{Author's note: Sorry that it took so long to update, but my Leo muse was refusing to cooperate for awhile :).}
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"His fever has broken." Leo heard a familiar voice announce as he slowly opened his eyes back to reality again. The minute he did, an overbearing feeling of weakness filled him, as did the realization that he had been covered in sweat. Once he was properly awake, the tall, brown-haired man took in the sights that surrounded him. He was still lying on the couch in Guy's library, but it seemed that some time had passed as the once brilliant fire was now reduced to still ashes. Speaking of the fireplace, Leo could see Guy standing with one arm resting on the mantle of the brick structure. A look of relief starting to appear on his elderly features. Feeling the sensation of a cold stethoscope on his bare chest, Leo turned to see Dr. Jacot sitting beside him on the couch. The brown and gray haired man wiped sweat from his own brow.
"So you're awake, mon ami." Dr. Jacot smiled, noticing Leo's open eyes. He quickly removed the stethoscope and jotted some notes down on a pad of paper.
"What happened?" Leo asked as he sat up slightly.
"To put it in simple terms, you came down with a pretty bad bug." Dr. Jacot replied as he finished his notes. Setting the pad down, he turned and looked at Leo with a stern gleam in his hazel eyes. "I would advise against any more idiotic escapades into the snow, and I would also advise that you stay in bed for the time being."
"He will." Guy promised, stepping forward. He looked decisively at Leo. "I will make sure that he does."
"Good." Dr. Jacot nodded as he stood up. "Forgive me for not staying, Comte, but I have other patients to attend to back at the hospital, and I assume that you can take it from here."
"Thank you again, Henri." Guy replied with a smile as he walked his old friend to the door of the room. The pair was blocked from Leo's view by the back of the couch. "Give my best to Hannah and the kids."
"I will." Dr. Jacot responded before Leo could hear the door close. It wasn't long before a very relieved looking Guy reemerged from behind the couch, and sat down at his son's side. With a handkerchief, du Pres the elder dabbed at the remaining sweat on his son's forehead.
"Perhaps it is a good thing that I did not meet you until now, Leo." he remarked with a chuckle. "I suspect that I would have gone gray long before my time." Guy halted his actions. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better." Leo replied, sitting up more. He contemplated telling his father about the dreams he had had, but decided against it. After all, Leo was sure, after his conversation with dream Greenlee, that the matter had been resolved and there was no need to worry Guy about it any further. He rubbed his neck as a scratchy feeling attacked his throat when he tried to swallow.
"No more dreams about the ski lodge then?" Guy wondered with a raised eyebrow. "You were in a pretty feverish state when I walked in earlier." He shook his head. "I couldn't wake you. Thus, why I called Henri to come in and examine you."
"I did dream about it." Leo admitted as Guy sighed in despair. "But I think it will probably be the last time I do." A grin appeared on his face. "I kind of had a talk with David, Trey and Greenlee about it. They made me realize what was causing it, and what I can do to fix it." It was Leo's turn to sigh in despair. "They seemed so real, Dad. It was like they were actually there."
"Maybe someday soon." Guy replied sympathetically, rubbing his son's shoulder. "Interpol is making good progress with your case. It shouldn't be long now." A grin appeared on the older man's face. "I heard from Carlos while you were asleep. He has made it safely to Pine Valley, and he said that he will begin your plan almost immediately."
"Good." Leo yawned, "Good to know that something is going right."
"You need more rest, my boy." Guy commented, standing slowly up. As Leo layed back down again, the elderly man picked up one of his son's blankets from the floor and threw it over him. "Sleep will help you recuperate faster from this illness."
"If anything, it sounds good." Leo smiled as he closed his eyes.
----------------------------------------------------------------
As the wind from the open window blew through his brown hair, a smile slowly appeared on Leo's face. It was now May, and the former con man was just returning from a check-up at Dr. Jacot's office in Paris. Usually the check-ups would be the extent of Leo's ventures outside of the chateau, but today, Guy had decided to let the younger man drive one of his expensive cars around the French countryside as a treat…a decision that he was beginning to reconsider.
"You're going too fast, Leo!" Guy commented, closing his eyes as the tall, brown-haired man cut a corner particularly fast. "Slow down!"
"Slow's no fun." Leo shrugged, enjoying freaking his father out like this.
"Fun or not, you have less chance of crashing." Guy replied, opening his eyes. The blue orbs glared at the now-chuckling Leo. "Now as your father and the owner of this car, I'm ordering you to slow down."
With a sigh, Leo let his foot off the gas and let the car slow to a more reasonable speed. A satisfied and relieved look appeared on the older Frenchman's face as he propped his arm up on the down window. He turned his gaze to the passing countryside.
"You can't see the scenery at such a high speed anyway." Guy commented before his attention became fixed on the rear-view mirror. Noticing the Count glance nervously behind the car, Leo turned his eyes towards his father.
"What's wrong?" he asked, watching the road and Guy.
"That car behind us." Guy replied in a worried tone, reaching into his pockets. "It's been following us since we left Paris."
Leo suddenly felt his own worry rise at this statement. Not all of his mother's men had been arrested yet, so it was plausible that someone could come after him and the Count. It could just be coincidence that someone had been following them for about half an hour, but then again…
"I'm going to call my security team for back-up." Guy stated, pulling his cell phone and a small pistol out of his pocket. As he noticed Leo staring at the pistol, Guy paused. "This is only for the worst case scenario. I'm not going to take any chances with your life, my boy."
"Nothing's going to happen." Leo shook his head as he gripped the steering wheel harder and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to give them a demonstration of just how fast we can run!" He chuckled slightly as his foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor. "I hope you still have your seatbelt fastened."
