Chapter 14

Abby lay with her head propped up on her hands staring up at the ceiling, the hard ARC floor so uncomfortable that she wouldn't have been able to get to sleep even if she'd wanted to. It was about two hours ago when Sarah had actually fell asleep with her head in her folded arms on the desk, prompting Lester to begrudgingly dismiss them to get a few hours shut eye before resuming their planning. Even Connor had been allowed to get some rest. He, Becker and Cutter were meant to be sharing the only other spare room in the place, but knowing the Professor, he would probably sleep in his office rather than having to be subjected to Connor mumbling in his sleep. A smart move, in Abby's opinion. She herself had insisted on sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor rather than in the double bed. Aside from the fact that she was slightly younger than the other two women, she was always the most adaptable one, and didn't really mind going without the luxury of a mattress. So she had let Jenny and Sarah take the bed, and they had reluctantly agreed.

Try as she might, Abby couldn't get sleep to come, and judging by the lack of rhythmical breathing coming from an unmoving Jenny, she wasn't the only one awake. Sarah had been exhausted of course, and was sleeping soundly, although how, Abby had no idea. Her mind was too busy buzzing with all the plans they'd made and the maps they had poured over to allow her a few hours reprieve, and her stomach kept twisting uncomfortably at the thought of what was to come. Questions kept floating into her consciousness - what if Helen's predictions about the locations of the anomalies were wrong? What if the Anomaly Locking Mechanism didn't work? What if they couldn't stop the creatures?

Jenny sniffed quietly from above her and turned over onto her side. She had barley said a word since her and a solemn-looking Cutter had returned from seeing Ben off, and Abby wasn't a fool as to why. It's only natural that she would feel guilty about having to send her son away and not being able to go with him, and the fact that she knew she was doing the right thing wouldn't be unlikely to bring her much comfort.

Almost as though she could sense that Abby was thinking about her, Jenny suddenly sat up in her bed. She obviously thought everyone else was asleep. Abby could see her silhouette and watched silently as she buried her head in her hands with a deep sigh and then ran her fingers back through her hair. Abby fought the overwhelming instinct to ask her if she was okay as she was certain that Jenny would be embarrassed to know that someone had noticed that she was upset. After a couple of moments, she got out of the bed and crept out of the room, quietly closing the door shut behind her.

Bemused, Abby sat up herself as Sarah turned over onto her side with a groan - she had obviously only been in a light sleep and had woken at the slight movement of the mattress. Abby shuffled out of her sleeping bag and crawled onto the bed beside her.

"Where do you reckon she's gone?" she whispered to Sarah.

"I don't know," Sarah mumbled sleepily. "Probably the toilet."

"But we've got an en-suite," Abby pointed out, gesturing towards the door at the far side of the room.

Sarah sighed and sat up herself, pushing the hair out of her face. "Well then she's probably gone to be with Cutter."

Cutter had lain down on a duvet on the floor of his office, preferring to try and sleep in there than having to share a room with Becker and Connor. He didn't relish the idea of sharing a room with anyone, preferring his own company rather than others, the exception of course being Jenny.

With a scowl, he reached up and ran his hands over his face as though it would wipe away the pain of today. It had been horrible, having to send Ben away, but at least it was a small comfort to know that he was away from all the danger. No, what had been worst part was the hurt look on Jenny's face when they had left him with her mother . . . she had looked so broken. It had been heart-wrenching to watch, but he was proud of how strong she was being, even though he wished she'd trust him enough to talk to him about it.

God, how much he wished things could go back to the way things used to be. He couldn't believe he had ever taken for granted how amazing it was to wake up beside his wife; how he used to be able to hug and kiss her whenever he wanted. And he had also taken for granted living with his son, watching him grow and develop more and more with each passing day. Even if they did all get through these next few days, he was still going to miss out on everything. He would do anything to go back, even if it was just for one day. And he knew which day it would be. Nothing particularly special had happened, but it was just one of those days that was supremely and utterly perfect.

x x x

Cutter let himself into his house one hot day in the middle of summer and was slightly taken aback when loud dance music greeted him, seemingly coming from the living room. Puzzled, he threw his keys on the side table and took off to investigate further. The sight that greeted him when he rounded the corner made him have to stifle a laugh.

