Secret Santa fic for Knitekat: New Beginnings
Title: New Beginnings
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Nick Cutter, jenny Lewis, Sarah page, Loraine Wickes
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading.
AN: Secret Santa fic for Knitekat
Lester sighed in relief as the spinning world came to a sudden halt. If only the buzzing noise in his ears would stop as well then he might actually be able to get up from the uncomfortable pile of debris he was lying on.
With trepidation, he looked down at the rag what once had been a spotless business suit, quickly quelling the wave of panic that rose in him at the sight of the fast-growing dark stain on his left arm.
Lester was about to shift his weight onto his uninjured shoulder and start testing if his legs would support him as a hand slid under his knees and an arm was looped around his back.
Pressed against a solid body, smelling of smoke and some spicy aftershave, Lester was lifted up and with utmost caution carried out of the wreckage that had been the ARC.
Lester came around to the lovely sight of Jennifer Lewis' cleavage. His arm was bandaged and he was lying in an unfamiliar room in a bed with a rather hard mattress that screamed hospital.
"How bad is it?" he croaked as he tried to remember how he had got out of the building. Had Cutter really carried him in his arms like a bride?
"The bullet grazed your left shoulder and you probably got yourself a light concussion when you fell on the debris. You gave us quite a scare when Cutter carried you out, all covered in blood."
'Well it could be worse,' Lester thought. Considering the injuries he had received on his previous assignment a graze wasn't so much to worry about. At least this time there were no broken bones.
"I assume Helen Cutter was able to escape."
"Unfortunately, yes."
Lester nodded knowingly. It would have been too much to hope that Cutter might have stopped his insane wife from disappearing again.
"What about Cutter?"
"Beside a few small cuts he's uninjured. He's waiting outside. The doctor only allowed one visitor at the time. Do you want to see him?"
Lester looked at Jenny as if she had spouted a second head.
"Why should I wish to see him? I'm recovering from a shoulder wound and not from a brain injury."
"Well, he saved your life. Pardon me, but I assumed you would want to thank him."
Lester openly gaped as Jenny stalked out of the hospital room, obviously peeved for some reason.
A minute later Cutter walked in.
"Cutter, whatever story you trotted out to Jenny, allow me to remind you that I can hire and fire staff as I see fit. It was me who rescued you, not the other way around. So if you expect me to thank you for your heroic efforts then you are sadly mistaken."
"Well..." Cutter drawled with a strong Scottish accent, "Without me you would have bled to death in there. So I think we are even."
"Cutter, I assure you I was perfectly be able to stand up and walk out on my own."
"All right, the next time you’re lying bleeding somewhere I’ll keep that in mind and leave you alone."
Lester exhaled forcefully. Cutter had the uncanny talent of breaking his calm demeanor and raising his hackles every time they talked for longer than a minute.
Before Lester could give a vitriolic reply, Cutter's expression changed and he looked almost rueful.
"You shouldn't have followed me. It was a matter between Helen and me."
"Oh, my deepest apologies that I had the impertinence to push you out of the way of the bullet. If I had known that you had such a death wish I wouldn't have bothered."
"Helen caught me by surprise. I hadn't expected that she really would pull the trigger," Cutter declared.
Lester stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Not even Cutter could be so dense as to believe that Helen still had any love left for him. She had tried to blow him up already after all. What more proof did the man need to accept the truth?
"The woman I married would never have raised a weapon against me. Damn it, how could she be so cruel? She aimed directly for my heart."
"Isn't that what women always do?" Lester replied with a shrug, suddenly tired of arguing with Cutter. The raw pain in Cutter's last sentences had rung a chord in him, bringing up memories of the last stages of his own marriage.
"If you would please call the doctor in charge now so I can sign the papers to get out of here," Lester said quickly, desperate to finish the awkward conversation.
Cutter stood up and did exactly what he had asked of him. Jenny certainly would have kicked up a fuss at his request and demanded that he stay in hospital.
"Thank you, from here I can manage alone," Lester said loudly for the second time. Unfortunately Cutter still hadn't got the hint. "Cutter, I would like to be alone now."
"Sorry, I promised the doctor I’d keep an eye on you."
"That wouldn't by any chance be the same doctor you called an incompetent dickhead, would it?" Lester asked sarcastically.
"Well, he is a dickhead when he refuses to prescribe a patient with a gunshot wound any painkillers. I bet the guy has never been in serious pain."
Lester had to agree with Cutter. Already the light bumps from the rough road had put a strain on his arm although Cutter had made an effort to drive carefully. So he was thankful Cutter had got upset on his behalf until the consultant had shown up personally and Lester had got a small dose of strong painkillers to last till he could get a prescription from his GP.
"Come on, I'll help you."
"Cutter, I’ve been able to undress myself since I was a toddler."
It had been embarrassing enough to need help to get into the jumper Cutter had obtained from a clothing shop near the hospital, along with a set of tracksuit bottoms and some scratchy underwear. He would get out of those clothes all by himself, no matter how badly it hurt.
But Cutter didn't have any of it. Despite Lester's vehement protests Cutter gently pulled off the jumper and his vest then knelt down to remove his socks.
When Lester settled finally into bed on his wonderfully soft mattress he had to admit to himself that Cutter had made the disconcerting affair of getting undressed into a rather pleasant experience. He hadn't known that Cutter had such a gentle, caring side. The man would have made an excellent nurse.
"James, wake up."
Fingers brushed gently over Lester's cheek. Confused, Lester opened his eyes and saw Cutter standing beside his bed, placing a tray with dishes on the bedside cabinet. What was Cutter still doing here? He had thought the man had gone home last night.
"I made you chicken soup."
"I don't like chicken soup," Lester grumped. "And for breakfast even less." He had never claimed to be a morning person.
"It's a quarter past twelve. Breakfast's long over. Now be a good boy and eat your chicken soup. It's the best food for sick people. I have to go now and see what can be salvaged from the wreckage of my lab. But I will check on you this evening."
Lester gritted his teeth to stop himself from telling Cutter where exactly he could shove his bowl with chicken soup. He had intended to get up early in the morning and start on the paperwork that had been neglected the last days. Cutter must have turned off his alarm clock.
Lester didn't stand up to open the door when Cutter rang his doorbell in the evening. After hours of paperwork his head was throbbing painfully and he felt like a truck had run him over. The last thing he needed was Cutter's company.
Cutter gave up ringing after three more tries. Deafening silence filled the flat whilst Lester told himself that it was for Cutter's own good. If Cutter was looking for a friend he was absolutely the wrong person for that. Cutter needed someone sympathetic, who would listen without judging.
Still as he lay in bed waiting for the painkiller to kick in, Lester found his thoughts turning to Cutter over and over again. It had been obviously that Cutter was hovering on the edge of a breakdown since the warehouse accident. After Stephen's death he had withdrawn from everyone else but him. Maybe he shouldn't have been so unfriendly to Cutter. A few kind words wouldn't have killed him, would they?
Sighing, Lester stared at the spot in the ceiling that was illuminated by the moon light. Sleep just didn’t want to come although there was still hope that the sleeping pill he had taken as well might actually start working.
Well, he could always count sheep When he was a child that old sleep-inducing practice had at least made him a little drowsy.
"Meeh." The first sheep jumped effortlessly over the fence, closely followed by sheep numbered two to twenty. Lester counted them obediently, feeling his muscles relax as his inner tension left him little by little.
Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three. Wonderfully fluffy sheep with dark, sympathetic eyes, calming his mind and leading him slowly towards sleep. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-s...
Sheep number twenty-six stopped abruptly and directed his haunted blue eyes at Lester. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you let me down?" it asked with a familiar accent before it ran headfirst into the fence.
Lester jerked wide awake. That had been weird. His dream sheep weren't supposed to have Scottish accents. And since when did sheep have blue eyes?
With open eyes, Lester stared into the darkness of his bed room, trying to shake off the bad feeling creeping over him.
As morning came, he finally fell into a restless sleep.
Pissed off about the greedy taxi driver who had taken the long road to get more money out of him, Lester stormed into the wing of the Home Office where the Anomaly project was currently residing until the repairs at the ARC were finished.
He had slept badly and arguing with his family doctor who had wanted to put him on sick leave hadn't improved his mood.
True, he couldn't drive a car and had trouble getting dressed but that didn't mean he was an invalid. Had the doctor any clue how many papers he’d already had to fill out because of his injury and yesterday's sick day? Besides with Christine Johnson looming in the background, trying to take over his project, he simply couldn't afford to take sick leave.
Lester gave Lorraine a curt nod, pleased that the work continued as if their former workplace hadn't been blown to bits two days ago.
After sorting through the stack of memos and emails that had accumulated in his absence, Lester gathered the reports that had to be sent to his superiors. Unsurprisingly, Cutter's reports were still missing and that gave him a good enough excuse to check on him.
His request to speak to Cutter was met with a nervous coughing and he knew something had happened.
"Is he dead?" he asked with trepidation, his weird dream still fresh in his mind.
"Of course not, " Lorraine answered, shocked. "He was just involved in a bar fight and then arrested for assaulting a police officer. Jenny is currently trying to bail him out."
