What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

a Primeval story by phoebenpiper & emilyjay

...

[Authors' note: This was a collaborative effort, which we began writing together at my New Year's Eve party (yes, with lots of silver streamers)! It was shortly after I'd written my silly Xmas fic "Hanging Over Their Heads", so it makes one small reference to that story, but you don't need to have read it. Also, emilyjay wrote a short background scene for this story entitled "Breaking Glass", which can be found posted under emilyjay's name on fanfic. net.]

...

Abby shook her head as she surveyed the flat. "Don't you think you've decorated enough?"

"It's New Year's Eve, Abby," Jess said from where she was precariously balanced atop a table, hanging even more silver garlands. "It's not like it's possible to OVERdecorate."

Abby didn't exactly agree but decided not to comment.

"Oh, Abby, I almost forgot to tell you!" Jess gushed as she expertly arranged the garlands. "I was at Selfridges last week and they were having a sale!"

"Really?" Abby responded noncommittally, popping a truffle into her mouth from a huge tray of chocolates that reminded her vaguely of the Tower of London.

Hopping down from the table, Jess finished triumphantly, "And I found the most RAVISHING frock for you for the party tonight!"

Abby promptly choked on the truffle. Jess hurried to her side and slapped her on the back several times before she could breathe somewhat normally again.

"Jess - I thought that I told you that I don't feel like wearing a frock tonight. Can't I just go like this?" Abby gestured to her combat trousers, black vest, and work boots.

"Abby, it's a PARTY! A NEW YEAR'S party! You MUST wear a frock! And you'll LOVE the one I bought for you - it's PERFECT!"

Abby sighed. If she'd learnt one thing from living with Jess, it was that it was pointless to argue with the girl once she'd made up her mind...and clearly that was the case with this frock. Abby just hoped that whatever Jess had picked out for her had a longer skirt than the ones the field coordinator herself usually wore, or else Abby would be self-consciously yanking it down all night.

A knock suddenly sounded on the door below.

"Yay!" Jess clapped delightedly. "That'll be Emily! I invited her over early so that the three of us could get all dolled up together. After all, this is her first New Year's party - well, the first one in THIS century, at least - so it's got to be perfect. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

As Jess disappeared down the stairs to answer the door, Abby tried to control her momentary panic while grabbing her mobile and hitting speed-dial.

"Hey. I need a bit of help."

...

"You're here!" Jess gushed the moment the door was open. "Now the fun can begin!"

Emily gave a weak smile as she followed Jess up the stairs. When Jess had suggested first thing this morning that Emily come over before the party to dress together, Emily had jumped at the chance. Her eagerness hadn't been due to the prospect of the primping nor the feminine companionship - instead, she'd simply been eager to have an excuse to get away from Matt.

She was still shaken by the dream she'd had the previous night. It had all felt so real - every touch, every kiss, every caress. The mere memory of it made her heart start to pound and her face to flush. She felt so ashamed - she'd never had such dreams about Henry, and he'd been her husband. Matt, on the other hand, was merely her friend...and, at the moment, her flatmate.

It was this latter that was troubling her. She knew things were different in this century, that what were considered socially acceptable behaviours today were quite different from those she was accustomed to. Yet Emily still felt that their current living situation was no longer tenable. Especially if she were to continue having such dreams - what if she were to call out his name in her sleep? She would never be able to face him again if that were to happen. No, the answer was clear - she simply must move out.

Which is exactly what she'd told him right before she'd left.

He'd been joking with her, asking if she planned to make any New Year's resolutions (a term that had to be explained to her, although the idea itself was familiar). The concept of making a commitment to change one's lifestyle in the coming year seemed to be just the opening she needed.

"Yes," she'd replied. "I plan to move out, to find a place of my own to live. As soon as possible."

Matt had clearly been surprised. "What? Emily, I thought...I thought you were happy here."

"It's a lovely home," she'd said quickly, not wanting him to think she was criticising. "I just feel I need... It's become rather...crowded of late. And...speaking of late, I'd best be off - Jess is expecting me."

Emily had thrown on her coat and was halfway to the door when Matt caught her arm, stopping her. Staring down at her, concern creasing his brow, he'd asked, "Emily, is there something wrong?"

The feel of his touch, even through her wool coat, made her breath hitch, and she knew she was making the right decision.

"Of course not," she'd replied smoothly, carefully hiding her feelings. "I'm sorry, but I really must go now. I'll see you at Jess' later."

With that, she'd extracted her arm and hurried out the door, afraid he'd be able to sense how warm her face had grown just being near him.

Similar to how her cheeks felt now as Jess prattled on as she led the way up the stairs, "Your frock is lovely, Emily - I can't wait to see it on...and I'm sure Matt can't, either. And once we do your hair and make-up, he simply won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

Perhaps, Emily realised, this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

...

"See?" Jess said, holding up the frock she'd purchased for Abby. "Isn't it PERFECT?"

Abby reluctantly nodded as she took the hanger from her. "It's a nice colour."

"I thought the blue would bring out your eyes," Jess explained. She was somewhat disappointed that Abby wasn't more excited about getting a brand new frock. Strangely, Abby had seemed somewhat distracted ever since Emily had arrived, and Jess wondered what was wrong.

Suddenly Abby's mobile rang, and the blonde reached for it instantly, almost as if she'd been expecting a call.

"Hello? ... Oh, hey, Becker. ... An anomaly? Where?"

"An anomaly?" Jess asked, thoroughly confused. She'd programmed her computer to alert her whenever the ADD went off. "But there hasn't been-"

"What's that, Becker? ... Oh, there's just an incursion, not an actual anomaly." Abby nodded, flashing Jess and Emily an apologetic look before reluctantly stating into the phone, "Sure, I can be right there."

But before Abby could hang up, Jess lunged for the phone and blurted out, "Becker? What's the incursion? Where? Is it serious?"

After a brief pause she heard Becker utter, "Oh...uh...hey, Jess."

"Do you need my assistance?" Jess rushed on anxiously. "You shouldn't be going into the field without a coordinator. Is Ravi helping you out?"

"Uh, sure? … I mean, YES, Ravi's gonna help us."

