Title: the Lady of Morefield Commons
Author: Pinkcat 4569
Rating:T
Description: the team is sent to Morefield Commons, a place with a long reputation of being haunted. Becker sees something strange...
Disclaimer: I do not own Primeval or the characters, this is for fun, spooky fun!
Author's Note: I made up a name that sounded like a countryside British resort. I am an American and have never been to Britian, so if you Brits have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.
I haven't seen the series 3 episode with the spooky house and the first mention of Danny's brother in a while, so this may contradict some of Connor's views on the supernatural given in the show. Also, I do not have a scientific mind at all, so the theories in the last chapter may be stupid.
Chapter Four
"Was she pretty?"
"Who?" asked Becker, trying to set up the tent. Jess had volunteered to help, but she wasn't actually helping much. She sat on the ground holding the tent spikes in her hand. "Uh, Jess," he said, "I could use those."
"Oh, right, sorry," she said, jumping up. She handed him a spike and watched as he effortlessly pounded it in the ground. Becker had finished with the first spike, and was taking another from her when she asked, "The lady, the...ghost, was she pretty?"
He grabbed the spike, and stopped, simply standing there looking at Jess.
"Did you just ask me if the ghost was pretty?" he asked. She nodded, smiling shyly. He laughed in disbelief and said "Jess, some...thing appeared in front of me, with a strange, spooky howling sound as an even stranger, unnatural cold wind blew, then it all disappeared, and yes, what I saw did look like a woman, but I hardly had the time or inclination to notice if she was pretty."
Jess smiled. "So, 'no,' then?"
Becker laughed. "No, I guess," he said, and without realizing it, he looked around nervously.
"Oh, my God!" cried Jess. "You're checking to see if she heard you!" She started to giggle.
"I am not," he said defensively. Jess continued giggling. "I don't know what I saw, Jess, and I don't believe in..." his eyes darted around nervously, "but if I did, I wouldn't be afraid...necessarily."
Jess fell on the ground, giggling uncontrollably. She really couldn't help it, and she wasn't being rude or even making fun. It was just so strange to see him, Captain 'I'm in control, run away from me monsters' Becker acting like a spooked out child.
"I'm sorry," she said, through gasps of air, "Really, I'm not making...(gasp)...fun of you...honestly...it's just you sounded like you...(gasp)...but then your eyes looked around like you were scared...(gasp) and you couldn't even say the word. (big gasp). You were just so funny."
Becker stood stone still, only his eyebrow moving. His mouth was set into a stiff, unhappy frown.
"What word, Jessica?" he asked, very, very annoyed.
Jess tried to stop her few last giggles, and took a deep breath. "Well, it starts with the letter 'g' and ends with a 'st,' and I'm really, really not making fun...(giggle.)"
"Can we just put this tent up, please?"
"Of course," said Jess. She was no longer giggling. Now, if she could just stop the stupid grin that was on her face.
Silently, they finished up the tent. Jess thought he was sulking, but didn't tease him. She just smiled. Finally, he crawled into the tent, and unfolded a dark, navy sleeping bag and flopped down on it on his back. Jess crawled in beside, plopping down a bright pink, flowery sleeping bag, and then she plopped herself on it too, just like Becker.
"What are doing?" he asked.
"Resting," she said. "Why?"
"In here? Jess, don't you think you should bunk with Abby?"
"And break up the lovely, frisky couple? Becker, where's your sense of romance. We're in the country, all alone, secluded, with no signs of monsters or other things...yet," she said with a smirk, "and you want me to bunk with Abby?"
She watched Becker's face turn bright red. "What did I say?" she asked innocently. Becker started to chuckle and smirk. Then he shook his head. "I didn't say anything did I?" she asked. He chuckled harder. Jess repeated slowly what she had said, "Let's see, I said, 'break up the lovely couple,' that's ok, and then I asked where your romance was and that we were alone, and I..."
Jess' eyes shot wide open, she turned bright, bright red, and immediately covered her face. "No! I didn't mean you and me..." Becker was laughing now, but Jess just rambled on. "I meant Abby and Connor, are alone, with us, but they should be alone and...Stop it!" she said, kicking him.
"Sorry," he said, winking. "I'm not making fun...honestly. You were just so funny," he said, mimicking her from earlier.
"Shut up," she said softly. She was so embarassed. "I'd rather be scared," she mumbled. "I'm so sick of embarassing myself...in front of you."
Becker smiled a gentle, fond smile. "You don't have to be embarassed," he said, "not with me ever."
She looked at him and grinned. They sat in silence, staring at each other, having bonded in mutual embarassment.
Then the tent rustled and Carlson crawled in. "Hi roomies," he said.
