Primeval fic: Breaking Up Is Easy
Title: Breaking Up Is Easy
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~3400
Characters: James Lester, Danny Quinn, Team.
Rating: 15
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N 1: Fic for fifi and her beta-ing and her prompt: What do you say to writing some Lester/Danny? I’d love to see them having a bust-up, LOL! Oh, has to be a happy ending *g* Or not a sad one, at least : )
A/N 2: Thanks go to the wonderful hound for the beta, cheers Fred. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
A/N 3: Angst, hurt/comfort.
Today had not been a good day and all I had wanted to do was go home and relax. Maybe indulge in a tumbler of my finest Scotch, listen to my favourite piece of music and... well, snuggle and have fantastic sex with my boyfriend. That was before I had learned about the anomaly at the supposed safe-house I had sent my people - my boyfriend - to for protection and to keep them out of Christine's hands. I was already feeling guilty about losing the ARC and putting my people in harm's way when I’d read the reports. I felt my expression growing more and more stony with every damning word. Bloody hell, what the hell had my lover been thinking?
I had not been in a good mood before I had entered my - our - flat and seen Danny lounging on my expensive sofa as if he hadn't a care in the world. His bloody great, dirty shoes resting on one arm, his head resting on the other, an erection tenting the tattered remains of his tuxedo as he sipped from a bottle of beer while reading a top-shelf magazine, a half-naked man on the cover.
When Danny looked up at me, his trademark cocky grin on his face, I admit it was the last straw for my self-control. “Do you have any sense of self preservation?”
Danny blinked at me, his expression sliding into confusion, “James?”
“Attempting to slide down a decades old rusted wire over the heads of killer ostriches on steroids.” I was thankful that my voice was calm and collected, although I knew I was anything but, as a coil of tension withered just below the surface.
“It worked.” Danny had sat up and was looking rather less pleased with himself as he frowned at me instead, no doubt trying to figure out what was wrong, although he obviously drew a blank as he asked me, “What's wrong, love?”
I felt my temper flare and snap, words erupting unbidden from my lips as I almost snarled at my lover, “Oh, yes. It worked so well, didn't it? You almost got Connor killed!” I didn't voice my real fear, that I could have lost Danny too. I was too tired and upset to even attempt to stop myself, “And let’s not forget the damage to one Hilux.”
“Connor crashed that.” Danny blinked as though realising he'd just blamed one of his team and I knew I'd been right about that when he continued, “Although it was already damage when Christine's men shot it.”
“And the helicopter you lost in the past, was that someone else’s fault too?” I felt the conversation slipping away and knew I was taking my anger and impotence over the Christine situation out on Danny, but I couldn't stop myself as the words flowed out of my mouth to impact on my lover. “Bloody hell, but what else should I expect? You never followed the rules as a Detective Constable, did you? All those reprimands on your record, is it any wonder you were never promoted?”
Danny stood up abruptly and glared at me for a moment. “Fuck you, James. You're no angel but if I'm an embarrassment to you, well there's plenty of others out there that won't think I'm something to wipe off their shoes.”
I could only stare open-mouthed as Danny turned and left, slamming the door as he stomped down the hall. It took me several moments to gather my wits enough to race after him and... I don't know, begging for forgiveness wasn't my style. I reached the garage just in time to see Danny tear off on his motorcycle without a backwards glance.
I returned to the now empty flat and poured myself a tumbler of whisky, although I didn't taste it. I half-watched the news but I wouldn't have been able to say what was on it. My eyes turned repeatedly to the front door every few moments in the hope... no, I shook my head. I knew Danny well enough that he wouldn't be back until he had calmed down.
But as time ticked by and night fell, I couldn't help worry about him, Danny had been angry and he was reckless enough on his bike at the best of times. Eventually, I retired to bed. It was large, cold and lonely without my irrepressible lover to fill it. I tried to sleep, but every sound now heralded not the return of Danny but a knock on the door from the police, heads bowed as they... I suddenly rose and opened my laptop. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep so I might as well do something useful. I slammed the lid shut in disgust when I'd made my fifth mistake and stood to stare out the window, hoping Danny would return but fearing I had lost him. I knew I'd get little, if any, sleep until he returned and it was just as well it was the weekend. Oh, I could function on little sleep and lots of caffeine, but I would not be a nice person to be around and I had no need to piss anyone else off.
