Fic: Not Waving But Drowning

[fiandyfic]

TITLE: Not Waving But Drowning
AUTHOR: Andromeda
FANDOM: Ashes to Ashes/Life on Mars
SUMMARY: Nobody heard him, the dead man, but still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought, And not waving but drowning.
RATING: Blue Cortina, Gene Hunt/Sam Tyler
WORD COUNT: 550 words
EMAIL: fiandyfic@livejournal.com
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Are at the

Comments

[lozenger8]

Lyrical and beautiful. I like the contrasts and parallels that you've drawn between Sam and Alex. Also, this line made me sigh: They left in the wrong order, you see. Sam and the Missus.

♥ Wonderful, as always.

[m31andy]

You seem to have an unerring knack of pulling out the first line written... There should be some sort of prize for that!

I'm so glad you liked it!

[mikes_grrl]

Oh, this is heartrendingly beautiful, yet somehow, hopeful. I know, that is an odd reaction, but Gene is fighting and fighting hard and yet waiting for something beautiful, the definitive step. Waiting is the worst torture of all, really.

So many gems in this story, hard to pull any out, but I love the last two lines so much I want to hold them close and coo over them. I REALLY like the description of Alex as a kind of Kali, destroyer of his world, but bringing a necessary end.

Wow. Magnificent, really. Thank you.

[m31andy]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked this. Waiting is the worst torture, really.

[temporalgrace]

Lovely and sad. A beautiful fic, and I'm quite pleased to have had anything to do with it.

[m31andy]

Thank you so much for providing the inspiration. It's a wonderful theory, one I've seen other takes on. But it was detail of the water that really sold it to me. I love "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and the parallels you drew in your theory with other stories really rang a bell with me.

[draycevixen]

Wow, that's sad but in that achy kind of way where it feels for a few minutes like your heart is just getting too big for your chest... That kind of ache that just makes you glad to be in the moment, be there to feel it.

Lovely!

Thank you!

I see no reason at all why this shouldn't be LoM/A2A and have a full post link at the Com. I'm worried people will miss it this way!

[m31andy]

Thanks! I think the idea that's Sam's "last second of eternity" only lasted seven years really got to me.

*sniffles*

Hmm, I was thinking about that - it's only A2A canon, after all. In fact I was worried that this fell completely between two stools and I'd be asked to take it down on the A2A comm because it's not really A2A either!

[draycevixen]

The pairing, as stated is Sam/Gene. I think you should post it LoM/A2A.

[dorsetgirl]

This is the one you told me about in the pub, yes? "It's character death but read it anyway"?

Well, I just found it, and I did, and - I sort of wish I hadn't. Because it turns out that Gene means more to me than Sam or anyone else, and the thought of him so alone, so desperate - well, I'm crying now. I thought it was brilliant, honestly, and when I've recovered I'll read it again. Thank you love. And thanks to temporalgrace for the theory.

And I'll add my voice to those who say you should write more serious stuff, because it's very, very good when you do.

btw I've posted four fics at Lifein1973 that, like this one, are set firmly in the A2A universe. I took the view in each case that - again like this one - the heart and soul of the story was "Gene loved Sam and now he's gone", and therefore at worst they counted as LOM/A2A transition. So far as I know, no-one has complained that they're not LOM enough to be there.

[addygryff]

Wow, thank you so much for writing this.
It's absolutely beautiful and sad, I love the quiet desperation and how Gene is still fighting and trying to hold on, while he knows that everything will be over soon anyway.
Also, Alex being his subconsciousness trying to take his world apart is brilliant in so many ways! <3

Gorgeous. *mems*

[m31andy]

Thank you so much for pointing me to temporalgrace's theory. It's one that makes a lot of sense.

Well, if Gene was the "cancer" for Sam and this is now Gene's world, it makes sense that Alex is the one to destroy Gene's. The fact that he's letting it happen (cf. 1.07) made me blink rather and made me think that perhaps he really *does* want it to end.

Thanks!

[temporalgrace]

I'm sorry I didn't say earlier, it was so nice to see you suggest my theory as a bunny, especially as it resulted in m31andy's lovely fic. :)