Teleute (2/?)
Title: Teleute
Fandom: Whoniverse/Sandman crossover.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Death. Mention of others from both fandoms.
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Mention of death/violence. Spoilers for DW 3x11 "Utopia", sort of.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to either RTD or Neil Gaiman.
Summary: Over the course of the 20th century, Jack becomes more familiar with Death.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
As it turned out, he managed to avoid being killed again for another sixteen years. When the Great War was declared in 1914, Jack volunteered for the Air Force. He even made it through three years of the War unharmed. Until his plane was shot down on a reconnaissance mission. The plane crashed into a field, and he knew, somehow, that the other crewmembers were dead. The last thing he heard before he fell headlong into darkness was their screams of pain.
He opens his eyes, and he’s in what he’s started calling the Other Place. It looks different. The bench from last time is gone, and in its place there is a small table and two chairs. The table is laid for afternoon tea. He looks around and realises that instead of darkness around him, he’s in what looks like a conservatory. He hears a familiar voice and turns.
“Hello Jack. Do you like it? I thought this was nicer than just darkness.”
“Uh. It’s… nice.”
“Good. I made tea, too.” Teleute walks over to the table, and carefully puts down the teapot she was carrying, before sitting down in one of the chairs. “Sit down, Captain, please.”
Jack blinks and sits in the other chair.
“So. It’s been… sixteen years? That’s very good. Try to keep it up.” She pours tea into his cup, then hers. “Milk and sugar?”
“Uh. Milk, no sugar.”
“Certainly.” She adds milk to his cup, stirs it and hands it to him, before adding milk and several spoons of sugar to her own and taking a long sip.
Jack stares at her. “Teleute… who are you? How can you do all this?”
She sighs. “I told you, when we met. You know who I am. As for this place… we’re inside my realm. I can create anything I want here.”
“Your… realm?”
“Yes.” She smiles. “My realm. Now, enough about me. What about you? What’ve you been up to?”
“Um. I volunteered, when war was declared. Air Force.”
“Oooh… good for you! What about before that?”
“There’s this place called Torchwood. I’ve been doing some… freelance work for them.”
“Is that interesting?”
“It’s never dull.”
“That’s good. Don’t want you getting bored, do we?”
“I suppose not.” He sips the tea. It’s good. He’s never been much of a tea drinker, but if it was all as good as this he could easily become one. “Teleute… I don’t understand. Why… when I, uh, die, why do I come here? Where are we, who are you?”
She smiles. “Didn’t I tell you that you’d understand eventually? I’m sure I did.”
“You didn’t actually tell me anything though.”
“Because I can’t. I can drink tea and talk to you, but even here I can’t tell you what you want to know. It’s not my job to do that.”
“That… I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“So don’t think about it. Tell me about what you were doing, just now.”
He looks into her eyes. The only time he’s ever seen eyes so old is when he was with the Doctor, and they don’t fit with her youthful face. She meets his gaze and he realises that she’s telling the truth, and it really is beyond her remit to tell him. He drinks more of the tea, and wonders where to start. “I was a pilot. Flying a reconnaissance mission over enemy territory. I was shot down. I… the last thing I remember is hearing the crew screaming as we went down in flames. They’ll be dead now.”
“They are. Don’t worry, it was quick. They weren’t suffering for long.”
He gapes at her. “How do you know? Who are you?”
“Of course I know. When you remember who I am, you’ll understand.”
“But you can’t tell me who you are.”
“That’s right.” She smiles sadly. “In a way, of course, you already know. All humans do, because I’m a part of them, each and every one. There’ve been a few times now when we’ve come very close to meeting in my official capacity.”
Jack doesn’t know what to make of that, so he focuses on the last sentence. “Official capacity?”
“Oh, yes. This isn’t official. My official position is much less fun.”
He wonders about things that have happened to him “a few times”. Times when they might have met. The only thing he can think of is the list of near-death experiences he collected when he was still mortal. But then if those were the times when he had nearly met Teleute in her “official capacity”, that made her… no. She couldn’t be. This pretty girl sitting opposite him couldn’t possibly be… that.