The relief that nothing serious had happened to Cutter carried Lester away to do something he would later always refer to as his most stupid but in spite of everything best idea of his life. He decided to reach out to Cutter. A sarcastic, disillusioned bureaucrat might not be the best choice for a listener but it was better than nothing.
Whatever Lorraine had said to Cutter when he and Jenny arrived it had worked. Cutter showed up in Lester's office, still looking dishevelled from his night in a cell.
"Am I fired?" he asked mockingly as he sat down on a chair opposite to Lester's desk.
Lester smiled thinly. If that was how Cutter wanted to play it, fine.
"I think the question here is, do you want me to fire you, because you seem to be trying awfully hard lately. Aside from your latest run-in with the police you are hiding in your lab when the others go out into the field. I haven't received one adequate report from you since Hart's death. Not to mention your frequent tardiness lately."
"I was busy working on the anomaly prediction model."
"So staring into space from beneath your model counts as working now?"
Cutter's eyes flashed up in anger and Lester prepared himself for a verbal attack.
"Condescending little prick. You think you know everything, don’t you?"
"I would never claim that I know everything, Cutter. And you shouldn't base your evaluation of the size of my reproductive organs on mere assumption."
"You are very full of himself."
"No, just stating a fact. Still you haven't answered my question. I would like to know if you are planning to change your current attitude or if I have to replace you with someone who will take his duties more seriously. That nosy police officer who arrested Connor seemed quite interested in getting into the project. As a public servant he should know how to follow orders, unlike you, allow me to point out. I bet he would even work for only half of your salary. Shall I call him and tell him the good news that I have a vacant position?"
Cutter's face darkened. "Don't. The work is all I still have," he said in a hollow voice.
Lester congratulated himself upon his cunning. He had managed to cut through Cutter's indifference. The first step had been taken. Maybe now Cutter was ready to accept help.
"Then show me that you actually value it. In this project I need people I can count on 100%."
Lester leaned forwards to shorten the distance to Cutter, despite the fact that the movement caused him a fiery twinge in his shoulder. It was now or never.
"Cutter, I can't comprehend exactly what you are going through right now. But I can relate to the feeling of hopelessness, like you’re drowning and have no idea any more which way is up. I felt that way during my divorce. So if you want to talk I'm here to listen. I can't guarantee that I will be a good listener but I promise I will keep my sarcastic remarks to a minimum."
Of course Cutter didn't start talking about his problems. He sat ramrod straight after Lester's speech and stared at him guardedly, evaluating if Lester meant what he'd said. Then he excused himself and went straight to the rooms that served as surrogate labs.
Lester checked on him a few hours later and found Cutter and Sarah deeply buried in calculations and old books. In the middle of the room stood the beginnings of a new anomaly prediction model.
When Cutter volunteered to drive him home, Lester knew he should decline. The look in Cutter's eyes set off all sorts of alarm bells in his head. No one had ever looked at him this way, as if he was the answer to any question ever asked. Whatever Cutter suddenly saw in him he was heading down the road for disappointment. But withdrawing his earlier offer would be cruel. Besides calling a taxi and dealing with the nosy driver didn't sound very appealing either.
"You worry too much," Cutter said with a chuckle, grasped Lester's briefcase and headed towards the car park.
With a shrug, Lester followed him. If Cutter was aiming for another heartbreak it wasn't his fault.
Sated, Lester leaned against the backrest of his couch. Cutter's meal had been surprising good. It also had been nice to eat in company although there had been a tense moment when Cutter had leaned over to cut Lester's food into small pieces so he could eat with only one hand. But Lester had got quickly over that embarrassment and had enjoyed their shared meal.
After Cutter had cleared the table and moved the dishes into the dishwasher it was clear that he had no intention of leaving any time soon so Lester switched on the telly. What better opportunity for Cutter to make a move as when they were sitting closely together on the couch, watching a blockbuster on the telly together.
An hour later Lester felt his eyelids droop. The film wasn't very gripping and Cutter hadn't tried anything yet. His eyes firmly glued to the telly, Cutter still kept a proper distance between them. Maybe he had misjudged Cutter's look completely and what he had taken as sexual interest was actually just gratitude that someone had made an effort to understand his situation. What a pity. He hadn't been laid in ages.
"I'm going to bed," Lester announced after another ten minutes. "You can let yourself out."
Disapointed by Cutter's lack of response, Lester stalked off to his bedroom.
Cutter was still there in the morning. Lester found him lying curled up on the couch in what must have been a rather uncomfortable position.
"For sleeping beds are better," he muttered, disgruntled.
Cutter stretched slowly and peered at Lester with sleepy eyes. "I wasn't sure I would be welcome in yours."
Lester rolled his eyes. Cutter was defenitely slow on the uptake. Did Cutter think he made a habit of taking staff members home? Without reacting to Cutter's remark, Lester headed for the kitchen.
Lester closed the cupboard door and turned around, the can with ground coffee in his right hand. His breath hitched as he found himself trapped by Cutter.
Cutter's face was close enough to smell his mint-fresh breath. Where the hell had Cutter got the toothbrush from? There hadn't be a spare. And Jesus, now Cutter had that look again.
"Um, I... coffee."
Realising he sounded like an idiot, Lester gave up trying to say something and gazed into Cutter's eyes. It was a revelation as if suddenly the universe made sense.
"I'm going to kiss you, " Cutter announced, leaning forwards hesitantly, as if he was expecting Lester to push him away.
The kiss was just a brush of lips, chaste and searching. But it was enough to make Lester's head spin. Had it really been so long since someone had kissed him?
Desperate to get more more of that heady feeling, Lester surged forwards and smashed their lips together, not caring that the coffee can slipped out of his hand and hit the floor with a rattling noise.
Cutter's lips were warm and soft and just perfect. Delighted, Lester savored the delicious taste of Cutter and mint until Cutter pulled away to get oxygen into his lungs.
After that it was just a flurry of groans and whimpers as Cutter opened Lester's fly and started to stroke him. With his good hand Lester groped for Cutter's crotch, determined to reciprocate in kind.
Cutter pumped him hard, going faster and faster until Lester came with a deep moan and the scrunched up face he made when he was in the throws of orgasmic bliss.
"What a mess," Lester sighed as he looked at the stain on his shirt, where Cutter had spurted against his belly. Not that Cutter's shirt was in any better condition. Pearl-white globs of Lester's semen clung tenaciously to the fabric. However he was sure Cutter's garment wasn't one of the high-quality brands that had cost over £200.
Cutter chuckled softly and started to unbutton his shirt.
"Shouldn't you have undressed before you jumped me?"
"Well, the higher functions of my brain stopped the moment you shoved your tongue down my throat. I still can't believe we have just done it in your kitchen. I feel like a student again."
"Having been one of the randy sort of student then?"
"Not really, but it was at that point I realised cocks can be just as nice as pussies."
"Ah. I had wondered about that. You have definitely given off the vibes but there's your marriage."
"Pot calling kettle black."
"I'm divorced."
"For that reason?"
Lester shook his head. "It just didn't work out."
"Yes, sometimes that happens," Cutter replied, his sad expression indicating that he was thinking about his own failed marriage.
"I guess you don't have a spare shirt you can lend me."
With a huff, Lester walked off to clean up and look for a shirt that would fit Cutter. So it was down to sharing clothes already. At that speed it wouldn't take long until Cutter was moving in with him.
Three months later, Cutter hadn't moved in with him yet but he spent more time at Lester's flat than at his own place. There had also been some more mutual wanking, a little bit of oral sex and some frottage in Lester's king-sized bed.
"And once again people go bonkers with Christmas around the corner," Lester muttered in annoyance.
"Oh, Mr Scrooge makes an appearance again," Lorraine mumbled under her breath. After three years of working for James Lester she knew all about his dislike for Christmassy activities. It hadn't stopped the team from decorating the ARC, though.
This year even an impressive Christmas tree stood in the atrium and Sarah had strategically placed mistletoe all over the place, probably hoping to steal kisses from either Becker or Jenny.
"He's in a horrible mood, isn't he?" Jenny asked, sighing.
"Like every year around this time."
"He's not the only one. Cutter looks as miserable as sin. They would make the perfect couple," Sarah said with a chuckle.
Jenny and Lorraine laughed heartily. Jenny had finally overcome her crush on Cutter, sadly realising that she would never stand a chance against Cutter's mysterious Claudia Brown, Helen Cutter and the ghost of Stephen Hart.
Cutter heard the laughter from the rec room and it made him smile. There had been too much misery lately.
At first seeing the sparkling decorations had brought up memories of last Christmas, the first he had spent without Stephen, too angry about his friend's betrayal. It had made him quite depressed. But then he'd remembered all the things Stephen had done just to draw him out of his gloomy mood. Stephen would kick his arse, claiming that it was just the lack of sunlight and serotonin if he could see him moping around now.
With a start, Cutter realised that he would have to spend Christmas alone again when Lester drove home to his family.
Maybe he could convince Lester to celebrate at least Christmas Eve with him.
"I'm not celebrating Christmas, Nick. So take your rubbish somewhere else."
