A/N: And here I am with the second chapter of my story!

I'd like to sincerely thank GirlyGeek, snapesgirl1313, stanislav'sgirland Eccentric Storyteller for their reviews and compliments – thank you, they really flattered me! Also many thanks for also adding me on your favs list.

I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story, this next chapter will start to give some background information on Shadow's history.

Oh, and just one last note, you'll notice that here we have the first piece of singing, you'll probably recognize it, just imagine it being sung on the melody of the song "I Remember…" from the Phantom soundtrack. (except not by Christine's voice,of course) Well then, I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think about it !

To our next update, sincerely yours,
Kayla Shadow

CH.2 : NIGHTMARES

Snow.

White snow.

White snow,which fell upon the street, covering the pavement in a thick layer of frosted white.

And candles.

The candles which flamed inside the lampposts, quavering with the cold breeze of the wind.

But most of all, darkness.

The eerie, black darkness which kept the alleyway in shadow.

She trampled over the snow silently, glancing behind her every now and then, wondering what she was doing there. She thought she heard a noise, and turned around. No one was there.

The wind howled, fiercely biting at her face, and she hastily wrapped her scarf around her more tightly. Then she stopped.

She had come to a dead end. She had unknowingly wandered right to the end of the alley. Now, the darkness seemed to engulf everything around her, making it nearly impossible to see. She pressed her back against the alley's cold brick wall, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply to calm herself. She never should've gone there.

Suddenly, she heard the same noise again. Her eyes darted open, startled. Her breath formed litle puffs of smoke in the cilly night air. Still no one in sight. She trembled, for the cold. And for the fear that was slowly intoxicating her.

She was about to close her eyes again, when a sudden ray of light ripped through the darkness.

She shielded her eyes, blinded.

She heard running footsteps, followed by a metallic sound. And then, she felt pain.

Agonizing,excruciating pain, burning through her veins, tearing her apart….

A shrill scream pierced the night air….

"AAAAAAAAHH!!"

Shadow's eyes sprung open, alarmed by the sudden noise.

It took her a moment to realize that the voice screaming was her own. She felt her senses slowly flowing back to her and realized she was standing with her arms stretched out, lifting her torso up from the bed. Her face was beaded in sweat, and she was trembling. Without thinking twice, she bolted up and hurried through the darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of some distant candles lit up besides the organ in the nearby room. She moved without making a sound and without looking around her, not stopping until she reached the other bed. She saw his figure tangled up in the sheets, his back to her, and almost regretted having to wake him. But the fear was still pulsing incontrollably through her veins, overcoming her. She felt weak, and she felt scared. She needed to hear his voice soothing her, she needed to have him shield her away from her demons and chase away the haunting images that were crowding her mind. Without further ado, she gently plopped on the bed, then cautiously stood still, waiting to see his reaction. Moments later, she saw him stir and turn towards her, inhaling sleepily.

"Shadow?" His voice was deeper than usual due to his sleeping state.

Shadow hesitated, but then saw that he didn't wait for an answer, instead he lifted the covers besides him and motioned for her to move closer. Relief immediately washed over her, and she felt an immese sense of security overcoming her as soon as she buried herself under the covers and drew herself besides him, lieing on his outstretched arm. He gently wrapped his other arm around her so that he was stroking her hair, still keeping his eyes closed. He could feel her heart beating wildly, and realizing that she was shaking, he frowned slightly.

"What's the matter?" he asked in his deep voice, "Another bad dream?"

Shadow nodded, and he sigh, continuing to stroke her hair.

Erik was not someone who usually felt comfortable with physical contact. After all, for the life he had lived, he had never known how to deal with such displays of affection and had never grown to appreciate the way emotions such as affection and comfort could be conveyed through a simple jesture, like an embrace.

But with Shadow, it was different.

Ever since she had entered his life – nearly six years before – she had changed a lot of how he used to be. No longer living in solitude, he had very slowly become accustomed to having someone else besides him. He had always thought that the circumstances that had brought them together had been some sort of sign that, maybe, there was hope for him. Hope, to live his life without being lonely. Hope, to teach someone to look behind the mask, behind the moster, and see him- the real him. Hope, to have someone who, for once, truly cared for him.

Indeed, over the years Shadow had brought an immense change in his life, as he had in hers. As time went by, he had found out something that had much shocked him: not only had Shadow fully accepted her new life…oh,no. The more time passed, he realized, and the more he had come to notice she needed him. She had actually grown to rely so much on him, that now she quite simply could not live without him. He knew that was no exaggeration: quite simply, she had learned to depend on him to such an exent that she would probably never be able to separate herself from him and carry on a life of her own, by herself – nor would she probably ever want to, for that matter.

So now, she was with him wherever he was, and she followed him wherever he went, always by his side…

Like a shadow.

