Author's Note: I started writing this aaaaages ago, but then for some reason I never finished this. Anyway, today I was reading through my other NatDaisy fics and I realised how much I miss writing them. So I decided to finish this. I can't remember where the idea for this came from, but I think it turned out quite well. Enjoy!

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Play My Fears Away.

Daisy shivered under her covers. The wind outside was howling, and the rain was lashing against the window. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, and curled up into a little ball. It didn’t help.

“Nan?” she whispered to the figure in the other bed. There was no answer. Daisy sighed.

It was nights like these that were the worst. When there was a storm she was not alone in her fear. Others would be up and awake, and they would all sit together in Mother and Father Bhaer’s room, protected against the storm. Nights like these, though, she had to get through on her own.

A sudden gust of wind rattled the windows and Daisy pulled the covers up over her head. She considered her options.

She could go and see Demi, but she would then be in danger of waking Tommy up, who shared a room with her brother. Nursey was with Rob because he was ill and the boys would laugh at her if she went running to her Aunt and Uncle. They would call her a baby.

She shook her head, trying to pluck up the courage to get out of bed. She would just have to go to her Aunt and Uncle’s room. There was no other option. Another strong gust of wind came, with even more rain thudding against the house. Daisy let out a quiet half-scream and slipped quickly out of her bed.

She crept quietly down the hall, focussing on the door behind which she knew she would find protection. But just before she reached it another sound floated up, quiet but somehow piercing its way through the wind. Before she had even realised it she was following the sound downstairs.

There he was. She stood silently in the doorway for a moment, watching Nat as he sat by the window playing his beloved violin that he had finally been able to buy. She smiled to herself as she recognised one of his favourite tunes from his street-playing days. He hadn’t noticed her yet. The wind still howled outside, but all she could hear was this music.

She took a step forward and he looked up, suddenly stopping playing.

“I was trying to play quietly,” he said softly, “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

She shook her head.

“I was already awake,” she replied, equally quietly, “I was scared of the wind.”

She had never revealed that to anyone before. Not even Demi, for fear that he would laugh at her. Somehow she knew that Nat would never laugh at her, that he would not consider her a baby.

“I was scared too,” he told her, swinging his legs down so that she could also sit on the window sill. “My father used to say that when I was scared, I should play because it would make me feel better.”

They sat in silence for a while, and Nat began to play again. Daisy looked at him and realised that she had never really heard Nat talk about his father before.

“Do you miss him?” she asked quietly. He looked back at her, fingers still flying on the finger-board.

“Do you miss your father?” he asked.

She looked down at the floor and nodded, feeling tears rising up inside her. It was odd, because she usually had very good control over her emotions. But sitting here, with Nat, she felt that she no longer had to hide them.

Nat immediately looked panicked and stopped playing.

“Oh, Daisy. I’m sorry. I never meant to upset you.”

She smiled through her tears.

“You didn’t. Not at all. You never answered my question, though.”

Nat nodded, looking away from her.

“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m not sure what to say.”

Daisy nodded, trying to understand. She tried to put herself in Nat’s shoes and imagine what it must have been like to lose your mother, and then your father. The thought brought more tears to her eyes.

Suddenly she felt a hesitant hand on top of hers, and found herself looking into the very concerned face of her friend.

“Please don’t cry.” he said, looking worried.

“No,” she whispered. “I’m glad.”

He looked a little confused at that, but she just squeezed his hand. Maybe later on in life he would realise that she could not just let go of her emotions in public, that she would not allow herself to. Maybe someday he would realise that he was her safe place to cry.

“I do miss him.”

The confession was so sudden that at first Daisy thought she was hearing things. Nat was cradling his violin and steadfastly not looking at her.

“I…” he stopped, and took a deep breath. “I was afraid of him. Nicolo was always angry at me, so father started getting angry at me. He wasn’t as bad as Nicolo, but I was always terrified that I would upset him.”

He broke off, and Daisy could see him fighting tears. She was unsure of what to do or say to help him, her own tears still falling fast. Only this time, they were tears for him.

“But he was the only family I knew. He tried to do right by me.”

There was a slight pause, and Daisy realised that Nat was still clutching her hand, although more tightly now, as if he was afraid she would let go.

“You’ve got family now.” she whispered to him, shuffling closer.

Nat made no response, but simply pulled his hand out of hers and picked up his violin again. Daisy simply sat beside him, absorbing the music and trying to absorb some of his pain. Only now was she realising that Nat was as good at keeping his painful memories in check as she was. They were both scared of so many things in this world, but sitting here, with the wind howling round them, they had finally found a safe place.

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Daisy shivered under her covers. The wind outside was howling, and the rain was lashing against the window. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and curled up into a little ball. It didn’t help.

For a moment she had been transported back in time, to a night long ago when she had been in a similar situation. She had forgotten that this time she wasn’t alone. However, when she turned over in bed she realised that the other half of it was cold. Cold and empty.

“Nat?” she whispered. There was no answer.

She slipped out of bed and crept out of the room. Memories assaulted her as she slowly made her towards the music, past the room where their children slept. For an instant she was a young girl again, secretly finding comfort in her friend’s presence on the stormiest of nights. Like she had as a child, she stood in the doorway watching Nat play.

He looked up at she stepped into the room.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” he said, a small smile hovering on his face.

“You didn’t.”

He laughed at their traditional exchange, before moving over so that she could sit next to him on the window sill. Neither of them spoke for a while, and Nat continued playing. Daisy felt her heart warm as she realised that, despite his prowess, he still played the old songs of their childhood on nights like these. Songs that they had shared in a time long ago.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” she whispered softly.

Nat smiled down at her, his fingers still flying.

“Yes. We have.”

Daisy smiled at his confirmation, knowing that he knew she had more that she wanted to say. These nights were always nights of confessions. Of fears and comfort.

“I feel guilty.” she finally admitted. “Sometimes I’m glad that your father died, because then we would never have met.”

She hadn’t looked at him as she spoke, but she knew he was shocked by her revelation. There was a pause.

“Sometimes I am too.” Nat said softly, resting his violin on his lap and taking her hand in his.

The feeling of her hands in his, and the knowledge that she wasn’t alone helped her more than Nat could ever have imagined.

“Thank you.” she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“What for?” he asked, sounding confused.

“For being scared with me. For making it all seem smaller.”

Nat had no reply, except to pick up his violin once again and play. Once more keeping the night out with his music.

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