Lost fic: Your Own Special Song
Summary: The islanders face a new and terrifying threat. Humor, spoilers for "Man of Faith, Man of Science."
Summary: The islanders face a new and terrifying threat. Humor, spoilers for "Man of Faith, Man of Science."
Disclaimer: Blame it on those other guys, not me.
Your Own Special Song
by eponine119
October 1, 2005
When he heard Kate's quiet footsteps, Jack was lying down but not asleep. Of course he couldn't sleep after the events of the past few days. She said his name in a hesitant whisper and he rolled onto his side to look at her.
"You can't sleep either," she said, and he just looked at her, dark hair curling around her face, eyes wide. "I have a problem," she said.
He started to sit up, alarmed. "What kind --"
Her lips curled into a smile that let him know it wasn't a doctor type problem. She'd come here looking for a friend instead. He valued that. Sometimes he thought she was the only one here who looked at him that way. "What's up?" he asked, dragging himself into a sitting position.
Kate sat down beside him, her body tucked in close to his. He could put his arm around her shoulders if he wanted to…if he dared. Instead he listened to her quick breathing and waited for her to gather her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him a moment before she said, "I've got that damn song stuck in my head."
Jack let out a sigh that turned into a half-hysterical laugh. "Me too," he admitted.
"It's crazy, isn't it? Something so simple…" Her eyes searched his. "There hasn't really been any music on the island, and I missed it, but now I'd do anything to make it stop."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" he asked.
Her eyebrows drew together, as though she thought he was suggesting something improper. That almost made him want to laugh more than her dramatic admission of her problem. "Because there is a cure," he told her seriously. "It's just…drastic."
She looked at him like he was crazy. "Does it involve dynamite?" He grinned and shook his head. "Is it something you learned in medical school?"
He couldn't get his mouth to stop smiling. "In a way," he told her. She looked so disturbed that he couldn't resist reaching out and lifting the heavy locks of hair from her shoulder, pushing it back. "What you have to do," he said in a soft voice, "is replace it."
"I tried that," Kate said. "Everything I try inevitably ends up becoming my own special song. It's like it's driven all other lyrics completely out of my head. It's too powerful; it always wins."
"There's one song it can't overpower," Jack told her, and she looked like she didn't believe him. "But it's dangerous. This song…it's irrevocable. Once you get it in your head, you won't be able to get it out."
"It's not those dogs barking Jingle Bells, is it?" Kate asked. "Because I swear --"
"No," Jack said. "It's worse. Much, much worse."
"What the hell could be worse than dogs barking Jingle Bells?" She wrinkled her freckled nose.
"I'm talking about It's a Small World," he said. She looked blank. "Disneyland?"
"I've never been to Disneyland," she said.
He wanted to tell her he'd take her someday. Instead, he started muttering the words that had been running through his head for the past twenty-four hours, since he'd managed to get that other song to leave him alone. Jack wasn't much of a singer; he rarely even sang along with the radio when he was alone in his car. And he didn't know how he knew all the words to this song -- they were just there, in his mind, like a ticking time bomb waiting in his unconscious. A plague, which he was now spreading.
"There's so much that we share, it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all. It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world…"
Kate closed her eyes and after a moment, Jack fell silent. He could see her listening to the tune in her brain. She opened her eyes and he could see the relief in them. "I think that did the trick." To his surprise, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek, only for a second. "Thanks, Jack."
"See if you feel like thanking me tomorrow," he said softly as she slipped away, and he lay back down. He was still unable to sleep, despite the weariness he felt flowing through his limbs. Accompanying the song in his mind, he could hear the soft clicking of the dolls on the ride, and when he closed his eyes he could see them. At least Kate was spared that horror, but it would be a long, long time before Jack was able to sleep.
…
Within three days, it had spread. Everyone in the caves was muttering to themselves or nodding their heads in time to the beat. Charlie had tried valiantly with a rousing chorus of "You All Everybody" but while that song was annoying enough, it just hadn't stuck.
"Quarantine is right," Desmond was heard muttering to himself. "No wonder the sodding French lady shot her whole crew, brother."
"Just wait," Jack reassured him. "It'll fade with time. Like any illness."
It turned out to be true; the next day someone heard Hurley whispering the words to the Macarena. That was when they realized their situation could become even more dire. "Told you I'm cursed," Hurley reminded Jack. But it was already too late.
