knitekat

Title: Birthdays
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~330
Characters: James Lester, Jess Parker
Rating: 12
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N: For my Primeval Bingo Card (round 4) prompt: Interspecies. Thanks go to the wonderful Fred for the beta, cheers m'dear.

I rolled my eyes when Jess, bubbly and wearing far too many bright colours as usual, almost bounded into my office waving a card around in a most distracting way. Dear God, whose birthday was it this time? Whoever it was for, she had better not expect me to put my hand in my pocket again. That was what pretty cash was for.

My eyebrow quirked as I looked at the card and I had to bit back a sigh at the, I assume, amusing picture on the front, although what was so amusing about an elephant doing that was beyond me.

I opened the card with trepidation, almost fearing that it was for bloody Philip. I blinked at the name on the card before looking up at her. “Jess?”

“He deserves a card too.” Jess sounded almost defensive and I could see her preparing her argument if I refused. Not that I would be so churlish as to do so, after all, he had saved my life.

I put on a play of reluctance as I signed the card. It wouldn't do for my people to know I had a soft spot for the dear creature. I leaned back in my chair to watch Jess leave and considered my next move. I waited until I was convinced Jess had turned her attention back to the ADD before risking a quick glance in my bottom drawer. I had never been so glad that I had already obtained Monty's present and brought it into the ARC that morning.

I sighed, knowing I would now have to be far more circumspect than I had originally planned when I gave it to him. After all, while it really wouldn't do to not give him his gift, that didn't mean I was willing to let my team know about it. For once in my life, I found myself wishing that an anomaly would open and get the team out of the building for a while.