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fredbassettTitle : Death and the Maiden, Part 8
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Claudia/Nick, Stephen/Ryan, Lester, OCs
Disclaimer : Not mine (except the OCs), no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Word Count : 21,221, divided into in 8 parts.
Summary : Dinosaurs are not the only things to come through the anomalies.
A/N : This series is early in my main ‘verse, not long after the events of The Devil’s Crowll. It arose nearly three years ago out of a chat with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
steamshovelmama. I owe an absolutely huge debt of gratitude to aelfgyfu_mead as her assistance with Middle English made this story possible. I am also grateful to talliw for information on clothing and shoes. And as ever, thanks are due to lukadreaming for her beta help.
A flash of light amongst the trees made Claudia aware of the fact that they were approaching an anomaly. She twisted her head around and saw a smile creasing her captor’s weather-beaten face moments before a wracking cough sent a spray of spittle onto her clothes, reminding Claudia all too forcibly that the man was carrying a disease responsible for the deaths of countless people. She just hoped she’d live long enough to continue the course of antibiotics she’d started earlier in the day.
“Let me go, please,” she said quietly, not knowing whether he understood her, but she was too cold and in too much pain to attempt to dredge up any words that he might recognise from the recesses of her memory.
A shove almost sent her sprawling, but his hand snatched at her arm as he propelled her towards the anomaly. The man presumably thought that his home lay on the other side, but with what Claudia knew of anomaly activity in the forest that night, the chances of having stumbled on the one that would take him back to his own time seemed slight. She debated trying to twist out of his grip, but his large hand had a firm grip on her upper arm and she was already off-balance. In spite of that, she knew that she had to try something – anything – to attract the attention of anyone who might be nearby.
Her scream was cut off abruptly by a hard slap across her face, stinging her already bruised cheek and splitting her top lip against her teeth. Claudia spat blood as she was pushed towards the spinning shards of light. She experienced a momentary disorientation as the anomaly flared around her, tugging at the metal buttons on her jacket, then she exchanged the dark and damp woodland of the Forest of Dean for bright sunshine and intense heat.
Sand, rocks and dry, scrubby vegetation stretched around them as far as she could see. A sudden gust of wind whipped grit into her eyes and beside her, the man cursed loudly and abruptly released his grip on her arm. Claudia staggered and almost fell. Another flurry of sand blew into their faces, harder this time. Claudia turned and stumbled back through the anomaly into the Forest of Dean, hoping to take advantage of her captor’s confusion and get away from him.
He reacted more quickly than she had anticipated, following her and reaching out to catch hold of her bound arms and drag her away from the anomaly. Anger surged through her, replacing the sick feeling of helplessness that had threatened to overcome her, and Claudia stamped down hard with her right foot, crushing the man’s bare toes under the heel of her leather ankle boots. His howl of pain and anger told her that her tactic had been successful but she knew that unless she could press home her advantage, her victory would be short-lived.
Claudia’s bound hands were a disadvantage and her chest felt like it was on fire, but she knew her feet were her best – and probably only – weapons in an unequal fight. She lashed out again catching him under one knee and making his leg buckle beneath him as he pitched forward. Claudia hadn’t spent time watching Ryan’s men practise their combat techniques without learning some tricks from them. In a move that she knew would have earned approval from the Special Forces captain, Claudia brought her knee up into the man’s face, smashing his nose. She sidestepped as he sprawled forward, arms outstretched.
She was breathing hard now as adrenaline flooded her system. She couldn’t let him regain his feet. If that happened she would lose any advantage she’d gained. For a moment, Claudia hesitated, even as every instinct screamed at her that this was not a good time to develop scruples about kicking a man when he was down. He’d hit her twice in the face and had attempted to rape her not very many hours ago… Claudia drew her foot back and slammed it into the man’s side. He coughed and swore loudly. She didn’t need a translation to know that her parentage had just been called into question.
Claudia could taste blood in her mouth from her split lip. It was all the reminder she needed that there was no place for hesitation in this fight. He was on the ground and she had to make sure he stayed that way. As she prepared to launch another kick, a low rumbling growl came from behind her. Claudia turned around, her breath catching in her throat. She almost over-balanced as she stumbled backwards just in time to avoid a bite from the large, reptilian head that was emerging from the anomaly.
