The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Deleted Scenes: Three (Draft 2.5)

Morpheus forced himself to smile. He had not met this person, yet. Or, more correctly, Morpheus had just met Julien, who had met Morpheus for the first time in his future.

"Tell me that's real water," Julien said.

"It's real," Morpheus said.

Julien winked at him! "I've seen what you can do with sand."

"It's real," Morpheus repeated, "The Djinn draw it from the sky."

"The Jeannies?" Julien asked as they were undressing him for his bath.

He watched as Julien lowered himself into the metal tub. This was his body that felt a rush of attraction upon seeing the Vampyre slip into the water.

"Julien!"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I have to tell you!"

Julien laughed at his announcement.

Morpheus didn't think he liked this teasing. How did Julien have years of memories involving Morpheus yet not take him seriously? What sort of relationship did they have?

Morpheus summoned his courage and just said it, "I've never seen you before in my life."

"Ooooh," said Julien. "Time...and your ability...but how...unless I traveled?" He lifted his head and looked about the tent. "Oh, Gawd." He drew his limbs in close to his body. "Did I die?"

"No!" Morpheus said. He knelt beside the tub. "I promise. Your soul is in your body and you are in a safe place."

Julien's hands rubbed the back of his neck. The movement caused the gold torc at his throat to catch the light from the lamp stands. "I was just in a plane crash," He said softly.

Morpheus looked into the bath water. "I see no recent injury." But, Julien's clothing had been damaged when he arrived. "Are you in pain?"

"No. I wouldn't be. I had enough of--" Julien paused. Their eyes met. The gaze lasted long enough to become awkward.

"You're pretty," Morpheus sighed.

Julien laughed, but that time it was not mocking at all, only warm. "Thank you," he said. "You are pretty, too. You know?"

Morpheus shook his head.

"You are. You always were," Julien said. Morpheus almost spoke, but Julien continued. "So, exactly how young are you to not have met me yet?"

"I'm." Morpheus cleared his throat. "I'm old enough."

Julien smiled wide. "That young." His posture relaxed and he lay his arms along the edge of the tub. Morpheus could see a rose-shaped tattoo inside Julien's right arm. "How? Can you tell me?"

Usually, it didn't seem wise to tell the visitors they were in a mirage unanchored in time. But Morpheus thought his present circumstances were fairly extenuating.

"In my future, you will meet me," Morpheus began.

"But, your body," Julien said, "It's the one you had when I last saw you, but not the one you had when we met."

"You gave me this body," Morpheus explained, "because you wished to see it when you approached the mirage."

"It is really you?"

"I'm Morpheus. The person you are thinking of is me, who coincidentally used to work in this mirage."

Julien sighed. "It's some coincidence." His tone suggested the opposite were true.