Fic, Café Chat, Abby/Ryan, 12
Jan. 3rd, 2021 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredbassettTitle : Café Chat
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Abby/Ryan
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : When Stephen lets Abby down, friendship comes from an unexpected direction.
A/N : Written for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
primeval_denial monthly pairing for January.
"Can I give you a lift home?”
Abby turned sharply, her startled look fading when she recognised Ryan. “Sorry, not used to seeing you in civvies.”
“Tends not to go down too well wandering around the supermarket in full black combats.” He shook his shopping bag and then felt faintly embarrassed by the fact that it contained more booze than food.
“We’re driving you to drink already?”
He grinned. “That happened a long time ago.”
Their elfin blonde animal expert looked like someone had just nicked her favourite lizard. Ryan guessed from the disconsolate way she’d trudged away from the hospital that her visit to Hart hadn’t gone as well as she’d hoped. A shame, as she’d clearly dressed up and put on more make up than she usually bothered it.
“How about we grab a coffee and then I’ll drop you home?” he suggested. “The traffic should have eased off by then.”
She mustered a small smile. “Thanks, that’d be nice.”
They found a quiet café just around the corner from the hospital and Ryan ordered a couple of coffees.
“How’s Stephen?”
“They’ve discharged him.”
“That was bloody quick.”
She nodded, staring intently at the table.
In for a penny … “Abby, tell me to bugger off if you want, but is everything OK with you and Stephen?” If it affected the stability of the team he was meant to be protecting, he needed to know about it. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.
“Did you know he had a girlfriend?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth Abby looked like she wanted to bolt out of the door.
Ryan failed to keep the surprise off his face. He’d always thought Hart was carrying a torch for Cutter, but the guy had never talked about his private life in Ryan’s hearing, so that had been no more than a guess based on their closeness and the almost unconscious mirroring of body language between the two of them.
“I’ll take that as a no.” She sounded rueful.
So, the nice clothes and the make up had been for Hart’s benefit.
“You’ve got a lousy poker face, Ryan. I certainly didn’t dress up like this for Connor.”
“I’m off duty. I save the poker face for when I’m being paid for it. So Hart’s got a girlfriend he’s never mentioned?”
“Looks like it. He says she’s been working in the rainforest for ages.”
“As you do.”
“Yeah.” She wrapped her hands around the coffee mug. “The thing is, when they were loading him in the ambulance, I got the impression he … liked me.”
Ryan weighed his next words carefully, not wanting to offer empty platitudes. She deserved more than that. “I get the impression Hart is … complicated when it comes to relationships.”
“Cutter?” Mischief danced in her eyes and she looked marginally more cheerful than she’d done a few minutes ago. The gamine expression suited her.
“You said it first …”
“Lack of poker face, remember?”
“So you tell me. They’ve worked together a long time and they always seem pretty close.”
“Special forces gaydar?”
Ryan laughed. “Specially trained powers of observation. Or failing that, the fact that they’re never more than about ten feet apart and Hart acts like he thinks the sun shines out of the prof’s arse.”
“So where does the girlfriend come into it? He’s a bit old for imaginary friends, isn’t he?”
“Sometimes Hart looks like needs all the friends he can get.” Ryan had been around young soldiers often enough to pick up on the occasional unguarded look, and he’d caught more than a hint of vulnerability in Hart, especially where his boss was concerned. “I know it’s the biggest cliché in the book, but I honestly think whatever it is has got a hell of a lot more to do with his issues than anything to do with you.”
“Yeah, it’s a cliché, but thanks for the reassurance. And for the coffee. So what about you? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
“Ex-wife. Acrimonious divorce three years ago.”
“Kids?”
Ryan nodded. “I see him once a month if I’m lucky. He’s four. I think he wonders who the hell I am most of the time. Mad keen on dinosaurs, though, so maybe he can teach me something. He can pronounce the bloody names better than I can.”
