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fredbassettTitle : The Shadows of Evening
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Becker (/Sarah), Lester (/Ryan)
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 1,100
Spoilers : None
Summary : Becker is determined not to be dragged back into his old life. Others take a different view.
“Becker, it’s James Lester. I’d appreciate a call, please. There have been developments.”
Becker listened to the message then deleted it.
Developments wasn’t necessarily the way he would have described a stegosaurus in the Houses of Parliament, but then Lester always had favoured understatement.
Understatement or not, it simply wasn’t his bloody problem any more.
He lobbed the beer can into the bin then grabbed another out of the fridge.
“Stop judging me,” he muttered in irritation as he turned away.
A sharp rap on the front door made him jump and he glared.
If it was James fucking Lester…
****
A small witch accompanied by an even smaller ghost draped from head to foot in a slightly grubby white sheet stared up at him.
“Trick or treat?” the ghost lisped politely.
Becker opened his mouth to tell them to get lost, then thought better of it.
He recognised the lisping ghost as the six-year-old son of his next-door neighbour.
He’d once played football in the nearby park with the kid while Sarah watched, smiling widely.
The memory hit him like a kick to the guts.
He handed over a fiver then closed the door on them and on his thoughts.
****
Becker, It’s James Lester again. Call me please. I’ve told them I won’t work on the project without you. They need me and I need you.
Becker pressed delete and then blocked the number.
The next call came from his former CO in Hereford.
Becker sighed. “What part of no is so hard for everyone to understand, boss?”
“The part where a former Regiment officer left other people in the shit and walked away.”
“It’s not my problem,” Becker said stiffly.
“No, but it is mine. James Lester is a persistent sod.”
“Tell him to fuck off.”
“Tell him yourself.”
****
“Since when did you start to use burner phones?”
“I’m ringing about an accident that wasn’t your fault,” Lester snapped. “You can block as many fucking numbers as you want but I’ll still keep calling.”
“This number was meant to be untraceable.”
“I have GCHQ on my side, and if they ever draw a blank, my aunt plays bridge with your mother.”
That drew a reluctant laugh from Becker and just for a fleeting moment, he heard the echo of a laugh that he thought he’d never hear again.
A shiver ran down his spine. “But it was my fault.”
****
“How many shrinks have told you that’s bollocks?”
“None,” Becker retorted.
“Only because you’ve refused to see anyone. Now open the fucking door, I’m freezing my nuts off out here and I’m getting strange looks from assorted supernatural beings and their parents.”
Becker shivered again and reached for the tumbler of whisky by his chair. Lester wasn’t the only one that was happening too, minus the parents.
“Becker, open the door, please.”
“Fuck off, James.”
“No. This has gone on long enough. You were not responsible for Sarah’s death, now open the fucking door and pour me a fucking drink.”
****
Becker handed over a large cut-glass tumbler of his best scotch.
“I’m not coming back to work on the anomaly project. Too many people died on my watch. Do yourself a favour, James, get someone who can do the bloody job properly.”
“Budget cuts,” Lester said. “You’re all I can afford.”
“Get your new venture capital investor to dig a bit deeper.”
“You’re well informed for a man who isn’t interested. And for the record, he’s not my anything. I meant it when I said I’m not taking the job if you’re not running security.”
“I repeat, not my problem.”
****
“I never took you for a quitter.”
“Nice try but no dice.”
“Cutter was murdered by his psychotic ex-wife. Sarah was killed by an army of future predators. You lost six of your men trying to save her. They were all volunteers. They knew the risks and accepted them.”
“Connor, Abby and Danny were all lost, too.”
“For all we know, they’re still alive.”
“I’m not fit for active duty.”
“You look it to me.”
Cool laughter slid over Becker’s skin like silk, and he turned around to stare at… nothing.
He quickly knocked back the rest of his whisky.
****
“Tell me the real reason, Becker,” Lester said quietly. “This has gone on long enough.”
