DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PRIMEVAL, OR ITS CHARACTERS. THIS IS A WORK MADE PURELY OUT OF LOVE FOR THE SERIES; I AM NOT MAKING ANY PROFIT OFF OF IT. PLEASE DON'T SUE, ALL I OWN ARE A LAPTOP, A COUPLE BOOKS AND DVDS, AND A BADLY BEHAVED LABRADOR MUTT NAMED MIDNIGHT.
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Chapter 1
Late Cretaceous: 6 years, 11 months and 14 days.
Abby treaded carefully through the forest. Her ears and eyes alert for any signs that might indicate something coming her way.
Jabbing the head of her spear into the ground, Abby bent to dig through the dead leaves and topsoil in search of the root vegetables and edible bulbs that would be tonight's supper.
One of the six braids in Abby's hair swung into her face.
'Gonna have to do another one soon.' She thought ruefully, batting it back into place behind her ear.
A twig snapped somewhere behind Abby an she stiffened, her instincts taking over and preparing her for whatever thing had found her.
After a few moments of tense silence Abby snatched up her spear and hurried towards the north where, up in the branches of a tall tree, the shelter that she and Connor had built together sat happily.
Another twig snapped and Abby spun on the spot taking up a defensive stance, with her spear brandished in front of her, her eyes scanning the woods around her for any signs of movement, or anything that seemed out of place. Her ears similarly strained against the natural sounds of the forest to pick up any clues.
Finally hearing something move to her right Abby turned but caught a movement out of the corner of her eye as she did. Lashing out with the butt of her spear she hit Connor squarely in the chest and he fell to the ground gasping for breath.
"Jesus, Conn!" Abby exclaimed, "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Have to keep you on your toes." He stated with a grin, before bursting into another fit of coughs.
Abby rolled her eyes and crouched over him, her eyes softening. "I could've killed you." She said seriously.
Connor just grinned. "Nah, I know your moves too well by now."
Abby cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, like the way you just anticipated the move that just knocked you flat on your arse?"
Abby stood and offered Connor a hand up, he took it and tucked Abby under his arm as they started off towards their makeshift home. She wrapped her free arm around his waist, and sighed contently.
"I was just letting you think you won." Connor explained. "Any minute now I could attack, like a trap waiting to spring… or a panther waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey."
Abby snorted in amusement. "More like a noisy puppy if you ask me."
"Oi! I'll have you know that I can be perfectly quiet when I want to be!"
Abby laughed. "Whatever you say, Connor."
"You don't believe me? Ok, you've got till I get to 100 to hide yourself." Connor stopped midstride.
"What?"
'He can't be serious.' Abby thought.
"If you can make it back to the tree house before I can catch you, you win."
"What?"
"Starting now: one, two, three…" Connor covered his eyes.
"You really want to play hide-and-seek?" Abby asked incredulously.
"Absolutely! Now get hiding! Four, five, six…"
"Connor—"
Connor only counted louder.
"Connor, I'm not—"
But still the numbers continued to rise, and a tingle of anticipation ran up and down Abby's spine, and suddenly she was off like a shot, tearing through the trees.
Abby was sure to make as little noise as possible as she moved, much as she hated to admit it Connor had proved to be a brilliant hunter and tracker in the six some-odd years spent they'd spent in the Cretaceous, so she had no doubt about his ability to find her. Even if he didn't find her, she didn't have to worry much, as they'd made a rule that no matter what, they would return to the tree house by nightfall so neither one would have to spend the day worrying when the other would return. Even so, Abby still had to tread carefully for an altogether more practical reason, there was still the potential at any time to come across the local wildlife, most of which wouldn't hesitate to try and make an afternoon snack out of her.
Finally, reaching an outcropping of rock that would serve well for a hiding place, Abby tried to put Connor off her trail by making a very clear path up to the base of a tree, and then retraced her steps more gingerly back to the rocks, and secured herself between two boulders an pulling a few branches over her for cover just as Connor made it into the clearing in pursuit of her.
Connor followed her false trail up to the tree and he stood puzzled for a moment, his eyes scanning the tree tops. Upon not finding her he set off towards the north, the direction she would inevitably have to travel to get back to their tree house.
When she could no longer see nor hear him, Abby slowly emerged from her hiding place, and started off in the opposite direction as him, doubling back on their trail, where she would eventually turn north, and hopefully reach the tree house before him coming in from a different angle.
Abby was over half way home when she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, but when she caught a glimpse of a flash of red and black through the trees, Abby was off again, this time in a full sprint.
It wasn't long before Connor's longer strides had overtaken hers, and she spun out of Connor's embrace as he tried to grab hold of her.
