Primeval – Chapter 1: The Beginning

"Please come back with me." I looked away at Matt's pleading voice. His eyes were desperate. I didn't know where I belonged. I, Emily Merchant from the year 1868 who lived with her husband who she didn't truly love and was forced to marry by her father in the Victorian era. I had found an anomaly, a portal in time and had passed through it from my own time to the future. I had feelings for Matt. Matt Anderson from the future and not the present. I wanted to be with him, but what if he left me? What would I do then? I couldn't go back to Henry, my cruel husband.

"I really missed you Emily." Matt said quietly. I forced my brown eyes to look into his blue eyes. We were in the Victorian era, my own time. Matt had come through an anomaly following a raptor that had strayed through the anomaly into my time. Matt had known that the anomaly went back to the 1800's. Did he go after the raptor or for me? Or both, perhaps? Matt took a step forward and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth, tears streaming down my cheeks as I knew we had to part once again. He gave me one last longing look, before turning and walking down the staircase towards the anomaly. I watched the shards of time dancing in the air, linking to the present. Matt stepped through, swallowed up by the shards and melting away. I heard a foot land heavily on the top step of the staircase. Henry's eyes flashed furiously, his fists clenched. He raised his gun and aimed it at me, trembling. I backed away very slowly towards the anomaly. I saw his finger pull back on the trigger and made a leap towards the anomaly. A bullet whistled through the air towards me and I collapsed into the present.

I lay in what I think they call an art gallery. Matt spun around and stared at me, surprised. He rushed over to me and crouched beside me. He leaned over and placed his hands on my shoulders, his eyes full of concern.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. He noticed the bullet hole in my suit and picked out a piece of it.

"Your own outfit saved you." Matt said, smiling down at me. I smiled back, relieved. I then saw a figure stagger through the anomaly. It was Henry! He aimed his gun at Matt, furious.

"Matt!" I shrieked. Matt whipped around and stared in astonishment as Henry aimed his gun at him. Terror shot through me. Suddenly, a man clad in black, who I recognised to be Captain Becker, leaped out of no-where and aimed his huge 21st century gun at Henry. Henry, his gun still aimed at Matt, stared in astonishment at Becker. Becker pulled his trigger and Henry collapsed, lifeless. Matt gave Becker a grateful look and helped me up. It was time to go back to the ARC, the Anomaly Research Centre where people like Matt and Becker worked to track down anomaly's and prehistoric, or the occasional futuristic creatures. It was time to go back where I truly belonged, with Matt.

"You're back!" Jess wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace. I had developed a friendship with Jess in my past time at the ARC, and we got on well together. I guess she hadn't expected me to be coming back to the ARC.

"Matt really missed you, you know." Jess glanced behind me, as if to check that Matt wasn't there. He was gone. I wanted to speak to Matt alone.

Jess went back to her computer and I saw this as my chance to find Matt. I walked up a few stairs and down the corridor. I saw Matt walking out of a room, a solemn look on his face.

"Can I speak to you?" I asked. Matt looked at me, his expression changing. His expression was gentle and loving as he stepped towards me.

"Can we go to your flat?" I asked, wanting to speak with him privately.

"Sure," he replied with a smile.

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am, for not staying with you." I said, looking into Matt's blue eyes. And I really was sorry. Matt really missed you, you know. I recalled Jess's words she'd said to me earlier that day. I regretted hurting his feelings.

"It's fine," he replied, his blue eyes gentle. I was relieved that he had forgiven me. Matt stepped towards me, a strange look in his eyes.

"Emily, I need to tell you something. I really-" He trailed off as his phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans. He took his phone out and answered it, silent as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"I'll be right there," Matt returned his phone and started towards the door.

"An anomaly's been detected," he explained as I followed him out of the flat and towards his car.

"Emily, Abby, Becker, come with me." Matt ordered. Becker frowned at me as my name was mentioned.

"I don't think that's a good-"

"If I say she can come, than she can come." Matt interrupted sharply.

"Right," Becker said, with a slow nod.

"Emily, good to have you back." A voice boomed. It was James Lester, head of the ARC.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile. Lester scanned his gaze over the team before spinning on his heel, hands behind his back, and strode towards Jess, who was staring at a computer screen. The anomaly alert was blaring.

"It's located in the park," Jess said, half to herself. Lester gave her a nod and started towards his office.

"Quickly then, before the whole of London is swarming with dinosaurs," Lester said in a sarcastically bright voice as he made his way towards his office.

The team stood armed in the middle of the park. A couple of children were running and shrieking around a barbeque. The sound of sizzling meat on a barbeque would surely attract the creature if it was a meat eater.

"Ok, stay together." Matt advised, walking across the park to the forest on the other side. I then recognised the anomaly, its swirling shards reflecting on the ground. The team froze at the sound of a loud, angry roar from above. Wait, above? The team looked upwards and saw a huge cat with large curved fangs crouching on the branch of a tree above us.

"A smilodon!" Abby exclaimed, her blue eyes wide. The smilodon's sleek, mottled brown coat rippled in the sunlight and its fangs gleamed.

"Stay back," Matt ordered, backing away with his gun aimed at the smilodon.

"Let's see if we can coax it back through the anomaly," Abby suggested.

"And how exactly will we do that?" Becker muttered doubtfully. The team exchanged glances as the sizzling sound not faraway got louder.

"Meat," Matt said, ordering Becker and Abby to keep watch and me to come with him. Matt and I ran out of the forest towards the barbeque. A man was handing out sausages to the children. The man turned and stared in shock at our guns. He grabbed a hot dog and held out to us as if he were feeding lions.

"Thanks," Matt grabbed the hot dog and ran back to the anomaly. The smilodon was sniffing the air at the smell of meat.

"Hey!" Matt yelled, waving the hot dog in the air. The smilodon looked down at him and snarled before taking a huge leap and landing on the ground in front of us. Becker was poised to strike and Abby's blue eyes were wide with shock. Matt walked towards the anomaly and stood in front of it, waving the hot dog like a trophy. The smilodon took a step toward him, then roared and spun around, its huge brown paw knocking into me. I fell to the ground, the breath knocked of me by the impact.

"EMILY!" I heard Matt yelling my name, his voice choked with terror. I turned my head slowly, wincing in pain. The smilodon charged in the direction of the barbeque, Becker and Abby running after it. Matt crouched beside me, his hands on my cheeks. I felt a pain in my side and closed my eyes tight, trying to ignore the pain.

"Emily?" Matt said quietly, tucking a wisp of my brown hair behind my ear. I opened my eyes and looked into his own, taking a deep breath. I winced at the sound of a gunshot. Matt leaned down and kissed my forehead. I wrapped my arms around him, the shock of my fall slowly melting away. He helped me up, his arm wrapped around my waist. Abby returned, saying that Becker had shot the smilodon. We all helped drag it through the anomaly. The anomaly swirled and shrank until it disappeared.