Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or any of its characters, they belong to Impossible Pictures.

A/N: This is the first fanfic I've committed into black & white .... hope you enjoy reading it

Time is difficult to measure when you live for one day at a time, and do things as and when you need to, not just because a clock tells you it's time to do it. Abby and Connor were doing just that, every new day was a blessing – they had survived another night without being eaten, and they still had each other.

"Abby, we need more wood, some of that big chunky stuff you found before would be great" Connor called. Abby was already setting off on her daily mission to find food and water for the day ahead.

"No problem Conn" She called back. She looked back briefly, and with saddened eyes, noticed just how much Connor had changed over the last few days. He'd given up, resigned himself to never seeing home again. His whole body language screamed out defeat.

On her own for a few minutes, Abby tried to think. During her hunts, she had also continued looking for something that might help them get home. She'd found a trail of two lots of footprints, which she had assumed belonged to Danny and Helen, and the place where they both suddenly stopped. This place held the key to resolving this, it was the last place the anomaly existed, and the most likely place one would reappear. It was the only glimmer of hope she still had. She also knew Connor still had the device for opening anomalies in his backpack, if only there was some way of powering it. Even a geek like Connor couldn't conjure up power from nothing.

She gathered together some wood for Connor to build up the fire again, and pulled up some more of the plants they'd eaten yesterday, a tasty root that was something like a potato, before making her way back to the area she and Connor now called home. Seeing his dropped shoulders and dark eyes made Abby want to cry. She needed to give him something to motivate him again, a reason to keep trying. Dare she suggest he worked on the dead anomaly opener? She had to try something to shake him out of the downward spiral she could see him on.

She left it until they were eating. "I went back to the place where Danny and Helen's trail ended today" she said.

"Really?" he barely reacted.

"Got me thinking, that's where an anomaly could open again, one that could take us home, or find Danny at least"

"Do you think I hadn't thought of that already?!" Connor snapped back. "If it wasn't for my bad ankle, I'd be down there searching" his face twisted as he fought back tears. Abby was by his side in an instant, sliding her arm around his shoulder. He shrugged her off "I don't need your sympathy Abby"

"We're in this together Conn, you and I, we're a team, like we've always been." She tried to take his hand, but again he pulled away. "I thought that, if we could get that device working, just enough to re-open the anomaly at that place"

"Its useless Abby! The device is dead, it has no power, and in case you hadn't noticed, we're not close to an electricity source. Its time you accepted that we're stuck here, and there's nothing we can do about it" He staggered off, not looking back. He was angry, not with Abby, but with himself. The tears he had been fighting back now flowed freely as he tried to find somewhere where he could be alone. His whole body was weak, aching from his injuries and from lack of proper food and sleep, and before long, all he could do was slump to the ground by a tree. Suddenly he felt very alone. He'd pushed away the one person he really needed, shouted at her, and he wouldn't blame her if she went off on her own. It was all too much to take, and he curled himself into a ball and cried uncontrollably

Abby was also crying. She understood Connor totally, she knew he hated not being able to help as much as he wanted to, and that his anger hadn't been directed at her personally. She also knew he needed time to be alone, but in his weakened condition, how long did she leave him before she went after him? Going too soon would only upset him more, but she was worried about him. This wasn't like him, and she feared that his state of mind would cause him to do something stupid. After a short time, when her own tears had dried, she noticed a change in the weather on the horizon. A storm was coming by the looks of it, and that made up her mind. She had to find Connor and get him to come back to the cave they'd been using as shelter at night.

Following Connor's trail was easy, he had trodden down the long grass and vines that grew there and left a pathway that led Abby straight to him. He was sat, curled up in a foetal position with his arms covering his head. He was still sobbing, and he hadn't heard Abby approached. It hurt her to see him so helpless like this, and she knew that words would not soothe him now. Instead, she knelt by him and wrapped her arms around him. She waited for him to push her away again, but he didn't, so she pulled him closer to her. He relaxed into her body, wrapping his own arms around her and holding on as tight as he could.

"I'm sorry Abby" he whispered

"You don't need to apologise, Connor" Abby said, finally breaking off the intense hug they had both needed. Their eyes held each others gaze for several seconds, a look of mutual respect, maybe even love, broken only by a low rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Was that what I think it was?" Connor said, a worried expression on his face.

