A/N: Wow guys, long time now see. Sorry about being off-line for so long but what with race training, my best friend's wedding and a good friend's death... But you don't want to hear about that, you want stories! So here's my first Primeval fic! Had to alter things a bit so don't hate me for minor changes I made to the story line.
Connor had pretty much accepted that he was in love with Stephen. In fact, Stephen was the real reason Connor had tripped when the geeky scientist had run after Professor Cutter that day. The exuberant geek had been ecstatic about finally meeting the enigmatic professor but when Stephen had turned to glance at the undergrad and Connor had caught sight of those baby blues, he was gone. So, naturally, he had to immediately blow it by tripping and spilling his papers all over the ground. Smooth, Casanova, real smooth.
Initial lust for Stephen turned into childish hero worship of the older man's tracking ability. Stephen seemed alternately amused and irritated by it but Connor couldn't stop his mouth from running. He tried to cover it, asking Stephen about Abby but when the older man did nothing but walk off, Connor was unsure of whether or not he succeeded. And Abby, sweet, punk rock Abby, she was the one who had figured out the resident geek first.
Connor had managed to keep his cover through the entire debacle with the spiders and the Arthropleura - and he had most definitely learned his lesson about keeping his mouth shut - but it was the fall out of this anomaly which had made things a bit tricky. Because Stephen had asked Abby out on a date. Because Stephen had a girlfriend. And even though Connor had always known that his longing for Stephen was akin to a child's longing for the moon, it didn't stop his heart from breaking. This crushing revelation - while hurtful to both Abby and Connor - served the purpose of bringing the two closer together. For Connor, it was a delight to hear the blond spewing forth all the anger and frustration which he couldn't and for Abby, she found a friend who would listen without judgment. So it was no surprise when Connor took up arms for her. If Connor couldn't have Stephen, who better than his new best friend? But Stephen was being dense and informed Connor that he really wasn't his type before jumping into the pool. Connor took a deep breath, ignoring the hurt, and stared at Abby with sad eyes. He'd get Stephen and Abby together if it killed him.
The shit hit the fan with the Mosasaur attack at the reservoir. Abby had been so grateful to Connor for saving her life that she fairly launched herself at him. Connor - an extremely tactile person starved of the touches he craved - was caught off guard and held on longer than necessary. When he finally forced himself to let go, Abby fixed him with a piercing gaze before dragging him to a diner once they had wrapped up for the day.
"Spill," she ordered as soon as they grabbed themselves a table.
"Abby, it's nothing, I just got lost in my thoughts," he stated, shooting the blonde a weak, crooked grin. Her expression clearly showed that she wasn't buying it.
"Connor," she stated softly, placing a hand on top of Connor's. She watched as the man's attention immediately fixated on their overlapped hands. Sucking in a quick breath Abby exclaimed, "Oh, Connor…" The geek jerked at the sound of her voice, snatching his hand away as though he'd been burned. Abby had been nice enough to let it drop but that hadn't meant that she'd forgotten about it. And the sneaky girl had not only weaseled out everything about his miserable childhood and dysfunctional family but that he was gay as well. And in love with Stephen. She slugged him multiple times for that one.
"Abby, please! Ow! We both know - will you quit that? - that you've - put that down! - got a better chance than I do! OW!" he yelped a she slugged him again but she dropped it. And Connor really should have known better than to just assume she'd forgotten it. But he was lulled into a false sense of security.
As they got to know each other better, Abby became very affectionate with him, giving him all the hugs and pats he could ever hope for. And when Tom and Duncan began getting suspicious and tried to follow him, she let him have her couch - not even batting an eye when he stepped into the apartment and immediately began disassembling the Roswell key-chain that his friends had given him. And it was lucky he did - he could only imagine the trouble Tom and Duncan could have gotten into with parasite infected dodos.
