By The Time You Read This (4/8)

[enochiansigils]

Title: By The Time You Read This
Author: enochiansigils and not_from_stars
Artist: weaselett
Fandom: Primeval
Pairing/Characters: Hilary Becker/Abby Maitland/Stephen Hart, James Lester, Jenny Lewis, Danny Quinn,
Rating/Category: PG-13
Summary: Abby had thought that after they came back from the anomaly, that the three of them could make a go of a relationship together. However, when Stephen and Becker fall into a pattern of doing nothing but fighting, it leads her to believe that they don't even care about her any longer. She leaves them a letter to say goodbye and disappears. Now, Stephen and Becker have to find a way to heal their old hurts between them in order to find Abby and convince her that they want to make a life together.
Warnings: This is a sequel to our casestory fic, From Where We're Standing, but can also be a stand alone story.
Words: 33,849
Notes: Written for au_bigbang 2011. Thank you very much to weaselett for the wonderful art that she made for us! We've loved writing this story and have very much enjoyed taking part in the challenge this year.







Becker wasn't expecting to see Stephen when he walked into his flat that evening. "Hey, you," he said, smiling cautiously. "What are you doing here? Thought you were upset with me."

"Staying away or running when I've been upset with you is what got us into this mess in the first place," Stephen said quietly.

"Are you still upset?" Becker asked as he shrugged his jacket off.

"A little," Stephen nodded. "Why did you agree with Lester?"

"I didn't agree with him, I just didn't want you killing him because I can't afford to bail you out of jail."

"But you think part of what he said makes sense. You have that look in your eye that you get when you've figured out a puzzle."

"Because part of it does make sense," Becker said. He pulled the picture from his pocket and handed it to Stephen. "Look at it. Really look at it. Tell me what you see."

"I see you and me and Abby." He reached out to touch the picture. "That was taken by Connor a few weeks before she left."

"Look at Abby."

"She's standing in between us where she should be, sheltered by both of us." He started to hand the photo back and then frowned."No, that's not it. She should be between us, but she's slightly in front of us."

"Exactly. Like she's claiming us. Or trying to protect us."

"Not one or the other. Both of us." Stephen's voice was sad. "Oh God. How many times had she done things exactly like this since we've been here and we never realized the truth?"

"I bet if we go over the pictures we've got of the three of us, she's doing the same thing in a lot of them," Becker said.

"That wouldn't surprise me to find out," Stephen said with a sigh. "Oh God, Abby." His eyes were filled with recrimination as he looked at Becker. "She tried so many times to show us and we broke her heart."

"But I have an idea for something we can do if we ever get her back," Becker said. "Something to show her what she means to us."

Stephen looked at him, hope shining in his eyes for the first time since Abby had left them. "What would that be?"

"Well, obviously we need to do something, not just say the words," Becker started out. "Because we'll need to show her what it means to have her with us. So I'm thinking... what if we give her something? Something like a ring."

"A ring," Stephen mused. "Like an engagement ring?"

"Kind of. Because we can't marry her, but we can damn well show her that we would if we could."

Stephen chewed on the inside of his lip and then nodded. "And the fact that we want to do so would mean the world to her."

"And that we want to start life over with her."

"Starting over fresh without all of the baggage that we've let weigh on her the last few months."

"Exactly." Becker nodded. "I asked Jenny what she thought, because I wanted someone else's opinion before I suggested it to you. Someone who isn't as in the middle of it as we are. And she thinks it a good idea. She said she'll help us... but she had one condition."

Stephen frowned, thinking that nothing good could come out of Jenny Lewis having a condition before she'd help them get themselves out of this hole they had dug. "What condition is that?"

"You have to ask her, too."

He winced. "Swallowing glass would be easier."

"But as conditions go, it's an easy enough one," Becker pointed out. "She could've made us... okay, I don't know exactly, but she's protective and vindictive when you hurt her friends."

"And she and Abby have been really close," Stephen admitted leaning against the wall. "It's not like I can't blame her for wanting to be vicious and vindictive after we chased Abby away." He looked at Becker. "But I'd do anything for the three of us to have a chance to be a family together."

