AN: Found this one that I wrote a while ago, and it's not too bad, so I thought I may as well post it. I think Lester is married in the show, but for the purpose of this story we'll say he's been divorced a while. Set somewhere after season 4, I guess. Enjoy!
"Hey Abby," Connor greeted with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm.
"Oh hey Connor," she returned, somewhat uncomfortably. It had been like this since their break up. On Connor's part at least, there were no hard feelings. She was his friend above all else and he'd like to think that a brief romantic relationship wouldn't ruin years of comradeship and team work. It had been a mutual decision to part, they'd both agreed it was for the best. They'd both been okay with it. Well Abby had. At the time Connor had cried like a girl but he'd moved on since.
Undeniably though, it was awkward.
"Been keeping busy?" he asked. She quirked an eyebrow, of course she had, they both worked at the ARC. "Sorry, 'course you have." Connor grasped for something neutral, something easy. "How's Rex?"
"He's fine." This awkwardness between them made Connor really uncomfortable. He wanted their easy banter of old back. It had been a couple of months, surely they could manage that.
"Maybe I could drop by the menagerie some time and see him..." Abby gave him a startled look. "...or not?" he frowned helplessly.
She watched him for a while longer before finally answering.
"Yeah, that'd be okay I guess."
He couldn't stand it anymore. This wasn't them, they didn't beat around the bush with each other. At least they hadn't in a long time.
"Look Abby, this is silly. We're still mates right? We both agreed it was for the best and-"
"No, you're right," she agreed. "We've both moved on, no need to make a fuss about it."
Something about the almost guilty way she looked at him made him stop and think.
"Wait. You're seeing someone else then?"
"Yeah..." she said, remembering herself and throwing the words challengingly at him. "Yes I am."
"Oh no, I'm not upset," Connor hurried to clarify. "I mean, it's great. That's great, I'm happy for you. I am too."
"You are?" she said with obvious surprise. He could've taken offense but didn't.
"Yeah," he smiled, unable to help it when he thought of his current relationship. He'd been meaning to tell her about it for a while and this could actually be pretty perfect. "Hey, I've an idea," he said, ignoring her sceptical look. "How about a double date? You bring your new boyfriend, I'll bring mine..."
"I dunno..."
"C'mon Abby, it'll be fun. It's the perfect way to put the past behind us and start fresh. Whatever else has happened between us, I'm still your friend. I hope..."
She seemed to actually consider that and when a softer look came onto her face he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You know what Connor? I think you're right. I think it'll be best for everyone if we just get everything out in the open." For a second he wondered what she knew. But then he realised this was great. She'd agreed.
"Great!" he beamed. Now he just had to talk his other half into a double date with his ex-girlfriend. Should be a piece of cake, right?
xxx
"I said no."
"C'mon, please?
"Absolutely not."
"But it's Abby. Abby that we work with. Abby that I spent a year surviving in the cretaceous with..."
"That's not helping."
"No? No. You're right. Sorry. But c'mon Becks, it'll all be out in the open this way. And you know, now we're official and everything, it could be good if everyone at the office knows about us."
Captain Becker raised a brow at that.
"What is it that you think is going to happen if it's common knowledge?"
"Well..." Connor said as he tried to think. "We could, I dunno, have lunch together and-"
"We can do that already. In fact, half the time we do."
"Yeah but we could sit together-"
"Like we already do?"
"Yeah but, I could do this..." Connor leaned in a pressed a quick kiss to Becker's lips.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that. You might have to repeat it." Connor did. Drawing the kiss out longer this time. The soldier responded enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around the computer programmer and pulling him closer. Connor took it as a good sign. He pressed himself against his boyfriend and deepened the kiss, becoming lost in the pleasant sensations of it all. When they eventually broke apart, Becker smirked at him.
"I'm pretty sure that will never be happening at the office."
"No," Connor said breathily. "Probably not. Shame though..." Connor closed the gap between them again and they shared another kiss, Becker pushing him back against the wall.
"Is this a yes?" Connor managed. Becker ignored him and continued to kiss a trail down his neck. "I'll take this as a yes." Becker groaned and pulled away.
