Police Boxes
Characters: Jack Harkness
Prompt: 26. Dream
Word Count: 285
Rating: G
Summary: The answer is at the beginning.
Notes: Short. Takes place before the conclusion to End of Days. I tried writing in some dialogue, but it didn't fit.
As a boy, he dreamed of touching the stars. Every night, he would look out his window and plot his course along the constellations - a trip down Orion's spine in January, then over to the Great Bear by the springtime. There were adventures out in the farthest corners of the galaxy, and they were waiting for him. With young eyes and an open heart, he reached for the stars, and they reached back.
What ever happens to the dreams of little boys? In a way, dreams are realized for what they are - fleeting moments in time, where eyes look out and can only see the great potential. Reach a dream and it becomes an experience. With experience comes reality, and once reality sets in, the age of dreams has passed.
No longer a boy, the man is unable to dream with such reckless abandon. The universe is much larger than he expected, and it's plagued by the most dreadful things. The images of these things fill his mind, denying him of all fanciful dreams. He becomes preoccupied with real things, such as war and death, and is left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
It's not that he doesn't want to dream because he does. He just doesn't remember how. He wishes he could look out his window, the way he used to, and see a millions of possibilities. But, he can't. He needs someone to show him, to guide him. He needs someone to promise there is more to the universe than a looming darkness. He needs someone to answer to his many questions, especially the most recent one.
What can a Captain dream about, when he's already saved the world?
x-posted to fanfic50
Prompt: 26. Dream
Word Count: 285
Rating: G
Summary: The answer is at the beginning.
Notes: Short. Takes place before the conclusion to End of Days. I tried writing in some dialogue, but it didn't fit.
As a boy, he dreamed of touching the stars. Every night, he would look out his window and plot his course along the constellations - a trip down Orion's spine in January, then over to the Great Bear by the springtime. There were adventures out in the farthest corners of the galaxy, and they were waiting for him. With young eyes and an open heart, he reached for the stars, and they reached back.
What ever happens to the dreams of little boys? In a way, dreams are realized for what they are - fleeting moments in time, where eyes look out and can only see the great potential. Reach a dream and it becomes an experience. With experience comes reality, and once reality sets in, the age of dreams has passed.
No longer a boy, the man is unable to dream with such reckless abandon. The universe is much larger than he expected, and it's plagued by the most dreadful things. The images of these things fill his mind, denying him of all fanciful dreams. He becomes preoccupied with real things, such as war and death, and is left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
It's not that he doesn't want to dream because he does. He just doesn't remember how. He wishes he could look out his window, the way he used to, and see a millions of possibilities. But, he can't. He needs someone to show him, to guide him. He needs someone to promise there is more to the universe than a looming darkness. He needs someone to answer to his many questions, especially the most recent one.
What can a Captain dream about, when he's already saved the world?
x-posted to fanfic50