Primeval Fic: A Family History

[nietie]

Title: A Family History
Word Count: 4,396
Rating: 16 (adult concepts)
AU-characters: Abby, Claudia, Connor, Emily, Jess, Leek, Lester, Nick, Ryan, Stephen
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money made, Primeval and its characters belong to Impossible Pictures

Author Notes: This is an AU inspired by the original Upstairs, Downstairs series from the seventies. I hope you all like this different Primeval fic.           

Thanks to the wonderful fredbassett for the beta.          

The clock was ticking away the seconds, minutes and hours.

Sir James Lester was sitting in the library at his Edwardian townhouse on Eaton Square in Belgravia, London.

He was reading the newspaper and going through papers he needed for his work as an MP.

Outside his house there was a war going on. Inside his house there was peace and quiet.

That’s why he liked sitting alone in his library so much. He was able to organise his thoughts or to retreat into the fiction of one of his books.

His thoughts wandered off towards his stepson, Stephen. He was grateful his late wife Christine didn’t have to go through the turmoil of hope and fear with her son being an officer at the front.

The last thing they’d heard of him was that he was fighting in the trenches, somewhere in France.

Although Stephen wasn’t his own flesh and blood, Lester loved the boy, just like he loved Stephen’s sister, Abigail.

He’d married Christine, their mother, after she had been widowed and her children had still been very young. She had died ten years ago of tuberculosis, leaving her children with Lester.

He had remarried, to Emily. Abigail, or Abby as Stephen used to call her, was still living with them.  Also Dr Nicholas Cutter and his second wife Claudia were residing at Eaton Square. A fire had destroyed their house and his practice as a general practitioner. Dr Cutter practiced medicine in the second London General Hospital on King’s Road in Chelsea now, helping the wounded soldiers who’d come back from the front lines and all other ill and disabled citizens of London. His wife, Claudia, who had been a nurse before they had married, was assisting him as much as she could.

Furthermore Lester’s household was completed by his downstairs staff, Oliver Leek, the butler, Jess Parker, the parlour maid, Connor Temple, the footman/chauffeur and Rose Bridges, the cook.

Lester’s  musing were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and the entrance of his butler.

“Sorry, sir. But we have to close the curtains. And dinner will be ready in ten minutes, sir.”

“Thank you, Leek.”

Lester sighed and folded his newspaper.

Within five minutes he was surrounded by the people who were dear to him. He put on a brave face and tried to join in the dinner conversation, but his thoughts kept wandering to the men who were fighting, putting their lives in danger and even dying at this moment.

The doorbell rang and Leek appeared.

“Who’s the visitor?” Lester wanted to know.

“No visitor, sir. A telegram.”

Suddenly there was a tense silence in the room. All eyes were fixed on the paper the butler was holding in his hands.

With trembling hands, Lester took it and opened it.

A knot of nervous tension was building in his stomach. Usually a telegram was the bearer of death.

He read the words and at first they didn’t sink in.

~~~

Abigail looked at her stepfather.

What did the telegram say?

Was her brother dead?

She swallowed and swallowed again, but the lump in her throat didn’t go away.

Stephen was the only blood relative she had.

Of course she loved her stepfather.

And his new wife Emily was the sweetest person ever.

But she’d missed Stephen so much in the past months.

His jokes, his bantering, his hugs and support.

Her eyes filled with tears.

Dinner had been wonderful so far.

Dr and Mrs Cutter were very amiable people and it was a delight to have them in the house.

But she wanted Stephen to be here, healthy and happy.

She hated worrying about him every minute of the day.

“Stephen is on his way home,” Lester finally spoke.

“Is he all right?” Abigail’s heart fluttered.

“He’s wounded but in good condition to travel,” Lester added. “They don’t tell what kind of injury he has, though.”

A sob escaped Abigail’s throat. Her big brother was coming home.  And he was alive. She didn’t dare think about the injuries he could have.  Maybe he’d lost a leg, or both legs. Maybe he was blind....

No, she shouldn’t have those horrible thoughts.

“Any idea when he’ll arrive in London?” Dr Cutter wanted to know.

“The telegram said they left France today. So I think tomorrow.”

“Is he going to the hospital?” Abigail asked, her voice quavering.

“I don’t know, it depends on his injuries,” Lester said.

“I want him home,” Abigail whispered, barely audible.

Emily, who was sitting next to her, took her hand and pinched it softly.

Dr Cutter cleared his throat. “Maybe I can go to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning and get medical supplies. With a doctor in the house there should be no problem for Stephen to be able to recuperate at home.”

“Thank you!” Abigail sprang up from her chair, walked toward the doctor and hugged him.

“Abigail, watch your manners,” Lester said with a stern voice.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right, lassie,” Dr Cutter mumbled and clumsily patted the girl on her arm.

“Well, this calls for a celebration,” Lester said, trying to ignore the awkward situation. “Leek, fetch us a bottle of champagne. I wanted to save it for when the war ends, but Stephen coming home is a very memorable moment.”

“Yes, sir!”