"It's just a small Christmas floral arrangement. And what do you mean by you aren't celebrating it? What will your kids say about that?"
"My daughter is studying computer science in Stanford. I doubt she wants to fly over just to spent a few hours with her old father. And the last time I saw my son he sided with his mother and yelled at me that he wished I would rot in hell. I won't sent him any gift this year."
"Ouch. So I guess that means no family gathering. But what about us? We could spend Christmas together. Stephen and I always did."
"I'm not a replacement for Stephen Hart," Lester declared indignantly.
"I didn't say that. You are so much more than Stephen ever was. Whatever you might have assumed, Stephen wasn't my lover. He wasn't interested in me. I guess I was the wrong Cutter."
Lester's face softened. Cutter rarely mentioned Stephen and his unholy alliance with Helen as it was still a very sore topic for him.
"I'm just not in a Christmas mood, Nick. It was different when my parents were still alive. The whole family gathered at the manor on Christmas day. I tried to uphold that tradition but Karen was dead against it allegedly for financial reason. She never had liked those family meetings much."
"You have a manor?"
"It's in Hampshire. It costs a fortune to keep in good condition. I really should have sold it years ago."
"But you love it too much."
"Of course. I grew up there. A lot of good memories are linked to that place."
Lester got a faraway look in his eyes as he began to describe how the manor had been decorated every year for the Christmas party.
"Now the house looks just bleak and abandoned." Lester finished his excursion down memory lane. "If it would snow at least. Snow makes everything looking brighter. More festive. But I bet it will only rain again this year. Maybe we should just go away over Christmas. Somewhere with a lot of snow. I haven't been skiing in years."
"That sounds good to me," Cutter said, an unusual idea forming in his mind.
"Nick, that's not the way to the airport."
"We don't need a plane."
"You don't intend to drive all the way, do you?"
"Don't worry, we're nearly there."
Lester eyed Cutter warily as they stopped at an old, abandoned slaughterhouse in the outskirts of London, beginning to suspect that his lover had finally snapped.
"There we are. And not a moment too soon. There's just enough time left to get changed."
Quickly, Cutter unloaded their cross-county ski gear and began to put on his skiwear.
"James, hurry up. Get dressed."
Lester decided to follow his wacko lover's orders. There was still the small chance that Cutter actually knew what he was doing. Maybe the weather report had announced a sudden heavy snowfall in this area.
Lester felt ridiculous in his ski gear with his skis over his shoulder. It was only a small comfort that Cutter looked just so out of place there in front of a ruined slaughterhouse without any sign of even a single snowflake.
He was about to suggest finishing the charade and trying to catch the next flight when only a few feet away from their position an anomaly opened.
"Here we go. We have nine hours maximum."
"Nick, you don't expect me to go through there."
"It's absolutely safe. I already checked. The anomaly will open and close every forty minutes for the next nine hours. Come on, James, there's plenty of snow on the other side. It was you who wanted to go skiing."
"In Seefeld in Austria, not in the Ice Age."
"Austria is too over-crowed at Christmas. You would have hated it there."
"Oh really? I was quite content with our travel plans."
"That's not true. You just accepted that you would have to put up with the people if you wanted snow. Now you can have snow and seclusion. And aren't you the slightest bit curious how it looks on the other side of the anomaly?"
Lester couldn't deny that. He hated crowds and after reading all of Cutter's reports his desire to see the primeval time for himself had grown steadily. However considering Cutter's view on the subject of Butterfly effects he never would have expected that Cutter would offer him such an opportunity.
Touched by Cutter's consideration, he decided to take a leap of faith and stepped through the anomaly. Cutter followed him a few seconds later.
"Look, isn't it marvellous? Here it's just us and perhaps a handful of Neanderthals somewhere."
Lester put his cross-country skis down and took a look around the pristine white landscape. The sun had just risen and the snow sparkled as crystals danced in the cold fresh air. Everything was peaceful and untouched by human hand. Lester itched to cut a trail through the virgin snow and explore the unknown landscape.
"Nick, I swear if something eats me here I will hound you for the rest of your life."
With that Lester stepped into the ski bindings, pushed his poles into the deep snow and propelled himself forwards the white, vast expanse.
"Mammoths! But they look differently from Monty."
"That are woolly mammoths. But Sarah and I have also discovered an anomaly that leads in the same area and time Monty is coming from. We have already spoken with Abby. She wants to make sure Monty hasn't suffered any lasting damage from his stay in our time. However the next time that anomaly opens, that's in five weeks from now, we might sent him through."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"It should be a Christmas surprise. I know how much it pains you that Monty is so cooped up."
"Well, you succeeded. The whole day is nothing but a big surprise."
"Oh come on, James. Stop pouting. We only came upon this anomaly last month. It was one of the last links we added to the anomaly prediction model. With it we can probably find new homes for the other stranded animals too. Isn't that great?"
Lester relaxed his face with a sigh.
"Yes, that is great news. I just would like to be kept in the loop. But all things considered that is the best Christmas gift I could imagine. Definitely better than ties and socks. Thank you, Nick."
Cutter blushed and hastily said, "You're welcome. Now, how's your arm doing? You still okay?"
"I think we should return. My arm still isn't back to its full strength. And skiing without ski trails is demanding."
"We could take a break. I have brought bread and sausage to roast over a fire."
"Without firewood?"
Cutter smiled mischievously. "I told you I checked the anomaly out before. Couldn't risk your life after all. Not far from here I left a bag of firewood at a rock shelter."
Skilfully, Cutter had prepared a fireplace. Now a roaring fire emitted pleasant heat and roasted their meager meal.
"What about the effects our visit could have? I'm surprised you are ready to risk the future just to indulge me," Lester finally asked the question that had preyed on his mind since the anomaly had opened.
Cutter gave a shrug.
"Sarah and I have found proof that anomalies have existed for thousands of years. Who knows how often the future has already been changed through one of our ancestors. Besides, Helen has been traveling the anomalies for years. I think as long we don't kill something here or leave modern equipment in the past I think it should be fine. I won't make a habit of it, though. It's just a special Christmas gift for my lover."
"I would love to repay you right here but I think it's a little cold for what I have in mind," Lester said with a twinkle in his eyes. He hadn't felt so free and happy in ages.
"Then we should start on our way."
Cutter stared dumbfounded at the white sand that scrunched under his feet as the anomaly winked out of existence behind him.
"Oops!"
"Oops? Is that all you have to say? Where the hell are we?"
"Not in London apparently. The last time I checked it wasn’t about 30 degrees above zero there."
"You don't say."
"The anomaly must have changed direction. "
"Great. How many millions of years in the past are we now?"
"Primitive forms of palms have existed since the Jurassic. This seems to be an island so I would say we are at a time after the ice has melted and overflowed the land bridges of the supercontinent Pangea. The subtropical flora and the high air temperature indicate that we are somewhere in the hothouse period."
"And what exactly does that mean?" Lester cut in, annoyed. The heat level in his ski gear was rising steadily. If the anomaly didn't reopen soon he was going to discard the warm clothes.
"I think we have ended up in the Early Eocene epoch, which would have been 56 million years ago. Fortunately the animals around this time are quite small to cope better with the heat."
"Understandable," Lester said drily whilst he took off his cap, gloves and scarf and opened the zipper of his jacket.
Not quite comfortable but at least no longer in immediate danger of heat stroke Lester observed his surroundings.
He was standing on a beautiful beach with blistering white sand, lined up with palm trees. The turquoise waters of the ocean glittered in the afternoon sun and made the perfect cover picture for a travel magazine.
"Well, for me it looks like the Caribbean. Maybe the anomaly has only changed location and not the time."
"That's a possibility too."
With a sparkle of hope, Cutter checked his mobile but to his disappointment it showed no reception.
"These days there are not many unpopulated islands left. So if we are in the 21th century we should easily find proof of human habitation."
"What about the anomaly?"
"If it follows the same pattern as the other one it will open in about half an hour, so we have enough time to take a short look around. Or we could just stay here and occupy ourselves in the meantime. I remember you saying something about showing me your gratitude."
"I don't think so," Lester said slightly irritated. "Aside from the fact that being stranded in time has pretty much killed my mood, have you ever made out with someone on a beach? Sand tends to get everywhere."
"Really everywhere?" Cutter teased.
"You are impossible," Lester said with a shake of his head, still he couldn't prevent the small smile that crept onto his lips.
As they moved through the palm forest side by side, looking for any sign of civilisation, Lester grasped Cutter's hand and held it tightly the whole time, something he would never have dared at home.
Being on a beautiful island with his lover was pretty much how he had always imagined spending his holidays once his children were grown-up. So why shouldn't he enjoy the unexpected gift as long it lasted? In his circle spending the festive season in the Caribbean had become quite popular.
Twenty minutes later they were back on the beach, waiting for the anomaly to reappear. They hadn't found any sign that other people had set foot on the island before them. Instead they had scared a small group of what Cutter thought might have been Eohippus, solidifying the suspicion that they had actually landed in the Eocene like Cutter believed. Lester, however, was convinced the small creature he had briefly seen was nothing other than some sort of little wild pig.
