Fic: The Rescuer

Title: The Rescuer
Author: goldarrow
Word Count Total: 853
Characters/Pairing: Ryan, Lyle*, Amy Blackwood*, mention of Major Preston* *{OCs}. Lyle is

fredbassett's, Preston is

lukadreaming's, Blackwood is mine.
Rating: 15
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: All Primeval characters belong to Impossible Pictures, not me. I will return them when I’m done, perhaps slightly mussed but definitely in superb spirits.

For

fififolle's 2016 Dreamwidth Fandom Stocking

And posted this week in honour of 52 Weeks of Primeval: Ryan

The Rescuer

Cursing, Captain Tom Ryan of Her Majesty's Special Forces Changed and launched himself into the air. He didn't have time to worry about custom or etiquette, which required that due warning be given to one's companions that one was about to Change. After all, morphing from a two metre tall human to a five metre long dragon could be slightly discommoding to those standing perhaps a bit too close.

However, from the corner of his eye, he'd seen the child fall from the bridge, screaming as she fluttered back and forth between her human form and her dragon form, unable to control the Change or even attempt to fly in her terror as she dropped like a stone toward the cold water of the Thames. Her mother, standing horrified on the bridge in her human form with a baby in her arms, would be unable to drop everything to save her daughter. It was up to him.

He scooped as much air in each stroke of his silver wings as he could, desperate to develop enough speed to get underneath the child before she hit the water. If she went under, he was going to have a hell of a time finding her in the cloudy water of the Thames.

Suddenly, he had to swerve madly to avoid a mid-air collision with another dragon form. He sent a mental slap toward the other dragon, telling it in no uncertain terms to get the fuck out of the way. The other dragon shivered, its coppery skin shimmering for a second in the sun as it banked away.

The child hit the water with an almighty splash, her silvery wings spread wide enough to stop her from sinking immediately. She was small enough that Ryan was able to scoop her body out of the water before she went under. The moment she felt him grab her, she Changed back to human and wrapped her arms around his foreleg, whimpering.

He crooned comfortingly as he soared back onto the bridge to land beside the girl's distraught mother and place her gently on the ground.

"Oh, God, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The woman juggled her baby into one arm and wrapped the other around her daughter, burying her face in the little girl's hair. The child clung to her, no longer sobbing but still trembling.

Ryan Changed back to human, feeling momentarily too large for his skin, as always. He shook himself to settle before replying verbally.

"You're welcome, ma'am." He squatted down beside the child. "Are you okay, love?"

At her slightly shaky nod, he looked back at her mother. "Do you need a ride somewhere? My men should be here in a second."

A squeal of brakes, car doors slamming, a few loud curses and a bit of shoving of the overly interested bystanders heralded the arrival of SF Lieutenant Lyle and SSR Sergeant Amy Blackwood. Ryan nodded to them and they immediately started moving the gawkers away. Ryan grinned internally at the standard "Move along, nothing to see here!" that they were ordering – with great determination.

"I could use a ride to my mother's house," the woman said, still clutching her children hard enough to make the baby squeak. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jason, I'm sorry." She quickly loosened her grip on the baby, almost enough to drop him before drawing a few deep breaths and visibly getting hold of herself again. "I'm sorry," she repeated, looking embarrassed. "I'm not usually this idiotic, I promise."

Ryan smiled reassuringly. "I understand. You've had a bad shock. It will take a few minutes to get back into balance again." His grin widened. "Just don't Change, okay?"

She laughed. "I'm not great at Changing at the best of times," she confessed. "My husband keeps telling me that all the great Military members have been Silvers, but I told him right back that I'm much more Copper at heart!"

Sergeant Blackwood came up beside her and helped her back to her feet. "There's not a thing wrong with Copper," she stated emphatically, nodding to the little girl. "Organisational skills are just as good!"

The little girl smiled for the first time. "Yes!" she said, before sticking her fingers in her mouth, abashed.

Blackwood ruffled her hair. "Captain, the way's clear if you want me to get this lady and her kids home. Major Preston will be waiting for you at the MI5 Offices."

Ryan glanced at his watch. He had about three minutes to make it. "Good idea, Sergeant. Lyle, with me."

Ryan watched out of the corner of his eye as Blackwood ushered the woman and her children into the official ARC vehicle. At least he had a good excuse if they didn't quite make it to the meeting on time.

Ryan and Lyle headed across the bridge at a trot, making their best time for the meeting. And in Ryan's case, hoping that not too many people had filmed the rescue. He really preferred to keep a low profile, and being featured on the nightly news as a heroic rescuer wasn't a lot of fun.