A/N: Sorry for the delay but Mark and Maddy captured my muse for a while. I'll have to have them floating around at the periphery of this story to satisfy my love of them. The stories will be in the same 'verse, but you don't have to read the other ones to follow this one.
For fans of the show, my friend DaniWilder created Will Carter long before Terra Nova existed. He is no relation to the Sixer named Carter in the show.
Sergeant Will Carter always could read people through their eyes. Abigail's widened with fear when she heard her brother's voice, the thought that anyone might cause her to be afraid made his blood boil.
He kept his arm around her shoulders as they turned to face Kyle Porter, who looked with distain at the Sergeant. It was as if Will were that crud that got stuck between your shoe treads. He barely existed in this man's universe.
The look of anger that Kyle directed toward his sister made Will squeeze her shoulder before releasing her and offering his hand to Doctor Porter. "I'm Sergeant Carter, a member of Terra Nova security team."
After spending several years around arrogant scientists Will found it best to ignore their lack of manners and pretend they were normal people. The level of arrogance in Doctor Kyle Porter's eyes rivaled that of Doctor Ken Horton, the expeditions preeminent scientist. He held his hand out for a few moments. Come on take it.
"I don't care if you're Taylor's most trusted advisor," Kyle sneered, ignoring Will's hand and puffing up his chest.
He was annoyed that the man didn't take the bait. A firm handshake would have sent the right message. I'll have to go for something less subtle.
"I want you to leave my family and my sister alone. The last thing she needs is someone like you to mess around with her." He acted like he was making a proclamation.
Will nearly laughed at his audacity. "First, I am one of his most trusted advisors." He stepped into the man's space, crossing his arms and making sure to flex his muscles enough so the other man would know that he could flatten him with one punch. "Second, you left your family to chase after a woman and third, your sister can decide who she wants to mess around with for herself."
Carter turned and took Abigail's hands into his, marveling again at how soft they were. The Sergeant squeezed them gently and raised them both to his lips, once again copying the young men he loved to tease. He pressed a single kiss to each hand on her knuckles. Abigail's eyes widened, showing off their gorgeous blue color even more. "Have a nice day and let me know if you need anything," he said. "Anything at all," Will said quietly with a smirk.
He turned from the stunned woman to see her equally surprised brother. As he walked past, he leaned over and whispered. "If I ever find out you do anything to upset her, you'll pray that all you have to face in the jungle is a slasher."
Abigail had no idea what Carter whispered to her brother before he left, but Kyle didn't even speak to her. He brusquely greeted his children and headed inside.
She and the children were having their nutritional supplements for dinner when he left without a word later that evening.
"How long do we have to drink this stuff?" Jason whined. "It's gross," he said as he held the cup of blue liquid at arms' length.
"A couple of days," Abigail answered as she put some of the basic supplies that came with the house away in the kitchen.
The kitchen was always her favorite place as the cook let her help out. It was the only place as a child that someone seemed to believe she could do something right. "Then we'll be able to eat all the fresh food they grow here."
"It'll be worth it," Jess said as she slurped down her blue concoction. "We start orientation tomorrow. I can't wait to see our school. Open windows and a playground outside in the air."
Abigail was nervous. She had taught in a small private school for the children of the very wealthy, kids who had tutors at home but were sent to the academy for prestige alone. No one cared about her lesson plans or anything like that. She was a Porter and that's all that mattered. Once again, the unwanted child had been relegated to only filling a position.
When she spoke to the recruiter from Terra Nova they said all the children attended classes and there were many young children. The last five years saw lots of babies being born so an early childhood teacher was needed. It wasn't often she was needed so it left her uncertain what to do.
The next morning found her brother seated at the table with a smirk on his face. "Morning, Abs."
"Kyle," she replied. "Did you have a nice evening with your new friend?"
Her brother chuckled. "Oh yeah. If this house wasn't too small I'd have her visit."
Abigail felt her stomach turn. She was too familiar with what happened when Kyle had a woman visit. The sounds she overheard from his encounters left her terrified of ever being involved with a man.
"There aren't any larger houses," she said as she mixed up more of their supplemental drinks.
"Of course there are if you have the money or the connections." Kyle pushed himself up from the table. "Oh, I did some checking around about that soldier Carter."
Abigail didn't turn when her brother mentioned Sergeant Will Carter. An unfamiliar flutter erupted in her chest at the mention of his name. She tried hard to forget the annoying soldier but the gentleness in his voice and the way he held her when she was scared kept her awake most of the night.
"He finds a new woman on each pilgrimage to shower attention on and once he gets his fill of her he moves on," Kyle said with smugness in his voice. "Kind of like me."
Abigail wanted to say Carter wasn't like him. She wished she could say that he cared about her and the kids getting to their new home safely and that he helped her to not have full blown panic attacks, but she couldn't. First, there hadn't been enough time to get to know him and second, she believed that all men were womanizing pigs - her father, Kyle and the parade of sycophants with the ambition of marrying her included. Her father thought she might have value in an arranged marriage just like her brother did. But Abigail found many creative ways to show men she wasn't interested over the years, including forcing herself to throw up on more than one occasion. "He only helped me and the kids find our way home."
