Breaking Glass

a Primeval fanfic by emilyjay

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[Author's note: This was written as background for the story "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?", which I was cowriting with phoebenpiper; you can find that story posted under phoebenpiper's name on fanfic. net]

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Matt's eyes opened to a completely darkened flat. A strange noise had woken him, although it seemed quiet enough now. Stealthily he rolled off of the living room couch and crouched on the floor, listening. Still not hearing anything, he stood up and quietly slid his jeans on over his shorts. He reached for the EMD sidearm that he kept next to him and decided he'd better check things out.

The flat wasn't very big and within just a few minutes Matt was standing next to the bedroom area. When Emily had moved in with him he had given up the bedroom to her, figuring that she could use the privacy. Between the ARC's nighttime callouts and his own frequent insomnia, he had never used the bed much anyway.

He paused uncertainly in the passage between the kitchen and bedroom areas. For his own peace of mind he needed to check that everything was all right, but he was hesitant to walk in on Emily, knowing what a private person she was. He had a feeling that she would be mortified for him to see her in a "state of undress". Finally deciding that security outweighed Emily's feelings, he entered the bedroom, his EMD at the ready.

Automatically, Matt noticed that Emily hadn't changed anything about the room since she had moved in. The only sign of her presence was a few clothing items in the closet. He also noticed that Emily had raised the window shade and cracked the sash before falling asleep, even though it had to be zero degrees outside. No doubt the central heating was hard to get used to after years of living in the outdoors.

Relaxing his guard, Matt lowered the EMD and stepped up next to the bed. He could see that Emily was on her side, the coverlet thrown back and the linens tangled around her legs. He was more than a little relieved to see that she was wearing a full-length nightshirt. A glass that had held water had been knocked off of the nightstand and lay broken on the hardwood beside the bed. The breaking glass must have been what wakened him, Matt figured as he knelt down to pick up the pieces.

While Matt was picking up the glass, Emily began to moan. She sounded distressed, and Matt, who had experienced nightmares quite often, wondered what she was dreaming about – last week's incursion HAD been rather horrific. Although he hated to disturb her, he knew that he'd never be able to go back to sleep listening to her moaning. Maybe she'd be able to return to a more peaceful sleep if he just woke her for a moment.

Carefully, he set the shards of glass down on the nightstand and then sat down on the bed next to her.

"Emily," he whispered as he leaned in close to her and put his hand gently on her back.

Instead of waking, she turned toward him and reached out one hand. "Matt?" she mumbled faintly.

"Emily," he repeated as he took her outstretched hand. "You're having a dream. Wake up." He brushed her dark hair away from her face tenderly. For a moment, he had an urge to lean in towards her sleep-warmed body and cradle it against his own – to let go of his training and the code of solitude by which he'd always lived. The strength of the sudden feeling surprised him, and he had to concentrate to get himself back under control.

Emily's eyes opened slowly to see Matt staring intently at her, a frown creasing his brow. The dream where he had been embracing her, their naked bodies pressed tightly together, suddenly dissipated in a rush of shame as she realized that she was no longer dreaming. Emily felt her face go hot with embarrassment, and she had a sudden desire to get as far away from Matt as she possibly could.

"Matt!" she exclaimed as she sat up to move away from him.

"Don't worry," Matt said, letting go of her hand so that she could escape their closeness. "I think you were having a nightmare. You're safe now."

"What?" Emily felt completely confused by his words. Her dream had DEFINITELY not been a nightmare. "Why are you here?"

"I heard your glass break," he explained, gesturing to the shards on the nightstand. "And you were moaning. So I woke you."

Emily felt suddenly nauseous. Moaning! And he had stood there watching her? Dear God.

"Please go. Please," she mumbled, looking anywhere in the room except at Matt. Why did he have to be half-naked, she thought with frustration. As if to add insult to injury, he looked just like he had in her dream. His chest and arms were hard with muscle, and he was sitting so near to her that she could smell the natural, musty smell of his warm skin. She was definitely going to be sick.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Matt asked as he stood up. "You seem…" he left off uncertainly.

"Yes! I'm fine!" Emily snapped. "Please just go."

Matt nodded and turned away. As soon as he had left the bedroom area, Emily jumped out of the bed and immediately started getting dressed. There was no way that she was going back to sleep now. She had to get out of the flat and away from Matt until she calmed down and could think again.

Walking past the bathroom on the way out, she heard the shower running. That was strange, Emily thought as she pulled on her outer coat, why in the world would Matt want to take a shower in the middle of the night? At least it would be easier to slip out of the flat without him noticing, or questioning her need to be alone. She grabbed her mobile and the flat key and let herself quietly out.

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