Abby grabbed for the phone, successfully this time, and after a brief, "See you shortly," quickly rung off. Turning back to the girls, she promised, "Jess, I swear I'll be back as soon as I-"

"But what about Connor and Matt? Were they called out, too? And should Emily go with you? Why wasn't I notified? What kind of creature do you have to deal with?" Jess had millions of questions, which no one seemed able to answer. Giving a frustrated sigh, she asked one last rhetorical: "Oh, why did this have to happen on New Year's Eve?"

"Sorry, Jess, I don't know anything more than what Becker told you. I didn't even think to ask about the others, but I'm sure the two of us will be fine on our own." Abby grabbed her coat and raced for the door, calling back, "I'll ring when I know something."

...

As the door shut behind her, Abby hit redial.

"What the hell took you so long?"

"Sorry. I thought it'd be more believable if I didn't call you back immediately."

"So you thought of that but didn't bother to think up a real excuse as to why I needed to leave? Yeah, thanks for that. I can't believe you made me concoct that pathetic story on the spot in front of Jess and Emily! You're rather a pathetic liar, you know that? Nearly as bad as Connor." Abby gave a frustrated sigh as she climbed into her car. "Clearly we'll need to come up with a full cover story before tonight. I'm on my way over." And she hung up before he could protest.

...

Emily and Jess were both feeling a little confused as the door closed behind Abby. A frown furrowed Jess' brow as she pulled out her mobile and looked at the blank screen.

"Am I being called out?" Emily asked as Jess put down the mobile and half-heartedly picked up a silver garland from her bed.

"Not that I know of…," Jess replied, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Well," Emily responded sensibly, "I'm sure that they'll let us know if we're needed."

"Perhaps I'll ring Matt," Jess decided. "Just to make sure everything's all right."

Matt answered promptly. "Hey, Jess - I was just about to give you a ring. Ravi says that there've been some strange readings on the ADD tonight. It seems we may be dealing with something like we saw in Witchfield with that fluctuating anomaly. I'm on my way to the ARC now, but I could use your help."

Jess hurried down the stairs to her computer and speed-checked the last few hours of data from the ARC. "Mmmm, I see what you mean about the readings, Matt," she said. "Do you know if Ravi ran any diagnostics on the instruments? It could just be a malfunction."

"He said that he did, but that's one of the first things I want to check. How soon can you be at the ARC?"

"About fifteen?" Jess answered.

"Brilliant. Sorry to interfere with your New Year's plans," Matt apologised.

Jess laughed ruefully, "Oh well. Perhaps we can get this settled by midnight. See you in a bit."

After ringing off, Jess looked up at Emily, who was standing behind her, attempting to decipher the instrument readings that Jess had just been scrolling through.

"I have to go in to help Matt - there've been some strange readings, I guess. Do you want to come along? You're welcome to stay here, if you'd rather not," Jess said, wistfully surveying the decorated flat.

Emily hesitated, clearly weighing her options. "Yes, I'll come," she finally decided, heading back upstairs.

…

Emily quickly changed out of her frock and back into the trousers, shirt, and wool coat that she'd worn over to Jess' flat. While she changed, she internally debated her decision to accompany Jess to the ARC. On the one hand, she couldn't imagine being left behind if the rest of the team were called out; on the other, it would mean having to face Matt sooner than she'd expected tonight, and without the festive atmosphere of the New Year's celebration to provide distraction.

Emily glanced in the looking glass above the bureau for a moment as she was leaving Jess' bedroom, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. She was exhausted from the night before – after Matt had awoken her from her dream in the early morning hours, she'd been unable to fall back to sleep. However, if truth be told, she was more exhausted from simply keeping her feelings hidden from Matt for so long. Gradually over the last month it had become an extreme effort to remain cool and detached around him, to keep him from seeing how attracted she was, how much he meant to her. Thankfully, their work provided plenty of distractions. But lately, alone with him at his flat, she had to keep her guard up constantly, and it was definitely wearing on her.

Not wanting to keep Jess waiting any longer, Emily hurried out of the room, schooling her features to hide the emotions that she didn't feel she could discuss with anyone. If she were lucky, she could hold her composure together long enough to get through this night.

…

"Um...come in," Becker said reluctantly.

Abby followed the soldier into his flat and down the corridor, feeling much calmer after the drive. "Okay, so, our cover story," she began. "I was thinking..."

She stopped short as she reached the door of his bedroom. The bed and floor were strewn with clothes, as if a small tornado had blown through. "What happened here?"

Becker couldn't even look at her as he answered. "I...uh...could really use your help."

"Cleaning?" Abby teased - she hadn't imagined Becker would be so untidy, considering what a good little soldier he was.

But Becker shook his head. "Figuring out what to wear tonight."

Abby laughed out loud until she saw the look on Becker's face. "Really?" she asked into the awkward silence.

"No," he said with a clenched jaw. "Just forget it."

Although still amused by how pathetic he was when it came to his feelings for Jess, Abby felt badly that she'd hurt his feelings. However, he clearly didn't want to talk about it, and there was work that needed to be done.

"Well, then, let's start by getting our story straight. " Abby paused as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "The first call came in about 6:15 p.m. So who called you? Is Ravi actually on duty tonight?"

Becker shrugged. "Either him or Schwegel, since Jess isn't working."

"Oh, you're right, it might be Pippa. Would Jess know? Yes, of course she would," Abby answered her own question, realising Jess would've had to hand over control of the ADD directly to someone. "So how can we find out?"

"Give 'em a ring?"

Abby gave Becker a look. "You're really not very good at this, are you?"

Becker rolled his eyes. "Not Jess; the ARC. Jess obviously isn't there right now, so it doesn't really matter who picks up."

Abby nodded. "Good plan." She pulled out her mobile and hit the number for the direct line to the ADD. After ringing once, she heard a strange click, as if the line were being rerouted. Several more rings sounded, and Abby was just about to hang up when it was finally answered.

"Jess here; what's the problem, Ravi?"

Abby instantly rung off.

...

"Who was that?" Emily asked as Jess hung up her mobile.

Jess shook her head, thoroughly confused. The caller ID had simply indicated that the call was being forwarded from the ADD line, which was standard practice for Ravi, who preferred to let her answer the calls when she was going to be covering. But the caller had hung up immediately, so Jess had no idea who it was or where the call had originated from. She tossed her mobile into the backseat, figuring she could deal with it when they arrived at the ARC.

