Title: Nightmares
Rating: PG-13ish
Summary: Count d' Morcerf's nightmares are getting worse.
A one-shot on Count Fernand de Morcerf.
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Lately, the nightmares are getting worse.
They start off innocently enough, with scents and images of the past, her ringing laughter in the beach, his playful taunts and jokes, pictures of comfort and warmth wrapped in soft echoes and sepia. And then the images and voices would change, and all that would be left was his voice, his face, accusing him of lies and betrayal.
Sometimes the dreams would end there, and he would wake up sweating and panting and reaching out immediately to the warm body lying beside him, reaching out for comfort and the assurance that all is well in the world, that he is gone and is gone forever, and that his dreams are merely a remnant of a past that will never come to haunt him again in his waking hours.
Most of the time however, his dreams would carry him further from the land ofvague recollections and sad regrets to the realm of nightmares, where his voice would inevitably drag him into that solitary chamber, all alone in that cold, cold dark.
And his voice would start to speak to him, and it is more than he can bear, more chilling and frightening than all those imaginary accusations, for the voice would begin to speak of trust, of love, of friendships that should never be betrayed.
Perhaps, he would tell himself afterwards, when he has to sit down to breakfast with the reassuring presence of his wife and listen to Albert drone on again about his adventures with that boy d' Epinay and his mysterious savior, there is no escaping the price of betrayal and sin.
And he is thankful that so far, the only price exacted from him by Fate are those mad, self-defeating nightly illusions.
So far.