New Tracks, Part 13

[aelfgyfu_mead]

"New Tracks" by Aelfgyfu
PARTS: 20 plus epilogue
RATING: FRT (fan-rated teen: violence, occasional bad language)
CATEGORIES: Drama, angst, hurt/discomfort, some humour; AU, fix-it
SUMMARY: Noel Miller tries to find his place on Nick Cutter's team; Stephen Hart tries to find his way back onto the team; and Nick has to deal with them, creatures from the past, and his own stubbornness.
SPOILERS: Everything through 2.07 and my own story "Fresh Scars"
WARNINGS: Some tasteless humour, some medical detail
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Many thanks to Brilliant Husband (dudethemath), kristen_mara, and lukadreaming, all of whom acted as betas and made many helpful suggestions and corrections. All remaining errors, infelicities, and poor judgement are my own.
DISCLAIMER: Primeval and its characters are owned by Impossible Pictures, ITV Productions, M6 Films, Pro 7, and possibly other entities I couldn't easily find on IMDb. No copyright infringement is intended, and indeed the story probably won't make sense unless you've watched. So watch the show, buy the DVDs, etc. I do not profit from fic except insofar as comments make me happy.

Additional notes and links to all posted parts at this story's launch page

Previous part: 12




Nick sat back in his chair and took stock of the day. Not only had they safely returned what did indeed seem to be a Lophorhothon, but they had also restored their two resident hadrosaurs to what they hoped would be a better environment for them, even if they weren't sure it was quite the right one. Abby had assured him that they belonged there more than they belonged in a room in the ARC. Miller had proved useful, and Stephen had managed to pitch in too, even from the ARC. Jenny had been a bit upset about Abby's silly cover story, but she seemed to be making a go of it.

All in all, a good day.

When Henrietta appeared in his doorway a moment later, Nick knew from the look on her face that he must have jinxed himself.

"The hadrosaurs?" he hazarded. "Please don't tell me we've made a mistake."

"No," she said, pulling a chair up right next to his desk so she didn't have to look at him over the pile of papers on the top. "It's not the hadrosaurs. It's humans, funnily enough."

Nick sighed and rubbed his face. He'd been looking forward to going home—a bit late, but not unduly so. "Which humans, and what did they do?"

Henrietta usually came right out and said things, so he was surprised when she answered with a question. "Did Stephen tell you what happened when we were loading the hadrosaurs to take them to the school?"

Nick frowned. He'd seen virtually nothing of Stephen since they'd returned; he'd had to report to Lester. Stephen still wasn't working full days, but Nick wasn't exactly sure when he'd left.

"I take it that's a no," Henrietta said.

What she said next left Nick uncertain whether to be horrified or furious. They'd had trouble with overzealous military types before. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to point guns at creatures that had come through, even with ARC personnel reassuring them that it wasn't necessary. But Nick had never before heard of a soldier outright defying the orders of the civilians. On occasion the officers overruled the team, and Nick hated that. Yet he'd quickly come to trust Ryan, and Ryan had returned that trust, taking a chance on the pteranodon when Nick and Stephen argued for it, both in the universe Nick had left and the one in which he'd arrived. Robinson seemed less inclined to argue; Cutter couldn't remember the last time he'd had trouble getting his way with Robinson in charge. The soldiers did as they were told.

And Stephen hadn't told him. An old anger rose up in Nick, but he was tired of it. Maybe, he tried to tell himself, Stephen meant to tell him later. They'd had a busy day. But how long would Stephen let it fester before mentioning it? How dangerous did things have to be before he made it a priority to tell Nick? They'd been through this before with Ryan and his men, but that had all been sorted long ago. After Nick had set Ryan straight, Ryan made sure that the soldiers had been far more circumspect about pointing their weapons anywhere near civilians. Except for Helen, of course.

