Dear Mister Sandman

Chapter 6

Charlie gulped at the sudden tension in this room. Sure, she wanted help, but she had a feeling there was more behind Morpheus' willingness to cure her nightmares and her sleepwalking. Sleepwalking, she thought. She never did that before. But then again, she also never dreamed before, so quite frankly, even if they couldn't help her, she was happy that she was able to dream- with the side effect of sleepwalking. Which was easy to prevent if she simply tied herself to her bed, right?

"Miss Denver- Charlie is it?" Hypnos asked his guest, making her gaze snap back to him. She nodded and he did his best to make his smile not appear forced.
"Would you like some tea or hot chocolate perhaps?" He asked her, while leading her towards the door. Hypnos gave his son a look, telling him he wanted to speak to him.

"O-okay." Charlie caught the look, even though it wasn't meant to be seen by her. She actually felt bad for Morpheus, because she heard him gulp in fear, even though his face remained stern.

As Hypnos opened the door, he immediately called out for Darian, their butler. And soon enough, a slender, scary man with already white hair and a long, grey face appeared in front of Charlie. He nodded at her and looked at his master in expectation.

"Would you show Miss Denver the dining room. She would like a hot beverage. Make sure she gets whatever she wants." The man, who Charlie thought was really generous, turned back towards her, that tight smile still on his face.
"We won't be long, don't worry." He assured her and gently pushed her towards Darian, before turning back around.

Hypnos sighed once he closed the door to his office and faced Morpheus. The smile that made him look so much nicer was replaced by a scowl that was targeted at his son.

"What were you thinking? Letting her know where you live! Where we live! If she ever tells anybody- I don't want to have to remind you about what happened when you were a baby." Morpheus heard his father say. His tone was hushed and held a hint of anger in it.

But Hypnos was more curious than angry. Sure, he was disappointed in his son, but he wanted to know what exactly made Morpheus make such a stupid decision. Morpheus clenched his jaw. He understood his father's concerns, but he wouldn't have brought her here, if he didn't know she needed them.

"I didn't know what to do. This never happened before, father. She was sleepwalking and climbed out of the window. If I wouldn't have been there, who knows what could've happened." Morpheus said in a rushed manner. His face also showed a look of panic as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Sleepwalking? Slower, son. Tell me what exactly happened." Hypnos was confused. Who could blame him? Last time he checked, Morpheus was supposed to cure her nightmares and now she was sleepwalking?

"I helped her and took her nightmares last night, as always. And when I visited her tonight to check up on her, everything seemed fine until she started sleepwalking towards me. This never happened before and I have a feeling it is my fault. All of it. I don't know for sure, but I think I'm the reason for her nightmares." Morpheus finished and sat down on the leather couch that was placed in front of his father's desk.

Hypnos lifted an eyebrow. He hasn't seen his son in this much stress over something, since he told him about his mother. But he remained calm for the both of them as he took a seat next to Morpheus.

"What do you mean, it's your fault, son? Why would you say that?" He asked, making Morpheus look away from his father, the man who raised him, the man who showed and taught him everything. The man who let him believe in himself, made him help other people and feel good about it.

He knew his father wouldn't be proud if he heard about what happened sixteen years ago. But he had to tell him. Morpheus knew this had something to do with what was happening to Miss Denver right now. So he took a deep breath and looked back at his father, before finally telling him the truth.