Secret Santa Story: Traces In The Snow Part 1/3

[talliw]

Secret Santa story written for Knitekat

I hope you like your present. Otherwise I offer a refund and you will get another story.






Title: Traces In The Snow
Author: TalliW
Pairings: Tom Ryan/James Lester/ Nick Cutter, Abby/Connor
Rating: K+, part 2 and 3 MA
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.
Summary: Christmas wishes, mysterious events in a foreign country and a happy ending. And of course smut.

A/N : As far I know Captain Ryan's death was never confirmed after Cutter stepped in that changed world so in this story, set in the first half of season 2, he's still very much alive.

There are several German myths and ancient customs embedded in this story. For more information read the afterword.

A big thank-you to Fredbassett, my beta reader, who always offers advice and support, and the wonderful people of primeval_denial for all that encouragement. You are great.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!




Ryan asked himself for the fourth time in half an hour why he had agreed to this insane venture.

He could be at home right now. Watching TV, reading a book, perhaps picking up a bloke in a bar and having some fun or meeting his team for a drink. Instead, he was traipsing through the snow to a desolate castle in the middle of nowhere.

No, not in the middle of nowhere, but in the middle of the Free State of Thuringia, Germany, according to Cutter, who had corrected him on the plane.

Next time Cutter got a call from an old friend and begged him to accompany him to explore a phenomenon potentially related to an anomaly he would think to ask where exactly this old friend of Cutter lived before he agreed.

At least he wasn't the only fool stomping through five inch deep snow in a foreign country at the end of December.

Connor had agreed to the trip even before Cutter had finished his explanation. That was understandable. Where Abby went, Connor went too. And Abby had been delighted with the offer of a free trip abroad.

Sometimes Ryan really felt the urge to take the boy aside and tell him that running after Abby like a lovesick puppy was the wrong way to win the girl over.

But then Ryan remembered that he wasn't quite the right person to give advice about affairs of the heart. He still was pining after someone himself, and hadn't done anything about it in months. His pining was only a tad more discreet than Connor's.

It had come as a surprise when Lester had decided to accompany them on the trip instead of spending time with his family.

Lester had even offered to fund the whole adventure, of course all in the context of improving relations with the German government, despite the fact that Cutter had already declared that the German government wasn't in the slightest bit interested in exploring the phenomenon.

Officially, they were a group of archaeologists, looking for evidence that the same builder who had directed the construction of several castles in Britain also had been responsible for the construction of two castles in Thuringia.

Cutter hoped to avoid trouble with the local authorities this way. According to Cutter's old friend, they had tried to dissuaded people from exploring the mysterious proceedings at the ruined castle around Christmas, out of fear it could damage Thuringia’s reputation.

Ryan thought that the odd timing they had chosen for the trip might actually reveal what they really had come for. After all, what sane person would choose to go on a castle research trip in the dead of winter, shortly before Christmas?

But Cutter and Lester seemed to believe it was a good enough excuse. He certainly wasn’t intending to tell them otherwise.

One look at Cutter and Lester, involved in a heated argument every few minutes whilst the two geeky twentysomethings scampered around them apprehensively had cured him of that notion.

Ryan almost wished Lester had stayed back at the ARC. Cutter was already difficult enough without Lester constantly provoking him.

But Lester had insisted joining the expedition, pretending he had to make sure they didn't waste government money unnecessarily.

In Ryan's book the whole trip was a waste of money.

But he had not really a reason to complain. The additional income was nothing to sneeze at and he had nowhere to go over the Christmas holidays anyway. In addition, the trip offered an unexpected opportunity. Perhaps his Christmas wish might come true this year. A man could still dream, couldn't he?

Apart from the fact that, Lester had growled at the flight attendant who had presented him with a chocolate Santa Clause, Cutter had talked his ears off about a scientific article he had read and Connor had managed to irritate everyone with his cheerfulness, the flight had been relatively uneventful.

Still, Ryan had heaved a sigh of relief when the aeroplane started its final descent. One more sentence about dinosaur bones, or the big mass extinction, and Cutter might have been in danger of extinction himself.

The drive through the snow-covered landscape had been lovely, though. Forests with fir trees and pine trees, covered in a cape of ice crystals and little villages, embedded in snowy valleys beside the motorway had given such a peaceful impression.

Once they had even seen three fallow deer in the distance, gracefully wandering on the white carpet of snow.

Lester had been the only one not enjoying himself.

Doctor Bittner, Cutter's friend, who had welcomed them at the airport in Altenburg with a red Santa Claus hat on his head, had chatted animatedly with his old friend about the time he spent in England as a exchange student whilst the radio in the car tootled a constant stream of Christmas songs.