Dropping her spear and into a defensive stance Abby raised her fists in front of her, and Connor cocked an eyebrow at her before mirroring her stance.
He successfully blocked a jab at his stomach, and several more blows aimed at his head, but Abby managed to take his knees out from under him with a swipe of her leg and he went down, but he took Abby down with him and took advantage of her moment of surprise to flip them over and pin her under him, securing her capture.
She wriggled to get free, and Connor just grinned as she realized that it wouldn't work.
Their chests were heaving from the physical exertion of the hunt, and Connor just continued to grin stupidly as Abby sulked.
"Gotcha!" Connor announced brightly. He looked so much like a puppy that'd fetched a stick that Abby felt her heart soften, and she had to return his smile.
"Alright, well done, you caught me. Now let me up, Conn."
"No." Connor's tone had turned into a growl and he used his dominant position to steal a kiss from her, which Abby returned enthusiastically after a moment of persuasion.
Abby bit and sucked at his lower lip and generally made it difficult for Connor to think straight. He pushed her legs apart with his knees and she locked her legs around his waist, grinding her pelvis against his rapidly growing erection.
Connor groaned her name and buried his face in her neck, trying to get a hold of his senses and send a bit of blood back up to his brain. But Abby was having none of it, as she nibbled on his earlobe and squeezed his waist between her thighs as her fingers teased under the hem of his layers of shirt and jumper.
Abby knew exactly when he gave in and conceded to having sex right here on the forest floor, when he growled deep in his chest and pushed his hands under her hips, pulling her tightly against him and grinding his erection into her, sending waves of pleasure up her spine. Abby arched her back like a cat, but her eyes betrayed her mischievous streak. In a swift tipping of the scales, Abby flipped them over so she straddled Connor on the ground, and he looked up at her slightly dazed with dark eyes and flushed cheeks.
Abby smiled at him wickedly and Connor must have suspected what she meant to do, because the moment she went to move off of him, intending to have him chase her a bit more, his hands flew up to her hips and pinned her firmly in place before flipping them back where he grasped her wrists firmly, yet gently, and pinned them by her head in a movement that clearly stated that she wouldn't get away with her teasing this time.
Then his eyes softened and he bent his head to kiss her passionately, Abby arched up into the kiss and one of his hands caressed her jaw gently before skimming down to tweak her nipple through her clothes and then down again, to rub her clit through her jeans. Abby moaned and melted into his kiss, which is when Connor released her, other wrist and wrapped his arm under her to support her back. Abby's hands flew into his hair and held him close.
A sudden rush of air and the appearance of a bright light startled them out of their passion. Abby and Connor stared unbelieving for a moment at the sight in front of them. An anomaly had just opened mere yards from them after almost seven years of being stuck in the past, the only two human beings in existence.
Connor helped Abby to her feet, their lust forgotten and they stared at each other for a moment, communicating wordlessly. Whatever would be on the other side couldn't be worse than here, they would get through, as soon as one of them retrieved the few belongings they had left in their tree house, the other would stay at the anomaly site and monitor it for incursions, or signs that it would close before they could get through.
It was Abby who volunteered to make the short journey to the tree house, climbing the rope ladder and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness of their little home. She stuffed some of their stored food into her bag, just in case, and bundled up their bedding, and the few other bits and bobs that needed to move with them. There wasn't much, it all fit into their two rucksacks which Abby slung over her shoulders and then turned to leave for the last time.
She hesitated for a moment in the doorway; peering back in through the gloom to the shelter which had been the site of such a big part of her life now, Abby couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. But then her thoughts turned to the possibility that 21st century Britain might be on the other side of that anomaly, as well as her friends, her pets, and modern conveniences, and Abby was through the door, down the rope ladder, and running back through the forest to meet up with Connor.
She handed him his pack, they joined hands, grinned at each other, and ran through.
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Captain Hilary Becker tapped the steering wheel of his SUV anxiously, waiting for directions to come through from the ARC about whether the team with Connor's anomaly locker would arrive soon.
Nothing had come through the anomaly yet, but every second it remained open meant that something could, and it might be a very bad something, like another t-rex, or something with those awful fungus spores clinging to its fur…
Becker checked the clock on his dashboard for the fifth time and found that less than a minute had passed since the last time he'd checked.
"Becker?" Jess' voiced crackled over his earpiece.
"Yes, Jessica?" He replied.
"The team with the locker will be there shortly."
"Ta, Jess. The sooner the better."
Suddenly, the anomaly flashed in the way they did when something would pass through, and all the men who'd been put on guard duty went on high alert.
