Chapter 5

Tony walked forward in a world that seemed to be completely stopped. ...except for him. Why was he the exception? He knew that he had been an exception before, but...

"But I was already with the person stopping time."

Tony closed his eyes and tried to see if he could feel where Tim was. He opened his eyes once and looked at Gibbs, frozen in place, unable to help...nor to Watch.

"Okay. I've done this stuff by myself before...so not having Gibbs shouldn't be any more of a problem now than before."

That wasn't comforting.

He closed his eyes and started waiting to feel that indescribable tugging that seemed to be his connection to the supernatural world.

He felt nothing.

"Come on, Tim. I know you've got to be out there somewhere. The real you, not the freaky holes for eyes you."

There was no indication of direction, but Tony started to walk. He couldn't just hang out here. Something more had to happen. He kept his eyes closed although that terrified him. What if the freaky not!Tim showed up and he didn't see him in time? Still, he had found something that didn't exist with his eyes closed. Maybe he could find Tim without seeing him, too. He'd done that before. In the demon world, he had taken a step and been right where Tim was, just because...of whatever reason Tim had told him.

So he walked blindly through the trees...and never ran into anything. Weird.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim kept breathing slowly, in and out, waiting for his wound to heal enough that he wasn't conscious of it. He sat where he was, beneath the Bodhi tree, keeping himself calm as he thought about what was possibly coming for him. What would it do if he won? What if he lost?

Which would be worse?

Another deep breath. Tim realized that he hadn't taken the time like this just to sit and calmly think about what could be coming. He had flown headlong into it and then tried to set it aside without thinking about it. Now, for the first time, he was really thinking about what he might have to do. The sacrifices he would have to make. Rhian had been right when she told him that he had a destiny. It wasn't because he had no other choice. Nothing was forcing him, but he couldn't possibly not take it on once he knew who and what he was.

"If I don't do this, who will?"

That was the question. So even though he didn't want to be important, didn't want to be the one who had to take this task on, he was, and he'd do his best to reset the balance between the supernatural realm and the real world before the earth cracked beneath the strain.

Another deep breath.

Suddenly, a sound penetrated his sanctuary.

"Tim! Come on! You've got to be here somewhere!"

Tony. Tim sighed. He couldn't keep hiding from Tony, not with him shouting so that he could wake the dead...or something that had never lived in the first place. He lifted his hands and imagined the world there. He slowly got to his feet and turned around. He set the world gently down beneath the tree and then stepped out of the sanctuary. Hopefully, the world would be safe there. He turned back and saw Tony walking around.

...with his eyes closed?

Tim stepped out of his sanctuary.

"Tony, I'm right here," he said softly.

Tony stopped, turned and opened his eyes. He smiled with relief and then looked angry, then worried and then irritated and then back to relief again.

"Where have you been? What happened to you?"

Tim smiled a little.

"I was going insane for a while, but I'm better now."

Tony raised his eyebrows expressively.

"You aren't kidding."

"No, I'm not...but I'm feeling better."

"Okay...so why is everything, including Gibbs, frozen?"

"Gibbs? What is Gibbs doing here?"

"Watching. That's his job."

"Huh?"

Tony smiled with some triumph.

"I love it when I know something you don't know! Gibbs said that he's a Watcher. His job is to see what of the stuff that we do or other...supernatural...people...do...is visible to normal people. ...or something like that. He kind of...tagged along...but you froze him when you froze everything else."

Tim shrugged.

"I can't really control who gets frozen and who doesn't."

"But I'm not frozen."

Tim shrugged helplessly again.

"I don't know that part, Tony."

"...but you know what you're doing here?"

Tim nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, that doesn't sound good."

"It's not...but it's necessary."

"What are you going to do?"

Tim smiled. "Promise you won't freak out?"

"No."

Tim laughed.

"Please?"

"No way, man. If you're asking, then it's something that you think is going to freak me out. No way am I going to promise not to do what you think I'm going to do anyway."