Lester had asked him several times, without success, to turn the music off before he had given up. Ryan could see what Doctor Bittner had in common with Cutter when both men exchanged a smirk as Lester grumbled from the back seat of Bittner's estate car about stupid Christmas carols.

After they had finally arrived at Bittner's home, a beautiful half-timbered house in a little village amidst the Thuringian Forest, Bittner's wife had offered them home-baked Christmas stollen in her completely Christmassily-decorated house.

Lester had looked rather dejected by then and Ryan had felt a strong urge to take him comfortingly in his arms.

Sitting inside whilst the wonderful snow was waiting outside had been a hardship for Connor.

The young man had barely managed to sit still long enough to drink his mulled wine whilst they listened to Professor Bittner's report about the mysterious occurrences near the old castle.

In reality, Ryan, Connor and Abby had spaced out after the first twelve minutes.

Lester's sour look, glued to the star on top of the Christmas tree, had indicated he hadn't listened much either.

In the end, even Cutter had been glad to leave his babbling friend behind and set out for the ruined castle.

By now, Connor's enthusiasm had died down. Nothing but snow-covered forests and hills for ages, and a long walk in the freezing cold because the road up to the castle hadn’t been cleared of snow, had made sure of that.

And on top of it all it had begun to snow a few minutes ago.

"How far still, Cutter? Shouldn't we be there by now? Bittner said it would take half an hour, maximum." Lester was muffled up like an eskimo in his hooded anorak. Only the tip of his red nose was visible.

"It’s slower in the snow. If it wasn’t snowing we would probably have seen the castle a while ago." Cutter had his cap drawn deep down over his ears and his neck was retracted into his coat so far he would have kinks later. There even were ice crystals forming on his beard-stubble.

The cold had also managed to kill their fighting spirit and Ryan was glad that the two man were finally behaving like sensible people .

Ryan stomped on, unperturbed, cutting his way through the snow so the others had it easier by walking in his tracks. It wasn't the first time he’d been in an inhospitable environment.

Abby kept close to him. She was the only one beside Ryan himself who didn't seem affected by the cold.

Connor stumbled along behind, his bobble-hat slipping down over his eyebrows, as he tried to stay upright and not to fall face first in the snow again. He’d already had that experience at the bottom of the hill and he hadn't found it quite so hilarious as Abby and Cutter had done.

They walked on for another ten minutes, and slowly Ryan got worried. The wind had picked up and the snow fall had got heavier. There was still no castle in sight. All he could see was more snow and a smattering of firs.

Silently, he agreed with Lester's assumption Cutter was an idiot at reading trail signs; unfortunately Cutter was also the only one who knew a few scraps of German. Ryan had a nasty suspicion that they had probably been walking in the wrong direction from the start.

They really should have accepted Bittner's offer to accompany them. To hell with all the secretiveness. Bittner had been the one who had informed Cutter, after all. He already knew that something strange was going on. But common sense had never been Cutter's strong suit.

And Lester obviously valued secrecy above everything else.

On his left side, Ryan spied the contours of more trees and on the spur of the moment he turned left. At least the forest would provide some cover from the growing snow storm and the icy wind.

Almost as though nature had waited for them to find a little shelter in the woods, the snow storm increased. Soon the outside world vanished behind a white veil.

"We should have returned when it started to snow. Apparently we are on the wrong path," Lester muttered and ignored Cutter's bristling.

Ryan cursed himself for not taking a map and a compass on this supposed quick side-trip. To stay under the radar, Lester had ordered him to leave his field kit at home and now he felt rather inadequately prepared for this adventure.

Thanks to the security checks at the airport he hadn’t even been able to bring his army knife along. They already been lucky that they hadn't raised suspicion with the strange equipment Cutter and Connor had carried in their hand luggage. Equipment that had now been left behind in Bitter's house.

Carefully, Ryan looked around and searched for some clues where to go to.

The large fluffy flakes, tumbling steadily down to earth, made it hard for him to see more than a few metres ahead. But even so, he could tell that the snow storm had covered their tracks completely. Everything looked the same outside the trees and he wasn't sure he could lead them back without any pointers.

If only the sun was visible he would know the direction, but the sun was hidden behind dark clouds, dipping the forest into a gloomy darkness which gave him an uneasy feeling.

He remembered something about moss indicating north. But the long pine tree trunks were either covered with moss all around or the trunks carried no moss at all. Lester was also scanning the trees thoroughly. Apparently the man knew about that old boy scout trick too. Now he stared angrily at the trees, which dared not to cooperate.