~~~

Leek walked downstairs.

Jess Parker, the parlour maid, had been helping Mrs Bridges, the cook, when the telegram had arrived, so only Leek knew about the news that the master’s stepson was coming home.

When he came into the kitchen all eyes were fixed on him. The staff knew something had happened.

“Connor, I need two bottles of champagne,” Leek said, savouring the moment he knew something whilst the others didn’t.

“Yes, sir,” Connor Temple, the footman and chauffeur, said. There was disappointment in his voice.

“But before you go, I’d like to tell you the news,” Leek said. “We will have to make arrangements for Mr Stephen to come home.”

Mrs Bridges started to cry. “This is wonderful news,” she sobbed. “I’ll make his favourite food.”

“We first have to find out how his condition is, Mrs Bridges. The telegram said he was wounded, but it didn’t say anything about the extent of his injuries. I’ll talk to Sir James tonight to see what arrangements we have to make for tomorrow.”

~~~

And the next day turned out to be a very busy day.

It was not even nine o’clock yet when Connor drove the master’s car with Dr Cutter, his wife and Miss Abigail to the hospital on King’s Road.

Stealthily he looked through the rear view mirror at Miss Abigail. The girl had insisted she’d accompany the doctor and his wife to the hospital. She looked exhausted and pale, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

Connor was worried for the petite girl. As a member of the household staff he could only dream of her affection towards him, but secretly he had a small crush on her.  He loved her pixie looks and her feisty character. She usually behaved liked the perfect lady her stepfather wanted her to be, but at times she could have a temper and rage about the suffocating boundaries of etiquette. Just because she was a girl, it didn’t mean she wasn’t able to talk about politics or have a career.

Connor hardly ever heard those rants, but Jess would often tell the servants about them over afternoon tea, and then would be reprimanded by Leek about gossiping and agitating. But Jess also told that Lady Lester was actually agreeing with her stepdaughter and was even encouraging her when Sir James wasn’t around.

At the hospital, Connor helped the doctor and his companions gathering medical supplies. Two hours later he was carrying everything into the house and into the library.

Sir James had decided that Stephen would be bedded down in the library. That way he didn’t have to go up and down the stairs and it was easier to tend to his injuries.

Next Leek ordered Connor to go shopping for food with Mrs Bridges. The young man had enjoyed being in the vicinity of Miss Abigail and reluctantly went downstairs.

~~~

The day went by in a flurry.

Jess had made the bed that had been put in the library and she had helped Mrs Cutter organise the medical supplies.

Then the doorbell rang.

All staff members lined up in the hall way, together with the family.

Jess swallowed a lump in her throat.

She hadn’t been a member of the household staff for very long and she hardly knew Master Stephen. But what if he was horribly maimed? Would she be able to look at him?  She was still very young and never had experienced a severe illness in her family.

Leek opened the door and two men in uniform carried a stretcher inside with a man lying on it.

Jess heaved a sigh.

Under the blanket the man seemed to be intact. No limbs missing.

His head was bandaged though, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Eyes that had a terribly haunted look.

Jess shuddered. She couldn’t imagine what the poor man had been going through, but she knew it had to have been terrifying.

She saw how Miss Abigail ran towards the stretcher, but she was held back by Mrs Cutter.

“Let’s get him comfortable first, sweetie,” Mrs Cutter whispered.

Jess looked around and saw the grave look on each face. Sir James, who was usually very reserved, had a pained look on his face. He held his wife’s arm. Lady Lester clung to her husband and they seemed to support each other.

Mrs Bridges was wiping away a tear with her apron and even Mr Leek seemed taken.

Jess saw that Connor just had eyes for Abby. She knew about the crush he had on her. The poor boy, he would soon find out this kind of love was unreachable and impossible.