***
Monday morning came around far too slowly for me. I hadn't heard from Danny all weekend and had hesitated to call him, deciding it would be better to wait until I could see him alone, I was sure I could think of some reason to summon him and then we could sort everything out.
I almost cursed when I recalled I had arranged a team meeting, one where I would have to act normally when all I wanted to do was take Danny in my arms and kiss him senseless. Danny had been his normal irreverent self and I found myself sniping back at him, but something was missing and I soon stopped responding. The tension between us had been enough for Abby to give us thoughtful looks and I could only hope she had the sense to keep out of it.
Danny and I soon fell into a routine as if we'd never been in a relationship and I, for one, retreated behind my desk, a closed door and my work. I still loved Danny and it took all of my self-control not to break Becker's nose when Danny flirted with him. I had noticed Danny glance over at me every time he flirted and I refused to react to his childish behaviour. If he wanted to make a move on Becker, I was no longer his lover and I was certainly not his keeper, but I didn't have to want to watch him flirt in front of me. I retreated back to my office, closing the door firmly.
The worst thing was, I knew it hadn't even really been Danny I had been angry will but my... his actions had been the proverbial last straw and... and now I had no idea how to make things better between us or even if Danny wanted to try and so fearing rejection, I didn't even try.
Apparently my staff didn't understand what a closed door meant. First I had Abby knocking on the door and trying to talk to me, but I just quirked an eyebrow at her and told her to mind her own business. She sighed and nodded, pausing on her way out to call me an idiot, although she did tacked 'sir' on the end.
Becker had been next, twitchy and nervous as he told me he had no designs on Danny. I told him I didn't care one way or the other and to close the door on his way out. I didn't want to be disturbed and the next person who did so without a valid reason would be getting their P45.
***
Danny was late and although I knew it was unlikely he'd had an accident, I still called him to make sure he was OK. He claimed to be stuck in traffic - on a motorcycle - and I bit back a sigh when I reminded him I was seeing the minister about Christine and her operation.
When I heard the dialling tone as Danny hung up on me abruptly, I had the horrible realisation that my words had fallen on deaf ears, that Danny wasn't going to wait for me to go through channels and was going to attempt to rescue his mysterious woman from the future. He seemed incapable of understanding just how difficult he made my life with his antics and... I sighed, we were total opposites and maybe it had been inevitable that we'd split. I just knew if Danny fucked up whatever he was planning, I'd have to clean it up. If he succeeded, he'd brag about it to the team, no matter how much fallout landed on my desk. I couldn't help wonder if this was some sort of payback for our breakup but couldn't bring myself to care, he seemed happy enough with Becker and the rest of the team.
I sighed and turned back to my paperwork, although I was soon interrupted by the arrival of Christine Johnson, Wilder at her heels like some faithful hound. Only years of political subterfuge allowed me to keep my façade when I heard of Danny's exploits. However, form demanded that I summoned him to my office when he arrived and I could only hope he had a good explanation for his actions.
I hide my smile when Danny entered my office, the cocky grin that I had fallen in love with on his face. However, when I realised he had brought the mysterious Eve to the ARC, I rolled my eyes and wondered how Danny had ever managed as a cop when he did stupid things like that. What the hell had he been thinking? The first place Christine would come would be the ARC, what had possessed him to bring Eve here?
I still thought I had a chance of salvaging the situation, after all, the artefact was from the future and the anomalies did come under the ARC's remit. Of course, before I could call the minister, things spiralled out of control when Eve had revealed herself to be Helen sowing more chaos as was her habit, before she dragged Christine away as a hostage. Danny and the team had chased after her and I waited impatiently for news.
I looked up to meet Becker's eyes, the look in them telling me before he even spoke that things had not gone well. Danny, Connor and Abby had stepped through the anomaly to the future and had not returned. Nor had Christine, but as she had last been seen being dragged away by a future predator, that was hardly surprising.
***
I had been left with half a team to manage the anomalies and even that had been taken from me with the disastrous rescue missions and mounting casualties. The relief I had felt when the ARC had reopened had me grinning and unable to hide how I felt - God bless that Stegosaurus - even if I had to work, and worse, report, to that bloody imbecile, Philip Burton. Every anomaly that opened had me hoping against hope that this would be the one and that I'd receive confirmation that Danny - and Connor and Abby, of course - were safely home. That belief gave me the strength to deal with bloody Burton and his daily interference.