But then they had heard lovely birdsong from the palm treetops above and Cutter had to reconsider his theory.
At 5pm the sun was declining beneath the blue ocean, providing them with one of the most beautiful sunsets they had ever seen.
Lester and Cutter were sitting under a palm tree, snuggled up to each other, preoccupied in thoughts, trying to come to terms with the fact that they were currently stuck on this island.
"That was the most unusual Christmas Eve I have ever experienced," Lester murmured wryly.
Cutter put his arm around Lester's shoulder and pulled him closer. He knew he owed his lover an apology for bringing them into this situation. But he had never been very good at saying sorry.
"We should have gone to Austria," he said in contrition. "I thought I had everything under control, but I should have known better. The anomalies will always stay unpredictable."
"It's all right, Nick. It was a wonderful day."
"I got us stranded on a lonely island."
"Exactly. Do you know how many people dream of being on an island like this? It is lovely. I wouldn't mind spending my declining years here. "
But Lester's consolation made Cutter feel even worse.
"You don't understand. We have to get back. There's another surprise waiting for you on Christmas Day. I have arranged..."
Lester quickly laid his finger over Cutter's lips to stop him from finishing the sentence.
"Don't tell me. There's still a chance that we might be home by then.
"And if not?"
"Then we have to start making arrangements for survival. Have you ever read Robinson Crusoe?"
Cutter began to chuckle.
"And which of us is going to be Friday?"
"You of course. You will look better in a loin cloth."
Both men roared with laughter as they pictured each other in such a revealing garment.
When Cutter later rolled on top of Lester to rub their cocks together, turned on by the image of a loin-clothed Lester, Lester wasn't complaining about tricky sand.
"Bloody hell. That's a ship. We have been completely wrong about the timeframe."
Lester squinted against the morning sun to see at what Cutter was pointing at.
In the distance, a large sailing ship steadily cut its way through the ocean, its big canvas sails straining against the wind.
"It's heading for our island."
"I don't think that's a good thing. Do you see the Jolly Roger?"
"Pirates? Here?"
"If we actually are in the Caribbean Sea it makes sense. It was their favourite hunting ground. They probably want to stock up on drinking water."
Suddenly a light bulb went off in Cutter's head.
"I think I know where we are. There was a report from a sailor from the 1700s about strange lights on a tropical island Sarah pointed out to me. In the end we couldn't determine that it actually was an anomaly the man had been describing. Come on, James. He could see it from the sea so it must be somewhere on the top of a mountain. The anomaly must have moved around."
Hastily they gathered their gear, afraid of contaminating the past otherwise and headed for the centre of the island.
Once again Lester felt ridiculous walking with his skis over his shoulder through a tropical jungle. His life had definitely been more simple before he had hooked up with Cutter.
Lester and Cutter were standing at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the roaring waters that poured from the waterfall into the lake. The anomaly was hovering in midair eight feet away, already pulsing like it was about to close.
Without time to mull things over there wasn't any doubt that they wanted to return. Knowing that this anomaly might be their only chance to get home they met in a brief kiss, which could well be their parting kiss. Then they tightened her fingers around the skis and jumped from the cliff.
Lester hit the white surface with an "Umpf". Beside him Cutter landed with his face first in the snow only a hand's breadth away from the spot where he had relieved himself the day before.
Just as the anomaly they had just passed through closed, a new one opened next to it. This time it was the right one.
"Nick, slow down before you wrap the car around a tree. I’ve had enough excitement for the day."
Obediently, Cutter reduced the speed to the allowed limit. He had made good enough time to reach their destination early enough despite the fact that the shared shower had taken longer than calculated and he had been struggling with fastening his tie.
The moment he had steered the car onto the M3 Lester had given him a pointed look, already aware of where Cutter was heading.
Cutter grinned to himself. Whatever Lester suspected it most certainly wouldn't really come close to the truth.
"Oh my God." Lester gasped as Cutter entered the driveway to the manor.
The house and the courtyard were shining in Christmassy glamour just the way he remembered from the the last Christmas party his parents had given. It must have taken days to decorate everything.
Then Lester noticed the cars. Dozen of cars. And he heard music from inside the house.
With trepidation, Lester climbed out of the car and strode towards the entrance at the side of a broadly grinning Cutter. The door was opened by the old manservant who had worked for his parents for more than 20 years. Lester felt as if the time had been turned back. Any moment his mother would come around the corner and welcome him with a hug.
Instead it was his daughter who dashed around the corner and flew into his arms.
A little dazed, Lester followed her into the ballroom full of people he hadn't seen in years and people he had started to care for just recently.
Realising the lengths Cutter had gone to to arrange the party, Lester squeezed his hand briefly in gratitude.
"It wasn't as difficult as you think," Cutter whispered blushing. "I just copied all the addresses in your notebook and sent out the invitations."
"Oh, that explains it," Lester said with a frown, as someone flounced by he hadn't expected to see.
Exhausted but happy, Lester bid goodbye to his guests with Cutter still at his side, glad everyone had had a good time.
Connor, cutting quite a dashing figure in his tuxedo, left arm in arm with Abby. Lorraine was giggling madly at something her escort had said. Even Becker was in good mood, talking animatedly with the group of people surrounding him whilst Sarah and Jenny had already stolen away from the party an hour ago, quite tipsy after too many glasses of spiked Christmas punch.
"I can truly say I was surprised to be invited, James," Christine Johnson, who was the last guest to leave, said smirking. "But I don't regret coming," she added, sending the younger man waiting at the door who Lester recognised as his second cousin, a beatific smile. "This won't change anything through. I will continue trying to take over the ARC."
"I wouldn't have expected anything else from you," Lester answered politely.
"Well, but being Christmas, I have a gift for you."
Lester's heart skipped a beat as Christine stepped into his personal space and raised her lips to whisper in his ear, "I promise I won't play dirty."
Lester stared in surprise at Christine's retreating back.
For someone like Christine Johnson, playing fair was the biggest concession she could make. The Christmas party and his cousin must really have impressed her.
With everyone gone and his daughter sleeping upstairs, Lester wrapped Cutter in a tight hug before leading him to the living room to lie down on the thick rug by the fireplace.
"Would you like your gifts now or do you prefer to wait until Boxing Day?"
"It's been Boxing Day for an hour."
"Then I think you can unwrap your first gift."
Cutter chuckled. "Giving yourself to me sounds a little cliched, don't you think?"
"I thought more in terms of moving to a new level in our relationship and starting fucking."
Cutter grinned excitedly. "That sounds like a good idea to me."
"Then stop talking and get naked."
"Planning to top from the bottom, James?"
"Look who's being cliched now."
Cutter decided there had been indeed enough talking and stripped off his clothes, delighted to see that Lester was already ahead of him.
Sprawled out on the rug, Lester was waiting for him with a nervous smile on his face.
Cutter had an inkling what it must mean for Lester to give up control to him. Their first penetrative sex wouldn't be simple fucking. He would make it a loving experience for both of them.
Gently he brushed his fingertips over Lester's shoulders and chest, purposefully avoiding his nipples, petting and stroking until Lester's muscles relaxed and he was putty under Cutter's hands.
Sure that all the tension had left Lester's body, Cutter fumbled for the lube that Lester had far-sightedly placed in front of the fireplace.
Breathing heavily from anticipation, Cutter pushed a finger into Lester's hole, preparing him slowly, only adding another finger when a certain degree of relaxation had been achieved.
Lester made sweet gasping noises as his prostate was touched and soon he was fucking himself onto Cutter's fingers.
"Nick," Lester panted, his voice needy and hoarse, full of want.
Cutter withdrew his fingers and crawled on top of Lester, leaning in to kiss him passionately.
Lester's legs moved apart, allowing Cutter to settle in between.
With Lester's erection hard against his belly, Cutter couldn't resist any more.
He raised up on his arms, lined his cock up with Lester's hole and started to push his way inside.
Lester was tight, much tighter as he had expected after so much preparation.
Cutter knew he wouldn't last long. Every move had to count.
Hoping of having the right angle, Cutter pulled out and plunged back in, eliciting a scream of pure lustful passion from Lester.
There was no holding back now. Faster and faster Cutter moved, his mind set on the single thought of emptying his balls into that amazing tight arse.
Under him Lester whimpered in delight as his prostate was repeatedly slammed.
With a lustful groan, Cutter thrust in a last time and held still. For a moment Cutter hovered at the point of no return, then he started coming.
He shot pulse after pulse of come inside Lester's body whilst Lester muscles contracted around him, milking him until he was completely spent.
Painfully aware that Lester hadn't come, Cutter slipped out and set to the task of bringing him off orally.
He wrapped his hand around Lester's straining shaft and stroked slowly up and down, before he lowered his head and took the engorged cock-head between his lips.
As soon his tongue flickered over the slit Lester erupted, spraying his load all over Cutter's face.
Grinning about the mess he had made, Lester accepted Cutter's kiss and licked his own bitter come from Cutter's lips.
Hours later when both men had cleaned up and were sleeping peacefully upstairs in an extremely comfortable king-size bed a text message arrived on Lester's mobile.