Jess knew all about it, having had a crush on the son of a family she’d previously served. An upper class family of army officers. The son, Hilary Becker, also an officer, had been sent to the front line in France. She’d recently heard he had been killed in action.

All of sudden she realised she was alone in the hallway. Dr Cutter and his wife had disappeared into the library, following the soldiers with the stretcher. Sir James and lady Lester and Miss Abigail had retreated to the parlour room, waiting until they were able to see Master Stephen.

Jess hurried downstairs to help Mrs Bridges preparing tea.

~~~

Dr Cutter waited until Stephen was lying comfortably in bed.

In the meantime he read the medical file. One of the soldiers, introducing himself as Captain Thomas Ryan, had handed it to him.

Stephen had suffered a head injury, was malnourished and in shock.

Dr Cutter had heard about shell shock, a condition resulting from trauma to the nervous system caused by shock waves from artillery shells. The file didn’t say anything about that, but some neurological tests might give him more information.

He examined the patient. Beside the head injury there were no external injuries. Stephen wasn’t responsive to any of his questions, but he responded to pain stimuli and sudden, loud noises.

“We’ll give him some Veronal to help him sleep,” he said to his wife, who covered the patient comfortably with the blankets.

Dr Cutter went into the parlour room to inform the family. Captain Tom Ryan and his companion had been offered tea and got up when the doctor entered the room.

“No need to leave yet,” he said to the two men. “I’d like to ask you some questions later.”

He addressed the family. “Reasoning from the results of my first examination I think Stephen will be fine.“

Abigail started to sob. “Can I see him?”

“He needs lots of rest and good food to get his strength back. You can see him for just a minute. I want him to sleep. So please, don’t talk to him. He’s exhausted and won’t respond.”

When Mrs Cutter escorted the family, Dr Cutter turned towards the two officers.

“Tell me, either of you serving with him?”

“Yes, we both were,” Captain Ryan answered.

“Did a shell explosion cause his injury?”

“Yes, he suffered the head injury from an explosion. But he was already exhausted and somewhat disoriented before that. But a lot of us were.”

“I understand, thank you.  And thank you for accompanying him. Are you going back to one of the army barracks now?”

“No, we’re both on a short leave. Major Dickens has family in London and I have been invited to stay with them too.”

“Captain Ryan, would you please consider staying here for a while?” Dr Cutter asked. “I don’t know what the psychological impact of the head injury and the shell shock will have on the young master. Maybe it would be good for him to see a familiar face from the trenches when he wakes up. To support him.”

“If you think that would help...” the captain answered, a bit hesitantly.

“Good. I’ll ask Leek and his staff to make up a bed for you.”

“If you have a field bed or something like that, I could sleep in the library and keep an eye on Master Stephen.”

“Thank you.” Dr Cutter was pleased to hear that the young captain was staying. Stephen would be all right, but during the first few days the boy would probably need a lot of attention and somebody sleeping in his room would be reassuring for all of them.

~~~

In the meantime, Mrs Cutter escorted the family into the library.

Stephen’s eyes were open, but he didn’t seem to notice the people coming into the room.

Abigail ran towards the bed and hugged her brother, but he didn’t respond at first. Then he turned onto his side and curled up.

“He’s safe now,” Mrs Cutter said, pulling Abigail away. “I’m going to give him a sedative, so he’ll sleep through the night. Tomorrow he may be more alert and aware of his surroundings. He just needs time and rest.”

Sir James and his wife had been standing behind Abigail and Lady Lester took the young girl into her arms. “Come, sweetheart. Let’s have dinner and then you should get some sleep too.”

When they’d left the room Mrs Cutter gave Stephen the Veronal and saw to it that he was comfortable and warm. She stayed with him until his eyes closed.

She would check on him frequently, but for now she could leave him and join the others for dinner.