"There has to be a direction sign somewhere. Forests always have signposts for walkers. We only have to find a hiking trail to get out of this damned wasteland," Lester said, shivering.

Ryan nodded in agreement. It was the best they could do at the moment. They had to keep moving to stay warm anyway.

For once, Cutter didn't argue with Lester's proposition and followed him without resistance.

Lester was ahead of their group now, driven by the need to find a trail sign and get back to civilisation. Not that the rest of them didn’t have the same wish. They just weren't angry enough yet to mobilise hidden reserves.

The only sign they had seen so far was a picture of an owl on a yellow background, which wasn't helping much.

You might almost think the whole landscape was conspiring against them.

"Can I help you?"

The question from behind a tree came so unexpectedly it startled them badly.

Lester stopped abruptly and Cutter bumped into him forcefully, making Lester lose his footing for a split second.

Before Cutter or Ryan could steady him, Lester toppled over and skidded sidewards right into the small stream winding alongside the path. The sheet of ice at the edges broke with a cracking sound as Lester landed in the icy-cold water.

Ignoring Ryan's hand, Lester heaved himself up from the ditch and glared at Cutter. The anorak had kept out most of the water but Lester's legs were drenched completely.

"Yes, we do need some help. But your offer would have been more welcome if you hadn’t just tried to give us a heart attack," Lester snarled in the stranger's direction as the man had now come out of his hiding place behind the tree.

With as much dignity as he could muster in his condition, Lester stalked back onto the trail and eyed the stranger from head to toe. His dismissive face indicated he wasn't very impressed.

The stranger looked with guilty expression at the soaked man. He had a full black beard, was muffled up in an thick brown woollen cloak and supported himself on a shepherd's crook.

"My name is Nikolaus, the Guardian. I'm the caretaker of the castle. Follow me and be my guest until your clothes have dried and the weather has improved enough for you to travel on with your companions. It's not far from here."

Ryan, Lester and Cutter exchanged looks and silently came to an understanding. For now they would take up the man's offer. Lester was already shivering, the cold slowly creeping into his skin through his wet trousers. He had to get out of the wet clothing.

Clumsily, Lester put one foot in front of the other as the caretaker led them purposefully through the forest. Lester's trousers was slowly freezing stiff and his legs were not far behind.

"Are you all right?" Cutter asked with concern.

"Don't worry, Cutter. I'll survive. It takes a lot more than this to kill a civil servant."

Still, Lester was glad as the contours of a large building materialised in the distance between the now more sparsely growing trees.

After the next curve they finally stepped out of the forest.

Ryan screwed his eyes against the blazing light of the afternoon sun, shining down from a cloudless blue sky and making the snow crystals twinkle like thousands of diamonds.

Next to him Cutter and Abby were admiring the wonderful sight as well.

On top of the hill, ahead of them, arose an impressive castle with a square tower on one side. Ryan almost could imagine the sound of fanfares welcoming the glorious knights.

The caretaker headed directly for the castle at such a speed they had trouble keeping up with him.

With an ‚Umpf' Ryan slumped down on the massive oaken chair. If he didn’t have to move for the next few hours he would be a lucky man. He looked over to his team mates who had sprawled out on the other furniture. The forced march to the castle had exhausted them all.

Lester had changed his wet clothes for a woollen robe from the caretaker and was resting under a thick blanket on a couch. Cutter had seated himself in another chair with his feet propped on a footstool whilst Abby and Connor shared a small settee.

Apparently his people were safe for the time being. It certainly wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for a moment...

Lulled by the peaceful sound of the crackling fire, Ryan dozed off.

The white-bearded man loomed over him and Ryan suddenly felt like a small child again.

"You weren't a good boy, Tom Ryan." The vibrant voice echoed from the thick castle walls and filled Ryan with terror. He wanted to run away but his legs were suddenly made of lead and wouldn’t obey him.

"Actually, you are on the list of the bad boys."

Frantically, Ryan looked for an excuse, anything to make the man stop looking at him with such displeasure.

"I'm a soldier. In order to protect people I sometimes have to adopt drastic measures which..."

"Hold your tongue!" Father Christmas hollered and his eyes blazed angrily at Ryan.

"You haven't called your mum in ages. You promised your sister to help out with babysitting but you always found excuses not to do it. You have lied to your best friend when he asked if you fancy your boss. You have forgotten to water your house plant. You have growled at your old neighbour's pug and frightened the poor dog. The list of your misdoings is long, Tom Ryan.
You're lucky I'm in a generous mood this year." Father Christmas began to laugh and his voice grew in volume until the walls of the castle started to crumble.

