Sea Chanties
A/N: Ever notice that Hornblower doesn't seem to have too many songfics? (Probably because Horatio's tone deaf…) Anyway, I'm trying to rectify that. All of these are extremely silly, and none of our heroes is safe. If you don't know the songs, that's ok, but it probably won't be as fun. All 3 songs are from Depeche Mode. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I own no one you recognize from Hornblower, and I don't own any of the songs.
Dream On
A/N: I know some of these lyrics are wrong; I changed them on purpose because the way I hear the song works better for this story. Go find the real ones online if you're interested.
Summary: A hallucinating Horatio, just out of the prison pit, has a very strange night…
"Get some rest, Horatio," He heard Archie say above him, "The pit's a hell on earth. Bedrest is what you really need."
Horatio groaned in response. What else could he do? His vocal cords were shot. He heard Archie and Hunter climbing into their bunks as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb him. He wanted to rest, more than anything. Just lie there and breathe quietly…
Then he heard a guitar. His eyes flickered open. Through the swirling haze of colors, he saw a young woman at the foot of his bed, strumming the instrument. "How the hell…?" he rasped. She smiled at him and kept strumming. In a light alto voice, she began crooning.
"As your bony fingers close around me
Long and spindly
Death becomes me
Heaven, can you see what I see?"
She looked at him, smiling affectionately. She reached out and touched his face.
"Hey, you pale and sickly child
You're death and living reconciled
Been walking on a crooked mile"
He winced at the touch of her hand on his burned face. She slid across so she could sit next to him.
"Pain tends to command
Your body for a living
What you take won't kill you
But careful what you give in…"
She was strumming the guitar again. Horatio could sort of make her out now. She was fairly pretty, with long dark hair and pale eyes. She smiled and sang.
"Can you feel a little love?
Can you feel a little love?
Dream on, dream on…"
Horatio finally understood. He was hallucinating. He reached out a hand and feebly made 'Shoo' motions. "Leave me in peace." He muttered. She ignored him.
"There's no time for hesitating
Pain is ready, pain is waiting
Primed to do it's educating…
Unwanted, uninvited kin
It creeps beneath your crawling skin
It lives without, it lives within you…"
She suddenly leaned back and sprawled across his body. He yelped. She dropped the guitar (which was still playing on its own) and started running her hands across his chest, a seductive smile on her face.
"Feel the fever coming
You're shaking and twitching
You can scratch all over
But that won't stop you itching…"
He wasn't itching, but he certainly felt a different sensation…below his waist. "Miss…"
She purred (really) and started sliding the dress off her body. "Can you feel a little love?
Can you feel a little love?
Dream on, dream on…"
She was now standing in front of him, starkers. Horatio turned pale. He turned paler when she started toying with his pants. "MISS!" he cried, as loud as he could. She just arched an eyebrow and continued her work. He tried to jerk away, but was too weak. She climbed back on top of him and caressed his face.
Horatio had absolutely no control of what happened for the next hour. She was in charge, the whole way. Finally, she slid off him and started putting her dress back on. After such a long period of silence (except the guitar) she started to sing again.
"Blame it on your karmic curse
Or shame upon the universe
It knows its lines
It's well rehearsed."
She pointed; Horatio saw the pit, even though he was nowhere near the window.
"It sucked you in, it dragged you down
To where there is no hallowed ground
Where holiness is never found…"
She cupped his chin in her hand. "Pain tends to command
Your body for a living
What you take won't kill you
But careful what you give in…"
She kissed him quickly. "Can you feel a little love?
Can you feel a little love?"
She stroked his hair out of his face. "Dream on, dream on…"Horatio was completely bewildered, but he felt exhaustion slowly stealing over him. She picked up her guitar and started strumming it again. "Can you feel a little love?
Can you feel a little love?"
She winked and walked right through the wall. Her voice echoed softly as he fell asleep.
"Dream on, dream on…
Dream on, dream on…"
"Horatio!"
He woke up to Archie shaking him. "Are you all right? We heard you moaning all night!"
Horatio nodded. "Archie…after you went in the pit…did you hallucinate?"
Archie was a bit confused by the question. "Erm…yes, I did. But it was mainly swirls and colors, snatches of my past, that sort of thing."
"There was no woman with a guitar?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Nothing." Horatio muttered, "I was delirious. That's all."
"Feeling better now?"
"I…yes. Thank you, Archie."
Archie smiled. "Good. I'll get you something to drink. You must be parched." As he moved away, he paused and glanced back. "Please tell me how you managed to get your pants down without me noticing. I was keeping an eye on you all night. I look away for one second, and suddenly…" he shrugged. "Ah, well, maybe I dreamed that whole thing."
As Archie moved away, Horatio reflected that he was probably the first person in the world who had gotten laid by a hallucination.