Furthermore, the way he had changed and affected her life was equalled to way she had changed and affected his. Although it had taken much longer for him to notice any change in how he used to be, he had eventually realized that she, too, had had quite an impact on his life.

Perhaps, it was because both of them had endured an unspeakable history.

Perhaps, it was because she knew he had saved her, and ever since then she entirely depended on him, and he had grown to see her as some sort of protégé of his.

Perhaps, it was because she was the only soul who he felt had ever understood or accepted him.

Or perhaps, it was simply because they felt as though, being together, they were where they needed to be.

Truth be told, in time they had grown to depend on each other, and they still did. Their bond, however, was something almost inexplicable for Erik: however caring he had felt towards her, or however he knew that, as she needed him, he also needed her in his life, somehow he knew that what he felt was not what one could define with a single, proper emotion. In fact, never had Erik been able to find a suitable word to describe what he felt for Shadow, and eventually he had given up trying to understand what it was he felt for her and had simply accepted how they were.

So no matter how he used to be, yes, Shadow had changed him, and that change had also meant, for him, learning to deal and cope with his emotions more. Many times, Shadow had proven to be a tough soul, as strong as a fighter and as deathly as a killer. But many other times, she had equally proven to be as fragile as crystal and as delicate as a butterly. Many times before, he had been woken up in the middle of the night like this. When that happened, he would always find Shadow in the same distressed state.

And, after the first few times of uneasiness and not being sure of what to do, Erik had very, very slowly begun to let himself go and had learned what it meant to be someone's shoulder to cry on. It had taken much time for him to grow accustomed to giving the physical, yet innocent reassurance which Shadow seeked, but eventually he had coped with his difficulty and had finally become used to it.

But, although he had gone thorugh this scene many times before, he now felt slightly confused: it had been some time since it had last happened. He also happened to know exactly why she had those nightmares, while she didn't. She didn't know what they meant, she couldn't understand them, and that was why she was so distressed.

"What did you dream?" he asked her.

He knew that, normally, she didn't remember what those nightmares were about, and if she happened to recall something it usually made no sense, yet he asked her still. And strange enough, she seemed to recall something that night. Softly, in barely more than a whisper, he heard her chant:

«I remember it was cold

It was cold and I was standing in a street,

There was darkness all around

Then from the dark I saw a light...»

She paused, gulping. Erik tensed up slightly, suddenly more alert to her words. He waited for her to continue, and when she spoke again her voice was almost inaudible.

«And in the light I saw a…man.»

Erik felt a jolt in his stomach, dreading the words he had heard.

Now knew why Shadow seemed to be particularly frightened.

After recalling her dream, he felt her tremble more violently in his arms. Then slowly, he saw her raising her arms in the air, as though she were examing it, revealing a series of horrid scars, tremendously rippled across her skin, etched on her body as some horrible, terrifying symbols. A map of a nameless pain, which Erik knew also spread across her legs and abdomen. With a shaky voice, he heard her ask to the darkness:

«Who was that shape kept in shadows?
Why is his face in my mind?»

Erik's stomach lurched again, and when he heard her voice suddenly break and felt her lean her head on his shoulder as she cried, he instinctively tighened his hold on her, softly hushing her and trying to calm her down. His mind whirled with thoughts of what her dream truly meant, and he had to fight to keep his own heartbeat steady.

He concluded that this was all probably due to the bad experience they had had the previous night at the celebration. While he had mostly felt angered and bitter, Shadow had been both gravely insulted and hurt. Yet her reaction had been no calmer than his, once they had returned to their underground lair.

"C-CURSE THEM!" she had yelled, splashing angrily in the water on the shore of the underground lake that surrounded their lair, getting her legs soaked. She stepped on land, ripping her mask off her face as she continued walking forward, "Those…they…we…AAARGH!" she let out an infurated cry, at a loss for words, tossing her mask aside and contorting her fingers in a clawlike manner with rage.

Erik had meanwhile calmly tied the gondola they used to cross the lake to the shore, and was now heading towards his organ. He still felt furious at those incompetent fools who had dared insult them that way, but kept his anger boiling silently inside. Shadow, on the other hand, was making no effort whatsoever to do so. Instead, she let all her rage out, feeling as though she had never been so insulted in her life.

"First…first, they call you fool, and clown, and…and…freak!...and they c-call m-me like…like…beast!", she buried her face in her hands. Erik silently walked up to her, trying to maintain his calm but starting to feel worried about her reaction.

"Now, Shadow," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You know what they said isn't-"

"NO!" she exlcaimed, taking him by surprise as she freed herself from his touch and spun around to faee him. He then saw that her face was shining with angry tears, and for a moment he felt insecure of what to do. He waited for her to speak. When she did so, her voice quivered.

"They…they right! Shadow…Shadow feel human, Erik! Shadow know she human…" her sentence trailed off, and she shook her head, gazing down at her catlike demise.

