Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.

Any references to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.

In The Eleventh Hour

"I don't need to talk to Helen Cutter's Aunt"

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Matt was still standing on the asphalt, staring at the place where the anomaly had been, when the ARC's vehicles pulled into the car park. The field team clambered out of the SUV. Connor held some sort of monitor. The device beeped loudly as the scientist walked forward. The tall security captain approached Matt. The team leader's jaw was clenched tightly and Matt stared vacantly at the asphalt.

"Matt," asked Becker, "what are you doing here?"

"Going crazy," answered Matt. The team leader lifted a shaky hand and pointed at the empty space in front of him. "Emily and Helen… they went through an anomaly."

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jess left her work station to stand next to Becker. The petite brunette slipped her arm around the soldier's waist. Becker instinctively raised his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her close. The pair could see Matt and Connor talking with Lester inside the bureaucrat's office.

"How can you not know where they went?" demanded the team leader.

"We don't know yet," clarified the dark haired scientist. "No one was there with a dating calculator when the anomaly opened. It seems as if the anomaly is new, it's not on my map."

The sound of boots clicking quickly on the tile corridor, caused Jess to turn her head. Abby hurried into the hub, an anxious frown on her pretty face. The blonde stopped beside Jess and Becker.

"I just heard," said the blonde. "Is it true? Did Emily and little Helen…"

"The first anomaly to open in weeks," answered Jess with a nod, "and it blinked in and out of existence so fast…"

"Sssh," hissed Becker.

The two women turned to face Lester's office. The murmur of Lester's quiet voice was hard to hear, but it was obvious the director's hands raised in a placating gesture didn't have the desired effect. Matt slammed his hands down on Lester's desk.

"We've got to find them," shouted Matt.

Lester looked through the glass wall of his office and nodded. Beside Jess, Becker shifted. The soldier released his grip on Jess.

"I'll be back later to drive you home," said Becker. The soldier hesitated a moment, then leaned down and kissed the field coordinator right on the lips in full view of anyone that happened to look. He whispered in Jess's ear, "Don't go anywhere without me."

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Becker walked with Matt up to his flat. The team leader inserted the key in his lock.

"You don't have to stay," said Matt. "I'm a grown man, I don't need babysitting."

"It's not babysitting," protested the black clad soldier. Becker remembered when Matt had been there for him. The soldier wanted to help, but didn't quite know how. "If you need something, if I can help… in any way."

"Right now," growled Matt, "I just need to be alone."

The man from the future stepped inside his flat, and slammed the door behind him, shutting his friend out.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Inside the empty flat, Matt took off his jacket. But when the man from the future turned to hang it on the coat rack by the door, he saw Emily's wedding gift hanging on the far wall. The embroidered Home Sweet Home seemed to mock him. Without Emily and Helen, the flat was just walls separating the furniture from the elements outside.

"Augh!"

Matt flung his jacket at the taunting embroidery. The jacket fell to the floor below. For a moment, the hanging shook under the force impact. Then Home Sweet Home slipped. The hanging landed atop Matt's jacket, while the tiny nail bounced across the floor and landed near Emily's embroidery basket.

"Oooh," moaned Matt.

The team leader clasped his hands to his forehead, staring at the mess he'd made. Tears filled his eyes. Matt crossed the room and knelt to pick up Emily's wedding gift. The distraught man reached for the tiny nail, but missed. The nail rolled further stopped only by Emily's basket. Matt looked at the embroidered handkerchiefs spilling over the sides of the basket. Emily had mentioned she was making Christmas gifts, but Matt hadn't looked at them before. Now, Matt pulled the monogrammed handkerchiefs out of Emily's basket one by one. A rainbow of brightly colored flowers surrounded the initials JMP. Little green lizards scampered across the fabric initialed ASMT. The remaining hankies were unfinished. Only black stitching showed on initials JPL, JLM, CAT and HJB. What was it Lester had said about Helen Cutter's Aunt? Matt stared at the handkerchiefs in horror, gradually becoming aware of the sound of shouts and pounding on his door.

"Matt! Matt!" called Becker. "Are you all right?"

Matt wiped his hand across his eyes before answering.

"Yeah mate," answered Matt. "But I need you to do me a favor…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Thanks Jess," replied Becker.

The soldier shifted the SUV into gear. Becker looked across the seat at Matt. The team leader had been very quiet since asking the soldier to take him to the nursing home where Helen Cutter's Aunt lived.

"We should be there in about half an hour," said Becker. "Connor and Abby are already there."

"What?" asked Matt.

"Jess said they left the ARC right after you and I did," explained Matt. "Connor was babbling about needing to rule out impossibilities… or something like that."

"Hurry," replied Matt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

"We're looking for some friends of ours," explained Becker to the nurse's aide. "Connor and Abby Temple… they're here to visit a resident."

"Oh yes, they were just here," smiled the young woman, "room 4377, but you'll have to sign in."

"Sign us in," ordered Matt. The team leader hurried to the elevators without another word. Matt didn't see Becker's shocked face as the soldier leaned down to sign the visitor's registry.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

The elevator opened onto the fourth floor with a ding. Matt stepped out. The smell of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils. A woman looked up from the circular desk before him. Corridors extended behind her and to either side.

"You're on the fourth floor," explained the friendly nurse at the central desk. She pointed to the left. "Corridor three, room 77 is next to the last on the left."

As Matt approached the room, the door opened. Abby stepped out, followed by Connor. Tears spilled down from Abby's bright blue eyes.

"Matt," gasped Abby. The blonde shook her head. "You don't want to go in there."

"Do you remember when you showed me that newspaper clipping?" asked Matt. "You told me you thought I should know what happened to Emily."