"Merry Christmas, Dad. Thanks for the super gift you sent me."
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Nick Cutter, jenny Lewis, Sarah page, Loraine Wickes
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading.
AN: Secret Santa fic for Knitekat
Lester sighed in relief as the spinning world came to a sudden halt. If only the buzzing noise in his ears would stop as well then he might actually be able to get up from the uncomfortable pile of debris he was lying on.
With trepidation, he looked down at the rag what once had been a spotless business suit, quickly quelling the wave of panic that rose in him at the sight of the fast-growing dark stain on his left arm.
Lester was about to shift his weight onto his uninjured shoulder and start testing if his legs would support him as a hand slid under his knees and an arm was looped around his back.
Pressed against a solid body, smelling of smoke and some spicy aftershave, Lester was lifted up and with utmost caution carried out of the wreckage that had been the ARC.
Lester came around to the lovely sight of Jennifer Lewis' cleavage. His arm was bandaged and he was lying in an unfamiliar room in a bed with a rather hard mattress that screamed hospital.
"How bad is it?" he croaked as he tried to remember how he had got out of the building. Had Cutter really carried him in his arms like a bride?
"The bullet grazed your left shoulder and you probably got yourself a light concussion when you fell on the debris. You gave us quite a scare when Cutter carried you out, all covered in blood."
'Well it could be worse,' Lester thought. Considering the injuries he had received on his previous assignment a graze wasn't so much to worry about. At least this time there were no broken bones.
"I assume Helen Cutter was able to escape."
"Unfortunately, yes."
Lester nodded knowingly. It would have been too much to hope that Cutter might have stopped his insane wife from disappearing again.
"What about Cutter?"
"Beside a few small cuts he's uninjured. He's waiting outside. The doctor only allowed one visitor at the time. Do you want to see him?"
Lester looked at Jenny as if she had spouted a second head.
"Why should I wish to see him? I'm recovering from a shoulder wound and not from a brain injury."
"Well, he saved your life. Pardon me, but I assumed you would want to thank him."
Lester openly gaped as Jenny stalked out of the hospital room, obviously peeved for some reason.
A minute later Cutter walked in.
"Cutter, whatever story you trotted out to Jenny, allow me to remind you that I can hire and fire staff as I see fit. It was me who rescued you, not the other way around. So if you expect me to thank you for your heroic efforts then you are sadly mistaken."
"Well..." Cutter drawled with a strong Scottish accent, "Without me you would have bled to death in there. So I think we are even."
"Cutter, I assure you I was perfectly be able to stand up and walk out on my own."
"All right, the next time you’re lying bleeding somewhere I’ll keep that in mind and leave you alone."
Lester exhaled forcefully. Cutter had the uncanny talent of breaking his calm demeanor and raising his hackles every time they talked for longer than a minute.
Before Lester could give a vitriolic reply, Cutter's expression changed and he looked almost rueful.
"You shouldn't have followed me. It was a matter between Helen and me."
"Oh, my deepest apologies that I had the impertinence to push you out of the way of the bullet. If I had known that you had such a death wish I wouldn't have bothered."
"Helen caught me by surprise. I hadn't expected that she really would pull the trigger," Cutter declared.
Lester stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Not even Cutter could be so dense as to believe that Helen still had any love left for him. She had tried to blow him up already after all. What more proof did the man need to accept the truth?
"The woman I married would never have raised a weapon against me. Damn it, how could she be so cruel? She aimed directly for my heart."
"Isn't that what women always do?" Lester replied with a shrug, suddenly tired of arguing with Cutter. The raw pain in Cutter's last sentences had rung a chord in him, bringing up memories of the last stages of his own marriage.
"If you would please call the doctor in charge now so I can sign the papers to get out of here," Lester said quickly, desperate to finish the awkward conversation.
Cutter stood up and did exactly what he had asked of him. Jenny certainly would have kicked up a fuss at his request and demanded that he stay in hospital.
"Thank you, from here I can manage alone," Lester said loudly for the second time. Unfortunately Cutter still hadn't got the hint. "Cutter, I would like to be alone now."
"Sorry, I promised the doctor I’d keep an eye on you."
"That wouldn't by any chance be the same doctor you called an incompetent dickhead, would it?" Lester asked sarcastically.
"Well, he is a dickhead when he refuses to prescribe a patient with a gunshot wound any painkillers. I bet the guy has never been in serious pain."
Lester had to agree with Cutter. Already the light bumps from the rough road had put a strain on his arm although Cutter had made an effort to drive carefully. So he was thankful Cutter had got upset on his behalf until the consultant had shown up personally and Lester had got a small dose of strong painkillers to last till he could get a prescription from his GP.
"Come on, I'll help you."
"Cutter, I’ve been able to undress myself since I was a toddler."
It had been embarrassing enough to need help to get into the jumper Cutter had obtained from a clothing shop near the hospital, along with a set of tracksuit bottoms and some scratchy underwear. He would get out of those clothes all by himself, no matter how badly it hurt.
But Cutter didn't have any of it. Despite Lester's vehement protests Cutter gently pulled off the jumper and his vest then knelt down to remove his socks.
When Lester settled finally into bed on his wonderfully soft mattress he had to admit to himself that Cutter had made the disconcerting affair of getting undressed into a rather pleasant experience. He hadn't known that Cutter had such a gentle, caring side. The man would have made an excellent nurse.
"James, wake up."
Fingers brushed gently over Lester's cheek. Confused, Lester opened his eyes and saw Cutter standing beside his bed, placing a tray with dishes on the bedside cabinet. What was Cutter still doing here? He had thought the man had gone home last night.
"I made you chicken soup."
"I don't like chicken soup," Lester grumped. "And for breakfast even less." He had never claimed to be a morning person.
"It's a quarter past twelve. Breakfast's long over. Now be a good boy and eat your chicken soup. It's the best food for sick people. I have to go now and see what can be salvaged from the wreckage of my lab. But I will check on you this evening."
Lester gritted his teeth to stop himself from telling Cutter where exactly he could shove his bowl with chicken soup. He had intended to get up early in the morning and start on the paperwork that had been neglected the last days. Cutter must have turned off his alarm clock.
Lester didn't stand up to open the door when Cutter rang his doorbell in the evening. After hours of paperwork his head was throbbing painfully and he felt like a truck had run him over. The last thing he needed was Cutter's company.
Cutter gave up ringing after three more tries. Deafening silence filled the flat whilst Lester told himself that it was for Cutter's own good. If Cutter was looking for a friend he was absolutely the wrong person for that. Cutter needed someone sympathetic, who would listen without judging.
Still as he lay in bed waiting for the painkiller to kick in, Lester found his thoughts turning to Cutter over and over again. It had been obviously that Cutter was hovering on the edge of a breakdown since the warehouse accident. After Stephen's death he had withdrawn from everyone else but him. Maybe he shouldn't have been so unfriendly to Cutter. A few kind words wouldn't have killed him, would they?
Sighing, Lester stared at the spot in the ceiling that was illuminated by the moon light. Sleep just didn’t want to come although there was still hope that the sleeping pill he had taken as well might actually start working.
Well, he could always count sheep When he was a child that old sleep-inducing practice had at least made him a little drowsy.
"Meeh." The first sheep jumped effortlessly over the fence, closely followed by sheep numbered two to twenty. Lester counted them obediently, feeling his muscles relax as his inner tension left him little by little.
Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three. Wonderfully fluffy sheep with dark, sympathetic eyes, calming his mind and leading him slowly towards sleep. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-s...
Sheep number twenty-six stopped abruptly and directed his haunted blue eyes at Lester. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you let me down?" it asked with a familiar accent before it ran headfirst into the fence.
Lester jerked wide awake. That had been weird. His dream sheep weren't supposed to have Scottish accents. And since when did sheep have blue eyes?
With open eyes, Lester stared into the darkness of his bed room, trying to shake off the bad feeling creeping over him.
As morning came, he finally fell into a restless sleep.
Pissed off about the greedy taxi driver who had taken the long road to get more money out of him, Lester stormed into the wing of the Home Office where the Anomaly project was currently residing until the repairs at the ARC were finished.
He had slept badly and arguing with his family doctor who had wanted to put him on sick leave hadn't improved his mood.
True, he couldn't drive a car and had trouble getting dressed but that didn't mean he was an invalid. Had the doctor any clue how many papers he’d already had to fill out because of his injury and yesterday's sick day? Besides with Christine Johnson looming in the background, trying to take over his project, he simply couldn't afford to take sick leave.
Lester gave Lorraine a curt nod, pleased that the work continued as if their former workplace hadn't been blown to bits two days ago.
After sorting through the stack of memos and emails that had accumulated in his absence, Lester gathered the reports that had to be sent to his superiors. Unsurprisingly, Cutter's reports were still missing and that gave him a good enough excuse to check on him.
His request to speak to Cutter was met with a nervous coughing and he knew something had happened.
"Is he dead?" he asked with trepidation, his weird dream still fresh in his mind.
"Of course not, " Lorraine answered, shocked. "He was just involved in a bar fight and then arrested for assaulting a police officer. Jenny is currently trying to bail him out."