The creature blinked at her as it struggled to adjust to the darkness of the forest in contrast to the bright sunshine it had just left behind. It took a step forwards, one heavy, five-toed foot landing on the man’s lower leg, pinning him to the ground. Claudia took in the huge sail-like fin rising from its shoulders and recognised it from the books she’d looked at as a child.
The name dimetrodon flashed incongruously into her mind as she took a step backwards, avoiding another pass from its powerful jaws. A sudden scream issued from the man’s throat. The huge reptile stared down at him for a moment before returning its attention to Claudia.
“Claudia, stay still!”
The order was delivered calmly by a voice that Claudia had almost given up expecting to hear, even though she had hoped that Stephen might have been close enough to have heard her screams.
The beam of a rifle torch illuminated a pair of powerful jaws, temporarily blinding the creature. A moment later, Claudia felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist and carry her backwards. She gasped in pain at the contact with her damaged ribs.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Dane said, letting her down gently, a few feet behind Stephen.
“Thank you,” Claudia gasped.
“You looked like you were doing pretty well without us, ma’am,” the soldier commented. “We saw you take matey down.”
As he talked, Dane was backing away steadily, taking Claudia with him, leaving Stephen to keep shining the powerful torchlight into the dimetrodon’s face. A moment later, a quick slash from the soldier’s combat knife released Claudia’s hands from the scarf bound tightly around her wrists.
The dimetrodon took a step backwards, releasing the pressure on the man’s leg and for a moment Claudia thought he would get the opportunity to scrabble to safety, but without warning, the massive jaws closed on one of his arms and started to tug. In the same instant, Stephen fired a short burst from his assault rifle. Bullets thudded into the creature’s thick hide but seemed to cause it little or no distress. The man screamed again and Claudia watched in sick horror as his arm was abruptly ripped from his body.
Dane swore violently and let go of Claudia to bring his own rifle to bear on the creature. A second burst from Stephen’s weapon took the dimetrodon in the chest and it took another step backwards, massive jaws lowered, head swinging from side to side. At the same time, a high-pitched scream issued from her former attacker’s throat as blood spilled from the ruin of his shoulder to mingle with the red mud of the forest floor.
Stephen stepped forward, M4 carbine raised to his shoulder, this time on full automatic as he squeezed the trigger, the burst of noise threatening to shred what was left of Claudia’s composure while the man on the ground continued to scream. A second round of gunfire from her left sent more bullets into the already-injured creature and finally succeeded in driving the dimetrodon back through the anomaly.
The man’s screams had trailed off into gasping sobs. Claudia fought against the urge to be sick and while Stephen and Dane kept their weapons trained on the lazily-spinning light of the anomaly in case the dimetrodon changed its mind, she sank to her knees in the mud and blood and tugged her jacket off, wadding it into a bundle and using it in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood. A moment later, Stephen was at her side and he kept the pad of material pressed against the wound while Claudia cradled the man’s head on her lap, murmuring words that she knew he wouldn’t understand.
The man’s eyes stared up at her from a mud-streaked face and as the life rapidly ebbed from his body, Claudia realised that she didn’t even know his name.
“Blessed mot ye be,” she said softly, groping for words to bring some comfort to the dying man, even though she knew he had passed beyond anything that she could say or do to help.
His eyelids flickered once more and then went still. At the same moment, the anomaly flared briefly and vanished, leaving behind nothing but the silence of the forest and the sound of Claudia’s own laboured breathing.
As Stephen knelt at her side and Dane laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, tears finally started to trickle down Claudia’s cheeks to mingle with the raindrops on her face.
A moment later, her mobile phone started to ring.
* * * * *
The Land Rover came to a halt in the middle of the forest and one of the soldiers opened the door for her. Claudia clambered out carefully, glad of the young man’s proffered arm. Although her ribs still hurt badly, she had refused all attempts to take her to the hospital and had insisted instead on accompanying Stephen to the anomaly that they believed might lead Edmund and John back to their own time.
