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.

Flashback:

16 years ago...

"I- I had a mother. And you, y- you killed her?" Morpheus didn't even blink when he repeated his father's words. Hypnos clenched his jaw. He never planned on telling his son, but that boy was just too curious for his own good. Hypnos knew, sooner or later Morpheus would ask questions and he had no intention on lying to him. He never wanted to, but it was Morpheus' mother's last wish.

"Son, I didn't kill her. I made her go to sleep, like she ask-"
"Of course you did. Why would she leave me? Why?" The young boy didn't understand. He wiped the tears off his face and took a step back as his father took one closer.

He dashed off and ran out of the house. Morpheus didn't know where he was going, but he needed space. He heard his father shout his name, but soon, as he reached the main road, he was surrounded by silence.

Morpheus wiped another tear off his cheek and kept running. Why would his mother leave him? Sure, he didn't know her and all, but if she loved him, she wouldn't have left. Suddenly, he was angry at his mother. He was angry at God and the world!

But he kept running, he couldn't stop. He wanted to run from his responsibilities as Morpheus Oneiroi. He didn't know how long he was running, but he stopped when his feet gave in. He was out of breath, but he didn't stop going forward. He slowed down and started walking.

The streets were still busy and noisy. Some people were walking, making Morpheus realize that he was alone. A boy his age shouldn't be out at this hour. His father always warned him about the people who roamed the streets at night. And the worst thing was, he had no idea where the heck he was.

He pulled the hoodie over his head and kept walking in the shadows. It wasn't cold, but he didn't want to attract any attention by anyone. He knew what some people were capable of.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and kept his pace slow. He dared glancing up a few times, but his gaze was mainly kept on his shoes.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his body still shaking, but not because of his anger, more because of the unfamiliar noise that just reached his ears. Was that a laugh? He looked around, but couldn't see any child laughing. He was sure it was another kid. He's never seen another child before, in person that is.

The playful giggle echoed through the empty streets and Morpheus turned around a corner. That's when he saw her: A little girl- a little younger than him, he supposed. She was- she was cute, he thought. And her laugh seemed to have an impact on him. She had dimples and her hair was long and looked disheveled.

Morpheus admired the girl a few more seconds, before he noticed her parents on either side of her. She looked happy as she held her parents' hands and practically dragged them behind her. The man and the woman looked so happy too, he thought. Like a perfect family.

He felt angry again as he remembered why he came here in the first place. The girl's giggles suddenly bothered him and he felt as if she would mock him.

As if she would rub the fact that she had both of her parents, while he only had a father, in his face. He was beyond angry and wished her the worst. If he didn't deserve to have a perfect life, then no one did. He has always been a good boy, he thought.

He always studied, listened to his father and never talked back. He ate all of his vegetables, prayed every time before he went to bed and even washed the dishes every once in a while, even though they had Darian and all the maids. He deserved love! He deserved his mother!

End of flashback

Hypnos groaned, already knowing how that story could possibly end. Morpheus gritted his teeth. He didn't like to be interrupted. But he was willing to finish his story. To finally tell his father what made him so sure that this woman needed them.

"And so I wished her the worse. I wanted her to feel how I felt at that moment- lost, not wanted and unloved. After all, I just thought about it, I didn't think it would actually work. I was ten, I didn't know." Morpheus said and from the corner of his eyes he saw Hypnos stand up.

"You fool!" Hypnos growled as he started pacing the room in front of his son. How could he be so ungrateful and bratty? Yes, he did find out about his mother that day, but couldn't he see how much his father loved him? How much he tried to play the role of both parents?

"As soon as I saw her cry, I stopped. I was a child, father! How was I supposed to know?" Morpheus threw his hands in the air. If he could, he would go back and change the past. He was also sure, if he knew that he was able to bring nightmares, back then, he would've never acted so irresponsible. But he was ten! Still young and naive, he thought.

It was silent for a few minutes. Hypnos stopped and looked at his son. It was like he remembered that night as if it all happened just yesterday. Morpheus used to be such a happy and adventurous boy. One day, he found his father's special box, which kept old photos of Morpheus and his mother before she died. Hypnos didn't want to mourn over the woman who owned his heart again right now, as he had other problems to deal with.

"If what you say is true, Morpheus. We have a huge problem. I want to see for myself. I want to make sure your fears are reasonable. Bring her to me and tell Darian to make me a cup of coffee. I'll need it." Hypnos watched his son nod and turn around.

"Son." His stern voice reached Morpheus' ears, when he was just about to open the door.
"Yes, father?" He asked and turned around. Hypnos gave him a serious look as he told his son those three words that he knew he hasn't said in a while.

"I love you, son." He nodded and Morpheus was confused for a second, before smiling sadly at his father.

"I know, father." He nodded once again and turned around to get Miss Denver.