His Parent's Brag, Part 1
Title: His Parent's Brag, Part 1
Author: TalliW
Characters: Jenny Lewis, Nick Cutter and a baby Hypsilophodon
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading. I couldn't have done it without you.
AN: The story is set at the start of season 3 but with some major changes. Only the first half of 3x03 happened. Cutter hasn't become the depressed, crazy professor and is still alive. Jenny is still the strong-willed, feisty woman of season 2.
This story is dedicated to a1cmustangpilot who inspired me with her wonderful tales about the pyroraptors.
Jenny hadn't known the animal they were being chased by. She only knew it was big, scary and apparently hungry.
Cutter had called "Run!" and that was exactly what she had done. So she couldn't understand why he was now reacting so angrily. It hadn't been her fault an Anomaly had opened directly in front of them and that they had toppled right into the shiny light to land with their bottoms in a hot spring. He was the expert on Anomalies and crazy dinosaurs, after all. He should have thought about the possibility of such situations occuring.
Perhaps it would have been better if they had landed in cold water so the professor's quick temper would have cooled down faster, she thought in annoyance and picked herself up from the warm pool whilst he rambled on about unreasonable women .
The anomaly had vanished behind them and at the moment she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She certainly hadn't been keen on getting flattened by that big scary creature which was racing after them or ending up as an afternoon snack in its teeth.
But if they stayed here longer, wherever here was, the danger of getting eaten still existed.
Finally, Cutter had stopped cursing and heaved himself up.
"Early Cretaceous," he announced, after a brief look around, as if that should explain everything to Jenny. Unfortunately it told her nothing except that they were in primitive times and would probably encounter some dinosaurs.
Cutter seem to realise that a moment later too, and carried on. "The Early Cretaceous was mostly populated by herbivores. There were some predators, the Allosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus, for instance, or dromaeosaurids like Deinonychus. But the latter are relatively small. The Deinonychus isn't bigger than four metres."
Jenny restrained herself from pointing out that four metre large predators weren't exactly what she would label small. But it was more important to get back to their own time as fast as possible than to start another argument with the mad professor.
"Do you have a portable Anomaly Detector with you?" she asked him. Cutter's blank look told her enough and she was seized with remorse at having left her own detector device in the car again.
"Just great," she muttered, and looked over the landscape. "What do we do now? Wait for that Anomaly to reopen?"
"I don't think that will happen in the near future. Better we look for another way back."
"Without a detector?"
Cutter just shrugged and Jenny felt a strong desire to smack him over the head.
He started to walk down to the lowlands with fast steps and Jenny had no other choice but to follow him.
She was glad she had chosen sensible clothes for work today. But the wet fabric of her trousers now sticking to her bottom made the walk very unpleasant. At least the heavy boots had protected her feet from getting wet as well.
Cutter didn't seem to have any problems with the damp jeans now accentuating his arse as he walked in front of her.
If Jenny hadn't known better, she would even say the professor was even swaying his arse purposefully for her.
But of course that was just wishful thinking. Lately, they were on relatively good terms after a very rocky start but from time to time they still rubbed each other up the wrong way.
"Look out for dinosaurs," Cutter mumbled as they walked down to the valley, and Jenny rolled her eyes. It would certainly be difficult to overlook metre high animals.
And she was right. Behind the next hill they spied a herd of dinosaurs, peacefully munching on the fern trees.The approximately 5 metre high animals with bulky frames, long tails, short necks and strong hind legs weren't bothered by their slow approach.
"Iguanodons," Cutter declared and enjoyed the view of the large herd who had suddenly become agitated as a larger dinosaur arrived.
"Wow, an Acrocanthosaurus. I've always wanted to see one in the flesh. He's tremendous, isn't he?"
The professor's enthusiasm turned into concern when the huge animal ran towards the Iguanodons and tore into the fleeing herd. "And he's on the hunt. Jenny, run!"
For the second time that afternoon she obeyed his command and started to run.
Nick Cutter headed directly for the forest and Jenny tried to keep up with him.
When she thought she couldn't go any further, they finally reached the edge of the forest and the professor stopped after a few metres. Bent forwards, with his hands propped on his knees, he struggled for breath and waited until she stood next to him.
"That creature was definitely larger than four metres," Jenny panted.
"Of course, the Acrocanthosaurus was one of the biggest terrestrial predators in the Early Cretaceous. They have found up to 13 metre long skeletons. Impressive, isn't it?"
The look Jenny threw him indicated she was more pissed off than impressed, but he just ignored her and observed their surroundings.
"Oh czekanowskian trees. They were extinct a long time ago." He waved a twig with needle-like leaves in front of her face in excitement then turned around and pointed at some other trees, "Those over there are ginkgo trees. And look at these gigantic fern bushes. Perhaps we'll see some of the smaller dinosaurs like Hypsilophodon, Valdosaurus and Vectisaurus and I can show you the differences."
"Great. We are stuck in the Cretaceous and Cutter's giving me the grand tour," Jenny muttered and leaned against the trunk of a tree.
She had only two minutes to rest before Nick Cutter grasped her hand and dragged her into direction of a large fern thicket. "I think I heard some noises from there."