Connor was standing next to the anomaly, heedless of the rain, taking readings on a handheld magnetometer, fortunately too engrossed in what he was doing to notice the state she was in.
Edmund and John were sheltering under a tree, standing next to Lester – who somehow still managed to look as immaculate as ever, despite the heavy rain and churned up mud underfoot. Ryan and two other soldiers had their weapons trained on the anomaly. Claudia watched as the Special Forces captain quickly glanced at his lover and received a small nod from Stephen in response to his raised eyebrows.
A moment later, Ryan’s eyes widened as he saw the state of Claudia’s face. “Ma’am…?”
Claudia attempted a smile, but winced as it widened the cut on her now-swollen lip. “I’m fine, Ryan, just a bit bruised. A boar ran across the road and I ended up hitting a tree.” She glanced around, surprising even herself by managing to summon up her best ‘don’t mess with me I’m a civil servant’ voice. “Yes, I know, it’s really not been my day, has it? Where’s Cutter?”
“He insisted on checking out the anomaly.” Ryan glanced at his watch. “He’s got another five minutes.”
“You know what his sense of timing is like,” Claudia said acerbically, happy to seize any opportunity to switch the focus of the conversation away from her injuries.
“That’s why Lyle’s with him,” Lester commented. “Do I take it our missing person won’t be joining the party?”
Claudia shook her head. “He’s dead.” She spoke slowly, pronouncing the words clearly in the hope that Edmund and John would understand her. From the look on their faces, they had followed her words. Their expressions spoke more of relief than anything else, although Lester remained as impassive as ever, even though he was undoubtedly pleased to be relieved of the need to take a decision regarding the man’s fate. “What about Thomas?”
Lester’s face softened for a moment. “Whatever I may have said earlier notwithstanding, I have no intention of forcing a teenaged boy to return to a time when a large proportion of the population of this country was dying like flies. Connor assures me that these two men are prepared to take their chances. I have authorised Owen to equip them with enough antibiotics for themselves and their families and as Dr Fielding appears to have begged, stolen or borrowed sufficient drugs by means that even I don’t care to enquire too closely into, it appears we are giving them the best chance possible. Cutter doesn’t entirely like it, but on this occasion he’ll just have to lump it.” He smiled slightly. “Actually, I think he’s starting to come around to your way of thinking, but he probably won’t admit it.”
As Lester spoke, two figures stepped out of the anomaly. Nick Cutter was wearing his grey Swedish army jacket and his hair stood up in wet spikes. At his side, Lyle was backing out of the spinning fragments of light, his rife held in readiness, as though he was half-expecting to be followed.
“We had contact,” the lieutenant told Ryan. “Three men, armed with bows and knives.”
“Trouble?” Ryan demanded.
Lyle shook his head.
“It looks like the same period,” Nick said, raising his hand to beckon the two men forward from under the tree. His gesture froze in the air as his eyes fell on Claudia.
“My car had a close encounter with a tree,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, Nick.” He took a step forward, but Claudia held up her hands to ward him off. “I think I might have cracked some ribs,” she conceded.
“Professor, I think we need to hurry up!” Connor stared down at the device in his hands. “It’s dropped a couple of thousand gauss since you went through. I’d say it’s good for no more than another ten to 15 minutes.”
Glad of the diversion, Claudia turned to Edmund and John and gestured to the anomaly. “Home…?”
The two men looked at each other then, clutching linen bags that Claudia presumed contained the antibiotics provided by Ditzy, and walked towards the anomaly, a mix of eagerness and trepidation on their faces. Claudia followed them, doing her best not to wince as each step jolted her damaged ribs.
“Claudia…” Lester put a gentle hand on her arm but she shook him off.
“No, James. I intend to make sure that this really is their home. I’m sure Captain Ryan and Lieutenant Lyle are more than capable of making sure I come to no further harm.”
Without waiting for his reply, Claudia stepped up to the anomaly and nodded to the two officers. Ryan and Lyle stepped through and Claudia followed them, knowing that Nick, with Edmund and John, were no more than a pace behind her.
