Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, no copyright is intended
A/N: Dedicated to three lovely ladies that have conspired to keep my muse alive... ievenstar_estel, tay_21 and britgirlatheart.
"Abby!, Abby!"
She looked up, her thoughts interrupted by the sound of Connor's calls in the distance. She tried to decide if he was warning her of imminent danger or trying to get her attention, but from afar it was hard to tell. She poked her head out of the opening in the shelter and saw him running towards the camp with a broad smile across his face – she let out a sigh of relief and returned his smile.
For a brief moment, Abby allowed herself to hope – the reason for Connor's hurry and his obvious joy could mean he'd seen an anomaly at long last. Then the moment passed and she felt that familiar sinking in her heart; of course it wasn't an anomaly. Why would one appear now after almost four months?
"I hope you caught something tasty for supper?" she called out as he came closer.
"It's something way better than that!" Connor exclaimed breathlessly. He stopped and leaned forward, hands resting on his thighs, to try and catch his breath. "Come on!" He straightened up and held out his hand for her to take. She curled her fingers into his and he practically dragged her back in the direction he had just been.
"Where are we going? It's almost nightfall and we shouldn't be..."
"It's OK, I promise. I've been working on this for weeks now and I think it's finally ready. You'll love it, I know you will!"
Abby resisted the urge to roll her eyes and followed him. Connor was so proud of the things he'd created here, and she had to admit that if it wasn't for his resourcefulness and ability to make something from virtually nothing they'd be dead by now. He'd constructed most of the shelter that they now called home; he'd made the weapons and tools they used for hunting and fishing; he'd set up traps all around the perimeter of their camp and, much to Abby's annoyance, he'd set up a crude anomaly detector from all the metal objects they had in their survival packs. That had been the only real bone of contention between them; Connor still clung onto the hope that the anomaly would reappear and he insisted that they should be ready to just go at the drop of a hat. Abby had remained practical; they were stuck here for the rest of their lives and she had to make sure Connor stayed grounded enough to keep his wits about him. A momentary lapse in concentration could mean death.
She walked beside Connor, squeezing his hand. He kept his eyes focussed ahead, but every now and then he'd squeeze her hand back. It was simple moments like this that Abby treasured the most. In the crazy world they'd been thrust into, holding hands with someone you cared about was a piece of sanity. The path was well worn; they went this way at least once a day, and moving was relatively easy. As they approached the fast flowing stream, Abby felt a chill in the air. It was going to be a cold night.
"How much further? We should be lighting the fire and getting ready for the night."
"Almost there." Connor quickened his pace, and Abby had to almost run to keep up with him. She expected him to take the familiar path that led down to the lake and waterfall where they bathed, but instead he veered off and began to clamber up some rocks. Abby had only been this way once, and if she recalled correctly, it led to a cluster of fruit trees. She knew Connor came here fairly regularly because he'd bring back some of the fruits if he had room in his backpack after fishing. They'd called them "Fruts" because they were like a nut on the outside, and had a soft, peach-like flesh inside that was juicy and sweet. Neither had a clue what they were really called.
"Here we are!" Connor exclaimed, holding out his hand and indicating in the direction of a small shelter built into the canopy of three of the trees.
Abby was confused. He'd built another shelter? Sure, they'd had one or two disagreements of late, but they were all down to being tired and hungry and both knew they were nothing personal – but surely it wasn't so bad that Connor felt the need to have another shelter he could go to? "What's this?" she finally managed to ask, her voice almost sticking in her throat. "I thought we agreed that we'd stick together no matter what?"
Connor's smile dropped. "Oh, god no! It's nothing like that!" He hugged her, then kissed her cheek. "The shelter's just protecting the still, that's all. Come and have a look!"
"Still?" Abby shook her head; perhaps she hadn't heard him correctly. He was already inside the shelter, so she followed him.
It was the smell that hit her first. It reminded her of the old brewery she used to walk past on her way to school. The smell used to make her feel sick; the combination of boiling hops and the yeast created a stench that clung in the air and seemed to follow you everywhere you went. She coughed and covered her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. "You made beer?"
"Not quite," Connor sniffed. "It's some kind of alcohol though." He bent down and picked up 2 halves of one of the shells from the 'fruts' and dipped it into the receptacle at the bottom of the dripping still that he'd constructed from one of bags they used to carry water and some hollow vines.
"How? And most importantly why?" Abby shook her head.
"It was pretty easy really once I'd worked out how to get yeast from the skins of those fruits we thought were like grapes."
Abby winced. Those had been disgusting, and left both of them with bad stomachs for several days afterwards.
"Then I just boiled up some water with the skins and added the flesh from a load of fruts and then I let them..."
"Slow down, Connor!" Abby smiled. "So you've been brewing your own moonshine... why?"
Connor's face became serious and he took both of Abby's hands to make her face him. "Remember that night when we were really down because we hadn't eaten for days and it was wet and windy?" Abby nodded. That was just over a month ago and had been one of the lowest points they'd had since they'd been here.
"I said I wanted to get drunk and forget everything for just a few hours."
Connor's eyes glinted. "Yeah, you did. That's why I did this."
"You've been planning to get me drunk? Connor Temple, I'm shocked! I didn't think you were that kind of man!" She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly. "But it does sound like a great idea. A cold beer would be heavenly right now."
"Um, yeah." Connor felt his cheeks flush. "Like I said, it's not exactly beer." He handed her one the shells filled with the liquid. "Try some."
