Title: Confrontation

Rating: T

Genre: Angst, Romance

Pairing: Abby/Connor

Summary: Last minute shopping leaves Connor and Abby's Christmas looking bleak

A/N: My Secret Santa fic for Sunspecops/Roguie/Danae Bowen. Hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.

Confrontation:

She knew it was a mistake as soon as she turned the corner. They had been blissfully happy the last few weeks, holding hands whenever they were with each other, cuddles in front of the TV and stolen kisses from each other, at work or not. Now as she saw the two, burly, unshaved men standing threateningly in front of Connor, and seeing his fists clenching at his side, she instantly knew something was wrong. It was the day before their first Christmas Eve since they had arrived back from the Cretaceous era, and Connor had insisted that they go last minute shopping for his mum, and now she regretted it. Even before she knew what was going on. It had been snowing when they had left the warmth of their home, and Abby hated driving in it, and desperately wanted to get back, light the fire and relax. Now, as she saw the anger flare up in Connor's dark eyes her stomach twisted and a niggling feeling of looming disaster overtook her pleasant mood. She cautiously walked over to the three men, standing as close to Connor's side as was possible. Her suspicions about something being wrong were confirmed when he didn't place his arm around her waist as he usually would. She had to find out what was bothering him. She was so concerned about Connor, that the smirks exchanged between the two men in front of her went unnoticed, until one of them spoke up.

"Got yourself a girl then, eh Temple?" The larger of the two spoke, his voice husky and a dirty black fringe hanging low over his left eye. Abby frowned when she felt Connor stiffen up next to her.

"A fit one too? Who would have known you had it in you." The second one, who had a crop of curly ginger hair hidden underneath a baseball cap, said sarcastically, elbowing the taller one in the ribs as a joke spread between the two of them. He stalked towards them, leering over Abby and looking her up and down. She scowled at him, instantly feeling uncomfortable with the fact that he was standing so close and trying to be intimidating. She felt Connor's hand on her stomach and then she was being pushed back, Connor standing in front of her, scowling at the man in front of them.

"Shut up and leave her out of this." Connor growled angrily.

"Leave her out of what? Just a… friendly… conversation between three friends yeah." The ginger man spoke, a smirk crossing his features.

"Friends?" Connor spat angrily. "You weren't my bloody friends and you damn well know it." Abby could tell he was trying to keep as calm as possible and not make a scene in the middle of a crowded shop, but she could sense he was struggling with his own war of emotions. She could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. Who the hell were these people? She slowly made it back to his side again, getting a closer look at the men in front of them.

"Well you didn't exactly make it easy for yourself did ya. All the stuff that happened to ya. Really fucked you up didn't it?" The taller man stated sourly. Abby was shocked when Connor left her side to grab the man by his collar, almost lifting him off the floor. Both men seemed equally as shocked to see how angry he had gotten so quickly. Abby cringed inwardly, knowing that Connor would beat himself up for this for days to come, he hated being angry with people. The two men were both sporting wide eyes filled with fear and open mouths and Abby couldn't help but feel a bit smug. They seemed to deserve what they were getting.

"Bloody hell! Calm down Temple." The man, who currently could only just touch the floor with his tiptoes, shouted quickly. "Don't wanna lose your temper. You know what happens to people who lose their temper too often don't you?" The man stated, laughing in his face as Connor reluctantly put him down and stepped back. The men seemed to instantly get their obnoxious confidence back as they watched Connor retreating to Abby and she had a feeling this was going to end badly. She scowled at the men in front of her and the smaller of the two met her gaze before smiling and winking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him in disgust and watched as he looked back to Connor and ask; "Or do you want to end up like yer mam?" Abby's mouth fell open, she was furious. Who the hell were these idiots and what made them think they had the right to say that! Before she could reply, with something that would no doubt shut them right up, she felt herself being pulled away, quickly, by Connor who was storming out of the shop. She could almost see the anger boiling in his blood and turning him red.

"Connor what about your mums present!" She asked in confusion but received no reply. He pulled her all the way out of the shop, holding onto her hand with a bruising force, and didn't stop until he reached the car. She got in the drivers side, watching as Connor slammed the door, rubbing his hands over his eyes, a habit he did when he was angry or upset. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.