The woodland on the other side looked much like the one she had just left, although it was clearly earlier in the day, as dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy of oak and beech and the leaves underfoot were dry, not wet. Three men were standing some distance away, staring at her, their bows held loosely at their side, which she took to be a good sign.
A moment later, Edmund’s cry of, “Peter!” dispelled any doubts Claudia had been entertaining of whether the anomaly led to the right time or not.
The younger of the three men dropped his bow and ran forward to embrace her companion. Up close, the resemblance was unmistakeable and Claudia was certain she was witnessing the reunion of two brothers. She turned to Cutter and they shared a smile. At her side, Ryan and Lyle lowered their weapons, but remained watchful.
John turned to Claudia and smiled. “Fare ye wele, ladye, tyl we mete ageyn.”
She smiled and held out her hand, not knowing whether the gesture would be recognised or not, but it seemed the right thing to do. “Fare ye wele, John.” She hesitated, her attempts at communicating in his language finally faltering. “Go with God.”
He clasped her hand firmly, signalling his understanding. The same goodbye was exchanged between John and Nick and then with Edmund. All three men’s faces were wreathed in smiles. By then, Ryan was clearly anxious not to linger any longer and so, with a final smile, Claudia turned and stepped back through the anomaly into the dark and rain of her own time.
In response to Connor’s excited babble, she smiled and nodded, making her way slowly and carefully back to the Land Rover. In the short time they’d been gone, Ditzy had appeared from somewhere, a pack of antiseptic wipes in his hand.
“You need to go to hospital, Miss Brown,” he said quietly. “Stephen’s told me what happened.”
Claudia nodded, too tired now to argue. She leaned back against the door of the Land Rover and closed her eyes, wondering how the soldiers could deal with the blood and death she’d experienced such a short time ago and still remain sane.
A gentle hand stroked her wet hair back from her bruised face and she heard Nick say, “It’s over, lass. And you were right and I was wrong. They’re human beings and we had to do what we could for them.”
She quirked the undamaged side of her mouth into a smile. “Even down to letting Thomas stay?”
“Aye, even down to that.”
“Professor Nick Cutter admitting he might have been wrong? Maybe we have changed history after all.”
Nick smiled and slipped his arm around her waist, being careful not to put any pressure on her ribs. Claudia let out a long, slow breath as reaction set in and she allowed herself to be held gently as the tears she’d been holding back finally started to flow.
* * * * *
Three days later, in a quiet churchyard shadowed by an ancient yew tree, Claudia stared down at a patch of freshly-turned soil covering a small grave that contained a cremation urn.
According to Thomas, the man’s name had been Pell.
She placed a small spray of wildflowers on the reddish earth and then turned away.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Claudia/Nick, Stephen/Ryan, Lester, OCs
Disclaimer : Not mine (except the OCs), no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Word Count : 21,221, divided into in 8 parts.
Summary : Dinosaurs are not the only things to come through the anomalies.
A/N : This series is early in my main ‘verse, not long after the events of The Devil’s Crowll. It arose nearly three years ago out of a chat with
steamshovelmama. I owe an absolutely huge debt of gratitude to aelfgyfu_mead as her assistance with Middle English made this story possible. I am also grateful to talliw for information on clothing and shoes. And as ever, thanks are due to lukadreaming for her beta help. A flash of light amongst the trees made Claudia aware of the fact that they were approaching an anomaly. She twisted her head around and saw a smile creasing her captor’s weather-beaten face moments before a wracking cough sent a spray of spittle onto her clothes, reminding Claudia all too forcibly that the man was carrying a disease responsible for the deaths of countless people. She just hoped she’d live long enough to continue the course of antibiotics she’d started earlier in the day.
“Let me go, please,” she said quietly, not knowing whether he understood her, but she was too cold and in too much pain to attempt to dredge up any words that he might recognise from the recesses of her memory.
