Eleanor and Liam had let Jasper sleep, but it was pushing 10pm and Jasper had not moved from his spot on the sofa. Eleanor did not want to leave him there in case he needed anything through the night.
She gently rocked him awake.
"Hey!" she said, smiling at him.
"Hey"
"I need to get you to bed"
Jasper nodded sleepily. Eleanor helped him to his feet, and used her own body as a crutch for him as she guided him to the stairs, up them and to their bedroom. She sat him on the bed before helping him change into something he could sleep in. She pulled the cover from underneath him, pushed him down into the bed and lifted his legs so he could lie properly.
"Arrrrggghhhhh!" Jasper cried, fighting Eleanor to sit back up.
"Can't. lie. down." Jasper almost hyperventilated.
"So we have to prop you up."
Eleanor looked around the room to see what she had that could prop Jasper up in bed. She left herself a pillow, found two more in a wardrobe, then went in search of some more in other bedrooms.
Eventually, she returned and she placed them behind Jasper, testing each time she added a couple so see if he could lie down. It took seven pillows for him to be able to lie back without pain.
Eleanor climbed in the bed next to him, and cuddled in as close as she could.
Within minutes, she could feel the steady, even rhythm of his breathing, which meant that he was asleep, so she closed her eyes.
Jasper was waiting in the Palace gardens for Eleanor. It was her birthday and she was skipping towards him, wearing a floating dress that billowed out behind her as she moved towards him. She was wearing a tiara that glinted in the sun. He was stood there, and he was happy, and the look on Eleanor's face told him she was happy too, but, as she moved towards him he could see her face change into one of shock, horror and disgust.
He looked around him, and could not see anything, or anyone, so he knew the look must have been directed at him.
He then felt something slithering up his leg, before wrapping around his arm and sinking it's teeth into his wrist. Jasper looked, and what he saw did not make any sense to him. It was a snake, and it was drinking his blood.
Jasper bolted from his reclined position into a fully upright one, despite the pain he felt doing so. He was clawing at his wrists, making sure they were in tact.
This movement did not go unnoticed by Eleanor, who had migrated into a position where she was curled up on his lap.
"What?" she asked, placing her hands on his face. She was concerned by the terrified look on his face and the fact he was clawing at his wrists.
She held his face and looked him in the eyes.
"Bad dream" he admitted, trying to control his breathing.
"Tell me about?"
Jasper shook his head. It was the most bizarre nightmare he had ever had, and he wasn't quite sure how to tell Eleanor.
"I think I need to get a drink." he said
"I'll get it. Water ok?"
Jasper nodded, still playing with his wrists.
Once she had got back, and he had taken a drink, he laid back into the pillows that Eleanor had rearranged for him.
"You ok?" she asked, as she once again cuddled up into his side.
"I'm fine. It was just a crazy bad dream. Let's go back to sleep."
Eleanor laid against him, she could feel the tension of the dream leave his body, but she still did not trust herself to sleep in case he had another nightmare. She was still awake when the first shafts of sunlight filtered into the bedroom.
Carefully, so she wouldn't wake Jasper, she untangled herself from the covers, crept out of the room and down to the kitchen, where she pulled food out of the fridge and cupboards to make breakfast.
Liam entered the kitchen not long after Eleanor had started cooking, and he watched as she moved eggs around in a pan.
"It helps if you turn the thing on" he said
"It is on."
"It isn't. I can see that from here."
Eleanor took the pan off the hob and threw it in the sink in exasperation.
Liam walked around the kitchen island and wrapped Eleanor in his arms.
"What's up?" he asked her.
"Jasper didn't sleep well. He woke up in a cold sweat grabbing his wrists at about one. I've been awake since."
"Want me to take him on today?"
"Nah, I'll be fine, but breakfast is fruit."
Eleanor broke out of the embrace and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.
When she got back to her bedroom, Jasper was up, he had got dressed and was clumsily making his way to the door. Eleanor noticed he looked pale, but she could not decide if it was due to pain, or the previous nights nightmare, but she decided to keep an eye on him.
She smiled when she saw him, and went to support him as she had done the previous night. She was so focussed on helping him, she almost did not hear him speak.
"Vampire snakes"
"What?" she asked confused
"Last night's nightmare. It was about vampire snakes sucking my blood"
Eleanor stopped, turned to look at him for some sort of joke, but she found none. Realising he was serious, she simply turned back around and continued helping him to the sofa. She sat down next to him, and took his hand in hers. She could see red welts around his wrists from where he had been scratching them. It was at this point Liam arrived with two plates of scrambled eggs on toast, some orange juice and Jasper's pain killers.
"How did you?" Eleanor began to ask him, but he cut her off.
"I had to learn to cook at University. While my skills are not great, I apologise in advance by the way that these will not taste great, at least I know how to turn the heat on."
"Thank you" Jasper said, taking his plate