"I don't need your sympathy Abby." He spat angrily, turning to stare out of the window. The snow had been falling constantly all day, and now it was a thick layer on the ground, a perfect white blanket enveloping everything it touched. Abby sighed and turned her attention to the road that was slowly disappearing under the whiteness, driving slowly back to their new home. She struggled to keep her focus on the road, feeling the sting of her tears welling in her eyes and the drive back was filled with an uneasy and awkward silence, both locked in a deep conversation with their own thoughts. This was not how the day was meant to go and she deeply hoped that the confrontation had not affected the rest of their holiday...

_x_x_x_

Being stuck in the Cretaceous era was tough. Having no food was tough. Having no decent shelter was tough. Having to survive by sleeping whenever they had the chance to, if only for a few minutes, was tough. Everything about it was tough, and Abby had had enough. Just to add to the whole situation was the fact that it was in the middle of winter now, and it was snowing. Badly. And Connor thought it was nearing Christmas, if he had been counting the days correctly. Normally she loved snow, it made her winter. She loved watching the snowflakes as they danced through the air and stuck to the windows, or land on her hands as she caught them. But now it was just horrible, cold, wet and pointless. The only good thing was that it kept most of the bigger, dangerous creatures away from their so called 'nest' that was hidden high up near a cliff edge, hidden in a patch of trees, but now it was also ten times harder and dangerous for them to get even the simplest survival items such as the water they desperately needed. She just wanted a hot bath, nice food and a long nights sleep. All the things she had took advantage of when she was in the modern world. She had one thing she liked about being stuck in the Cretaceous era though. Connor. Being able to admit to Connor that she loved him, with all of her heart and soul, was the best thing that had ever happened to her. And probably to him too. They had been a couple, of sorts, for 3 whole months. But now something was up with Connor. And he wouldn't tell her what. She was trying her hardest to not lose her temper, neither of them needed to get worked up over something that could be settled so easily, she just couldn't help the niggling feeling of annoyance that appeared in the back of her mind though. She needed to find out before it became too much for her to hold in. She poked at the flickering fire in front of her and sighed, standing up and preparing herself to corner Connor and not back down until she knew what the hell was bothering him so much. She had heard him crying, late last night, sitting alone in the dark, lonely, coldness of their cave. He had brushed the tears away quickly and had told her to go back to sleep when she had voiced her concerns, and she had let the pull of sleep drag her into unconsciousness, reluctantly. She was just too tired. But now she was awake and ready to challenge him for the information she needed. So she waited. 5 minutes later Connor came shuffling through their tiny entrance, shaking the snow onto the muddy floor and dumping a 'something' onto the pile of food they were storing.

"It's snowing heavily now. I don't think we should go out for a while. We have everything we need." He stated, not looking at Abby at all. She watched him as he slowly walked to the fire, warmed his hands up in silence and then retreated to the back of their cave, just as he had done the previous night. Abby sighed. She walked over to Connor's sunken form and sat crossed legged in front of him. She placed both of her hands on his thighs, urging him to look her in the eyes.

"Connor. Please tell me what is going on." She pleaded desperately, internally cringing for how she sounded.

"Nothing's wrong Abs. M'fine." He murmured, dodging her gaze.

"It's not though is it!" She stated, her voice getting louder. Connor looked up at her and was silent for a few long moment, before letting out a depressed sigh and straightening his back, leaning against the stone wall behind him.

"It was me mum's birthday. Yesterday." He said sadly, and Abby relaxed slightly, he was going to tell her. "I don't even know why I'm so bothered."

"Well… she's your mum. Why wouldn't you be?" She asked carefully.

"I haven't seen her in 2 years Abby. I haven't even talked to her." He shouted, tears brimming in his eyes. Abby was shocked, she wasn't expecting him to lose it so quickly.

"What... Why?" She asked quietly. Connor looked down and shook his head.

"I can't… I can't say. It's too hard. No one knows but me."

"Maybe it'll help if you tell someone then." She said, moving gently to sit by his side, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly. She had been through this with him already, but it was her who was on the receiving end of the comfort. Sharing her past experiences with her family with Connor had been hard, but it had been a good thing for her. She realised that she wasn't alone, and now it was his turn to find that out. She sat there for half an hour, just holding onto his hand and waiting. He sighed.