"I thought you would want to know that Emily disappeared from Victorian London," replied Abby. Her lips trembled. "I thought that it meant you were supposed to rescue her, you were supposed to be together…"

Matt blinked in surprise. He remembered a clipping that said Emily's first husband had her committed to Bedlam. In all the rush to save the world, Matt and Abby had never had a chance to talk about that old newspaper article again. Had his world changed once before?

"Abby, he needs to know," interrupted Connor's soft voice.

Matt looked at his friend. The dark brown eyes looked so sad, that Matt knew what he would find on the other side of the door. Matt swallowed. He walked past Abby and Connor and pushed open the door. A young nurse stood beside a bed taking the pulse of an elderly woman.

"You have another visitor Miss Emily," said the cheerful nurse.

The woman on the bed, was old, wrinkled beyond belief. She lifted reddened, rheumy eyes to gaze at Matt. Matt would recognize those eyes anywhere, any time. And the old woman recognized him too. Her face lit up with a tremulous smile. Even more wrinkles showed on her face.

"Matt," greeted Emily.

"I'll just leave you two," said the nurse as she pushed past Matt. "Visiting hours ends at five."

Matt stepped forward. The frail woman on the bed before him looked so happy. She raised a trembling, spotted hand towards him. Matt gently reached for her hand.

"Emily," responded Matt.

"Matt, you came finally," quavered Emily, "I never gave up hope, but, Matt… they took Helen away from me… Matt I lost our little girl…"

Tears began rolling down Emily's face. They matched the tears rolling down Matt's face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Becker was waiting in the corridor when the young nurse finally shooed Matt from Emily's room.

"The staff won't release Emily," said Matt abruptly. "She has a heart condition. They say… they say…"

The strong soldier clasped his arms around his friend and held Matt close. The man from the future's shoulders shook.

"We were supposed to grow old together," sobbed Matt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

For three weeks Matt visited Emily in the nursing home every day. The elderly woman's bare room was soon filled with flowers, plants and books. The team leader made sure to bring her favorite tea and even sneaked in some honey for her. If the nursing staff was confused by the younger man's attention to the elderly woman, they didn't say anything. On the last Thursday of the month, Matt was allowed to wheel Emily outside to the gardens.

"We always were a time crossed pair," said Emily as he stopped the wheel chair before a late blooming rosebush. "Me from the Victorian era and you from whenever it will be."

"Or whenever it won't be," chuckled Matt. He spread a blanket on the ground beside Emily's chair. He moved carefully to lift Emily from the chair and place her gently on the blanket. She reached her long fingers out to touch the grass.

"Mmm," sighed Emily. "I'm so glad to be outside, so glad to be back with you."

Matt wrapped a shawl around her frail shoulders and sat down beside her. Emily leaned back against Matt.

"So glad to be back with you," whispered Emily once more.

The nursing staff found Matt holding Emily's unmoving body some hours later.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Monday morning Matt stalked into the ARC. Jess looked up from the hub. A bright golden ring flashed as it caught the light from the monitor.

"Sorry I missed your wedding," said Matt.

"No, no apologies necessary," replied Jess. "You've had… you've had… Hil and I didn't really give anyone much notice."

Matt held the potted plant out before him.

"Citrus hystrix," explained Matt. "Khaffir lime, you can use the leaves in cooking."

"Ooh," replied Jess with a smile, "thank you."

Matt looked around the hub. Lester was in his office, talking on the phone. The little desk that Helen used to draw at was gone. Jack's chair now sat closer to Lester's office door. Jack still roomed with Lester. Matt remembered his boss saying the boy was giving him practice on raising teenagers.

"Where's Connor?" asked Matt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Matt opened the door to Connor's lab. The scientist looked up at his friend.

"I'm so sorry Matt," began Connor. Matt waved his hand, stopping Connor's words.

"There is nothing to be sorry for," replied Matt. "But I need your help."

"Anything," said Connor.

"Emily didn't exactly remember the date and place she and Helen arrived in the seventies," said Matt, "but she remembered the date she tried to register Helen for school."

Connor nodded, listening quietly.

"She old me that she signed the school registry as Emily Anderson, but Helen told the teacher her name was Helen Ambrose," explained Matt. "That's when Helen was taken from Emily. They thought Emily kidnapped Helen. Emily never tried to get back here, she wouldn't leave Helen in the seventies by herself."

"I don't think Emily could have come back from the seventies," responded Connor.

"What?" asked Matt.

Connor pointed to his computer.

"Anomalies come and go in cycles," explained Connor. "You said Emily and Helen arrived in London 1977, right?"

"Yeah, so what?" asked Matt.

"The next anomaly on my map," answered Connor, "doesn't appear until 1995. That Tudor house in London with the gremlin creature, remember, the one where Danny's brother disappeared."

Matt nodded his head.

"That anomaly just goes to Malta, 1919," explained Connor. "Of course there is an anomaly junction in Malta, but I haven't mapped all of that yet."

Connor continued to point at brightly colored dots on his map.

"And then 1999, the Forest of Dean," said Connor, "followed by 2003, near Blue Sky Park where the smilodon arrived, 2006 down by the harbor where the kaprosuchus arrived, and then things really started heating up."

"Connor," interrupted Matt, "I just need to be at that school before Helen is taken away from Emily."

"What?" asked the scientist.

"We changed the world once," replied Matt. "We can do it again."

Matt watched Connor's eyes. He knew the moment when Connor realized what Matt was asking. The scientist tapped his monitor once more.

"July 1973, during a Kinks concert at White City Stadium," answered Connor. "But you won't be able to get back here, not to this when."

Matt smiled. His mission here was over. This world was safe, at least for now. But Matt needed to go back. He needed to save another world, a world where a little girl called Helen Ambrose never would become Helen Cutter.

"How do I get there?" asked Matt. "I have to go back."

-x-x-x-x-x-x