Jess smiled. "Hi. See Becker, Carly knows to give Connor and Abby space."
"Oh, no, Miss, it wasn't that. We just all thought you needed a chaperone."
"Carlson!" said Becker loudly and threateningly.
"Not that you would ever try anything, sir. Neither would Miss Parker for that matter. It was just well, to put her at ease. You too, sir." He looked at them both, smiled, and said a quick prayer that the Captain wouldn't kill or mame him. "It sounded better when Miss Maitland said it."
Jess laughed, and Becker snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure it did, Carly. Abby's much more devious that you are."
"Yes, sir," said Carly, placing his sleeping bag between them.
"Wait a minute," said Jess, propping up on her elbow. "If Abby was trying something, wouldn't she want us NOT to have a chaperone?"
Becker smirked. "Not the way the devious female mind works, Jessica."
Carlson interjected, "He's right Miss. People tend to want what they can't have, see, now the two of you can think how much you want each other but can't do anything about it, bringing you even closer."
Becker raised up and Carlson quickly added, "That's the theory sir, in Miss Maitland's mind, sir. Not in my mind, sir. No, sir. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight Miss Parker. Gosh, I'm tired." With that, Carlson flung the sleeping bag over his head, the only means of escape he had.
Jess giggled. Carlson may be the only person, besides Connor, that could say worse, more embarassing things than she.
She looked over, and met Becker's grin. Both grins slowly faded as they stared into each other's eyes. Each one could not help but think of Carly's words.
"Goodnight," she whispered finally.
"Goodnight, Jess," he said.
The three people in the 'chaperoned' tent had been sound asleep. Abby had just drifted off, finally getting Connor to stop yapping about the scientific view that ghosts did not exist which clashed with the nerdy, inner Connor's desperate hope that ghosts were real. Abby's head totally hurt.
So everyone was asleep, some soundly, Abby barely, when the eerie scream pierced through their subconscious-es.
Jess screamed. "Becker!"
"I'm here, Jess. It's Ok."
"Did..did you both hear that?" asked Carlson, in a terrified whisper.
Jess had scampered behind him and into Becker's arms.
"Yes," he said simply, hanging onto Jess' shaking body, and shaking himself. Then he gently pushed Jess at Carlson. "Stay with her," he said, crawling out of the tent.
"What are you doing?" cried Jess.
"I need to check on Connor and Abby," he said from outside.
Jess was frantic. What was that horrible, unreal sound? She wanted Becker, but he was to busy doing his job.
"It's alright Miss Parker," said Carlson, scooting next to her.
Jess was grateful he was there. He kept one hand on her arm, and with the other, he grabbed a rucksack.
Becker poked his head back in. "The're Ok. They heard it too. Carlson, let's have a look around. Jess, you crawl into the other tent, OK?"
Jess nodded. Carlson dug quickly into the rucksack tossing a small EMD at Becker, and keeping one himself. He then gave the sack to Jess. She felt more EMDs inside.
"Just in case," he said, with a small smile.
Jess took the bag, crawled out of their tent and into the other, where Connor said what Jess had been thinking when she first saw the EMD.
"You can't bloody shoot a ghost!"
Abby, her arms around Jess said, "Connor, there are no ghosts. Becker and Carly have to be prepared for what is actually out there."
Connor shook his head. "Abby, you saw the lady on that roof. It was impossible."
"I saw something Connor."
"Connor!" called Becker from outside, "Get out here with the locking device. Bring an EMD."
"A locking device?" asked Jess.
"The anomaly must be stable. That might have been a creature we all heard," said Abby.
"What creature makes that sound?" asked Connor, leaving the tent with the device and gun.
Jess huddled closer to Abby. Abby held an EMD and pushed another one into Jess' hands.
"Stay alert," she said, and Jess nodded.
As Connor emerged he felt that unnatural wind and heard the ghostly howl. He saw the light of the anomaly, and with it he could make out Becker and Carly standing on guard, looking for creatures.
"Close it!" yelled Becker. Connor barely heard him over the creepy howl.
Connor nodded and aimed the closing device at the anomaly. He was about to activate it, when he heard a scream of "NO!"
Connor, Becker and Carlson turned behind them and there, her dress and hair blowing in the wind, was the Lady of Morefield Commons.
"You must not!" she cried. "More will be trapped. You must not close it!"
Connor stared at her. Was she real or really a ghost? "Who are you?" he asked. "What are you doing here? Are you...a ghost?"
She smiled grimly, then looked suddenly behind them all, towards the tents. It seemed as if she was listening to something.
"The girls," she said. She turned to Becker. "That creature you saw before, it was not alone. The girls are in danger. Hurry."
End of Chapter Four