Jenny, Abby and Ben were all standing in line formation facing the large flat screen television, their fists raised in a boxing stance, shifting their weight back and forth in time to the music. Ben was dressed in his little tracksuit, and his expression was very serious as he concentrated on mimicking the group of dancers on the screen. Jenny and Abby were wearing sports bras with tracksuit bottoms.

"You're killing me here Abby!" Jenny gasped, sounding out of breath.

"Me too!" Ben squeaked from inbetween them.

"Suck it up people!" Abby shouted, sounding energised.

"You suck it up!" Jenny snapped.

"Come on, keep going, pain is gain! Just one more move to learn."

"I've got a stitch," Jenny informed her, wincing slightly.

"You won't be complaining when you walk into your next interview looking hot!" Abby pointed out back.

"She always looks hot," Cutter interjected with a smile.

Jenny and Abby both wheeled round with a yelp of surprise, before Abby reached for the remote and paused it whilst Jenny doubled over, hands on her knees, breathing hard.

"Having fun?" Cutter asked in a mock-surprised voice.

"Yes!" Ben answered, playfully punching Cutter's legs.

"No, it's like working out with Hitler!" Jenny panted, gesturing over to Abby.

"What sort of workout was that?" Cutter asked, amused.

"Boxercise," Abby replied as though it was obvious, reaching for her tracksuit jacket and pulling it on. "It's a great way to get back in shape."

"Excuse me, I'm in fine shape thank you very much," Jenny scoffed as she straightened up.

"So this is what you do when I'm at work all day?" Cutter questioned in a joking manner.

"I'll have you know, I've got a job interview next week," Jenny smiled. "Hence the workout."

"You don't need a DVD to work out," Cutter pointed out with a smile.

"Ew, don't be disgusting!" Abby shrieked, looking aghast as Jenny laughed. "On that note, I think I'll get going and leave you two to it."

"Aw," Ben said, sounding disappointed.

"I'll be back tomorrow for another work out little man," Abby said to him, ruffling his hair.

"Oh great," Jenny muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Abby asked her.

"Can't wait," Jenny said with a blatantly obvious fake smile.

Abby scowled playfully and smacked her on the arm lightly before giving Cutter and Ben a cheery wave and padding off down the hall.

"You look beautiful," Cutter added to Jenny, allowing his eyes to travel down to her stomach as he pulled her into him.

"Don't touch me - I'm all sweaty," she protested.

"Is that supposed to discourage me?" he grinned.

"Eww! Don't kiss!" Ben exclaimed, shaking his head.

Cutter hesitated for a second, before reaching over and covering his son's eyes, taking his chance to pull Jenny's lips onto his briefly.

"Better?" he asked Ben when all was clear.

"Yes," his son said, folding his arms. "Why do you two always kiss?"

Jenny laughed slightly. "I think I'll leave that one with you daddy," she smirked, patting Cutter on the chest before turning to fiddle with the telly to get it back on tv.

"Because Benjamin Cutter, I am the luckiest man in the world to have bagged such a beautiful woman," he said with a sign. "So I can't help myself."

"Don't tell him that!" Jenny chided, wacking Cutter in the arm with the remote control.

He turned and grabbed her around the waist, threw her on the floor lightly and started tickling her stomach so that she screamed loudly.

"Get her Ben!" Cutter yelled.

"No, Ben help me! Get daddy!" Jenny played along between her gasps as her hands frantically tried to block Cutter's tickling.

Immediately, Ben jumped on Cutter's back and threw his little arms around his neck. "Get off my mummy!" he shouted in an overexcited tone.

"Oh, you're too strong for me," Cutter joked in a pretend faint voice. "I - I can't fight you . . ." he rolled off onto his back and closed his eyes, pretending to be dead.

"I won!" Ben cheered, raising his hands in celebration and jumping on Cutter's stomach painfully.