"Then go talk to Jenny," Becker said. "I know it means going near the ARC, but... you'll have to."

"For this, I can manage," Stephen said, hesitating for a second. "Think she's still there now?"

"Of course she is," Becker responded. "Cutter is still there until late, so Jenny is still there."

Stephen took a deep breath and looked at Becker. "Then it looks like I'm going down there now."

"Better sooner than later, Stephen."

"I know."

Half an hour, later Stephen had reached the ARC and was looking for Jenny. Thankfully she was still in her office and he didn't have to look too hard.

He knocked at the open door nervously.

Jenny looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Stephen."

"Can we talk?"

"Of course we can," she said with a small smile. "Come in."

He walked in and shut the door behind him. "Becker told me about the conversation he had with you."

"I figured that he would. I just didn't know how quickly you would find yourself down here."

"I want this to happen, Jenny," Stephen said as he took a seat. "I like the idea of giving Abby a ring to show that she's ours."

"And what about you and Becker?"

Stephen smiled; something had occurred to him on the drive over. "I want to do something for him, too. Not so much to show everyone else that he's mine but to show him that he's mine."

"That's more than I expected from you," she admitted. "I was going to chew you out about how we all knew why Abby left, but you seem to have realized that on your own."

"We figured that out the day she left," Stephen said, looking down.

Jenny sighed. "And it took you this long to realize that she needed you both?"

"No, it took us this long to deal with our own issues," Stephen said. "I can't speak for Hilary, but I wouldn't have wanted Abby to come back to us the way we were. Not really."

"And what's so different now?"

"We realized what we are to her. Well, Hilary realized it first. We've got this picture, it's us with Abby, and usually she's between us. But this time, she's standing a little in front of us. And she's got this look on her face..."

"Like she's protecting you."

"Exactly."

"Like she needs you both to be safe."

Stephen nodded miserably.

"Like she wants you happy and comfortable."

Another miserable nod.

"And it only took her running from you to realize this," Jenny sighed, shaking her head. "You men."

"I can't exactly fault Hilary for being so hesitant," Stephen said. "I did come in trying to take Abby away from him, after all."

"Yeah and I haven't forgotten that or the way the two of you were acting at her bedside," Jenny warned him. "But I decided to deal with one idiotic man moment at a time."

"Fair enough." Stephen looked down for a second before looking back at Jenny. "I don't deserve either of them."

"No, you really don't, but lucky you, I don't get a say and they both would go to hell and back for you."

"I left him and he took me back. It was rocky, but he took me back." Stephen still couldn't quite believe that sometimes.

"You're a lucky man, Stephen Hart."

"I know I am, Jenny. I know I am."

"I hope you truly do because if you hurt either one of them again, your body will never be found." It was a little scary how pleasant her voice remained when she threatened someone.

"I don't want to hurt either of them. I never did."

"Then we have an understanding," she said crisply. "Now we need to decide what kind of rings you should buy the two of them."

"For her, it needs to be something simple and not too flashy, but a little bit flashy is okay." Because really, it just was. "But for him... I'm at a loss." And Stephen didn't do good with the whole admitting he didn't know something.

"A titanium band with a sapphire stone for Abby," Jenny said immediately. "A black titanium band for Becker."

"It sounds like you know what you're talking about."

"I know jewelery," Jenny said calmly as she pulled up a site on her computer. "I also know that you need to make one hell of a statement."

"I think I need to make beyond one hell of a statement."

Well, at least he'd caught on to that much.

"True, but you have to start somewhere."

"Having you on my side -- for this one specific part of it, I mean -- means a lot." Because he'd be lost without her advice.

"I'm on Abby's side, Stephen. It just so happens that she's happy with you and Becker, so I want to help." She frowned. "And I miss my friend."

"We miss her, too. It's not the same at home without her."

"I imagine that it's not. It's not the same here without her and her dedication to things, so I can only imagine that it feels worse at home without her."

