Fic: Endless [Lost/Sandman]
Title: Endless
Fandom: Lost/Sandman
Characters: The Endless, Hurley, Sayid, James, Richard, Desmond, Jacob, Jack.
Genre: Gen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to and including “The Incident” for Lost. “The Wake” for Sandman.
Summary: Seven Lost characters each get a visit from one of the Endless.
A/N:...I'm not exactly sure where this came from. I suppose it's really a reaction to "The Incident", to be honest. Also... yep, I'm writing about Jacob already. *facepalm*
Sandman Primer:
You don’t need to be really familiar with the graphic novels.. but there are a couple things you should know.
1. The Endless are embodiments of different aspects of humanity, each with their own realm. They are, in order of age, Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium.
2. Roughly 300 years ago, Destruction abandoned his realm.
3. More recently, the previous incarnation of Dream chose to die, and was replaced by the incarnation called Daniel.
1. Hurley ~ Delirium
Hurley talks to dead people. Dead friends. He thought he was crazy, until a man in a cab told him that he wasn’t, that he was blessed, and told him to get on Ajira Airlines flight 316. Then Hurley started to think that maybe he wasn’t crazy after all.
(Sometimes he still does. Sometimes he thinks that maybe none of this is real, that maybe he’s still in Santa Rosa and this is all a big crazy dream.)
The day he goes to the airport, he sees a girl with multicoloured hair standing on the sidewalk as the cab drives past. The girl gives him a friendly wave, and he can’t shake the feeling that he knows her somehow.
Delirium stands on a sidewalk and watches Hurley’s cab drive away. She waves until the cab is out of sight. She likes Hurley, but he’s not one of hers any more. She’s not sure whose he is any more.
2. Sayid ~ Despair
In the army, Sayid saw many people who had despaired of life. At the time he was young and confident, and did not believe that it would happen to him. But since then, so many things have happened, each one chipping away at him, slowly destroying his resolve to keep going. Finding Nadia, then losing her again, not once but twice. Finding Shannon, only to lose her as well. Leaving the island and then being pulled back, and so many other things.
Now he’s wounded, and lies in the back of a Dharma van while Jack tries to stop the bleeding. Another time he might have been grateful for Jack’s efforts to save him. But now he knows that he cannot be saved. He glances upwards, and catches a glimpse of something reflected in the van’s window - no, not reflected. Something in the window. The image of a dour-faced, ugly woman. For a second it seems as if she is reaching out to him. But then the van jolts over a rough spot on the ground and she is gone.
Despair weeps silently for Sayid, and tears her hook into her chest, at the spot where he was shot.
3. James ~ Desire
“She’s right there. You want her, I know you do.” The woman with golden, cat-like eyes murmurs into James’ ear as his gaze falls on Kate.
“No. I used to. Not any more,” He growls, almost inaudibly.
“Oh, that’s right, you prefer blondes now, don’t you?”
“Shut. Up.”
“Touchy.” The woman strokes his hair with one hand. “She loves you, you know. More than she’s ever loved anyone. More than your little convict does.”
“I said, shut it.”
The woman leans closer, and whispers into his ear, “She’d die for you.”
He whirls around, fist raised. “I said, Shut Up!” But the woman is gone. He looks around, confused.
From his-her-its position hidden in the trees, Desire smirks to itself.
4. Richard ~ Destruction
When you’ve existed for as long as Richard has, you get used to seeing things created and then watching their destruction decades or centuries later.
Richard remembers seeing the statue erected, remembers watching it carved from stone and constructed on the plinth on the coast. He also remembers the statue falling, crashing to the ground in pieces, leaving only a single foot standing.
The day it fell, he met a stranger on the island. A tall, burly man with a beard, who looks at the fallen statue with immense sadness in his eyes.
The stranger turns and sees Richard looking at him. Sadly, he says, “I’ve seen this happen too many times. I think… enough is enough, don’t you agree?”
Richard doesn’t know how to answer him, and simply shrugs.
Destruction turns and walks away, knowing what he must do. Centuries later, Richard wonders what he would say if he could see the island now.
5. Desmond ~ Dream
Desmond tosses and turns in his sleep. He dreams of the island almost every night now - not visions, he knows that. Just ordinary dreams.
Still, he hasn’t told Penny. It would only worry her, and she has enough to worry about already. If he told her about the dreams and the man dressed all in white that he sees in them, it would only frighten her.
Sometimes he speaks to the man in white. The man says his name is Daniel, and he is very young - he looks barely more than a boy. Daniel has been only a recent addition to the dreams. Once they were wild and frightening, but Daniel’s presence calms them.
Desmond asks why, but Daniel only smiles mysteriously and bids him good day, just before he wakes.
Back in his castle, the Lord of Dreams ponders the mortal whose dreams are so vivid, and wonders why he feels drawn back to him again and again.