"You, Connor Temple, are impossible."
"Impossibly intelligent? Or impossibly good-looking? Or maybe impossible to resist?" He waggled his eyebrows in what shouldn't have been, but undeniably was, an irresistible fashion. Sometimes Becker cursed Connor's likableness. "The dinner?"
"Impossible to distract apparently. Do we really have to?"
"We don't have to, but I'd like to." He watched Becker hopefully. Becker sighed in defeat.
"The third one," he muttered, accepting his fate.
"Thank you. I know she's not your favourite person."
"And you know why," Becker reminded him.
"I do." Connor knew Becker had never liked the way Abby had treated him. He'd tried explaining that it's just how she was, that she had trouble expressing her feelings. Becker had come around to a certain extent but he still felt like she didn't treat Connor well enough. This was a chance to put it all behind them and start fresh. Connor was the happiest he'd ever been. He hoped the same was true for Becker. And he'd like to think Abby could find it as well.
xxx
"Damn," Connor said, patting the pockets of his jacket. "I left my wallet in the car. I'll just run back and grab it." He took off leaving Becker alone outside the fancy restaurant. In another life it was a place Becker would've been comfortable but it just seemed kind of pretentious and unnecessary now. Apparently Abby's new boyfriend had money and had chosen the venue. So much for a neutral setting.
"Captain Becker?" Becker turned to see his boss striding towards him. Wonderful. Even in his rare downtime the ARC followed him. Well he supposed word would get back to Lester quick enough once Abby knew about him and Connor anyway.
"Sir."
"I barely recognised you in that suit. Special occasion?"
"Depends on your definition I suppose. Unorthodox maybe?"
"Really? I find myself in a similar predicament. Are you waiting for someone?"
"Yes. He shouldn't be too long."
"Well," Lester said, "I'd best head inside... Is that Connor?" he questioned incredulously, squinting across the car park.
Becker looked across to where Connor was making his way towards them.
"Yes."
"What a coincidence. Well at least we should be alright if an anomaly pops up. Practically the whole team is here it seems." Lester would realise how true his words were if he saw Abby too when he went inside.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"Quite right. I'll leave you to your evening." Lester rushed off, Becker thought he might just be trying to avoid Connor. Nothing unusual there.
Connor waved his wallet triumphantly before stowing it in his pocket as he came to a stop beside Becker.
"Was that Lester?" Connor asked. "What's he doing here?"
"At a guess? Having dinner, I'd say..."
"Shut up. You look fantastic by the way. Did I say that already? You okay?"
"Yep."
"Is that a 'yep I really am fine' or a 'yep I'm not fine but I don't want to talk about it'?"
"Let's just do this, yeah?"
"Yeah okay. You look amazing by the way."
"Come on." Becker grabbed Connor's hand and led him inside. This was his stupid idea after all.
xxx
"Reservation for Maitland."
"Right this way gentleman." Connor, along with Becker, followed the maître d' towards a table for four.
"Here we are," the head waiter said, stopping by their appointed table. Both of them froze when they saw the man already sitting there, this seemed to perturb the staff member. "Is everything satisfactory?"
Connor gaped, leaving Becker to answer for them.
"Yes, fine. Thank you," he managed. Abby arrived back at the table then. Lester stood.
"What's Lester doing here then?" Connor blurted out.
"I brought my new boyfriend," Abby informed them, her voice edged with accusation. "Why is Becker here?"
Connor slipped his hand into Becker's.
"I did too."
Her eyebrows shot up an inch at that.
"Oh."
Silence ensued. Lester broke it.
"Well on the bright side, no introductions necessary then. Why-"
"Are you taking the piss Connor?" Abby cut in.
"What? No!" He stammered, thrown off guard by her sudden hostility. Why would she think his relationship with a thoughtful and caring man was a joke? More like her relationship was. What did she see in a pompous twat like Lester anyway? Connor had never seen her as the gold digging type but he wondered what else the appeal could be. "I could ask you the same thing." She had the gall to look affronted by that.