Abby sniffed it. The fumes made the inside of her nose burn and her eyes water. This was going to be pretty potent stuff, and she thought about declining it. But she couldn't offend Connor; he'd done this for her because of a throwaway comment she'd made. Closing her eyes, she swallowed a mouthful. It wasn't that bad really, she'd tasted cough medicines worse than this.. and then it hit her. She felt it burning as she swallowed it down until it hit her stomach. She coughed and spluttered, trying to rid herself of the taste in her mouth and made retching sounds.
Connor was laughing so hard his eyes were watering. Abby scowled at him until he handed her his water bottle so she could rinse her mouth. "I did try to warn you," he said.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"It's not that bad!" Connor pouted. "Besides, if you water it down and add some juice from the fruts to it to sweeten it, it's actually drinkable."
Abby watched him pour some water and juice into her drink with a familiar warm feeling in her belly. The moonshine may taste foul, but it certainly had the same effect as a decent beer.
"Ta-da!" Connor declared, passing her the finished drink. "I present, Connor's Cretaceous Cocktail!"
"Where's my umbrella?"
"Hm," Connor scratched his head for a moment, then plucked a leaf from the canopy above them. "Here you go, miss!"
Abby giggled. It was completely ridiculous; drinking contraband alcohol from a nutshell with a leaf stuck in it, and yet it was the most normal thing they'd done since they'd become stranded that didn't involve just simply trying to stay alive.
"Cheers!" she said, holding her cup out towards Connor's. He clunked his own against it.
"We should have a proper toast."
"What to?" Abby said.
"Dunno... what do you think?"
Abby smiled. "A toast to us."
They clunked cups and both took a mouthful, silently contemplating the meaning of what Abby had just said. Finally, Connor broke the silence.
"So, there's an 'us' now then?"
Abby took another mouthful of the cocktail, her head beginning to feel light. How did she answer? They'd certainly become very close lately and she liked it when he held her hand or let her fall asleep on his shoulder.
"Do you think there's an 'us' now?" she threw back.
"If I knew the answer, I wouldn't have asked you would I?" he said, knocking back a large mouthful of the cocktail.
"S'pose not." Abby sat down on the ground with a hard thump and patted the space next to her for Connor to join her. Her head felt weird, like it didn't belong on her body any more. "Come here."
Connor flopped down next to her. He felt light headed too; his body warm and tingly. "If there is an 'us' now, then does that mean you're my girlfriend?"
"Do you want me to be your girlfriend?"
"Why do you always answer me with a question?" There was another awkward silence. Connor was kicking himself – this was the perfect opportunity; all he had to do was say, 'yes Abby I want you to be my girlfriend.' but he couldn't. He was scared he'd ruin everything, and out here there was nowhere to hide.
He struggled to get to his feet, swaying slightly as he dipped his cup back into the still and added some water and fruit juice. He swallowed a long mouthful, his tastebuds accustomed to the taste now and it was barely registering. "So, when we had sex that time, it didn't mean anything?" he slurred.
Abby closed her eyes. Of course it meant something; it had meant everything to her. It had happened three weeks after they'd first arrived. Connor had been ill; a fever that had left him barely able to move. They'd both been scared that this was it – that Connor would die and Abby would be alone. She'd told him that she wouldn't leave him and if the worst happened, she'd simply just lay with him until she passed away too. That was when she realised that her feelings for him were more than just friendship. When his fever broke, her relief was so overwhelming she just gave in to the feelings she'd been fighting for so long. It was brief, but perfect. They'd fitted together like two halves of a whole and for those few minutes it was as if nothing else mattered.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Connor stopped her. "I just want a straight answer for once, is that too much to ask?" He shocked himself with his boldness. Perhaps he should have made this stuff long before now, it was giving him a confidence he'd never felt before. "I just need to know if it meant anything to you when we had sex."
"We didn't have sex, Connor." Abby said softly.
Connor rolled his eyes, and felt tears forming in the corners. "I knew you'd deny it happened! You're ashamed. That's why you blanked me the morning after, and never mentioned it again." He stood in the doorway of the shelter, looking out into the approaching darkness and blinking back the tears.
"That's not what I meant, Connor!" Abby stood up and slowly walked over to him. She felt dizzy, and stumbled slightly, grabbing Connor's shoulder as she fell forward. He tried to shrug her off, but she was like a dead weight. "If you'll let me finish... we didn't have sex... we made love." There, she'd said it. It felt right to finally admit it. She waited for him to react; to say something about how he felt.
"So, does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?"
Abby giggled. "Yeah it does, but only if you'll be my boyfriend."
Connor turned and faced her. "I'll have to think about that, big step an' all that!"
Abby moved to give him a playful thump, but her head began to swim and she felt her body sway. "I need to sit down, I think!"
She staggered over to the middle of the shelter and sat herself down on the floor. Connor followed her, wrapping himself around her and kissing the top of her head. Abby felt warm and fuzzy; something she hadn't experienced for a long time. Maybe it was the alcohol making her feel like that, or was it being with Connor and finally knowing she didn't have to fight her feelings for him any longer. It didn't matter any more.
"Abs?"
"Mm?"
"I think I love you."
Abby felt her heart skip a beat. She turned to look at him; his eyes were closed and his breathing steady. He'd fallen asleep. "I love you too, Connor." she whispered, pressing her lips softly against his, then snuggling herself into his chest before allowing sleep to overcome her too.
A contented silence fell across the Cretaceous night for the first time in months and something shifted. Change was in the air.