Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
A/N Part of the Claudia story verse (AU) Transitions, Transitions Too, Continuum, Trimming the Tree
5.6-2 Time, Precious Time
…"bring them all home"…
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Cutter started to enter the anomaly, but Becker grabbed his arm.
"Would you like a weapon?" asked the chief of security.
"Do you have enough for both of us?" asked the Scot with a chuckle. "You seem to be short a couple of grenades."
"The tube had some sort of slithering serpent," answered the soldier. "I got rid of it."
"Probably a good thing," replied Cutter. The Professor eyed the weaponry Becker carried. "What would you suggest?"
Becker held the sword out to the Professor. Cutter tried to take the heavy blade, but couldn't hold it upright.
"I'm better with a pen anyway," said Cutter.
Becker shook his head and exchanged the sword for the L22A2.
"You can carry this," said the soldier, "but don't try to shoot it… remember you're back up."
Becker stepped through the anomaly, closely followed by Cutter. They found themselves on rocky uneven terrain beneath a golden sky surrounded by glittering anomalies.
"Another anomaly junction," breathed the Professor.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Abby's scream pierced the air.
"No!"
Becker and Cutter turned toward the sound. In the distance, they could see the tall red headed figure of Danny struggling with something small, black and very quick. The snarls emanating from that creature gave Cutter goose bumps.
"Oh my God," exclaimed the Professor.
The tall woman they'd only seen in photo images stood nearby. Just beyond her, Abby and Connor sat on the ground. Becker didn't waste time for words. The soldier ran forward across the barren ground sword in hand.
"Wait for me," called Cutter.
Becker slowed as he reached Danny. The former copper now held the creature at arms length. Danny's face was scratched and bleeding, but he didn't seem too seriously injured.
"Let go of him," screeched the pale woman. She clasped either side of her forehead with her bony hands and gritted her teeth.
The thing facing Danny twisted and turned. It launched itself across the air towards Becker. Instinctively, the soldier raised the sword he had carried across London and through the anomaly portal. The bundle of claws and teeth impaled itself on the black sword. The blade protruded from its back. For a moment, red eyes glared at Becker. Bony arms and legs, ending in sharp talons, stayed raised in midair as if ready to tear the soldier apart. Then the light faded from the angry red eyes. The arms and legs drooped.
"No!" howled the woman. She stepped forward, arms outstretched… fingers spread like talons… reaching for the creature… or Becker… or both.
The rock that hit her between her shoulder blades was heavy enough to stagger the crazed woman. She stepped sideways, missing the sword by mere inches as she tried to retrieve her balance. The second rock missed her and landed on the ground between her and Becker.
"Patrick," breathed Danny.
The teen stood on a rocky outcropping above them, poised to throw another rock. A soaring green bombardier dropped sticks upon the woman. The woman brushed the sticks from her short blonde hair and bent to retrieve some rocks. She lobbed a rock off in the direction of the coelurosauravus.
"Rex," cried Abby in alarm. The lizard soared off unharmed, while Patrick threw another rock.
The woman snarled in rage. She glanced to the left… and then to the right.
"Ma'am," said Danny "you need to come with us now."
"No!" objected the woman. "This isn't over… things can change… and I'm going to make sure they do."
Danny and Becker both dove towards the woman as she launched herself through the nearest anomaly portal and disappeared. The two men started to give chase, but Cutter shouted.
"No, leave her," called the Professor. He gestured towards the pulsating anomalies. "We need to get home."
Danny, Becker, Connor and Abby looked around. Rex soared down from the sky to land in Abby's outstretched arms.
"Yeah," agreed Abby. "We should hurry."
"Which way is home?" asked Connor.
From the rocky outcrop above them, Patrick pointed to a nearby anomaly.
"The kitchen is this way," called the teen.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
The tiny kitchen was crowded as Patrick led the group out of the barren rocky land. Abby carried Rex, while Cutter and Danny helped Connor. Becker brought up the rear, waiting until the others were through before he followed. As he stepped through the anomaly onto the black and white tiled kitchen floor, the anomaly pulsed… and closed.
