Author's note: Light "M". Series 4, Episode 7 – The moment when Danny asked Abby about her relationship with Connor seemed strange to me. I started to wonder why we got those particular reactions from Connor and Abby. Here's my version of the back-story. It's a small thing, idea-wise, but it's the best I can do until after Series 5 runs. My muse just won't let me go on until I see those episodes.

Danny's Question

The old prison was silent and empty. Its thick, gray walls stretched up toward a gloomy sky. The staff had been sent home and all the scheduled programs cancelled. A tourist had gone missing under impossible circumstances. It reminded Connor of a plot line for an episode of Scooby Doo.

He couldn't remember a stranger incursion. Nothing seemed to go right. First, his dating calculator couldn't read the anomaly's time period accurately and then the anomaly locking device began to malfunction. Anomalies were coming and going and the one Abby saw in the storage room didn't look right.

In the midst of all the chaos, Danny Quinn had come through the anomaly. Even that didn't go well. Matt had mistaken him for a creature and shot him with his EMD. The poor man fell to the ground unconscious, only to wake up to the sound of Becker and Abby's voices. Everyone greeted him happily, but there was no time to chat. They all had a job to finish. Connor knelt beside the locking device, trying to figure out what was wrong with it, while Abby helped Danny to stand.

Danny leaned against the wall and tried to remember how to act around other human beings. He hadn't had a conversation with anyone (other than his stick, Molly) in over a year. He searched his mind for something to say. He remembered that Connor and Abby had been on the verge of a relationship. Suddenly curious, he decided to ask about the situation.

Connor vaguely heard Abby warn Danny to take it easy as she helped him up. But Connor's attention snapped into sharp focus when he heard Danny's response. His entire body tensed up and his face lost all expression as he listened to the conversation happening behind him.

"So, did you two end up, um…." Danny asked.

"What?" Abby replied carefully.

"You know…" Danny continued, with a whistle and a tilt of his heard toward Connor.

Connor's eyes tracked nervously to the side as he wondered what Abby might say. He could imagine the look on her face. She was probably biting her tongue to keep from laughing. Instantly, his thoughts flashed back to the Cretaceous.

They had been stranded for ten long days. His ankle was almost healed. When he stood up and walked about on his own, Abby seemed relieved and pleased. He took it as a sign that things would get easier between them. She had been very tense since Danny disappeared. She was constantly on guard for hungry predators and worried about their survival. But more than that, she radiated an edgy hostility that kept Connor perpetually nervous. He pushed aside his unease and tried to act normal. "Thanks again for being so kind since we got stuck here," he said easily. "You've hardly been cross with me at all."

"What good would it do to be cross," she said softly. "We have to stay alive. That means we do what needs to be done and we stick together."

"Right," he agreed. "So what now?"

Abby gave him a very solemn look before she lowered her eyes, "Today we look for a new shelter and forage for food." A new shelter was an absolute necessity. The last several nights in the treetop had been difficult and if it got any colder, she and Connor would be forced to huddle together for warmth. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle that.

Her frustration level was at an all time high. For the past ten days, she hadn't been able to get away from him at all. Each day she held him so that he could walk. Each day she used her body to brace his. The constant contact was having a very unnerving effect on her. She kept fantasizing about turning into him, wrapping around him and rubbing her body against his. She wanted to kiss him silly, run her hands over every inch of him and tease him until her finally took her in a frenzy of need. She frowned at her own thoughts.

Now was not the time to let her feelings for Connor get complicated; not that she had much of a choice. It really pissed her off that she wanted him so badly. She felt trapped by her own behavior. It had been her choice to put distance between them, but every day she regretted it.

It was no longer an option to walk away if things got out of hand. They were trapped together and it was impossible for her to escape him. They were constantly in close physical proximity, so her treacherous mind chose to tease her with memories of their kiss. It had been really good… surprisingly good, yet she backed away because she didn't want thing to be weird between them.

Now the desire to take the final step and tell him how she really felt was driving her mad and making her very irritable.

Connor watched her for a while. She was standing completely still, lost in thought. He took the opportunity to sit down and rest his backpack on the ground.

Abby jerked out of her reverie and gave him an unhappy look. "Connor, come on! We need to get going," she snapped.

"Guess I spoke too soon about not being cross," he mumbled. Then in a louder voice he said, "I'm coming… no need to take my head off," he complained.

The heat of her stride warned Connor to follow meekly behind her. She moved quickly in order to stay ahead of him. She seriously needed some space, even if it was only a few feet.