The relief that nothing serious had happened to Cutter carried Lester away to do something he would later always refer to as his most stupid but in spite of everything best idea of his life. He decided to reach out to Cutter. A sarcastic, disillusioned bureaucrat might not be the best choice for a listener but it was better than nothing.
Whatever Lorraine had said to Cutter when he and Jenny arrived it had worked. Cutter showed up in Lester's office, still looking dishevelled from his night in a cell.
"Am I fired?" he asked mockingly as he sat down on a chair opposite to Lester's desk.
Lester smiled thinly. If that was how Cutter wanted to play it, fine.
"I think the question here is, do you want me to fire you, because you seem to be trying awfully hard lately. Aside from your latest run-in with the police you are hiding in your lab when the others go out into the field. I haven't received one adequate report from you since Hart's death. Not to mention your frequent tardiness lately."
"I was busy working on the anomaly prediction model."
"So staring into space from beneath your model counts as working now?"
Cutter's eyes flashed up in anger and Lester prepared himself for a verbal attack.
"Condescending little prick. You think you know everything, don’t you?"
"I would never claim that I know everything, Cutter. And you shouldn't base your evaluation of the size of my reproductive organs on mere assumption."
"You are very full of himself."
"No, just stating a fact. Still you haven't answered my question. I would like to know if you are planning to change your current attitude or if I have to replace you with someone who will take his duties more seriously. That nosy police officer who arrested Connor seemed quite interested in getting into the project. As a public servant he should know how to follow orders, unlike you, allow me to point out. I bet he would even work for only half of your salary. Shall I call him and tell him the good news that I have a vacant position?"
Cutter's face darkened. "Don't. The work is all I still have," he said in a hollow voice.
Lester congratulated himself upon his cunning. He had managed to cut through Cutter's indifference. The first step had been taken. Maybe now Cutter was ready to accept help.
"Then show me that you actually value it. In this project I need people I can count on 100%."
Lester leaned forwards to shorten the distance to Cutter, despite the fact that the movement caused him a fiery twinge in his shoulder. It was now or never.
"Cutter, I can't comprehend exactly what you are going through right now. But I can relate to the feeling of hopelessness, like you’re drowning and have no idea any more which way is up. I felt that way during my divorce. So if you want to talk I'm here to listen. I can't guarantee that I will be a good listener but I promise I will keep my sarcastic remarks to a minimum."
Of course Cutter didn't start talking about his problems. He sat ramrod straight after Lester's speech and stared at him guardedly, evaluating if Lester meant what he'd said. Then he excused himself and went straight to the rooms that served as surrogate labs.
Lester checked on him a few hours later and found Cutter and Sarah deeply buried in calculations and old books. In the middle of the room stood the beginnings of a new anomaly prediction model.
When Cutter volunteered to drive him home, Lester knew he should decline. The look in Cutter's eyes set off all sorts of alarm bells in his head. No one had ever looked at him this way, as if he was the answer to any question ever asked. Whatever Cutter suddenly saw in him he was heading down the road for disappointment. But withdrawing his earlier offer would be cruel. Besides calling a taxi and dealing with the nosy driver didn't sound very appealing either.
"You worry too much," Cutter said with a chuckle, grasped Lester's briefcase and headed towards the car park.
With a shrug, Lester followed him. If Cutter was aiming for another heartbreak it wasn't his fault.
Sated, Lester leaned against the backrest of his couch. Cutter's meal had been surprising good. It also had been nice to eat in company although there had been a tense moment when Cutter had leaned over to cut Lester's food into small pieces so he could eat with only one hand. But Lester had got quickly over that embarrassment and had enjoyed their shared meal.
After Cutter had cleared the table and moved the dishes into the dishwasher it was clear that he had no intention of leaving any time soon so Lester switched on the telly. What better opportunity for Cutter to make a move as when they were sitting closely together on the couch, watching a blockbuster on the telly together.
An hour later Lester felt his eyelids droop. The film wasn't very gripping and Cutter hadn't tried anything yet. His eyes firmly glued to the telly, Cutter still kept a proper distance between them. Maybe he had misjudged Cutter's look completely and what he had taken as sexual interest was actually just gratitude that someone had made an effort to understand his situation. What a pity. He hadn't been laid in ages.
"I'm going to bed," Lester announced after another ten minutes. "You can let yourself out."
Disapointed by Cutter's lack of response, Lester stalked off to his bedroom.
Cutter was still there in the morning. Lester found him lying curled up on the couch in what must have been a rather uncomfortable position.
"For sleeping beds are better," he muttered, disgruntled.
Cutter stretched slowly and peered at Lester with sleepy eyes. "I wasn't sure I would be welcome in yours."
Lester rolled his eyes. Cutter was defenitely slow on the uptake. Did Cutter think he made a habit of taking staff members home? Without reacting to Cutter's remark, Lester headed for the kitchen.
Lester closed the cupboard door and turned around, the can with ground coffee in his right hand. His breath hitched as he found himself trapped by Cutter.
Cutter's face was close enough to smell his mint-fresh breath. Where the hell had Cutter got the toothbrush from? There hadn't be a spare. And Jesus, now Cutter had that look again.
"Um, I... coffee."
Realising he sounded like an idiot, Lester gave up trying to say something and gazed into Cutter's eyes. It was a revelation as if suddenly the universe made sense.
"I'm going to kiss you, " Cutter announced, leaning forwards hesitantly, as if he was expecting Lester to push him away.
The kiss was just a brush of lips, chaste and searching. But it was enough to make Lester's head spin. Had it really been so long since someone had kissed him?
Desperate to get more more of that heady feeling, Lester surged forwards and smashed their lips together, not caring that the coffee can slipped out of his hand and hit the floor with a rattling noise.
Cutter's lips were warm and soft and just perfect. Delighted, Lester savored the delicious taste of Cutter and mint until Cutter pulled away to get oxygen into his lungs.
After that it was just a flurry of groans and whimpers as Cutter opened Lester's fly and started to stroke him. With his good hand Lester groped for Cutter's crotch, determined to reciprocate in kind.
Cutter pumped him hard, going faster and faster until Lester came with a deep moan and the scrunched up face he made when he was in the throws of orgasmic bliss.
"What a mess," Lester sighed as he looked at the stain on his shirt, where Cutter had spurted against his belly. Not that Cutter's shirt was in any better condition. Pearl-white globs of Lester's semen clung tenaciously to the fabric. However he was sure Cutter's garment wasn't one of the high-quality brands that had cost over £200.
Cutter chuckled softly and started to unbutton his shirt.
"Shouldn't you have undressed before you jumped me?"
"Well, the higher functions of my brain stopped the moment you shoved your tongue down my throat. I still can't believe we have just done it in your kitchen. I feel like a student again."
"Having been one of the randy sort of student then?"
"Not really, but it was at that point I realised cocks can be just as nice as pussies."
"Ah. I had wondered about that. You have definitely given off the vibes but there's your marriage."
"Pot calling kettle black."
"I'm divorced."
"For that reason?"
Lester shook his head. "It just didn't work out."
"Yes, sometimes that happens," Cutter replied, his sad expression indicating that he was thinking about his own failed marriage.
"I guess you don't have a spare shirt you can lend me."
With a huff, Lester walked off to clean up and look for a shirt that would fit Cutter. So it was down to sharing clothes already. At that speed it wouldn't take long until Cutter was moving in with him.
Three months later, Cutter hadn't moved in with him yet but he spent more time at Lester's flat than at his own place. There had also been some more mutual wanking, a little bit of oral sex and some frottage in Lester's king-sized bed.
"And once again people go bonkers with Christmas around the corner," Lester muttered in annoyance.
"Oh, Mr Scrooge makes an appearance again," Lorraine mumbled under her breath. After three years of working for James Lester she knew all about his dislike for Christmassy activities. It hadn't stopped the team from decorating the ARC, though.
This year even an impressive Christmas tree stood in the atrium and Sarah had strategically placed mistletoe all over the place, probably hoping to steal kisses from either Becker or Jenny.
"He's in a horrible mood, isn't he?" Jenny asked, sighing.
"Like every year around this time."
"He's not the only one. Cutter looks as miserable as sin. They would make the perfect couple," Sarah said with a chuckle.
Jenny and Lorraine laughed heartily. Jenny had finally overcome her crush on Cutter, sadly realising that she would never stand a chance against Cutter's mysterious Claudia Brown, Helen Cutter and the ghost of Stephen Hart.
Cutter heard the laughter from the rec room and it made him smile. There had been too much misery lately.
At first seeing the sparkling decorations had brought up memories of last Christmas, the first he had spent without Stephen, too angry about his friend's betrayal. It had made him quite depressed. But then he'd remembered all the things Stephen had done just to draw him out of his gloomy mood. Stephen would kick his arse, claiming that it was just the lack of sunlight and serotonin if he could see him moping around now.
With a start, Cutter realised that he would have to spend Christmas alone again when Lester drove home to his family.
Maybe he could convince Lester to celebrate at least Christmas Eve with him.
"I'm not celebrating Christmas, Nick. So take your rubbish somewhere else."
