The scream of his name and the sensation of something bouncing on his bed woke Branch from a dead sleep. "Gyah!" he yelped in surprise.

His panic alleviated when he looked into the fearful eyes of the little yellow trolling in his care. "Oh, Sunshine," he gasped in relief, placing a hand over his chest as he calmed his own breathing. "It's just you." Even if he wanted to be upset, he couldn't; she must've had a nightmare.

He thought he heard a small whimper come from the child, and his smile faded as he reached out to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he noticed she was trembling slightly. Normally, she welcomed his comforting gestures, but she buried her face in her hands and recoiled when he tried to give her a hug.

"Sunny, it's okay," he said as she began to sob and hyperventilate, "It's me, it's Branch. Please, look at me."

Sunny shook her head, sobbing harder as Branch looked at her helplessly. What had happened in her dreams that made her so fearful of his presence? He'd be sure to fix it, whatever it was.

"Sunshine," he hoped that some part of her was listening to him, "You know I'm not going to hurt you. I would never let anything happen to you."

He waited until he was sure she would let him come closer, then wrapped her up tightly in his arms. He continued to whisper to her and make sure she knew she was safe. Her panicked breaths slowed and she stopped shaking, the soothing sound of Branch's heartbeat bringing her back to reality.

"Branch," she said as she hugged him back. She almost seemed surprised that he was there, as if she hadn't been the one to run to him in her panic.

"Did you have a bad dream, sweetie," he asked.

"Mhmm," she mumbled, nodding, "You and Poppy said that you didn't love me anymore. You kicked me out and left me all alone."

Branch was heartbroken listening to her describe his actions in her dream. They would never even consider tossing her out like yesterday's trash. How dare her subconscious put that idea into her head!

"Oh, Sunny," he said, stroking her hair, "That will never happen. Poppy and I care too much about you to get rid of you. We've always been there for you as long as you've needed us, and nothing is ever going to change that."

He hesitated, then decided to tell her, "You know what? I'm glad you woke me up."

"Why?"

"Because…" he felt himself starting to choke up, "I had a nightmare, too."

Branch's dream brought him back to the day he and Poppy had found Sunshine. When it had actually happened, she had been crying for help, but in the dream, they had stumbled upon her by happenstance.

The baby was still lying curled up in the lower half of her eggshell. His heart dropped when he realized she was showing no sign of movement. "Please, please just be asleep," Poppy begged as she cradled the child in her arms. Branch took the baby's hand in his, and he knew that they had been too late.

The only casualty in this storm, he'd thought, and it had to be a newborn.

Imagine how happy he was when a split second later, he went from crying over the child's lifeless form to that same child being alive and well in the safety of his home. He didn't care if he ever went back to sleep as he held the little girl in a protective embrace, reassuring both her and himself that everything was okay.

That wasn't the first nightmare he'd had about Sunshine.

And he knew it wouldn't be the last.

But without fail, he'd always be there to keep her safe and sound.

He wasn't going to let either of their nightmares come true.