Becker stared over Lester’s shoulder into the shadows in the corner of the room.
Shadows. Always in the shadows.
But now he was seeing her everywhere, at the edge of his vision, always just out of reach.
Sometimes smiling, but mostly frowning.
He’d tried talking to her. Tried explaining. Tried telling her how sorry he was.
She’d just smiled sadly and nodded.
At least that was what he thought she’d done.
He wasn’t an expert in ghosts. He was better with things he could shoot.
****
“I keep seeing her,” Becker said at last.
“That’s only to be expected,” Lester said.
“No, James. I keep seeing her. Really seeing her. Not just imagining it. How the hell can I come back to work if I keep seeing a dead woman?”
Becker could see Lester trying to fit that statement into his world view.
Eventually Lester gave up. “Do you think you’re seeing Sarah’s ghost?”
“Yes, James, I think I’m seeing Sarah’s ghost.”
Lester was silent for a long moment then he shrugged. “We deal with dinosaurs and rips in time. Ghosts seem almost normal by comparison.
****
Becker stared at his former boss. “You believe me?”
“I don’t disbelieve you,” Lester conceded. “And I don’t think it affects your fitness for the job.”
“You’re just desperate.”
“Not as desperate as the Home Secretary. But remember, we’re under no obligation to him.”
Becker sighed and reached for the whisky bottle. “But we are under an obligation to the public.”
“Is that a statement or a question?”
The shadows in the corner of the room coalesced into something more solid. This time Becker detected a definite smile on Sarah’s face.
She still knew him better than he knew himself.
****
On All Hallow’s Eve the veil between this world and the next was thin.
Lester left Becker and Sarah together.
Becker seemed reassured that Lester had taken his words at face value.
Sarah seemed happy with the decision the young man had made.
They would work something out, he was sure of that.
As Lester walked back to his flat, he felt rather than heard Ryan fall into step beside him in the light mist swirling up from the river.
He smiled.
They had the rest of the night to themselves now.
Halloween was always his favourite time of year.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Becker (/Sarah), Lester (/Ryan)
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 1,100
Spoilers : None
Summary : Becker is determined not to be dragged back into his old life. Others take a different view.
“Becker, it’s James Lester. I’d appreciate a call, please. There have been developments.”
Becker listened to the message then deleted it.
Developments wasn’t necessarily the way he would have described a stegosaurus in the Houses of Parliament, but then Lester always had favoured understatement.
Understatement or not, it simply wasn’t his bloody problem any more.
He lobbed the beer can into the bin then grabbed another out of the fridge.
“Stop judging me,” he muttered in irritation as he turned away.
A sharp rap on the front door made him jump and he glared.
If it was James fucking Lester…
****
A small witch accompanied by an even smaller ghost draped from head to foot in a slightly grubby white sheet stared up at him.
“Trick or treat?” the ghost lisped politely.
Becker opened his mouth to tell them to get lost, then thought better of it.
He recognised the lisping ghost as the six-year-old son of his next-door neighbour.
He’d once played football in the nearby park with the kid while Sarah watched, smiling widely.
The memory hit him like a kick to the guts.
He handed over a fiver then closed the door on them and on his thoughts.
****
Becker, It’s James Lester again. Call me please. I’ve told them I won’t work on the project without you. They need me and I need you.
Becker pressed delete and then blocked the number.
The next call came from his former CO in Hereford.
Becker sighed. “What part of no is so hard for everyone to understand, boss?”
“The part where a former Regiment officer left other people in the shit and walked away.”
“It’s not my problem,” Becker said stiffly.
“No, but it is mine. James Lester is a persistent sod.”
“Tell him to fuck off.”
“Tell him yourself.”
****
“Since when did you start to use burner phones?”
“I’m ringing about an accident that wasn’t your fault,” Lester snapped. “You can block as many fucking numbers as you want but I’ll still keep calling.”
“This number was meant to be untraceable.”