"Was it perhaps Becker or Abby?" Emily continued. "Ravi sent them out, so perhaps they were checking in with him."

Of course, Jess thought. If comms were down for some reason, they'd naturally call the ADD, and having her answer instead of Ravi must've been a shock for them.

"Try ringing them," Jess suggested, since she knew she'd never be able to fumble for her mobile in the backseat whilst driving. "Find out if there's a problem."

...

Abby and Becker both jumped at the sound of Abby's ringtone. She glanced at her mobile and instantly cringed. "It's Emily," she whispered to Becker before answering simply, "Hello?"

"Abby, this is Emily. Is there a problem?"

"A problem?" Abby asked blankly. "No, no problem. Becker and I are handling the...uh...incursion just fine," she stammered, trying to remember the cover story she'd told them earlier and realising they desperately needed to work out some believable details soon.

"Then why did you ring?"

Abby shot Becker a frantic look. "Ring? We didn't ring anyone."

"Oh, Jess thought you might've rung Ravi, but the phone's been...what did you call it, Jess?...Yes, that's right. The ADD phone's been forwarded to Jess' mobile, so she thought that was you ringing up a moment ago."

Abby breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, yes, that WAS us calling. But everything's fine here now. That's, uh, that's in fact WHY we were calling. We've got it all under control now. No need to worry about us. We'll just clean everything up here," she said, pointedly looking at Becker, "and be back in time for the party."

The other end suddenly went dead, without so much as a "See you later," and it took Abby a moment to realise that Emily was still unfamiliar with proper phone etiquette.

"Well?" Becker prompted anxiously. "What'd she say?"

"It's okay. Ravi has the phone forwarded to Jess', so they think we were just checking in."

Becker frowned. "But why would Ravi be forwarding calls to Jess if she's not even on duty tonight?"

Abby stared back at him blankly - it hadn't even occurred to her to ask.

...

"So?" Jess prompted.

Emily nodded. "It was them," she confirmed.

But Jess wanted more information. "So? Why were they ringing? Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Abby said not to worry about them."

Jess laughed. It was easy for Emily to say, but clearly she wasn't aware that Jess spent all her time worrying about Becker.

Well, perhaps it wasn't all WORRYING, per se! But he was definitely foremost on her mind most of the time. And it bothered her that she didn't know anything about what Becker and Abby were currently facing.

"Ring them back," Jess said. "No, actually, ring Becker directly. I want to know what kind of incursion Ravi sent them off to alone."

Emily picked up her mobile again and rang Becker's number. "No answer," she said after a few moments.

Jess growled in frustration and Emily looked at her speculatively. "We will most likely get the information that we need once we reach the ARC," she pointed out.

"I know," Jess sighed. "I just HATE being out of the loop!"

…

"They're just going to ring back again," Becker said, glaring at Abby, who had stolen his phone the moment it went off.

"But we've got to get our story straight first. And we've definitely got to get Ravi to cover for us, or we'll be lost," Abby insisted as she started searching through Becker's phone.

"What are you doing?" Becker asked, quickly grabbing his mobile away, though not before Abby noticed the Jess wallpaper on the tiny screen.

"I was looking for Ravi's direct number," Abby said, trying to suppress her laugh.

Becker shook his head. "I don't have it."

"What?" she asked, swatting him on the shoulder out of frustration. "You're the head of security, Becker - shouldn't you have everyone's number?"

"No, Abigail, why should I? I only ever talk to him through the comms - I've never had to ring him before just to cover up some rubbish story you told Jess."

Grrrr. Abby wanted to scream - all of this was getting completely out of hand!

"Fine," she said, pulling out her own phone. "Then we'll call Connor - he should have Ravi's number."

"And what are you going to tell him?" Becker asked as Abby held the ringing phone up to her ear.

But she hadn't yet figured that out.

...

When Jess and Emily walked into Ops they saw Matt, and not Ravi, sitting at the main console.

"Matt," Jess blurted out as she hurried over and reached for her headset. "Where's Ravi?"

"He went to pull some discs for me," Matt replied. "I wanted to compare some of these readings. The anomaly keeps fluctuating in and out. Take a look and let me know what you think."

Matt stepped aside to make room for Jess, and as he did so, she noticed that he gave Emily a worried sidelong look before quickly turning away. Jess glanced toward Emily, but she seemed interested only in the console displays.

Putting aside her curiosity with difficulty, Jess focussed on the information in front of her. Within moments she was totally immersed in the confusing, and somewhat contradictory, data, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she tried to make sense of it.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Matt gently touch Emily's elbow and gesture with his head that she should follow him to the back of the room. Intrigued, Jess watched them walk away, noticing Emily's mouth tighten somewhat as she followed him.

Jess turned back to the ADD, sensing that they had moved away so they could talk in private. Yet despite keeping his voice low, Jess could still hear Matt as he began, "Emily, I'd like to discuss-"

Emily cut him off. "I've made up my mind," she stated firmly. "I need to move out."

Jess gasped, shocked at what she'd just overheard.

"But Emily, I don't think you –" Matt tried to say, only to be cut off again.

"Please stop, Matt. I really can't live with you anymore…especially as things stand."

"What do you mean, 'as things stand'?" Matt was obviously agitated as he replied.

"Matt," Jess called over her shoulder, feeling uncomfortable about interrupting the couple but convinced this couldn't wait. "I think you'd better see this!"

Matt and Emily rushed back over to the hub as Jess brought up a company website on one of the monitors.

"The anomaly is here, at Lindsay, Ltd," she explained, gesturing to the screen.

"Galvanising metals?" Emily asked as she read over Jess' shoulder.

The field coordinator nodded. "They specialise in low melting point alloys, re-melting the metals and then reselling them back to various companies."

"So?" Matt asked, still not following. "What's that got to do with the strange anomaly readings?"

Jess clicked a link on the website, bringing up a new page as she explained her concern. "They specialise in bismuth!"

...

"Hey, Abby," Connor answered. "Before you say anything – I'm sorry I'm late! I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise!"

"Late?" Abby faltered. "Late for what?"

