Hearing whimpering an hour or so later, Guy immediately looked up from the book he had been engrossed in to see Leo violently tossing and turning in his sleep. It was exactly like how the older man had found him a few months prior. Setting the book down on the arm of his chair, the Count rushed to his son's side.
"No." Leo muttered, reacting to whatever he was dreaming about. His eyes were shut tightly, and he had clenched his hands into equally tight fists. As tears began to stream uncontrollably down his cheeks, his muttering turned to near shouting. "No! Don't walk away! Please don't walk away!" His tone suddenly grew quiet. "Father…"
"Leo." Guy said, sitting down on the couch next to the sobbing, younger man. He shook his son violently. "Leo!"
Leo slowly opened his eyes, causing the Count to rub the brown-haired man's shoulder reassuringly. Guy remembered the incident during Leo's visit the previous summer when the younger man had told him about the one time Leo had seen his father as a child. Vanessa had taken the boy to a ski resort, which Guy and one of his children were also at, and pointed out Guy to him. Leo had told Guy that he had tried to call out to him, but the child's voice just wouldn't work. He had been reduced to watching helplessly as the cheerful Guy walked away.
"Dad?" Leo asked, looking up weakly at his father.
"I'm right here, my boy." Guy assured as Leo wiped tears from his eyes. He was slightly embarrassed that his father had seen him in such a state. The Count watched him with a comforting look in his blue eyes. "You dreamed about the ski lodge, didn't you?"
"How'd…" Leo wondered, looking questioningly at the Count.
"You were talking in your sleep." Guy answered quietly.
"What did I say?" Leo inquired, swallowing one last sob. He wasn't exactly sure that he wanted to know the answer to this.
"I believe it's what you wanted to say that day." Guy replied as Leo slowly sat up and put his head in his hands. Moving his hand from Leo's shoulder, Guy soothingly rubbed his son's back and cursed Vanessa silently. "I wish that I could erase that memory from your mind, Leo."
"I wish you could too." Leo replied, looking up slightly. He wondered why he kept flashing back to that particular memory. He had attributed it the first time to some sort of heavenly sign that he was going to find his father soon, but it seemed to come out of the blue this time. "I don't understand why I dreamed about that, Dad."
"Dreams don't always have a meaning, my boy." Guy said, halting rubbing Leo's back.
"Something like this has to." Leo replied, staring past Guy into the still-blazing fire in the fireplace. "Maybe it's some sort of penance for putting Greenlee through absolute hell." He chuckled slightly. "Or it could be Vanessa torturing me from beyond the grave." Noticing that his father had a serious look on his face, Leo quit laughing. "Dad? What's wrong?"
"A whole lot has been wrong in the 27 years that you've been alive." Guy replied, removing his hand from Leo's back. "I'm not sure that I can make up for everything your mother and I, by my absence, have put you through…"
"You don't…" Leo started before Guy put his hand up to stop him.
"I need to clear my conscience." Guy continued, looking earnestly at Leo. "If I had only investigated your mother's disappearance, I may have been able to save you from a life of pure hell." The Count smiled and shook his head. "I never thought that I could hate the mother of any of my children, but I'm afraid that that is the only thing I can feel for your mother, Leo."
"I understand." Leo nodded, thinking of all of the pain that Vanessa had put Greenlee through. He closed his eyes tightly as the assorted memories started to play in his head: Greenlee and Jake Martin almost drowning, Vanessa with a knife to Greenlee's throat, the whole Millers Falls incident…Not wanting to see the images anymore, he opened his eyes again slowly and looked honestly at Guy. "I feel the same way."
"I think that there has been enough talk for tonight." Guy said as he slowly stood up again. He rested a hand on Leo's shoulder as the younger man looked up at him. "You need your rest, my boy." He paused. "Hopefully, a much more peaceful rest than what you had."
"Hopefully." Leo yawned in agreement as he laid down and got comfortable again. The tall, brown-haired man was still thinking about the dream he had had, but he simply didn't feel like discussing it anymore with his father. Even though it was proving to be impossible, Leo was trying not to even think about it anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Standing in the doorway a half an hour later, Guy decided to look at Leo one more time before heading off to bed himself. A smile crossed his elderly features as he noticed the tranquil look on his son's face. Whatever Leo was dreaming about, it was better than the ski lodge incident.
As memories of the night's events began to play in his mind, Guy slowly removed his gaze from the sleeping form of Leo and looked up towards the heavens. A look of pure hatred flashed in his eyes, and a scowl appeared on his face.
"God damn you, Vanessa." he whispered into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"God damn it." Leo exclaimed quietly as he looked around. The snow, the ski lift, and the cold air…it was all too familiar. Plopping down in the snow, du Pres wondered what he had done to deserve having the dream twice in one night. He hugged his knees to his chest in order to keep warm as a fierce wind kicked up around him and he hung his head. Hearing the sound of footsteps crunching the snow behind him, Leo guessed that it had to be his younger self appearing to start things off. He closed his eyes tightly, partly out of desperation and partly because of the wind.
"Like torturing yourself, Leo?" a man asked from behind him. Upon recognizing the voice, Leo stood immediately and spun around. An older, black-haired man stood behind him. A compassionate look in his brown eyes, but a cocky look about him. He crossed his arms across his chest as Leo simply stared in amazement at him.
