Fic: In Dreams
Title: In Dreams
Author: Lady Yueh
Fandom: Doctor Who/Labyrinth/
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not my property and no infringement is intended.
Character(s): Jareth. Ten
Date: December 31
Author’s Notes: Extremely late response for my Advent Calender. Sorry kerravonsen, that prompt was kicking me down. It wouldn't go where I wanted it to despite trying to beat it into submission. I lost. Stubborn thing. Despite that, I hope you enjoy it 'cause it's given me a doozy of a headache to write.
Warning: Err...some [blatant] hints of romance.
--------
He was dreaming.
Which meant he was sleeping.
Lovely. Absolutely brilliant.
Time Lords didn’t need sleep. Not like humans did. It was enough to send their bodies through a meditation designed to restore one’s physical and mental capabilities. It looked like sleep but it wasn’t.
Not that Time Lords were incapable of sleep. It was just an unnecessary function.
Dangerous too.
For beings that interacted with numerous dimensions, realities and even time itself, sleep was an needless risk, a useless vulnerability.
For more than a few reasons.
This was one of them.
“What are you doing here?”
It was smiling; displaying sharpened teeth. Teeth that reminded him of Futurekind and they led to things better left buried in his psyche.
“I suppose you mean here, in your mind and not here as in my creation. That might take awhile. An Eternity, one might say.” It smirked with smug arrogance.
“No jokes or sly dodges, Eternal One. What are you doing here!” The Doctor was not stupid, this was more than a chance meeting. So, The Eternals survived. He‘d almost thought them reduced to even less than the myth the Time Lords lived on as. And to meet one so coincidentally in a dream, for the first time since…well, since then.
“You may call me Jareth, Time Lord. It is what she called me.”
The Doctor frowned. Had it been his imagination? There was affection in those words. Desire. Longing. Love?
“Why have you brought me here?”
“You are the last. The closest ephemeral to reaching the level of my people. You have a unique understanding that I want.”
Quick-witted as always, The Doctor reached the heart of the matter. “Understanding? Oh don’t make it sound as if you want some deeper meaning into humans! You want her!”
The Doctor had the singular fortune to be witness to an Eternal exposed in a way that mere words could not express. A single, fleeting, and oh-so naked emotion was open for him to see before it was all shut away behind that wall of distance and indifference.
The Doctor knew this, more than he was willing to admit. That need to project complete and utter control, to deny and ignore lest he be broken by its acknowledgment.
And it amused him and somehow comforted him in his utter misery that a being so much “higher” than himself would make the same ill-advised move: falling for the girl.
Mortals. They were that flicker of a flame that threatened to go out with every passing beat and every drawn in breath yet did not fail to entice despite--no, because of its transitory nature. And when they went out, when they were gone, those held in their sway were not burnt as the metaphor might lead one to believe. They were left cold and bereft. Numb without heat or light and unable to recognize any other source of the same comfort because it was not the same. They were broken. If only a little bit.
And that quality which he saw in himself he recognized in Jareth; just a dim outline but undoubtedly present none the less.
Could Jareth even recognize it? Was he aware of the magnitude of what this meant?
“You do,” his voice was soft as it cemented this simply fact. He was more than a little bit awed with a good dash of disbelief because he saw it but he could not believe it.
Jareth glared.
“And how did this little situation come to be hmmm?” To be honest, this situation cheered The Doctor immensely. He always worked better with other peoples’ problems. His own, not so much.
Jareth smirked and The Doctor knew this was trouble.
“Oh,” he began with a fairly disquieting sigh. “She was glorious.
The moan was more than disquieting. It was obscene.
“I set out my usual lures, in search of the brightest, the most vibrant of imaginations. And she got a hold of it, she wove such a story,” admiration, awe, and a good dose of need painted his voice. “Goblins, faeries, and kings. Cowards, gentle-beasts, and knights. And I…I offered her everything.”
Jareth’s demeanor darkened. “And she refused.”