Lester, sensing the escalating situation, took the reins. He reached out and rested a hand on Abby's back, encouraging her to relax the fist she had clenched.
"I assure you Connor, Abby is most certainly not 'taking the piss'." Connor wanted to appear at least a little put out but he couldn't hide is amusement at hearing such a phrase in Lester's posh accent. "Why don't we all take a seat?" They did. Becker helping Connor into his before sitting himself.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?" she continued.
"I did." She scowled at his answer. "Well at least I thought I did." He couldn't remember his exact wording now. "Anyway it's not like it's some random, it's Becker."
"Exactly," she huffed. Connor didn't see the issue.
Neither it seemed did Becker.
"I don't see what the problem is," he said icily to her. They glared at each other until she finally backed down.
"There's no problem," she sniffed. Well that was clear as mud.
"So..." Connor began but he was at a loss. None of the usual questions applied. 'What do you do?' Work for the ARC. 'How did you meet?' At the ARC. 'How long have you known each other?' Since the anomalies. Not to mention this was really, really awkward and everyone apparently hated each other.
Connor occupied himself by looking down at the multitude of utensils before him to study them.
"What are all these for then? We expecting more surprise guests?" he laughed nervously. "I can't possibly need all these..." He'd never been to a place like this before. Abby rolled her eyes at his ineptitude but she was a hypocrite. She'd never been to a place like this either before she'd started seeing her poncy new boyfriend.
"Now, now Abigail," Lester chided. "Flouting one's superiority is rather unbecoming."
Connor ignored the obvious stab and instead listened to Becker as he patiently explained the myriad of knives, forks and spoons. Connor wondered how Becker knew all this and made a mental note to ask him later, when certain arrogant jerks weren't present.
"Let's order, shall we?" Lester prompted.
Connor didn't know what half the stuff on the menu was, but Becker did, so he helped Connor choose.
Becker's ease with the situation didn't go unnoticed by Lester.
"Where did you say you were from again Captain Becker?"
"I don't think I ever did."
"No? Would you care to tell us now? You were obviously raised properly." The comment was accompanied by a look down his nose at Connor.
"My parents insisted on good manners, if that's what you mean. Things like knowing when to stop asking unwelcome questions and making everyone around them feel as comfortable as possible."
The waiter's fortunate timing saved them from another argument. He took their orders, Connor opting for the filet mignon because Becker said it was just a fancy steak and it came wrapped in bacon.
The evening progressed as cheerfully as a trip to the dentist for a tooth extraction. And like having a tooth pulled, it was tedious, painful, and would be so much better once it was done.
Suddenly, a scream cut through the stilted conversation. For a second Connor wondered if it was in his head. That seemed likely considering the unbelievably awkward nature of the evening. However, when he looked up and saw the large reptile emerge from the lady's room, he knew it was very much real. For a second he felt relieved. This was at least something he was comfortable with. Becker was on his feet in an instant, reaching inside his jacket and producing a handgun. It was an undeniably cool move. Connor sprang up too, sharing a glance with Abby before he took off after Becker, fighting his way through the panicking diners to get to the creature. Abby followed closely behind them. He lost track of Lester who was probably squealing and running out the door with everyone else.
The creature was a dinosaur. A smallish (if six feet high and thirteen feet long was small) bipedal carnivore.
"It's an Eotyrannus. A type of Tyrannosaur. Early cretaceous period," Connor announced.
"Tyrannosaur?" Becker said nervously. "Should we expect mum?"
"This is mum. This species only grows to this size."
"Well that's a relief I guess." Becker's attention was drawn back to where the dinosaur had a man cornered.
"Hey! Over here!" Abby yelled, picking up an over-sized pepper grinder and hurling it at the dinosaur. She hit it in the head and it turned its attention on her, giving Connor time to help the civilian escape. While he did that, Becker covered Abby. It was difficult to manoeuvre around the room with the tables and chairs in disarray but that made it difficult for the dinosaur too, and Abby used the upturned furniture to keep some distance between herself and the hungry carnivore.
With the restaurant now empty except for the three of them, the creature and the kitchen staff who were safe for now behind their closed door, they could focus on trying to get it back through the anomaly.
