A/N: So, I decided to make this a bit longer. I really hope you guys like it. I don't know why Dan is taking care of her, but it's adorable anyway. REVIEW!
Overview POV:
It seemed as though a healthy dose of fear was good for him, as though it would make everything okay. Fear could be a good thing, such a helpful emotion.
Because of that simple emotion, he realized so much. He realized how much he cared for her, he realized how much he needed her in his life... He realized that he loved her. He had never loved anyone the way that he loved her. The very idea of her being hurt made him feel sick, made bile rise in the back of his throat.
Even after he'd left her, knowing things were alright between the two, he couldn't relax. He couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said to her. It was bothering him so much more than he thought it would. It was as though it was physically hurting him.
It had been a few hours and he was almost certain that she would be asleep in her room by now. He got up quietly and crept down the hall to her room. He opened the door slightly and peered in at her.
She was asleep just as he'd predicted. Her tiny body was curled up in a tight ball, probably in response to how cold he kept their lair. For the first few months, she'd complained about how cold it was. He'd always ignored her and she eventually stopped bringing it up.
He smiled a little and walked down to the hall closet. He pulled out a thicker blanket and brought it to her room, placing it over the comforter that was wrapped around her. He was about to leave, but he changed his mind and sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep.
Danielle woke up and she was burning up. Wait. She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly. Her room was usually freezing, especially in the middle of the night. She felt someone watching him and blinked again, her eyes changing to a bright, vibrant green. She scanned the room, her eyes resting on Dan who was sitting on the foot of her bed.
"Dan?" she asked, sitting up. "What are you doing?"
He was startled at being caught, "I just came to check on you."
"Do you do this often?"
He shook his head. "It was getting chilly. I figured that you needed another blanket," he said.
"I complain about it being cold all the time, you know that."
He only shrugged in response. Danielle ran her hand over the thick brown blanket, it was soft and smelled like the strongly scented detergent Dan used. "I'm sorry if I woke you up," he said awkwardly.
"I was having a bad dream anyway," she said, shivering despite the fact that she was warm. Dan swallowed loudly, unsure of what to do.
"What was it about?"
She squirmed uncomfortably. It was still dark, but their eyes were glowing in the dark. The red orbs were focused solidly on her green ones, the gaze unwavering. "It was nothing," she mumbled.
"Danielle," he said sternly.
She sighed, "Seriously, Dan. It's not important."
"Please tell me. I'm trying here." He sounded obviously distressed.
"It was just a bad dream. That's all." She sounded confident, but Dan could see the trembling of her lower lip.
He was still uncertain of what to do. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder. To his surprise, she burst into tears. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked startled.
"It was terrible!" she cried.
"What was it about?"
She was crying too hard to for coherent sentences, but he picked out a few words, such as hate, destabilize, and dead. He blinked a few times before reaching over and pulling her onto his lap, cradling her in arms. "It's okay," he said, wiping the tears as they fell from their eyes.
"You hated me!" she sobbed, burying her face in his chest.
His heart dropped. The words he'd used so carelessly earlier the night had caused this and it made him feel sick to his stomach. "Danielle, you know I don't hate you," he murmured.
"I know, but in my dream... You..." she trailed off.
"I don't hate you. I do not hate you." He repeated the words like a mantra, beginning to rock her in his arms. "Calm down and tell me what happened in your dream. You'll feel better if you do."
She took a few deep breaths and wiped her face with the back of her hands. "I was destabilizing and you hated me. You told me that you'd be better off when I was dead." She said the words so quickly that it was hard for him to keep up, and then she was crying again.
He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes. "Danielle...sweetheart," the word tumbled out awkwardly, "I don't hate you. I would never let anything happen to you. I swear."
She nodded, sniffling loudly and he continued, "Why don't we get some chocolate milk?" he suggested in the hopes it would get her mind off her nightmare.
"Sure," she agreed. He stood up, still cradling her, and carried her into the kitchen. He sat her on the counter and opened the refrigerator. He pulled two black coffee mugs out of the cupboard and began mixing milk with chocolate syrup.
"Here you go, kiddo," he said, hoisting himself up to sit beside her. They sipped in silence for a few minutes and she rested her head against his shoulder. "Feeling better?" he finally asked.
She nodded and slurped the last bit of chocolate out of her mug. He took it from her and put the mugs in the sink. He walked back to her and lifted her back into his arms. She yawned loudly and snuggled up against him, her head rested in the space between his neck and his shoulder. Somehow, it just felt right to him.
He started to carry her back to her room, thinking he would tuck her in and then go to his own room to bed. As he walked through her doorway, her arms tightened around her neck. "What is it?" he asked in a whisper.
"I'm scared," she whimpered.
"Do you want to sleep in my room?" he asked before he could stop himself.
She nodded and he shut her door, carrying her to his room. He sat her down on his king sized bed. His room was black and red completely. His comforter was black and the pillows and sheets were blood red. Danielle had never been in there for more than a few minutes.
"I'll be right back." He disappeared into his bathroom for a few minutes and then came back out wearing his black silk pajamas. He was still in his human disguise, his hair dark and pulled back in a low ponytail.
Danielle curled up on the far side of the bed away from him, starting to get cold again. He crawled under the blankets and shut off the lamp, rolling his eyes at her. "Are you cold?" he asked.
"A little," she replied.
He reached over and pulled her against him, his arms wrapped around her tightly, making her feel safe. He kissed her temple gently, his lips barely brushing her. "I love you," he told her quietly. "That will never change."
It took her awhile to respond, and he thought maybe she'd already fallen asleep. "I love you, too... Daddy," she whispered.
Dan's heart stopped for a moment and then warmth flooded through him. He felt such a strong love for her. He knew that if anything happened to her, it would destroy him more than anything else could. She was his little girl and nothing could change that.