“I have GCHQ on my side, and if they ever draw a blank, my aunt plays bridge with your mother.”
That drew a reluctant laugh from Becker and just for a fleeting moment, he heard the echo of a laugh that he thought he’d never hear again.
A shiver ran down his spine. “But it was my fault.”
****
“How many shrinks have told you that’s bollocks?”
“None,” Becker retorted.
“Only because you’ve refused to see anyone. Now open the fucking door, I’m freezing my nuts off out here and I’m getting strange looks from assorted supernatural beings and their parents.”
Becker shivered again and reached for the tumbler of whisky by his chair. Lester wasn’t the only one that was happening too, minus the parents.
“Becker, open the door, please.”
“Fuck off, James.”
“No. This has gone on long enough. You were not responsible for Sarah’s death, now open the fucking door and pour me a fucking drink.”
****
Becker handed over a large cut-glass tumbler of his best scotch.
“I’m not coming back to work on the anomaly project. Too many people died on my watch. Do yourself a favour, James, get someone who can do the bloody job properly.”
“Budget cuts,” Lester said. “You’re all I can afford.”
“Get your new venture capital investor to dig a bit deeper.”
“You’re well informed for a man who isn’t interested. And for the record, he’s not my anything. I meant it when I said I’m not taking the job if you’re not running security.”
“I repeat, not my problem.”
****
“I never took you for a quitter.”
“Nice try but no dice.”
“Cutter was murdered by his psychotic ex-wife. Sarah was killed by an army of future predators. You lost six of your men trying to save her. They were all volunteers. They knew the risks and accepted them.”
“Connor, Abby and Danny were all lost, too.”
“For all we know, they’re still alive.”
“I’m not fit for active duty.”
“You look it to me.”
Cool laughter slid over Becker’s skin like silk, and he turned around to stare at… nothing.
He quickly knocked back the rest of his whisky.
****
“Tell me the real reason, Becker,” Lester said quietly. “This has gone on long enough.”
Becker stared over Lester’s shoulder into the shadows in the corner of the room.
Shadows. Always in the shadows.
But now he was seeing her everywhere, at the edge of his vision, always just out of reach.
Sometimes smiling, but mostly frowning.
He’d tried talking to her. Tried explaining. Tried telling her how sorry he was.
She’d just smiled sadly and nodded.
At least that was what he thought she’d done.
He wasn’t an expert in ghosts. He was better with things he could shoot.
****
“I keep seeing her,” Becker said at last.
“That’s only to be expected,” Lester said.
“No, James. I keep seeing her. Really seeing her. Not just imagining it. How the hell can I come back to work if I keep seeing a dead woman?”
Becker could see Lester trying to fit that statement into his world view.
Eventually Lester gave up. “Do you think you’re seeing Sarah’s ghost?”
“Yes, James, I think I’m seeing Sarah’s ghost.”
Lester was silent for a long moment then he shrugged. “We deal with dinosaurs and rips in time. Ghosts seem almost normal by comparison.
****
Becker stared at his former boss. “You believe me?”
“I don’t disbelieve you,” Lester conceded. “And I don’t think it affects your fitness for the job.”
“You’re just desperate.”
“Not as desperate as the Home Secretary. But remember, we’re under no obligation to him.”
Becker sighed and reached for the whisky bottle. “But we are under an obligation to the public.”
“Is that a statement or a question?”
The shadows in the corner of the room coalesced into something more solid. This time Becker detected a definite smile on Sarah’s face.
She still knew him better than he knew himself.
****
On All Hallow’s Eve the veil between this world and the next was thin.
Lester left Becker and Sarah together.
Becker seemed reassured that Lester had taken his words at face value.
Sarah seemed happy with the decision the young man had made.
They would work something out, he was sure of that.
As Lester walked back to his flat, he felt rather than heard Ryan fall into step beside him in the light mist swirling up from the river.
He smiled.
They had the rest of the night to themselves now.
Halloween was always his favourite time of year.