The Doctor passed a hand across his face in an attempt to contain the hysterical laughter that bubbled within him. The image of Jareth, an Eternal, panting at the heels of some human girl was ridiculous. And disturbing. How old had she been? Eternals had little to no concept of age and the thought of this inhuman being chasing after a child was less than amusing.
“Just who is she? And everything? Really? Eternal life and all the rest? Mistake, that.” The Doctor couldn’t help the rather rude manner in which he responded. It was sort of hardwired into this incarnation.
“Sarah Williams. I offered to be hers! Is that not what they wish? To subjugate another, have them under their control, at their bidding? I could have made her a goddess! And she rejected me!”
The Doctor quickly interrupted what looked to be a descent into rage (which would probably lead to violence) in an attempt to curtail it. “And it would have been a mistake.”
Jareth paused, staring at The Doctor expectantly.
“To give her that much power, to give her immortality, would have changed the very essence of Sarah Williams. It is her mortality, her humanity, that has made her into who she is. If she had accepted she would have grown to hate you and herself.”
Jareth sneered. “This is the wisdom of a Time Lord? Do you speak from experience, Doc-tor?” he mocked with a taunting smile.
“Don’t,” The Doctor warned.
“Was your Rose changing into someone you didn’t like?” Jareth continued to push with vicious glee.
“I’m warning you!”
“Into you?” The sinister whisper twisted the words and threw the accusation in the Doctor’s face.
“Leave.”
Jareth smirked sardonically, affecting an unconcerned manner in the face of The Oncoming Storm.
His form was replaced by that of an owl which then flew off into the illusion of a stone castle beyond a twisting labyrinth.
The Doctor woke up. The familiar grief could almost be ignored and he was already working to pushing the recent encounter into some dark corner of his mind.
Whoever Sarah Williams was he did not envy her luck and wished her well. She’d do well enough against an Eternal despite being human.
After all, she wielded power over him.
-------------------------------------------------
**I have never watched the episode with the Eternals and I only gleaned a few hints/facts from Wiki and went with it. If it doesn't adhere to canon, too bad. I kinda like it.
Author: Lady Yueh
Fandom: Doctor Who/Labyrinth/
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not my property and no infringement is intended.
Character(s): Jareth. Ten
Date: December 31
Author’s Notes: Extremely late response for my Advent Calender. Sorry kerravonsen, that prompt was kicking me down. It wouldn't go where I wanted it to despite trying to beat it into submission. I lost. Stubborn thing. Despite that, I hope you enjoy it 'cause it's given me a doozy of a headache to write.
Warning: Err...some [blatant] hints of romance.
--------
He was dreaming.
Which meant he was sleeping.
Lovely. Absolutely brilliant.
Time Lords didn’t need sleep. Not like humans did. It was enough to send their bodies through a meditation designed to restore one’s physical and mental capabilities. It looked like sleep but it wasn’t.
Not that Time Lords were incapable of sleep. It was just an unnecessary function.
Dangerous too.
For beings that interacted with numerous dimensions, realities and even time itself, sleep was an needless risk, a useless vulnerability.
For more than a few reasons.
This was one of them.
“What are you doing here?”
It was smiling; displaying sharpened teeth. Teeth that reminded him of Futurekind and they led to things better left buried in his psyche.
“I suppose you mean here, in your mind and not here as in my creation. That might take awhile. An Eternity, one might say.” It smirked with smug arrogance.
“No jokes or sly dodges, Eternal One. What are you doing here!” The Doctor was not stupid, this was more than a chance meeting. So, The Eternals survived. He‘d almost thought them reduced to even less than the myth the Time Lords lived on as. And to meet one so coincidentally in a dream, for the first time since…well, since then.
“You may call me Jareth, Time Lord. It is what she called me.”
The Doctor frowned. Had it been his imagination? There was affection in those words. Desire. Longing. Love?
“Why have you brought me here?”
“You are the last. The closest ephemeral to reaching the level of my people. You have a unique understanding that I want.”
Quick-witted as always, The Doctor reached the heart of the matter. “Understanding? Oh don’t make it sound as if you want some deeper meaning into humans! You want her!”