"There's a huge storm coming, I could see the clouds gathering on the horizon … that's why I came after you" Abby stood up, holding out her hand for Connor. He struggled to his feet and curled his fingers into Abby's, allowing her to lead the way.

---

By the time they got to the cave, the sky was almost pitch black and there was a strong wind. They'd barely been inside for a few minutes when the rain came, a downpour typical of a tropical storm, and then the thunder and lightening began crashing above their heads. Still holding tight to Abby's hand, Connor rested his head on her shoulder. It felt right, almost like being home in their flat. He closed his eyes, and remembered some of the evenings they'd spent together in much the same way, curled up on the sofa watching some old Sci-Fi movie together.

"You OK?" Abby whispered, stroking his hair.

"Mmm" Connor muttered. He was lost in his thoughts of happier times.

"What are you thinking about?"

Connor opened his eyes, meeting Abby's gaze. "Us" he said "Wishing we were in our flat, curled up on the sofa with Star Wars on the TV"

"Sounds good" Abby smiled at the thought. "Do we have popcorn?"

"Of course! Wouldn't be a film night without it!" Connor liked this game, it was the first time since they'd been in the tree and Abby had tried to take his mind off his pain that he'd felt a glimmer of happiness. Abby squeezed his hand, and he lifted his head to look at her. He adored her, she was the one person who made him feel like he belonged. She was his best friend, and more.

"Connor?" Abby's voice broke his thoughts.

"Are you scared Abby?" he said.

"Of a storm? No" she answered quickly, knowing that wasn't really what he'd asked

"I mean, are you scared that we'll never leave here?"

"Yes. I'm scared. But I refuse to give in and let the fear take over"

Connor dropped his head and stared at his feet. He'd let his fears take over and he had dipped so low he couldn't see beyond what seemed to be a hopeless situation. "How do you do it Abby? I'm so scared right now" he could feel his tears welling up again.

"I focus on other things, keep my mind active. And I look around me and realize that at least I'm not alone in this. That makes it less scary." She placed her hand on Connor's cheek, forcing him to look up and make eye contact with her. The look in his eyes told her just how scared he really was, and there was only one thing she could do to help him through this. As her lips met his, her heart began to race. She hesitated for a moment, half expecting him to push her away, but when she met no resistance, she continued to kiss him. Connor responded, pulling her closer to him and kissing her back.

Neither spoke when the kiss ended, they just stayed wrapped in each others arms and neither wanted to be the one to break the embrace. Leaning back against the wall, they simply snuggled into each other further, feeling happy, safe ….

---

When Connor woke, Abby was nowhere to be seen. He'd slept well, the best sleep he'd slept since they'd been here. The storm had passed, and the air smelt fresh and clean. He stuck his head out of the cave opening and saw Abby on her hands and knees trying to light a fire. She'd obviously been trying for a while and failing, the look of annoyance on her face amused Connor. He watched her for a few minutes before he decided to let her know he was there. "Morning Abby!" he called out

Her face softened when she saw Connor. It was a different Connor to the one she'd seen slumped over the fire the day before. That sparkle was back in his eyes, his familiar grin spread across his face. "Its about time you were awake! I need you to light this fire".

As she watched him limp towards her, her heart skipped a beat, why had she not admitted to herself how she really felt about him before? He'd said he loved her a long time ago, his heart laid out to her in a moment of panic when he thought he was going to lose her, but she had denied all her feelings for him until recently. Maybe it was because all her previous relationships had been disasters….

"You're doing it all wrong!" Connor said. He knelt by the pile of wood and began to strike the two stones together. Abby saw him wince in pain a couple of times and became concerned. He was trying to hide just how much pain he was really experiencing, he needed proper medical help, but unless they found a way to re-open the anomaly, there was no way he'd get it … and she didn't dare think of the consequences.

"I'm going to find us something to eat" she said. Connor mumbled something back that she didn't hear, as she headed off towards the forest. For some reason, she strayed from her usual route, maybe something in her felt a need for a change. The ground was very wet and slippery after yesterday's storm, and as she walked down a gentle slope, she noticed a lot of debris around, suggesting there had been some flooding. It hadn't occurred to her that they could have been in danger of being flooded out, and she decided that they should perhaps try to find another cave higher up in the hills to be safe.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and slipped over. Relieved no-one had seen her, she scrambled around trying to find something to grip onto to help her get back up. Something caught her eye, wedged between a couple of rocks. Surely it couldn't be what she thought it was? …. She freed it from its resting place and gasped … it was! It was an anomaly opener! It was smashed, and full of water, but there was no mistaking what it was. She ran, her heart pounding, towards the cave. When Connor came into view, she started shouting "Connor!! Connor!!"

