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I was confounded by the unexpected entrance of Leonardo during my solo performance for Bear. I hoped I didn't look too stupid with my face plastered with a facial mask; I seriously needed the hydration.

After washing my face and drying my hair, I went back downstairs, my fluffy slippers clacking against the floor, to see Marco leaving the office with Leonardo.

"You're leaving already? Have you had something to eat?" I asked him. Marco shook his head and smiled kindly at me. "Yes, it's been a long day and no, thank you, Donna, I've had dinner." I nodded, fiddling with the bottom of my top, feeling weird at the sound of the title.

He looked more serious as he began, "there's been an attempt to take another girl." I quietly gasped, my heart stopping for a moment at his words. I felt panicked immediately, my eyes widening at his words. "What? Who?" As soon as Marco told me the name, I was horrified.

I turned and switched on the television to see the news all over the screen.

Daphne White, 15 years old brutally attacked..

"She's a child," I whispered, shaken. "A child." My worried eyes met Leonardo's as he said, "I've got eyes on her at the hospital. She's safe, don't worry."

I ran my hand through my hair, shaking my head. "What the hell?" I quavered at the news, fear beginning to course through my veins as I thought of all the possibilities the stalker wanted with her.

Marco bowed his head in respect before making his way to the front door. Leonardo saw him out whilst my body sank down to the sofa, anxiety filling me.

"Have you ate?" Leonardo asked as he came back into the room. But I wasn't paying any attention to him, my eyes were fixated on the television screen, taking in all of the information. I would have to call Aife, Leonardo's people weren't enough, I needed my own to protect Daphne. I hadn't met the girl but I knew of her. She was a rising ballerina who had been on the front page of various magazines for a few weeks. No one would of expected her to be attacked. I had so many questions, desperate for so many answers: my mind was filled with confusing and conflicting thoughts.

He came closer, sitting beside me and repeated the question again and once again, I didn't respond. My heart was pounding so fast, I could hardly breathe. It felt hot, way too hot all of a sudden. Surprising me, his hand pulled onto my shoulder so I was facing him staring at him in shock. He switched off the television and seriously gazed at me, his eyebrows narrowed. "I asked you a question."

"I ate," I weakly replied in a shaky voice, feeling my face begin to crumble. Burying my head in my hands, I squeezed my eyes closed and held back the tears beginning to form. "What could they want with a fifteen year old?" My voice was muffled. I felt his hand rest on my shoulder.

"She hasn't been taken." His voice then was much more softer and slightly sympathetic. "She's in hospital and she's safe. As soon as she wakes up, there'll be more leads."

"I'm trusting you to help me, Leonardo," I firmly reminded him, lifting my face away from my hands. I blinked away the tears, feeling a little angry. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

He finally had some emotion on his face. His dark eyes were filled with what seemed to be concern as they ran across my face. His hand slipped off my shoulder as he responded sincerely, "no one else will." I exhaled quietly, turning my head and looking away as I wiped my eyes. My hand went to my forehead in distress as I continued to think about the poor girl in hospital.

"Look, head up to bed. We can sort this all out in the morning."

"I can't," I objected, shaking my head at him. "I need to call Iris - and Aife. It's-"

"It's late," he interrupted, giving me a serious look. I stopped automatically and looked down at my hands with a sigh. "Go to sleep."

"I-"

"Go. Now."

I felt like a naughty child who had been sent to sleep after misbehaving all day. Nonetheless, I still made my way upstairs and snuggled beneath the duvet on his comfy bed.

But I couldn't shake the feeling of fear. I didn't want to sleep; I was afraid of having a nightmare after hearing the awful news. I worried about her safety, if the stalker would come back for her. My mind thought of all the girls in Dream; their safety. We had guards in place to protect the dancers, and the police routinely watched the company, but after hours, no one would be there to watch every single girl.

I was so stressed that I started gnawing at my thumb, the fear coursing within me. I would never admit that I was scared of the stalker, I was more anxious about what kind of person I was dealing with, what they could possibly want from their captives. I tossed and turned for at least an hour before feeling myself begin to doze off.

I forced myself not to sleep, moving around constantly in the bed as I continued to dwell on the terror that was snatching women for another couple of hours. My eyes were sore and my head was beginning to pound; there was no use in me lying down since I couldn't and wouldn't sleep.

Moving the heavy comforter away from me, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. With a groan, I shifted off the bed, my feet against the cold floor. Putting on my slippers, I made my way downstairs where I hoped to find something to distract myself with.

I heard no sound from the living room. The house was silent as usual, the lights were off and there was only brightness coming from the dark sky outside through the windows. Noticing that the lamp was still on, I walked quietly inside and automatically noticed the laptop on the table, still on. The television was switched off and Leonardo was curled on the sofa, a small, black blanket covering his large body.

His face was buried in the couch, his muscular back facing me. I assumed he was sleeping and didn't hesitate to turn the laptop and take a look at it since it was still on. He had a file open on the screen. I put down the brightness a little, glancing over at his body that wasn't moving. Inhaling sharply, I leaned down and realised he had some kind of detective like document including pictures of various people, evidence, notes and the missing girls.