"Eww," said Abby. She looked at the creature he'd stuffed in the rucksack and the dripping goo coming from the sword. "Why did you bring that?"
"Thought it might give us some information," answered Becker "as to who she was… and what she wanted."
Patrick stared at the soldier in amazement.
"You don't know who she is?" asked Patrick.
"Her name is Aurora," said Cutter as Becker shook his head. "That's about all we know for sure."
Patrick turned to his big brother.
"Do you remember when I told you I saw three different Helen's?" asked Patrick.
Danny nodded.
"They were talking to that woman," said Patrick. "She's the reason I thought two of them might be clones."
"What?"
"Aurora's a scientist of sorts," said Patrick. "From some place where everyone lives underground… I think… maybe… she's related to Helen."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
In the ARC, Lester approached the smilodon cage cautiously. Lucy was prowling around the small glittering anomaly. A low rumbling growl came from the creature's throat.
"Jess," called Lester "have you seen any signs of an incursion?"
"No," replied the young field coordinator from her station upstairs. "And I feel sorry for anything that does try to come through that anomaly."
Jess glanced at the video array before her.
"The anomalies... they're closing!" exclaimed Jess.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Matt and Emily stood at the base of the stairs in the underground bunker. The security team was already up in the forest standing guard.
"Go on up," urged Matt. "I'll be right behind you."
Emily looked at her husband curiously.
What are you going to do Matt?" asked Emily.
He raised his weapon, pointed it at the electrical breaker box, and fired. Sparks shot up, followed quickly by flames.
"Making sure no one ever has to go back," answered Matt "to this awful place."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Stephen blinked his eyes and groaned.
"Easy mate," chuckled the sergeant.
"What happened?" moaned Stephen as he reached both hands to his forehead trying to hold his spinning head still.
"You had an argument with a T-Rex," reminded the soldier.
"Who won?"
"Well you did of course," chuckled the soldier.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Sarah and Private Sharma watched as the anomaly pulsed and opened. Sarah pressed the button on the first anomaly closing device… nothing happened. Sarah reached to the reverse engineered anomaly closing device and pressed the button… nothing happened. The anomaly pulsed.
"Oh no," whispered Private Sharma, "something's coming through."
A bright black and yellow butterfly floated through the anomaly. The creature fluttered around in a small circle and then returned through the anomaly.
"Now that's my kind of anomaly," said Private Sharma with a smile.
"Dunno," replied Sarah. "Might be killer butterflies for all we know."
The glittering shimmering object pulsed once more and then blinked out of sight.
"That's my kind of anomaly," added Sarah. "I like them closed."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Saturday, Abby got Connor to go to yoga class with her.
"Dr. MacAllister said you needed gentle stretching exercises," reminded Abby, "and you shouldn't try anything that hurts."
"I'll be the only bloke there," grumbled Connor.
"Oh no you won't be," replied Abby. "Duncan promised to come too."
The pudgy man helped Abby get Connor situated in the mini. When she parked the small car, Abby went inside the yoga studio, leaving Connor and Duncan to follow.
"Abby!" greeted her friend Edie. "I'm so glad to see you back again… we've missed you."
In the two weeks since the Christmas Eve party, Abby hadn't had an opportunity to see Edie. The petite blonde stared at her friend in surprise.
"You cut your hair!" exclaimed Abby. "And colored the rest of it too!"
The tall woman ran a hand through her short purple spiked hairstyle.
"Actually," confided Edie "that idiot I was dating, cut the one purple strand I had at the base of my neck… said he liked the long dark brown, but wasn't having any purple."
"He cut your hair!?"
"When I was asleep," responded Edie.
"I can't believe…" began Abby.
"He's history," replied Edie. "I threw him and his mess out, got the locks changed and cut all my hair short… dyed it all purple."
Connor and Duncan entered the yoga studio in time to the last bit of her tirade.
"Your hair is beautiful," said Duncan. "Purple is my favorite color."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lester's Monday morning started with the usual updates on facility changes at the ARC.