I had almost given up hope of ever seeing my lost team again, even though I had refused to dispose of their lockers and had even had them moved to the new ARC. The lockers and Danny's motorcycle had been a constant reminder of what I had lost; every time I saw that bike parked next to my Mercedes it was like a knife through my heart. It was as abandoned and forgotten as I had been.
I had almost cheered when Becker had called in to say Connor and Abby had made it back, although I had almost been too afraid to ask the question I most wanted to ask but I had to know. The news that they hadn't seen Danny for a year, that they didn't know if he was alive or not, sent pain through my heart. The only thing that had kept me going was the thought of the three of them being together, surviving all that the anomalies could throw at them. I sat down hard in my chair at the thought of Danny being all alone with no one to help him, that he could have been injured or worst and... no, I shook my head. I refused to believe that Danny was dead. For fuck sake, he'd flown a helicopter through an anomaly while being chased by a G. rex and emerged without a scratch, although admittedly without the rather expensive helicopter.
***
I had almost sagged with relief when I'd received the call from the disused prison which housed our latest anomaly. Danny was back! Even if I would be having words with Anderson about his shoot first and ask questions later policy. I smiled slightly, reminded of Danny's own tendency to act that way.
The wait for Danny to arrive at the ARC seemed to be never ending and I paced my office in agitation, fearing the reaction I would get from Danny. We hadn't fixed things between us when he’d vanished 18 months ago and... A cleared throat had my head snap up and my breath catch as I stared at the man standing so nonchalantly in the doorway of my office.
I would have pulled Danny into my arms and kissed him senseless, but for several things: one, I didn't know if Danny would welcome the affection; two, he had foregone a shower and I had standards, although that stubble looked interesting and, three, I had no wish to provide Burton with any ammunition in his attempt to wrestle the ARC away from me.
I had hoped for a quiet word with Danny later, to find out were we stood, relationship-wise. Except that Danny had been so caught up in finally finding his brother again after so many years that I felt I couldn't demand any of his time. I thought there would be plenty of time for us, once the Patrick situation had been resolved. Of course, that was before Patrick escaped, almost killed Becker and Danny had chased off after him. Before I knew it, I had received a call from Anderson informing me that Patrick had escaped into the past. The man's pause told me there was more to it than that, and Anderson finally admitted that Danny had followed his brother.
Knowing I had been left behind again was a hard blow, but I... well, I supposed I deserved it. I spent that night alone in our - my flat, with only a tumbler of whisky for company and was left, once again, to fret and worry about Danny, especially when he was tracking down a known murderer, even if the man was Danny's own brother.
***
I found the revelation that Anderson had been sent from the future to stop a disaster that he blamed on Burton, to be a welcome distraction from my worries and fears over Danny. Events had quickly spiralled out of control again, culminating in myself and Jess being hunted by future predators in the supposed safety of the ARC, although considering I had been hunted through the corridors of the previous ARC, I supposed I had form on this particular activity, it was just a pity that I didn't have Monty available to help me this time.
When my near-flat EMD whirled and died as a predator leapt towards Jess, I did the only thing I could. I jumped in front of her, swinging my useless EMD at the creature's head while I yelled at Jess to run. The bloody thing ducked and the next thing I knew was pain exploding in my stomach and then I was falling. In the gathering darkness, I thought I could hear Danny's voice, “Oi, pick on someone your own size!” This was followed by the discharge of an EMD and a heavy thump. I smile softly, I knew I had to be dying if I could hear Danny, my... he couldn't be here, not when he was missing, presumed dead.
I forced my eyes open when I felt rough stubble against my skin when warm lips pressed against my own. My vision was blurry and grey out, but I could have sworn a battered and worn Danny Quinn knelt beside me, seeming as real as the worried-looking Jess I could see peaking over the Danny-apparition's shoulder. I smiled and barely managed to lift my hand towards Danny, but I lost consciousness before I could touch him.
***
Insistent bleeps echoed in my mind and drove me towards consciousness, to wake in a world of pain and loss. Far too slowly for my peace of mind, I realised that pain meant I was alive, that I had survived my latest encounter with the predators. The white walls and bleeps led me to the conclusion that I was in a hospital room. I lifted my head to look around, wincing with the effort and let my head rest once more on the pillow. I was alone... of course I was, it had only been blood loss and my own need that had conjured Danny to my side. I barely paid any attention when the door opened, it would only be a nurse, or even worse, one of my team come to offer me platitudes, because I was sure I had gasped 'Danny' before the darkness had taken me.