Now Connor was confused. "Isn't tonight Jess' big New Year's bash? I was supposed to help decorate the flat…"

"Oh…yeah," Abby admitted. "But that's not why I'm ringing. I just needed Ravi's number."

"He's on duty tonight," Connor said. "He's not going to be able to make the party. I think he already told Jess."

Abby sighed audibly. "Yeah, I know. I just have a question for him."

"Couldn't you just ask Jess? Isn't she there with you?"

"No, I need to talk to someone at the ARC," Abby replied, trying not to let her frustration show.

"I'm at the ARC," Connor said cheerfully. "So what's your question?"

"What are you doing at the ARC?" Abby blurted out, momentarily forgetting about both Ravi and their cover story. Ever since New Dawn, Abby had been more than a little nervous about Connor working overtime.

"Uh, well," Connor hesitated. "See, that's why I'm running late. There seems to be a slight malfunction with the main radio receiver."

"Doesn't Finn usually take care of that sort of thing?" Abby asked with as much patience as possible.

"Well, yeah, normally. But, you see, there were some circumstances that –"

"Connor! Spit it out!" Abby snapped, her exasperation with the whole evening suddenly overflowing.

"Okay. He just wanted to catch a New Year's drink with his mates and I said I'd cover for him since I've got the night off, see? Only, he's a bit late returning, and he's not answering his phone, and now there's something wonky going on with the hardware," Connor laughed ruefully. "I know - same old gullible Connor."

"Oh, Connor," Abby shook her head, feeling rather sorry for him.

"What is it?" Becker interrupted. "Does he have Ravi's number or not?"

Abby moved the phone away from her ear to reply, "He's dealing with some equipment trouble."

"DAMMIT!" Connor's voice erupted loudly from the mobile.

"What?" Abby and Becker asked into the receiver at the same time.

"The sub-functional overlay is completely offline!" Connor fumed. "I'll have to call you back."

Becker took the phone out of Abby's hand. "Does that present a security issue?" he asked Connor.

Abby couldn't hear Connor's response, but a moment later Becker continued, "Focus, Temple. It doesn't matter what I'm doing on Abby's mobile. I asked if there's a security issue here."

After another moment, Becker rolled his eyes, admitting, "No, I guess I DON'T know what the sub-functional whatever does."

Abby didn't know what it did either, but she imagined its being offline couldn't be a good thing.

...

Matt explained to Emily the significance of the diamagnetic metal as they sped through the twilight towards Bexley. Emily hadn't heard the story about the fluctuating anomaly down in Witchfield before, having been a bit preoccupied with catching her breath at the time, but she now understood their concern about the presence of the bismuth at the anomaly site.

After Matt's explanation, though, an uncomfortable silence settled in the truck. Emily really hadn't wanted to be alone with Matt, but there hadn't been much choice. Because of the holiday, the ARC was running with a skeleton crew, and Jess had informed Matt that it might take an hour to assemble a full team. When Matt decided to handle the call on his own rather than wait, it had worried Emily enough that she'd volunteered to go along with him. However, she was now wondering if that had been the wisest decision.

"So…" Matt said, finally breaking the silence. "Why the sudden desire to get a place of your own?" His expression was guarded as he glanced briefly at Emily.

Emily's heart began a staccato rhythm as she tried to quickly think of an answer to his question. An answer other than the truth, that is, since the truth was still too mortifying to admit.

"I think…well… It's simply not proper for us to be living together. A bachelor and a widow…really…it's rather scandalous. And I'm just not...comfortable with the situation," Emily managed to say.

"Well," Matt replied slowly, "I'm not really comfortable with you being on your own yet in this time. So, I guess we're at a stalemate, yeah?"

Emily sighed loudly. "You're being ridiculous, Matt! And overprotective! Abby and Jess have each done fine on their own, and surely I'm as capable as they are. I may still be new to this time, but certainly I can learn what I need to from them. Besides, I spent three years travelling through the gateways, so you can't deny that I'm highly skilled at adapting!" Emily stopped herself and looked away, out the truck's side window, trying to calm her temper. How dare he dismiss her as fragile and incompetent? He was just as bad as Henry.

No, the rational part of her mind interjected, Matt would never treat her as Henry had. And that, of course, was part of the problem.

"You know," she began again, "this isn't a good time to have this discussion. I think we should stay focused on the incident ahead of us and not be distracted by personal matters."

Matt smiled reluctantly as he shook his head, "All right, then. No discussions of personal matters while on the job, yeah? Let's talk about our plan for Lindsay, then."

Emily was immensely relieved that it had been so easy to redirect Matt. She tried to concentrate on his words as he gave his directions for the incident ahead. Unfortunately, all this anomaly business had grown quite routine, which meant her mind kept wandering. And being so close to Matt here in the truck was causing her to remember some of the more intimate parts of her dream from last night. At one point she caught herself staring at his hands on the steering wheel, thinking of how they would feel upon her bare shoulders.

"…Does that all make sense?" Matt was asking, causing Emily to realise that she hadn't even heard what he'd just been saying.

Before Emily could figure out how to respond, her pocket began to vibrate, causing her to jump in her seat. She pulled the mobile out of her pocket, staring at it in confusion.

Matt laughed at her expression. "It won't bite, you know. It's just a text message. Go on and read it."

Emily was even more confused as she glanced at the screen and saw that the text was from Jess. Why would she be texting when she could simply radio them through the comms?

I didnt mean 2 Evzdrop but i heard ur convo w. Matt. Is evrythg ok? If u need to talk, im here.

"What is it?" Matt asked, glancing across the dark car at the lighted screen.

"It's just Jess checking in on us," Emily replied smoothly. She was a little surprised at how easy it was to lie to Matt.

"About the incident? Why didn't she just use the radio?" Matt was perplexed.

"Uh…not sure," Emily said as she began to type a reply. "How much farther do we have to drive? I just want to give her an update."

"The turn-off for Lindsay, Ltd is just ahead, maybe three minutes. Ask her how long 'til we have some back-up out here," Matt responded.

"All right," Emily said, sounding rather distracted as she figured out how to type words on the mobile. After a few minutes she looked up. "There. It's sent."

...

"Explain to me again why we're going pub crawling on New Year's Eve?" Becker asked as he and Abby got out of the car.