He thought he nearly blew it after Rex got out and nearly eaten by both a Pteranodon and a flock of Anurognathus but Abby was kind-hearted if tough and decided to let him stay so long as Connor abide by her rules. And really - it worked out for her in the end because Connor was a man of habits, and once in the habit of making Abby weekend breakfast for a month, he continued on, blissfully unaware. And Abby was just fine with that.
Which was how he had wound up in this current predicament.
"I really don't think I need an escort to go to my father's funeral." Connor stated, crossing his arms in exasperation.
"Connor, we still don't know when and where an anomaly will appear and we've heard some whisperings about a possible hound hunting at the Baskerville testing site in Dartmoor." Cutter stated.
"If it's a hound, then call a dog catcher." Connor argued.
"We don't know that it is a hound. No one has actually spotted it. Besides, Dartmoor isn't all that much out of your way. Stephen will go with you to the funeral and you'll stop at Dartmoor on your way back," Cutter stated before clapping the undergrad on the back. Connor watched as the others walked off before turning and groaning in frustration. He was going to kill Abby.
If you had asked Stephen his initial impression of Connor, he'd have told you that the undergrad was like an overly eager puppy jacked up on caffeine. And way to naïve for his own good. Nevertheless, Stephen kept an eye on the younger man…and found himself constantly re-evaluating the student. Yes, Connor was naïve and believed in aliens, the Loch Ness monster and conspiracy theories, but he was also utterly brilliant and surprisingly sensible amid all the madness. Who else would so calmly tell him that they were hunting a Gorgonopsid? Stephen had the distinct feeling that if he told Connor that aliens were asking to meet with the ARC, Connor would ask whether Stephen was referring to the "take me to your leader" aliens or the "we took a wrong turn on the cosmic map and need your help to get home" aliens without even missing a beat. Still, Connor was still growing and had no idea how to keep his mouth shut and while Stephen was sad to see Connor get fired, he also welcomed back the silence. At least until he saw the giant centipede and realized they needed Connor.
His second re-evaluation of Connor came while they were struggling with the Mososaur. Cutter was frustrated and they were both ready to call it quits and declare the anomaly closed when Connor shouted for the Professor and showed him the change in water levels. The sheer simplicity of Connor's action shocked Stephen and he wondered why he himself hadn't thought of it.
The third re-evaluation came the same day, when Connor saved his own life, along with Abby's. How Connor managed to beat off the Mososaur with nothing but an oar and not get injured was a question Stephen still asked himself. But something else happened that day, something that made Stephen watch Connor that much closer. Abby became really affectionate with the younger man.
"You weren't this affectionate with him before," he commented absentmindedly the one day.
"I didn't know he needed it before," she told him enigmatically.
And something else happened and once again it had to do with Abby. Abby - who had been awkwardly flirting with him since the beginning - just quit flirting. In fact, it seemed as if she was trying to direct his attention to Connor. That fact didn't bother Stephen, as he swung both ways, but at the same time, Connor was attempting to hook him up with Abby. It all was beginning to make his head hurt.
His fourth re-evaluation came after the anomaly at the football stadium. They had finished herding the dodos back into the anomaly - happy to be finished but still tasting the bitterness at Helen's escape - and Connor had left to do…whatever geeky thing he was doing, when Abby wiped the sweat from her forehead and said,
"Thank God Connor disabled his friends' tracking device. I could only imagine the trouble those two could get into with an extinct animal."
"Tracking device?" Stephen asked incredulously. Abby rolled her eyes.
"Connor's a genius. You think he hangs out with idiots? Why else would he be staying at my apartment instead of with his friends?" she asked cryptically. "Come on, let's get this bird back to the lab."
Stephen's next tip-off that something else was different with Connor was the fact that Abby didn't end his life after Rex got out and was nearly eaten by the Pteranodon at the golf course. Anybody else, himself included, would have gotten slugged across the face and kicked out of the apartment. But Abby, though clearly still furious, merely set down a set of punishments and walked away. Things pretty much went back to normal after that…until now.
