Alone Again - A Gone One-Shot

A/N: I noticed a surprising lack of GONE series fan fictions. Decided to make one. This book WILL contain spoilers from all 5 books released so far (Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague and Fear) and takes place immediately following the end of Fear. If you have not read that yet and do not want the ending divulged, please stop reading now. Thanks :)

OH, and all characters, plot, etc are owned by Michael Grant (an amazing author!!)

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Sam Temple

The sunlight shone through the windows of the boat as Sam fluttered his eyes, squinting. What time is it? he wondered. Judging by the amount of sun spilling into the small room, he guessed it would be around ten or eleven o'clock. But in the FAYZ, you never really can tell.

He was surprised that no one had come in to wake him up. They always wanted something, didn't they? Sam, come help me monitor the walls of the FAYZ! Sam, can you make some more Sammy Suns for the little kids who are afriad of the dark? Sam, come bury these dead people in the plaza. Sam, come help take care of the baby that you almost destroyed! Please Sam! You're our leader!

Leader. What an awful way to describe himself. He finally got a chance to see his mother, and what did he do? He had, or at least tried to, incinerate a defenseless child.  Well, if Diana has been right about the baby being a three bar, then Gaia was certainly not defenseless. And she was on the loose here in Perdido Beach. Why did he get himself into this mess?

Sam heard noises outside and knew that soon the members of the White Houseboat would want to meet up and discuss things in the FAYZ. Sam still wasn't sure if Astrid would show up, she was still upset from having to face the truth that Petey really was gone. Edilio was still sensitive about finally admitting he was gay. And Sam? Well, Sam wasn't feeling too great himself. His mom probably hated him. Wa afraid of him. Saw him as a killer.

"Sam?" A voice called. Diana. She tentatively opened the door, and Sam still had to get used to the old Diana, the one who wasn't pregnant with Caine's demon child. "Yeah Diana?" Sam asked, easing himself up into a sitting position to talk to her. "Um..." Diana squeaked out before sobbing. Sam just sat there awkwardly, patting her back gently. "I'm a monster, Sam," Diana said in a hoarse voice. "Shh, Diana, you're no monster. The only monsters are Caine and..." Sam trailed off, unsure if Diana would be offended. Diana sighed. "Sam, its okay, you don't have to hide the fact that I gave birth to a monster and it's now the embodiment of the gaiaphage. But the sick and twisted thing is that after all she's done, after all thats happened..." Diana turned to look Sam in the eyes. "I still love her, Sam. I'm still her biological mother. I should be out there, caring for her, like I always pictured it. Rolling her around in a little stroller, singing lullabies, with my husband standing at my side..." A few more quiet sobs came. "I guess I never imagined this." 

Sam leaned back against the headboard of the bed and let out a sigh. "I don't think any of us imagined this, Diana," he said, cracking a small smile. To his surprise, Diana returned his smile and gave him a hug. "Thanks Sam," she said, and stood to leave. As she was leaving, she turned to speak. "One more thing - Edilio wants all of us to meet out on the deck in an hour." Sam nodded, and Diana left without another word. Sighing again, Sam stood up and walked over to the small window. He stood there for a good ten minutes, just watching the tortured world outside.

 **

After Sam had gotten dressed in an ill-fitting t-shirt, jeans, and some plan old running shoes, he walked up the flight of stairs that took him to the upper deck. He ran a hand through his mussed hair, trying to smooth out his bad case of bed head. Oh well, he thought. Nobody cares what I look like. But as Sam Temple reached the top of the stairs, he saw his friends. And he saw Astrid. She looked ragged and worn out, but lately, that was how everyone looked in the FAYZ. Her blond hair was slightly tangled, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She, along with Diana, Edilio, Quinn, Roger, and Albert, looked up and each gave small smiles when they saw him approaching. 

"Glad you could join us, Sammy," Quinn said as Sam took his seat between him and Edilio. "Thanks, man," Sam replied, and after a harsh glare from Diana, the two hushed their converstation and listened in to the meeting. "Alright," Astrid spoke first. "The first order of business whould probably have to be - " Astrid nervously looked over at Diana, who gave a little nod. "- Gaia. We don't know where she went, or what she's doing, but she's the Gaiaphage now, and that means that its way more powerful now that it has a human body." Albert spoke next. "But, isn't Gaia just a baby? Theres no possible way that she could do anything serious." When all the members were quiet, Albert spoke again, but he was a little scared. "Guys, what's going on...what are you thinking?" 

Sam was quiet. Diana spoke. "What these knuckleheads don't want to say is that even after Sam fried the mutant baby..." Diana's voice strained to say those two words. "...The kid survived,. Albert. The kid survived everything, and is developing at a heightened rate. The Gaiaphage wants something powerful to use when it eventually destroys us all."

All the members of the White Houseboat were silent. After a good five minutes of staring at each other with blank and shocked expressions, Edilio finally spoke up. "Okay, well...I guess the meeting is adjourned..." Roger looked relieved. Quinn looked nervous. Diana looked like she was about to cry. Astrid just looked tired. And Sam felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks. Gaia was out there. He couldn't keep on pretending that she wasn't. With the transparent barrier, everyone could see what went on in the FAYZ. 

Another pang hit him. His mom didn't know what had happened. She didn't know the full story. She was repulsed at him, scared of him. Sam knew his mom well enough to know that she wouldn't continue to judge him. He was her son, of course. The one son that wasn't evil.

But a nagging feeling remained. Sam, the one who wasn't evil?

That was a lie.

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DUN DUN DUN! Gotta love a good cliffhanger right? :)

 

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