"If you have to shoot," Abby said, "try not to kill it. We just want to send it home."
Becker shot her an irritated look.
"I know my job."
Fighting didn't seem like the best idea right now.
"So how do we do that?" Connor asked, getting their attention back on the job. Becker held his gun trained on the dinosaur as it tried to find a way through the messy restaurant.
"Do you see the anomaly?" Becker called, still keeping his eyes on the Eotyrannus.
"No," Connor called back, "it came out of the, ah, the... ladies room." By this stage Connor was closest to the door.
"Go check what's happening in there," Becker instructed. "I'll keep an eye on this one." Connor hesitated. Logistically Becker's plan made sense, but in matters of propriety not so much.
"Abby?" Connor appealed.
"Oh for God's sake," she said rolling her eyes, but thankfully heeding him and making her way across the room and past him to check the women's bathroom.
"Really?" Becker smirked.
"Well it's, you know, for girls." Becker's eyes sparkled with laughter. "Shut up."
A loud crash and a cry from Abby had him forgetting his qualms about intruding on the lady's restroom. When Connor burst through the door Abby was nowhere to be seen, and he could only assume she was trapped in the third cubicle along where another Eotyrannus was throwing itself at the door.
"Abby!"
"In here Connor!"
"Alright there?" He called back as he searched for a weapon.
"Yep. Not the worst place to be trapped I 'spose. Little help?"
"On its way." In the corner of the room a mop and bucket hand been abandoned. Connor grabbed the mop and used it to gain the dinosaurs attention by hitting it across its long snout. It forgot about Abby and turned on him, which was what Connor had been aiming for but hadn't planned any further than. It was only about six feet from the anomaly. He and the dino were pretty evenly matched in size and he brought the mop down on its head once more. It snarled and backed up. He coaxed it back further until it stumbled through the anomaly and disappeared.
"Abby, it's gone. You can come out now."
She emerged from the stall and gave him a grin. If he'd known rescuing her from a carnivorous dinosaur in the lady's room at a posh restaurant was all it took to get her to smile at him again he would've done it ages ago.
"Alright?"
She nodded and they took off out into the restaurant to see how Becker was fairing with the other creature.
He had apparently heeded Abby's words, abandoning his gun for a chair which he was currently using to steer the creature towards them. Connor wedged the door open and followed Abby towards Becker to help him. The three of them worked together to herd the dinosaur towards the door, and were making quite good progress when the animal began to feel cornered, panicked and rushed them. It headed straight for Connor but suddenly he was knocked out of the reptile's path by someone else. He turned, expecting to see Abby, because she'd been on his left, but he heard her shout from further across the room.
"James!" She ran towards where the dinosaur had Lester pinned to the ground, Connor pushed himself up and took off in the same direction. Lester cried out as the animal savaged his shoulder. Two shots rang out and Connor turned to see Becker with his handgun out again, unloading rounds into the Eotyrannus. It shifted its attention from Lester to Becker and with a well-placed bullet, Becker put it down. Connor rushed to Lester's aid, where Abby was already on the ground beside him, applying pressure to his bleeding shoulder.
"You'll be alright James," she assured him.
"Yes, it's not that bad," he agreed, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Abby gave him a shaky smile and rested her forehead against his. Connor turned away, feeling that he was intruding on a moment. Not to mention, it was more than a little weird.
"Alright there?" Becker asked him.
"Yeah. You?" Becker didn't get the chance to answer before another Eotyrannus knocked him to the ground. For a horrifying second Connor watched helplessly but then the dinosaur lurched to the side and grew still. He dropped to Becker's side.
"Becker, you alright? Are you hurt?" He ran his hands over Becker searching for any wounds.
"I'm okay," Becker said, wincing as he got up.
"Are you sure?" Connor fussed.
"Yes Connor, I'm alright." Connor still wasn't convinced, especially when he saw the blood seeping through Becker's torn shirt.
"You're bleeding."
"It's okay, really. Just a couple of scratches."
"You're sure?"
"Yes," Becker said, his voice growing softer, telling Connor he understood his concern but he needn't worry. Connor reached up and slid a hand behind Becker's head fixing him with a serious look.