A shove almost sent her sprawling, but his hand snatched at her arm as he propelled her towards the anomaly. The man presumably thought that his home lay on the other side, but with what Claudia knew of anomaly activity in the forest that night, the chances of having stumbled on the one that would take him back to his own time seemed slight. She debated trying to twist out of his grip, but his large hand had a firm grip on her upper arm and she was already off-balance. In spite of that, she knew that she had to try something – anything – to attract the attention of anyone who might be nearby.
Her scream was cut off abruptly by a hard slap across her face, stinging her already bruised cheek and splitting her top lip against her teeth. Claudia spat blood as she was pushed towards the spinning shards of light. She experienced a momentary disorientation as the anomaly flared around her, tugging at the metal buttons on her jacket, then she exchanged the dark and damp woodland of the Forest of Dean for bright sunshine and intense heat.
Sand, rocks and dry, scrubby vegetation stretched around them as far as she could see. A sudden gust of wind whipped grit into her eyes and beside her, the man cursed loudly and abruptly released his grip on her arm. Claudia staggered and almost fell. Another flurry of sand blew into their faces, harder this time. Claudia turned and stumbled back through the anomaly into the Forest of Dean, hoping to take advantage of her captor’s confusion and get away from him.
He reacted more quickly than she had anticipated, following her and reaching out to catch hold of her bound arms and drag her away from the anomaly. Anger surged through her, replacing the sick feeling of helplessness that had threatened to overcome her, and Claudia stamped down hard with her right foot, crushing the man’s bare toes under the heel of her leather ankle boots. His howl of pain and anger told her that her tactic had been successful but she knew that unless she could press home her advantage, her victory would be short-lived.
Claudia’s bound hands were a disadvantage and her chest felt like it was on fire, but she knew her feet were her best – and probably only – weapons in an unequal fight. She lashed out again catching him under one knee and making his leg buckle beneath him as he pitched forward. Claudia hadn’t spent time watching Ryan’s men practise their combat techniques without learning some tricks from them. In a move that she knew would have earned approval from the Special Forces captain, Claudia brought her knee up into the man’s face, smashing his nose. She sidestepped as he sprawled forward, arms outstretched.
She was breathing hard now as adrenaline flooded her system. She couldn’t let him regain his feet. If that happened she would lose any advantage she’d gained. For a moment, Claudia hesitated, even as every instinct screamed at her that this was not a good time to develop scruples about kicking a man when he was down. He’d hit her twice in the face and had attempted to rape her not very many hours ago… Claudia drew her foot back and slammed it into the man’s side. He coughed and swore loudly. She didn’t need a translation to know that her parentage had just been called into question.
Claudia could taste blood in her mouth from her split lip. It was all the reminder she needed that there was no place for hesitation in this fight. He was on the ground and she had to make sure he stayed that way. As she prepared to launch another kick, a low rumbling growl came from behind her. Claudia turned around, her breath catching in her throat. She almost over-balanced as she stumbled backwards just in time to avoid a bite from the large, reptilian head that was emerging from the anomaly.
The creature blinked at her as it struggled to adjust to the darkness of the forest in contrast to the bright sunshine it had just left behind. It took a step forwards, one heavy, five-toed foot landing on the man’s lower leg, pinning him to the ground. Claudia took in the huge sail-like fin rising from its shoulders and recognised it from the books she’d looked at as a child.
The name dimetrodon flashed incongruously into her mind as she took a step backwards, avoiding another pass from its powerful jaws. A sudden scream issued from the man’s throat. The huge reptile stared down at him for a moment before returning its attention to Claudia.
“Claudia, stay still!”
The order was delivered calmly by a voice that Claudia had almost given up expecting to hear, even though she had hoped that Stephen might have been close enough to have heard her screams.
The beam of a rifle torch illuminated a pair of powerful jaws, temporarily blinding the creature. A moment later, Claudia felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist and carry her backwards. She gasped in pain at the contact with her damaged ribs.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Dane said, letting her down gently, a few feet behind Stephen.
“Thank you,” Claudia gasped.
“You looked like you were doing pretty well without us, ma’am,” the soldier commented. “We saw you take matey down.”
As he talked, Dane was backing away steadily, taking Claudia with him, leaving Stephen to keep shining the powerful torchlight into the dimetrodon’s face. A moment later, a quick slash from the soldier’s combat knife released Claudia’s hands from the scarf bound tightly around her wrists.