Ryan woke up in a cold sweat. He still heard the horrible laugh in his mind and looked nervously around the room.

Abby, Connor and the professor were still sitting in the same place, but Lester was absent.

There wasn't anyone else in the room and the walls were still intact. It had only been a dream.

With relief, Ryan sank back in the chair and considered trying to go back to sleep. But his concern for Lester outweighed his need for rest.

Sighing, Ryan heaved himself up and went looking for his boss.

Clothed in the long purple robe, Lester walked up the stairs to the room Nikolaus had provided. The bath in the wooden tub had driven the chill from his body and he felt comfortably lazy.

He had even managed as much as ten minutes without thinking about his wife, now officially his ex-wife, and his children, who preferred to spend Christmas with their future stepfather instead of with him.

Now he only wanted to crawl under the thick comforter on the king-sized bed and forget all about his family and Christmas. At least the caretaker seemed not to care much for that idiotic tradition. He hadn't seen any pieces of Christmas decoration in the castle as yet.

Quickly, Lester discarded the robe and climbed naked into the bed. Soon his even breathing filled the room.

Nikolaus smiled in a friendly fashion at Ryan, who was walking aimlessly through the corridors in search of Lester.

"Your companion has taken himself to his chamber after a bath. If you want to take a bath as well, the water is still warm. Or shall I show you to your bed-chamber so you can get some more rest?"

"I would prefer it if you lead me to Lester's room. I have to make sure that he is all right."

"As you wish, Tom Ryan."

Abby and Cutter watched in amusement the way Connor was nodding madly and making grasping movements with his hands in the air.

"I promise I will aways be good, Santa," he mumbled, before he drowsily opened his eyes.

"That is an honourable intention, Connor. I'm sure Santa will be happy with you," Cutter said with a grin.

Connor flushed crimson as Abby chuckled beside him. Sheepishly, he sat up in the settee and looked around the room.

"Where are Lester and Ryan?"

The man in front of the fireplace waved him over. His bare feet carefully setting down on the flagged floor Lester, walked closer to the familiar person.

"It's been a long time, James. Do you still remember me?" the white-bearded man asked in a friendly way.

Lester smiled sardonically. "You are Father Christmas and you are here to tell me that I've been a bad boy. I already know that. So can we please skip that part and come straight to the point? My time is short."

Father Christmas smiled impishly. "Actually I'm here to tell you that you have been a good boy, James. Underneath your cold exterior you are a wise, protective leader and a caring family man. Therefore I'm willing to fulfill your secret wishes."

"What?" Lester asked, perplexed, and woke up.

Lester shoved the thick duvet down to his belly and groaned in annoyance. He had found perhaps the only peaceful place on the continent without bells, blinking lights, strategically-placed mistletoes and dreadful Christmas music.

And he was dreaming of Father Christmas.

Ryan gasped quietly as Lester unexpectedly opened his eyes and exposed his chest.

Trying to keep his eyes firmly on a spot above Lester's head, Ryan asked carefully, "You slept well?"

Lester looked in surprise over to the man in the chair who had obvious guarded his sleep.

Quickly, he drew the comforter back up under his chin, already feeling a faint blush spreading over his chest and neck.

"Yes, I did. If you would excuse me now. I want to put some clothes on and I think I would prefer to do that without an audience."

"Oh, of course." Sheepishly, Ryan sprang up and hurried out of the room.

Lester looked appreciatively after Ryan's retreating form.

'Don't even think about it, James. You know you don’t stand a chance.'

Some minutes later, he joined Ryan in the corridor, clad in his dry clothes which had been laid out on the large chest standing by the wall across from the bed.

"I see you are feeling better. If you would follow me now to the dining room. I have prepared a light meal. Your companions are already waiting for you." Nikolaus had appeared suddenly from around the corner as if he had been standing there the whole time.

An enormous square table in a large hall was set with silver plates, earthenware dishes, pitchers and mugs.

Cutter and Connor had already started on the food and were busy shoveling soup into their mouths. Connor waved to them enthusiastically with his silver spoon whilst Cutter continued to eat his soup. But Lester could feel Cutter observing him furtively, probably checking him for any sign of chill.

"Eat. Drink. Be merry!" Cheerfully, Nikolaus filled two bowls with steaming soup and handed them to Ryan and Lester.