The Doctor had the singular fortune to be witness to an Eternal exposed in a way that mere words could not express. A single, fleeting, and oh-so naked emotion was open for him to see before it was all shut away behind that wall of distance and indifference.
The Doctor knew this, more than he was willing to admit. That need to project complete and utter control, to deny and ignore lest he be broken by its acknowledgment.
And it amused him and somehow comforted him in his utter misery that a being so much “higher” than himself would make the same ill-advised move: falling for the girl.
Mortals. They were that flicker of a flame that threatened to go out with every passing beat and every drawn in breath yet did not fail to entice despite--no, because of its transitory nature. And when they went out, when they were gone, those held in their sway were not burnt as the metaphor might lead one to believe. They were left cold and bereft. Numb without heat or light and unable to recognize any other source of the same comfort because it was not the same. They were broken. If only a little bit.
And that quality which he saw in himself he recognized in Jareth; just a dim outline but undoubtedly present none the less.
Could Jareth even recognize it? Was he aware of the magnitude of what this meant?
“You do,” his voice was soft as it cemented this simply fact. He was more than a little bit awed with a good dash of disbelief because he saw it but he could not believe it.
Jareth glared.
“And how did this little situation come to be hmmm?” To be honest, this situation cheered The Doctor immensely. He always worked better with other peoples’ problems. His own, not so much.
Jareth smirked and The Doctor knew this was trouble.
“Oh,” he began with a fairly disquieting sigh. “She was glorious.
The moan was more than disquieting. It was obscene.
“I set out my usual lures, in search of the brightest, the most vibrant of imaginations. And she got a hold of it, she wove such a story,” admiration, awe, and a good dose of need painted his voice. “Goblins, faeries, and kings. Cowards, gentle-beasts, and knights. And I…I offered her everything.”
Jareth’s demeanor darkened. “And she refused.”
The Doctor passed a hand across his face in an attempt to contain the hysterical laughter that bubbled within him. The image of Jareth, an Eternal, panting at the heels of some human girl was ridiculous. And disturbing. How old had she been? Eternals had little to no concept of age and the thought of this inhuman being chasing after a child was less than amusing.
“Just who is she? And everything? Really? Eternal life and all the rest? Mistake, that.” The Doctor couldn’t help the rather rude manner in which he responded. It was sort of hardwired into this incarnation.
“Sarah Williams. I offered to be hers! Is that not what they wish? To subjugate another, have them under their control, at their bidding? I could have made her a goddess! And she rejected me!”
The Doctor quickly interrupted what looked to be a descent into rage (which would probably lead to violence) in an attempt to curtail it. “And it would have been a mistake.”
Jareth paused, staring at The Doctor expectantly.
“To give her that much power, to give her immortality, would have changed the very essence of Sarah Williams. It is her mortality, her humanity, that has made her into who she is. If she had accepted she would have grown to hate you and herself.”
Jareth sneered. “This is the wisdom of a Time Lord? Do you speak from experience, Doc-tor?” he mocked with a taunting smile.
“Don’t,” The Doctor warned.
“Was your Rose changing into someone you didn’t like?” Jareth continued to push with vicious glee.
“I’m warning you!”
“Into you?” The sinister whisper twisted the words and threw the accusation in the Doctor’s face.
“Leave.”
Jareth smirked sardonically, affecting an unconcerned manner in the face of The Oncoming Storm.
His form was replaced by that of an owl which then flew off into the illusion of a stone castle beyond a twisting labyrinth.
The Doctor woke up. The familiar grief could almost be ignored and he was already working to pushing the recent encounter into some dark corner of his mind.
Whoever Sarah Williams was he did not envy her luck and wished her well. She’d do well enough against an Eternal despite being human.
After all, she wielded power over him.
-------------------------------------------------
**I have never watched the episode with the Eternals and I only gleaned a few hints/facts from Wiki and went with it. If it doesn't adhere to canon, too bad. I kinda like it.