"I thought you ought to know," Henrietta said finally, after Nick had no doubt been silent too long. "Miller did come talk with me. He assured me he'd dealt with the two men, and he'd seen to it that they wouldn't be in a position to deal with civilians for quite some time. It's only—he's military himself...."

Nick nodded. Henrietta had probably seen very little of Noel Miller; she wasn't usually at the daily meetings, and she didn't get out into the field much. Of the ARC personnel, Abby worked closest with Henrietta.

"I can't decide what I'm most upset about, myself," the vet admitted. "That they pointed guns in Stephen's direction, that they didn't take his orders—or that they took mine easily enough, so that it seems clear that it's Stephen who counts for nothing in their eyes."

"He's got more experience in some areas than anyone here," Nick agreed. "If soldiers even pause to question his orders, we could be in real trouble."

What the hell was Stephen thinking, not telling him? He'd have to deal with this, and it couldn't wait. Damn it. He thanked Henrietta and went in search of Noel, who was, fortunately, still at the ARC.

Noel didn't deny or whitewash any of it. He confirmed what Henrietta had said and added details of his own tongue-lashing of the men involved. That last should have made Nick feel better, but somehow it didn't help.

"And you didn't see fit to tell me?" was all he could think to say.

Noel considered the question rather longer than Nick would have liked. "I spoke with my commanding officer," he said at last. "He agreed with my handling of the situation and said he'd keep Lester informed."

"He didn't say he'd keep me informed."

Noel remained impassive. "I thought it was a military matter."

"It's not simply a military matter when people point guns at my assistant and tell him his judgement doesn't matter!"

"No, s—" Noel said slowly, biting off the "sir" at the last moment. "It's not."

Nick was merely getting warmed up. "What if Henrietta hadn't been there? Is Stephen unsafe, left alone with the military now? For God's sake, do you know how many soldiers visited him in hospital? I thought we could count on you people!"

Noel straightened further, though Nick wouldn't have thought it possible. "Our duty here is to protect civilians, both the ones who work for the ARC and the general public. Two of our men seem to have forgotten that, and for that, sir, I deeply apologise. We've tried to deal with it internally. If there are any further instances, sir, I ask to be notified immediately. We will deal with them."

"And you'll tell me if there's anything more?" Nick asked.

"Yes, sir."

"And cut the 'sir's." Nick sighed. "But you didn't tell me this time. Why?"

Miller pursed his lips. "Because Hart asked me not to say anything."

Nick was no less angry for being unsurprised. "But for God's sake, why?"

Noel hesitated before finally answering, "Maybe he thought you didn't need the reminder."

"The reminder? Of what? That he nearly got himself killed? I remember that every time I look at him, damn it!"

Noel gave him that look the soldiers often gave him, the one he knew meant they thought he'd lost it. It wasn't as obvious on Noel, but they'd been working closely for long enough now that Nick could recognise it if he looked carefully. "The reminder of how he nearly got himself killed, sir."

"He nearly got himself killed saving my life. And the lives of everyone who would have been killed if the creatures had got out. And that makes the soldiers think he can't be trusted? That he doesn't know the difference between a dangerous dinosaur and a harmless one?" Nick couldn't even stand still any more; he had to walk back and forth to get rid of the energy he'd like to expend by hitting something (or someone). "If anyone knows what dinosaurs are capable of, it's Stephen."

Noel's eyebrows had gone way up at some point.

"But of course I know what you mean. So you think it too, do you? That Stephen's injuries aren't really from saving anybody, that they're because of Helen? He never colluded with her!" Nick realised he was almost shouting and reined in his voice with an effort. "He had no idea about Leek. And when I asked him to help contain the creatures, he didn't hesitate for a second.He tried to come clean about Helen and share information, and I fired him. Even then, he didn't leave the ARC until I hit him. The moment I asked for his help, he came back. For God's sake, after I'd already fired him, and he thought Lester was plotting against him, he still went to a beach to take care of a creature so that no one would get hurt."

