A/N: I am so proud of myself! My last story was only nineteen chapters long and here we are at chapter twenty and still have a ways to go. GO ME! Lol. Anywho... Erik is going to be sweet rather than detached for a little while... It's not going to last long so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Twenty:

Warm Embrace

Darcey snuggled deeper into the warm embrace. Wait... embrace? Darcey froze but relaxed when she remembered what had happened. She had fallen asleep in Erik's arms and he must have decided to lay next to her. He stroked her hair and she pulled slightly back until she could see his face. She found his blue eyes watching her. "Hello," she whispered not wanting to disrupt the moment.

"Hello. You can go back to sleep. It's only four in the morning." Darcey noticed that it was still mostly dark but she didn't want to fall back to sleep. She wanted to enjoy his embrace.

He rolled onto his back and she was afraid he was going to leave her. When he instead, pulled her closer, she was overjoyed. She laid her head on his chest. She sighed happily and closed her eyes, determined to enjoy his embrace. "Erik?"

"Hmm?" She felt his lips on the crown of her head.

"Thank you." He didn't respond but she knew he had heard her. Darcey could hear his heart beating against her ear. She was very comfortable and relaxed.

"Darcey?" She moved her hand which was on his stomach. He took that to mean she was still awake. "Will you ever tell me how you got your scars? Someday will you trust me enough?" He heard her sigh and fully expected her to remain quiet but she said yes. She said it very quietly that he could barely hear her. "When?" He knew he had no right to ask but he had to know.

"As soon as I can." She paused. "Soon. I'll tell you soon. I'm just... not ready yet."

He stroked her back. "I understand." He wondered how long it would take for her to be ready. 'Maybe I should tell her my story.' He was shocked at the thought. The only one that knew his story was Mme. Giry. He heard her mumble something. "What?"

"I just remembered today was my birthday," she whispered. "I'm twenty now." Erik made a mental note to do something special for her. He knew thats not why she had told him but he wanted to nonetheless. He did the math and figured that she was about six years younger than him. He wondered what she would like as a gift. He stroked her hair back from her face. Another benefit to her having short hair was that he had an excuse to touch her. Not that it seemed he needed one since he kept finding himself with her in his arms.

They didn't talk for then next two hours as the sun rose. They started to hear the sound of other people waking up throughout the opera house. Erik didn't want to let her go. He wanted to spend the entire day with her. He smiled as he got an idea. "How about you take the day off for your birthday? I'm sure Mme. Giry would allow you to."

She pulled away a bit to look up at Erik. She smiled and he released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I think I will. Then I could practice the violin some more or spend more time with you..." She blushed and he grinned at her.

"Great. I'll go ask her while you change." She looked very cute this morning with her hair and clothes slightly ruffled. The longer her hair got, it seemed the more the ends curled. They both stood. Erik walked over to the mirror, while Darcey walked to her closet to get fresh clothes. Erik exited the room and went down the passageway at a near run. He had to ask Mme. Giry and then he was going to buy her a gift. He had figured out a gift for her during the two hours they had been silent.

He knocked on the door, paused, and entered. She was at her desk, writing. "What did you want, Erik?" she asked, not looking up from her writing.

"May Darcey take the day off. Today is her birthday and..."

"Of course she can," she interrupted. "Now get out of here and go buy her a gift before there are too many people in the market."

He approached her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." He turned and managed not to run until he was out of the room. He ran all the way down to his lair and grabbed his cloak. He hurried back to the surface. He paused to pull on the hood of his cloak before stepping out on the street. He preferred to go out at night if he had to go out. At least it was slightly chilly and gave him an excuse for him to leave his hood on. He didn't want anyone to stare at his mask. He entered the shop and began looking around. He sighed with relief when he found what he had been looking for. The perfect headband. He paid for it and hurried back to the opera house. He went back in and approached the secret entrance to her room. He glanced at the time to find that thirty minutes had passed by. She should be ready by now. He entered and found her dressed and running a comb through her hair.

"Stupid hair," she mumbled. It was curling funny and he couldn't help but chuckle. She put her hands on her hips. "It's not funny. It's very annoying." She sat down on the seat in front of the vanity.

He chuckled again and decided now was just as good a time to give her his gift. He walked over to her and combed his fingers through her hair. "I think it looks beautiful," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. It was getting wavy as it got longer. He pulled the package out of his cloak pocket and deposited it in her lap. He watched her through the mirror as her eyes widened before she opened the package.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, fingering the metal song bird on the side of it. "It's perfect." She put it on and the short pieces of hair in the front still fell forward. She stood up and turned to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you, Erik."

"You're welcome. Come, let's go. We have the day to ourselves." He picked up her violin case and led her by the hand down to his lair.