A/N: This takes place after what I affectionately call the Connor-sicle episode in season 3, episode 5. The premise is: What if instead of Lester walking in and finding out that Connor has been living at the ARC (since Abby evicted him for 'a few days' so her brother could stay with her), Abby finds out.

So I love Connor and Abby. I just had to figure out another Primeval fic for them. Thanks for all the suggestions folks! I have another one percolating, too.

Connor Has Had Enough

Abby had just gotten back to her flat at the end of another long day when she realized that she had forgotten her mobile back at the ARC. It had been a rough day, so she figured that she was likely due the luxury of a lapse in memory. Unfortunately her job made her phone absolutely necessary, or else she would have just left it. She retrieved her mobile and stopped into Sarah's office on the way out. Her light had been on, and Abby was curious why the Egyptologist was still working. Ordinarily the only person that stayed so late was Jenny, well, she did before she quit. Another team member down. At this rate, she and Connor were next.

"Sarah, what are you still doing here?" Abby asked.

"Oh! I didn't realize it had gotten so late, actually. I was just working on the artifact; I lost track of time. I guess it will still be here tomorrow. What are you doing here?" Sarah asked.

"Forgot my mobile. Rough day, wasn't it?" Abby smiled, trying to make conversation.

She wasn't anxious to go home and deal with her baby brother. She loved him, but he was trying her patience with his complete lack of consideration for her home. He was even messier than Connor, and unlike Connor, he wasn't the least bit apologetic, and he didn't confine his mess to his room. And Connor was never dirty like Jack…leaving food bowls out and refusing to lift a finger to help wash up or even pick up his own mess.

"Yes, it was. Shame about Jenny leaving. But I imagine after hearing what happened to Connor earlier, and then her actually dying for a moment there…well, it's enough to make most people question how safe it is to work here, I suppose." Sarah rambled on as she gathered her things to go.

"Connor? What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"He got trapped in the lab. One of those diictodons of his was in there and he went in to fetch him. He spilled some saline and the fungus started reproducing itself again. He's the one that figured out that fire didn't work, and that we could freeze the fungus to death. Of course, we had to lower the temp enough to kill it off while he was still in there. He was afraid it would spread through the ARC…he refused to leave. He nearly froze to death. We weren't sure he was going to make it." Sarah related.

"I thought you knew?" She continued, noting Abby's horrified expression.

"No. He didn't say a word." Abby answered.

"I think he's still here, if you want to ask him about it. He's been spending an awful lot of time here. You know, come to think of it…he's here when I get here in the morning and he's always still here when I leave." Sarah noted.

Abby smiled distractedly and nodded, more shaken by the thought of Connor almost dying than she wanted to admit.

"Well, see you tomorrow then." Sarah said, turning to leave.

Abby wondered why Connor hadn't told her about his close brush with death; if anything, she figured he'd try to score a sympathy hug at the least. And why was he spending so much time at work? She headed to Connor's lab, determined to get some answers out of him. Ever since he had moved out, he'd been avoiding her when they weren't actually out responding to an anomaly. At first, she hadn't even realized it because she had been avoiding him out of guilt. She didn't like it…the thought that he didn't want to see her. He'd asked her today if she missed him yet…she did. She just didn't know how to deal with it. It stirred all sorts of uncomfortable thoughts in her…thoughts she'd been repressing for a reason.

Abby walked past the still burnt out remains of Cutter's lab. She cast her eyes to the room to her left, spying movement, and then Connor's dark shock of hair. She peeked in at him around the edge of the door frame. He was telling the diictodons to have sweet dreams? Why? And it looked like he was getting ready to turn in himself. He had laid out a makeshift cot and blanket, and even more telling…he was standing there in only his grey shirt, his boxers and socks. Aqua blue socks, she noted with amusement. A carry-all and a shaving kit were stacked on top of the dog crate…he had been living there. Why hadn't he told her?

He hadn't said a word when she'd asked him if he could stay somewhere else. He had just smiled and assured her that it would be no problem. As always, he had just gone along with what she asked of him, never complaining, never arguing. Why would he do that? Did he do it all for her? Just because she asked? Why didn't he tell her he had nowhere else to go?

"Connor?" Abby called out as she entered the room.

He stiffened and spun around, a ceramic mug in his hand.

"Are you living here?" She asked.

He swallowed, there was no sense in trying to pretend otherwise. "Yes."

