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

"Twenty-six" (Draft 2)

Morpheus gave himself a set of small sharp fangs and bit one of Julien's fingers. And then he touched his own bleeding finger to it's tip so that the blood ran together before dropping onto Julien's chest. He licked up the blood, heard Julien laugh.

Morpheus looked up. Something was making Julien giggle. He started singing, "Snail snail, come out and play."

And then Morpheus began singing along, and they went through the whole rhyme. Then they sung it again louder. Morpheus didn't hear his Djinn whispering to him. He was surprised when the sheet was pulled back.

His mother was standing beside the bed.

Morpheus' wings sprouted suddenly. Julien laughed even more, laughed so that it shook Morpheus up and down. "Oh Gawd," Morpheus said.

"You talk like him too now?"

"Are you my mother? Are you supposed to be my mother? What are you doing here?"

Opium shook her head. "Boys," she said, "I understand completely about wanting to stay in bed...But besides being your mother I'm also the leader of the group, and you missed sound check, and so did Julien, but I suppose Joy and Shade are used to him not showing up."

Morpheus sat up and sat with his knees drawn up before him. "It's the last show, it's not like it really matters, it's just going to be one big party on stage tonight."

"Murph!" she cried. She moved some distance from the bed and then looked back. "You know that I want you to be happy, but you can't just forget everyone else you know. It's not good. There are things to do. How do you think I feel?"

"Sorry," Morpheus said.

Opium looked at the stereo. "It's this music. Try something more cerebral."

"More doomy," Julien said. He pushed himself up from the bed. "How about Joy Division?"

Opium shrugged. "We've got to go back over to the stadium in a little while. Better throw some clothes on and get your stuff."

"Dracula soundtrack?" Julien asked.

"It beats for you, it bleeds for you," Morpheus sang.

"You better be over there on time!" Opium said loudly.

"Uh, Siouxsie and the Banshees?"

"Until the last beat of my heart..."

"Depeche Mode!"

"Your favorite darkness..."

Opium had left the room. Julien threw on the clothes he had brought in and went to change the disc. Morpheus got dressed for the show ahead of time, lots of fishnet, and a pair of shorts. Morpheus bent to lace his boots.

"I'll leave you with Pretty Hate Machine," Julien said, "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Nine Inch Nails?"

"I just liked this one," Julien explained. "Meet ya downstairs," He called and left in a blur of motion.

Morpheus looked up and saw River still perched on the foot of his sleigh bed. "I love him so much, Riv," he said.

"I can tell. And he's not empty anymore."

Morpheus thought as he took his bass guitar up in its case. River was right, Julien wasn't an empty world unto himself, not any more. All the years of suffering had achieved something good. "Thanks, River. I love you," Morpheus said.