Now, Stephen would be escorting Connor to his father's funeral before detouring to Dartmoor on the way back. And Stephen was pretty sure Abby had something to do with it.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Stephen asked as he pulled up in front of the Cross Keys pub - a pub and inn which they would be staying in while they investigated whether or not they actually had an anomaly on their hands.
"No, I really don't," Connor stated shortly. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was explain to the other man why everyone in his family treated him like shit.
"Alright," Stephen agreed. "Grab us a room while I see what I can find out about this hound."
"Sure," Connor agreed, not even looking at Stephen as he hefted his bags across the threshold into the inn. "Hello," he greeted as an easy smile slid onto his face. "I'd like to get a room, two beds, please." He flashed a quick grin.
"Is yours a snorer, too?" The man behind the counter asked sympathetically. Awkward silence ensued.
"Excuse me?" Connor asked, but the man had already moved on, pulling out pen and paper.
"Unfortunately, we've only got single-bed rooms left, but they've got queen size beds in them. That alright?" Connor sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache.
"It'll have to be," he stated, signing his name. After grabbing the key he dumped his bags into the room and settled himself comfortably in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Booting up his laptop he let his fingers fly over the keys. Multiple screens were open and the genius easily transitioned back and forth as he searched his database for anything that could remotely resemble Dartmoor's supposed hound while simultaneously searching local history and legends. The more he pulled up, the more he was convinced that they didn't have an anomaly on their hands. Sighing in relief, Connor let himself fully relax and turned his mind to Stephen's weird behavior at the funeral.
In all honesty, Connor was expecting much worse behavior from his family. After all, Connor had "wronged" his father on two accountants: by being gay and by putting himself above his station by going to college. His father's fury demanded that the entire family freeze Connor out and it appeared that they would continue to abide by his wishes, even after his death. Which was fine - he had expected that. What he hadn't expected was for Stephen to take personal offense and to spend the entire funeral hovering protectively around the younger man whilst glaring at his family. Connor sighed and shook his head, pulling himself back to the present. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting but the previously dormant fireplace now housed a roaring fire and Stephen was striding toward him.
"I don't think it's an anomaly." Stephen stated quietly as he settled himself into the second armchair.
"Because it's a local legend that's been around for twenty years?" Connor asked rhetorically, laughing as irritation flickered across the older man's face. "Work smarter, not harder," Connor informed him, patting his laptop before setting it aside and stretching.
"We only have one bed," Stephen stated abruptly.
"Yeah, it was all they had," Connor rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Mr. Hart, your chastity is safe from me. I'm 'not your type', remember?" He made sure his voice was teasing but he'd be lying if he said it didn't still sting. "Besides, the room is already paid for, so we might as well stay the night and do some roaming tomorrow, just to make sure." Stephen nodded his agreement absentmindedly.
"Yeah, you're right. Come on, let's get dinner," he stated, slapping the undergrad on the shoulder as he stood up. Connor sent the other man a small smile before standing and following him.
Stephen sighed as he shifted once more on the bed. It was almost hilarious, the way he and Connor had climbed into the bed like blushing virgins, both careful not to touch each other. Now, though, Connor had been asleep for hours and had since sprawled out across the mattress and Stephen was having difficulty finding a comfortable position without plastering his body against Connor's. And that was leading to problems of a different sort. He attempted to try and wiggle out of the younger man's grip but Connor made a low-pitch whine in the back of his throat and Stephen froze. Just how starved of affection was Connor? The older man sighed and pushed the thought from his mind and hauled Connor's pliant body closer. If he was stuck cuddling for the night, he was going to be as comfortable as possible and just hope his problem went away on its own.
