Keep Me Close

Nightmares

Lily POV

"Chrisrine! Make her stop that mindless noise!" Shouted the Vitcome from the office in our old home back in Paris.
"Raoul, shes just playing the piano, its beautiful" my mother had said. She gave me a warm smile and continue reading her book as I went back to my playing. I continued for moment until Raoul burst out of the office and stormed towards me and the piano. He gripped my wrists tightly and threw me to the ground.
"Raoul!" My mother screamed. She rushed to my aid. I softly cried on the ground.
"I said stop, yet you let her continue. What do you expect?" He screamed. He reeked of liquor and cigars.
"I expect you to be a good father to your daughter!" My mother screamed and she went back to attempting to silence my cries. The Vitcome grew even angrier with the cries coming from his child. He then gripped Christine's wrist, and then brought her to her feet. Then SMACK! My mother fell to the floor next to me... he then took his belt out of the trousers he wore and began to whip the two of the ground.
"No!" I screamed, waking up sweating and alone in my dark room. I was shaking with fright. Those nights haunted my dreams constantly. I grabbed the stuffed lion father had won me today at the park and ventured out in the dark hallway. There was silence throughout my home. Father was nowhere in sight. My tears increased as did my fear. I approached his bedroom, and knocked on the door lightly, here was no response. I opened the door slightly to see my father on his side sound asleep, without his mask. He wore no shirt and had only a sheet covering him.
"Father?" I asked crying. He didn't wake, i approached the massive bed he laid on, I shook his shoulder. He then woke in second, he looked around the room sitting up straight as a board until his eyes landed on me, his little girl standing frightened next to his bed.
"What's wrong mon amour" he asked concerned. My lips quivered
"Father I had a terrible nightmare. I'm sorry to wake you, I really am" I said clutching my stuffed animal closer wipping my tears on its soft fur. His expression changed to sadness looking at me. He rolled over to light a candle to push some light into the dark room, and then faced me again.
"Come here my love" he said pulling me up onto the bed with him. His bed was soft and warm. I crawled under the sheets next to my father and cuddled up against his strong body.
"Do you want to tell me about the dream, its ok if not-"
"I remembered the last time Raoul beat and whipped me and mother" I cried. I felt his whole body tense up against me,
"What?"

Erik POV
My body tensed as my daughter told me of her nightmare, and how Raoul would often go get drunk and then beat her and my Christine. My jaw tightened thinking of the ten years and how often this could've happened. I could have prevented all of this if I had only stayed there that one night. None of this would've happened to my angels. She cried harder and i pulled her closer to me. She still trembled.
"Please promise me youll never do that to me" she sobbed. I was shocked by this, I could never even imagine harming her. I admit I had a violent past, and bad temper but that was the past.
"I could never do that you you" i looked deep into her red puffy eyes that revealed so much pain.
She cried into my chest for what seemed like hours, I hated seeing her in this state. A father was never supposed to let his little girl hurt this badly, but it was happening. Finally she stopped and noticed something on my chest and I knew what she was looking at, the only people to have ever seen the scar across my chest was Christine from obvious circumstances, and Madame Giry from when I was a child and it was a fresh wound.
"Father what is that scar from?" she asked. I hated having to tell her about my past, but this time there was no avoiding it.
"When I was ten years old, my mother sold me to a traveling circus. She couldn't bear to look at my hideous deformity anymore. That was the first time I knew I was a monster.... at the circus I was locked in a cage and put on display for the world-" I stopped, trying to calm myself down. "They called me The Devils Child. People would ridicule and throw things at me all the time. The owner would often beat me to a pulp, until one day... We had stopped in Paris for a show and the audience was larger than ever. People laughed at the senseless beatings that would happen to me, then I escaped. There was a young ballerina training at the Opera Populiare, the place I had met your mother. She had helped me escape, and kept me safe for more than twenty years while I lived in the catacombs of the opera house" I finished my story and the look of awe on my little girls face astonished me. She began to weep again and latched on to me as I cried with her.
"Did you thank the ballerina Father?" she asked.
"I thank her every time I see her. She became like a mother to me" I said. She looked at me with a puzzled face.
"Madame Giry was the one who saved my life all those years ago. She raised me" I said slowing my sobs.
"I must thank her too then, without her I wouldn't be the luckiest little girl in the world" she said. I was confused,
"Without her I wouldn't have the best Father in the world" she said cuddling into my chest yet again and ran her small finger across my scar. She laid like this and I blew out the candle next to us. I pulled her close to me and she nuzzled into my chest, listening to my heart beating. We laid in silence.
"Father?" She asked
"Hmm?" I grunted.
"Will you sing to me?" she asked. I hadn't touched the piano or organ since the death of Christine, yet alone sang or hummed a single note. There was only one song fit to sing my child to sleep.

Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
And hold it tight

She looked up at me almost surprised my deep voice, almost not expecting this from me.
"Lay down mi amour" I said and she complied I began to stroke her cheek.

I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

Her breathing slowed as i ran my hands through her thick brown curls.
She feel asleep to the song i sang to her mother all those years ago.
I laid down pulling her close to me and reached for my mask not wanting to scare her when she woke,
"Leave it off Father, I like you face." She muttered almost half asleep. Touched by this, I kissed her cheek yet again and settled down to sleep the night with my little angel in my arms.