He’s shaken out of his thoughts when she touches his hand lightly. “Jack? Penny for your thoughts?”
He swallows. “I… think I know who you are.” Suddenly he remembers. Teleute is Greek, and he knows what it means, and now he’s certain. “Teleute. That’s a Greek word. It means… death. The times we might have met… they’re times when I almost died, aren’t they? You’re… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… you’re Death.” He looks at her for confirmation, and is surprised when she smiles broadly.
“Very good, Captain. Exactly right. I thought it wouldn’t take you too long to figure it out. My brother thought it would be longer, but he can be such a pessimist sometimes.”
He blinks. “Right. You’re Death.” He can’t quite make Teleute’s image fit with the image of a skeleton in a robe that he grew up with. “Sorry. You don’t… look like Death, really.”
She laughs. “In my… official capacity… I can appear as whatever you expect to see. Mostly I look like this, though.” In an instant, she changes her appearance - now the neat braided hair is a wild mess, and the simple dress is replaced with a black vest top, black trousers and boots. The only thing that remains the same is the silver ankh pendant around her neck.
His eyes widen. “Oh. That’s… different.”
“Good different?”
“Um.” Now he really doesn’t know what to say. He had no problem flirting a little before… but knowing who she was made it awkward. “Yes. I suppose.”
“Relax, Jack. Nothing’s changed.” Suddenly, her appearance changes back to the braid and the dress. “Just think of me as Teleute.”
“Er. All right.” Then he feels the familiar tug that means he has to leave. “Ah. I have to leave now.”
“It’s all right. I’ll see you next time.”
He grins, without being sure if he means it. “Looking forward to it.” As weird as that idea is, he realises that he is looking forward to the next time he sees her. He just wishes he didn’t have to die first, and resolves to ask her about that next time.
He wakes up lying on the ground in a French field, and sees another soldier looking down at him with a concerned expression.
Fandom: Whoniverse/Sandman crossover.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Death. Mention of others from both fandoms.
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Mention of death/violence. Spoilers for DW 3x11 "Utopia", sort of.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to either RTD or Neil Gaiman.
Summary: Over the course of the 20th century, Jack becomes more familiar with Death.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
As it turned out, he managed to avoid being killed again for another sixteen years. When the Great War was declared in 1914, Jack volunteered for the Air Force. He even made it through three years of the War unharmed. Until his plane was shot down on a reconnaissance mission. The plane crashed into a field, and he knew, somehow, that the other crewmembers were dead. The last thing he heard before he fell headlong into darkness was their screams of pain.
He opens his eyes, and he’s in what he’s started calling the Other Place. It looks different. The bench from last time is gone, and in its place there is a small table and two chairs. The table is laid for afternoon tea. He looks around and realises that instead of darkness around him, he’s in what looks like a conservatory. He hears a familiar voice and turns.
“Hello Jack. Do you like it? I thought this was nicer than just darkness.”
“Uh. It’s… nice.”
“Good. I made tea, too.” Teleute walks over to the table, and carefully puts down the teapot she was carrying, before sitting down in one of the chairs. “Sit down, Captain, please.”
Jack blinks and sits in the other chair.
“So. It’s been… sixteen years? That’s very good. Try to keep it up.” She pours tea into his cup, then hers. “Milk and sugar?”
“Uh. Milk, no sugar.”
“Certainly.” She adds milk to his cup, stirs it and hands it to him, before adding milk and several spoons of sugar to her own and taking a long sip.
Jack stares at her. “Teleute… who are you? How can you do all this?”
She sighs. “I told you, when we met. You know who I am. As for this place… we’re inside my realm. I can create anything I want here.”
“Your… realm?”
“Yes.” She smiles. “My realm. Now, enough about me. What about you? What’ve you been up to?”
“Um. I volunteered, when war was declared. Air Force.”
