A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm still alive (thankfully), though school did it's best to kill me off- and that's my only excuse for why it took so long to write this. That, and this chapter just had fits. Anyway, it's been so long I figure a quick summary would be useful.

Jack met the Doctor one night and they had a heart-to-heart about friends and discussed why Jack is the way he is (hint: it's science). Then they go visit (confront) the Man in the Moon, and end up having another heart-to-heart about how he knows the Doctor and Jack finding his center. They leave and the Doctor takes Jack to visit his friends from the past AKA, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup. When the Doctor returns they all end up in the TARDIS and receive a threatening message from the Master, AKA Pitch, who wants the Doctor to turn Jack over to him. Of course, the Doctor says no and the five of them embark on an epic adventure to find their centers and rescue MiM and the Guardians. They went to the Tooth Palace where Merida found her center, which is courage, and now they're going to the Isle of Dreams.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy and please review!

:) :) :) :)

Jack had never actually been to the isle before. In fact, he didn't even know where it was located. Thankfully the Doctor seemed to know what he was doing and was working quickly at the console to get them there.

Jack tried not to jump as Rapunzel landed next to him on the railing of the balcony above the console.

"Hi Jack," she said. She looked at him, and he saw she was worried. The princess placed her hand on his. "How are you?"

"Ah, you know me Punzie, I'm fine." She gave him a withering look.

"Seriously Jack. How are you feeling?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"About all this?" She nodded and the winter spirit laughed, as he tried to come up with the words. Nearly 200 years without anyone to talk to, and now his friend wanted him to share his feelings. He was hesitant.

"This is the most fun I've had in centuries," he stated honestly. "Being back with you three is worth more than I can say. I'm also a bit freaked out. I mean, some psychotic villain wants to hunt me down for what I'll do in the future? It's insane! I'm just... me. I don't have some great destiny like-" He faltered and wanted to say like you guys but quickly changed it to, "like other people." Rapunzel just laughed at him.

"Oh Jack. I know you're more important than you think you are. Don't worry. We'll figure all of this out." He smiled at her; oh he had missed her.

"Thanks Punz." He jumped onto the balcony just as the TARDIS touched down, sending him rocking and accidently tackling Rapunzel. They ended up sprawled on the floor all tangled up (ha puns). The two of them tried to get up quickly and both their cheeks were glowing red by the time they finally managed to get to their feet.

"If you two are quite finished up there," Merida called with a smirk.

"Watch it DunBroch!" Jack called as he floated himself and Rapunzel down.

"Oh, watch it yerself Frost. Let's go." She opened the door and everyone streamed out onto the unbelievable beach in front of them.

The TARDIS had landed on a sandbar, almost white in color, about thirty feet across. The sandbar curled until it met another, darker, one which curled until it met another one, all of them eventually converging in one central landmass, of a rich gold color. A huge mound of sand, with a volcanic-like top, stood there. Suddenly, the five of them yawned simultaneously.

"So this is the Sandman's home?" Rapunzel asked, flexing her bare toes in the sand. "I like it." The Doctor was bent over examining the dream sand, running it through his fingers.

"This is remarkable…" he muttered and then looked around. "That seems to be the center of the island," he said pointing to the volcanic looking mound, then he yawned. "Anyone else a bit drowsy?" Toothless blinked sleepily and began pacing the sand before blasting it with flame and laying down. Hiccup and Merida yawned at the same time and even Jack was rubbing his eyes. Rapunzel however remained fascinated with her surroundings. She breathed in the sweet salt air and saw something on the horizon. Whatever it was waved and she waved back. It dove beneath the waves.

"Guys! I think that was a mermaid." She heard a soft thump, and turned around to find everyone passed out in various positions; Hiccup leaning on Toothless, Merida on her side, Jack face down, and the Doctor curled up.

