They waited for three weeks, the underground car park cordoned off from the public. The bodies of the pack of Raptors were incinerated, the two soldiers killed buried and the three injured recovering in Charing Cross Hospital. But there was no sign of the two women. Cutter sat on a crate, alone in the car park. This anomaly had appeared for the last time. He knew it. The one that had swallowed the two women hadn't been stable, collapsing before it had fully emerged. A few seconds later and they couldn't have fallen though it.
Tomorrow the site of the anomaly would be encased in concrete, making it impossible for anything to come though. Or anyone. Abbey and Claudia were on their own. For three weeks he had held his breath waiting for a shimmer, an electrical spark that signalled an anomaly. Or a phone call telling him that they had wondered though another tear. The Special Forces officers stood watch silently nearby, warily of the still man. Nick hadn't shaved for at least a week, his clothes were creased and as worn out as the man that wore them. Unable to rest for unsettling thoughts of his friends' fate, the professor had thrown himself into his research, trying to understand the anomalies and find some way to help recover them.
He sat there trying to convince himself that she was alive. That she and Abbey had escaped the Raptor and were able to find shelter. Hopefully they would find an anomaly and get home. Or find Helen who might show them the way back to the present. He tried hard to be optimistic but as always it was not in his nature. It was difficult for him to be any different with the hand life had continued to deal him. It was harder as he pictured Claudia standing in his office not six months ago offering her condolences for the loss of his wife. He could remember her standing in that very spot, remember every word of that conversation.
"What makes you so sure she's dead?"
"She was lost millions of years in the past. How could she be anything else?"
In his fingers he held a Polaroid photo taken months back at a restaurant. It was part of a larger picture which had included Steven, Abbey and Conner which was now tacked on his notice board in the office. This little portion, showed a relaxed Nick with an arm wrapped around an equally at ease Claudia, her head dropping slightly on his shoulder as the five of them had squeezed together for the shot.
Steven had 'accidently' mentioned that it was Nicks birthday in front of Conner and Abbey who had insisted on taking him out for a meal. It was after they had spent nine hours chasing a herd of ostrich type Ornithomimus animals and shepherding them back into the obliging anomaly. They had dragged Nick who had convinced Claudia to come along, to the busy Italian restaurant and proceeded to get plastered.
Claudia had decided it was more fun to watch them get wasted and elected herself the designated driver and drove them all to their separate homes. He had sat in the car and chuckled as he watched her and Abbey hauling the practically unconscious Conner into Abbeys flat. He'd insisted on being last to be taken home, in his drunken state he'd wanted to say with Claudia for as long as possible and had been teasing her about getting a birthday kiss.
He couldn't remember what they had talked about on the drive to his house, but he'd remembered the sound of her laugh. She'd been laughing and smiling a lot that night. He had made her laugh and smile. They had pulled up at his house and he'd been reluctant to leave the car for the lonely house.
"You want to come in?" He asked timidly. Claudia looked beautiful in the street light and so out of his league.
"Better not," She told him with a gentle smile before breathing a huge sigh of displeasure, "I've got an early start. Paperwork."
"Ouch." Nick sympathised. "I want to get an early start too, lots of research I need to get done."
Claudia laughed at that shaking her head in amusement before tilting her head and giving him an affectionate look.
"Nick, you will lucky to make it in before midday."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"You think I'm too drunk."
"It would be totally unfair on the rest of us if you make it in to work early tomorrow without feeling extremely rough."
"Well I don't want to make you lot look bad."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Something new and amazing that had taken years to develop with Helen.
"Nick, you need to go to bed." Claudia told him.
Come with me. The thought passed though Nicks head but thankfully that was where it stayed. He was drunk and he knew it. Instead an equally unplanned reply shot out.
"I haven't had my birthday kiss yet."
Claudia eyes widened and sparkled in amusement.
"Do
you think you deserve one."
"Yep,"
"And you think I should be the one to give it to you."
"Yep,"
"Why?"
"You've
kissed me before."
"That was a quick fake kiss." Claudia teased him. "It was a matter of life and death."
"And a great ice breaker," Nick agreed causing her to laugh out loud again. He didn't give her a chance to delay any further and leaned over the console. One hand slid around her neck and quickly, but gently pulled her towards him. He pressed his lips against her soft and luscious mouth. He'd taken her by surprise but she wasn't shocked and she didn't pull away. Instead she'd slowly allowed her lips to part, permitting him to deepen the kiss. It sent a long slow thrill though him, his heart raced, his palms sweat and his mouth was set on fire. The kiss ended gradually, naturally. Nick allowed himself a few quick soft kisses, brushes really before pulling back just enough to look into her shiny, bright eyes.
"Thank you, Claudia Brown."
"Happy Birthday, Nick."
He heard someone approach from behind him and quickly put the photo away before turning to see the depressed figure of Conner drop onto the crate next to him. Conner was missing Abbey like his right arm. He had camped out in the car park, leaving it only to feed Rex and Abbeys' other reptiles. He had taken Lesters' decision to seal the anomaly badly despite Nick telling him that there was next to no chance of the anomaly recurring. He'd woken in the middle of the night convinced Abbey and Claudia had been killed by the Raptor that had gone though with them, or that other deadly predators had them.
"Thought you said it wouldn't reopen." He asked Cutter almost sulkily, but with an undercurrent of fear. What if Nick was wrong and it would reopen after the concrete was set.
"It won't." Cutter told him firmly, unhappily, his eyes never moving from the empty space in front of him. If sheer willpower could open a rift, Claudia and Abbey would be home in seconds.
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm hoping for a miracle."