She was worried about the young man. The head injury would heal, but she didn’t know what would happen to his mental state. She had heard about shell shock and that lots of soldiers suffered from it in this exhausting and never ending war. She also heard that after a few days of rest and good food, they were sent back to the front line, considered capable of fighting again. But looking into the haunted eyes of this young officer she doubted if a few days of rest would be enough to heal a wounded soul.

~~~

Captain Tom Ryan enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere around dinner with Sir James, his family and friends. Although he was in an upper class house now, the people didn’t act with a stiff upper lip.  There was chit chat, but they also talked about politics.

After dinner they retreated to the parlour room and the men had a drink.

When later that night, Tom went to the library and he found a field bed with cushions and blankets.

The patient was sound asleep.

Lying in bed, Tom heard the clock’s comforting ticking sound. The house was quiet. Everybody had gone to bed. It was difficult to believe he was back in England, in its safety and quiet.

During his training as a soldier Tom had believed he would be capable of handling every battle situation. But nothing had prepared him for the trenches, the filth, the fatigue, the boredom between battles, the hunger and thirst, the closeness of so many people and the presence of death around them at all times.

After a while he’d experienced everything as a dream. It didn’t seem real any more. He could hardly remember what it was like to be home, without fear or fatigue.

He’d thought he’d seen things that weren’t there and at times he’d been too exhausted to respond to a situation that had actually happened.

And he’d noticed that Stephen had felt the same. Sometimes they’d talked about it, sometimes they’d only had to look into each other in the eyes to understand each other.

He sighed, turned on his side and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night he was woken by a moaning sound.

He got up and went to Stephen’s bed.

“No, no,” he heard Stephen moaning.

“Stephen, you’re safe. It’s all right.” Tom didn’t know what to say, but he hoped his soothing voice would calm him.

“Stop it! Stop it!” Stephen almost shouted the words.

“What do you want to stop?”

“The shooting. In the distance. Tick. Tick. Tick.”

“There’s no shooting, Stephen. You’re home. With your family.”

“There is shooting. Just listen!” Stephen whined.

Tom tried to listen. The only sound he heard was the clock ticking.

“It’s a clock, Stephen. I’ll stop it.”

In the dark he stumbled towards the clock and stopped the pendulum from moving. The ticking stopped.

“See, no more shooting, no more ticking. Try to sleep. All right?”

“All right,” Stephen mumbled, curling up.

Tom stayed awake for a while longer, but finally fell asleep too.

~~~

To Stephen it felt like waking up from a long and deep sleep. Or like surfacing after diving into the lake for a swim. Gradually he realised he wasn’t on the front line anymore. He was at a place that reminded him of home.

But he felt as if he was in a dreamlike state and that his mind was tricking him. He saw Captain Thomas Ryan, but he also saw Abby, his little sister, and his stepfather.

His head hurt and he was so tired. He slept a lot, dreaming about blood and dirt, about loud noises and bright lights.

During those nightmares he would feel the presence of the young captain who had been at his side during battles and during the tedious waiting in the trenches. His presence was soothing and it felt so safe. He would curl up in the arms of the young man, who would lie in bed beside him, after he’d woken up, screaming or moaning.

At one morning Stephen was fully awake for the first time. He felt more refreshed and alert. He realised he was lying in the arms of Captain Ryan.

“Are you awake?” he whispered. The captain was lying so still he could be asleep and Stephen didn’t want to wake him.

But the person behind him stirred and then suddenly sat up.

“Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. You were having a nightmare.”

 Stephen grabbed the man and pulled him closer. “Please, keep holding me.”

“You’re safe at home now, sir.”

“I know, but I want to talk to you about something.” Stephen turned and now faced the other man who was lying back down again.

“All right. Do you want to talk about what happened back in France?”

“Yes. Although I don’t know for sure if what I remember really happened. I think you were there too, so I want to ask you if you saw the same.”

“What did you see, sir?” Stephen heard the hesitation in the captain’s voice.

“Do you remember the lights that appeared in the trenches after an attack?”

“You saw those too?”  Ryan’s voice sounded surprised. “I thought I was dreaming. I was so exhausted from the previous fight.... Did... did you see the creatures too?”

“Yes!” A wave of relief swept through Stephen. “They looked like huge beetles.”

“Indeed!”

“So, that means I’m not going crazy,” Stephen whispered.

“Shh, sir, don’t talk like that. All you need is a good rest and some decent food.”

“Thank you for being here, captain.”

“It’s Tom, sir.”

“And I’m Stephen.”

They looked each other in the eyes.

Stephen felt drawn towards the other man. He wanted to kiss him. He needed to kiss him.  He had looked at the young captain in the trenches dozens of times. His competence was so... so alluring.

Hesitantly he bent forward and softly his lips touched Tom’s.

The man didn’t pull back.

The other man’s lips felt amazing. Just like he hoped they would feel. And taste. And smell.

“Sorry,” he suddenly said, pulling back. “That was completely inappropriate.”

