This fic, unusually, takes place mostly inside Garak’s head, in a dreamscape.
Excerpt
‘He’s caught in a loop,’ Lwaxana said as the nurse hurried off. 'Experiencing the same sequence of events again and again, and as far as he’s concerned, they are real. It’s terrible for him. You two…’
'Are friends,’ Julian supplied, and to her surprise he seemed to mean that and only that. 'You’ve probably noticed how anxious I am for him. I’m afraid I can’t help it; I’ve grown really fond of him.’
'Well, he’s fond of you, and that’s why he’s in such difficulty,’ Lwaxana said, wondering how someone this intelligent could be this oblivious to the enormous love she’d observed in Garak’s mind. 'In this looping delusion, he’s been asked to assassinate you. Some political thing, for Cardassia. He’ll get everything he’s always wanted if he does it. So he does, and it just devastates him. He can’t bear the loss of you, and he can’t stand himself. He wants to die - wants it so much that he’s actually going into a physical decline. If we can’t snap him out of it, I don’t think he has long to live.’
'Really?’ Julian said, honestly startled.
'Really. As I said, he’s - fond of you.’ The nurse came back with her coffee, and she wrapped her hands around the hot mug gratefully.
'Well, I’d like to think so. We do have lunch together every week. Sometimes twice a week.’
'I mean, really, really fond of you.’
Metadata
Title: Locked Inside
Author: airandangels
Year Posted: 2011
Approx. Word Count: 6,500
Chapters: 2
GB - Slash or Platonic: Slash
My Rating (1-5): 3
Keywords: Drama, Angst, Friendship, Psychic Healing, Hurt/Comfort