“Kids usually can. The ones who come to the zoo are the same.” She looked wistful. “I wish I hadn’t had to lie to young Ben. I knew he was telling the truth, but I couldn’t say anything.” Abby gulped down the rest of her coffee and put the mug down with enough force to make the woman at the next table turn her head. “Is this what it’s going to be like from now on, Ryan?”
“Probably.” There didn’t seem any point in sugar-coating things. She’d signed the Official Secrets Act and Sir James Lester didn’t look the type to take kindly to information leaks. “The government aren’t going to want this to get out. Can you imagine what the Daily Mail would make of it?”
“Immigrant dinosaurs coming over here and stealing jobs from our hard-working zoo animals?”
“Yeah, something like that. Lester is under orders to keep the whole thing under wraps. We’ll be telling lies to more than just a young kid before very long.”
“You need to brush up on your motivational speaking.”
“Off duty, remember?”
Abby laughed. “I think the only one who’s really enjoying himself is Connor. He’s like a kid in a sweetshop.”
And Ryan couldn’t decide which the young dinosaur geek fancied most, prehistoric critters with unpronounceable names, or the young woman sitting opposite him. Ryan knew which he preferred, by a very wide margin.
They chatted for another half an hour while the rush hour died away, then he gave Abby a lift back to her flat.
“Thanks, Ryan, that was nice.” She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “And thanks for listening.”
“You’re welcome, any time.” He hesitated, then decided to jump in with both feet. “Go for a drink after the next shout, maybe?”
She gave him a bright smile. “I’d like that.”
And so would he.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Abby/Ryan
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : When Stephen lets Abby down, friendship comes from an unexpected direction.
A/N : Written for the
primeval_denial monthly pairing for January."Can I give you a lift home?”
Abby turned sharply, her startled look fading when she recognised Ryan. “Sorry, not used to seeing you in civvies.”
“Tends not to go down too well wandering around the supermarket in full black combats.” He shook his shopping bag and then felt faintly embarrassed by the fact that it contained more booze than food.
“We’re driving you to drink already?”
He grinned. “That happened a long time ago.”
Their elfin blonde animal expert looked like someone had just nicked her favourite lizard. Ryan guessed from the disconsolate way she’d trudged away from the hospital that her visit to Hart hadn’t gone as well as she’d hoped. A shame, as she’d clearly dressed up and put on more make up than she usually bothered it.
“How about we grab a coffee and then I’ll drop you home?” he suggested. “The traffic should have eased off by then.”
She mustered a small smile. “Thanks, that’d be nice.”
They found a quiet café just around the corner from the hospital and Ryan ordered a couple of coffees.
“How’s Stephen?”
“They’ve discharged him.”
“That was bloody quick.”
She nodded, staring intently at the table.
In for a penny … “Abby, tell me to bugger off if you want, but is everything OK with you and Stephen?” If it affected the stability of the team he was meant to be protecting, he needed to know about it. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.
“Did you know he had a girlfriend?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth Abby looked like she wanted to bolt out of the door.
Ryan failed to keep the surprise off his face. He’d always thought Hart was carrying a torch for Cutter, but the guy had never talked about his private life in Ryan’s hearing, so that had been no more than a guess based on their closeness and the almost unconscious mirroring of body language between the two of them.
“I’ll take that as a no.” She sounded rueful.
So, the nice clothes and the make up had been for Hart’s benefit.
“You’ve got a lousy poker face, Ryan. I certainly didn’t dress up like this for Connor.”
“I’m off duty. I save the poker face for when I’m being paid for it. So Hart’s got a girlfriend he’s never mentioned?”
“Looks like it. He says she’s been working in the rainforest for ages.”
“As you do.”
“Yeah.” She wrapped her hands around the coffee mug. “The thing is, when they were loading him in the ambulance, I got the impression he … liked me.”
Ryan weighed his next words carefully, not wanting to offer empty platitudes. She deserved more than that. “I get the impression Hart is … complicated when it comes to relationships.”