The dimetrodon took a step backwards, releasing the pressure on the man’s leg and for a moment Claudia thought he would get the opportunity to scrabble to safety, but without warning, the massive jaws closed on one of his arms and started to tug. In the same instant, Stephen fired a short burst from his assault rifle. Bullets thudded into the creature’s thick hide but seemed to cause it little or no distress. The man screamed again and Claudia watched in sick horror as his arm was abruptly ripped from his body.
Dane swore violently and let go of Claudia to bring his own rifle to bear on the creature. A second burst from Stephen’s weapon took the dimetrodon in the chest and it took another step backwards, massive jaws lowered, head swinging from side to side. At the same time, a high-pitched scream issued from her former attacker’s throat as blood spilled from the ruin of his shoulder to mingle with the red mud of the forest floor.
Stephen stepped forward, M4 carbine raised to his shoulder, this time on full automatic as he squeezed the trigger, the burst of noise threatening to shred what was left of Claudia’s composure while the man on the ground continued to scream. A second round of gunfire from her left sent more bullets into the already-injured creature and finally succeeded in driving the dimetrodon back through the anomaly.
The man’s screams had trailed off into gasping sobs. Claudia fought against the urge to be sick and while Stephen and Dane kept their weapons trained on the lazily-spinning light of the anomaly in case the dimetrodon changed its mind, she sank to her knees in the mud and blood and tugged her jacket off, wadding it into a bundle and using it in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood. A moment later, Stephen was at her side and he kept the pad of material pressed against the wound while Claudia cradled the man’s head on her lap, murmuring words that she knew he wouldn’t understand.
The man’s eyes stared up at her from a mud-streaked face and as the life rapidly ebbed from his body, Claudia realised that she didn’t even know his name.
“Blessed mot ye be,” she said softly, groping for words to bring some comfort to the dying man, even though she knew he had passed beyond anything that she could say or do to help.
His eyelids flickered once more and then went still. At the same moment, the anomaly flared briefly and vanished, leaving behind nothing but the silence of the forest and the sound of Claudia’s own laboured breathing.
As Stephen knelt at her side and Dane laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, tears finally started to trickle down Claudia’s cheeks to mingle with the raindrops on her face.
A moment later, her mobile phone started to ring.
* * * * *
The Land Rover came to a halt in the middle of the forest and one of the soldiers opened the door for her. Claudia clambered out carefully, glad of the young man’s proffered arm. Although her ribs still hurt badly, she had refused all attempts to take her to the hospital and had insisted instead on accompanying Stephen to the anomaly that they believed might lead Edmund and John back to their own time.
Connor was standing next to the anomaly, heedless of the rain, taking readings on a handheld magnetometer, fortunately too engrossed in what he was doing to notice the state she was in.
Edmund and John were sheltering under a tree, standing next to Lester – who somehow still managed to look as immaculate as ever, despite the heavy rain and churned up mud underfoot. Ryan and two other soldiers had their weapons trained on the anomaly. Claudia watched as the Special Forces captain quickly glanced at his lover and received a small nod from Stephen in response to his raised eyebrows.
A moment later, Ryan’s eyes widened as he saw the state of Claudia’s face. “Ma’am…?”
Claudia attempted a smile, but winced as it widened the cut on her now-swollen lip. “I’m fine, Ryan, just a bit bruised. A boar ran across the road and I ended up hitting a tree.” She glanced around, surprising even herself by managing to summon up her best ‘don’t mess with me I’m a civil servant’ voice. “Yes, I know, it’s really not been my day, has it? Where’s Cutter?”
“He insisted on checking out the anomaly.” Ryan glanced at his watch. “He’s got another five minutes.”
“You know what his sense of timing is like,” Claudia said acerbically, happy to seize any opportunity to switch the focus of the conversation away from her injuries.
“That’s why Lyle’s with him,” Lester commented. “Do I take it our missing person won’t be joining the party?”
