Chapter 1: Meeting Danny.

Connor Temple and Abby Maitland sat in Lester's office waiting for his return with there new leader Danny Quinn. The couple had returned to London two weeks ago bruised and tired. They had been given a few weeks off but in Conner's opinion they needed more. Two weeks off after two and a half months away against there will and then being rushed back to the source of it all was devastating. He didn't want to be here, all he wanted was the ground beneath him to open and swallow him and the chair whole. Never having to wake up in the middle of the night, sweating, and gasping for breath, having recalled the terrible place for the millionth time after they got back. But of course this never happened.

He descended back to earth at the sound of Lester's door snapping shut.

'Connor Temple, Abigail Maitland. This is Daniel Quinn the man the minister and I feel suitable to replace Professor Nick Cutter'. He finished his short speech by clapping a tall man that looked twice Connor's age. He had a long oval face with deep green eyes, rosy cheeks (Connor wasn't sure if this was from embarrassment) and a nervous forced smile slapped across his face. Abbey slowly rose to her feet to shake there new bosses hand but there was no enthusiasm in her shake instead there were slow and quiet tears streaming down her face.

'Please, call me Abbey,' She told him forcing a smile on her face just like his.

'Call me Danny,' he told her dropping her hand looking around to Lester who was sitting at his desk now.

Connor on the other hand felt sick. He couldn't accept this man as their new leader only two months after his true and near only friend that believed in him, looking past childish ways and into his future self. He had given his computer whiz a task before he died and Connor planned on fulfilling it. But first he had to get the artefact back. Nick was the father the young man and Abby never had. He cared for them it was easy to tell even if you didn't know the team.

'Conn?'

Connor jumped as someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't up to physical contact yet but looking up into Abby's eyes the tension left his shoulders. Her sapphire blue eyes were full of emotion and tears, instantly Connor knew she felt the same way. She didn't want this strange man leading them, what if he couldn't be trusted, what if he was in league with Helen Cutter. The woman who caused them so much of this pain.

'Connor? Are you alright you look rather pale?' her voice sounded very distant to his ears and he shook his head, his mouth felt very dry and his head was spinning, he was faint, lightheaded and unable to support himself. Leaning over his girlfriend outstretched arm he vomited all over Lester's glossy floor and there new leader's newly polished shoes.

'Take that as a no,' Came Lester's sarcastic tone from behind his over flowing desk.

Abby threw him a reproachful look before bending down to look at Connor. He was still alarmingly pale and looked as if he was about to throw up again. She looked around frantically for something but was too late he threw up again all over her skinny jeans. He slumped against her chest breathing fast and heavy. Abby felt something brush pass her and saw Danny emptying the contents of the bin all over the floor and handing it to her. Just in time too as Connor's stomach protested for the third time that afternoon.

'Oh for god's sake, get him out of here before he destroys my office'.

Abbey wrapped an arm around the sick Connor's waist while Danny did the same and they half carried half dragged him to the medics.

Connor winced when Abby and Danny sat him down on the bed. Danny nodded to him and left muttering something about needing to check security. Connor slumped back on the pillows feeling as if he spent every minute in some sort of hospital since his return.

He glanced up at Abby who was standing by the door. Her once smooth face was wrinkled with worry, small scares were spread across her arms and neck and there were bruises everywhere. She had sandbags under her eyes. Connor knew she never slept; she would stay awake and make sure he fell asleep ok, then stay awake hours on end. She was always thinking of the night she thought she lost him. He knew all this not by asking her of course but the way he would sometimes wake from his usual nightmare and find her snuggled up to him as close as she could watching him, she would sometimes cry herself to sleep or the way she would mutter in her sleep always the same line 'Don't give up on me now, not here not now. You here me do not leave me'. He remembered her speaking those exact lines before drifting away from her reach.

''M alright' he muttered under Abby's worried gaze.

'No Connor you are most certainly not alright,' she snapped 'you're not eating or sleeping. You never talk or look at Jenna as much as she tries to accept you as a father. Connor you're not trying to recover from this. I'm worried and so is Jenna! Neither of you can adjust to our new life'. She was crying again.

She cries so much these days. Connor thought. He opened his arms wide and said 'Abby!' in a sad but loving voice. She responded rather quickly nearly running into his outstretched arms. She flung her arms around his neck and started kissing him forcefully. She knew when Lester told them to come back to work he wouldn't take it well but like this. He wasn't settling back into new life.

'It's just not home anymore'. He whispered sadly into her neck. She hugged him more tightly and whispered back 'I know babe. We just have to accept our new life'.

She knew how he felt; they had come back to London to discover a whole new team had been hired; Danny Quinn the new leader, Sarah Page was to work the ADD and look into old legends and myths that were out of the ordinary. Lester informed them that Jenny left right after Danny had joined the team and Becker was suspended for punching the minister after he told them not to go after Connor the first time round, for destroying the armoury when they returned for help and for trying to shoot one of his men out of anger.

'I no love. It's definitely not home'. But no one heard her Connor had drifted asleep his head still nuzzled into her neck. She smiled at his calm, peaceful figure. If she only knew what went on behind those closed lids.