6. Jacob ~ Death
Jacob’s eyes fly open and he gasps for breath before pulling himself into a sitting position. He looks down and sees that he is sitting in his own fireplace, where a fire still burns - but he doesn’t feel it.
“Oh. So this is what it feels like.” He murmurs to himself.
“Yep. Don’t get too comfortable, though.”
Jacob looks up to see a smiling girl dressed in black, sitting cross-legged on the floor nearby. She gives him a friendly little wave. “Hey there. You know who I am, right?”
He nods. “I know who you are. What are you doing here? I thought… the rules didn’t apply to me.”
“Oh, they apply. The rules apply to everyone, you see. Everything comes to an end eventually.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, there’s no time for chatting. You’ve got work to do, Jacob.” The girl stands up, and reaches out, helping him to his feet. “Off you go…”
As the man called Jacob vanishes to wherever he is supposed to be, Death hopes that the Fates know what they are doing.
7. Jack ~ Destiny
After the explosion, Jack blacked out. When he opened his eyes, he felt a hand helping him up, and saw two people in front of him - one in a long gray robe, their face hidden by a hood, the other a petite, pretty girl in black, who smiled at him. “Hey, Jack,” she said.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, that’s not important. I’m here with him.” She indicated the figure in the robe. “This is my brother. You can call him Destiny.”
“I’m sorry… what?”
“You heard. See that book he’s holding?”
Jack noticed that the man was holding a large book, that was chained to his wrist. “Uh-huh.”
“Everything that has ever happened, everything that ever will happen… it’s in that book. I’ll let him tell you the important part.” The girl grinned at him and walked away.
It wasn’t that the man in the robe spoke, as such… it was more like the man’s voice bypassed the normal speaking apparatus and went straight into Jack’s head. It sounded dry, desiccated like old paper or dead leaves rustling in the wind.
“Your destiny is not for you to change, Jack Shephard. What will happen will happen. What has happened, has happened. It cannot be changed by mortal acts. Remember this, Jack Shephard.”
The girl returns, and looks at the man - her brother? - questioningly. Jack gets the feeling that she is asking him something, though she doesn’t say anything out loud. Then she turns back to him. “So, looks like we’re all done here. What he told you is important. You should remember it, Jack.” She grins. “Be seeing you.”
Jack opens his eyes, thinking that what he just saw must have been a dream. Destiny looks on, and turns the pages of his book in silence.
Fandom: Lost/Sandman
Characters: The Endless, Hurley, Sayid, James, Richard, Desmond, Jacob, Jack.
Genre: Gen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to and including “The Incident” for Lost. “The Wake” for Sandman.
Summary: Seven Lost characters each get a visit from one of the Endless.
A/N:...I'm not exactly sure where this came from. I suppose it's really a reaction to "The Incident", to be honest. Also... yep, I'm writing about Jacob already. *facepalm*
Sandman Primer:
You don’t need to be really familiar with the graphic novels.. but there are a couple things you should know.
1. The Endless are embodiments of different aspects of humanity, each with their own realm. They are, in order of age, Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium.
2. Roughly 300 years ago, Destruction abandoned his realm.
3. More recently, the previous incarnation of Dream chose to die, and was replaced by the incarnation called Daniel.
1. Hurley ~ Delirium
Hurley talks to dead people. Dead friends. He thought he was crazy, until a man in a cab told him that he wasn’t, that he was blessed, and told him to get on Ajira Airlines flight 316. Then Hurley started to think that maybe he wasn’t crazy after all.
(Sometimes he still does. Sometimes he thinks that maybe none of this is real, that maybe he’s still in Santa Rosa and this is all a big crazy dream.)
The day he goes to the airport, he sees a girl with multicoloured hair standing on the sidewalk as the cab drives past. The girl gives him a friendly wave, and he can’t shake the feeling that he knows her somehow.
Delirium stands on a sidewalk and watches Hurley’s cab drive away. She waves until the cab is out of sight. She likes Hurley, but he’s not one of hers any more. She’s not sure whose he is any more.
2. Sayid ~ Despair
In the army, Sayid saw many people who had despaired of life. At the time he was young and confident, and did not believe that it would happen to him. But since then, so many things have happened, each one chipping away at him, slowly destroying his resolve to keep going. Finding Nadia, then losing her again, not once but twice. Finding Shannon, only to lose her as well. Leaving the island and then being pulled back, and so many other things.
Now he’s wounded, and lies in the back of a Dharma van while Jack tries to stop the bleeding. Another time he might have been grateful for Jack’s efforts to save him. But now he knows that he cannot be saved. He glances upwards, and catches a glimpse of something reflected in the van’s window - no, not reflected. Something in the window. The image of a dour-faced, ugly woman. For a second it seems as if she is reaching out to him. But then the van jolts over a rough spot on the ground and she is gone.