"Okay," he huffed out. "Okay. It's just-"
"I know," Becker said giving him a reassuring smile.
"Glad to see everything's under control here then." It was Matt. He was holding a stun gun, indicating he was the one that had taken out the Eotyrannus on Becker.
"Thanks Matt," Becker nodded. Matt nodded back.
"What've we got?" Matt asked, turning to Connor, all business now.
"Eotyrannus. Mini Tyrannosaurs," he explained. "Becker killed one, Abby and I sent one back through the anomaly and now this one. I wouldn't have expected them to move in packs."
"Where is the anomaly?"
"The ladies room."
Matt raised a brow at that, before getting back to business.
"Okay. Let's lock it and get this one back to the ARC."
Matt had arrived with the team. They started for the anomaly, only to be met by several more Eotyrannus' pouring out the bathroom door.
"Not pack animals at all," Matt said, tossing a stun gun to Becker and then grabbing another from one of the men. They opened fire taking out the first couple of dinosaurs.
"They're only known from a few fossil fragments of one sub-adult," Connor defended. He had come up with a database to classify every dinosaur species known after all, Matt could cut him a little slack. Their leader didn't seem to be listening though as he helped Becker deal with the incursion.
Watching the dinosaurs towards the back of the pack, Connor noticed them scenting the air and realised that the tables still held all the food abandoned by the evacuated diners. He noticed too, that these animals were quite skinny and realised it was the temptation of a meal that was drawing them into the restaurant.
"They're hungry!" he shouted so everyone could hear, he got a couple of incredulous looks, and realised how it sounded. Dinosaurs were always hungry. "I mean," he clarified, beginning to dump the half-eaten meals off the plates onto the table, "that they're starving. We need to get rid of this food." Abby was the first one to get on board with his plan, and Lester immediately began to help her, ripping the remains of his tattered shirt off and out of the way, to reveal a surprisingly fit torso underneath. Abby's choice made a little more sense now.
Once Connor had all the plates empty and sat aside, he gathered the corners of the tablecloth and picked the makeshift bundle of table scraps up, various items of cutlery clattering to the floor. He headed for the anomaly, with Abby right behind him and they hurled the food right through it.
Becker commanded half of the men to follow suit, while the other half kept watch over the creatures which were now picking at any abandoned steaks or spatchcocks they could find. Using a combination of clearing the tables and herding the dinosaurs back towards the smell of food which Lester had scattered around the anomaly, they managed to get the situation under control with no more injuries. And despite the mess when they were done, Connor had to admit it was a pretty tidy team effort.
xxx
With the creatures sorted, the anomaly locked and field dressings on their wounds, it was done.
"I was really looking forward to that filet mignon," Connor lamented.
"Cheer up Connor, you have to admit it was a great ice breaker," Becker offered in condolence.
"'Spose so," Connor conceded, before wrapping his arms around Becker and nestling in close, revelling in the feel of him strong and solid and relatively unharmed. He would've preferred an ice breaker that didn't leave his boyfriend battered and bruised, but supposed all was well that ended well.
"How did you guys get here so fast?" Matt asked suspiciously. Connor pulled back enough to face him but Becker still kept an arm firmly around him. Matt took it surprisingly well. Or maybe he just didn't know who to start with considering Abby and Lester were in a similar position. Well as much as him having an arm in a sling allowed.
"We were already here," Becker supplied.
"On a double date," Connor chimed in helpfully. Or was that unhelpfully?
Behind him Connor heard the shifting of tables and he turned to see a table being set with four places.
"It's the least we can do," the maître d' told them.
"Make it five places?" Connor asked. The restaurant staff immediately went about setting the extra place. He turned to Matt. "You may as well put an order in too."
"I wouldn't want to be a fifth wheel."
"Don't be silly, we want to you to stay. Don't we Becker?"
"Yes. Of course your welcome to stay Matt."
"I didn't say I wasn't gonna stay," Matt smirked as he pressed his phone to his ear, waiting for the line to connect. "Hi Jess. You have any plans this evening?"