"Me dad died, when I was 12. Cancer. Mum wasn't the same after it. Kept saying it was her fault. It wasn't though. She was a good mum, she really was, but when he died she just changed." He sighed again, squeezing Abby's hand tight and pulling her closer to him. "She was in a car crash, when I was 18. Just when I was sitting my exams. It didn't kill her, but she never truly recovered." He sniffed, burying his head into Abby's dirty blonde hair, and she could feel the tears brimming in her own eyes. He took a few moments to control himself again before continuing. "I went to see her, straight away, and she just cried, and stared… she didn't talk to anyone for the first few weeks, they had to feed her through her drip 'cause she refused to eat. It took weeks, but she started talking to me when I saw her. I thought she was getting better. The next few times I visited her she seemed happy and was telling me about days out when I was younger. Days out with Dad. Her moods changed dramatically in the blink of an eye, she would be half way through a conversation and she would just start blanking you out. As if you weren't there. She also lost her temper, a lot, whilst she was in the hospital, and threatened a lot of the carers, people who looked after her. She grabbed me once, just by the arms, she I thought I was me dad for some reason, she only gave me a few bruises and it didn't hurt me, but the carers went crazy about it. They figured it was something to do with the car accident causing her brain damage and they sent her to a mental hospital. I never went to visit her. It was too hard to know that they thought she was 'mental'. They gave her the medication she needed, and she was out after a few weeks, living back at home with round the clock care. She can be fine some days, and others are just her living in her own isolation and private hell. When word got out, everyone in school gave me hell. Said I was going to be like her said I was going to be 'mental'. Thankfully, I left after my exams, went to uni. Got away from everyone. I send her a present, every Christmas and birthday,. I used to go visit her, but since I started at the ARC, I never had time to drive to Blackburn and back. I phone her instead, sometimes, and this is the first Christmas that I haven't. I just feel, like I'm a letdown. I let everyone down. I always do." Abby could feel his tears falling onto the top of her hair and she fought to keep her own in. He needed her to be strong now.

"You don't let everyone down Conn. You've never let me down." She said calmly, squeezing his hand again.

"I have though. I said we'd get out of here, that I'd get us out of here, and I haven't! I said we'd go the beach. We haven't though, because I am such a failure that I can't even get us out of the bloody past! It's not even like we can pretend here. It's snowing for Christ sake! It's cold and we could die and no one else can help and I'm not strong enough or clever enough to do it myself. You should be here with Danny or Becker or…" He couldn't finish his sentence as he found Abby's lips pressed against his, soft and reassuring. They stayed locked together for a few minutes before breaking apart from lack of oxygen.

"Stop it Connor! I'm here with you, and I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else at all. You are clever and you are strong and you help me feel better by just being you! I don't care about all that stuff, the beach, the snow. You tried, and you keep trying, that's all that matters. You help me through this and I'm going to help you, whether you like it or not, so stop putting yourself down all the time. I love you." She said, placing another kiss on his lips. He broke the kiss, pulling her closer to him and wrapping both his arms around her small frame, burying his head between her shoulder and neck.

"Thank you." He murmured, and Abby let a stray tear fall. She could see the snow falling in thick clumps through the several small gaps in the entrance to their cave and she sighed, closing her eyes tight. She held Connor tightly to her, just listening to the sounds of his deep breathing and feeling his chest rise and fall until she realised he had fallen asleep. She silently moved from his side and sat down by the fire, poking it to send the flames flickering higher into the darkness of the lonely cave. She felt her tears fall down her face and didn't fight them. She hoped they got out of here, quickly. Otherwise this Christmas was going to be awful.