"Oh dear…" She couldn't very well leave them like this. Rapunzel grabbed Jack first and dragged him next to Hiccup, positioning him so his head was resting on the viking's shoulder, then did the same for Merida. She grabbed the Doctor next and stuck him next to Jack. The princess nodded at her fine work and then gasped as a thin strand of sand rose from the beach. It wove it's way between her friends' heads, spinning a story and weaving a dream. A bouquet of roses bloomed above the Doctor's head and he smiled in his sleep. A galloping horse above Merida's, intertwining with Hiccup's sand dragon as they flew and ran together. Grains of sand created a beautiful scene above Jack's head of the four of them together with a tiny moon hanging in the sky. To the side a little cloud of sand couldn't decide if it wanted to form into a fifth figure or not. Rapunzel smiled warmly at her sleeping friends.

Now, time to explore.

Her feet pushed deep into the sand as she climbed up the nearest dune and slid down the other side. Sand was so different than anything she'd walked on before. She loved the slippery feel of it.

As she trudged happily up and over dunes thin threads of the sand began to rise and follow her. Not until she looked back at the top of the second highest dune did she notice it. The thin veils and streams of sand wove lazily through the air, actually lifting her hair up in a few places. Rapunzel reached out a tentative finger and touched it.

The effect was immediate. Rippling from her touch, the sand swirled and formed the scene of a mermaid leaping and twirling through the waves.

"Wow," whispered Rapunzel. She bit her lip and touched it again and the sand turned into a flock of little birds, twittering and flying all about her. She laughed. This was amazing! And it felt so... natural. One by the one, the birds picked up strands of her hair and tugged her along, down this dune and up the last one that was the center of the island.

When she got to the rim, she looked in and was surprised to find a large, comfy looking (albeit sandy), bed. Carefully, she slid down the side of the dune. As she got closer to the bed, the heavier her eyes became until eventually, she fell gently onto it and began to snore.

It was dark. Rapunzel felt around in the dark, looking for a light, when a quiet voice said, "It's inside you." Immediately, Rapunzel saw a spark that quickly grew and lit up the surrounding area. She was surprised to find herself standing in front of a mirror and that the spark was coming from her.

"Wow…" she whispered, then looked around. "Where am I?" The princess heard a soft jingling noise that reminded her of laughter. She turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see the little yellow man that had spoken to her before.

"Hello!"

"Hello Rapunzel," he responded, though his mouth didn't move. "I see you five are doing as I said and going to our homes."

"Yeah, we've already been to the Tooth Palace and Merida found out her center is courage. She also got some special arrows." The Sandman nodded and smiled.

"Good. And now you're here to find your center. Tell me, what do you think it is?"

"I don't have the faintest idea," she admitted truthfully. The Sandman smiled kindly.

"Well then let's figure it out. What do you like to do?"

"Paint," she replied immediately. As soon as she said that, a scene sprung up all around them of her tower, but the walls were blank. As they watched, pictures started to flow over the walls and cover the empty space.

"You're very good," the Sandman observed as he floated around and looked at the pictures. "What do you like to paint?" he asked. Rapunzel shrugged.

"Everything; wishes, dreams, what I've read, what I've seen."

"But you want to see more, don't you?" the Sandman asked, coming to float by her. Rapunzel nodded sheepishly and tugged at her hair a little.

"I mean, I have my outings with Jack and Mer and Hic, but imagine if I could leave my tower for good, whenever I felt like it." She sighed and glanced out the window. "I could go anywhere, do anything, be anything I wanted to be." The Sandman patted her on the shoulder.

"You're a dreamer." Rapunzel nodded.

"Like you." Sandy smiled a little.

"Like all of us." The scene changed again, flitting from one tiny village to another, from one sleeping child to the next.

"Dreams are an essential part of childhood," Sandy explained. "They fuel our desires and help our wishes come true, but not all dreaming happens while asleep." The scenes changed, flipping from one child looking at the stars to another staring out the window during class to another doodling on some paper.

