Dreaming of it
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, but belong to Impossible Pictures™.
Note: This story contains spoilers from the original series.
Abby was asleep. For the first time since they went through a time anomaly into the future with Danny, she and Connor didn't wish each other good-night, or kiss each other, or cuddle, or anything... and Jess Parker wasn't the reason for this, for a change. No, it was Philip Burton, though not like literally – hurrah for small mercies... but the end result was still the same. Connor seemed to be picking Philip's side over hers, and whether outright treason or not, it still hurt.
"We've been together for a year, our survival depended on one another," Abby muttered to herself, "yet as soon as we're back – the old Connor's back. Caroline has been bad enough, but at least Connor then had the excuse of naiveté, but now, now he apparently deliberately chooses Philip over me. I mean, he doesn't do that, does he?"
Abby's mood soured by the second. Back in the past, when both Nick and Stephen were alive and Conner was 'dating' Caroline, Abby could be in denial by pretending that she didn't love Connor... which she did. Really. After all, how else could one describe what she was feeling? Abby certainly couldn't. "Mom," she muttered weakly in her sleep, "I miss you..."
"And you've thought of me instead? That's just wrong."
The sound of a familiar and hateful voice caused Abby to sit up straight in her bed. "You," she hissed at Helen Cutter, who nonchalantly sat at Abby's bedside table, her feet propped on it, and cleaned her nails with a rather oversized blade. "You're gone!"
"That I am," Helen nodded sagely. "I'm gone. Danny Quinn stopped me. All you see is a dream of yours – you've fallen asleep while thinking about it all. Now why don't you replace me with your mother instead, and have a good and proper talk with her instead?"
"I... can't," Abby confessed. "It's been too long since she and dad died, I've been through too much... I forgot her!" And she broke down into sobs, uncaring if any derisive laughter would be coming her way or not. But instead of laughter, she received a good strong hug, a hug that was surprisingly warm and comforting for a dream.
"There, there," Helen's voice was nothing like Abby had heard before – it sounded actually human. "Let it go. The past belongs in the past, think of your present and future. Think of Connor. Think of your own children. Just think."
"I am," Abby muttered, beyond the point of caring that this was just a dream version of a rather evil person. "I don't think Connor does. He just seems to be thinking of Philip and of his own career-"
"Well, he is a man. Men tend to be career-oriented – they do tend to be the breadwinners in the family. Nick certainly was...and that didn't work so well, now did it?"
"So what should I do?" Abby said quietly.
"Make your own identity – be yourself, not just the Mrs. Temple you just might be setting yourself up to be!" Dream-Helen said firmly. "Be yourself, first and foremost and if Connor Temple is the man you think that he is, he'll have you all the same, no matter flaws there are or will be!"
"Oh, give me a break!" Abby snapped. "That's what I've been doing – being myself, and it has amounted to nothing so far."
"Then maybe it's time to make a new strategy, a new you! Apologize to Jess, for a start – she wants to be your friend, don't make her an enemy out of spite!"
"Hey! I am not spiteful, am I?" Abby said, only to see the dream-Helen stare back at her
"Honey," the latter said in a rather maternal voice, "I am your subconscious, want to try again?"
"No," Abby sighed, "and yeah, you're probably right. I should mend things with Jess-"
"-talk to Jenny – that woman is your friend, isn't she? – talk to Becker, Lester... If you think that there might be a fight you will need friends and allies."
"Jenny's gone," Abby said hesitantly, "and Philip's lately being definitely the man in charge. Will it be enough?"
"Isn't friendship its own reward?" dream-Helen said wryly, "and sometimes you cannot save everybody. Nick could not, even though he did try to his – and everyone's – sorrow, did he not? Sometimes you can save only those that want to be saved, and Jenny may be one of them. Come on, bring her back."
"I will," Abby said slowly, "you – or me – are right. Jenny was our friend; we shouldn't have left her hanging like that."
"That's the spirit!" dream-Helen grinned so infectiously, that Abby couldn't help but to grin back. "Now wake-up and begin anew!" she reached forwards and tweaked Abby's nose so quickly, that Abby...
...woke up.
"Jess!" was the first thing that came to her mind. "Um, hi?"
"Sorry for startling you," the other woman replied, "but you've been tossing and turning so hard that I-"
"Jess," Abby said firmly, "I'm sorry."
"Oh, uh, never mind," Jess said, trying to go for her usual light tone, but not quite succeeding. "It's just that-"
"Jess, we may or may not be friends, but it was wrong of me to put you on the spot like this," Abby said, carefully. "And I'm sorry."
"Okay," now Jess sat down on Abby's bed, "apology accepted – not that you've done anything really wrong, you know?"
Abby shrugged. "Yes, well, anyways... Jess, welcome to the first morning to the rest of our lives."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind," Abby grinned in morning's first grey light. "Want to go to the kitchen and have some girls-only gossip!"
Jess grinned for the first time since the episode with the therocephalians. "You bet!" she said happily. "Want to call Connor?"
"Girls-only, Jess?"
"Ah, point!"
End.