Jenny gave up the struggle when he dived between the ferns with only his arse still sticking up in the air. Sighing she went down on all fours and crawled after him.
"Watch out!" Cutter called, but unfortunately a second to late. The large fern frond hit Jenny hard between the eyes and she growled.
"Cutter, I know you're lacking in the courtesy department but I certainly wasn't expecting you to flip a fern frond into my face. Next time, warn me in advance."
"Sorry, he muttered and scrambled on. "Be careful. It's getting soggy."
Jenny took a deep breath as she felt the mud slowly soaking the fabric on her knees. "Cutter, I think we've a vast communication problem," she snarled angrily.
He didn't even react as she grasped some mud and flung it against his arse.
"I've found a nest," he cheered and Jenny crawled curiously to his side.
She cringed at the crunching noise and looked afraid at the crushed egg shells under her left hand.
"Oh my god," she whispered, horrified.
"Don't worry they've already hatched. You've only destroyed some empty shells. Whatever animals they were, they've run off, probably afraid some predators were approaching with all the noises we made."
A faint cracking sound, and a quack, startled them and they looked shocked at the egg between them, which they hadn't noticed and which had been still intact but was now showing a small crack at the tip. The crack got bigger and suddenly a small head emerged from the picked hole.
"Oh God, is that cute."
"Yeah, it's wonderful, isn't it?" Cutter whispered.
Huddled together, they watched the hatching of a creature from million years from the past, enthralled.
The first thing the little Hypsilophodon saw were the grinning faces of Nick Cutter and Jenny Lewis and the baby dinosaur quacked happily.
Some minutes later the dinosaur still squatted in his egg and they had started to debate quietly whether they should help the little creature.
The dinosaur seem to have problems breaking the remaining shell around his body and was slowly getting desperate.
Cutter was eager to see the rest of the animal to be able to identify the species and Jenny suffered with the cute creature who fought, exhausted, against his prison. But they were still reluctant to do anything.
The nestling tried to shatter the shell again and again. Finally, it sunk its head down in defeat and Jenny couldn't stand the sight any longer.
In spite of Cutter's protest, she resolutely snatched a short stick and nudged against the lower half of the egg shell, strong enough to crack the white hull and make it easier for the little one.
The tiny animal pushed against his confinement with new energy and soon a large piece of shell fell down to the ground.
With a joyful "Eeep" the baby dinosaur climbed out of the egg and peered up to Jenny.
"I think it's a Hypsilophodon. It has the relatively primitive feature of only four toes. Most types of that species already have five, " Cutter explained, and the small dinosaur tilted its head and eyed Cutter confidingly.
"Hallo, little nipper," Nick said softly.
"Aueek," the creature answered.
"He's standings on two legs," Jenny whispered, amazed, and bent her head a little deeper to the animal.
With an, "Eek, eek", the baby Hypsilophodon stretched his neck towards Jenny and she pulled back, bewildered, as the little lizard's head touched her chin for a moment.
Cutter chuckled. "It seems to like you. I'm impressed that your feminine charms even work on a dinosaur. Perhaps you should go ahead the next time some creatures come through an Anomaly so you can smite them all with your charms."
Before Jenny could reply to that remark, a loud bang tore through the peaceful world of the Early Cretaceous and followed, shortly afterwards, by another one.
With an "Eeeks" the little dinosaur sought refuge under a fern bush.
"That was a shot. Becker, the idiot."
"It means the Anomaly has re-opened, Cutter. We should hurry back up there before it closes again. Come on."
This time it was Jenny who took charge and pulled Cutter behind her.
Nick furrowed his brow at the sight of the Craterosaurus herd, slowly pushing its way through the valley. The number of stegosaurid dinosaurs seemed to be unending.
"We can wait until we're old and grey or we try to get on the other side now. Come on, Cutter, it's not worse than crossing the high street at rush hour."
"All right. Let's go on three. One, two, three."
The little Hypsilophodon watched interested the lesson his parents wanted to teach it and then tried for itself.
It raced between the big stegosauri without fear, ducked under the belly of a smaller one, dodged a thick foot suddenly emerging in front of it, lost his orientation as it stumbled over a stone and ran in the wrong direction for a few seconds before it finally reached the other side of the valley.
By now the two people were only a silhouette in the distance and the little creature hurried to catch up to them.
On the top of the hill, Captain Becker and two of his soldiers Cutter only knew under their nick names of Babyface and Joker, were waiting for them.
"Becker! Are you crazy? You can't shoot around in the Cretaceous."
"I could say the same to you. Why didn't you wait at the Anomaly until it opened again? At least my gunshots have attracted your attention. I was afraid we would have to comb the whole place for you."
Jenny rolled her eyes at the staring contest Cutter and Becker had started.
"If you're finished ogling each other, can we go now?" she asked and ignored the two men's outrage at her insinuation.
The young dinosaur was exhausted. Running up the hill on its little legs had been tiring. Now it looked at the dangerous glittering light which had swallowed his family.
With the last of his strength the little Hypsilophodon raced towards the Anomaly and followed his parents...
Go to part 2