Looking over at him again, I felt more reassured and thankful that he was still working on the case. He must have been extremely tired. I closed the laptop and was about to leave the room until my ears picked up muffled sounds coming from him. At first, I thought he was so tired that he was sleeping talking.

I watched in confusion as he shuffled a little on the sofa, causing something to drop out of the blanket. Opened sleeping pills. I picked them up and analysed them, noticing how strong the prescription was. Placing them onto the table, I moved closer to see that he was beginning to shake and the noises were incoherent mutters.

My eyebrows furrowed as he flinched, jolting in his sleep. My hand extended slowly and carefully lifted the blanket away from his head, revealing to me the side of his sweaty face. It was then I realised he was having a nightmare.

With a small gasp, I moved closer but hesitated on whether to wake him up or not. Then I could see it, the tears beginning to leak from his closed eyes as he shivered under the blanket, seemingly pleading for something in fragmented mumbles.

"Leo. ." I quietly whispered, placing my hand gently onto his large shoulder that continued to tremble. I bit my bottom lip hard, wanting him to escape from the terrible dream.

I recounted the times he used to have nightmares as a child. Things wouldn't bother him as much during the day but at night, he always suffered when he slept which was why he was essentially living off no sleep every single day. I felt bad, empathy for him; he struggled a lot in his life and was keeping it all to himself to suffer with. He was practically crying in his sleep, his face distressed with beads of cold sweat across his forehead as he breathed heavily, even his breath was shaky.

My eyebrows were drawn together. Leonardo was still trapped in his painful past. My heart pounded at the sight of him, feeling troubled that I couldn't even help him.

"Leo?" I tried again, a little louder, though I didn't want to make him feel worse by unexpectedly waking him up.

He seemed half conscious at one point before suddenly lifting his head.

My eyes were hopeful at the fact that he was awake. He moved onto his back, still heaving in fear as his bloodshot, tired eyes stared at me in fright. His chest moved vividly up and down and he was still shaking uncontrollably. He looked ill and it concerned me as I scanned his exhausted, tormented face.

"Leo? Are you okay?" I softly inquired, placing my hand on his chest only to feel how damp his top was. I sat on the edge of the sofa beside him, worried about his state.

Leonardo looked away, his cheeks were flushed, his hand wiped his wet face. "What are you doing here?" He managed to breathe out as he attempted to compose himself, not meeting my eyes. The colour was beginning to appear on his face again.

"I couldn't sleep. .and. ." I stopped myself, still seeing how much he was shaking as if he was cold. "You had a bad dream," I pointed out quietly as I placed my hands on my lap. He sniffed, still looking away. He laid flat on his back, his large hands momentarily covering his face before he moved them away and looked at me.

"I'm sorry for coming in but. .are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" I hoped he would use that opportunity to open up a little but he gave me his usual cold stare.

"No."

I didn't waver at his harsh tone and just nodded. "I find that when I have bad dreams, talking helps." He blankly stared and didn't reply. I took that as his final answer. He seemed to stop shaking as much and placed his massive arm over his head, exhaling quietly as he calmed down.

I leaned over and placed my head against his chest, my arm wrapping around him. The hug seemed to surprise him as he didn't expect it. "Get off me," I heard him mumble but I only held onto him tighter, sighing softly. Thankfully, he didn't push me off and let me comfort him. We stayed like that for a moment comfortably and I felt my eyes begin to get heavier.

"Come upstairs with me," I faintly offered, my hand gently rubbing his arm.

"I'm not going back to sleep."

I lifted my head and frowned. Then he added more quietly, "it's just another nightmare waiting for me." I inclined my head downwards and gently pecked his soft lips, his eyes startled.

"There won't be another one. Come on."

I managed to drag him upstairs, my hand pulling him along and into the bedroom despite his useless protests.

He started with his objections again, "I can't share the bed with you."

"Why not?" I questioned innocently as I slipped under the covers again, watching him stand by the bed awkwardly. He glanced around the room, rubbing the back of his neck. "Did you forget about all the times we've slept together?"

"Please rephrase your words," he spluttered, his shocked eyes expanding at my words. "We haven't - it's not like. . ." My eyebrows raised a little as I noticed how red his ears had become. I chuckled a little, moving the duvet and tapping the free side of the bed.

"N-No, I'm sweaty and I prefer the sofa. Actually, I'll just go back downstairs. I have w-work to do." His stutters surprised me, in face with the bedroom, he wasn't using his usual hard voice. He turned and I exclaimed, "don't go!" Facing me once again, he avoided eye contact. He looked like a little child in his parents bedroom, his face so timid and awkward.

"I don't care, you can shower when you get up. Stop with the excuses and come here." Leonardo then seemed to understand the seriousness of my tone and made his way over to the bed. He sat beside me, slowly pulling the comforter over his body. It was as though he wasn't in his own bedroom. He filled up a lot of the space in the bed, despite trying to stay besides the edge.

