fredbassett | Fic, Falls the Shadow, Part 4, Stephen/Ryan, 18

Title : Falls the Shadow, Part 4
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Characters : Ryan, Stephen, Claudia, Cutter, Connor, Lyle
Rating : 18
Disclaimer : Not mine (except Lyle), no money made, don’t sue
Spoilers : None.
Summary : The children are still missing and tempers start to fray.
A/N : The remainder of this series can be found here

“You saw a woman watching our house ………..watching my child …………and you didn’t see fit to tell me?” Amanda Thornton’s voice shook with anger.

Her husband met the angry blue eyes and looked uneasy. “I saw her twice, maybe three times, only once near here. I didn’t think much about it until after the incident with Tom. Then I remembered I’d seen her a few months ago as well, so I told Calum. I thought it was just my paranoia, Amanda, but better safe than sorry. He said he’d get his lads to keep an eye out ……..”

“Safe? We weren’t safe, were we, Greg? Vicky wasn’t safe, either. If she was safe, she’d be here now, not God only knows where ………….”

God only knows when, thought Stephen, fleetingly.

This wasn’t going to work. They couldn’t do their jobs here, not with Ryan’s ex-wife in their faces every minute, poison dripping from her fangs each time she opened her mouth. He threw a quick glance at Claudia.

“Mrs Thornton,” said Claudia, in her best trust me I’m a civil servant voice, “your husband did the right thing. Everyone has done the right thing so far. There’s no reason to suspect that Helen Cutter is in any way connected with Victoria’s disappearance …..”

“She was here. He,” pointing at Ryan, “was involved as well. Now you bring that woman’s husband into my house and you try to tell me this is your team! What the hell is going on, Miss Brown? I want a solicitor, and I want one now!”

Stephen winced. They had enough trouble on their hands without adding lawyers to the mix. Unless they were experts in predicting the appearance of magnetic fields or bloody good with a gun. The latter was always a useful skill around anomalies in his experience.

“For fuck’s sake, Mandy, what do you expect a solicitor to do? Join a search party at three hundred quid an hour? Serve me with another bloody injunction or just referee the fights? They weren’t much good at that last time, were they?”

“Don’t swear! And don’t call me Mandy!”

Ryan laughed, the sound like a knife scraping stone. His eyes were hard as he opened his mouth to reply.

Claudia forestalled him.

“Mrs Thornton, Professor Cutter’s team has the full backing of the Home Office,” or should I say the three people in Government with half a clue what’s going on? But maybe we’d better draw a discreet veil over that, like we do over everything else. “He has the necessary experience to deal with this so I suggest that we let him, and everyone else, work to bring your daughter back. You look exhausted, you really should try and get some rest. I’ll tell you the minute we have some news, I promise ……….”

Claudia gestured to the door and something in her tone contrived to inject a welcome note of finality into the exchange. The young policewoman promptly used it as an opportunity to usher Amanda Thornton out of the room.

Cutter ran an hand through his hair, “Thanks, Claudia. I’m not sure any of us could have ………” remembering Greg Thornton’s presence, he came to an abrupt halt and looked apologetic.

The other man just looked tired. “Put up with that much longer?” he hazarded. “Her daughter’s missing, Professor Cutter. Remember?” He glanced at Ryan, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. “Tom? Can we talk in private?”

Ryan followed the other man out of the room and up the stairs, reluctance showing in every movement he made. He walked like he was heading towards a firing squad.

Greg Thornton opened a door at the end of a long corridor and stood back, letting Ryan enter first.

The soldier stopped dead, taking in every aspect of the room in one quick, hard glance. Then he drew in a deep breath and inhaled the scent of his daughter. Talcum powder and leather.

He almost laughed.

The riding tack was still spread out on the floor, only half polished. A dirty rag lay next to a large trophy, next to an even larger fluffy white rabbit.

Then he nearly cried.

He’d sent her that rabbit for her birthday, four months ago. He’d expected it to have gone straight in the bin, with all the other presents and cards he’d sent but that hadn’t stopped him sending them.

“She’s still your daughter, Tom,” said the other man in a voice barely above a whisper. “She needs to know her daddy loves her. Whatever her mother may think. When I found out you were still sending stuff, I made sure she got it. Amanda hates it. It’s the only fucking thing we row about. So I’m going to shut this door, and you’re going to tell me what the fuck is really going on. Then that way, I might just manage to keep my wife off all our backs long enough for you lot to find Vicky and the others and bring them back. Just do me one favour, Tom. Don’t slag her off. Whatever you do, don’t slag her off. She’s my wife now.”

Ryan half-turned, exhaling a long, pent-up breath and for the first time since entering the house, he met someone else’s eyes. “Do me a favour too? Call me Ryan. Only Amanda calls me Tom.” Amanda, and Helen Cutter.

And with the white rabbit cradled on his knees, the soldier proceeded to tear the Official Secrets Act into small pieces and tell Greg Thornton as much as he needed to know. The bits that he hadn’t already gathered from Claudia, that is. It rather looked like they were beyond the point of trying to cover this one up.

At the end of the story, the younger man walked over to the window, and leant his forehead against the cold glass. “What fucking chance have they got, Ryan? Tell me that.”

Somewhere outside in the teeming rain, a dog howled.

Ryan shrugged. He didn’t think I haven’t a fucking clue would sound very inspirational.

The howl turned to a yelp.

Ryan’s hand went instinctively for his gun.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

deinonychus-1.livejournal.com

Meep! And awwwwwwww.... sweet. The mental image of Ryan with a fluffy bunny stuffed toy on his knee was just wonderful, and so sweet and sad given the circumstances, and made me want to hug him so much.

Go Claudia, at least someone in the building has a sense of diplomacy. And the new husband is actually quite cool, I like him.

You're doing the clifhanger thing again. And I bet you're not going to post more for a few days yet. Grrr.

*waits impatiently*

From:

Fic, Falls the Shadow, Part 4, Stephen/Ryan, 18

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