"Damnit." Becker cursed, as he jumped out of his car, and dashed towards the anomaly site. He could hear his men shouting so he knew that something had come through.
"What is it?" Jess asked over the earpiece.
"We have an incursion." Becker said.
"Creatures?"
"No, I—Jesus, I think it's people."
"People!" Jess cried. "Is that possible?"
"Unfortunately." Becker replied, calibrating his new EMD.
As he drew closer he could see that it was a man and a woman who had come through, they huddled close together holding sharpened sticks in front of themselves defensively in a sort of prehistoric-manner, but their clothes seemed distinctly modern.
It took Becker a moment to realize that he recognized these people, and he almost dropped his EMD from shock.
Connor Temple and Abby Maitland stood facing the group of soldiers pointing guns at them, bravely; their eyes wild from adrenaline. Their clothes were little more than tattered an patched rags, hanging loosely off of their frames, each one had the survival pack they had left with and they looked much in need of a shower, and Connor much in need of a shave. Connor's hair was longer than it had been in a long time an locked like it had been styled by a mad ferret with shears, while Abby's was longer than Becker had ever seen it, hanging down past her shoulders, with several plaits running throughout.
Becker's men were ordering them to drop their weapons and to put their hands on their heads. Becker shouted the command to stand down, but not before one of his newer recruits who was a bit more jumpy than the rest, pulled the trigger on his EMD and sent Connor flying backward, almost back through the anomaly.
Abby yelled angrily, and quickly moved to check on Connor. Becker winced, absently rubbing at his chest where he'd been shot with a blast earlier in the day. After seeing that Connor was alive, she turned her attention back to the men surrounding her and snarled at them placing herself between the guns and Connor protectively. Connor eventually rose and tried to pull Abby behind him, but she refused to budge, stubborn as ever.
Becker stepped forward shoving his men out the way before finally standing where Connor and Abby could see him, he shouted for his men to stand-down one last time.
"Hope you brought me back a souvenir." Becker said with a smirk.
Becker watched as Connor and Abby's faces changed from fear and wariness, to shock, and then elation. Abby was the first to move, throwing her arms around his neck. Connor laughed taking Becker's offered hand and then turning it into a brotherly hug.
"We're really back, then." Abby said, and her eyes were full of an unreadable emotion, like she didn't quite believe it.
"We sent rescue missions." Becker said, his voice rough with the pain of the memories of those failed reconnaissance missions that had cost them Sarah and several others. "We tried, but there was no way to get to you… we didn't even know when you were."
"It's okay." Connor said. "Doesn't matter now." Connor looked at Abby. "We're home."
The two of them broke into giddy smiles and embraced enthusiastically, finishing it off with a tender kiss.
"So you two are an item now?" Becker asked, with a pleased grin.
Abby shrugged, "Getting stuck with someone for seven years in the Cretaceous can do a lot for a relationship. Even with someone as infuriating as Connor."
"Seven?" Becker's face showed his confusion. "What do you mean, seven years?"
"We've been gone for seven years." Connor said. "It's 2016 isn't it?"
Becker shook his head, 'no.' "It's 2010" He said, "You two have only been gone for a year."
"No, it's been seven." Abby insisted, growing agitated.
"Are you sure?" Becker questioned.
Abby looked ready to spit fire, but Connor put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Pretty darn" he stated.
Becker attempted to wrap his brain around it. "So, you two have been stuck in the Cretaceous for seven years… but the anomaly opened up to a year later than when you left…"
"Seems like, you know, I can't tell if that's good or bad…" said Connor.
"Doesn't matter," Abby shook her head. "We're home now, and oh, I would murder for a hot shower."
Connor perked up as well. "You know somewhere close by that I could get a cappuccino?" He asked.
Becker just laughed and touched his ear piece.
"Jess?" he said.
"Present!" Jess' perky voice sing-songed.
"We're sorted here; do I have permission to bring an Abby Maitland and Connor Temple back to the ARC for immediate housing in the menagerie?"
Abby feigned offense, but Connor just laughed.
"That is an affirmative; Lester will be waiting for them in his office, for a debriefing."
With that, Becker allowed his team to continue monitoring the anomaly and piled Connor and Abby into an SUV to transport them back to the ARC, for a hot shower, a good meal, and the unfortunate news that Phillip Burton had assumed co-management of the ARC.
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A/N: Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed why not say so? I will accept a simple "Liked it!" and treasure it as much as a longer review. If you didn't like it, why not say so? I just ask that you do so in the form of creative criticism, so that I can try to improve my writing in the future.
The next chapter should be up sometime next week.