Primeval WIP Gambling (14/...)
Title: Gambling (14/...)
Author: TalliW
Pairings: Lester/Cutter
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Primeval are the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun. So don't bother me
Acknowledgments: Thanks to fredbassett for beta-reading. I couldn't have done it without you.
On Friday morning, Lester was informed about an incident in London.
At the same time as they had played hide and seek with some Stegoceras in St. Austell, a family had been attacked in a park near to a children playground in Hackney.
And this time there had been casualties. A boy had been killed outright, his father had died in the emergency van on the way to the hospital. The little daughter had survived unscathed but was still in shock. She hadn't seen anything but a fast shadow before her father had started running in an attempt to lead the attacker away from his youngest child.
All the signs pointed to the family dog, a dangerous looking Staffordshire Terrier who was captured by the police as he'd dashed around the park barking like mad.
The lab analysis of the postmortem samples had shown some unusual DNA in the spittle found in the wounds which had to come from something other than a dog.
The Police Authority was under strict orders from the Home Office to report anything unusual to the ARC so the information had been delivered to Lester's desk.
The family dog had already been put down so he officially as became the guilty party and the investigation was considered to be closed.
The body of the Cynognathus Lieutenant Lyle and his men had shot some hours later in Clissold Park was disposed of discreetly.
Lester bunched his fists as he became aware of the figure in the shadow of the ARC building.
"Two people dead, a father and his son, the daughter in shock, a family destroyed. Are you pleased?" he demanded, angrily.
Helen shrugged: "All over the world people are dying every day and no one cares. What's one man and a kid more or less? I warned you there would be casualties if you didn't play along."
Lester burned with anger. "I've arranged what you wanted. The manhunt is over, your legal papers are on the way and I've even talked my superior into getting you a flat and making some payments to you if you're willing to provide some information in exchange. I think I have done more then enough."
"I' m very pleased to hear that. But I still want my husband back."
Lester gritted his teeth. "I've told you he's not your husband anymore. You're divorced."
"That doesn't matter. He belongs to me. It's better you give him up now. I'm sure the sooner you let him go, then the less it will hurt," Helen said, grinning with malice.
Lester's temper snapped. He grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall.
Helen hissed briefly and then licked her lips provocatively.
"Oh, who would have thought we were so alike. Did you enjoy that, James?" she taunted. "Does Nick know about your dark side?"
Helen gave a short laugh. "Perhaps that's why Nick let you fuck him? He thought he couldn't have me so he chose the second best. But when I'm back in society why would Nick still want you?"
Lester stood in front of her, quivering with rage and trying to hold back his impulse to kill the woman.
When he took a menacing step closer he could see a faint flicker of fright in Helen's eyes just for a moment and that made him feel powerful.
"Don't forget, Helen, two can play this game," he threatened. "I still have the power to make your life a living hell.
All I have to do is to put you back on the wanted list. Then you'd find it hard to live a normal life.
Even continuing to jump in and out of our time to get supplied wouldn't be so easy any more."
Helen composed herself quickly. "But are you really up for gambling, James, with all it entails?
We play and the winner gets Nick. The other will lose everything, including his life.
And of course there will be some pawns sacrifice along the way."
Helen raised her eyebrow challenging.
Lester swallowed heavily. "Nick isn't a thing and people are not acceptable sacrifices. I refuse to play a gruesome game like that with you. Are you really so far gone you don't care about anything any more?"
"Oh I care, Lester. I care for Nick a great deal, for instance. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun now and then."
"You're disgusting, Helen."
"Maybe I'm, but a man who's fucking another man is disgusting too."
Before Lester could say something else Helen was gone.
Exhausted, he walked to his car and drove to Hackney.
He was only sure of one thing: He would fight her for Nick and for his sake he had to win.
Taking a stuffed hippo with him, Lester went to visit little Carol, the only survivor of the Cynognathus attack, in hospital.
Her mother was sitting beside her bed, reading a children's book aloud to her, telling a story about a happy bunny family. The eyes of mother and child were red and sore from tears.
Lester tried to find some comforting words but knew he was failing. He left the hospital depressed.
He needed to do something good, something to help people.
When Nick arrived home, James Lester was sitting in the living room with a cup of tea standing next to him on the table, untouched and cold.
"What's wrong, James?"
When he felt Nick's soothing touch on his cheek Lester started to say:
"Did you know men who have sex with men are banned from being blood donors as they are classed as having a higher risk of passing on sexually transmitted diseases?
I'd never realised there were regulations like that affecting gay or bisexual men before. It never concerned me. Those fucking idiots don't want my blood anymore. All these years it's been good enough but now, because I'm sleeping with you I'm a risk."
His swearing showed Nick how churned up James was about what had happened. The only time James Lester lost his composure and swore was when he was deeply agitated.
"I'm so sick of people sometimes. Their narrow-minded views, their prejudice. I don't sleep around.
If I'm in a relationship with someone then I'm absolute monogamous. Every bloke dating several woman at once is more at risk of catching a sexual disease than me."
"That regulation is crap, James. That probably dates from the time when homosexuality was still a crime," said Nick.
"If they don't want your blood when they're always short of the stuff, then screw them.
Why don't we go out for a change. That will take your mind off things?"
But Lester carried on talking as if he hadn't heard him: "I sat there, filling out the form the same way I always do. Then I read the bit about the ban on men who are intimate with other men. I just stood up and went away, crumpling up the half completed form in my hand. The nurses were surprised. I'm a regular at the National Blood Service and they know me. They asked me, "What's wrong?" and I couldn't tell them. I just lied and said I suddenly felt ill.
How can I tell them the truth? They know I was married. I can't suddenly declare I'm a poofter.
Damn it, it's all so complicated," he sighed. "Life was easier before we..."
Lester didn't finish that sentence, but for Nick he had said enough. Icy water was suddenly running through his veins.
He turned around, abruptly, and stalked into the kitchen bowing his head over the sink to fend off the lump in his throat.
"When you want to end our relationship just tell me," he said in a low voice as he heard James walking in behind him.
Lester ran his hand over his hair, frantically. He felt so guilty. Couldn't he just do something right for a change.
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's been a hellish day and I'm just frustrated. Nick, please don't take any notice of my idiotic babbling.
You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You know that, don't you?"
Lester stepped behind Nick and closed his arms around him, drawing him to his body, letting Nick feel his heart beating faster at the contact.
"You said something about going out. I think that's a great idea," he whispered in Nick's ear, as he slid his tongue along the rim. "Just the two of us, somewhere nice and secluded, to wind down. What do you think?"
He feverishly hoped Nick would accept that as an apology. He wasn't very good at saying sorry.
"There's the club Abby mentioned," Nick said, still sombre, with his back to his lover. "We could go there."
Lester grimaced. "I'd been thinking about the Chinese down the street. It's a nice little restaurant with separate alcoves."
"Are you ashamed to be seen with me?" Nick asked.
"Of course not," Lester replied quickly and drew him into a brief kiss. "All right, we'll go to your club. I'll change quickly." James faked a smile and hurried out of the room.
Nick gazed after him. Something was wrong with Lester. For a brief moment he thought about Stephen's accusations then shook his head.
James was a truthful man. He wouldn't do something like that.
Nick ambled into his bedroom to put on the blue silk shirt he'd was been wearing on their first date. He knew how much Lester liked to see him in that.
Whatever was bugging his lover, he would get him to talk about it. Talking about things usually helped and perhaps together they could sort it out.
And if the night proceeded the way he had planned, James would soon forget all his problems.
Nick Cutter smiled wickedly. 'James Lester, tonight your arse is mine,' he thought as he slid into a pair of tight black jeans.