"It's... so lonely at home," Stephen said. "So quiet. Because it doesn't feel the same without her, so we don't know how to act. Becker doesn't feel at home in his own damn flat anymore."

"You will not tell Abby that little bit of information," Jenny said firmly. She knew how Abby would feel if she knew she had caused that. "I'm sorry it's so hard for the two of you, but I have to stay on Abby's side on this. She would never have left the two of you if you hadn't forced her hand." She turned her monitor to him. "What about that for Becker?"

"I wouldn't dream of saying it to her," Stephen said. He leaned forward to look at the monitor. "Oh, that's nice. I like that."

"It's very masculine, but it still sends a clear message to him about your intentions and your commitment to him."

"It's masculine, but there's something about it. Something softer. It's so him."

"Which is why it seems so perfect for him."

"I want this to be a surprise for him," Stephen said. "Because I know he's not expecting it."

"He could use a nice surprise or two."

"And I just want to make him happy. I've done a piss-poor job of it, but that's all I've wanted the last few months."

"You said it, I didn't." This time. "But you're getting a chance to make it up to him."

"And I'm going to make the most of it."

"See, I knew you weren't too stupid to learn. Quinn owes me fifty quid."

Stephen just stared at her for a second. "Did he seriously bet on whether we were too stupid to figure it out or not?"

Jenny looked at him silently for a moment. "It's Danny Quinn. He figured anything was possible since Abby left you and you guys hadn't noticed that she was hurting that badly."

"He tell you he pretty much told Becker he was making a play for Abby if he found her?"

"Now that, he didn't inform me of."

"Well, he did. Said he'd treat her better than we had. Becker came home ready to kill because of that."

"Danny has always been over-protective of the team."

"Becker was terrified that Danny meant it."

"Do you know for sure that he doesn't?"

"No, I don't. And God, that's terrifying. But it's not stopping us from doing this. If Abby doesn't want us after we apologize, then so be it. But that's the only way he's getting a chance at her."

Jenny smirked. "I wouldn't bet on the chances of Abby not wanting you if I were Danny."

Stephen just returned the smirk.

"What about this one for Abby? It makes a statement, but she can still wear it everywhere." She turned the monitor to him. "The silver titanium is a tough metal and the sapphire is sizable without being gaudy."

"She'd like that, I think," Stephen said, studying it.

"And it's something that she would never take off for fear of it getting damaged."

"That's really what we both want for her with this. We want her to have something that's just unquestionably her."

"Then I think this is about perfect for her," Jenny said decidedly.

"This one it is, then," Stephen said with a nod.

She smiled as she printed out an invoice for both rings. "They've been charged to your main account and will be available for you to pick up tomorrow."

"You are a lifesaver, Jenny Lewis. An absolute lifesaver."

"I know," she said with a small smile. "I'll figure out something for you to do in return. You can start by making my friends happy again."

"Exactly what I plan to do," he said, reaching out to take the invoice.

"And Stephen" Jenny said quietly. "Try to make yourself happy, too. I may be firmly on Abby's side on this one, but it hurts Cutter to see you unhappy."

"I'm trying," Stephen said as he stood. "It's difficult, is all. Me trying to make myself happy is how we got into this mess in the first place."

"Do you love them both? Do you love just Becker? Do you love just Abby? You need to make a decision on that and stand firm no matter what you think is being thrown at you." Jenny leaned back in her chair. "No matter what, he's your best friend and he hurts when you hurt. He feels like an ass that he called you back here in the first place and that you've gotten hurt because of him."

"I love them both, Jen. I'd die for them both." He took a deep breath. "And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure they know that."

Jenny nodded. "Good plan." She stood up. "Now get out of here. I need to go convince Cutter that it's okay to go home before midnight."

Stephen couldn't help laughing. "Good luck with that."

"If he doesn't want to sleep on the sofa, he'll listen."

Still laughing and shaking his head, Stephen headed out of the office.