He leaned over Noel's desk. "If anyone has earned the right to judge Stephen's behaviour, it's me. And I've judged it. I trust him with my life, your life, the lives of everyone on this team, everyone in the ARC—and everyone those creatures could hurt. Stephen is still my assistant, and when I'm not here, he acts in my stead. Anyone not willing to accept his authority—well, I'm sure we can arrange a transfer. And that includes you."

Nick straightened up, slowly, realising that he had gone a bit far. Noel hadn't done anything to undermine Stephen. Unless Noel was flat-out lying, he'd backed Stephen against those soldiers. Now that Nick had said what he had, though, he didn't know how to take any of it back. And he wouldn't want to do. He just wished he'd worded it a little differently.

Noel looked stunned, as though some of what Nick had just said was completely new to him. Could it really be? Noel's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before words emerged. "I have never questioned Mr Hart's authority, sir. I do not allow any of the men to do so either." He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he shut his mouth and looked expectantly at Cutter.

Nick ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "You're right. I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean.... I shouldn't have included you in that. It just... scares the hell out of me that when I thought Stephen was safe back here, our own people would take it upon themselves to put him in danger."

Noel nodded. "I should have told you. You're right. A failure of discipline like this can create a very dangerous situation. I will tell you if anything like that ever happens in the future. I very much want to think that it won't, though, sir."

Nick nodded. "And you'll tell me if you even suspect there's a problem. We've been through this before, well before your time, but I thought it had all been settled. If it's not, I need to know immediately."

"Yes, sir. I'll tell you."

Nick finally let himself relax. "And cut the 'sir', will you, Noel? I can just about handle 'professor'."

Noel smiled cautiously at him. "Yes, Professor."

***

Once Cutter left his office, Noel let himself slump forward onto his desk. Here he thought he'd been doing the right thing, handling the matter himself and keeping Cutter free of the whole mess. And he'd been sparing both Hart and Cutter's feelings.

Chalk it up as a learning experience, his parents would say. He hadn't irreparably damaged relations with his team-mates, had he?

Noel had been wondering how Cutter managed to get along with Hart after the man had betrayed him not once but twice with his wife. Clearly, the professor didn't think about matters the same way Noel did. He'd known that, in the abstract, but he'd never before heard what Cutter thought about what Hart had done. Cutter told it as if Hart's cheating was a couple of aberrations in a long collaboration between them. Noel had already known that that collaboration kept a lot of people alive who would otherwise now be dead, including both Cutter and Hart themselves, and certainly Abby and Connor as well.

It was Noel's job to judge who or what might be a danger to the team, and, no matter what the professor thought, he couldn't abrogate that duty. Yet Hart's loyalty to Cutter was undeniable. Hart wasn't a danger, though Helen Cutter remained one. Burroughs and those like him were a threat, too.

Noel had hardly had time to sort through his thoughts before Connor came barrelling in.

"Shouldn't you head home?" Noel asked weakly.

"I had a thought."

Of course you did.

"I know you're on call now what, five nights a week here at the ARC? But you can do what you want within the ARC as long as you're ready to go at a moment's notice, right?"

Noel nodded, unsure where Connor was going.

"You don't want to spend your two nights a week with your wife watching Star Trek with us—and I understand that!" Connor hastened to add. "So how about we bring Captains' Night to you? I'll bring the episodes, and we can all watch—Abby will come, even if she complains, and I bet Stephen will be glad of a change of scenery for the evening." Connor clearly thought he'd had a brainstorm.

"How much of a change of scenery is it when he works here during the day?" Noel asked weakly.

"Oh, enough! He's worried that he and the Professor will drive each other crazy if he stays there too long. Well, we'll get him out of the house for one evening—more, if it takes more than one night. I mean, we've got Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer, so we've got five captains! We'll only get to have one episode of each in an evening! That may not be enough...."