As the hours passed, Connor did his best to keep up with her but his ankle began to throb. He stopped to rest and gave Abby's tense shoulders and clenched fists a curious look. She was getting more and more upset as the day went on. The anger was practically rolling off her in waves. At first he felt miserable because he had let her down. He knew it was his fault they were stuck. But the longer she kept her silence, the more he resented her anger. He didn't need her to make him feel any worse. He watched her pick up a branch and walk further into the greenery. He stayed behind to catch his breath.

Abby moved very slowly. She saw a flash of tan among the ferns. As she got closer she saw a fat lizard searching for insects. Quietly she moved even closer. If she could give it a good hit, they would have meat tonight. She inched closer prepared to strike.

Suddenly, Connor's voice cut through the silence, "Abby, where are you?"

The lizard jumped and scuttled into the forest as Abby threw up her hands in disgust. "You idiot! I almost had some meat."

He pulled back and straightened his spine at her insult. "Sorry… I didn't know," he said stiffly.

"You never think, Connor," she said testily.

"I never think?" he answered incredulously. "That's funny coming from you."

"What does that mean," she asked sharply.

"It means I wish you would think when it comes to me." His voice began to rise as he got more and more upset. "You hug me and kiss my cheek but then turn it into some kind of game. You take my hand but then pretend it means nothing. Just when I think we're getting somewhere, you push me away. I don't have a clue what you want from me," he said angrily. All his pent-up feelings began to spill out as the flow of his words continued. "All these years I've tried to figure you out without pushing you." He spun around and gestured wildly. "So what do you do?" he questioned while pointing at her. "Oh, this is the absolute kicker," he continued in full rant, "You kiss me… YOU KISS ME, and then you say you don't want things to be weird between us."

Abby listened to Connor yell at her and she went ballistic, "That's right. I did all those things because you never do anything!" Her eyes were like blue fire as she poked her fingertip into his chest. "YOU tell me you love me and then go on a date with another woman. I waited for a very long time to see if you would make a move," she informed him angrily.

"Why would I make a move? You shot me down! I'm not your boyfriend, remember?"

"You were dating another woman," she fumed. "Look, I don't want to think about you, I don't want to touch you and I definitely don't want to hear from you for at least a week. So just shut up because I don't want things to be weird," she hissed dramatically as she marched away.

"Well tough," he said as he clenched his jaw. "Because in case you haven't noticed, it's totally weird around here," he taunted as he spread his arms wide to include the surrounding forest.

Abby stomped back to him and angled her chin up to stare into his eyes, "You want WEIRD? I'll give you weird. I love you, damn it."

"Yeah, well I love you back," he shouted.

They froze as the words hung in the air between them, and stared at each other in shocked confusion.

Abby surrendered. With a growl of frustration, she lunged at him.

Connor held very still under her assault. She kissed his neck and pushed her hands up his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tipped his head down to look into her eyes. She looked back; all her desire and uncertainty reflected in her glance. He ducked his head to kiss her, totally unprepared for her hungry advance.

Abby was at her absolute limit. For years she had denied her needs, but no more. She had to have his mouth; to taste those warm, velvet soft lips. She wanted to feel his hands on her; ached to have his body.

Connor's brain turned to mush as she fused her mouth to his. Wave after wave of pleasure roared through him at the taste and feel of her. She said she loved him. It was the only thought he could hold on to. She loved him. He grabbed her waist and anchored her as desire buffeted them both.

Sensation became almost painful as they desperately clung to each other. She molded her body to his as she became aware of the ridge of arousal pressed against her stomach. When Connor traced a hand up her ribs to rub over her breast, her legs buckled.

"Please hurry," she begged.

He released her to fumbled with his jeans, more than ready to be with her. He gave up when his clumsy fingers refused to work. He reached for her again and pulled her tight against his body. Sucking and biting hard on her neck, he managed to slide a hand into her pants to stroke bare skin. Trembling, he moved her a tiny distance away so that he could grip the hem of her sweater. He looked into her eyes, seeking reassurance. He wanted to get the clothes off her as quickly as possible without getting slapped.

A sudden, tremendous roar sounded from nearby. It made him freeze and jump away from her in fear. All the blood in his groin tried to redistribute to his limbs as his fight or flight instinct kicked in. It was too much, too fast. For the first time in his life, Connor Temple fainted.

A short time later he opened his eyes to find Abby smirking down at him. "It's all right. The creature is gone."