"Because we need to find Finn and get him back to the ARC before anyone realises he's gone."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh, and Abby guessed it was due to Connor's behaviour as much as Finn's. On the one hand, Abby could understand the soldier's frustration - she herself was always telling Connor that he needed to be more assertive, to stand up for himself and not be such a mug. Yet she could also see Connor's point of view - Finn's request for a quick drink on New Year's Eve wasn't unreasonable, and he'd had no way of knowing that the comms were going to go down. If they could just find Finn quickly and get him back to the ARC, then no harm, no foul.

But clearly Becker didn't see it that way. "Finn made his own bed," the soldier grumbled. "Connor should just let him lie in it."

"You're right," Abby said, stopping in her tracks on the pavement. "And we should just tell Jess that we lied to her about there being an incursion, yeah?"

Becker rolled his eyes and walked on, clearly beaten. Abby tried to hide her smile as she jogged to catch up with him.

Reaching the first pub on the street, Becker opened the door for Abby, and the two were suddenly met with a wall of sound. No wonder Finn hadn't heard his phone! The place was packed, and while there were still several hours to go before midnight, the New Year's celebration was already in full swing.

Abby stood on her tippy toes, trying to search for Finn amongst the revellers, but clearly this mission was going to be more difficult than she'd anticipated.

Becker purposefully started off through the crowd, and Abby hollered after him, "Where you off to? Do you see Finn?"

"No, I'm off to the bar to grab a pint."

Abby sighed and immediately hurried after him. "Becker, we don't have time for a pint. We need to find Finn and - unnh!" She grunted as she crashed headlong into Becker, who had stopped abruptly in front of her. Stepping around him, she saw Becker staring in horror at his phone, and only then did Abby faintly hear the ringtone over the pub noise.

She didn't need to glance at the screen to know it was Jess. And since they still hadn't nailed down their cover story, Abby knew she couldn't trust Becker to answer. So she grabbed the phone from his hands.

"Hey, Jess, this is Abby - what's up?" the blonde girl hollered into the phone, plugging her other ear in an attempt to hear better.

"The comms are down, so I wanted to check in with you and Becker to make sure everything's okay with the incursion."

"Yeah, we're fine," Abby hollered, hoping Jess could hear her. She realised it was actually a blessing that the comms weren't working, as neither she nor Becker were wearing an earpiece - yet another detail that they hadn't worked out! "We're, uh, just finishing up now, and then we should be good to go."

Unfortunately the drunk behind Abby chose that exact moment to call out, "This round's on me," which was answered by a great cheer from the crowd.

"What was...where ARE you?" Jess asked.

"Uh...where are we?" Abby repeated back, trying to buy herself some time. "Uh...we're...uh..."

"ABBY, LOOK OUT!" Becker hollered loudly near her ear before snatching the mobile and turning it off.

It all happened so quickly that Abby just stood there for a split second. Then she swatted the soldier on the shoulder, yelling over the roar, "Becker, you can't just yell fire in a crowd like that!"

"I didn't."

Abby rolled her eyes, not interested in arguing the semantics. "'Fire', 'look out', whatever - it's dangerous! You could've started a stampede. What the hell did you think you were doing?"

He raised a meaningful eyebrow before stating simply, "Saving your neck."

He had a point, thought she was fairly certain he was more concerned with saving his own neck at the moment.

Trying to quell her anger, she said, "C'mon, let's just find Finn and get out of here."

But that was clearly going to be easier said than done.

...

As far as Jess was concerned, this evening was turning into a total nightmare! First of all, the comms weren't working when there was not one but TWO teams out in the field. Second, Becker and Abby hadn't called back yet, and she was beginning to really be worried. "Look out," Becker had said - were they in some sort of danger? Jess felt so helpless, not being able to communicate with them, not knowing what challenges they faced.

Third, she couldn't get ahold of Connor to back up Matt and Emily. When she'd called his mobile earlier, it'd gone straight to voice mail, indicating he'd probably forgotten to charge it again. Yet when she'd called the flat, he hadn't answered there, either. Surely he should've been home by now - it wasn't like Connor to be so irresponsible.

And finally, the klaxons kept going on and off with the flickering of the Bexley anomaly such that Jess was being driven completely nutty!

And all this on New Year's Eve! Not knowing how long she'd be, Jess had reluctantly decided to cancel her party. She thought it best to alert the invitees sooner rather than later so at least they'd have time to make other plans. And while she was disappointed that all her party planning had been for naught (and she and her flatmates would no doubt be stuck eating mini gherkins for WEEKS), she was mostly upset that she wouldn't be spending New Year's with Becker.

And after what she'd heard in her disjointed conversations with him and Abby, she was starting to worry that she might never see him again! Something had clearly happened to them, and Jess hoped they were all right. If only she knew where they were, she could send some back-up to help, but she had no clue where they might be, and neither of them seemed to have taken a black box with them. She had yet to find Ravi here at the ARC to ask him where he'd sent them, so all she could do was sit at the hub and worry, imagining them being attacked by any number of horrible creatures.

In fact, she was wound so tightly that she practically jumped through the roof when her mobile buzzed. She instantly grabbed it up and was momentarily disappointed when she saw that it wasn't from Becker. But then, seeing the ID of the sender, a wave of guilt washed over her as she realised that she should've been worrying about Emily as well.

I do want to talk. Can u help me find a flat? Matt asks how long til backup arr?

What in the world was going on tonight? It seemed like nothing was making sense! Why did Emily want to move out and find a flat of her own? Jess had always assumed that Emily and Matt got on well, but after overhearing their argument tonight, clearly something was up. Emily was a good friend, but then so was Matt. Whose side should she be on? Trying to figure out how to reply to Emily, Jess was momentarily distracted from her worry over Becker and Abby.

…

Four pubs later, Abby was getting more than a little testy. She'd had her arse pinched so many times she was sure that it must be bruised, and she felt like she and Becker were no closer to finding Finn than when they'd started.

"This is bloody ridiculous!" she muttered to herself. "There's no way we're going to find him."

For the hundredth time that evening Abby pushed her way in between a cluster of people sitting at the bar and scanned their faces looking for Finn. When she was unexpectedly shoved from behind, she fell against the bar, spilling a pint down the front of her shirt and trousers.

"Hey!" A man yelled from right beside her, "Watch it!"