Connor kept going, but Noel couldn't keep listening. He saw no way out of this. Well, it might not be so bad. He might enjoy watching some Star Trek with Connor, even if he did have to see Voyager and Enterprise. Hart would be sure to cry off, avoiding any awkwardness between them.

"Okay," he said, at last interrupting the torrent of words. "So long as it's a night I'm only on call and have no other duties, and not one of my nights off, I'm there."

"Great!" Connor looked like someone had just given him a puppy.

***

By the time Nick got home, his anger had burned off. He felt tired and a little disappointed in Stephen. Even if he meant to spare Nick—well, that wasn't his call to make. He closed the door quietly behind him and hung up his jacket, then turned to go look for Stephen.

He jumped a little when he found Stephen already in the study doorway. "Silent but deadly," Abby had called him once. Even with a limp he could still be quiet.

"You should have phoned! I'd have put something on for dinner." Stephen looked tired, but he wasn't using his walking stick.

Nick shrugged. "Had a bit of a surprise before I left."

"Oh? What's happened?"

"Nothing that you don't already know. Tell me: when exactly were you planning on telling me that two of the soldiers pointed guns at you?"

Stephen's eyebrows went up. "Well, never, since that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Oh, really?"

Stephen leaned against the door frame. "You have some microwave meals, don't you? They're rubbish, but I'm hungry." He started back towards the kitchen.

Nick had no choice but to follow Stephen if he wanted to continue the conversation, such as it was. "I thought we were going to talk about things!"

"Yes, but we don't have to talk on an empty stomach." Stephen opened the freezer and surveyed it.

Nick wanted to accuse him out loud of buying time to think about how he would spin the matter, but he was tired of arguing. Instead, he set out cutlery while Stephen started the pre-packaged meals heating.

Nick pulled out a chair, then thought again before sitting on it. "Sit down. I can do that."

"You sit. I spent all day in one chair or another."

"Except when you were being held at gunpoint."

Stephen laughed. "You're determined to make this as awful as possible, aren't you?" He stared at the microwave. "Two soldiers were waiting by a truck in the loading bay. They raised their weapons when I came in with Louise. They weren't aiming at me, but at the hadrosaurs."

"But you were between them and the hadrosaurs, from what I've heard."

Stephen shrugged. "Not exactly. And you have to admit, I'm a walking advertisement for why one has to be careful with ancient creatures. Or a limping advertisement."

NIck could only stare at him for a moment. Stephen didn't return his gaze. Finally, Nick said, "Why on earth would you defend what they did?"

That made Stephen look up. "I'm not defending them! You know I wouldn't have wanted anything to happen to Thelma and Louise. I'm just saying...." He trailed off, leaving Nick to wonder what he thought he was saying.

"You think maybe you deserved it? Maybe you think you shouldn't be trusted?"

Stephen flinched back in his chair, and Nick suspected he'd hit home. "No!" he said in surprise. "I just think.... They made a mistake. I've made mistakes. I should be the last one to cast stones."

"You're a senior member of staff. They're supposed to do what you tell them."

Stephen shrugged again. "They didn't lower their weapons on my say-so, but they did on Henrietta's. They thought I supposed to be tied to the desk. It was just a misunderstanding. Miller talked to them. And I asked him not to tell you, because... because you've lost enough sleep over me already, and I knew you'd blow this out of proportion."

Stephen's shoulders slumped. "I mean.... God, I'm hungry, and I'm saying this all wrong."

"You didn't have to wait for me," Nick pointed out while he tried to process everything else Stephen had said.

Stephen frowned so hard his eyebrows came together. "The only thing that makes this sort of food tolerable at all is company so that I can forget I'm eating it. It's not worth the trouble to cook for myself."

The microwave beeped, and Stephen switched meals. "Hold on—I'm doing them each in two parts, so they'll end up more or less hot at more or less the same time."

Nick had to admit he was hungry. Probably even hungry enough to eat one of those. Why the hell did he buy them? Stephen was right: they were rubbish.