“Fuck, James, don't you bloody scare me like that again!”
My head snapped around and, to my later horror, my mouth hung open as I stared at Danny. Not the Danny I had last seen - or imagined - but the one I had last seen before he had gone after Helen. My voice wavered as I asked, “Danny?”
Danny nodded and gripped my hand tightly. “Yes, James. It's me, I'm home.”
“It's really you?” I found it difficult to believe what my senses where telling me, could this really be Danny?
Danny swore softly under his breath. “I told them I wanted to be with you when you woke, but they insisted I cleaned up first.”
“You're back?”
Danny looked worried for a moment, his hand reaching out to feel my forehead before his eyes widened in sudden understand. “Yes, James.” He leaned in for a kiss, snogging me until I was light-headed. “I'm sorry I stormed out on you and then chased after Patrick without a word.”
I shook my head, “I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have taken my frustrations over Christine and the minister out on you.”
Danny grinned and brushed a stand of hair from my forehead. “So, when do you get out of here?” When I quirked an inquiring eyebrow, Danny added, “We have so much time to make up for.”
“Eager as ever,” I chuckled before gasping as the movement pulled my stitches. “I doubt I'll be up to much, Danny.”
“Let me worry about that.” Danny stated with a twinkle in his eyes.
I smiled and decided to let Danny take the lead, just this once. “Fine.” I paused for a moment before adding, “I love you.”
“I love you too, James.” Danny smiled and leaned in for another kiss, “But you need to rest.”
I quirked an eyebrow at the change in conversation, even if could - and would be - blaming my confusion on the drugs I was no doubt on.
Danny's smile widened as he said, “You're getting sappy.” He intertwined his fingers with mine, “I'll stay right here, love.”
“You're sappy too,” I murmured tiredly, to worn out by events and revelations to remain awake, and I drifted back asleep with a smile on my face, my hand held firmly in Danny's. Everything would be fine now Danny was back.
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~3400
Characters: James Lester, Danny Quinn, Team.
Rating: 15
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N 1: Fic for fifi and her beta-ing and her prompt: What do you say to writing some Lester/Danny? I’d love to see them having a bust-up, LOL! Oh, has to be a happy ending *g* Or not a sad one, at least : )
A/N 2: Thanks go to the wonderful hound for the beta, cheers Fred. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
A/N 3: Angst, hurt/comfort.
Today had not been a good day and all I had wanted to do was go home and relax. Maybe indulge in a tumbler of my finest Scotch, listen to my favourite piece of music and... well, snuggle and have fantastic sex with my boyfriend. That was before I had learned about the anomaly at the supposed safe-house I had sent my people - my boyfriend - to for protection and to keep them out of Christine's hands. I was already feeling guilty about losing the ARC and putting my people in harm's way when I’d read the reports. I felt my expression growing more and more stony with every damning word. Bloody hell, what the hell had my lover been thinking?
I had not been in a good mood before I had entered my - our - flat and seen Danny lounging on my expensive sofa as if he hadn't a care in the world. His bloody great, dirty shoes resting on one arm, his head resting on the other, an erection tenting the tattered remains of his tuxedo as he sipped from a bottle of beer while reading a top-shelf magazine, a half-naked man on the cover.
When Danny looked up at me, his trademark cocky grin on his face, I admit it was the last straw for my self-control. “Do you have any sense of self preservation?”
Danny blinked at me, his expression sliding into confusion, “James?”
“Attempting to slide down a decades old rusted wire over the heads of killer ostriches on steroids.” I was thankful that my voice was calm and collected, although I knew I was anything but, as a coil of tension withered just below the surface.
“It worked.” Danny had sat up and was looking rather less pleased with himself as he frowned at me instead, no doubt trying to figure out what was wrong, although he obviously drew a blank as he asked me, “What's wrong, love?”
I felt my temper flare and snap, words erupting unbidden from my lips as I almost snarled at my lover, “Oh, yes. It worked so well, didn't it? You almost got Connor killed!” I didn't voice my real fear, that I could have lost Danny too. I was too tired and upset to even attempt to stop myself, “And let’s not forget the damage to one Hilux.”