"It's just a small Christmas floral arrangement. And what do you mean by you aren't celebrating it? What will your kids say about that?"
"My daughter is studying computer science in Stanford. I doubt she wants to fly over just to spent a few hours with her old father. And the last time I saw my son he sided with his mother and yelled at me that he wished I would rot in hell. I won't sent him any gift this year."
"Ouch. So I guess that means no family gathering. But what about us? We could spend Christmas together. Stephen and I always did."
"I'm not a replacement for Stephen Hart," Lester declared indignantly.
"I didn't say that. You are so much more than Stephen ever was. Whatever you might have assumed, Stephen wasn't my lover. He wasn't interested in me. I guess I was the wrong Cutter."
Lester's face softened. Cutter rarely mentioned Stephen and his unholy alliance with Helen as it was still a very sore topic for him.
"I'm just not in a Christmas mood, Nick. It was different when my parents were still alive. The whole family gathered at the manor on Christmas day. I tried to uphold that tradition but Karen was dead against it allegedly for financial reason. She never had liked those family meetings much."
"You have a manor?"
"It's in Hampshire. It costs a fortune to keep in good condition. I really should have sold it years ago."
"But you love it too much."
"Of course. I grew up there. A lot of good memories are linked to that place."
Lester got a faraway look in his eyes as he began to describe how the manor had been decorated every year for the Christmas party.
"Now the house looks just bleak and abandoned." Lester finished his excursion down memory lane. "If it would snow at least. Snow makes everything looking brighter. More festive. But I bet it will only rain again this year. Maybe we should just go away over Christmas. Somewhere with a lot of snow. I haven't been skiing in years."
"That sounds good to me," Cutter said, an unusual idea forming in his mind.
"Nick, that's not the way to the airport."
"We don't need a plane."
"You don't intend to drive all the way, do you?"
"Don't worry, we're nearly there."
Lester eyed Cutter warily as they stopped at an old, abandoned slaughterhouse in the outskirts of London, beginning to suspect that his lover had finally snapped.
"There we are. And not a moment too soon. There's just enough time left to get changed."
Quickly, Cutter unloaded their cross-county ski gear and began to put on his skiwear.
"James, hurry up. Get dressed."
Lester decided to follow his wacko lover's orders. There was still the small chance that Cutter actually knew what he was doing. Maybe the weather report had announced a sudden heavy snowfall in this area.
Lester felt ridiculous in his ski gear with his skis over his shoulder. It was only a small comfort that Cutter looked just so out of place there in front of a ruined slaughterhouse without any sign of even a single snowflake.
He was about to suggest finishing the charade and trying to catch the next flight when only a few feet away from their position an anomaly opened.
"Here we go. We have nine hours maximum."
"Nick, you don't expect me to go through there."
"It's absolutely safe. I already checked. The anomaly will open and close every forty minutes for the next nine hours. Come on, James, there's plenty of snow on the other side. It was you who wanted to go skiing."
"In Seefeld in Austria, not in the Ice Age."
"Austria is too over-crowed at Christmas. You would have hated it there."
"Oh really? I was quite content with our travel plans."
"That's not true. You just accepted that you would have to put up with the people if you wanted snow. Now you can have snow and seclusion. And aren't you the slightest bit curious how it looks on the other side of the anomaly?"
Lester couldn't deny that. He hated crowds and after reading all of Cutter's reports his desire to see the primeval time for himself had grown steadily. However considering Cutter's view on the subject of Butterfly effects he never would have expected that Cutter would offer him such an opportunity.
Touched by Cutter's consideration, he decided to take a leap of faith and stepped through the anomaly. Cutter followed him a few seconds later.
"Look, isn't it marvellous? Here it's just us and perhaps a handful of Neanderthals somewhere."
Lester put his cross-country skis down and took a look around the pristine white landscape. The sun had just risen and the snow sparkled as crystals danced in the cold fresh air. Everything was peaceful and untouched by human hand. Lester itched to cut a trail through the virgin snow and explore the unknown landscape.
"Nick, I swear if something eats me here I will hound you for the rest of your life."
With that Lester stepped into the ski bindings, pushed his poles into the deep snow and propelled himself forwards the white, vast expanse.
"Mammoths! But they look differently from Monty."
"That are woolly mammoths. But Sarah and I have also discovered an anomaly that leads in the same area and time Monty is coming from. We have already spoken with Abby. She wants to make sure Monty hasn't suffered any lasting damage from his stay in our time. However the next time that anomaly opens, that's in five weeks from now, we might sent him through."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"It should be a Christmas surprise. I know how much it pains you that Monty is so cooped up."
"Well, you succeeded. The whole day is nothing but a big surprise."
"Oh come on, James. Stop pouting. We only came upon this anomaly last month. It was one of the last links we added to the anomaly prediction model. With it we can probably find new homes for the other stranded animals too. Isn't that great?"
Lester relaxed his face with a sigh.
"Yes, that is great news. I just would like to be kept in the loop. But all things considered that is the best Christmas gift I could imagine. Definitely better than ties and socks. Thank you, Nick."
Cutter blushed and hastily said, "You're welcome. Now, how's your arm doing? You still okay?"
"I think we should return. My arm still isn't back to its full strength. And skiing without ski trails is demanding."
"We could take a break. I have brought bread and sausage to roast over a fire."
"Without firewood?"
Cutter smiled mischievously. "I told you I checked the anomaly out before. Couldn't risk your life after all. Not far from here I left a bag of firewood at a rock shelter."
Skilfully, Cutter had prepared a fireplace. Now a roaring fire emitted pleasant heat and roasted their meager meal.
"What about the effects our visit could have? I'm surprised you are ready to risk the future just to indulge me," Lester finally asked the question that had preyed on his mind since the anomaly had opened.
Cutter gave a shrug.
"Sarah and I have found proof that anomalies have existed for thousands of years. Who knows how often the future has already been changed through one of our ancestors. Besides, Helen has been traveling the anomalies for years. I think as long we don't kill something here or leave modern equipment in the past I think it should be fine. I won't make a habit of it, though. It's just a special Christmas gift for my lover."
"I would love to repay you right here but I think it's a little cold for what I have in mind," Lester said with a twinkle in his eyes. He hadn't felt so free and happy in ages.
"Then we should start on our way."
Cutter stared dumbfounded at the white sand that scrunched under his feet as the anomaly winked out of existence behind him.
"Oops!"
"Oops? Is that all you have to say? Where the hell are we?"
"Not in London apparently. The last time I checked it wasn’t about 30 degrees above zero there."
"You don't say."
"The anomaly must have changed direction. "
"Great. How many millions of years in the past are we now?"
"Primitive forms of palms have existed since the Jurassic. This seems to be an island so I would say we are at a time after the ice has melted and overflowed the land bridges of the supercontinent Pangea. The subtropical flora and the high air temperature indicate that we are somewhere in the hothouse period."
"And what exactly does that mean?" Lester cut in, annoyed. The heat level in his ski gear was rising steadily. If the anomaly didn't reopen soon he was going to discard the warm clothes.
"I think we have ended up in the Early Eocene epoch, which would have been 56 million years ago. Fortunately the animals around this time are quite small to cope better with the heat."
"Understandable," Lester said drily whilst he took off his cap, gloves and scarf and opened the zipper of his jacket.
Not quite comfortable but at least no longer in immediate danger of heat stroke Lester observed his surroundings.
He was standing on a beautiful beach with blistering white sand, lined up with palm trees. The turquoise waters of the ocean glittered in the afternoon sun and made the perfect cover picture for a travel magazine.
"Well, for me it looks like the Caribbean. Maybe the anomaly has only changed location and not the time."
"That's a possibility too."
With a sparkle of hope, Cutter checked his mobile but to his disappointment it showed no reception.
"These days there are not many unpopulated islands left. So if we are in the 21th century we should easily find proof of human habitation."
"What about the anomaly?"
"If it follows the same pattern as the other one it will open in about half an hour, so we have enough time to take a short look around. Or we could just stay here and occupy ourselves in the meantime. I remember you saying something about showing me your gratitude."
"I don't think so," Lester said slightly irritated. "Aside from the fact that being stranded in time has pretty much killed my mood, have you ever made out with someone on a beach? Sand tends to get everywhere."
"Really everywhere?" Cutter teased.
"You are impossible," Lester said with a shake of his head, still he couldn't prevent the small smile that crept onto his lips.
As they moved through the palm forest side by side, looking for any sign of civilisation, Lester grasped Cutter's hand and held it tightly the whole time, something he would never have dared at home.
Being on a beautiful island with his lover was pretty much how he had always imagined spending his holidays once his children were grown-up. So why shouldn't he enjoy the unexpected gift as long it lasted? In his circle spending the festive season in the Caribbean had become quite popular.
Twenty minutes later they were back on the beach, waiting for the anomaly to reappear. They hadn't found any sign that other people had set foot on the island before them. Instead they had scared a small group of what Cutter thought might have been Eohippus, solidifying the suspicion that they had actually landed in the Eocene like Cutter believed. Lester, however, was convinced the small creature he had briefly seen was nothing other than some sort of little wild pig.
