Erik dragged himself out of bed. It had been two days, but he was just now getting the strength to stand on his own. He still felt sick, but he was almost certain the worst of it was over. While she had, ironically, been bringing him food, Erik wasn't quite ready to relinquish his role as a caretaker.

But first things first, he needed to get himself presentable. Erik pulled on a pair of clean black pants and a white shirt. He considered his vest and jacket, but he was still feeling poorly and didn't feel like it. Besides, it was just the two of them, it wasn't like he needed to dress to impress.

When he walked into the music room, Erik was astonished by what he saw. She was sitting at his organ, her fingers tapping out a soft melody. It was extremely simple; something a child with little to no experience could mimic, but still, he was surprised she knew how to play anything. That would explain her interest in his music.

Silent as a shadow, Erik slipped behind her as she repeated the tune again. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and pressed a few keys, creating an equally simple harmony. She gasped in shock and pulled away from the instrument like it had burned her. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you. I didn't know you could play." She shook her head. "Well I'd call that playing. I could teach you more if you wanted. That is, if you stay."

Studying her for a moment, Erik realized she was looking a lot better. Almost all of the bruises had faded, and she was slowly getting closer to a healthier weight. "Have you been eating while I've been sick?" he asked. She gave a brief nod. "Are you doing okay?" Her expression was amused, obviously finding the irony of the sick person asking the question. She raised her eyebrow as if to repeat the question back to him. "I've seen better days," Erik replied. "But I think the worst of it is over now."

She focused her gaze on the ivory keys. He decided that he needed to something to bridge the gap between them. She was still frightened to look at him and shied away from his touch, but he needed her to trust him. This seemed like as good a way as any. "Would you like me to teach you?" Erik didn't expect much of a response, rejection if anything, so he was completely astounded when she nodded.

He was so close to her, she had to fight the fear that was rising up within her. She wanted to trust him, she really did. But she had been hurt for too long to surrender that easily. However she was glad to see he was feeling better. The powder she had taken, he needed it, and it was her fault that he had gotten so sick. No one was meant to get hurt but her. That's why she had helped him. He didn't deserve the pain she had accidentally inflicted on him.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing towards the bench she was sitting on. She slid over to give him room. "I've never taught anyone to play before," he admitted as he sat next to her. "I taught someone to sing once though," he added, his eyes growing distant, his voice filling with sadness. Suddenly he shook his head. "But that was a long time ago." She couldn't help but wonder if that had anything to do with all the pictures of the girl she had found.

With him so near, she could look at him up close for once. He obviously wasn't feeling completely better; his skin was almost as white as the mask on his face and there was just the slightest tremble in his hands. The mask itself looked like it was made of porcelain, and she couldn't help but wonder where or how he got it. His white shirt didn't help his complexion either. She began to question whether or not he should be out of bed.

He pressed a key on the middle of the instrument, pulling her out of her head. "We'll start simple. This is middle C." Next he hit a series of eight notes, starting with middle C then played the same eight notes in reverse order. "That's called a C-Major scale. The notes are C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C." As he said each letter name, he hit the corresponding key then the whole scale all over again. "Now you do it."

It could have been minutes or it could have been hours as he slowly began to introduce her to his world of music. He started to teach her the names of the keys, as well as a few other scales. Her father had taught her a few melodies when she was younger, but those were just her mimicking his playing. She had never known that the different notes had names. Perhaps her father was going to teach her all this, had her step-mother allowed it. But when the two were married, her stepmother forbade her from playing, insisting that there were more useful hobbies to have.

She marveled at his skill. He could make a scale the most beautiful sound in the world with no effort. His patience with her seemed never-ending, gently correcting her when needed. It seemed impossibly simple, but she knew she was going to need to learn this in order to play better. Besides, it couldn't have been that easy, seeing as he needed to correct her mistakes.

Erik was surprised by how long she was sitting here with him. It was the longest the two of them had ever been this close. He could smell a sweet flowery scent coming from her hair, and it was taking a good chunk of willpower to keep his focus on the music. She needed to trust him, so he couldn't do anything stupid and blow everything.

"Who's this?"

They snapped around to face the unexpected intruder. The girl's eyes went as wide as saucers. A dark man was standing in the doorway, staring at them in surprise. "Wait," Erik whispered to her. "I can explain." But it was too late. She had bolted away and was probably barricading herself in her room.

"Erik, who was that?" the new arrival demanded. "And what the hell is she doing down here?"

"Damn you Nadir," he snapped in frustration. Now he was going to have to convince her that she was safe. Again. Their fragile trust had been broken. Again.