"Bloody hell!" Trying to soak up some of the ale, she called out to the barkeep, "Oi, can I get more serviettes down here?"

Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and found herself sitting on the lap of the man who'd just yelled at her. His beefy arms were wrapped about her middle, pinning her own arms down.

"You owe me a drink, blondie," he rasped into her ear, his speech slurred and his breath stinking of scotch and ale.

Abby tried to elbow him in the side, but he didn't loosen his hold on her in the least. He was a big man, tall and heavy-set and, Abby couldn't help noticing, extremely inebriated.

"If ya keep strugglin' like that," the drunk rasped into her ear again, "you're gonna owe me more than a drink, if ya know what I mean!" At this point he rubbed the side of his own rough face against Abby's cheek.

Just when Abby thought things couldn't get any worse, Becker stepped up to the bar beside her. "I see you're making new friends," he placidly nodded towards the drunk. "Need a hand?"

"Becker," Abby frowned at him through clenched teeth, "if you tell ANYONE at the ARC about this, I swear –"

"Just remember, Abigail," Becker cut her off, "the events of this evening have been entirely directed by you. Personally, I was planning on attending a party tonight, but instead, thanks to you, I've had to lie to Jess and roam the streets on this ridiculous errand."

"You would have to point that out now, wouldn't you?" Abby grumbled.

Becker raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "You have to admit there are worse things than trying on a few frocks."

"Hey, blondie!" the drunk suddenly yelled into Abby's ear. "Where's my drink? Stop yer flirtin' and order my pint, ya little tramp!"

Unable to contain her temper any longer, Abby lifted up her foot and jammed it into the drunk's instep as hard as she could. As the drunk cried out in pain, his hold on her arms loosened. Quickly, Abby wheeled around and shoved him away from the bar and into the crowd. As the man struggled to keep his balance, clearly intent on lunging at her, she kicked him squarely in the solar plexus, causing him to crash down on his back like a lead weight.

Her heart racing from the adrenaline surge, Abby looked up from the man's inert body to see Finn standing directly across from her, pint in one hand, mobile in the other, his mouth hanging wide open.

…

Matt pulled the truck into the deserted lot at Lindsay's, carefully scanning the buildings and surroundings.

"Looks pretty quiet, yeah?" he said to Emily as they got out.

Emily's mobile buzzed as they were unpacking the EMDs from the boot, and she quickly scanned the message.

Comms are down. Still workng on backup. Why r u movng out? Has Matt done somethg?

"Jess says the comms are down and she's still working on our back-up," Emily reported to Matt in a distracted voice as she began wondering what she was going to tell Jess. She didn't feel right lying to her, but the truth was so…personal. Would Jess help her if she knew the truth?

"It sounds like Jess has her hands full," Matt said seriously, breaking into Emily's thoughts. He removed his earpiece and placed it in the boot, adding, "I guess we're stuck with texts then. C'mon. Let's check the perimeter first. If we don't have any signs of incursion, we can call off that back-up." Matt hefted his EMD and looked at her, "Ready? I'll be on point, and I want you behind, watching my back, yeah?"

Emily nodded, "Right. I just want to let Jess know what we're doing first."

She quickly typed out a message and sent it, then grabbed up her EMD. "Ready."

…

When Jess' mobile buzzed with the incoming text, she grabbed for it so fast that she knocked a whole pile of discs off the hub, making a terrible racket as they hit the concrete floor and scattered.

Jess rolled her eyes at her own clumsiness, "Great," she mumbled. Leaving the discs to lie, she hurriedly scanned Emily's text.

Matts a gentleman. As always. Not sure what's going on with at the incident. Checking for signs of incursion.

"Well THAT certainly doesn't help," Jess said to herself. Now it was official…absolutely NOTHING was making sense tonight! "Aaaaggghhh!" Jess yelled out loud. "This is driving me mad!"

"I know whatcha mean," Connor's voice spoke from directly behind her. "Those flashing lights could drive anyone barmy."

"Connor! You're here!" Jess swiveled around in her chair. Then, "Connor – WHAT are you doing here?"

"Oh…you know…this and that. I should ask you the same thing, really! Why aren't you getting ready for your party? And where's Ravi?" Connor asked.

"Well the party's been called off, I'm afraid. We've got this fluctuating anomaly, and – "

"A fluctuating anomaly?" Connor interrupted. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. Matt and Emily are checking it out now. They're out at Lindsay, Ltd, in Bexley. I was going to send you as back-up, but I couldn't get ahold of you."

"Well, I can't leave just yet. I need to find Ravi first – where is he?" Connor suddenly seemed agitated.

"Matt sent him to records, but he hasn't come back – Hey! Where are you off to now?"

"To find Ravi. I'll be right back. Don't worry!" With that, Connor raced off towards records, leaving Jess feeling even more confused.

...

The perimeter check was all clear. He looked over at Emily and gestured toward the truck. "Let's grab the equipment and head inside. While I set up, you can text Jess, yeah?"

Emily nodded, matching her pace to Matt's as they headed to the truck. Once there, Matt sorted through the boot, handing two smaller cases to Emily and grabbing the largest case himself. "Hang on to your EMD, we might still need it," he cautioned.

They trudged back to the warehouse in silence and Matt stopped in front of the massive metal double doors. He frowned at the electronic lock next to the door and glanced over at Emily.

"I don't suppose Jess texted you the security codes?" he asked ascerbically.

"No. She didn't mention it," Emily responded. "Can you unlock it without the codes?"

"I'm not sure yet," Matt said as he knelt down in the gravel next to the keypad and began to examine the mechanism. "It might take a bit to figure out, unfortunately. Let me know if you see a better way in," he commented dryly as he opened one of the cases and took out a screwdriver to remove the electronic lock's cover plate.

Emily took his imperative to heart, and a few minutes later, as Matt continued to work on the high-tech locking mechanism, a loud shattering of glass was heard. Matt jumped in surprise as he wheeled around, EMD in hand.

Emily was standing on a pile of crates next to a window about two meters off the ground with a metal pipe in her hand. After she finished knocking out the shards along the bottom edge of the window, she turned to him to find a look of astonishment on his face. "You said to find a better way in," she pointed out when she saw his expression. "Hand me up the equipment cases, will you?"