A while later, Lester was at the verge of throttling the caretaker. Despite Lester's protests, Nikolaus had filled his bowl with bread soup for the third time. The man kept insisting that the soup would do him good after his involuntary bath in the icy-cold ditch and that he urgently needed his strength.

Lester glared at Cutter and Ryan, who were watching the dispute with obvious amusement. He wished Nikolaus would pester them with the same persistence as he was doing with him. Not that the soup wasn't tasty. But a fourth bowl was definitely too much.

Lester was almost thankfully when Cutter started questioning Nikolaus about the unusual occurrences around the castle and distracted him enough that he let up on him.

But if the caretaker had a inkling what was going on outdoors he wasn’t giving anything away.

"Well, strange things happen in the world. I personally have never seen anything unusual here. But perhaps the land will unveil its magic for you. You are welcome to stay as long as necessary." With a soft smile on his face, Nikolaus began to clear the table.

Abby got up to help the older man but her offer was declined emphatically.

"If you want to make yourself useful then you can get some fir branches from the forest tomorrow. We have to adorn the doors with green branches so the spring will find its way back here next year."

Lester rolled his eyes. It would have been too good to be true that he really had escaped all that Christmas nonsense.

"Enjoy your stay. I think the castle will love to have its halls filled with laughter once again."

Nikolaus winked at Lester as he carried the dishes into the kitchen and then vanished out of sight through the door.

The stroll outside the castle only revealed snow, a few trees and and even more snow.

With new-found energy, Connor had formed a snow ball and was rolling it along until it got too large to move.

Lester glared angrily at him as he started on a second ball and rolled it back to the other one.

"Connor, we are here for a reason. We certainly aren't here to built ugly figures out of snow," he chided him.

Connor made a innocent puppy face and as Lester turned around he continued, regardless.

Annoyed, Lester swiveled around and gave the third ball Connor had just started on a slight kick.

As the ball broke apart Cutter walked on as when nothing had happened while Abby looked daggers at Lester.

Connor eyed the remains of the snow man's head with hunched shoulders and sighed, heart-rendingly sad.

Lester already regretted his impulsive reaction. He had no right to behave like an idiot and kill the youngster’s good mood because he felt miserable.

"You can make a new one," he offered.

But Connor just shook his head and followed Cutter.

The large boulder at the rear of the castle made them forget the previous episode.

The black shimmering stone formed a wonderful contrast to the white snow. In a strange way it suddenly made their own problems seem insignificant. The boulder had probably been there for centuries.

"I think that's an iron meteorite. It consists mostly of iron and the nickel-alloys kamacite and taenite. In the past those meteorites were in great demand for weapons and tools. Magical powers were attributed to them. It is presumed that the legendary sword Excalibur was made of meteoric iron."

Lester ignored the surprised looks he got from the others and gently stroked over the smooth surface of the boulder.

"I had a rock collection as a child," he explained, whilst he explored the boulder. The meteorite was warm under his hands and every time he touched it the ground seemed to vibrate. Then Cutter walked closer and the mysterious connection Lester had felt for a brief moment was severed.

The sun was slowly setting, so they agreed to continue their research the next day.

In a better mood than they had been at the start of the walk, they returned to the castle.

"Why don't you like Christmas?" Connor asked Lester quietly after they had finished the simple meal Nikolaus had made for them and were sitting with a tumbler of wine in the parlour.

Lester huffed. He should have expected the genius to pick up on his attitude.

Connor played nervously with the seam of his jumper. He probably didn't expect an answer from Lester, based on the astonished expression he wore when Lester said, "Christmas is a family festival. And I don't have a family any more."

"But you’re married. Your personnel data says you have children."

Connor gulped as he realised his mistake. Thinking he was in for a good scolding, he clenched his hands at his side and stared at the floor.

"It seems it has been a while since you have taken an unauthorised look into my personnel file," Lester said with a wry smile.

"My Christmas present last year were the divorce papers from my wife. Seven months ago, the divorce became final and my ex-wife and children have moved to France with her lover."

Lester faltered for a moment, his voice thick with emotion. "I used to built snowmen with my children and decorate the house at Christmas with them. Now they will do it with their stepfather."

On the spur of the moment, Connor pulled Lester into a quick hug, making the older man uncomfortable.

Ryan was stunned by Lester's revelation. His eyes rested longingly on his boss, wishing he could wipe away all the bitterness and pain, which were the only emotions visible in Lester's eyes, and make the man happy again.

If Cutter and Abby had overheard the softly-spoken conversation they didn't show it.

But no one tried to hold Lester back when he excused himself a moment later, his glass of wine still three-quarters full.

go to part 2