Claudia shook her head. “He’s dead.” She spoke slowly, pronouncing the words clearly in the hope that Edmund and John would understand her. From the look on their faces, they had followed her words. Their expressions spoke more of relief than anything else, although Lester remained as impassive as ever, even though he was undoubtedly pleased to be relieved of the need to take a decision regarding the man’s fate. “What about Thomas?”
Lester’s face softened for a moment. “Whatever I may have said earlier notwithstanding, I have no intention of forcing a teenaged boy to return to a time when a large proportion of the population of this country was dying like flies. Connor assures me that these two men are prepared to take their chances. I have authorised Owen to equip them with enough antibiotics for themselves and their families and as Dr Fielding appears to have begged, stolen or borrowed sufficient drugs by means that even I don’t care to enquire too closely into, it appears we are giving them the best chance possible. Cutter doesn’t entirely like it, but on this occasion he’ll just have to lump it.” He smiled slightly. “Actually, I think he’s starting to come around to your way of thinking, but he probably won’t admit it.”
As Lester spoke, two figures stepped out of the anomaly. Nick Cutter was wearing his grey Swedish army jacket and his hair stood up in wet spikes. At his side, Lyle was backing out of the spinning fragments of light, his rife held in readiness, as though he was half-expecting to be followed.
“We had contact,” the lieutenant told Ryan. “Three men, armed with bows and knives.”
“Trouble?” Ryan demanded.
Lyle shook his head.
“It looks like the same period,” Nick said, raising his hand to beckon the two men forward from under the tree. His gesture froze in the air as his eyes fell on Claudia.
“My car had a close encounter with a tree,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, Nick.” He took a step forward, but Claudia held up her hands to ward him off. “I think I might have cracked some ribs,” she conceded.
“Professor, I think we need to hurry up!” Connor stared down at the device in his hands. “It’s dropped a couple of thousand gauss since you went through. I’d say it’s good for no more than another ten to 15 minutes.”
Glad of the diversion, Claudia turned to Edmund and John and gestured to the anomaly. “Home…?”
The two men looked at each other then, clutching linen bags that Claudia presumed contained the antibiotics provided by Ditzy, and walked towards the anomaly, a mix of eagerness and trepidation on their faces. Claudia followed them, doing her best not to wince as each step jolted her damaged ribs.
“Claudia…” Lester put a gentle hand on her arm but she shook him off.
“No, James. I intend to make sure that this really is their home. I’m sure Captain Ryan and Lieutenant Lyle are more than capable of making sure I come to no further harm.”
Without waiting for his reply, Claudia stepped up to the anomaly and nodded to the two officers. Ryan and Lyle stepped through and Claudia followed them, knowing that Nick, with Edmund and John, were no more than a pace behind her.
The woodland on the other side looked much like the one she had just left, although it was clearly earlier in the day, as dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy of oak and beech and the leaves underfoot were dry, not wet. Three men were standing some distance away, staring at her, their bows held loosely at their side, which she took to be a good sign.
A moment later, Edmund’s cry of, “Peter!” dispelled any doubts Claudia had been entertaining of whether the anomaly led to the right time or not.
The younger of the three men dropped his bow and ran forward to embrace her companion. Up close, the resemblance was unmistakeable and Claudia was certain she was witnessing the reunion of two brothers. She turned to Cutter and they shared a smile. At her side, Ryan and Lyle lowered their weapons, but remained watchful.
John turned to Claudia and smiled. “Fare ye wele, ladye, tyl we mete ageyn.”
She smiled and held out her hand, not knowing whether the gesture would be recognised or not, but it seemed the right thing to do. “Fare ye wele, John.” She hesitated, her attempts at communicating in his language finally faltering. “Go with God.”
He clasped her hand firmly, signalling his understanding. The same goodbye was exchanged between John and Nick and then with Edmund. All three men’s faces were wreathed in smiles. By then, Ryan was clearly anxious not to linger any longer and so, with a final smile, Claudia turned and stepped back through the anomaly into the dark and rain of her own time.
In response to Connor’s excited babble, she smiled and nodded, making her way slowly and carefully back to the Land Rover. In the short time they’d been gone, Ditzy had appeared from somewhere, a pack of antiseptic wipes in his hand.