"It might be better to sleep with someone. Extra warmth," I advised him though I had no idea if what I was saying was true. He looked so out of place besides me. I moved down onto my back and he did the same, his Adam's apple bobbling up and down as he gulped, avoiding any body contact with me. I smiled in entertainment at the shy behaviour he was exhibiting - was he really that sensitive around women? How did he even get Amalia?

"I don't think so," he disagreed in a dull tone, his arms crossed over his chest and eyes on the ceiling.

"Just try it for tonight," I advised, before pulling one of his heavy arms so he was facing me. He blinked at me and I placed my hand on his cheek, caressing it softly as he gulped. "If you feel like you do want to talk about the dreams, just tell me. I'm here. Let yourself go for tonight and keep your mind off the nightmare." His face looked more content with my words, those beautiful hazel eyes of his gazing into mine.

I turned around so my back was facing him and pulled his arm over me, across my waist. "Hold me like a teddy bear," I murmured, closing my eyes as my head sunk into the big pillow, a smile stretched across my face.

"Do we have to be. . .this close?"

A short laugh escaped from me at his awkward tone. My back was against his chest which seemed to freak him out. "What? You don't want to be next to me?"

"N-No. .that's not what I'm saying. ."

I quietly sighed, moving a little to get more comfortable. He groaned a little, keeping me still. "Don't move like that. .against me." I stopped immediately, completely oblivious to what was running through his mind.

"Why do you keep moving?"

"I don't know, tonight I just can't sleep. I think it's the news," I answered in a defeated tone, also feeling the insomnia hitting that night. "When it all started, I was so strong and didn't let it all get to me so much but now. . .it's getting worse and I feel like I can't get out of this constant cycle. He's out to get me."

"It's not your fault," Leonardo breathed, his tone more kinder which did make me feel better. I couldn't reply as I didn't agree which he picked up on. "The bastard is sick, it's not you, it's him. He won't get you. You have me and yourself. Nothing will touch you, so stop worrying so much." It was easier said than done, but I took his harsh but true words as a way of forcing myself to stop panicking so much. I needed rest to find the stalker and worrying wasn't going to help.

"I can't even get changed in my dressing room without feeling like he's watching me. I can't go out and not worry that he's going to attack me, it's getting worse," I expressed, squeezing my eyes closed as I tried not to get emotional over it. "He even got into my house. Fucking pervert."

He tightened his arm around me, I could feel his fast heart beat against me. "You will get your life back, Ria because when I fucking find them, they'll regret the day they left their mother's womb. Don't worry about that." His tone was much darker, it sent cold shivers down my spine. I didn't say anymore, not wanting to cry. I exhaled quietly, calming myself down.

"Close your eyes and get some sleep."

I leaned over to the side table, about to switch off the lamp, the only light in the bedroom, until he quickly exclaimed, "don't!" I turned a little and looked at him in confusion at the sound of his urgent voice. His eyes were full of panic as they glanced between me and the lamp.

". .don't turn off the lamp. .I can't sleep with the lights fully off. ."

Leonardo's cheeks grew redder as he struggled to meet my eyes. His gentle tone softened me though I was slightly surprised by his words and quiet tone. I left the light on, sliding back down and bringing his arm over me again. "That's okay," I gently replied, closing my eyes once more though the light was a little too bright for my liking. However, I understood his words deeply, there was something behind his fear of darkness.

After a moment of silence, his deep voice admitted, "I. .I don't think I can sleep."

"You're tired, Leo," I murmured in a kind tone. "So tired that you will sleep. You're just afraid and that's okay." My hand went on top of his, gently caressing it. "Have you ever counted sheep? I always get to at least two hundred, can you beat that?"

"The sheep always turn into monsters or devils."

"Focus on your breathing, the comfortable environment that you're in. .or imagine one, like a beautiful meadow or the seaside," I offered, hoping at least one of the ideas would help. He sighed in what appeared to be disapproval and seemed to be closer to me, his arm gently tightening around me waist.

"Or. ." I slowly moved his hand upwards and onto my chest. He moved it back down immediately to my waist, blurting out in a panic, "what are you doing?"

"Relax," I merely said, bringing his hand back to my chest, his arm on top of my practically non-existent breast. "Feel my heart beat and focus on that. That I'm here and we're together. Nothing is coming for you in this space between us," I calmly explained, and his hand relaxed against me, expanding as his palm gently pressed against my small chest, feeling the pattern of my heartbeat.

"Close your eyes and think of me," I murmured, my eyes closed as I exhaled softly. I hoped he would sleep more peacefully. "Goodnight, Leonardo."

My hopes were sealed because within minutes, the sound of his quiet snores filled the bedroom. Leonardo fell asleep in peace before me.

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~ Author's Note ~

That was a really sweet chapter! I loved writing about Leonardo's shyness and Maria's boldness.

A lot had been noted on about Leonardo; his insomnia, his nightmares. These will be dived into some more later.

As for Daphne, she'll be an important key in this mystery of the missing girls.

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