"Okay."

"What are you doing to do?" Tony asked.

Tim hesitated and looked back toward his sanctuary with some longing. It had been so quiet in there...like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, a place he could escape.

Only I'm not Superman.

"Come on, Tim. You have to tell me. No way am I going to let you avoid it now."

"I didn't want you here, you know. Even when I wasn't sure what was going on, I still didn't want you here. This is going to be dangerous. I might lose."

"You have to kill the dreamer, then?"

Tim shook his head.

"No. Not kill him."

"Then, what?"

"I have to...I don't how to describe it. I have to...absorb him...into myself."

Tony took a step back and looked at Tim as if he were crazy.

"Are you out of your mind? What are you saying? No way!"

"It's the only way, Tony. You know what's coming. I won't be ready if I only know what's real. I have to know the dreams, too. ...and it's not a coincidence that the dreamer looks like me. I just...I don't know what will happen when I do this...if I can. I don't think he'll be happy about it, either."

"How are you going to do...this?"

"I'm sure it will come to me when it's time," Tim said with a weak smile.

"No."

"Tony, it has to be this way. It would probably be better if you hid in the...the place I set up."

"What place?"

"My sanctuary. That's where the world is."

"Huh?"

Tim's smile was more genuine this time.

"It's a dream, Tony. It doesn't have to make sense."

"If you say so."

"Exactly."

Tim looked around and closed his eyes. He knew the dreamer had to be here still. They had both been drawn to this spot at the same time, but neither of them had known why. He knew now, but he didn't know who it was, unless it had been Greta. Did the dreamer know? Is that why he couldn't see him?

Maybe they were both trapped in this place until it was over. Tim got the feeling that he wouldn't be able to leave until he had done what was required.

"Tim?"

Tim opened his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really have to do this?"

"Yes."

Tony took a deep breath.

"Okay. Then, just don't get yourself killed...or annihilated...or destroyed...or whatever other word you people use."

Tim smiled. "It's not in my plans."

"Do you need me out of the way?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Okay." Tony sighed. "Where's your little sanctuary?"

Tim took Tony by the arm and then stepped back into his sanctuary.

"Whoa! What's this?"

"It's the Bodhi tree. Saw it in a movie."

Tony smiled. "Isn't that my line?"

"I don't know if you would have watched this movie."

"What is it?"

"Not a Road picture."

"I know that much. No Bodhi tree for Bob and Bing."

"It's called Little Buddha. Keanu Reeves...as Siddhartha."

"What?"

"It's about the Buddha...and some little kids."

"Okay..."

"The Road pictures are more fun."

"And I'll be safe in here?"

"Maybe. That is something I don't know. I can't know that part because this is only a dream. Maybe a dreamer can penetrate this place. I don't know."

"You need help I can give...you ask for it, Tim. I mean it. I don't want to sit in here and watch you get hammered."

"Okay. I will."

Tim turned around and stepped out of the sanctuary...back into the dreamer's world. As he stepped out, that thought put him on his guard. This was a place where he wasn't making the rules. The dreamer was. ...and as long as he was, Tim was at a disadvantage.

I'm done with being at a disadvantage. If we're dreaming, then I can dream, too.

Tim looked around. There was still the lake that didn't belong there. The chaotic sky and the edge of insanity that lined this whole world.

He wasn't going to accept that any longer. The dreamer wouldn't come out if he still felt he was in control because he'd felt some of Tim's power before. Tim would have to shake his assurance.

Tim looked around. What was he going to change first?

The lake. The dreamer kept using the water against him. That would go first.

Tim stared hard at the lake. Then, he closed his eyes and thought about changing the lake.

"Let's have a mountain," he said softly.

Tim opened his eyes and smiled. There was a mountain where the lake had been.

"NO!"

The screech hurt his ears, but the dreamer had felt the change...or seen it. Tim knew he'd be coming.

He just hoped he was ready for the confrontation.