Chapter 5 Cold Mountain

Why did he swallow that pill, anyway? Sean couldn't even fathom but this place was wonderful, a little scary but hell he could manage this, after all, he was Sean David Walton. Nothing scares him anymore, not even death himself.

Walking past her, Sean noticed something was familiar. This place was silent, too silent even to his liking. Plus, the chilling cold winter wind was unnatural in his senses. He wondered if it based these simple experiences on his reality or a mass scale on his consciousness. Or maybe fate was trying to play with him.

After all, Sean was not a popular gentleman in London. Yes, he was rich and powerful, but he has fewer friends and acquaintances, and he was not a good individual, he admitted, which may be this experience resulted from his ability to mock the reality of its existence.

For a change, if this was a joke made in heaven, then it's on him altogether. Sean thought to himself. He had no one to blame. Aside from the pill he took earlier before going to bed, this was his fault. He trusted his guts so much that he will bet on his way of life with it, and yet here he was.

Staring at her. And he has now used to the 'dream-state-of-his-mind' that this empty magical winter land appeared to him all too normal. He no longer thought more of it. Instead, he had directed his attention towards the woman in front.

"So if this is the Land of Nod, is it possible to have our reasoning intact?" he asked her.

"I don't see Sean, can I call you that? Mr. Walton is a bit too formal, and for your sake, I'm confused as well. And I don't perceive what happens now; that you are here." She responded with exaggerating sighed.

", I'd just stare into the skies, and alone with my thought until I succumb and returned to the actual world, "

"Yes, you can call me Sean... That's it? Nothing out of ordinary, or maybe you know entrancing? Like that of a smoke up in the mountain?" Sean asked, pointing into the peak that may seem so familiar to him, yet he wasn't complaining. This cold terrain was amazing. It was as if there was a feeling passing between each living thing, a bond that was visible and blended, a melody beyond the range of his ears but available for his heart. And so, as each leaf moves in the wind, a part of him does as well.

"No! Nothing of that sort" she responded uninterested and yawn. This was new. How could she be so sleepy in her dream? This was way more confusing, she thought.

"Ok, fair enough, but let me ask you object, " he stopped feeling embarrassed, then turn his head towards her.

"Go on, I won't judge." She smiles. That smiled. That smiled. Reminds him of things he couldn't for the love of God recall where or when did he see it first, and not on their initial meeting earlier in the street or the office?

"I was wondering if this is the land of dreams, "

"The land of Nod" she corrected. How could he forget it so easily?

"Fine, if this is the Land Of Nod with the quote on both sides, then does the patterning of our emotions, and thoughts relevant to what happens in our sleep in the real world?"

Catherine sneered but amused with that query and answered him back.

"Sean, I'm happy to hear that you ask the right question, which was fascinating by the way! Truth be told, I thought you won't seek me that." She wondered if he would remember this conversation in the real world.

"Why don't you explain it to me then?" He exclaimed. The idea of her being alone with him in a non-working environment doesn't appeal to him at all. She was different here, out of ordinary even. She was something else.

"Relax fancy pants or pajamas. Why in such a hurry? After all, we're here in the Land of Nod. Time is irrelevant!"

"Can you stop calling it the Land of Nod? Why not Dreamland it reflects better"?

"Land of Nod sounds fancier, so I'll call it whatever I want" She answered back with a sneer. This man is beyond annoying.

"Did you think that I care?" he stood and stretched, his chest muscles flexed beneath his shirt.

"No, grandpa!" She smirked, warming to the idea of her hands running through those muscles, she peeks down at her hands trying to resist not to use her ability, ...ability to slap someone's butt cheek. She amused herself peeking at his behind. Not bad, not bad at all. Furthermore, she then quickly looked away as she did not want that erotic image in her head to linger, after all, he was still her Boss.

"Yes! But not to get your pants excited." she smiled.

"Let me explain to you, in this land, I can do anything out of the ordinary, okay? Don't ask! I don't trust you enough though, so here lies my expertise, and please bear with me" She explained.

Catherine won't mention him everything just yet; as this is all new to her. His being here was confusing her. Nevertheless, she needs to be reasonable.

"Fine, this is your world or your Land of Nod; whichever you prefer but tell me are we going into that smokey mountain peak or not?" Sean questioned without looking at her, pointing to that high mountain behind them.

"Are you out of your mind? I've never been there. That mountain looks scary and ancient." She quirked. She was not crazy enough to venture there. Why would she? Not only that, but she was used to staying here waiting for something or someone. Why was she always here, by the way? She couldn't even recall.

"Why not set down for a minute then we'll decide what to do next." She trailed off, "besides, I'm so cold right now I could use a little fire."

"Ancient? What supposes to mean?" Sean asked. He made a mental note to recall this all later, as after what happened here, he might believe anything this woman explanation, even though everything here was unexplainable.

"Old, eerie, ancient!...scary just like the icy mountain of Elsa. Wait by any change do you have a pair of lighter perhaps"? She asked.