Now that Stephen had changed the subject, Nick probably had little hope of making any more progress talking about the confrontation with the soldiers. "Look, I thought you were going to tell me if you had problems."

Stephen didn't reply until he had both meals on the table and they'd sat down again. "Somehow I managed to get through my whole life before this without telling you every little thing."

"Yeah," Nick snorted. "And your life was very nearly cut short as a result of your inability to tell the big things from the little things."

Stephen pushed some peas around with a fork but didn't raise it to his mouth.

Nick took a deep breath. No, he wouldn't get any further with Stephen about the matter of armed men failing to follow orders. The best he could do would probably be to keep a close eye on things, and make sure Noel did the same. "You didn't get us drinks. Fancy a beer?" He rose and headed for the fridge.

Stephen looked at him suspiciously, but he didn't have any ulterior motives. "Okay."

"Just one, though. I keep forgetting to ask Dr Gupta if you're still off alcohol."

"She says I can drink in moderation. I hardly ever need the tablets anymore."

"Oh," Nick said as he sat down with the beers.

"I asked her after... the other night, when you gave me the whisky." Stephen was still staring at his peas, but then he brought his eyes up to Nick's face. "You can ask her yourself."

Nick took a long swig at that. "It's not that I think you're lying to me," Nick told him honestly. "It's, well... you still don't tell me things, you know?"

Stephen winced. "I've always not told you things. You don't tell me things."

Nick laughed out loud. "The one thing I didn't tell you about was the damned conspiracy. And I wish to God I had—you know that."

Stephen nodded.

"Everything else, you already know. I don't have secrets any longer, Stephen. Everybody knows about Helen. And there's not much that's that interesting about me!"

Stephen shook his head. "And what about me? You really find a misunderstanding with a couple of soldiers 'interesting'? Miller sorted it. It's over."

"That's not why you didn't tell me."

Stephen glared at him. "No, you're right. You want honesty? I want as few people as possible to know about the whole thing, because I'm afraid the sergeant was right. I haven't got good judgement. Maybe they shouldn't trust me, or take my orders." He looked at his plate again, but he'd only had a few mouthfuls, and he didn't seem to be in a hurry to take any more.

Nick covered his shock by drinking some more of his beer. What surprised him was not what Stephen thought, but that he would say it out loud.

"Eat your food before it gets cold, because then it will be completely inedible," Nick said after a moment, to buy a little more time.

Stephen shovelled some into his mouth, still not looking at Nick.

"How can you think that?" Nick asked at last. "Yes, your judgement about Helen was absolute rubbish. But you never helped her harm anyone!" Except for the way they'd wounded Nick, but Nick didn't need to bring that up yet again. "My judgement was useless too! And you've finished keeping secrets from us, right? You told me everything she said last time you saw her?"

Stephen nodded. "Pretty much. But it's not just that. It's Lester."

Nick didn't follow. "You haven't told Lester something?"

Stephen rolled his eyes, which Nick took to be a good sign. "No. I told Lester everything. I meant my judgement in thinking Lester was the conspirator—before."

"Oh. That. Well, that was weeks ago. That's over and done with too."

Stephen, apparently tired of the peas, began pushing the meat around his plate.

"You know, you don't get nutrition from it unless you chew and swallow it," Nick advised.

Stephen speared a piece on his fork. "I'm not sure I get nutrition even if I do."

"Fine. You buy the meals next time."

"I can cook, if I know when to expect you."

"Oh, that's right! Pasta with tomato sauce. Pasta with pesto. Pasta with Bolognese sauce!" Nick teased him deliberately, trying to keep him from sinking back into a sulk.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Stephen stuck a piece of meat in his mouth and made a face as he chewed.

"Yes, your pasta certainly beats this!" Nick said around his own mystery meat.

"Oh, now that's a low blow!"