"You're so stupid," Kyle snorted.
Abigail finally looked at him. He had on his condescending mask, the one that looked through her and saw nothing worthy underneath. She knew better than to interrupt the stream of insults he was going to hurl at her. Kyle Porter would never view her as anything more than an annoyance.
"He was hoping to get invited inside and I don't mean the house," Kyle said with a laugh. "At least you're not stupid enough to get knocked up by some lowlife." With that he turned and left for the hospital.
Abigail fought against the tears that threatened. She really wanted to believe Carter was just being a nice guy. Of course he only wanted to sleep with you.
Sergeant Will Carter was on interior patrol and bored out of his mind. Normally he enjoyed when pilgrimages came because of all the new pretty girls to meet. Abigail Porter seemed to have made him immune to any other woman he saw this time. Several smiled and waved at him decked out in his uniform, but he only gave them cursory nods and continued with his patrol.
"Sergeant Carter," a breathless private called.
"What do ya want, Jenkins?" he said as he turned to face the other soldier.
"The Commander wants more patrols around the marketplace. The Sixer Carter escaped from the infirmary and almost killed him."
"Shit." Will hated the fact that he shared a last name with one of the Sixers. They weren't related, but confusion ensued until he and his traitorous buddies got run out of Terra Nova. Since that little thief got arrested for trying to steal power cells the other day, Will had grief from the younger men once again. "Who had security detail in the infirmary?"
"Don't know, but the Lieutenant wanted to spread the word quietly to keep an eye out for anything unusual." Jenkins nodded and headed off after delivering his message.
Will shook his head and turned toward the marketplace. He had been headed toward the school complex in the hopes of seeing Abigail. Looks like I'll have to wait until later.
It was unusual for Carter to seek out a woman for anything other than a one-night stand, but Abigail was different. He couldn't put his finger on it but something about her made every protective instinct in him kick into high gear. Will wanted to help her get over her fear of dinosaurs and everything else the kids alluded to. It was unusual, but the veteran soldier was good at going with the flow and decided to let his heart and his brain lead him for once.
Carter was going to give his CO a nice bottle of moonshine when he got back that evening because Abigail was in the marketplace with her niece and nephew when he arrived. They were surveying all the different foods they'd be able to eat in a couple of day's time.
A grin spread over his face, but a siren started wailing before he could head toward their location. He whipped his head around, raised his gun and moved toward the fence. Rovers were headed their way along with a…
"Carno!" Came a shout from the tower above his position. Will yanked his binoculars from his belt and zoomed in to see three rovers headed their way with a carnotaurus hot on their tails.
"Great. Sixers and dinos, what a great day." Will put his binoculars away and headed toward the gate.
"Jason!" Abigail's voice screamed and Will stopped in his tracks.
He turned around and saw the boy running toward the fence. Abigail's nephew had obviously seen the dinosaur and wanted to get closer.
"Dammit," Will shouted as he raced to intercept the boy. The look of terror on Abigail's face as she ran toward her nephew caused him to cover the distance in record time.
Abigail slowed and her eyes – as big as saucers – looked past him to the massive carnivorous dinosaur closing in on a jeep. The color was gone from her face and she was trembling.
"Hey," Will shouted as he reached out and grabbed the little boy by the collar of his jacket. "Your aunt said no."
Jason's eyes were wide and he gulped as Carter nearly dragged him by the scruff of his neck back to his aunt.
"Abigail, get the kids out of here. The carno will get chased away by the sonics, but the Sixers are coming." He stared into her eyes trying to force her to move.
"S-sixers? What's a Sixer?" Her eyes were drawn to his own as her arm wrapped around the little boy.
He smiled. "Long story, which I will tell you later."
"O-okay," she replied, staring at him.
"Jason," Will spoke to the boy who was looking quite ashamed.
"Yes, Sergeant." His eyes were downcast.
All hell was headed their way, but Carter found he couldn't just walk away. "Look at me, young man. Is your father gone a lot? Does he leave you with your aunt?" He used an authoritarian tone and it seemed to work.
"Y-yes," Jason replied, finally looking up at him.
"Then you're the man of the house, like I suspected." Will glanced at Abigail who looked at him with confusion. "As the man of the house, you need to protect the ladies."
Jason perked up. "But I-I don't have a gun."
"Jason…" Abigail started.
"Well I can't spare one but here's a knife." Will pulled a small knife and sheath out of one of the pouches on his belt. "If anyone comes for your aunt or Jess, just stab them."
"Hey!" Abigail shouted.
Will winked and reached out to push a piece of hair behind her ears. "You need to get out of here. Trust me, this place is going to hell quickly."
To prove his point, the vehicles came racing through the gate. "I gotta go. I want you and the kids out of here!"
Abigail nodded and tugged Jason away toward Jess, who was waiting behind a large building. She tried to take the knife away from the boy, but he'd have no part of it.
As Will ran toward the standoff near the gates, he laughed. That knife now gave him another reason to see Abigail Porter.
TBC
A/N: I don't like to force OC's into episodes unless they fit. I'm following Genesis pretty closely so far but it's the events that I think would impact a large amount of the colony only.
