Shades of Grey Chapter 10
Title: Shades of Grey Chapter 10
Author: TalliW
Characters: Stephen Hart, Tom Ryan, Nick Cutter, James Lester, Abby Maitland, Connor Temple, Jenny Lewis, Oliver Leek, Lyle, Finn, Helen Cutter, Ditzy
Rating: K+, T in later chapters
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Lyle belongs to Fredbassett.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary: Ryan has survived but he isn't the man he was. Can Stephen and Cutter manage to work together to help him? Perhaps Ryan has changed in more ways than it appears on first sight.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Rays of sun were falling through the curtains, tickling Ryan's nose. He scrunched his face and tried to turn away only to be hindered by a solid form.
Confused, he opened his eyes and stared at the body next to him in the bed. When Ryan recognised Stephen he grinned mischievously.
Stephen's regular breathing stopped abruptly as Ryan got hold of his nose. With a grunt Stephen started to draw air to his half-opened lips but slept on.
Giggling, Ryan grasped Stephen's nose again then shrieked as fingers closed around his wrist.
"It's not nice to take advantage of a sleeping man," Stephen muttered drowsily.
Ryan dissolved in giggles as he squeezed Stephen's nose once more.
Before Ryan knew what was happening Stephen was pinning him to the bed. The next moment Stephen found himself in the same position with Ryan grinning right into his face.
Stephen wrapped his legs and arms around Ryan's body and moved them both around again. But he only kept the upper hand for a few seconds.
Cackling and puffing, they rolled to and fro on the bed, each of them fighting to gain the upper hand until Ryan managed to get hold on Stephen's wrists and pressed him down with all his weight.
"I win," Ryan crowed and gave Stephen a peck on the nose.
Stephen was still laughing when Ryan jumped up and vanished into the bathroom.
"How are you feeling?" Stephen asked gingerly as he dashed the cornflakes on Ryan's plate with milk.
Since they had woken up, Ryan hadn't give any indication that he remembered his hysterical fit the precious night.
Shoveling a spoon full cornflakes into his mouth, Ryan mumbled, "Fine."
"I'm sorry for yesterday evening," Stephen approached the tender subject.
"It's okay. I wanted to try out the grown up stuff. Just didn't think it would taste so bad."
"And what about later. Why were you so scared?"
Ryan stopped his spoon in mid-air and looked confused over to Stephen. "Scared? Me?"
Stephen now had the confirmation that Ryan really didn't remember his spasm of fear. This new memory lapse didn't bode well. It probably was better to pay Ditzy another visit.
"Forget about it," Stephen said quickly. "I probably got the wrong impression." But his smile was forced.
Unconcerned, Ryan started shoveling cornflakes into his mouth again. He was barely chewing and Stephen was tempted to tell him to slow down a bit and chew his food properly.
Irritated, Stephen shook his head at himself. He was slipping far too easily into the parenteral role. In the future he had to be more careful. That certainly wasn't the part he'd intended to play in Ryan's life.
After he had pushed another spoon with cornflakes into his mouth and swallowed it down Ryan asked, "Do you think those white puffball clouds in the sky are made of candy floss?"
"As far I know they are just made of water vapour," Stephen replied, baffled by Ryan's strange train of thoughts.
"Pity. It would have been great to fly up there and eat candy floss with you the whole day when I become a pilot."
Stephen was pleasantly surprised when Ryan helped him with the dishes after they had finished breakfast, put his dirty clothes in the hamper and even fluffed up the bedclothes in the bedroom.
"Everything's tidied up. Can we go to the park now?"
Ryan looked so eager Stephen was sorry to refuse Ryan's wish again.
"I'm afraid not. We have to go back to the ARC infirmary."
"More needles?"
"No, just an ordinary examination. I'll make sure there aren't any needles this time. And Ditzy probably has another lollipop for you."
"But he has such cold hands," Ryan complained albeit his face had brightened at the prospect of the reward.
"Then I'll ensure he warms his hands up this time."
"Will I get two lollipops if I'm very, very good?"
Sighing, Stephen fetched his car key from the keyboard. "Yes, you will get two."
"Then let’s go," Ryan declared enthusiastically.
Ryan was just pulling his shirt over his head as the alarm announced a new anomaly. Ditzy hurriedly shoved a lollipop in Ryan's hand and raced out of the room.
With a look of confusion and relief, Ryan jumped from the examination table. True to his word Stephen had convinced Ditzy to rub his hand warm before touching Ryan and there hadn't been any needles. Still Ryan was glad the poking and prodding had ended.
Without complaining that he’d only got one lollipop despite the fact that he’d sat still during the entire examination, Ryan followed Stephen into the atrium where everyone was just preparing for departure.
To Stephen's surprise even Lester had bothered to come down the ramp and was currently heading towards him and Ryan.
Waving Stephen aside, Lester said to him, "I know I gave you the day off but we might need your help. It seems there's a bunch of animals on the run in Lower Lea Valley. The local police have already had three calls from different places about sightings of strange creatures."
Stephen's eyes flickered over to Ryan and then back to Lester.
"Leave him with me. I imagine I can manage to occupy him for a while. Stephen, please, there are people in danger."
That Lester was begging him told Stephen about the seriousness of the situation. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Stephen prepared himself mentally for the scene Ryan would probably make in a moment.
"That was unexpected," Cutter mumbled to Stephen as they followed Ryan with their eyes as he was led away without any resistance by Lester.
Smiling, Ryan turned around a last time and waved over to them.
"Why shouldn't he be good with kids? He has three himself," Connor threw in as he fetched his laptop.
"So, has he?"
Stephen, used to Cutter's moods, picked up on the slight undertone in Cutter's voice.
"What's wrong with Lester having kids?" Stephen asked baffled. Sometimes he really didn't get what Cutter was on. But then a lot of what Cutter had done lately had caught him off guard.
"Oh nothing. It was to be expected he would be the brave little civil servant who does his share for the population statistics."
Frowning at Cutter's reaction but glad that Ryan had been so easily wooed by Lester, Stephen followed Cutter out to the Hilux.