"David?" Leo questioned, taking a few steps forward. "But how…"
To be continued...
"No." Leo muttered, reacting to whatever he was dreaming about. His eyes were shut tightly, and he had clenched his hands into equally tight fists. As tears began to stream uncontrollably down his cheeks, his muttering turned to near shouting. "No! Don't walk away! Please don't walk away!" His tone suddenly grew quiet. "Father…"
"Leo." Guy said, sitting down on the couch next to the sobbing, younger man. He shook his son violently. "Leo!"
Leo slowly opened his eyes, causing the Count to rub the brown-haired man's shoulder reassuringly. Guy remembered the incident during Leo's visit the previous summer when the younger man had told him about the one time Leo had seen his father as a child. Vanessa had taken the boy to a ski resort, which Guy and one of his children were also at, and pointed out Guy to him. Leo had told Guy that he had tried to call out to him, but the child's voice just wouldn't work. He had been reduced to watching helplessly as the cheerful Guy walked away.
"Dad?" Leo asked, looking up weakly at his father.
"I'm right here, my boy." Guy assured as Leo wiped tears from his eyes. He was slightly embarrassed that his father had seen him in such a state. The Count watched him with a comforting look in his blue eyes. "You dreamed about the ski lodge, didn't you?"
"How'd…" Leo wondered, looking questioningly at the Count.
"You were talking in your sleep." Guy answered quietly.
"What did I say?" Leo inquired, swallowing one last sob. He wasn't exactly sure that he wanted to know the answer to this.
"I believe it's what you wanted to say that day." Guy replied as Leo slowly sat up and put his head in his hands. Moving his hand from Leo's shoulder, Guy soothingly rubbed his son's back and cursed Vanessa silently. "I wish that I could erase that memory from your mind, Leo."
"I wish you could too." Leo replied, looking up slightly. He wondered why he kept flashing back to that particular memory. He had attributed it the first time to some sort of heavenly sign that he was going to find his father soon, but it seemed to come out of the blue this time. "I don't understand why I dreamed about that, Dad."
"Dreams don't always have a meaning, my boy." Guy said, halting rubbing Leo's back.
"Something like this has to." Leo replied, staring past Guy into the still-blazing fire in the fireplace. "Maybe it's some sort of penance for putting Greenlee through absolute hell." He chuckled slightly. "Or it could be Vanessa torturing me from beyond the grave." Noticing that his father had a serious look on his face, Leo quit laughing. "Dad? What's wrong?"
"A whole lot has been wrong in the 27 years that you've been alive." Guy replied, removing his hand from Leo's back. "I'm not sure that I can make up for everything your mother and I, by my absence, have put you through…"
"You don't…" Leo started before Guy put his hand up to stop him.
"I need to clear my conscience." Guy continued, looking earnestly at Leo. "If I had only investigated your mother's disappearance, I may have been able to save you from a life of pure hell." The Count smiled and shook his head. "I never thought that I could hate the mother of any of my children, but I'm afraid that that is the only thing I can feel for your mother, Leo."
"I understand." Leo nodded, thinking of all of the pain that Vanessa had put Greenlee through. He closed his eyes tightly as the assorted memories started to play in his head: Greenlee and Jake Martin almost drowning, Vanessa with a knife to Greenlee's throat, the whole Millers Falls incident…Not wanting to see the images anymore, he opened his eyes again slowly and looked honestly at Guy. "I feel the same way."
"I think that there has been enough talk for tonight." Guy said as he slowly stood up again. He rested a hand on Leo's shoulder as the younger man looked up at him. "You need your rest, my boy." He paused. "Hopefully, a much more peaceful rest than what you had."
"Hopefully." Leo yawned in agreement as he laid down and got comfortable again. The tall, brown-haired man was still thinking about the dream he had had, but he simply didn't feel like discussing it anymore with his father. Even though it was proving to be impossible, Leo was trying not to even think about it anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Standing in the doorway a half an hour later, Guy decided to look at Leo one more time before heading off to bed himself. A smile crossed his elderly features as he noticed the tranquil look on his son's face. Whatever Leo was dreaming about, it was better than the ski lodge incident.
As memories of the night's events began to play in his mind, Guy slowly removed his gaze from the sleeping form of Leo and looked up towards the heavens. A look of pure hatred flashed in his eyes, and a scowl appeared on his face.
"God damn you, Vanessa." he whispered into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"God damn it." Leo exclaimed quietly as he looked around. The snow, the ski lift, and the cold air…it was all too familiar. Plopping down in the snow, du Pres wondered what he had done to deserve having the dream twice in one night. He hugged his knees to his chest in order to keep warm as a fierce wind kicked up around him and he hung his head. Hearing the sound of footsteps crunching the snow behind him, Leo guessed that it had to be his younger self appearing to start things off. He closed his eyes tightly, partly out of desperation and partly because of the wind.
"Like torturing yourself, Leo?" a man asked from behind him. Upon recognizing the voice, Leo stood immediately and spun around. An older, black-haired man stood behind him. A compassionate look in his brown eyes, but a cocky look about him. He crossed his arms across his chest as Leo simply stared in amazement at him.
"David?" Leo questioned, taking a few steps forward. "But how…"
To be continued...