To be continued...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"His fever has broken." Leo heard a familiar voice announce as he slowly opened his eyes back to reality again. The minute he did, an overbearing feeling of weakness filled him, as did the realization that he had been covered in sweat. Once he was properly awake, the tall, brown-haired man took in the sights that surrounded him. He was still lying on the couch in Guy's library, but it seemed that some time had passed as the once brilliant fire was now reduced to still ashes. Speaking of the fireplace, Leo could see Guy standing with one arm resting on the mantle of the brick structure. A look of relief starting to appear on his elderly features. Feeling the sensation of a cold stethoscope on his bare chest, Leo turned to see Dr. Jacot sitting beside him on the couch. The brown and gray haired man wiped sweat from his own brow.
"So you're awake, mon ami." Dr. Jacot smiled, noticing Leo's open eyes. He quickly removed the stethoscope and jotted some notes down on a pad of paper.
"What happened?" Leo asked as he sat up slightly.
"To put it in simple terms, you came down with a pretty bad bug." Dr. Jacot replied as he finished his notes. Setting the pad down, he turned and looked at Leo with a stern gleam in his hazel eyes. "I would advise against any more idiotic escapades into the snow, and I would also advise that you stay in bed for the time being."
"He will." Guy promised, stepping forward. He looked decisively at Leo. "I will make sure that he does."
"Good." Dr. Jacot nodded as he stood up. "Forgive me for not staying, Comte, but I have other patients to attend to back at the hospital, and I assume that you can take it from here."
"Thank you again, Henri." Guy replied with a smile as he walked his old friend to the door of the room. The pair was blocked from Leo's view by the back of the couch. "Give my best to Hannah and the kids."
"I will." Dr. Jacot responded before Leo could hear the door close. It wasn't long before a very relieved looking Guy reemerged from behind the couch, and sat down at his son's side. With a handkerchief, du Pres the elder dabbed at the remaining sweat on his son's forehead.
"Perhaps it is a good thing that I did not meet you until now, Leo." he remarked with a chuckle. "I suspect that I would have gone gray long before my time." Guy halted his actions. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better." Leo replied, sitting up more. He contemplated telling his father about the dreams he had had, but decided against it. After all, Leo was sure, after his conversation with dream Greenlee, that the matter had been resolved and there was no need to worry Guy about it any further. He rubbed his neck as a scratchy feeling attacked his throat when he tried to swallow.
"No more dreams about the ski lodge then?" Guy wondered with a raised eyebrow. "You were in a pretty feverish state when I walked in earlier." He shook his head. "I couldn't wake you. Thus, why I called Henri to come in and examine you."
"I did dream about it." Leo admitted as Guy sighed in despair. "But I think it will probably be the last time I do." A grin appeared on his face. "I kind of had a talk with David, Trey and Greenlee about it. They made me realize what was causing it, and what I can do to fix it." It was Leo's turn to sigh in despair. "They seemed so real, Dad. It was like they were actually there."
"Maybe someday soon." Guy replied sympathetically, rubbing his son's shoulder. "Interpol is making good progress with your case. It shouldn't be long now." A grin appeared on the older man's face. "I heard from Carlos while you were asleep. He has made it safely to Pine Valley, and he said that he will begin your plan almost immediately."
"Good." Leo yawned, "Good to know that something is going right."
"You need more rest, my boy." Guy commented, standing slowly up. As Leo layed back down again, the elderly man picked up one of his son's blankets from the floor and threw it over him. "Sleep will help you recuperate faster from this illness."
"If anything, it sounds good." Leo smiled as he closed his eyes.
----------------------------------------------------------------
As the wind from the open window blew through his brown hair, a smile slowly appeared on Leo's face. It was now May, and the former con man was just returning from a check-up at Dr. Jacot's office in Paris. Usually the check-ups would be the extent of Leo's ventures outside of the chateau, but today, Guy had decided to let the younger man drive one of his expensive cars around the French countryside as a treat…a decision that he was beginning to reconsider.
"You're going too fast, Leo!" Guy commented, closing his eyes as the tall, brown-haired man cut a corner particularly fast. "Slow down!"
"Slow's no fun." Leo shrugged, enjoying freaking his father out like this.
"Fun or not, you have less chance of crashing." Guy replied, opening his eyes. The blue orbs glared at the now-chuckling Leo. "Now as your father and the owner of this car, I'm ordering you to slow down."
With a sigh, Leo let his foot off the gas and let the car slow to a more reasonable speed. A satisfied and relieved look appeared on the older Frenchman's face as he propped his arm up on the down window. He turned his gaze to the passing countryside.
"You can't see the scenery at such a high speed anyway." Guy commented before his attention became fixed on the rear-view mirror. Noticing the Count glance nervously behind the car, Leo turned his eyes towards his father.
"What's wrong?" he asked, watching the road and Guy.
"That car behind us." Guy replied in a worried tone, reaching into his pockets. "It's been following us since we left Paris."
Leo suddenly felt his own worry rise at this statement. Not all of his mother's men had been arrested yet, so it was plausible that someone could come after him and the Count. It could just be coincidence that someone had been following them for about half an hour, but then again…
"I'm going to call my security team for back-up." Guy stated, pulling his cell phone and a small pistol out of his pocket. As he noticed Leo staring at the pistol, Guy paused. "This is only for the worst case scenario. I'm not going to take any chances with your life, my boy."
"Nothing's going to happen." Leo shook his head as he gripped the steering wheel harder and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to give them a demonstration of just how fast we can run!" He chuckled slightly as his foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor. "I hope you still have your seatbelt fastened."
To be continued...