“Connor crashed that.” Danny blinked as though realising he'd just blamed one of his team and I knew I'd been right about that when he continued, “Although it was already damage when Christine's men shot it.”
“And the helicopter you lost in the past, was that someone else’s fault too?” I felt the conversation slipping away and knew I was taking my anger and impotence over the Christine situation out on Danny, but I couldn't stop myself as the words flowed out of my mouth to impact on my lover. “Bloody hell, but what else should I expect? You never followed the rules as a Detective Constable, did you? All those reprimands on your record, is it any wonder you were never promoted?”
Danny stood up abruptly and glared at me for a moment. “Fuck you, James. You're no angel but if I'm an embarrassment to you, well there's plenty of others out there that won't think I'm something to wipe off their shoes.”
I could only stare open-mouthed as Danny turned and left, slamming the door as he stomped down the hall. It took me several moments to gather my wits enough to race after him and... I don't know, begging for forgiveness wasn't my style. I reached the garage just in time to see Danny tear off on his motorcycle without a backwards glance.
I returned to the now empty flat and poured myself a tumbler of whisky, although I didn't taste it. I half-watched the news but I wouldn't have been able to say what was on it. My eyes turned repeatedly to the front door every few moments in the hope... no, I shook my head. I knew Danny well enough that he wouldn't be back until he had calmed down.
But as time ticked by and night fell, I couldn't help worry about him, Danny had been angry and he was reckless enough on his bike at the best of times. Eventually, I retired to bed. It was large, cold and lonely without my irrepressible lover to fill it. I tried to sleep, but every sound now heralded not the return of Danny but a knock on the door from the police, heads bowed as they... I suddenly rose and opened my laptop. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep so I might as well do something useful. I slammed the lid shut in disgust when I'd made my fifth mistake and stood to stare out the window, hoping Danny would return but fearing I had lost him. I knew I'd get little, if any, sleep until he returned and it was just as well it was the weekend. Oh, I could function on little sleep and lots of caffeine, but I would not be a nice person to be around and I had no need to piss anyone else off.
***
Monday morning came around far too slowly for me. I hadn't heard from Danny all weekend and had hesitated to call him, deciding it would be better to wait until I could see him alone, I was sure I could think of some reason to summon him and then we could sort everything out.
I almost cursed when I recalled I had arranged a team meeting, one where I would have to act normally when all I wanted to do was take Danny in my arms and kiss him senseless. Danny had been his normal irreverent self and I found myself sniping back at him, but something was missing and I soon stopped responding. The tension between us had been enough for Abby to give us thoughtful looks and I could only hope she had the sense to keep out of it.
Danny and I soon fell into a routine as if we'd never been in a relationship and I, for one, retreated behind my desk, a closed door and my work. I still loved Danny and it took all of my self-control not to break Becker's nose when Danny flirted with him. I had noticed Danny glance over at me every time he flirted and I refused to react to his childish behaviour. If he wanted to make a move on Becker, I was no longer his lover and I was certainly not his keeper, but I didn't have to want to watch him flirt in front of me. I retreated back to my office, closing the door firmly.
The worst thing was, I knew it hadn't even really been Danny I had been angry will but my... his actions had been the proverbial last straw and... and now I had no idea how to make things better between us or even if Danny wanted to try and so fearing rejection, I didn't even try.
Apparently my staff didn't understand what a closed door meant. First I had Abby knocking on the door and trying to talk to me, but I just quirked an eyebrow at her and told her to mind her own business. She sighed and nodded, pausing on her way out to call me an idiot, although she did tacked 'sir' on the end.
Becker had been next, twitchy and nervous as he told me he had no designs on Danny. I told him I didn't care one way or the other and to close the door on his way out. I didn't want to be disturbed and the next person who did so without a valid reason would be getting their P45.
***
Danny was late and although I knew it was unlikely he'd had an accident, I still called him to make sure he was OK. He claimed to be stuck in traffic - on a motorcycle - and I bit back a sigh when I reminded him I was seeing the minister about Christine and her operation.