_x_x_x_

The 20 minute car journey had been excruciatingly slow, filled with an awkward, unbearable silence the whole time. She had tried to start conversations with him several times, but they only ended with Abby talking to herself. In the end she gave up and decided to not even bother. She knew he was angry at the men, even though she didn't quite understand why, but she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that he was totally ignoring her as well. The snow was still falling and as soon as Abby stepped out of the car she was covered in a fine white layer, and she couldn't help but smile. This was the first time they had had snow since they had been back from the past, and Abby had vowed that she would enjoy it this year. The smile was instantly wiped away as she saw Connor's angry expression and body language as he exited the passenger side. Lester had thankfully, though somewhat reluctantly, gave them the week off, including Christmas and boxing day, and they were only to be called in for extreme emergency's that the soldiers could not cope with on their own. Abby was extremely grateful for the much needed time off, but she did not expect it to be like this! She followed him into the house, closing the door behind her and shaking the snow from her coat. Connor stormed straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind him, and Abby sighed. She knew he needed time, so she would wait, but this was getting ridiculous now. She had never known Connor to ignore her for this long, even when he had been extremely upset after Cutter had died, he had still confided in her. Something from his past had obviously been brought up, but why was he ignoring her when she only wanted to help him? She sat down on the sofa in their living room with an exasperated sigh and tried to relax. They had been able to buy their house a few weeks after arriving back from the Cretaceous. Having a years back pay was quite handy. It wasn't huge, just a two story home with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a rather big kitchen, lounge and dining area. Their Christmas tree was stood proudly in one corner of their lounge, supporting a fairly large amount of multicoloured fairy lights, tinsel and baubles. The presents they had for each other and that they had received from others were stored underneath, a mash of pretty colours and patterns. Even though she loved the tree, and everything else about their new home, Abby's all time favourite part was the log fire set in the middle of a small alcove in the lounge area. It reminded her of the Cretaceous, and she loved to watch the flicker of the flames and how the colours danced with each other. From the small bench that was hidden inside of the alcove Abby could see the window in the lounge, and she loved to sit next to the fire on rainy days and watch the patterns of water droplets run down the window. She walked over to the alcove, sitting down next to the fire pit, lighting a small fire, and watching it grow larger, illuminating the small crevice in the room in an orange din. She watched, entranced, only coming back to her senses as she heard the bathroom door unclick upstairs and the sounds of Connors footsteps nearing her. Their time in the Cretaceous had made their senses well honed, and Abby doubted she would be able to stop her automatic defensive shields whenever she heard the slightest noise, any time soon. As he rounded the corner to the alcove he mustered a weak smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, which were red and puffy, and she leaned into his side as he sat down next to her. He hesitated for a few moments before he wrapped both arms around her, tight, and sighed. They stayed huddled together by the fire for a few minutes until Abby's curiosity got the better of her.

"Conn, who were they?" She asked gently, slowly drawing her finger around in circles on his leg. He tensed up immediately at the mention of the earlier occurrences and Abby waited.

"No one Abs. Just leave it." He demanded quickly.

"But Con…"

"No Abby. Just forget it. It doesn't matter." He stated as he stood up again.

"It obviously does Connor, or you wouldn't be acting so…"

"So what?" He prompted bitterly. Abby could sense both of them getting angry and there wasn't any need for it, but she couldn't seem to stop her anger and pity bubbling up inside of her.

"So bloody childish and stubborn!" She yelled, instantly regretting it.

"Oh I'm stubborn now? You'd know wouldn't ya?" He spat back at her and she raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm only trying to help you Connor. Stop ignoring me!" She stated coldly, trying her hardest to not start a big argument just before Christmas.

"I didn't ask for your help. It's my problem and I'll deal with it. They just reminded me about how I'm a let down. Can't even get me own mum a present, or go see her or anything."

"If you're getting so worked up about it, why don't you just call her? It's not hard to pick up the phone Connor!" She shouted, getting increasingly annoyed with him, despite her hardest attempts to calm down.

"It isn't that easy though! I have to talk to the carer first, and then they say if she's gunna answer or not. I can't even just simply ring. They always want an excuse for the call too, which is rubbish, why do I need an excuse to call! They tell me if she's okay, I get all my information from the carers. They decide when is a good time for me to call, and I can never call when they say because of work. I haven't talked to her on the phone because I don't want to talk to carers all day. I want to talk to my mum. And speaking to those two idiots today just reminded me about why I don't see or talk to her and now I feel awful. So just leave it okay?" He asked miserably, turning his back on her and walking up the stairs to the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Abby watched him go, tears in her eyes and she blinked them back furiously. There was no way in hell that Abby was having another Christmas as bad as the last one. She had to get him to cheer up, and she had an idea on how to do that. She went to Connor's desk and started rummaging through the piles of useless items he had. She searched all of his laptop and through all of the desk drawers until she found what she needed. She hesitated a moment before picking up the phone and dialling the number that had been scrawled messily onto a scrap of paper and thrown into an address book. She hoped, for the sake of both of their Christmas' that this plan worked.

_x_x_x_

Abby turned over in the bed and found that she was alone. Last night they had both slept in their bed still, even though they had both felt the awkwardness that had engulfed the room. She looked to the clock on the bedside table and saw the luminous red numbers of 9:20 flashing before her eyes. She could hear the tell tale sounds of Connor moving about the house and she sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed. She got dressed and slowly made her way downstairs and into the kitchen area where Connor was currently sitting. He still looked miserable and Abby frowned as she sat next to him. She didn't really fancy having another argument. Not on Christmas Eve.

"Penny for them?" She asked as he shook his head and looked to her in confusion. "Your thoughts Conn." He sighed.

