Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
A/N Story picks up right after Transitions Too (AU).
4.1 AU Mayhem, Mania and Monday
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Lester was in the conference room early, preparing for the Monday morning team meeting. For the first time in ages, the entire team… plus one… was going to be present. In the confines of the closed room, Lester relaxed and allowed a small smile to cross his face. The sound of footsteps approaching echoed in the corridor outside the room. Lester's smile disappeared before the conference room door opened. He looked up from the laptop.
"Danny," greeted Lester in surprise. "You're early."
"Yeah gov," replied the tall red-haired man. "Just wanted to bring you up to date before the meeting…"
Lester frowned. The purpose of the Monday morning team meeting was for Lester to bring the team up to date.
"What are you talking about?" asked Lester.
Danny walked further into the room. The team leader pulled out a chair from the conference table and sat down. He leaned towards Lester.
"Abby and Connor's flat burned down early Saturday morning," replied Danny.
At Lester's alarmed expression, Danny leaned back and raised both hands in the air.
"Nobody was hurt," continued Danny "and all their pets got out safely too."
"Well that's something," began Lester.
"But there's something you should know…," interrupted Danny. The man leaned forward again and lowered his voice.
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In the break room, Jess was pouring sugar into her coffee. She stared at the blonde woman standing before her dressed in a stretchy blue gym suit.
"Abby," asked Jess "did I hear you right?"
"The flat burned down Saturday," repeated Abby.
Jess gulped and her eyes widened.
"What happened?"
"I don't know how the fire started," said Abby "but when I woke up the smoke detector was going off."
Abby poured herself a hot cup of tea, and she remembered.
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In the early darkness of Saturday morning, Abby awoke to the faint buzzing noise of the smoke detector. At first she didn't recognize the sound. She blinked and opened her eyes and realized she was home in her own bed. That dratted buzzing continued.
Abby rolled over. She intended to get out of bed and go check on the noise. Finding herself face to underarm with a sleeping Connor Temple put a momentary pause to that plan. She breathed in the sweet scent of her frangipani bubble bath. When they had finally arrived home last night, they both wanted a hot bath, clean clothes and bed. They'd settled for two out of three.
The dark hairs curling in front of her eyes fluttered as she exhaled. Abby's blue eyes opened wide. She lifted her gaze. The ring on the chain around his neck was visible on Connor's chest. It gently rose and fell with each breath he took. The lips that had kissed her so thoroughly last night were open slightly. One of his legs was sticking out from beneath the dark red comforter. Abby licked her lips. She might not have moved, except for the added sound of feet pounding down the stairs and across the living room floor.
"Abby, Connor," shouted Stephen "don't you hear the alarm?"
Abby sat up in the bed. She grabbed the soft pink bathrobe draped across the headboard and slipped it on. A moment later, Stephen pushed open the door and poked his head in.
"There's a fire," exclaimed Stephen "we need to get out before the flat burns up!"
"There's a fire extinguisher," replied Abby.
"Where?" asked Stephen.
"In the kitchen."
Stephen opened the door wider. Behind him, Abby could see into the kitchen. The antiquated gas stove was ablaze. Fingers of flame rose, seeking… searching… finally finding the cabinets above the stove.
"Not likely to do any good," snorted Stephen at her response.
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"What?" asked the ARC's irascible director.
Lester narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Danny.
"No, no," Lester added in a snide tone "let me guess... you wanted to give Abby and Connor a warm welcome home... so you set the fire."
The former copper frowned at his boss.
"Arson is not a joking matter," replied Danny. "I think the CCTV might give us an idea who did set the fire."
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"There are only a few times I've ever been that scared before," admitted Abby.
Jess suddenly realized sugar was still pouring from the canister into her coffee. She tilted the sugar container upright and set it down on the table.
"How did you get out?" asked Jess.
Jess stirred the coffee once, then lifted the cup to her lips and tasted. She made a grimace. Then Jess walked over to the sink to stand next to Abby. Jess poured the overly sweetened drink down the drain as Abby started to talk again.
"It was Stephen actually," said Abby "at first... I thought he ran out on us..."
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Stephen abruptly turned towards the living area, leaving the bedroom door ajar. Beneath the anomaly research model, he grabbed Sid by the scruff of his neck. Holding the squealing diictodon, Stephen then glanced around the room uncertainly. Spying Nancy near the old sofa, Stephen strode towards the creature. He picked up the second diictodon and tucked the squirming therapsid under his arm. Stephen headed to the front of the flat. He opened the door and disappeared. Abby turned to gaze down at the sleeping man beside her.
"Connor," called Abby.
She shook his shoulder, and then she shook him harder. His brown eyes opened and blinked. Connor smiled at her. He started to speak, but Abby silenced him.
"Hurry," urged Abby "we've got to get out of the flat."
She stepped out of bed and scurried around to the other side. Connor sat up, looking around in confusion.
"What?"
Abby handed him the crutches from where he had left them leaning against the wall. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and put one foot on the floor while positioning the crutches.
"Where's me pants?" asked Connor.
"I threw them in the bin last night," replied Abby. "Remember?"
Most of the clothes they had worn since June had gone into the rubbish bin after their bath. Only their boots and Connor's belt had been worth saving. With other thoughts on their mind, they'd decided clean clothes could wait until morning. The boxes of Connor's things that had been sent over from Lester's flat were still sitting by the doorway to the kitchen waiting to be unpacked.
"I can't go outside like this," protested Connor.
"You can't stay inside either," snapped Abby.
