Primeval fic: Choices

[knitekat]

Title: Choices
Author: knitekat
Word Count: 269
Characters: Stephen Hart, (Nick Cutter)
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: Honesty (6/25). Thanks go to Fififolle for looking at it for me.


Stephen shook out the threadbare blanket before tucking it around the sleeping form of his very drunk supervisor and wondered what to do. Oh, he knew he couldn't leave the man to choke on his own vomit or anything, but that wasn't the problem. He now knew Helen had lied to him – to the professor – and he had no idea what to do about it. Did he tell Cutter the truth or did he continue to conceal it?

He rubbed his eyes and sat down heavily in the armchair where he could watch Cutter while he thought. Telling him might mean an end to his guidance, to their fragile friendship, to everything. Not telling wouldn't but... what if Cutter found out that Stephen had lied to him? He couldn't see that ending well, Cutter was well known on campus for being stubborn and for holding a grudge and the longer Stephen lied for, the worse he knew the outcome would be.

Maybe, just maybe, the best choice would be to tell him the truth. Stephen was still young, if he fucked this up, he still had choices. The Olympic squad might agree to take him back or he could go to the Amazon or even apply for a transfer to a different university.

Not that he wanted any of those options. No, what he most wanted was to stay with Cutter... oh. Well, maybe he shouldn't admit that bit... not yet. He wouldn't make that mistake again, but maybe, once he graduated, maybe then he'd share a drink with Cutter and see if the man wanted more.

Comments

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Tricky! I can hear Stephen's braincells doing overtime from here! Bloody HELEN!

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Definitely. Poor Stephen got a hard choice to make. *nods* Helen is bad.

Thanks for reading.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Love it.

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

[goldarrow]

Nice one.
Poor Stephen - he had a horrible choice to make. No matter what, it had the potential to blow up in his face.

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

It is not a good choice and he is hoping that it doesn't blow up in his face.

Thanks for reading.

[kristen-mara.livejournal.com]

Great look at Stephen's dilemma and his choices!

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Good to know it worked. Hopefully he makes the right choice.

Thanks for reading.

[fififolle]

If only he'd really done this!! He's right, he's young and has choices even now. And there's a lovely hopefulness to the end of this ficlet.

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

It might have worked out better. Nick might have understood and, if he hadn't, at least Stephen wouldn't have lived under the guilt. Had to have hope.

Thanks for the beta and for reading/commenting.

[eriah211.livejournal.com]

Very in character line of thoughts, but painful to see that Stephen still took that path. Poor Stephen!

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Good to know Stephen came across OK. Well.... who knows, maybe this Stephen made a different choice.

Thanks for reading.

[nietie.livejournal.com]

Very poignant ficlet. You described his struggles very well.

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Good to know it worked. Poor Stephen had a difficult decision to make.

Thanks for reading.

[reggietate.livejournal.com]

A good look at Stephen's thoughts and feelings. Never going to be an easy decision, that one...

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Hopefully Stephen will make the correct decision this time.

Thanks for reading.