for a couple of seconds until he let go of her hand. Listening to him walking away for a few seconds and then coming back with something that clicked and clacked in his hands.

She sensed him getting smaller, kneeling? Then he picked up her foot and slid it into the shoe. At this, she frowned.

"I am capable of putting my own shoes on, you know? Just because i'm-" Her short rant was interrupted by his chuckle as he slid on the second shoe.

"Yes, I am very aware." Now he stood, towering over her, "However I wanted to." his hand brushed her cheek and she gasped, she had never anticipated the contact. "People have given me many names Cynthia."

"Devil, angel, father, murderer, beast...Phantom." She nodded sadly, moving into his touch. " But before you, I am none of these. I am a mere man, a servant before your pureness. And your evil." Her brows furrowed and she went to shout in protest.

However this time there was no time to bring up his hand and silence her with his hand. So he kissed her. He felt her warm lips and the way they spasmed slightly in shock, gradually relaxing and welcoming him. Eventually, it had to end.

"If you had let me continue with my point, your evil is your way with men. Your way with me." Cynthia stood, dumbstruck. She was hardly even listening to his words. No man had ever spoken to her like this,dared to call her 'evil', even dared to insult her and her wicked tongue.

Yet here he stood, a man with no more options- a man so hideous that no woman could ever love him and he dared to stand up to her. He made her furious! He toyed with her and messed around with her head! As did she.

That kiss set her heart alight, made her feel things she never felt with Nadir. But there was no comfort in it. This man, this dreadfully scary man was risky and dangerous and everything a woman shouldn't want in a man. But she wanted it, she wanted it so bad.

But Nadir was something different. He made her feel comfortable, he was safe and he was kind. If she wanted to be with him, he would be there and no one would question it. He was everything a woman wanted in a man... But she realised, she didn't want it.

Erik watched as she had her head down. It twitched slightly, like she was having a little debate in her head. His far too vivid to be sensible imagination started to give him little images that made him chuckle.

A little debate in her head like a conscience, on one side she was dressed in red, the other in white. She was sat in the middle trying to keep up with what they were saying. Or a little tug of war, him pulling one of her arms, Nadir the other.

He smiled to himself, but he must have been there a long time because when he snapped back into reality, he was nudging his arm. "Oh, I do apologise. I was miles away." He patted her head and walked past her.

She followed behind him, not entirely sure on how to proceed. Feeling around, she found a chair, then quickly sat in it in an attempt to look natural. It was to no avail.

He looked at her, sitting there looking completely uncomfortable. It looked like she was trying too hard to look natural. IT really didn't suit her.

"Are you quite comfortable there?" A blush immediately crossed her cheeks and she nodded. "It's just you keep wriggling around like caterpillar under a magnifying glass." She stopped dead and tried not to move. And that supressed chuckle escaped him once again.

"Erik?" Her voice was still weak but she wanted to speak and he knew that he couldn't stop her. "I'm still... i'm still scared of you."

Those words made his heart-break. His Mother was scared of him, Christine and now her... BUt he had to understand, he had to cope and he had to be patient. "Erik?" She called out again.

She couldn't sense a reaction, he wasn't moving and he wasn't speaking. Silence, tension and anticipation filled the room. Then he stood, he walked away. "Erik?" Once again she called out, then coughed- her throat really did hurt.

When he came back, he was walking faster. Her heart thundered in her ears; what was he going to do? What was he going to say? That's when she felt his tight hand wrap around her wrist ans haul her up.

He shoved something glossy and wooden into her left hand, then the right. Then he sat back down in the chair opposite. For a while she stood there just scanning he fingers along the foreign objects until it dawned on her.

It was a bow and a violin. He wanted a private concert.

What will happen next?!

Will they get together?!

Will she give him a 'private concert'?!

Find out, next time in The Girl with the Auburn Hair!

Peace!