Defining Dreams.
>part two<
He had been dreaming.  Alissa Owens, he had seen her---not the woman in the snapshot provided by her sister, not something flat and almost ethereal�but something real and alive.  A girl with a smile that could transform the world around her, with hands that were quiet but strong.  A girl as distant from him as any planet, but as close as a thought.  And she was with him that instant before consciousness, cradling him in her lap with eyes that were the very personification of warmth.

�Leon,� she whispered, her voice woven into the very fabric of the illusion.  It was as soft as he had imagined�Had he imagined that?   �Leon, wake up.�

He blinked, disoriented.  For one second he was still with her, wrapping himself up in the warmth of her smile.  But as if there was a pin-prick hole in his soul, the feelings seemed to seep away,  all but the softness beneathe his cheek was gone.  He clung to that sensation�baffled by this attachment he had to a woman he had never met.

The sleep was gone and the dream was over, then where was he?  And why did he still feel *her* around him, soothing him with a care that should never have been?  He twisted enough to look up, feeling that velvet softness shift beneathe him.  And then his eyes widened.

With a small smirk, D covered Leon�s mouth with the tips of his fingers.  There was a small rustle of cloth as he leaned forward.  Steadily he placed the tea he had been sipping on the table before him, and then his attention returned slowly to Leon, his hand slipping away. 

�If you like, you may jump up and scream now, Mr. Detective.�

And that�s just what his first instinct was.  To push, scramble---But staring up at that o so smug face�it didn�t seem an option anymore.  Something told him the Count would enjoy it too much. 

Slowly he drew himself up, careful not to touch anymore of the Count than he had already been in contact with.  Sleeping in someone�s lap�that wasn�t too intimate, he had to keep telling himself this so he didn�t bolt.  It took a bit of an effort, especially since D seemed in no ways interested in helping at all, but eventually he made it to the opposite end of the sofa.  He sank down into the cushions almost thankfully. 

D smoothed the material over his knees almost absently, �Bravo, Detective, you are unusually well-behaved tonight---�

�Tonight!?  Damn it, I promised Jill dinner tonight!� Leon jumped up, nearly falling over himself.  D sighed quietly as the American fought with the table, neither coming out victorious.  He was half way out the door before he turned back. 

�And you,� he pointed directly at D, �We�ll continue this conversation tomorrow!�

The Count smiled.  �I shall await your return with baited breath, Detective.�

Leon�s mouth opened, closed�then he seemed to give up and simply left.
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