Rec: Before I Sleep

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

First off, a HUGE apology - I got muddled and thought I was reccing from the 17th, not the 11th. I also had been expecting a reminder email, but never mind; it's still my fault for getting the date wrong. I hope it's okay if I make two recs a day until I've caught up. Sorry, mods!

Story: Before I Sleep

Author: Dune

Rating: All Ages

Author's summary: Time and life blur. Sometimes Jack's grateful, sometimes he's not. But no matter what, he has to live with it

Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, with mentions of Tenth Doctor, Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler

Warnings: None

Recced because: This story haunted me for quite some time after reading it. It's Jack's immortal life, many, many thousands of it, and how he manages to live it, 'woven into mankind's history', living and dying, saving the universe and becoming known throughout it. Dune spins a poignant, heart-wrenching, yet ultimately uplifting account of what Jack's life might be like and one way it could eventually end. It's a short vignette, yet packs a punch far greater than many stories ten times its length.

Selected quote:
There're legends about him. The Lonely Wanderer he's called; worshipped and feared throughout the universe. Yet the statues he finds are of an old, wise man, never anything like him. He never ages beyond that one grey hair.