Matt laughed as he handed the cases up to her, seemingly amused by something.

As they climbed down from the window on the inside, they could immediately see the swirling shards of light that made up the anomaly. It was located near a large crate full of metal on the main floor in front of them.

Matt quickly set up the locking device that would seal the anomaly until it closed on its own. Emily sat down on an empty pallet near where Matt was working and started on the text message. She'd been thinking about what to say since the last message, so it didn't take very long to finish.

Emily had just sent her text when Matt flipped the switch to turn on the locking device. Instead of the usual sight of the anomaly shrinking into a perfect sphere, however, there was a blinding flash of light from the centre of the anomaly, followed by its total disappearance.

"What the hell!" Matt exclaimed as he immediately switched off the device.

In utter amazement Matt and Emily looked up to see another anomaly flashing its brilliant shards from the first floor loft. Either a new anomaly had just opened up, or the first one had just moved itself. But whichever it was, it didn't bode well for a quiet evening.

…

"I'll be quick, I promise," Abby said as she sprinted up the two flights of stairs, hurried into her bedroom, and kicked off her shoes.

"You've got two minutes," she heard Becker holler up to her before giving a startled, "Whoa!"

"Oh, uh, yeah, Jess went a little overboard with the decorations," Abby explained as she pulled her ale-soaked shirt over her head. She'd insisted that Becker make a detour back to the flat so she could change her clothes - she didn't fancy having to explain to Jess why she reeked of alcohol when they'd supposedly been at a creature incursion all evening.

"Did she, uh, hang up all these streamers herself?"

Abby realised Becker must be imagining what he'd missed - Jess standing on various high pieces of furniture whilst donning one of her extremely short skirts - and wishing he'd been here. Abby really hoped the two of them would just get together already because they were both acting like a bunch of love-sick teenagers. Hell, he'd even asked Abby for her advice on what to wear tonight - he was clearly a goner. And everyone knew Jess had been sweet on him since the day they'd met. However, neither seemed willing to take that next step, so perhaps they just needed a friendly push in the right direction.

"Yeah, she hung all the decorations herself, though I'm sure she'd love some help cleaning up, if you wanted to volunteer to stay after," Abby helpfully suggested as she rifled through her drawers trying to find a clean pair of trousers. She finally found a worn pair in the hamper and pulled them out, checking them over to see if they'd do. They didn't smell, so she quickly threw them on, grabbed up her shoes, which she could put on in the car, and ran back down to the living room.

Becker, however, was no longer gaping at the decorations nor watching the clock. Instead, he was staring at his mobile, frowning.

"What is it?" Abby asked. "Did Jess send a text?"

"We need to make another detour." Becker's voice was so calm that it sent a chill down Abby's spine.

"What's happened?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know.

In answer, Becker turned his phone around so she could see the screen. He was shaking with such rage that she grabbed his hand to steady it.

It was a video. Of a pub brawl. The camera phone hadn't been held steady, so the footage was mostly dizzying and blurry. Until the end, that is, when suddenly everything came into focus on a petite blonde.

No wonder Becker was furious - she wanted to bash in a few heads herself.

"But...how...?" she sputtered.

"Finn!" Becker said, placing his mobile in his pocket as he strode angrily for the door. "I'm going to kill him."

Abby ran after the soldier, adding, "Not if I get to him first."

...

Jess' mobile buzzed just after she'd finished another fruitless diagnostic on the broken-down comm links. She was glad to see that it was from Emily.

Perimeter clear. Closing anomaly now. I cant stop imagining Matt as a never had these feelings before and Im confused. I need some privacy to figure this out. Can you help?

Jess read the message through three times before she realised that her mouth was hanging open. When Emily decided to share her feelings, she really didn't hold back. Considering how forthright she was being, Jess was surprised that she hadn't just bluntly declared all of this to Matt. Or had she? Had Matt told Emily that he didn't want to get involved with HER, and thus the sudden urgency to get away?

Jess paused for a moment as she considered what to reply. She couldn't help wondering if it might be considered a breach of some kind to be discussing the team's personal life on government time… during an active anomaly! Of course, it wasn't as if any of them had time for a personal life since working at the ARC, Jess thought with annoyance. She couldn't even plan a New Year's party without an anomaly or two ruining everything! Thus a few personal messages on government time certainly wouldn't hurt anything, Jess decided. Besides, she really couldn't leave Emily hanging on an answer.

Of course I ll help. We can start tomorrow. Have u told Matt?

...

Emily's mobile buzzed while she and Matt were still standing in stunned shock, staring at the anomaly that was now on the floor above them.

"Have you ever -?" Matt started to ask.

"No," Emily answered before Matt could finish the question. In her three year travelling through the gateways, she'd never seen one react such as this.

"Let Jess know about this right away," Matt ordered as he began packing up the equipment. "Tell her we need Connor NOW. It could be a fluke of some sort…but I don't want to take any chances, yeah?"

"Yes, I'll let her know. What are you going to do?" Emily asked.

"I'm going to try this again at a different setting," Matt replied. "Here, give me a hand with this before you contact Jess. I want to move everything up those stairs."

The first floor loft ran across only one half of the large warehouse. It appeared to be a combination of equipment storage and administrative office, although whoever worked there was not particularly interested in appearances. In fact, the place was a cluttered mess. At the moment, the anomaly was shimmering and swirling in the middle of the disorganised collection of furniture and equipment.

While Matt unpacked and set up the locking device again, Emily quickly sent another message to Jess. When she was finished, she went to stand well out of the way of Matt and the anomaly.

"Well, here goes," Matt said as he looked over at Emily. "Let's hope this works."

As soon as the device was switched on, there was another blinding flash of light as the anomaly blinked out, only to reappear directly in front of Emily, its outer edges dancing about her. Feeling a burst of panic, Emily tried to jump backward and ended up colliding with a heavy desk chair that was behind her. It was the old-fashioned, wooden kind on casters and, as she fell on top of it, her ribs were bruised by the armrests. Unable to gain her footing as the chair went rolling out from under her, she fell backwards onto the floor, her head crashing against a massive metal desk. She slumped into unconsciousness, her mobile still clutched in one hand.

