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

"Twenty-six" (Draft 2)

Most of the world knew about aliens, and Vampyres, and Angels, but you still never found proof of their existence mentioned in school texts.

Julien drove Morpheus back to the Palace in his Vampyre. They didn't go into the house right away. They went behind the house out into the wooded area at the edge of their property where the highland gave way to valley and there was an amazing view of LA. Julien said that he was definitely going to leave. Morpheus said he would stay.

"You could come with me," Julien said.

"I'll come later, find you. But Opium was telling the truth of course, I do have other things I'm supposed to do, even with the tour over."

"Do you have to stay with her forever?"

"I don't think they'd expect that. But right now I have to. I'll find you; stay at least a little while."

"I guess I'll be fine alone. That's what I need really...to not have the others around watching all the time."

Morpheus hopped up to a low branch and sat down. "Where you gonna go?"

"Karachi maybe, at least just to check on the house. They would expect me to go there." Julien tore his eyes from the lights below to look at Morpheus. He smiled strangely, his cheeks dimpling slightly.

"What?"

"This reminds me of that movie."

Morpheus looked about, tree, grass, hillside, beautiful man. "Oh. Sleeping Beauty."

Julien nodded a few times slowly.

"I like that one. Aurora would understand me."

"She had such a tiny waist!" Julien said, "And all that blonde hair, with the white ink, she was like Barbie, but she had a better face, she had a great face."

Morpheus laughed. "You must really think all women dolls to dress and play with."

"No, not all of them." He paused. "I've got to call Miko...did you meet her?"

"I know of her. She designs the shoes and stuff that are sold in the Dangerous boutiques."

"Yeah. I have to tell her I'll be going away. Maybe she can take over managing things. And I won't have to be disturbed by anyone. And D.D., I'll have to call him before I go too."

Morpheus was looking out at the twinkling lights. "It is rather like that scene."

"I told you. When Aurora and Phillip stand against the tree branch looking out at the valley."

"Psyche would say it's her life."

"It's anyone's life," Julien said, "like an archetype or something, the sleeping virgin. You know."

Morpheus smiled. "Awakened," he said.

"Exactly."

Morpheus sighed. "I know it every time I kiss you, but if you would say it...when you speak words, it's like casting a spell, you can do things by speaking. The Angels do it."

Julien leaned in close, but he didn't kiss Morpheus. "I love you," he said, "I don't want to ever lose you."

Morpheus kissed Julien lightly. "I love you a lot!"

Julien laughed and leaned his side against the branch. "You're so cute, they way you can never say what you want, but you like hearing it. Not only do I love you, and need you to be there, but you are the best fuck there is, though I bet you're terrible on the phone."

"The phone?" Morpheus laughed.

"Try it. Say something now. Make up something sexy."

"I can't."

"It's no worse a sin than anything else."

"I like when you touch the stems of my wings."

Julien smiled, the moonlight made his teeth glow and his smile looked so sharp. "That was...something," he said, "I'm almost sorry I didn't know you when I was human, because you're an amazing lover, Morpheus. If you let me take the blood and I suck you off we'll be the fucking happiest grinning couple ever. And that's not to mention that we could sit around for days watching old movies and still be rather happy. I'm sure we could just lay about talking and not ever get bored."

"Yeah."

"I just want to tell you one thing. OK?"

"OK, what is it?"

"You know that I'm not driven to much but the blood. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy other things. It means not everything is quite...mutual. I will probably be selfish and need you to tell me I am."

"I like when you drink my blood."

"And I love you and your cock, Murph, but what I'm trying to say is..."

"Not sure I like where this is going."

"I don't want what happened with Athen to happen between us. Maybe I would rather one of us had a second lover rather than for you and I to be apart."

"Julien. I think this is your self-sabotaging tendency."

"It's not!"

"I've never asked for exclusivity or monogamy, and you haven't asked me for that, either." He gave Julien a pointed look. "So there's no point in promising the non-exclusivity we already understand we have. Attempting to make a rule about it is attempting to control something in life that cannot be controlled. I have only ever wanted to be someone that you choose to share yourself with, and I have that. You have me, as much as you want, any time you want."

"I don't like when things are ill-defined and open-ended and uncertain."

"I know. But admitting that to yourself and me is a good thing."

Morpheus closed his eyes and twisted to lay his head on Julien's shoulder. He listened to their hearts.

Morpheus lifted his head and let Julien kiss him. He smiled as he turned away. "When you're on the plane, Julien, imagine us in some fantasy place away from civilization, a desert or something. And imagine me decked out in all my jewelry giving you a bath, and then helping you dress, and don't think about whether I want to do this or not, just think about how nice it will feel to be taken care of, at least for a while. And think about curling up together under clean sheets, and the blood gushing into your mouth. All right?"

"You see, you can talk about what you want, Murph. I'll keep thinking about you there. Only if you think about me taking care of you sometime, someplace different, like a big noisy city, and it's daylight, and I take just a little blood from you, and then I fix you food to eat, everything you like, and I play music you like, and pull the television close to the bed and curl up with you. I'll even put candy in my mouth and feed you like a bird."

Morpheus hopped from the branch into Julien's arms. "Oh, you know me. That's like completely my idea of romance, you cooking for me and laughing ourselves silly watching old cartoons."

Julien sighed. "All we need is to find cute pet names for each other."

"As if Orchid isn't cute enough?" Morpheus laughed.

Julien kissed his face in three places. "Well, yeah, but I mean I'm sure even cuter ones will come to us eventually."

Then they walked back to the house and Morpheus helped Julien pack.[In draft 3, this is where Morpheus covertly switches their phones so Julien has the trans-dimension enabled one]