"I never hired you to cook, Stephen," Nick told him more seriously. "I hired you because you know animals. And you do. You misjudged Helen and Leek—but so did I. I never thought she'd do what she did." He'd also misjudged Stephen, thinking he had resumed his affair with Helen when he hadn't yet. The loss of his job and his friends had led to him doing so. If Nick had listened to Stephen the day he'd brought Helen to the anomaly site, they might together have realised her involvement in the plot.

Stephen put his fork down again and stared at it.

"Look at me." Nick paused until Stephen did. "Lester misjudged Leek. He got past all of us. When I let Jenny in on the whole... conspiracy thing, even she didn't suspect Leek, and she's the best of us when it comes to people."

He waited until Stephen gave a grudging nod.

"You screwed up, yes. We all did. And your confidence has clearly taken a beating. I suppose that's why you're seeing a psychiatrist."

Stephen looked at him suspiciously for that.

Nick continued anyway. "But your knowledge of animals, contemporary or prehistoric, hasn't suffered at all. You need to remember that. And anyone in the ARC who doesn't know that, well, they need to go. We can't afford people like that working with us."

Nick chewed through some more tasteless meat. Stephen's pasta was far superior. Occasionally he cooked something else. Nick could usually manage meat and potatoes, that sort of thing. As long as he had a cookbook. They did need to stop eating these horrible things.

Stephen started eating again too. Finally, he asked, "End of lecture?"

Nick laughed. "Did it work?"

Stephen shrugged. "You know I always listen to your lectures. I can deliver most of them for you, remember?"

"Good, because I don't want to have to repeat this one."

Nick could relax, then, and Stephen seemed to relax as well. They talked about Henrietta and the anomaly. Stephen genuinely wanted to hear about the hadrosaur they'd lured out of the cafeteria kitchen, so Nick told him all he could think to tell him, even though he could see the longing kindled in Stephen's eyes by his words.

Naturally, Stephen pushed him to work on an article on hadrosaurs. He probably thought he was being subtle. It was rather kind of him, though Nick would never admit it. Nick did miss the more academic side of things. Maybe he should see what he could dig up on smaller hadrosaurs.

***

When Stephen went to his computer the next morning at the ARC, he was greeted by a sheepish Miller at the neighbouring desk.

"The vet apparently told Cutter what happened with the soldiers," the officer explained. "Then he came to me, so I had to tell him what I knew, too. I'm sorry. I know—"

"Not a problem," Stephen told him. "It's just as well, really. I shouldn't have tried to keep it from him."

"Oh." Miller seemed surprised at that. "Um, about the other thing...."

"What other thing?" Stephen tried to remember what else they'd talked about. The soldiers. The need to maintain order. Tracking on a wet floor.

He heard Connor coming up behind Miller while the soldier opened his mouth to say something else.

"Morning, Connor!" Stephen said before he even saw his friend, warning Miller implicitly.

"Hey! I talked to Noel last night, but I didn't have a chance to tell you: we're doing Captains' Night!"

Abby also came into the room behind Connor, rolling her eyes. Connor had to explain, because Stephen had already forgotten about the idea.

Stephen looked at Miller, who again looked sheepish. Maybe Miller had meant to warn him about this. "I thought you didn't have the time?"

"I've worked it out!" Connor announced happily. "We'll do it here, while Noel's on call but not on duty! I rounded up some appropriate episodes last night. So, are we on for tonight?"

"Tonight?" Stephen tried not to look panicked. Miller didn't seem exactly enthused either. "I've got physio this afternoon. I'm usually a little tired afterwards. Sorry. You can go ahead without me."

Abby tried to get a word in, but she was cut off by Connor.

"That's okay!" He smiled then. "I thought of that. Noel, you're also on call tomorrow night, right? And Stephen, you don't have physio on Thursdays! So that was my back-up plan all along! You're still on for either night, right, Noel?"

