Took me about... ten minutes or so? Maybe. IDK. Father/Son between Crepsley and Darren. Yayz.

Disclaimer: All I own is this laptop and about 300 books. Not much else, and certainly not Cirque du Freak.

"Darren! Darren, where did you run off to?" Mr. Crepsley called around, his voice echoing off of the stone walls.

Darren had said he was going to go grab something from their cell, but hadn't come back, and it had already been a half hour. He approached the cell, pushing the curtains aside with his hand.

"Darren, we need to-" He was cut short by the sight of the small boy, curled into a ball in his hammock. His breathing was slow and deep, and he was fast asleep.

The young man hadn't had a full day of peaceful rest in a long while. There was always some news about the vampaneze lord he needed to hear, or someone coming back from the long search, only to be replaced by another.

Mr. Crepsley's features softened significantly at the look of peace and relaxation on his face. He walked forward and kneeled down next to the young boy. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of his apprentice's eyes and tucked it behind his ear. Darren unconsciously smiled and leaned into the hand. A bit of rustling near the door did nothing to disturb him.

"Gavner, I know you're there. I could hear you a mile away." Gavner leaned on the door frame.

"Poor kid. He's so young. He deserves the chance to relax, with all of this weighing on his shoulders," he sighed, a wistful look in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I know. I wish I could take it all back, but I don't think he would agree." Mr. Crepsley chuckled.

"He has no idea how big this is, does he."

"You'd be surprised at how much he comprehends." Suddenly, Darren's breathing quickened. His brow furrowed, his eyes squeezed shut, and his hand grasped the edge of the hammock. "Oh. He must be having a nightmare."

"It's a wonder he doesn't get them more often. He sees enough, and is definitely under enough stress."

"No… take… take me, not him! Please, no!" Darren began mumbling, incoherently at first.

"He must be dreaming about Evra. He says he misses him often."

"Not him, not Mr. Crepsley! No, please, I'll do anything!" Gavner grinned as Mr. Crepsley stared.

"What was that you were saying, Larten? Something about Evra?"

"Shut up. Calm down, Darren. It's alright. No one will hurt you here." The boy twitched a little, then fell still. His grip loosened, his face relaxed, and his breathing turned deep and slow. Gavner waltzed out of the room, still snickering to himself. Darren's eyes slowly fluttered open. He still looked a little groggy, but he shook it off fast.

"Hey, Mr. Crepsley. Sorry I couldn't come back sooner; I fell asleep." He gave a sheepish little smile.

"Don't worry about it, Darren. Now, come on. Arrow is coming back with news today."

"Good. I had the strangest dream… It was…" He shook his head. "No matter. Let us be off!"

Yay. I just started this series about three days ago and now I'm on the fourth book! I love it! Thank you, Darren O'Shaughnessy, for creating this miracle!

Please review. Any flames can and will be used to toast Mr. Tiny and the Vampaneze Lord. Thank you!