"These type of dreams give us the most hope, something solid to look forward to, to aim for. They're fueled by focused creativity and imagination. With that determination, anything is possible." The scene faded and the Sandman turned to face her again.

"Including leaving your tower." The princess smiled at him.

"So… daydreams," Rapunzel said. The little spark that was still lit grew brighter. "That's my center." The Sandman nodded.

"You're going to be needing that creativity and hope in the near future. Now, you said Merida got some arrows too, right?" Rapunzel nodded. "Well, let's see what we can do for you." The Sandman spread his arms open and sand began to flow around them both. Rapunzel could feel it swirling around her and weaving itself in her hair.

"You already have a wonderful magical ability. Combined with the sand, you can do almost anything.

"And don't let anybody tell you otherwise."

"Thank you," Rapunzel said, but already the dream was turning fuzzy and she began to wake up.

The stars were glowing brightly in the sky as Rapunzel woke from her dream. She felt refreshed and bounding with energy. She leapt up, looked around, and smiled before taking off, racing back up the side of the crater and toward her friends.

As she ran, she noticed the sand swirling about her again, even stronger than before. The princess stopped and observed it for a moment. It floated vaguely in the air, seeming to have lost its energy when she stopped running. Rapunzel lifted a hand to run through her hair and was surprised when the sand reacted in kind. The princess paused and then flung her arm out to the side. A blast of sand exploded that way and Rapunzel jumped at the ferocity of it. She tried again, gesturing much more carefully, and the sand reacted in kind, winding it's way gently in that direction.

Punzie tried some other things, twisting and twirling the sand this way and that, making it dance and create and bend.

"I wonder..." She had an idea in mind and waved her arms, concentrating hard. Underneath her, a cloud began to form.

"Ok... Now, up!" The cloud rose into the sky with her on top and Rapunzel laughed. This was amazing!

The princess directed the cloud back to her friends where they continued to slumber. Toothless stirred a bit as she landed. She patted him gently on the head and moved to help her friends. The sand above them had changed slightly, but they were all smiling and seeming to have good dreams

Except the Doctor. His bouquet of roses was down to one flower that was quickly wilting. She figured she should wake him up first.

"Doctor…" she said and shook him gently.

"Hrm?"

"Doctor, wake up. We should go." The thin man rubbed his eyes, sat up tiredly, and looked around.

"What time is it?" he asked. Rapunzel looked up.

"Judging by the stars, I'd guess around midnight." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"You can tell that from the stars? I'm impressed." She shrugged modestly.

"I have a lot of time on my hands," she said, then quickly changed the subject. "Can you help me get the others in the TARDIS?"

"Sure, but don't we need to look around the island first? Find someone's center or something?"

"Already done," she replied as she helped a sleepy Hiccup to his feet, who was currently mumbling for five more minutes. The TARDIS doors swung open politely as she lugged him in and the Doctor followed with Merida. Rapunzel peered out the door and got the sand to lift Jack and Toothless and only hit Jack's head on the door once as she guided them inside. The Doctor watched in awe as Jack was set comfortably in the crook of a branch and Toothless leapt off before it could set him down. The dragon shook himself affrontedly and stalked off.

"How are you doing that?" the Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic. Rapunzel took one last look at the island and then closed the door, with a small smile on her face, then turned back to face the rest of the TARDIS.

Jack was slouched comfortably in one of the branches of the TARDIS with Hiccup below him, leaning up against it. Merida would have been laying spread-eagle if Toothless hadn't spread a wing over her and curled up. Leftover dream sand swirled gently through the air, bobbing around the TARDIS console and over her friends' heads. Oh she wished she had paint. The Doctor approached with his sonic screwdriver.

"May I?" he asked.

"Oh, sure." He scanned her quickly and began pacing around with the results.

"This is astounding! I mean, I saw what your hair could do at the Tooth Palace- amazing by the way- but these readings show its power has increased tenfold. It's like… it's like… well the only thing I can compare it to is… what happened to Rose." The Doctor stopped pacing and looked as if he were a thousand miles away. Eventually he spoke again.

