Lost Boys, by amy_wolf (PG)

[jantalaimon.livejournal.com]

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Author: amy_wolf
Author's fic index: Amy-Wolf's Fic Masterlist
Pairing: Gen. Characters involved include Sam, Frank Morgan, Ruth, Test Card Girl, and Other.
Word count: just over 12,000 in 5 chapters.
Why this must be read: Two of the things that I think are very interesting to explore and extrapolate from canon are: what Sam was like as a boy, and anything to do with Test Card Girl. Add into this a particularly interesting interpretation of the ending of the series and you've got a fic that's well worth reading. And also quite creepy. A nice read before bedtime with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, in other words! :)

Too Late

It was nothing to worry about, the doctor told her. Probably. Lots of children had imaginary friends. Twelve was somewhat older than usual, but understandable under the circumstances.

Children often created imaginary friends to cope with difficult or upsetting circumstances, and the carriage crash certainly was upsetting. Especially with a broken arm and a night in the hospital. It was coping mechanism, really. He’d likely grow out of it. A few weeks at home, a chance to run around with real children, and the whole business should be forgotten.

Keep an eye on him, the doctors said. See that he wasn’t alone too much. That he kept up his normal interests. That his fantasies didn’t take over too much of his life.

Watch, but don’t worry, they told her. So she didn’t worry (too much). He’d get over it in his own time.

And he did. At least she thought he did. He stopped talking about it, at least.

Years later, when Ruth Tyler was planning a closed-casket funeral (the undertaker had tried his best, but he said there was only so much he do with a jumper), she picked through a bundle of papers, and spotted something she could recognize. In with the absolute nonsense about time-travel and dodgy bartenders, was a mention of the other Sam.

That other Sam. Other Sam.

And she wondered, sitting alone over a heap of scribbled notes and department forms, a cold cup of tea by her side, how long it had all been going on. How many signs she’d missed. If he’d ever really got over things, or just got quiet. Withdrawn.

He’d always been a bit standoffish, her Sam. Not terribly social. More absorbed in school, then later with work. She hadn’t thought much of it. After all he wasn’t a total recluse. He did have friends. Not many, though. She wondered about all of this, now that it was too late. Wondered if it was a sign.

Wondered if a little bit more attention on her part would have saved his life.

Lost Boys