"Why on earth would I bring a match or lighter in my sleep? Do I look like I bring a pocket in these pants?" pointing downwards, he answered, this woman was amusing him in the wrong way he thought?

"Pajamas!" She corrected him, smiling, the idea of him in that superman pajamas is by far the most entertaining of all and yet erotic. She giggled.

"Just kidding, I have one here in my pocket, why won't you look at me some twigs, perhaps? I could use a little help I'm frozen to death" she added.

"No, Catherine, I am not your slave so go bring it yourself and start a fire. I don't even care if you freeze, hmp! Who is Elsa?" He muttered.

Ignoring him, she murmured, "I hate this man, Ahh, I despise him back-and-forth Pajamas or not." Chuckling again, picking up some twigs behind him and stopped.

"Wait,? You don't know who Elsa is?" She asked.

"No. And do I look like I care Catherine?" He loves her name running through his lips. Feeling something odd, however, was giving him longing for someone. It was something so welcoming, yet he couldn't explain.

"Where the hell have you been? On Mars? Who on earth doesn't recognize who Elsa is? Every kid, every parent, everyone on this planet recognizes her everywhere! So, you don't recognize who is Olaf? Anna?" She shouted back, trying to gain her bearing, picking up more twigs. Shocked and amused.

Silence, he didn't answer her back. He ignored her, rather.

"Fine then, It was a movie, okay? The title is Frozen, it was a film back 2013, blockbuster animation; and who won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song and so on, and yet you didn't recognize this?" She asked. Still surprised that he didn't see it at all.

"No, " he was confused and the irritation lurking on his mind was visible in his face even from a mile away.

"I can't believe this, oh dear old Olaf somebody's frozen heart needs to have your summer." She scoffed facing him and added, "Do you wanna build a snowman?" She suggested, then paused... Furthermore, she sang the next line...giggling, she couldn't contain her laughter.

"Woman, what the heck are you laughing about? Sean asked her while seating down, a little smile visible on his face. Watching her so carefree makes his heart beat faster, and some unknown feelings were about to surface, but he ignores them.

"Your life is boring as hell." She teased.

"You know what, I'm going to tell you the story, you poor poor soul." She added.

"A long time ago, in the kingdom far, far away..."

"Catherine! Hell, stop! Stop!" he yelled at her, eyes threatening, the burst of his anger is on the edge.

She stopped, still giggling. She had been ecstatic that he hates it when she annoyed him, Catherine hates to spend ridiculous amounts of energy here in the Land of Nod if she was alone, she'd left already; returned to her bed, with her yellow silky duvet covered her, but No! Not only that, but she was stuck on this mountain with him, and she's been astounded when frequently thereafter she crack Sean's shells a little.

She doesn't want to leave him here alone with the unknown; and Dang! Why does her name sound so romantic on his lips? She likes it when he calls her by her name, less the sneer of course. She hated it!

But why does it sound so romantic? He sounds like a lover calling the love of his life when in reality he even looks ridiculously cute in his pajamas.

She dislikes the way he maintained that cool, formal professional relationship with her, and she knew she drove him crazy, but he was yet to disappoint her.

She wonders if he was cold or not, and maybe not, he doesn't appear to be freezing at all. Unlike her, she couldn't indeed feel her fingers; without a coat on and the gloves, it feels like she's holding a block of ice.

Complaining about the cold, she gathers some more twigs and some small useable branches; while him being the Zeus himself just observing her without indeed a single blink.

Wait. What? Was he... Was he sleeping? He isn't blinking at all he looks lost in his thoughts!

Tearing up some more twigs, she lights it up with her hands, concentrating, hoping that Sean won't notice her. When it's done, she very slowly carefully walked through the god of the underworld hades-super-yummy-hot himself. Okay, find. Maybe she was exaggerating a little, but he looks good in his pajamas, with these abs and those arms ha! She could get used to this. She thought.

"Sean, are you okay? You look a slight pale."

"I'm fine. Now that your fire is up, shall we proceed on this important matter in hand? He responded, sighing while walking through the mini bonfire she'd made with her so-called match.

He won't notice anyway, so she won't tell him she never had a match in her pocket in the first place, and, the fire on this Land of Nod was her companion, her long-lost only companion;

However, what's more, important right now was him strolling in front of her, taking small steps lost in his thoughts; and that my friend was the best idea he ever had made.

Damn! Watching him walk away with pajamas. Those butt cheeks are amazing! Smiling to herself, she wonders if how would it feel if she will touch those fancy little butt.

However, Catherine cursed as she felt the biting frigid chill on her bones as she moved closer to the fire. She shivered and touches her face with both hands, warming it up. She groaned this was becoming difficult to discuss with this man.

A moment later, she stood up.

"Did you hear that?" She asked in a panic voice, she'd never heard those sounds before, deafening and ear-splitting coming from above the Smokey mountain.