"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS and it looked into her. She became so powerful, it would have consumed her. She saved the day, and then I had to save her." He shook his head and tried to be excited again.

"And you! Princess of Corona! Already oozing with "magical" healing properties, now you have this! Your power's not the burning, firey inferno of the TARDIS' heart, but more like the soft warmth of the sun; it's powerful, but contained. Whatever the Sandman- I'm assuming that's who he is- did to you, it's powerful. Impressive. I'd love to meet him." He flipped his sonic and then stuck it back in his jacket pocket.

"Doctor?" Rapunzel asked, approaching him slowly. He had said something she wanted to ask about later, but for now, this was more important. "Were you dreaming about Rose?" she asked. He nodded mutely.

"Who is she?" He shook his head with a sad little smile.

"A… friend of mine. From a long time ago."

"Tell me about her," Rapunzel asked and sat down on the edge of one of the seats.

"No, I'll save you the sob story." Rapunzel just put her chin in her hands and scooted closer. The Doctor chuckled and sat down next to her.

"It started with some mannequins…"

So long through the night, the Doctor told Rapunzel about his adventures with his beautiful Rose; their good times and bad, laughter and sorrows, and, above all, their love.

"I never got to tell her, and I kick myself everyday because of it."

"Well, why can't you tell her?"

"The gap between universes is closed. There's no way."

"Maybe there is!" Rapunzel said hopefully. "You're the Doctor. You can do whatever you set your mind to." The Doctor shook his head firmly.

"No. No I can't, because then I make bad decisions and then people get hurt." It hurt Rapunzel to see him like this. She could feel the pain and guilt rolling off of him, and such grief. Making a decision, she began to sing softly.

"Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine"

The sand lit up brightly as she sang and the Doctor closed his eyes, basking in this one warm, peaceful moment. The light faded with her voice, leaving a quiet calm in the console room. The Doctor's eyes flew open.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Um, well, I sing and-"

"No no. When you were singing, I had an idea, a mad, brilliant idea, that just might work."

"Sort of like a daydream?"

"Yes! Yes, just like that!"

"That's my center," the princess explained.

"Oh! Oh you brilliant girl!" he cried jumping up. He ran over and planted a kiss on her forehead. "If this works I will personally give you the best wedding gift ever. Even if it doesn't work, I'll come and give you a fantastic gift!"

"Wait what? Wedding?" The Doctor hissed through his teeth.

"Right. That hasn't happened yet. Oh and I called you princess too didn't I… Oh, well. Forget all that. No spoilers." Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle at the newly invigorated Doctor and wonder about her own future.

"I'll try. Anything I can do to help?" The Doctor glanced over at Jack and brought his thoughts back to the present.

"I'm worried about him." Rapunzel looked at her friend, who was currently drooling in his sleep.

"Why?"

"He's so young. And so… lonely."

"But he has us." The Doctor looked at her.

"Remember, this isn't your Jack. He's been alone for a couple of centuries by now. Like me," he muttered. "And now the Master, or Pitch, or who-what-ever, is back and," he sighed. "I don't want it to break him." Rapunzel observed Jack for a moment in silence.

"I think it will make him stronger." She looked at the rest of her friends and then turned to smile at the Doctor.

"I think it will make us all stronger." Merida rolled over and mumble/shouted at them,

"Some of us are tryin to sleep ya know!" The Doctor and Rapunzel tried to stifle their laughter and returned to the console.

"How much time do we have left?" Rapunzel asked. The Doctor pulled up a timer on the monitor.

"'Bout a day and a half. We need to get a move on."

"Where to next then?" the princess asked. Jack stirred from his perch and mumbled, "Warren."

"Warren… rabbit warren… The Easter Bunny's home!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

"I still can't believe they're real," the Doctor muttered as he set the coordinates.