Fearkeeper: Book 2 (Keeper Trilogy)

6

Roman stood there and he tensed. He was frozen under the fear. He couldn't move. The task was to create a dream but in order to do that, he would have to visit the subconscious. He hadn't been there at all since it all happened. He didn't want to go there ever again. He left it all to Remy. Although that coffee addict was Thomas's sandman, he had helped Roman with dreams before. Even if he couldn't create them himself, he can show Thomas ones he's had before. It was fine. Remy could handle that. He's done it before when Roman was hurt badly during his missions. The problem was if he didn't go, he wouldn't pass the task.

"Roman?" The prince jumped at the sudden sound of a voice behind him only to hear them start to laugh. "You've become jumpy in your old age."

"I am not old!" Roman spun around to see those familiar shades and he deflated. Remy just smirked as he opened the door to the subconscious with a laugh. 

"You keep telling yourself that Roman." Roman frowned as he watched Remy walk a few paces in and he could instantly see the golden glow behind his glasses. Remy's powers were always stronger when in the subconscious. 

"I'm only 27." Remy laughed as he shook his head.

"Yeah... and I'm 30. I guess we're both old then. Not that age matters at all considering we are all figments." Remy narrowed his eyes seeing that Roman wasn't moving any closer and he frowned. "So, whatcha doin' here, Babes?"

"I was uh... I was just... um... I-I don't uh... I don't know." Remy's frown grew as Roman sighed. "Can we talk?"

"Can it be in here?" Roman tensed as Remy's eyes darkened. "Thomas is about to take a nap since he was up a lot last night. If not we could always talk lat..."

"No no. It's uh... It's ok. We can... we can do it in there." Roman narrowed his eyes as he forced himself to push through. He hated feeling the rush he got when he entered the subconscious. Remy isn't the only one who gets a power boost here. Although Roman's boost is around his dream powers, and he gets a similar boost to his creation powers when in the imagination. He still hated it though, because it only served to make him feel guilty for abandoning his job.

"Are you sure it's ok, Babe?" Roman clenched his shaking hands as Remy refused to close the door behind him giving him a chance to back out. "You're eyes are pink."

"I'm good. Really. This..." Roman narrowed his eyes as he took another step forward. "This is more important."

"Ok, then." Remy let the door close behind them and Roman was painfully aware of how slow that door close. When he heard it finally click, everything just seemed to snap in him. Remy tensed seeing the tears start to fall from Roman's eyes as he jumped to open the door again only for Roman to shake his head and continue on. "Roman, what's wrong?"

"I, uh..." Roman waved his arm out creating a couch for him collapse onto as Remy just stared at him in concern. "Do you remember that whole carol thing from last year?"

"Of course I do. Sure, I wasn't apart of it but it still affected me. Virgil was my friend. I'm just sorry I never got to know Dee." The tears never really stopped falling as Roman just sat there. It was hard for him. He just... couldn't be in here. The problem was he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to continue he had to make a dream. He just didn't know if he could. He knew he had already failed Thomas. He failed Thomas the moment he gave his position up. He failed Thomas but he didn't care. All that he cared about was the fact that he failed Virgil.

"I got one too." Remy froze up as Roman's voice shook. "Not... Not a carol but similar all the same."

"W-When?" Roman smiled sadly as he sighed.

"A few days ago. I'm... I'm disappointed that it took me this long to get here." Roman just laughed at himself as the tears fell even harder. "It's even worse when I admit... I didn't plan to at all."

"What do you mean?" Roman sighed as he held out the card for Remy to take. "Roman?"

"I need help." Remy took the card and slowly read it only to freeze as Roman hugged himself tightly. "I-I d-don't know what to do. I just..."

"I don't understand."

"So far I've only got three. The first one I got a key and my task was to sing... I'll be home for Christmas." Remy's eyes went wide as Roman nodded clearly seeing the question in his eyes. Remy was Virgil's best friend. He knew just what Roman did. He knew the songs and romantic gestures. In fact, it was because of Remy that Roman even realized just how far he had fallen for the younger side. It was Remy who managed to convince him that age did not matter to facets. All age meant was when they were officially created as a side personified. According to Remy just because a side was created when Thomas was a teen doesn't mean he wasn't there when he was younger. So even though Virgil was only 13 at the time, he could very well have been there right beside Roman doing his job even if he didn't have a proper form. Without Remy... Roman would have never accepted that he loved Virgil and he would never have gotten those few happy years he had dating the man. "Then I got Patton's old joke book and I had to make him laugh." Roman narrowed his eyes as Remy read the card again just to confirm everything he read was right. "I got that one... and a bag of your dream sand this time."

"My what?" Roman glared over at Sleep with this look in his eyes as the man shook. "Roman, that's impossible."

"Apparently not considering I have it in my room." Remy's eyes were blown wide as his hands shook terribly. "Which means that the person doing this had to see you at some point."

"Roman, you're not listening to me. It's impossible." Roman's eyes narrowed more as Remy deflated. "The only person I ever gave my sand to was Virgil."