…

The moment they arrived at the ARC, Abby and Becker headed straight for the radio room. The drive there had done nothing to soothe Abby's anger, and she could sense that it had only intensified Becker's. They were striding purposefully down the corridor when Connor suddenly appeared.

"Hey," Connor said, a smile quickly spreading across his face at the sight of his fiance. "When did you two get here?"

Becker gave Abby an annoyed look, raising an impatient eyebrow. Deciding it might be best to simply let him confront Finn alone, she gave him an approving nod. He nodded back and then stormed on down the corridor as Abby turned back to her fiance and gave him a quick hello peck. "Hey."

"I never did find Ravi - did you still need him?" Connor asked. "Oh, and Finn's back - he's working on the comms as we speak." He must've sensed Abby's sudden burst of anger at the name for he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You okay?

"No!" she snapped. Connor's forehead creased with worry, and she quickly amended, "Well, yes, I'm fine. I just...uggh! I'm so furious right now."

"At who?"

Abby shook her head - there was no reason to drag Connor into this, especially when she had Becker off defending her honour. Instead she leant in and gave her fiance another kiss. "It doesn't matter."

Connor smiled, which Abby assumed was in response to her show of affection until he pointed at his earpiece. "Hey, Finn just got the comms working."

At least he's good for something, Abby thought bitterly.

But Connor's smile almost instantly faded into a frown. "Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Hurt?" Abby echoed, wondering where he'd gotten that idea from. Perhaps Jess had told him that something had happened to her and Becker out at their "incursion" - it wasn't such a leap, after all their abbreviated phone conversations.

Connor's eyes suddenly bugged as he blurted out, "You kicked some guy's arse? When was this?"

Abby stared at him blankly, confused by his sudden change of subject. "What are you talking about?"

In lieu of an answer, Connor merely pointed to his earpiece. Abby reached over and yanked it from his ear, eliciting a "Hey, I was listening to that!"

Abby put the earpiece to her own ear in time to hear Becker's muffled voice say, "...if it weren't for you."

What was Becker doing on the comms? Abby wondered. He was meant to be giving Finn a stern talking to.

And perhaps he was, since Finn's voice came through next, much louder and more distinct, "What are you so riled up about? It's not like anyone knows you were there."

"That's not the point, Finn!" As Becker's angry yet distant voice sounded once again, the lightbulb in Abby's brain suddenly switched on. Becker wasn't actually on the comms - however, Finn was, and the soldier's voice was simply carrying through as he yelled at the prat. Which meant Becker probably didn't know that his voice was currently being broadcast to most everyone with an earpiece.

Which meant he was liable to say...

"Bugger!" Abby said, running off to try to do some damage control...and possibly some damage to Finn himself.

...

"...see what the problem is."

Jess had just sent the latest text to Emily when she suddenly heard Finn's voice through the comms. Clearly he'd isolated the problem and gotten the radios working again. Jess was just about to say something, to let Finn know that she could hear him now, when another voice came through the comms.

"Don't you see how this could hurt Abby?"

It was Becker's voice, but it sounded far away, as if it were coming through someone else's comm link and not his own. And he sounded quite upset. Had something happened to him and Abby at the incursion? Jess KNEW she should've been worrying about them! She was about to speak up, to ask if they needed her to send assistance, when Finn's voice replied.

"Why would it hurt her? She looked great - she kicked that guy's arse. I'd bet on her any day."

What on earth was Finn talking about? Abby kicked some guy's arse? When? That didn't even sound like her.

"Pub brawls aren't some competitive sport for you and your mates to bet on or post about, Finn! And Abby never would've been in that pub in the first place if it weren't for you."

What? Abby in a pub brawl? Why hadn't her flatmates mentioned something about this before? And what on earth did Becker mean, that Abby wouldn't have been there if it weren't for Finn? She and Finn weren't even mates - at least, not that Jess knew of.

She was starting to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't like Abby to keep things from her. And Connor was nearly incapable of keeping secrets, so chances were he didn't even know about any of this. Yet Becker knew. So why hadn't HE mentioned something to Jess?

"What are you so riled up about?" Finn asked. "It's not like anyone knows you were there."

Becker had been with her? That at least explained why he knew about it. But why would he be in a pub with Abby but not Connor? It didn't make any sense.

"That's not the point, Finn! She was meant to be out on an incursion, WITH me! And you were meant to be here at work, not off in some pub having a New Year's drink with your mates."

Jess gulped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A New Year's drink? That meant this pub brawl, or whatever it was, had happened tonight. Which meant that Becker and Abby had been off together at some pub instead of at an incursion. Jess had thought she'd heard someone hollering about buying the next round during one of their phone conversations this evening, but she was certain she'd simply imagined it. But no, that had been real ... and clearly the incursion hadn't! Which meant that Becker had flat-out lied to her! There'd been no incursion - instead, it had all been an elaborate ruse to...to what? Jess didn't even want to think about it!

Becker now mumbled something under his breath, but because his voice was obviously coming through Finn's comm, Jess could only make out a few words: "Connor...covered for...own bed...lie..."

Jess didn't need to hear more, for all her worst fears seemed to be confirmed by those few disjointed words.

Abby and Becker must be secretly seeing each other. Why else would they need to lie to her and Connor in order to spend time together? In a pub! On the night of her New Year's party!

Jess felt as if she'd been kicked in the gut. She knew she should be upset about Abby cheating on Connor - after all, they were engaged - but instead she felt heart-broken on her own behalf. Only a week ago, Becker had kissed her under the mistletoe, and she'd thought it'd really meant something. That was why she was so looking forward to the party tonight. She'd been hoping that she and Becker could start the New Year off together with a kiss - with luck, the first of many - but clearly that wasn't going to happen now. He and Abby were having an affair, and they were lying about it to her, to Connor, to everyone! Hell, Becker was clearly in the ARC right now, confronting Finn about ruining their cover.

Afraid of what more she might overhear, she quickly closed her link with Finn. She felt betrayed and sick to her stomach, but she knew that she had to stay focussed, for Matt and Emily's sake. She attempted to open a link with them, but for some reason she couldn't get through.

Just as Jess was reaching for her mobile to try another text, it buzzed with Emily's latest reply.

I could never tell Matt. He says get Connor now. We have a serious problem here.

…

END OF PART 1