“Oooh… good for you! What about before that?”
“There’s this place called Torchwood. I’ve been doing some… freelance work for them.”
“Is that interesting?”
“It’s never dull.”
“That’s good. Don’t want you getting bored, do we?”
“I suppose not.” He sips the tea. It’s good. He’s never been much of a tea drinker, but if it was all as good as this he could easily become one. “Teleute… I don’t understand. Why… when I, uh, die, why do I come here? Where are we, who are you?”
She smiles. “Didn’t I tell you that you’d understand eventually? I’m sure I did.”
“You didn’t actually tell me anything though.”
“Because I can’t. I can drink tea and talk to you, but even here I can’t tell you what you want to know. It’s not my job to do that.”
“That… I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“So don’t think about it. Tell me about what you were doing, just now.”
He looks into her eyes. The only time he’s ever seen eyes so old is when he was with the Doctor, and they don’t fit with her youthful face. She meets his gaze and he realises that she’s telling the truth, and it really is beyond her remit to tell him. He drinks more of the tea, and wonders where to start. “I was a pilot. Flying a reconnaissance mission over enemy territory. I was shot down. I… the last thing I remember is hearing the crew screaming as we went down in flames. They’ll be dead now.”
“They are. Don’t worry, it was quick. They weren’t suffering for long.”
He gapes at her. “How do you know? Who are you?”
“Of course I know. When you remember who I am, you’ll understand.”
“But you can’t tell me who you are.”
“That’s right.” She smiles sadly. “In a way, of course, you already know. All humans do, because I’m a part of them, each and every one. There’ve been a few times now when we’ve come very close to meeting in my official capacity.”
Jack doesn’t know what to make of that, so he focuses on the last sentence. “Official capacity?”
“Oh, yes. This isn’t official. My official position is much less fun.”
He wonders about things that have happened to him “a few times”. Times when they might have met. The only thing he can think of is the list of near-death experiences he collected when he was still mortal. But then if those were the times when he had nearly met Teleute in her “official capacity”, that made her… no. She couldn’t be. This pretty girl sitting opposite him couldn’t possibly be… that.
He’s shaken out of his thoughts when she touches his hand lightly. “Jack? Penny for your thoughts?”
He swallows. “I… think I know who you are.” Suddenly he remembers. Teleute is Greek, and he knows what it means, and now he’s certain. “Teleute. That’s a Greek word. It means… death. The times we might have met… they’re times when I almost died, aren’t they? You’re… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… you’re Death.” He looks at her for confirmation, and is surprised when she smiles broadly.
“Very good, Captain. Exactly right. I thought it wouldn’t take you too long to figure it out. My brother thought it would be longer, but he can be such a pessimist sometimes.”
He blinks. “Right. You’re Death.” He can’t quite make Teleute’s image fit with the image of a skeleton in a robe that he grew up with. “Sorry. You don’t… look like Death, really.”
She laughs. “In my… official capacity… I can appear as whatever you expect to see. Mostly I look like this, though.” In an instant, she changes her appearance - now the neat braided hair is a wild mess, and the simple dress is replaced with a black vest top, black trousers and boots. The only thing that remains the same is the silver ankh pendant around her neck.
His eyes widen. “Oh. That’s… different.”
“Good different?”
“Um.” Now he really doesn’t know what to say. He had no problem flirting a little before… but knowing who she was made it awkward. “Yes. I suppose.”
“Relax, Jack. Nothing’s changed.” Suddenly, her appearance changes back to the braid and the dress. “Just think of me as Teleute.”
“Er. All right.” Then he feels the familiar tug that means he has to leave. “Ah. I have to leave now.”
“It’s all right. I’ll see you next time.”
He grins, without being sure if he means it. “Looking forward to it.” As weird as that idea is, he realises that he is looking forward to the next time he sees her. He just wishes he didn’t have to die first, and resolves to ask her about that next time.
He wakes up lying on the ground in a French field, and sees another soldier looking down at him with a concerned expression.