"My hero," Jenny said, pulling Ben into a hug.

He hugged her back, a big smile on his cute face. "Can I go play in da garden?"

"For a little bit," Jenny replied, her tone implying that she didn't really want him to. "It'll be cold soon."

Immediately, the little patter of feet could be heard running out the room as he headed for the back door. Once the door shut, Cutter opened his eyes and looked around at Jenny, who was watching him with a smile.

"You look great dead," she said in a matter-of-fact voice as she heaved herself up and sat on top of him, her knees either side of his waist.

"Well that's good to know," he sighed, resting his hands on her hips. "Where's your interview?"

"It's for a pharmaceutical company called AstraZeneca," she informed him.

"And why, may I ask, are you working out more before it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What sort of things are you planning to do to get the job?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she smirked.

He smiled back and sat up, pulling her into another kiss. She allowed it until he slid his hands behind her back, pulling her closer, and she pulled away and staggered to her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked in disappointment.

"To get a shower," she said.

"Great, lets go," he smiled, getting to his feet himself.

"Er - not you," she laughed in disbelief as she moved ."You can go and check on the lasagne in the oven."

"What, you mean you actually cooked?" he gapped.

"Yes!" she exclaimed hotly.

"From scratch? Because we can always fast or something - "

"This is the last time I feed you then," she scoffed as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Can I have that in writing please?" he joked, following her.

"One more word out of you, and you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Oh I don't think you'll do that to me," he smiled.

She narrowed her eyes and threw a tea towel at him. "Lasagne. Now."

x x x

It hurt to think how a simple family moment like that was now no longer a possibility. The play fights, the banter, the happiness . . . it was all a distant painful memory. He'd still see Ben as often as he could of course, but it wasn't the same. She wouldn't be there. At the time, he had had no idea that how important all the intimacy was to him, but now that he was looking at a life filled with loneliness and bitter regrets, he knew that those little moments were the best of his life.

Unexpectedly, the door to his office creaked open, cutting into his thoughts, and dull light from the ARC corridor spilled in, casing a thick line across the polished floor. He glanced around without getting up, and to his complete surprise, Jenny was standing there, dressed in her night clothes. His heart palpitated as he watched her hesitate by the door, as if unsure of whether to come in or not.

After all these years, she still took his breath away.

Mind apparently made up, she padded inside and spotted him, lying on his back on the sheet behind his desk. Silently, she dropped to her knees and lay down next to him, and without question, he opened up his arm to allow her to rest her head against his chest. She curled her bare legs up so that they brushed against his side, sending shivers down his spine.

There were no words uttered, no comforting gestures offered, and no love-making. She obviously just needed him close to be a solid reassurance to her.

He let her settle down for a few moments before daringly reaching up and stroking her hair slightly, hoping that she wouldn't chide him for it. Instead, however, she buried her head deeper into his shirt and he was taken aback when he felt dampness there not long after.

"Jenny?" he asked, pulling away slightly to see her properly.

Her face was screwed up and her cheeks were wet with silent tears. He reached down and brushed his thumb under her eye gently.

"What is it?" he asked, knowing exactly what was on her mind, but needing to ask anyway to try and get her to talk.

She sniffed and pressed her lips together slightly. "I - " she began, her voice so small that her words were barely inaudible. "I - I sent my baby away," she finished with a sob.

With a sympathetic sigh, he pulled her into him more and wrapped his arms around her back.

"We did what we thought was best," he said quietly, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Best for who?" she retorted.

"Best for him," he replied patiently, although he knew exactly how she was feeling, as he was going through the exact same thing. He felt like a failure as a parent having to push his son off with his nan to keep him safe. It was their job to protect him, and they had passed the burden onto someone else. And it felt horrible.

"We could have brought him here," she said in a cracked voice.

"He's better off far away from here, and away from us," he replied, pressing his lips against the cool skin of her forehead.

"Then why do I feel so awful?" she croaked.

He reached out and took her hand, entwining his fingers in hers. "Because you are a wonderful mother who worries too much."