“My fault, sir, “ Ryan answered with a hoarse voice.

“No, no,” Stephen said softly. “I wanted it. I... I...”

“I wanted to do this the moment I saw you.... Stephen,”  Ryan whispered and kissed Stephen again.

This time Stephen didn’t hold back. He just wanted to feel the man. Touch him. All over his body.  His muscular arms and chest, his round arse cheeks, his... his... yes, and his cock. He wanted to feel the man inside him. He wanted to be touched all over his body.

He groaned in desperation.

They kissed, almost devouring each other. There was a hunger Stephen never realised he’d had before.

They moved against each other on the small bed. Hard cocks inside their night clothes rubbing against each other.

Stephen wanted more, but this felt good too. This felt so good.

He inadvertently bit Ryan’s lip. The man groaned, but didn’t pull back. Instead his movements became more desperate.

It didn’t take long for both of them to reach their climax.

Without talking about what just happened they snuggled and fell asleep.

To be suddenly woken by the door opening and two people entering.

~~~

Sir James was puzzled by what he saw in the library.

Two grown men, snuggled in one bed, spooning against each other lovingly.

And there was the smell of sex in the air.

As if they were...

No, he didn’t want to go there.

Lovers?

He managed to unclench his teeth and spoke to the two men, who looked at him sleepily.

“Captain Ryan, I think our hospitality has ended here. I want you to pack and leave.”

“No!” Stephen shouted, climbing out of bed. “No! Tom consoled me after I had a nightmare and we both fell asleep.”

“I don’t care, Stephen. I think you don’t need 24 hour care any more. And we can give you all the care you need. I’m sure Doctor Cutter will agree with me.” He turned towards the doctor, who hadn’t moved or said a word after entering the room.

“Uhm, I have to examine Stephen first,” the doctor answered softly. “And Captain Ryan too, to be sure he’s fit to go back.”

“All right. I’ll be in the dining room for breakfast. Please report to me as soon as possible.”

He turned and left the library, bumping into Leek. The man had a smug look on his face.

Sir James tried to keep his composure, but it was a turmoil inside him.

He wasn’t against homosexuality per se, but it was so complicated. Not only for the persons involved, but for their families as well.

All kinds of things went through his mind as he sat at the breakfast table, trying to eat his poached egg.

There was a Criminal Law Amendment Bill, forbidding all forms of male homosexual expression. He realised that the trenches were an all-male environment. He also realised that these men shared the most harrowing experiences and that they became intimate in many ways . But these weren’t the trenches. This was British society, and that wouldn’t tolerate it.

And he was an MP, for goodness sake!

Doctor Cutter met him at breakfast. They were alone and were able to speak freely.

Sir James expressed his thoughts to the doctor ending with, “I don’t know what happened in the library last night. Maybe nothing happened. But I know the friendship of Stephen towards the young captain is intimate. I want to have it ended, before it turns into something devastating.”

“Master Hart is still very feeble. I don’t think he’s fit to go back to active duty. I’ll be able to get him dismissed, because of his head injury. Captain Ryan is fit though. I won’t be able to stop him from being sent back to the front line.”

“Thank you. Now, will you please accompany me when I tell them?”

~~~

Stephen was numb. That night he had felt so happy. He knew he had found his soul mate, the love of his life.

And now his life was ruined. His love was gone.

He had listened to Sir James´s  words as in a dream. He knew his stepfather meant well. That he understood the love his stepson felt for another man. But that things were complicated. That there was a war going on. And that was the most important thing.

That they couldn´t stop Captain Ryan from being send back to the trenches.

That they had to wait for the war to end. Things could be different then. Maybe people would be more tolerant.

But for now, Ryan had to go.

Sir James had allowed them to say goodbye. They´d kissed. And Stephen still could feel Ryan´s hand slipping from his. Their last touch.

He sobbed.

And now he tried to listen to another young captain, who´d come back from the front line.

It was July 1916. The battle of the Somme had seen the loss of 58,000 British troops on its first day.

Captain Wilder was one of the few people that had survived. He had fought next to Captain Ryan until the moment the other man had gone MIA.

Captain Wilder remembered a sparkling light and then he’d blacked out. After he’d come to his senses, Captain Ryan had been gone. There was no body nor even a single body part to be found. It seemed as if he’d vanished into thin air.

“ MIA”, Stephen mumbled.

He just knew that one day his lover would come back.