When I heard the dialling tone as Danny hung up on me abruptly, I had the horrible realisation that my words had fallen on deaf ears, that Danny wasn't going to wait for me to go through channels and was going to attempt to rescue his mysterious woman from the future. He seemed incapable of understanding just how difficult he made my life with his antics and... I sighed, we were total opposites and maybe it had been inevitable that we'd split. I just knew if Danny fucked up whatever he was planning, I'd have to clean it up. If he succeeded, he'd brag about it to the team, no matter how much fallout landed on my desk. I couldn't help wonder if this was some sort of payback for our breakup but couldn't bring myself to care, he seemed happy enough with Becker and the rest of the team.
I sighed and turned back to my paperwork, although I was soon interrupted by the arrival of Christine Johnson, Wilder at her heels like some faithful hound. Only years of political subterfuge allowed me to keep my façade when I heard of Danny's exploits. However, form demanded that I summoned him to my office when he arrived and I could only hope he had a good explanation for his actions.
I hide my smile when Danny entered my office, the cocky grin that I had fallen in love with on his face. However, when I realised he had brought the mysterious Eve to the ARC, I rolled my eyes and wondered how Danny had ever managed as a cop when he did stupid things like that. What the hell had he been thinking? The first place Christine would come would be the ARC, what had possessed him to bring Eve here?
I still thought I had a chance of salvaging the situation, after all, the artefact was from the future and the anomalies did come under the ARC's remit. Of course, before I could call the minister, things spiralled out of control when Eve had revealed herself to be Helen sowing more chaos as was her habit, before she dragged Christine away as a hostage. Danny and the team had chased after her and I waited impatiently for news.
I looked up to meet Becker's eyes, the look in them telling me before he even spoke that things had not gone well. Danny, Connor and Abby had stepped through the anomaly to the future and had not returned. Nor had Christine, but as she had last been seen being dragged away by a future predator, that was hardly surprising.
***
I had been left with half a team to manage the anomalies and even that had been taken from me with the disastrous rescue missions and mounting casualties. The relief I had felt when the ARC had reopened had me grinning and unable to hide how I felt - God bless that Stegosaurus - even if I had to work, and worse, report, to that bloody imbecile, Philip Burton. Every anomaly that opened had me hoping against hope that this would be the one and that I'd receive confirmation that Danny - and Connor and Abby, of course - were safely home. That belief gave me the strength to deal with bloody Burton and his daily interference.
I had almost given up hope of ever seeing my lost team again, even though I had refused to dispose of their lockers and had even had them moved to the new ARC. The lockers and Danny's motorcycle had been a constant reminder of what I had lost; every time I saw that bike parked next to my Mercedes it was like a knife through my heart. It was as abandoned and forgotten as I had been.
I had almost cheered when Becker had called in to say Connor and Abby had made it back, although I had almost been too afraid to ask the question I most wanted to ask but I had to know. The news that they hadn't seen Danny for a year, that they didn't know if he was alive or not, sent pain through my heart. The only thing that had kept me going was the thought of the three of them being together, surviving all that the anomalies could throw at them. I sat down hard in my chair at the thought of Danny being all alone with no one to help him, that he could have been injured or worst and... no, I shook my head. I refused to believe that Danny was dead. For fuck sake, he'd flown a helicopter through an anomaly while being chased by a G. rex and emerged without a scratch, although admittedly without the rather expensive helicopter.
***
I had almost sagged with relief when I'd received the call from the disused prison which housed our latest anomaly. Danny was back! Even if I would be having words with Anderson about his shoot first and ask questions later policy. I smiled slightly, reminded of Danny's own tendency to act that way.
The wait for Danny to arrive at the ARC seemed to be never ending and I paced my office in agitation, fearing the reaction I would get from Danny. We hadn't fixed things between us when he’d vanished 18 months ago and... A cleared throat had my head snap up and my breath catch as I stared at the man standing so nonchalantly in the doorway of my office.
I would have pulled Danny into my arms and kissed him senseless, but for several things: one, I didn't know if Danny would welcome the affection; two, he had foregone a shower and I had standards, although that stubble looked interesting and, three, I had no wish to provide Burton with any ammunition in his attempt to wrestle the ARC away from me.
I had hoped for a quiet word with Danny later, to find out were we stood, relationship-wise. Except that Danny had been so caught up in finally finding his brother again after so many years that I felt I couldn't demand any of his time. I thought there would be plenty of time for us, once the Patrick situation had been resolved. Of course, that was before Patrick escaped, almost killed Becker and Danny had chased off after him. Before I knew it, I had received a call from Anderson informing me that Patrick had escaped into the past. The man's pause told me there was more to it than that, and Anderson finally admitted that Danny had followed his brother.