“Cutter?” Mischief danced in her eyes and she looked marginally more cheerful than she’d done a few minutes ago. The gamine expression suited her.
“You said it first …”
“Lack of poker face, remember?”
“So you tell me. They’ve worked together a long time and they always seem pretty close.”
“Special forces gaydar?”
Ryan laughed. “Specially trained powers of observation. Or failing that, the fact that they’re never more than about ten feet apart and Hart acts like he thinks the sun shines out of the prof’s arse.”
“So where does the girlfriend come into it? He’s a bit old for imaginary friends, isn’t he?”
“Sometimes Hart looks like needs all the friends he can get.” Ryan had been around young soldiers often enough to pick up on the occasional unguarded look, and he’d caught more than a hint of vulnerability in Hart, especially where his boss was concerned. “I know it’s the biggest cliché in the book, but I honestly think whatever it is has got a hell of a lot more to do with his issues than anything to do with you.”
“Yeah, it’s a cliché, but thanks for the reassurance. And for the coffee. So what about you? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
“Ex-wife. Acrimonious divorce three years ago.”
“Kids?”
Ryan nodded. “I see him once a month if I’m lucky. He’s four. I think he wonders who the hell I am most of the time. Mad keen on dinosaurs, though, so maybe he can teach me something. He can pronounce the bloody names better than I can.”
“Kids usually can. The ones who come to the zoo are the same.” She looked wistful. “I wish I hadn’t had to lie to young Ben. I knew he was telling the truth, but I couldn’t say anything.” Abby gulped down the rest of her coffee and put the mug down with enough force to make the woman at the next table turn her head. “Is this what it’s going to be like from now on, Ryan?”
“Probably.” There didn’t seem any point in sugar-coating things. She’d signed the Official Secrets Act and Sir James Lester didn’t look the type to take kindly to information leaks. “The government aren’t going to want this to get out. Can you imagine what the Daily Mail would make of it?”
“Immigrant dinosaurs coming over here and stealing jobs from our hard-working zoo animals?”
“Yeah, something like that. Lester is under orders to keep the whole thing under wraps. We’ll be telling lies to more than just a young kid before very long.”
“You need to brush up on your motivational speaking.”
“Off duty, remember?”
Abby laughed. “I think the only one who’s really enjoying himself is Connor. He’s like a kid in a sweetshop.”
And Ryan couldn’t decide which the young dinosaur geek fancied most, prehistoric critters with unpronounceable names, or the young woman sitting opposite him. Ryan knew which he preferred, by a very wide margin.
They chatted for another half an hour while the rush hour died away, then he gave Abby a lift back to her flat.
“Thanks, Ryan, that was nice.” She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “And thanks for listening.”
“You’re welcome, any time.” He hesitated, then decided to jump in with both feet. “Go for a drink after the next shout, maybe?”
She gave him a bright smile. “I’d like that.”
And so would he.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2021-01-03 08:42 pm (UTC)“We’re driving you to drink already?”
He grinned. “That happened a long time ago.”
Their elfin blonde animal expert looked like someone had just nicked her favourite lizard.
That was an adorable bit!
he needed to know about it. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.
*snorfles*
“Special forces gaydar?”
*snorfles again*
Loved the bit where Abby is still unhappy at having to lie to Ben.
“Immigrant dinosaurs coming over here and stealing jobs from our hard-working zoo animals?”
*howls*
Loved the ending. That was totally adorable!
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Date: 2021-01-04 01:35 pm (UTC)I love it how Ryan cares about Abby.
So true about little kids. My 3,5 year old grandniece loves dinosaurs and is better at their names than I am!
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Date: 2021-01-04 02:17 pm (UTC)LOL, yes, I was just the same at that age.
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Date: 2021-01-10 11:43 am (UTC)I think they make a great couple, and this was brilliant.
Fantastic bit of chat. Really great insight into the team.
More please, lol.
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