He swept up his red jeans off of the floor and pulled them on, and then slipped on his boots. He didn't want to deal with Abby right now and her moods; her running hot and cold for him. He'd almost died today; Jenny had died today, even though they had managed to bring her back. It had left him thinking about how short life was. He had watched too many people he was close to die already; when would it be his turn? Not long, knowing his luck. Abby was just another reminder of how much life he had missed out on because he was afraid to do something about it.

He'd leave…go somewhere. Get away from her.

"Connor…I thought you were staying at a mate's?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Fresh out, apparently."

Abby thought about it. He never hung out with anyone but her…not for a long time. She'd accepted his assurances that he'd find a place to stay because she had wanted to believe it. If she would have bothered to think about it, she would have realized that he didn't have any other friends anymore. It's not like working at the ARC left them a lot of free time.

He turned his back to her to face the metal counter he had fashioned into a sort of makeshift kitchen. He didn't want to see her pity. She must be thinking 'poor, pathetic Connor. How sad he is…no friends, no girlfriends except for Caroline, and she'd been paid to date him.'

"Look…you can stay on the couch until you find somewhere." Abby offered.

Connor slammed down the mug on the counter. Abby flinched in surprise.

"It's just for a few days, eh? So I take it that you didn't ever intend for me to come back?" He asked, his voice tight and strained.

"Jack is my brother. I told you, he needed a place to stay." She explained defensively.

She didn't mean to take that tone with him, but she was edgy and uncertain of how she should deal with her feelings for Connor; it seemed to manifest itself as her lashing out at him. She always screwed everything up, every relationship she'd ever tried to make work. She didn't know how to act, and it scared her.

"You really don't give a damn about me, do you?" He asked bitterly.

Abby paused, taken aback. Connor didn't talk to her like this. What had gotten into him?

"What?" She replied, at a loss for words.

Connor threw the cup against the wall, shattering it. Abby jumped and took a step backwards. He spun to face her, seething. She recoiled from the look on his face. His eyes were hard and furious, his jaw clenched in a hard line, his hands balled into fists.

"What? Now you're afraid of me? Of pathetic, harmless Connor?" He growled.

He stalked towards her, and Abby's breath caught in her throat. He was scaring her. Logically she knew she could probably wipe the floor with him…but this Connor seemed to be a different person. It was as if he was possessed.

He stopped inches away from her, stared down at her intensely. His eyes pitiless and cold, so unlike Connor's warm chocolate kind ones. The veins in his neck stood out, he was visibly trembling as adrenaline coursed through him.

"What is wrong with you?" She managed to get out.

"What's wrong with me?" He repeated angrily.

He'd show her what was wrong with him. Just once, he would do what the hell he wanted to do, and the consequences be damned.

Abby gasped as he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides. He crushed her mouth against his, hard and passionate and needy. She froze, and then melted into it, unable to force her brain to think about what she was doing logically. She just knew it was good, electric and passionate and…this was Connor? Connor setting her body on fire? She wanted to dig her fingers into his hair, pull him closer, but he held her immobile against him. She felt his thick erection pressing against her…she didn't know he had this raw emotion inside of him. She never knew. How could she not know he felt like this?

He let go of her abruptly and pushed her away in the same motion. He exhaled in a shaky shuddering breath and turned away from her.

"I'm finding my own place. I'll get the rest of my things tomorrow." He said flatly.

He grabbed his coat from the floor and walked out, leaving Abby without a backwards glance.

Abby stood there for a few long moments, shell-shocked, her hand pressed to her tingling lips. Her heart hammered in her chest. She had to go after him.

TBC

A/N: First off…no, I'm not killing anyone off. They were just being pessimistic.

I love me some angry Connor. We hardly ever get to see it. He's just so easygoing most of the time. After the day he's had, and sleeping at work, and everything else that happened that day…well, it was a good trigger.

O' course, he lost it when Stephen and Cutter stopped looking for Abby in the 'Mer' episode…mmm hot. And even that little flash of temper at Danny when Danny was still a cop and he chased them out of the house. I know. I have issues.

I haven't determined a concrete length for this one, other than to say it won't end up novel length like my Alice/Hatter fic. I have a couple of chapters planned out so far, but it will probably be determined by my muse and by reader interest. Soooo, if you like this one (or hate it), please do review. Reviews are love and they feed my muse.