"Ahem, Colonel Harper's recommendations have been approved," began Lester. "We will be relocating to the new building at the end of February."
"My commuting time will double," protested Sarah.
"The carpooling policy is still in effect," reminded Lester. He looked at the papers on the table before him. "Oh and we do have one other bit of news from the Colonel…"
"Oh please tell me he's found a refuge for the Quetzalcoatlus," said Abby.
"Please tell me he's quit blaming us for the tilt in Big Ben," added Claudia.
"Neither one yet unfortunately," replied Lester. "But congratulations are in order… for Major Becker."
There were happy exclamations and Danny thumped the soldier on his back.
"Don't let it go to your head now," added Lester. He looked around the table and settled his gaze on Abby. "Do we have any personnel updates?
"Dr. MacAllister said if Connor keeps improving at the rate he's going," said Abby "Connor can return to work in the middle of February."
Lester turned to Danny.
"And what about Stephen?"
"If medical leave for the concussion doesn't drive him crazy," replied Danny, "Stephen should be back in two weeks."
"Good," replied Lester. "Just one more thing… the preliminary DNA analysis came back on that creature…"
"Is it the same as the future predator?" asked Cutter.
"Similar," replied Lester. He looked down at the paper in front of him. "Rat, bat… and human."
"Ohh!" groaned Sarah.
"Oh that's messed up," said Danny.
"Eww!"
"What about the reports on the remains in the smilodon cage?" asked Cutter. "Did we get that back yet?"
"That appears to be a lost cause," said Lester as he shook his head. "Not really enough to make a positive identification."
"But you took a DNA sample from Helen's Aunt," protested Cutter. "Surely you could find out… something."
"Nick," whispered Claudia. She reached her hand out to steady her husband.
"The remains just can't be Helen," said Cutter.
"Of course not," soothed Lester. He looked around the assembled group. "Does anyone really believe Philip Burton just vanished into thin air?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Saturday night some weeks later, Abby watched Connor out of the corner of her eye. She really wasn't interested in watching the segment of the Doctor Who episode he was finally watching. He seemed better. Connor had resumed almost all of his normal activities... just a couple more.
"So are you ready for work on Monday?" asked Abby.
"Oh yeah," answered Connor. His eyes were glued on the Ood… singing … this song is ending, but the story never ends.
The video ended. Abby climbed up on the bed beside Connor. She crossed her denim clad legs and leaned forward. Abby put her finger on the laptop mouse pad and pointed it at the work in progress folder. She clicked open. The hologram image appeared on the monitor.
"It's time we talked about this," said Abby as the little robot began his plea.
Connor's big brown eyes gazed at her. He gulped.
"You w..w..weren't supposed to see that," stammered Connor. "It's a work in progress really…"
"How long has that been a work in progress?" asked Abby.
If anything, Connor's eyes grew bigger.
"Awhile," admitted Connor.
Abby continued to stare at Connor.
"It was just something that Sarah said," continued Connor, "when she first came to the ARC."
"Sarah told you to make an R2D2 hologram proposal?" asked Abby.
"No, not exactly," replied Connor. "She told me to talk to you… tell you how I feel."
"And you feel like getting married," asked Abby, "not just having a hand fasting?"
"Abby, I feel like I've been waiting all my life to meet you," said Connor, "and… I want you in my life… for all time…"
"Well, in that case," said Abby with a smile, "I accept."
"Really?" asked Connor with soft shy smile.
He laid his hand across her ankle, on Abby's soft black leather boots. He traced his hand down the instep of her boot and over the rounded toes. Abby leaned closer.
"Really," said Abby. She placed her lips against his and felt the warmth of his response. She was breathless when they parted. Connor's eyes glowed, matching the glow in her eyes.
"In that case," asked Connor as he lowered the zipper on her boot, "can we start the honeymoon now?"
Abby nodded eagerly.
"Do you have a foot fetish Connor?" teased Abby as he pulled the first boot off. "I never knew you liked my boots so well."
"It's not the boots Abby," said Connor "it's the woman who wears the boots…"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N… to those of you who have provided reviews, constructive criticism, and support, thank you.