He slowly raised himself up onto his elbows. "Ow." Still slightly shaky, he took his time getting to his feet. "That has never happened to me before," he insisted.

Abby gave him a look of sympathy. Her own emotions were back under tight control. She realized it was much too dangerous to act on her feelings while they were defenseless. She smoothed over her own discomfort as she watched him get to his feet. She walked ahead of him and tried to ease the awkwardness between them with banter. "Don't worry about it. Obviously I'm just such an amazing woman that my kisses make men swoon."

"Not funny, Abby," he said as his face went pink in embarrassment.

She smiled back at him, "Sorry, Connor."

They walked for another hour, gathering roots and bulbs plus some leafy greens they saw a triceratops eat. Abby stopped to take a drink of water, but quickly capped the canteen when Connor called to her.

"Abby, over here." He stood by a massive tangle of shrubs. "Look at this. I think this could be our new camp site."

She considered the area, "Yeah maybe."

They found an opening in the branches and entered. It was only a small area, but Connor pointed at the dense tangle, "I can clear some of this; sort of hollow out a living area for us," he suggested.

"That's brilliant." She got down on her hands and knees and searched through some of the undergrowth. "The leaves here have started to decompose. It makes the ground softer."

Connor took another look at the dense vegetation surrounding them and felt secure enough for his thoughts to turn back to their fight. He wasn't about to ignore the fact that she loved him. He gave Abby's beautiful jean-clad butt a considering look and sat down on the ground beside her.

He urged her to sit with him and held out his hands for her. When she lightly placed her fingers on his upturned palms, he said slowly, "Now maybe I didn't hear you right. I thought you said something about the way you felt about me?"

She groaned as he repeated the exact phrase she had used long ago. She couldn't resist any more. The look of innocent happiness on his face undid her and his strong lean body set her on fire. She spun to face him, using her momentum to throw him back onto the ground. With a look of pure lust, she ran her nails lightly along the column of his throat to trail down to his chest. Carefully she leaned in to kiss his jaw. When he gasped and closed his eyes, she climbed on top of him, straddling his thighs with her legs. "You know exactly what I said," she whispered. With a mischievous look, she reached for his zipper. "Now let's do this thing," she insisted fiercely.

A long time later, they lay tangled together drenched in sweat as they tried to breathe again. Connor groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "That was amazing!"

He couldn't believe how bold she was. She made love like a tigress, yet she was patient enough to show him what to do and how to move with her. His first time didn't last long, but it was intense. He was fairly sure that Abby had screamed, but not certain because his sight and hearing had shut down during his own incredible climax.

He realized that she had used their union to show him how she felt. Connor knew it was difficult for her to express her feelings with words. He didn't expect to get another declaration from her easily. He ran a hand up her back to toy with her hair. He wanted her to know that he understood what her actions meant. "I love you too, Abby," he said with a gentle smile.

She smacked his chest lightly with her fist. "I only have birth control for another couple of weeks so we better use our time well."

"You mean you want to do it again?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course."

"Oh," he said blankly. He stared into the branches above his head as it sunk in. "That's good. Because I think I can make it even better for you next time."

She gave him a look of disbelief. "I don't think it gets any better than what just happened between us," she explained.

"Huh. I've always thought that practice makes everything better," he insisted.

She laughed and leaned into him as he hugged her. "I guess we'll find out," she said with a smile.

Seconds later she felt him tense up. "Um, Abby… when we get home…"

"Yeah?"

"You have got to promise me that you will never tell anyone I fainted during our first time," he said seriously.

She smirked at him. It was so totally Connor to focus his worry on fainting and yet not show any concern over the fact that he had been a virgin. He was now a very appealing, talented, ex-virgin thanks to her. With a devilish glint in her eyes she said, "Would I do that?"

In a surprise move, he rolled her over until he was on top of her. "Yeah, you would." He thought for a second and then gave her the sexiest, most devious smile she had ever seen on his face. "Unless I make you faint as well…"

Abby's laughter changed to sounds of delight as Connor did his very best to improve on his first performance.

The lovely sounds of Abby's passion faded into memory.

Connor blinked his eyes and stared at his broken locking device. He was back in the dank prison. He heard Matt move quickly into the room. "Ethan is in the building. Don't move Danny until I say."

Connor stood up as he considered Matt's words. He was relieved that Abby hadn't responded to Danny's question, but he had more important matters to think about. Instantly, he got back to the problem at hand.

xxxxx

I hope you enjoyed this. Since it is a single chapter, I would love for you to leave a comment.