Knowing I had been left behind again was a hard blow, but I... well, I supposed I deserved it. I spent that night alone in our - my flat, with only a tumbler of whisky for company and was left, once again, to fret and worry about Danny, especially when he was tracking down a known murderer, even if the man was Danny's own brother.
***
I found the revelation that Anderson had been sent from the future to stop a disaster that he blamed on Burton, to be a welcome distraction from my worries and fears over Danny. Events had quickly spiralled out of control again, culminating in myself and Jess being hunted by future predators in the supposed safety of the ARC, although considering I had been hunted through the corridors of the previous ARC, I supposed I had form on this particular activity, it was just a pity that I didn't have Monty available to help me this time.
When my near-flat EMD whirled and died as a predator leapt towards Jess, I did the only thing I could. I jumped in front of her, swinging my useless EMD at the creature's head while I yelled at Jess to run. The bloody thing ducked and the next thing I knew was pain exploding in my stomach and then I was falling. In the gathering darkness, I thought I could hear Danny's voice, “Oi, pick on someone your own size!” This was followed by the discharge of an EMD and a heavy thump. I smile softly, I knew I had to be dying if I could hear Danny, my... he couldn't be here, not when he was missing, presumed dead.
I forced my eyes open when I felt rough stubble against my skin when warm lips pressed against my own. My vision was blurry and grey out, but I could have sworn a battered and worn Danny Quinn knelt beside me, seeming as real as the worried-looking Jess I could see peaking over the Danny-apparition's shoulder. I smiled and barely managed to lift my hand towards Danny, but I lost consciousness before I could touch him.
***
Insistent bleeps echoed in my mind and drove me towards consciousness, to wake in a world of pain and loss. Far too slowly for my peace of mind, I realised that pain meant I was alive, that I had survived my latest encounter with the predators. The white walls and bleeps led me to the conclusion that I was in a hospital room. I lifted my head to look around, wincing with the effort and let my head rest once more on the pillow. I was alone... of course I was, it had only been blood loss and my own need that had conjured Danny to my side. I barely paid any attention when the door opened, it would only be a nurse, or even worse, one of my team come to offer me platitudes, because I was sure I had gasped 'Danny' before the darkness had taken me.
“Fuck, James, don't you bloody scare me like that again!”
My head snapped around and, to my later horror, my mouth hung open as I stared at Danny. Not the Danny I had last seen - or imagined - but the one I had last seen before he had gone after Helen. My voice wavered as I asked, “Danny?”
Danny nodded and gripped my hand tightly. “Yes, James. It's me, I'm home.”
“It's really you?” I found it difficult to believe what my senses where telling me, could this really be Danny?
Danny swore softly under his breath. “I told them I wanted to be with you when you woke, but they insisted I cleaned up first.”
“You're back?”
Danny looked worried for a moment, his hand reaching out to feel my forehead before his eyes widened in sudden understand. “Yes, James.” He leaned in for a kiss, snogging me until I was light-headed. “I'm sorry I stormed out on you and then chased after Patrick without a word.”
I shook my head, “I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have taken my frustrations over Christine and the minister out on you.”
Danny grinned and brushed a stand of hair from my forehead. “So, when do you get out of here?” When I quirked an inquiring eyebrow, Danny added, “We have so much time to make up for.”
“Eager as ever,” I chuckled before gasping as the movement pulled my stitches. “I doubt I'll be up to much, Danny.”
“Let me worry about that.” Danny stated with a twinkle in his eyes.
I smiled and decided to let Danny take the lead, just this once. “Fine.” I paused for a moment before adding, “I love you.”
“I love you too, James.” Danny smiled and leaned in for another kiss, “But you need to rest.”
I quirked an eyebrow at the change in conversation, even if could - and would be - blaming my confusion on the drugs I was no doubt on.
Danny's smile widened as he said, “You're getting sappy.” He intertwined his fingers with mine, “I'll stay right here, love.”
“You're sappy too,” I murmured tiredly, to worn out by events and revelations to remain awake, and I drifted back asleep with a smile on my face, my hand held firmly in Danny's. Everything would be fine now Danny was back.