A/N: I've gotten... No reviews. I'm not sure what that means... Please review for me! Thanks!

Chapter Eleven:

Triggering Dreams

Darcey woke feeling much better. She hadn't had any nightmares the previous night, though she hadn't been able to fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. She had been reflecting on her past. It seemed she had been doing that a lot lately. She had told the Phantom almost her whole life story and she had known him for but three days. A lot had happened in those three days. She stayed in bed, determined to fall back to sleep. She heard a soft knock on the door but chose to remain quiet. Soon the door opened and she heard Erik quietly enter. He approached the bed and she guessed he was leaving her a note. He tucked her hair behind her ear, pausing a second before leaving just as quietly. She smiled at his gesture. She kept her eyes closed and fell back to sleep.

I ran down the alley, glancing over my shoulder. I saw the man pursuing me and turned to run faster. My legs burned from the exercise. I was tiring quickly, so few meals did that to a person. I jumped over some trash. I turned the corner and tripped. I glanced at what I had tripped over. I scrambled away from the dead body before making it to my feet again and started running as fast as my legs could take me. I had to get out of here! I turned yet again only to find myself at a dead end. I turned around but it was too late. I was trapped.

He approached me, he was panting heavily. He strode over to me and grabbed hold of my arms. "Where do you think you are going?" His breathe smelled faintly of alcohol.

"No! Go away! Let go of me!" I pleaded. "I'll do anything you say just don't hurt me. Don't hurt me." I started to cry, big tears rolling down my dirty cheeks.

He grinned at me and I nearly gagged because of the feeling I received. I struggled to get out of his grip. "Feisty aren't we?"

I stomped on his foot and clawed at his chest. "Let me go!" He shoved me to hit the brick wall behind me. I gasped to breathe as I sank down against the wall, the breath knocked out of me. He squatted down next to me.

"Don't mess with me, girl. Be nice and I'll let you go." He dug the nails of his left hand into my shoulder before he punched me a few times. I heard cracking from my ribs before he let me go.

"Please, Don't hurt me!" I screamed as loud as I could. I closed my eyes as tight as possible, afraid of what would happen next...

"Darcey! Wake up, Darcey!" Erik yelled, shaking her. She jerked awake to find herself pulled into his arms. She was sobbing uncontrollably. "It was just a dream. It was just a dream. You're safe now. I've got you." He rocked her back and forth. He had started down one of his passageways when he had heard her screaming. He had turned around and started running, cringing at each cry. He had returned to find her tossing and turning, sobbing in her sleep. "Shh. Don't cry. I've got you." If this happened too many more times, he wouldn't feel awkward. Already it was beginning to feel more comfortable to cradle her in his arms and soothe her. He continued to say comforting words to her as he rubbed her back. She began to calm, her sobs dissolving into silence. He didn't know how to help her. Did she always have these nightmares? He brushed her hair back behind her ears. "Do you always have nightmares?"

She shook her head. "Not always..." He sighed. That was probably just barely the truth. What was he going to do to help her? It couldn't be healthy to get the amount of rest she kept receiving. He had been hopeful when she hadn't cried out last night. He was sure she would be fine, but he had been proven wrong. She had looked so peaceful before he had left and now she looked completely drained of energy.

"Could you sleep without having a nightmare?" he asked, doubtful but knew she needed rest if she was going to recover completely.

She seemed to think about it. "I think I could if there was music. Music helps chase them away. There were many nights I fell asleep humming to myself."

He nodded and laid her down, covering her with the blankets. She closed her eyes but opened them again when he began to sing softly to her. Her eyes drifted back closed and her breathing soon leveled out. He continued singing awhile, realizing he was singing the song she had first sang to him. He got up and left, continuing to sing, to return with the monkey music box. He wound it up and set it down. It should keep going for a while. He hoped it would help. He left her; he had to talk to Mme. Giry.

He followed a passageway that lead to her room. Many of the rooms had secret entrances to them though he didn't care to use most of them. She was the only one that he ever visited in person. He knocked on the secret door and came in. She was sitting working on some embroidery. "What brings you here, Erik?" She was the only other one who knew his name.

"Darcey Bois." She looked up at him at that.

"What?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Firstly, Darcey is an almost twenty year old woman." She nodded, not looking surprised at all. "You knew?" She nodded and he rolled his eyes. Of course she had figured it out. He moved farther into the room to sit down across from her. "Secondly, I need help." She looked very happy about him admitting to that fact. He glared at her.

Her expression returned to a neutral one. "Please continue. What do you need help with?"

"Darcey, as I've told you, got injured not two days ago. She needs to rest. However she has nightmares about something that happened on the street. Something that caused her to pretend to be a young boy. How do I help her?"

She put her embroidery down and gave me her full attention as she sighed. "I don't know. She needs to stay relaxed. Something might be triggering them. Maybe she is feeling the same feelings as before."

Erik sighed in frustration. What could be triggering them? He thanked Mme. Giry and left to quickly do what he had planned on doing before Darcey had screamed. He returned quickly and entered her room. She was still sleeping soundly and the music box was just ending. He rewound it and sat in the chair next to her. She looked very peaceful and he hated to wake her. He leaned back in his chair to wait for her to wake.

After sleeping for three hours, Darcey woke up to find Erik watching her. She sat up and stretched her back hearing a satisfying pop. She smiled at him and was pleased to see his lips twitch. "Hello," she said.

"Hello. I have a question for you. It might be difficult to answer or you might not have an answer."

At her nod, he continued. "Do you think there is something triggering your nightmares?"

She sat, silent, as she thought about his question. She thought back over the times she had had them. What was the common factors before them all. "I am alone and it's usually quiet... It couldn't be that simple, could it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Might be. We will see if you can overcome this. I will stay with you until you sleep for the next few days. You may use the music box as well." He stood. "You need rest to regain your health so you are able to leave. I suggest you stay in bed today. You may find a way to entertain yourself you may sleep. Your ankle should be healed in a few more days. You will return to the surface at that time." He turned and left the room. He picked up his violin and left to play in his room. He shut the door and began to saw at the strings. Darcey sighed, wound up the music box, laid back down, and tried to sleep. She had a feeling the next few days were going to be very slow in passing as it seemed he was determined to get rid of her and would force her to rest as much as possible.