But then they had heard lovely birdsong from the palm treetops above and Cutter had to reconsider his theory.
At 5pm the sun was declining beneath the blue ocean, providing them with one of the most beautiful sunsets they had ever seen.
Lester and Cutter were sitting under a palm tree, snuggled up to each other, preoccupied in thoughts, trying to come to terms with the fact that they were currently stuck on this island.
"That was the most unusual Christmas Eve I have ever experienced," Lester murmured wryly.
Cutter put his arm around Lester's shoulder and pulled him closer. He knew he owed his lover an apology for bringing them into this situation. But he had never been very good at saying sorry.
"We should have gone to Austria," he said in contrition. "I thought I had everything under control, but I should have known better. The anomalies will always stay unpredictable."
"It's all right, Nick. It was a wonderful day."
"I got us stranded on a lonely island."
"Exactly. Do you know how many people dream of being on an island like this? It is lovely. I wouldn't mind spending my declining years here. "
But Lester's consolation made Cutter feel even worse.
"You don't understand. We have to get back. There's another surprise waiting for you on Christmas Day. I have arranged..."
Lester quickly laid his finger over Cutter's lips to stop him from finishing the sentence.
"Don't tell me. There's still a chance that we might be home by then.
"And if not?"
"Then we have to start making arrangements for survival. Have you ever read Robinson Crusoe?"
Cutter began to chuckle.
"And which of us is going to be Friday?"
"You of course. You will look better in a loin cloth."
Both men roared with laughter as they pictured each other in such a revealing garment.
When Cutter later rolled on top of Lester to rub their cocks together, turned on by the image of a loin-clothed Lester, Lester wasn't complaining about tricky sand.
"Bloody hell. That's a ship. We have been completely wrong about the timeframe."
Lester squinted against the morning sun to see at what Cutter was pointing at.
In the distance, a large sailing ship steadily cut its way through the ocean, its big canvas sails straining against the wind.
"It's heading for our island."
"I don't think that's a good thing. Do you see the Jolly Roger?"
"Pirates? Here?"
"If we actually are in the Caribbean Sea it makes sense. It was their favourite hunting ground. They probably want to stock up on drinking water."
Suddenly a light bulb went off in Cutter's head.
"I think I know where we are. There was a report from a sailor from the 1700s about strange lights on a tropical island Sarah pointed out to me. In the end we couldn't determine that it actually was an anomaly the man had been describing. Come on, James. He could see it from the sea so it must be somewhere on the top of a mountain. The anomaly must have moved around."
Hastily they gathered their gear, afraid of contaminating the past otherwise and headed for the centre of the island.
Once again Lester felt ridiculous walking with his skis over his shoulder through a tropical jungle. His life had definitely been more simple before he had hooked up with Cutter.
Lester and Cutter were standing at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the roaring waters that poured from the waterfall into the lake. The anomaly was hovering in midair eight feet away, already pulsing like it was about to close.
Without time to mull things over there wasn't any doubt that they wanted to return. Knowing that this anomaly might be their only chance to get home they met in a brief kiss, which could well be their parting kiss. Then they tightened her fingers around the skis and jumped from the cliff.
Lester hit the white surface with an "Umpf". Beside him Cutter landed with his face first in the snow only a hand's breadth away from the spot where he had relieved himself the day before.
Just as the anomaly they had just passed through closed, a new one opened next to it. This time it was the right one.
"Nick, slow down before you wrap the car around a tree. I’ve had enough excitement for the day."
Obediently, Cutter reduced the speed to the allowed limit. He had made good enough time to reach their destination early enough despite the fact that the shared shower had taken longer than calculated and he had been struggling with fastening his tie.
The moment he had steered the car onto the M3 Lester had given him a pointed look, already aware of where Cutter was heading.
Cutter grinned to himself. Whatever Lester suspected it most certainly wouldn't really come close to the truth.
"Oh my God." Lester gasped as Cutter entered the driveway to the manor.
The house and the courtyard were shining in Christmassy glamour just the way he remembered from the the last Christmas party his parents had given. It must have taken days to decorate everything.
Then Lester noticed the cars. Dozen of cars. And he heard music from inside the house.
With trepidation, Lester climbed out of the car and strode towards the entrance at the side of a broadly grinning Cutter. The door was opened by the old manservant who had worked for his parents for more than 20 years. Lester felt as if the time had been turned back. Any moment his mother would come around the corner and welcome him with a hug.
Instead it was his daughter who dashed around the corner and flew into his arms.
A little dazed, Lester followed her into the ballroom full of people he hadn't seen in years and people he had started to care for just recently.
Realising the lengths Cutter had gone to to arrange the party, Lester squeezed his hand briefly in gratitude.
"It wasn't as difficult as you think," Cutter whispered blushing. "I just copied all the addresses in your notebook and sent out the invitations."
"Oh, that explains it," Lester said with a frown, as someone flounced by he hadn't expected to see.
Exhausted but happy, Lester bid goodbye to his guests with Cutter still at his side, glad everyone had had a good time.
Connor, cutting quite a dashing figure in his tuxedo, left arm in arm with Abby. Lorraine was giggling madly at something her escort had said. Even Becker was in good mood, talking animatedly with the group of people surrounding him whilst Sarah and Jenny had already stolen away from the party an hour ago, quite tipsy after too many glasses of spiked Christmas punch.
"I can truly say I was surprised to be invited, James," Christine Johnson, who was the last guest to leave, said smirking. "But I don't regret coming," she added, sending the younger man waiting at the door who Lester recognised as his second cousin, a beatific smile. "This won't change anything through. I will continue trying to take over the ARC."
"I wouldn't have expected anything else from you," Lester answered politely.
"Well, but being Christmas, I have a gift for you."
Lester's heart skipped a beat as Christine stepped into his personal space and raised her lips to whisper in his ear, "I promise I won't play dirty."
Lester stared in surprise at Christine's retreating back.
For someone like Christine Johnson, playing fair was the biggest concession she could make. The Christmas party and his cousin must really have impressed her.
With everyone gone and his daughter sleeping upstairs, Lester wrapped Cutter in a tight hug before leading him to the living room to lie down on the thick rug by the fireplace.
"Would you like your gifts now or do you prefer to wait until Boxing Day?"
"It's been Boxing Day for an hour."
"Then I think you can unwrap your first gift."
Cutter chuckled. "Giving yourself to me sounds a little cliched, don't you think?"
"I thought more in terms of moving to a new level in our relationship and starting fucking."
Cutter grinned excitedly. "That sounds like a good idea to me."
"Then stop talking and get naked."
"Planning to top from the bottom, James?"
"Look who's being cliched now."
Cutter decided there had been indeed enough talking and stripped off his clothes, delighted to see that Lester was already ahead of him.
Sprawled out on the rug, Lester was waiting for him with a nervous smile on his face.
Cutter had an inkling what it must mean for Lester to give up control to him. Their first penetrative sex wouldn't be simple fucking. He would make it a loving experience for both of them.
Gently he brushed his fingertips over Lester's shoulders and chest, purposefully avoiding his nipples, petting and stroking until Lester's muscles relaxed and he was putty under Cutter's hands.
Sure that all the tension had left Lester's body, Cutter fumbled for the lube that Lester had far-sightedly placed in front of the fireplace.
Breathing heavily from anticipation, Cutter pushed a finger into Lester's hole, preparing him slowly, only adding another finger when a certain degree of relaxation had been achieved.
Lester made sweet gasping noises as his prostate was touched and soon he was fucking himself onto Cutter's fingers.
"Nick," Lester panted, his voice needy and hoarse, full of want.
Cutter withdrew his fingers and crawled on top of Lester, leaning in to kiss him passionately.
Lester's legs moved apart, allowing Cutter to settle in between.
With Lester's erection hard against his belly, Cutter couldn't resist any more.
He raised up on his arms, lined his cock up with Lester's hole and started to push his way inside.
Lester was tight, much tighter as he had expected after so much preparation.
Cutter knew he wouldn't last long. Every move had to count.
Hoping of having the right angle, Cutter pulled out and plunged back in, eliciting a scream of pure lustful passion from Lester.
There was no holding back now. Faster and faster Cutter moved, his mind set on the single thought of emptying his balls into that amazing tight arse.
Under him Lester whimpered in delight as his prostate was repeatedly slammed.
With a lustful groan, Cutter thrust in a last time and held still. For a moment Cutter hovered at the point of no return, then he started coming.
He shot pulse after pulse of come inside Lester's body whilst Lester muscles contracted around him, milking him until he was completely spent.
Painfully aware that Lester hadn't come, Cutter slipped out and set to the task of bringing him off orally.
He wrapped his hand around Lester's straining shaft and stroked slowly up and down, before he lowered his head and took the engorged cock-head between his lips.
As soon his tongue flickered over the slit Lester erupted, spraying his load all over Cutter's face.
Grinning about the mess he had made, Lester accepted Cutter's kiss and licked his own bitter come from Cutter's lips.
Hours later when both men had cleaned up and were sleeping peacefully upstairs in an extremely comfortable king-size bed a text message arrived on Lester's mobile.
"Merry Christmas, Dad. Thanks for the super gift you sent me."