The flat felt far hotter than a late August morning in London warranted. Abby threw the comforter over Connor's shoulders.
"Stand up!"
Connor stood, balancing his weight between his right foot and the crutches. Abby strategically draped the comforter around his body. She grabbed his leather belt off of her dresser and cinched it around his waist. Something crashed in the rooms beyond.
"I've got to get Rex and the other pets out," said Abby. She looked directly into his dark brown eyes. "Can you make it out on your own?"
"Abby, I can manage just fine," replied Connor "but I'm not going without you."
She led the way into the main room of the flat. In the few short minutes since they had awoken, fire had invaded the living room. Flames were now clawing their way up the wall between the kitchen and the living area. The three-dimensional anomaly research model was ablaze. Fire flickered ever higher, soaring upwards to the loft area.
Abby coughed. The walls crackled as fire heated paint and plaster. A second something crashed, and Abby realized it was another kitchen cabinet coming off the wall.
"Rex!" cried Abby.
She turned her head to look upwards. "Rex!"
"He's already out."
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Lester raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't really thought the fire was set deliberately.
"What makes you think," Lester asked "that the cause was arson?"
"Stephen called me," Danny answered "I got over there as quick as I could... spoke to the fire warden..."
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Abby raised her cup of tea to her lips with both hands. She blew on it and took a cautious sip.
"Stephen left," continued Abby "but then he was back again… without him… I don't know if we would have made it out."
Jess shivered involuntarily at Abby's words. Then Jess turned to face the coffee pot to get control of her features. Jess started to pour herself a fresh cup of coffee as Abby continued.
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Abby turned in surprise at the voice. Stephen stood at the flat's entrance.
"You're back?" asked Abby.
"If you drape Lady Medusa around me neck Abby," Connor called from behind her, "I can take her, and then you can grab the iguana tank."
Abby turned to see Connor standing beside the snake's large glass habitat.
"Connor," Stephen directed "you need to get moving… now. You're on crutches. It will be hard enough to get you out."
"You can't carry a snake like that Connor," agreed Abby "and a python around your neck will just make it harder for you to walk. Let's get you out first."
"I'm not going without you."
Abby nodded. Fair enough, she'd said that to him more than once. The smoke stinging her eyes wasn't the only thing making her blink. Abby picked up the iguana tank and started walking towards the door.
"Come on now Connor," she coaxed.
Connor started hobbling towards the front door. Stephen was moving further into the living room. He was crouching low, with his face tucked into his elbow.
"Stephen!" shouted Abby. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Get out," said Stephen. "I'll be right with you."
Abby reached the entryway. She set the iguana tank down for a moment on the little table beneath the mirror. It was a little easier to breathe by the open front door. Connor caught up with her. His worried gaze met hers.
"Go on Connor," urged Abby. "I'll be right behind you."
"You first," insisted Connor.
Abby rolled her eyes. She grabbed the three framed pictures off the table and laid them on top of the iguana tank. Then she turned to give one last look through the flat. Stephen was coming towards the front door carrying something.
"Stephen!" she called "Hurry."
Abby lifted the heavy tank again and started down the steps. Connor followed. Stephen finally joined them on the sidewalk carrying a box.
Across the street, Abby could see Sid and Nancy steaming up the rear window of the mini as their snouts and front feet pressed against the glass. Atop the mini Rex sat swishing his tail back and forth. Abby could hear sirens in the distance. The fire brigade was coming. Neighbors were coming out onto the street too.
"We should get across the street," said Connor.
"Yeah," said Abby "and get Rex into the car before anyone sees him."
"Maybe we should get Connor in the car too," Stephen suggested with a smirk, "before he gets arrested for indecent exposure."
"Oi!"
Together, the three crossed the pavement. Abby set the iguana tank on the hood of the mini. Connor was soon settled in the front passenger seat. Rex joined the diictodons in the back seat. Abby turned to look at the flat. Smoke was now seething out the front door. Abby turned to look at Stephen. He walked around the car and opened the driver's side door.
"You shouldn't have gone back," said Abby.
"Had too," replied Stephen "needed a box."
He tilted the box he was carrying so Abby could see. Inside the box, coiled in an angry curl, was Lady Medusa. Inside the car, Connor tilted the seat forward so Stephen could put the box full of python on the rear floorboard.
Abby moved the photographs from the iguana tank, setting them on the hood. She lifted the tank up, handing it to Stephen. He in turn handed the tank to Connor.
"You'll have to hold it," said Stephen "the back seat is getting pretty full."
The fire truck arrived just then, sirens blaring, lights flashing. Men were shouting and unraveling hoses.
"You need to move that car," shouted one of the firemen.
Men aimed hoses at the flat. Water sprayed.
"Moving it," said Abby.
She grabbed the pictures off the hood of the mini and hurried to the driver's side of the car. Abby took the keys from Stephen and climbed into the front seat. She pulled the car forward along the kerb getting out of the way of the firemen. Stephen trailed behind them on the sidewalk.
As the sun rose, the three watched the firemen battle the roaring flames. For a moment it seemed as if the brave men would tame the blazing beast. But then a low rumbling explosion was heard from the rear of the building. The roof seemed to ripple. Men shouted and retreated from the flat. The building seemed to give a huge sigh... the roof rippled once more and then slowly collapsed. Smoke, soot and ashes rolled in clouds up the street.
Stephen doubled over coughing. Inside the mini, Abby and Connor stared at each other.
"We're home," said Connor "and homeless…"
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