The next morning found Stephen up early pouring over maps of the moor as he waited for Connor to wake up. Taking a sip of his coffee, the blue-eyed man let his gaze linger on the other man. Connor - ridiculously childish when awake - looked even younger when asleep. Or maybe that was because Stephen was actually looking at Connor for a change. It didn't hurt that he'd also put in a call to Abby. The blonde had not been happy about being woken at 'such an ungodly hour' but after muttered curses and death threats she had shared all her knowledge - and a departing threat of throwing the tracker to raptors if he hurt Connor.
The information, while useful, was also depressing as hell but had explained a majority of the undergrad's odder quirks and had left Stephen feeling like an unmitigated ass for the way he had treated Connor. But that was going to change, starting today. Not just because Connor needed it but because he deserved it. His musing was cut off as Connor stirred and blearily opened his eyes.
"Timesit?" he asked, slurring his words together as he stretched, his longer hair sticking up at odd angles.
"Seven. I was just about to wake you up. I've triangulated the possible location for the anomaly using the information people gave me on the hound sightings. If there's an anomaly it should be around this area," he stated, tapping the map. Connor yawned and loped around the table to see.
"That's right next to the minefield," Connor pointed out.
"I know. So don't go wandering off," he ordered. "Go ahead and finish getting ready and I'll grab us some food to go."
It was a long hike across the moor and Stephen had fully expected to listen to childish complaining. Instead, he got a steady chatter on anything and everything Connor thought of. And was amused to find himself dragged into a debate on Connor's thesis. The debate lasted long enough to take them to the hollow by the minefield where Connor sighed with relief as he sank onto a log and let his backpack fall to the ground.
"If anyone's looking for Christmas ideas for me, gym membership wouldn't go awry," he stated. Stephen snorted.
"Or you could actually complete your ARC training," he pointed out, letting his own backpack drop to the ground. Connor scrunched up his face in distaste before taking a sip from his water bottle.
"I'm just a geek, Stephen. Physical strength is never going to be one of my attributes." He sighed and surveyed the moor.
"It wasn't physical strength that kept your friends from following you during the dodo incident." Stephen pointed out. Connor flushed at the praise.
"You know about that?" he asked.
"Abby let it slip. Good thing you did. They could have been killed if they'd gotten bitten."
"I know, and I can't…they're the only people I've got, really," he said softly.
"You've got the team," Stephen pointed out, frowning at the snort he got.
"Yeah…I know the team just thinks of me as the tech support guy."
"Okay, maybe Lester does but the rest of us know how important you are." At Connor's skeptical look, Stephen continued. "Who was the one who figured out the Arthropleura was a digger? If you hadn't thought of that, I'd have died. And if you hadn't checked the water level at the reservoir and figured out the anomaly was still there, they would have let people back into the water and someone else would have died."
"Someone else did die," Connor snapped.
"Yeah, a diver who willingly took the risk," Stephen reasoned.
"Alright, so I'm a walking encyclopedia, doesn't mean that people enjoy being around me. Even Abby was ready to kick me out."
"You could crash on my couch," Stephen offered.
"Yeah, right," Connor laughed, shaking his head.
"You know I lied at the pool," Stephen confessed. Connor's eyebrows furrowed as he thought back.
"You did remember asking Abby out?"
"Oh, God," Stephen groaned as he rolled his eyes before throwing subtlety off the cliff, grabbing Connor's shoulders and yanking him into a kiss. The younger man squawked and tensed before relaxing into the kiss.
"Stephen?" Connor asked after they broke apart. "What is this?"
"This can be the start of something…or nothing," he added, giving Connor the option. Connor's face split into a grin and Stephen knew he was wearing one that matched. "Come on, let's check for that anomaly and head home."
"You think it's just a dog?" Connor asked later as they hefted their bags down the stairs.
"We just had a room open up, sir. One bed, but it's queen sized," the proprietor was telling a sandy-haired gentleman.
"Nothing with two beds?" he asked hopefully.
"Is yours a snorer?" the proprietor asked sympathetically and Stephen shot Connor a look as he choked back a snicker.
"What's so funny?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. Let's go," Connor stated, shooting the older man a grin and exiting the inn.