"Yes, Shadow, that's right…you are," Erik said encouragingly, taking a tentative step forward.

Shadow shook her head more vigorously, stepping back, "But then… then, Shadow see, and Shadow know that they think she not human…I…" she turned her back to him, "Me…scary, and…threaten them, and…and…and me not speak well, when…when Shadow angry, or sad, or…."

"…Or hurt," Erik concluded for her softly, now standing behind her. She nodded silently, and he sigh, placing his hands on her shoulders to try and sooth her, "Shadow, that does not mean you are not human…you know that very well. You are very much a human being, I can assure you that. They provoked you, that's the only reason you threatened them. They brought your anger upon themselves, the fault is theirs. Do not think that having trouble expressing yourself when you're overwhelmed with emotions indicates the contrary. That merely indicates that you are more affected than others by these emotions…it is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, those who should be ashamed are those mindless fools who have treated you that way," and he looked up at the ceiling, as though trying to see through the rocks into the salon above, his lip curled back in a snarl for an instant before he returned his attention to Shadow, "And besides," he added lightly, taking his hands off her shoulders and heading towards the organ, and sitting down on the bench set in front of it, "You don't seem to have any trouble speaking when you're happy…when you're laughing," he turned around and looked at her with a grin, "When you're singing."

Suddenly changing expression, Shadow blushed, rushing over to him and agilely hopping right on top of the organ, on the space between the piano and the pipes, surrounded by candles. She swiftly moved so that she was facing Erik, with a curiously embarassed expression on her face.

"You…you heard me sing?" she inquired.

"Hardly," he admitted, fixing a couple of music sheets he had set before him, "I merely hear echoes humming through the lair now and then, when you're who knows where around the Opera. I can only presume it's your singing that I hear, or at least the echoes of it." He looked up at her, giving her an intense glance, "Why won't sing for me, Shadow?"

Shadow lightly drew back from him, shaking her head. "My voice not good enough for Erik." She stated.

He couldn't help but grin at her response.

"Is that so?" he demanded, "Well now, how would you know that?"

"I know," she stated simply, closing her eyes and turning from him, tilting her head upwards in a falsely superior attitude.

He sigh, "But one day, you promise to sing for me?"

Shadow's eyes opened immediately, and she turned to face him again, evidently surprised by his request.

"You…you want Shadow to sing for you?" she demanded, elegantly lieing down on the organ on her stomach, and resting her head on her crossed arms.

He nodded. "Yes, Shadow," he answered, "One day. When you feel ready. Will you promise me that, Shadow?"

Their eyes locked and she nodded, "I promise, Erik."

He nodded once, satisfied with her answer, "Good," he said, breaking their stare and moving his eyes to the keyboard. Shadow looked away, lost in her own thoughts, and she then heard him beginning to play a melody which immediately struck her. Raising her head up, she saw him playing the music intensely, his eyes closed. He grinned when he heard her rise her head.

"Shadow?" he called, opening his eyes to look at her, "Do you remember this?"

Shadow nodded, entranced by the melody. She knew that song by heart…

Because Erik had written it for her.

He called it Shadow's Lullaby.

Actually, he hadn't played it in a while, but he had figured that would be a good moment to make her listen to it again, seeing it always managed to calm her down and lull her to sleep – after all, it was her lullaby.

Concentrating on the notes, Erik closed his eyes again, letting the music fill the space between them and envelop them with her sweet touch. Time seemed to cease to exist, and both Shadow and Erik felt drawn away from their own senses, lost in a wonderful melody as their minds and souls wandered in a world of their own, divided yet somehow even more united than before. Shadow's every sense felt captured by the music – his music – and soon, she felt all her worries fading away as a newfound peace entered her soul, and her mind was finally able to rest.

Indeed, when he finished playing, Erik looked up and saw her sound asleep. Smiling, he got up and walked over to her, gently lifting her in his arms and carefully avoiding all the candles which were surrounding her. He easily carried her limp body across the room, setting her down on her bed, not far from his own. She stirred slightly when he set her down, and then nuzzled into her pillow before returning to sleep.

Erik watched her with protective eyes, glad that he had at least managed to calm her a little and help her fall asleep. He gently brushed a strand of stray hair away from her face.

"Sleep, my Shadow," he murmured, "I promise you, whoever is going to hurt you will pay dearly." He clenched his fist for a moment, looking upwards again, then looked down again and caressed her cheek.

"Goodnight, Shadow," he whispered, before getting up and heading towards his own bed.

A/N: Right, just a small p.s.: if you'd like to know what I thought Shadow's Lullaby sounds like, just look up the song "River Flows in You" by Yiruma. It's already been used for another sountrack, but I thought it would be suitable for me as well anyway!

To our next update, folks! Please R&R!

Xoxox,

-KaylaShadow