“You need to go to hospital, Miss Brown,” he said quietly. “Stephen’s told me what happened.”
Claudia nodded, too tired now to argue. She leaned back against the door of the Land Rover and closed her eyes, wondering how the soldiers could deal with the blood and death she’d experienced such a short time ago and still remain sane.
A gentle hand stroked her wet hair back from her bruised face and she heard Nick say, “It’s over, lass. And you were right and I was wrong. They’re human beings and we had to do what we could for them.”
She quirked the undamaged side of her mouth into a smile. “Even down to letting Thomas stay?”
“Aye, even down to that.”
“Professor Nick Cutter admitting he might have been wrong? Maybe we have changed history after all.”
Nick smiled and slipped his arm around her waist, being careful not to put any pressure on her ribs. Claudia let out a long, slow breath as reaction set in and she allowed herself to be held gently as the tears she’d been holding back finally started to flow.
* * * * *
Three days later, in a quiet churchyard shadowed by an ancient yew tree, Claudia stared down at a patch of freshly-turned soil covering a small grave that contained a cremation urn.
According to Thomas, the man’s name had been Pell.
She placed a small spray of wildflowers on the reddish earth and then turned away.
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no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 05:42 pm (UTC)Absolutely brilliant!
I'm sort of with her on the changing history though, I mean Cutter admitting he was wrong? It's like hell froze over... lol
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:49 pm (UTC)Well, there had to be some unforeseen consequences of their actions. *g*
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 05:45 pm (UTC)I have so much respect for Claudia!
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 05:47 pm (UTC)Looks like Pell got his comeuppance. I hope Claudia is only feeling compassion and not guilt.
A very exciting, very thrilling, really interesting story. *hugs Claudia*
*claps loudly*
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 05:51 pm (UTC)The girls in the series are all very strong, but it's a pity we saw too little of that in canon.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:21 pm (UTC)It's good to read a genfic that focuses on one of the female characters as I think they do tend to get a bit sidelined sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:25 pm (UTC)But I liked Clauda best - she radiated compassion and competence.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:43 pm (UTC)Really enjoyed this.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:41 pm (UTC)LOL over Nick admitting he might be wrong ;)
*purrs loudly*
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:50 pm (UTC)But Claudia showing her kickass side in this was brilliant, and I squeed when the dimetrodon showed up! *g*
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:50 pm (UTC)I also loved the way you handled the idea of people coming through an anomaly and all the consequences that came with them, including the plague. I've said a lot, too, on the subject of thinking Mrs Allen is awesome, but more broadly speaking, I think the was you create characters briefly to fit the story and make us like them and care about them (or think they are Unmitigated Scum, as with Pell or Ben Harris) is just brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 09:39 pm (UTC)I have authorised Owen to equip them with enough antibiotics for themselves and their families.
Lester has taken a really big risk here in providing antibiotics for such a large number of people. Lets hope his action isn't responsible for the growing antibiotic resistance these days.
Yay for John and Edmund getting home and for Nick admitting that he might have been wrong.
And there's a little Claudia/Nick fluff at the end as well.
Fantastic.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 10:38 pm (UTC)Wonderful insight into Claudia's character and her motivations.
I'm sorry its finished!
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 11:47 pm (UTC)////“Professor Nick Cutter admitting he might have been wrong? Maybe we have changed history after all.”////
LOL. Love it! Love the moral dilemmas they encountered, the people and the beasties.
Great showcase for Claudia, and her fight with Pell & the grave scene were highlights.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-16 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-16 08:25 am (UTC)Great series, I really enjoyed this one.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-16 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 09:54 pm (UTC)Claudia was great: she brought the man down, but she also did what she could to help him. She even convinced Nick!
I'm glad to be able to read the whole story at last.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-20 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-21 09:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-12 01:41 am (UTC)An awesome story, thank you!
no subject
Date: 2012-11-12 05:09 am (UTC)Thank you. I was very proud of this story when I finally cracked it. Although the Middle English Compendium is enough to drive anyone demented!