Stephen sneaked a glance at Miller, who said, "Sure." If the response wasn't as enthusiastic as the question, Connor didn't notice.

"Stephen? It's all down to you, mate."

Abby seemed to be mouthing something at him. It might have been "don't have to," but it could as well have been "don't hurt him." Even with the exaggerated lip movements, he wasn't sure.

"Um, I should check with Cutter, make sure—"

"Abby can pick you up! Right, Abby?" Connor turned to Abby, who had managed to make her face normal again already. She agreed, a little to Stephen's surprise. That meant she'd be going, surely? But she didn't like Star Trek, right?

After all Connor had done for Stephen, he could surely tolerate a little Star Trek for him.

Then a thought hit Stephen: this was the first time in ages they'd invited him out to do something fun. They weren't springing him from a medical facility; they just wanted to have him around. For fun. Well, three of them, anyway.

"Sorry," Miller said when Connor and Abby finally left, after some viewing of hadrosaur footage and other things. "I meant to warn you." Miller even looked a little sympathetic.

***

Part 14

***

Comments

[fredbassett]

That was a very impressive rant from Nick to Noel. It's nice to see Nick actively sticking up for Stephen like this.

And LOL over Connor cornering everyone over the Star Trek night. *g*

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes, but sadly Nick's not really ranting to the right person!

[canadian-jay.livejournal.com]

Eeeee! More of the fic. ^^

Connor's scheming for Captain's night is hilarious and adorable, all at once! But, then again, it *is* Connor.

Nick's rant at Noel made me want to hit Nick, which probably means it was good, as those things go. xD

Great stuff! And Stephen can cook for me any time - so long as he can do alfredo sauce as well!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Nick often takes out his anger on the wrong people. (Nick should really try the shrink himself.)

I bet Stephen can do alfredo. ;-)

[canadian-jay.livejournal.com]

He really should!

Grand! I'll take him, then. xD

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Stephen's welcome to come and cook pasta for me *g*.

Good ep. I love Connor and his cunning plan for the Star Trek evening. And the scene with Nick and Noel worked very well.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Thanks! I'm glad that scene worked (even if Nick is yelling at the wrong person and knows it but can't quite stop himself—not so different from what he's done any number of times, right?)

Connor can be the irresistible force sometimes. No one quite has the heart to stand against him.

[reggietate.livejournal.com]

Nick is so... Nick in this instalment. His anger may be directed at the wrong person, but it comes from his caring about his friend. He just needs a bit more time to resolve some of his own buried issues. Let's face it, Nick Cutter is one great big walking Issue :-)

Love Connor arranging his Star Trek Night. Noel will just have to go with it - might be a good opportunity to do a little team bonding.

And Henrietta is a star.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

He just needs a bit more time to resolve some of his own buried issues. Let's face it, Nick Cutter is one great big walking Issue :-)
I think Nick needs more than just time to resolve his Issues!

Glad you like Henrietta too!

[reggietate.livejournal.com]

I think Nick needs more than just time to resolve his Issues!

*g* True!

[kristen-mara.livejournal.com]

////"You know I always listen to your lectures. I can deliver most of them for you, remember?"////

Hee. Glad we (and Noel) get to hear Nick's defence of Stephen.

And Nick and Stephen have another talk! *faints*

[aelfgyfu_mead]

They have a surprising number of talks in this story.

Then again, it is twenty parts (plus epilogue). I won't mention the word count here.

[nietie.livejournal.com]

In a way it's good the incident with the soldiers happened. Now Nick and Stephen talked things out.

The Captain's Night could be fun, haha. I hope Stephen agrees with me.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes, I keep making them talk in this story! I'm so cruel!

Glad you liked it!

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, Nick really should yell at the right people, poor Noel. Yay for Nick sticking up for Stephen, though. Love how Connor's determined to have everyone watch Star Trek.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Nick has always had a tendency to take out his temper upon whomever is available.

Connor will get his Star Trek Captains' Night!