Despair weeps silently for Sayid, and tears her hook into her chest, at the spot where he was shot.
3. James ~ Desire
“She’s right there. You want her, I know you do.” The woman with golden, cat-like eyes murmurs into James’ ear as his gaze falls on Kate.
“No. I used to. Not any more,” He growls, almost inaudibly.
“Oh, that’s right, you prefer blondes now, don’t you?”
“Shut. Up.”
“Touchy.” The woman strokes his hair with one hand. “She loves you, you know. More than she’s ever loved anyone. More than your little convict does.”
“I said, shut it.”
The woman leans closer, and whispers into his ear, “She’d die for you.”
He whirls around, fist raised. “I said, Shut Up!” But the woman is gone. He looks around, confused.
From his-her-its position hidden in the trees, Desire smirks to itself.
4. Richard ~ Destruction
When you’ve existed for as long as Richard has, you get used to seeing things created and then watching their destruction decades or centuries later.
Richard remembers seeing the statue erected, remembers watching it carved from stone and constructed on the plinth on the coast. He also remembers the statue falling, crashing to the ground in pieces, leaving only a single foot standing.
The day it fell, he met a stranger on the island. A tall, burly man with a beard, who looks at the fallen statue with immense sadness in his eyes.
The stranger turns and sees Richard looking at him. Sadly, he says, “I’ve seen this happen too many times. I think… enough is enough, don’t you agree?”
Richard doesn’t know how to answer him, and simply shrugs.
Destruction turns and walks away, knowing what he must do. Centuries later, Richard wonders what he would say if he could see the island now.
5. Desmond ~ Dream
Desmond tosses and turns in his sleep. He dreams of the island almost every night now - not visions, he knows that. Just ordinary dreams.
Still, he hasn’t told Penny. It would only worry her, and she has enough to worry about already. If he told her about the dreams and the man dressed all in white that he sees in them, it would only frighten her.
Sometimes he speaks to the man in white. The man says his name is Daniel, and he is very young - he looks barely more than a boy. Daniel has been only a recent addition to the dreams. Once they were wild and frightening, but Daniel’s presence calms them.
Desmond asks why, but Daniel only smiles mysteriously and bids him good day, just before he wakes.
Back in his castle, the Lord of Dreams ponders the mortal whose dreams are so vivid, and wonders why he feels drawn back to him again and again.
6. Jacob ~ Death
Jacob’s eyes fly open and he gasps for breath before pulling himself into a sitting position. He looks down and sees that he is sitting in his own fireplace, where a fire still burns - but he doesn’t feel it.
“Oh. So this is what it feels like.” He murmurs to himself.
“Yep. Don’t get too comfortable, though.”
Jacob looks up to see a smiling girl dressed in black, sitting cross-legged on the floor nearby. She gives him a friendly little wave. “Hey there. You know who I am, right?”
He nods. “I know who you are. What are you doing here? I thought… the rules didn’t apply to me.”
“Oh, they apply. The rules apply to everyone, you see. Everything comes to an end eventually.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, there’s no time for chatting. You’ve got work to do, Jacob.” The girl stands up, and reaches out, helping him to his feet. “Off you go…”
As the man called Jacob vanishes to wherever he is supposed to be, Death hopes that the Fates know what they are doing.
7. Jack ~ Destiny
After the explosion, Jack blacked out. When he opened his eyes, he felt a hand helping him up, and saw two people in front of him - one in a long gray robe, their face hidden by a hood, the other a petite, pretty girl in black, who smiled at him. “Hey, Jack,” she said.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, that’s not important. I’m here with him.” She indicated the figure in the robe. “This is my brother. You can call him Destiny.”
“I’m sorry… what?”
“You heard. See that book he’s holding?”
Jack noticed that the man was holding a large book, that was chained to his wrist. “Uh-huh.”
“Everything that has ever happened, everything that ever will happen… it’s in that book. I’ll let him tell you the important part.” The girl grinned at him and walked away.
It wasn’t that the man in the robe spoke, as such… it was more like the man’s voice bypassed the normal speaking apparatus and went straight into Jack’s head. It sounded dry, desiccated like old paper or dead leaves rustling in the wind.
“Your destiny is not for you to change, Jack Shephard. What will happen will happen. What has happened, has happened. It cannot be changed by mortal acts. Remember this, Jack Shephard.”
The girl returns, and looks at the man - her brother? - questioningly. Jack gets the feeling that she is asking him something, though she doesn’t say anything out loud. Then she turns back to him. “So, looks like we’re all done here. What he told you is important. You should remember it, Jack.” She grins. “Be seeing you.”
Jack opens his eyes, thinking that what he just saw must have been a dream. Destiny looks on, and turns the pages of his book in silence.