Stephen let himself back into Becker's flat quietly, not sure if the other man would've called it a night while he was gone or not. When he saw Becker sitting on the sofa, he smiled. "Hello, love. Wasn't sure if you were up or not."

"I was waiting to see how it went with Jenny." Which was only part of the truth. He had laid down and felt too alone. Missing Abby hurt too much so he had camped out on the sofa to wait for Stephen.

"It went well," Stephen said, pulling the invoice out of his pocket and unfolding it. "Helped me pick out a ring for Abby, actually."

"I knew she'd know of something perfect. What are we getting her?"

"Titanium band with a sapphire stone," Stephen said, handing over the invoice and watching Becker. He'd meant it to be a surprise, but he'd never been good at keeping anything from the other man. He wanted to see just when it hit Becker what the invoice was saying.

It didn't take him very long to absorb what the invoice said. His hands tightened on the paper and then he lifted his eyes to look at Stephen. "Stephen... there's two rings on here."

"There are," Stephen said with a slight nod.

"One of them is a man's ring it says."

Stephen nodded again.

"Why?" His voice was soft.

"Because I damn well want the world to know you're spoken for." And now it was Stephen's turn to have a growl in his voice.

"Making a public claim, are you?" Becker's lips twitched.

"Damn right I am."

"Where's yours?"

"Hadn't really thought to order one."

"Then you need to," he said evenly. "If you're making a public statement about claiming Abby and me, it's only fair that we get to do the same for you."

"You'd want to?" Stephen promptly resisted the urge to facepalm. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that things are still kind of rocky between us and if I had a ring, I'd want to start wearing it right away."

"I'd want to... and I know Abby would want to, too." He smiled sadly. "You know as well as I do that if she knew about her ring and our desire to make a claim on her and show her we're serious, she'd want the same for both of us."

"Then you'll get to start wearing yours tomorrow, if you want," Stephen said as he sat next to Becker. "That's when I pick them up."

"I'm not wearing mine until we pick yours up."

Stephen smiled a little at that. "Stubborn man."

"Damn right I am."

"One of the many things I love about you." Stephen smiled again, affectionately. "When I pick up the other two rings tomorrow, I promise I'll talk to them about one for myself."

"Good, because until you have one, I'm not wearing mine, and I'm betting Abby won't either."

"We lucked out and were able to pick these two up next day," Stephen said. "So hopefully mine won't take too long. Because I really like the thought of everybody knowing you're taken."

Becker handed him back the invoice. "We have plenty of computer access. Order your ring."

"Oh, so now you're not just stubborn but you're bossy, too," Stephen said, laughing softly as he stood and went over to the computer.

Becker managed a grin. It wasn't as bright as the ones he usually had, but it was the best he could manage with Abby still being gone. "I have two very good teachers on that front."

"Yes. Yes, you do." Stephen returned the grin as he pulled up the website Jenny had ordered the rings from.

Becker just watched him for a long moment. "Thank you," he finally said.

"Hm?" Stephen had been absorbed in finding his ring, settling on one that looked almost but not quite identical to Becker's. "For what?"

"For wanting to."

"Why wouldn't I want to?" Stephen asked, looking serious and a bit confused.

Becker shrugged. "I don't know, but it means a lot to me that you want to make a public claim."

Stephen finished his order before going to sit back next to Becker. "Hilary, listen to me. I know I haven't exactly been the best boyfriend the past few months... and I know our first relationship wasn't perfect, either... but I love you. I love you so damn much. And I want the world to know that."

He smiled and nodded. "I know you do and I love you, too, Stephen. What happened before is over with and what's important is that things have changed for the better."

"I'm a lucky, lucky man," Stephen said, reaching out to take Becker's hand in his. "I got second chances I didn't deserve."

"We both have," Becker said, squeezing his hand gently.

"You deserved every chance you got. I didn't deserve a second chance with you or with Abby, but I got it. And I fouled up my second chance with Abby something good."

"But you're going to get a chance to fix it. We both are." He shook his head. "It took both of us to hurt her and drive her away, love. We'll get her back together."

"I hope you're right."

Three || Five.