There was no hope for them now. No hope at all.
End.
Summary: The islanders face a new and terrifying threat. Humor, spoilers for "Man of Faith, Man of Science."
Disclaimer: Blame it on those other guys, not me.
Your Own Special Song
by eponine119
October 1, 2005
When he heard Kate's quiet footsteps, Jack was lying down but not asleep. Of course he couldn't sleep after the events of the past few days. She said his name in a hesitant whisper and he rolled onto his side to look at her.
"You can't sleep either," she said, and he just looked at her, dark hair curling around her face, eyes wide. "I have a problem," she said.
He started to sit up, alarmed. "What kind --"
Her lips curled into a smile that let him know it wasn't a doctor type problem. She'd come here looking for a friend instead. He valued that. Sometimes he thought she was the only one here who looked at him that way. "What's up?" he asked, dragging himself into a sitting position.
Kate sat down beside him, her body tucked in close to his. He could put his arm around her shoulders if he wanted to…if he dared. Instead he listened to her quick breathing and waited for her to gather her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him a moment before she said, "I've got that damn song stuck in my head."
Jack let out a sigh that turned into a half-hysterical laugh. "Me too," he admitted.
"It's crazy, isn't it? Something so simple…" Her eyes searched his. "There hasn't really been any music on the island, and I missed it, but now I'd do anything to make it stop."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" he asked.
Her eyebrows drew together, as though she thought he was suggesting something improper. That almost made him want to laugh more than her dramatic admission of her problem. "Because there is a cure," he told her seriously. "It's just…drastic."
She looked at him like he was crazy. "Does it involve dynamite?" He grinned and shook his head. "Is it something you learned in medical school?"
He couldn't get his mouth to stop smiling. "In a way," he told her. She looked so disturbed that he couldn't resist reaching out and lifting the heavy locks of hair from her shoulder, pushing it back. "What you have to do," he said in a soft voice, "is replace it."
"I tried that," Kate said. "Everything I try inevitably ends up becoming my own special song. It's like it's driven all other lyrics completely out of my head. It's too powerful; it always wins."
"There's one song it can't overpower," Jack told her, and she looked like she didn't believe him. "But it's dangerous. This song…it's irrevocable. Once you get it in your head, you won't be able to get it out."
"It's not those dogs barking Jingle Bells, is it?" Kate asked. "Because I swear --"
"No," Jack said. "It's worse. Much, much worse."
"What the hell could be worse than dogs barking Jingle Bells?" She wrinkled her freckled nose.
"I'm talking about It's a Small World," he said. She looked blank. "Disneyland?"
"I've never been to Disneyland," she said.
He wanted to tell her he'd take her someday. Instead, he started muttering the words that had been running through his head for the past twenty-four hours, since he'd managed to get that other song to leave him alone. Jack wasn't much of a singer; he rarely even sang along with the radio when he was alone in his car. And he didn't know how he knew all the words to this song -- they were just there, in his mind, like a ticking time bomb waiting in his unconscious. A plague, which he was now spreading.
"There's so much that we share, it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all. It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world…"
Kate closed her eyes and after a moment, Jack fell silent. He could see her listening to the tune in her brain. She opened her eyes and he could see the relief in them. "I think that did the trick." To his surprise, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek, only for a second. "Thanks, Jack."
"See if you feel like thanking me tomorrow," he said softly as she slipped away, and he lay back down. He was still unable to sleep, despite the weariness he felt flowing through his limbs. Accompanying the song in his mind, he could hear the soft clicking of the dolls on the ride, and when he closed his eyes he could see them. At least Kate was spared that horror, but it would be a long, long time before Jack was able to sleep.
…
Within three days, it had spread. Everyone in the caves was muttering to themselves or nodding their heads in time to the beat. Charlie had tried valiantly with a rousing chorus of "You All Everybody" but while that song was annoying enough, it just hadn't stuck.
"Quarantine is right," Desmond was heard muttering to himself. "No wonder the sodding French lady shot her whole crew, brother."
"Just wait," Jack reassured him. "It'll fade with time. Like any illness."
It turned out to be true; the next day someone heard Hurley whispering the words to the Macarena. That was when they realized their situation could become even more dire. "Told you I'm cursed," Hurley reminded Jack. But it was already too late.
There was no hope for them now. No hope at all.
End.