She made a disbelieving noise in her throat, but remained silent, not making any effort to regain any distance between the two of them. After a few moments, he risked planting a kiss in her tousled hair. She looked up at him, her brown eyes still bright even in the semi-darkness of the room, her lips incredibly close to his. Instinct seemed to take over as he slowly, cautiously leaned in further, his heart hammering wildly. He felt the faint brush of her soft lips . . .

The shrill sound of the anomaly detector filled the room, making them jump apart violently and freeze for a moment in shock - no one had heard that noise in over a year.

When the numbness wore off, they both scrambled to their feet and took off down to the main room without a word.

Seven men and one woman stepped through the anomaly they had just produced, feeling the same drizzle of rain on their faces as they had done in the world they had just left. Their leader was a man in his mid-twenties, tall and built, with dark brown hair that complemented his tanned skin. He was by no means the oldest of the group; in fact it was quite the opposite. But the way he carried himself left no one in any doubt that he was in charge. His cool eyes surveyed their new surroundings with distaste.

"So this is what London used to look like boss?" the woman said to him, her voice dripping with cold amusement.

"Yes," the leader replied in his usual icy tone, taking a few strides forward in the deserted alley way and peering down the pitch-black road.

"It's still a shit hole," another man pointed out with a bark-like laugh.

"Hmm," their leader replied, distracted as he eyes flew up and down the road as though he expected to see something. "But it's a liveable shit hole, unlike ours." He paused for a moment, looking as though he was straining his ears to hear something, before turning to his second-in-command. "Go and set up the base," he ordered in a voice so commanding that it would make the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end.

"What about you sir?" the second-in-command asked.

"The ARC will have picked up on the anomaly," he replied in an unconcerned tone. "I'm going to stay and find out how much they know about day zero."

"They won't let you skip off once they've got you," the woman pointed out. "You know that."

"I'm counting on it," he replied, loading his main gun with one swift motion before glancing back at his number two. "I gave you an order soldier."

"Sir," the man nodded, before gesturing to his fellows to follow him.

All the men trotted off after him, but the only woman remained behind, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the leader.

"What is it Kathryn?" he asked in a bored, distracted voice.

"I know what you're doing," she said to him, tucking her wavy blonde hair behind her ear.

"Do you now?"

"Yes," she nodded, fixing him with a stern look. "And you know that you can't. If anyone finds out, you're done for. We've got a mission to do here - "

"I'm well aware of our mission," he replied coldly. "I'm not going to compromise it."

"Are you sure about that?" she pushed.

He turned his steely gaze to her and before she could so much as draw a breath, he flew forward and pinned her against the wall with his hand around her throat.

"You listen, and listen good because I'm only going to say this once," he yelled right into her pretty face, his emotional detachment melting away into anger. "Just because I've let you share my bed doesn't give you any right to question my motives."

"You're - you're hurting me!" she spluttered, her eyes widen and fearful.

"What I told you was in the strictest confidence," he continued in a dangerous whisper. "And if you so much as breath a word about it to anyone, I won't hesitate to put one of these bullets in your over-fluffed head. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!" she cried, her eyes watering.

He pulled his hand away from her, and she gasped with relief, rubbing her neck.

"Now get out of my sight," he spat, turning away from her.

"Sir," she seeped venomously, bowing in a mocking manner before taking off after the rest of the men.

Once she had left, the leader leaned casually up against the wall of the alley, allowing his gaze to be lost in the flickering anomaly light.

Bloody women, he thought to himself bitterly. More trouble than their worth.

He knew it wouldn't be long before some of the ARC cronies arrived. They wouldn't send anyone important of course - their boss would be too afraid of anything unfortunate happening to his main guys before the big battle. It's be two or so soldiers he'd send. It shouldn't be too hard to trick the morons into taking him back to the ARC.

With a sigh, he glanced down at the gun clasped in his hand. He'd be forced to give this one up of course, but it was of no matter - he had a miniature one tucked away, the perfect size to conceal until it was needed. As he waited and waited, his mind wondered vaguely to how many of them he'd have to kill until the job was done.