"Just thinking bout yesterday. I haven't seen me mum in over a year. She must hate me." He said quietly, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"Your mum doesn't hate you Conn. She loves you. She'll understand why you haven't been to see her, if you just tell her."

"That's the thing though. I can't just tell her can I. I can't just go and see her after all this time and say, sorry I haven't visited, I've been stuck in the Cretaceous for the past year." He said miserably, resting his head on his arms which were resting on the table. Abby sighed. She knew he was right and she understood why he was so miserable. She just hoped her idea worked now. She hated how drastically his mood had changed, when they had gone out shopping that morning he had been happy, excited for their first Christmas back, and now, because of two complete idiots, he was completely miserable. She rubbed his arm and walked to the alcove, sitting herself down next to the empty fire pit. She set about making a new fire when the phone rang. She smiled and ran across the room to the phone. She answered it quietly, trying not to alert Connor before she knew who it was. When she received the reply she was awaiting, she made her way back to the kitchen area where Connor was still slumped against the tabletop and rubbed his shoulder gently.

"Conn, phones for you." She said, placing it on the table next to his head and walking back to the alcove quickly. She smiled to herself when after a few moments she heard a small laugh from the kitchen. It was working. She lit a fire in the pit, warming her hands up before leaning her back against the wall and listening to one side of the conversation Connor was having. With his mum. She rested her head on the wall behind her and closed her eyes. She stayed there, next to the fire, for forty five minutes, just listening to the seemingly endless chatter from Connor. At least he seemed to be cheerier now. She was still leaning against the wall with her eyes closed when Connor came into the alcove, startling her as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air. She laughed as he placed her back down and kissed her breathless.

"My way of saying I love you so much, sorry and thank you." He said quickly, as they broke apart and Abby laughed.

"Love you too. Happier now then?" She asked, a smile spread across her face, lighting her eyes up, which Connor mirrored, his dark eyes shining with his newly found happiness.

"Mhmmm. How did you manage that?"

"I spent an hour and a half talking to people last night." He looked up at her in shock. "It was worth it though." Connor sat on the bench and pulled Abby down to sit on his knee. She craned her neck to place a kiss to his chin and then turned back to poke the fire again.

"Will you tell me who they were now? And why it bothered you so much?" She asked gently. He sighed and was silent for a few moments before he started.

"They… they bullied me when I was in high school. After they found out about me mum, it all just got worse. Seeing them yesterday just brought it all back. And I know it's stupid, and I know I'm probably better off than they are in many ways, but it just still got to me. And when they said I wanted to end up like me mum…I…I would have hit them if I hadn't left. I'm sorry I got in such a state it's just…" He let out a huff of breath and she understood. "Thank you for calling her."

"Connor, it's fine. Honestly…" She whispered quietly to him. "Lets just try and actually enjoy our Christmas this year, yeah? Anything we have this year has got to be better than what we had this year. And yesterday was just a blip. Right?" She asked with a smile which Connor returned.

"Yep. We're gunna make this Christmas the best one yet. I promise." He said, placing a kiss in Abby's blonde hair. She stood up and turned round to face Connor, quickly settling herself back down on his lap but facing him. He smiled at her before planting a kiss on her lips, wrapping his arms around her small waist. She sighed happily into the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth to twist and duel with hers. They stayed locked in their embrace for several minutes, taking pleasure in each others close company. When they broke away from each other, Abby rested her head on Connor's shoulder, kissing the same spot on Connor's neck over and over. He failed to stifle a moan and Abby giggled feeling him tangling his fingers in her now long hair.

"Thank you so much Abby." Connor mumbled as Abby moved to rest her forehead against his.

"Hmmm.." Abby murmured as she pressed small kisses to his lips, which he returned without question.

"I love you… so much." Connor whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I love you too, you idiot." Abby laughed as he feigned a shocked expression. She gave him another kiss and turned in his lap, feeling his arms surround her and pull her back close to his chest. She turned her head and watched the snow continue to fall to the ground through the lounge window and she could feel the heat of the flames against her face as the fire continued to flicker away in the small alcove. She sighed happily, leaning her head back against his chest, holding both of his hands tightly. He leant down and pressed another kiss to her lips and she smiled up at him. This moment was perfect, and now she was sure he was happy, she couldn't wait to give Connor the present that was waiting for him, hidden underneath their tree. Tomorrow was going to be great, and Abby couldn't wait.

The End.

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone. Review?