In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Erik had been hard at work preparing a gift for his bride to celebrate the occasion. He worked in secret as he so often did, giving Gaia no reason to suspect him of anything abnormal. Working in the dead of night, Erik drew up plans for a house on the land he had bought with his earnings from the project. The house worked well into the landscape, as natural as a house could be. Surrounding it was a vineyard, and off at the end of the vineyard a decrepit old winery that could be turned into a little bed and breakfast like she had mentioned maybe one day running. The land was a mess but wouldn't take much work to turn into a charming country home for the young couple. Erik's only real concern was that it was a bit rural for his newfound occupation, and he hoped she wouldn't mind him traveling too much.

It was while Erik was working on his final sketches he heard his fiancé call out to him in a panic from upstairs. In a heartbeat Erik was up, fearing the worst; had one of Marco's friends come to finish the job? Perhaps he hadn't really killed Marco after all, and he had returned to do it himself? Erik entered Gaia's room without knocking, and was surprised to find her sitting up in bed clutching her sheets with fright, but very much alone. She was crying quietly, a sight Erik was certain he had never seen out of the girl who usually carefully hid her emotions.

"Gaia what's wrong?"

"It was only a nightmare… I'm so sorry Erik, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered, clearly embarrassed by her display but still clinging to the sheets with white knuckles.

"It's all right. Are you sure everything is okay?" He asked again, and she nodded quietly. The masked man left reluctantly back to the basement, unsure of how to handle a situation like this; he had had plenty of nightmares in his lifetime, and he knew how terrifying they could be, but she insisted on being left alone. What else could he do?

Erik had only been back in the basement for a few minutes when he heard the door softly open and click closed again. He turned to look and frowned some to see Gaia standing there, holding her warmest robe tight around her in spite of the fact it was a comfortable autumn thus far. Before he could ask her what she needed, she spoke. "Is it okay if I sleep down here with you?" Her voice was quiet and shy, and clearly she knew it was an inappropriate question… but her tone held a considerable amount of fear in it still, so much so that Erik couldn't possibly refuse.

"Of course," he told her, and moved to turn down the sheets. Once she had climbed into bed he blew out the lantern and moved to the more comfortable chair than the one at his work desk to spend the night.

Gaia frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep," Erik answered, unsure of why she had asked at all.

"You're not going to sleep with me?" This caught Erik quite off guard. In a few days they were going to be married and would sleep together ever night in a much more intimate sense, but the thought of being in bed with a woman was still so foreign to Erik. Everything was happening so quickly he hadn't had time to process the enormity of what was going on until that simple request by his fiancé to join his in bed. With considerable hesitation, Erik moved from the lounge chair to the bed, kicking off his shoes and sliding beneath the sheets.

Immediately Gaia's soft, warm frame pressed up against his, seeking all the comfort she could from his bonier form. After a long while, Erik could finally feel her begin to relax against him. Timidly he draped an arm around her to hold her in turn. Almost as if by instinct, Gaia cradled further into him as he did so.

"Gaia, what was your nightmare about?" He finally ventured, curiosity winning over his timidity at her closeness.

She was quiet for so long Erik had begun to think she fell asleep. "It was about that night you saved me," that was the only way Gaia could stomach referring to what had almost happened the night Marco came through the window. "Only this time instead of saving me Marco shot you dead and he… he…" Her shoulders shook in a way that suggested she had begun to cry again. "He couldn't ever have killed you, could he have? Please say you're never going to die."

Her voice was so very nearly a beg it brought Erik to tears. Never in his life had he met someone not only so appreciative for him to come into their life, but so hurt by the idea of his death. Erik pulled her tighter against him, and she held him just as fast. "He couldn't have killed me, Gaia," he told her confidently before continuing. "I can't promise I will never die. Everybody dies. But I can promise to do everything I can not to die before my time," he added, realizing the news that everybody dies might not help her current state. Erik looked down at her and was relieved to feel her nod against his chest.

There was a long period of quiet, though Erik guessed his fiancé was not sleeping. Her breathing was still irregular, and she sniffled every so often now that her tears had subsided. "I'm sorry, Erik. I really am. I don't know what came over me, I'm not usually like this…"

"Gaia, it's all right. It's been a stressful few weeks, it's taken its toll one everyone," he promised in an attempt to relieve her embarrassment, which she effectively managed on her own by changing the subject.

"What was it you were working on when I came in? Another magic trick?"

"Ah, not exactly…"

"What then?" She demanded curiously, looking up at him with equal interest. Erik sighed some and found himself unable to lie to her, not when she was so close and when she had been so upset just a while before. It didn't seem right.

"Your wedding present," Erik admitted, nearly laughing at the girlish smile that came over her face as she pulled away from his embrace only to better talk to him.

"Is it really?"

"Yes. But you can't see it until after the wedding"

To that Gaia pouted her best pout. This had little effect on her fiancé, much to her surprise. She didn't use it often, but whenever she had used it on her father she had always gotten exactly what it was she was after. All Erik did was chuckle and pull her against him again. "Well what if I tell you what I got you?" She offered. This bribe worked much better than her secret-weapon pout, as Gaia could see the intent curiosity develop on the portion of Erik's face she could see. After months of studying him mostly without his knowledge, she had become something of an expert on his mannerisms even though the bulk of his face was covered.

"What did you get me?" He asked curiously, and Gaia grinned.

"Uh uh, got you now! You tell me then I'll tell you," she promised, and Erik puffed his chest some.

"How do I know you'll tell me? I'll bet you haven't gotten me anything at all," Erik accused, and this time Gaia's pout worked when combined with a half hearted smack to Erik's shoulder.

"I did so! I bought it yesterday, one of Papà's friends is keeping it for me until the wedding. Why would I lie to you?" She added, and grinned as she saw Erik's will begin to bend to a curiosity as childish as her own. "Tell me!"

"Well I can't tell you very well, but I'll show you," he finally agreed, moving out of bed to light a lamp and bring over the drawings to her, as well as the deed of purchase for the land. Gaia sat up and took them, dumbstruck. She flipped through the pages so quietly Erik was terrified there was something she didn't like about them. "Well, what do you think? It's a few miles outside side of Modena and Bologna." He explained, pointing the location on a map he had included of northern Italy. "Right there."

When Gaia finally looked up at him he saw tears in her eyes again, before she looked back down at the papers in her hands. "…You bought lands and are going to build a house… all for me?" When Erik nodded quietly, she laughed some through her tears, still not quite able to wrap her head around the enormity of it. "Oh my God… and all I got you was a stupid piano," she mused with an ironic laugh.

"The gift of music isn't stupid," Erik promised. "And if you return it I will never forgive you. I haven't had a piano since I was a boy, it's a wonderful present."

"Erik, this is the most incredible, thoughtful gift I've ever been given. I can't believe you remembered let alone… I won't ever be able to repay you for a gift like this," she rambled until Erik silenced her by taking away the papers which she stared after in awe.

"Lie down and go to sleep. And at least try and act surprised on our wedding day, won't you?" He teased, and Gaia laughed, wiping at her eyes as she lay back down. She curled against her fiancé again when he joined her, holding her more comfortably than he had before. It was then that she decided she would throw caution to the wind and spend every night in his arms even before the wedding, no matter who might catch them or what they might think.