He looked up, and his initial thought was that something was chasing her. He grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and set it on fire, ready to use in defense. It was only when she got closer that he realized she was smiling.

"Look! Conn .. it must be Helen's … it's been lying somewhere, hidden away, and the flood waters yesterday brought it out into the open" she thrust it into Connor's hand.

His face fell when he saw the mess it was in. It was lifeless. "If it worked before, the water's killed it" he held it upside down, and they both watched water pour out of it.

"Maybe there's something you can do with it?" Abby's voice sounded so hopeful.

"I don't know Abby. It's pretty battered."

Abby kissed him gently on the cheek "If anyone can do it, it's you Connor"

"I'll try. I can't promise anything." He disappeared into the cave with the broken gadget in his trembling hands. Abby felt it best to leave him alone, she didn't want to put any more pressure on him than she already had. Her head was in a spin, finally there was a glimmer of hope for them, but that glimmer relied on Connor being able to salvage something from a smashed, water logged device and another one with a completely dead battery. Back home, at full strength, with all his tools and electronics around him, there would be no doubt that he'd come up with some kind of solution. At least he now had something to focus on, something that might take his mind away from the pain he is was in.

Connor did not emerge for the rest of the day. Abby left him to it, he worked best alone on these kind of things. As darkness began to fall, she went inside – staying out in the open was not safe once night came. "I got you some fresh water" she said, handing him a flask she had filled from the nearby river. He took it from her, muttered a thank you, and went back to his thoughts. "How's it looking?", she rested her chin on his shoulder, looking over him to the two devices on the floor in front of him.

"I don't know" he said, shaking his head "I don't know where to start, I have ideas but …" Abby stroked his arm and gently kissed his neck.

"Its OK, Connor. It was a long shot anyway, and at least you tried."

"I'm sorry Abby. I don't know what to do" In the dim light, Abby could see his face crumpling again. "I'm a failure"

"Stop that! You're anything but a failure!" He stood up and began to make his way to the cave opening "Connor!, what are you doing?"

He was trying to get out, be alone with his thoughts of failure, but a sudden nausea swept over him and he felt faint. The last thing he remembered was Abby screaming "Connor!!" and falling into her arms before he passed out.

---

Abby was scared. Since Connor had lost consciousness, she felt totally alone. He was barely breathing and his skin was cold and clammy. She didn't dare leave him for longer than a few minutes at a time, but had to in order to keep herself fit and healthy. If she also fell ill, then there would be no hope at all. It was important she ate, and had water, and she would occasionally wet Connor's lips and open his mouth to drip some water in, it was all she could think of to keep him from dehydrating. Two nights had passed, and there was no sign of Connor waking up.

The two anomaly openers were still on the ground where Connor had left them. She'd stared at them so many times, looking for an answer … but technology was not her strength, and she had no idea how to even start to repair them. In her frustration, she kicked at one of them, the smashed one she had found after the flood. Was it her imagination, or did a light come on? She picked it up and shook it, yes … there it was again! It had power!

"Connor! Connor! Wake up, please!" She needed Connor more than anything right now, but he did not stir. She stared at the flickering light on the device in her hands. How much time did she have? It wasn't like her to be so indecisive, but she usually had someone else to bounce an idea off. "Connor?" she said, fighting back tears. He just lay there, not responding.

She began pacing around the cave, talking to herself, going through the options. Would the device remember the last location it had been set to? Did it matter where she pointed it? She wished she'd paid more attention when Connor and Sarah were working things out. There was only one thing she could do, and that was to just point it and hit the switch, and hope for the best. Maybe it would take them to where Danny was, then at least there would be another person to help get them home. Or maybe it would get them home. Or maybe they'd just end up in yet another time period and even more lost. It was a chance she had to take, their only chance.

Half carrying, half dragging Connor, she made her way to the place where Danny and Helen had disappeared. There was no way she was leaving Connor behind, wherever this new anomaly took her, he was coming with her. With a deep breath, she pointed the opener into the air and flicked the switch. "Please work!" she whispered. Within seconds, a familiar glow filled the air, and she was standing by an anomaly. With a deep breath, Abby stepped forward "This is it Connor, come on mate" and they both disappeared into the glowing ball.