Just a oneshot. Set after 5x06.

Current song: "Stay" - 30 Seconds to Mars

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you
It takes me all the way
I want you to stay

"Connor, thank God…" She breathed, catching the young scientist under his arms as he stumbled away from the anomaly. She slowed his collapse and lowered herself with him as the team scrambled around them, locking the glowing gateway before anything else could venture back through. Abby gave him a quick look over, shifting so that she was holding his upper body with his head against her shoulder. Amidst the chaos, Becker kneeled down and placed two fingers to the side of Connor's neck. The kid's pulse was a little faster than he was entirely comfortable with, but it was strong.

He gave Abby a nod and brought his hand up to his earpiece. "Jess, we need medical on standby."

"Sure thing, Becker."

With an encouraging smile, the soldier stood and gave Abby's shoulder a squeeze as he passed. She stayed put, holding tight to her lover as if he might slip away should she loosen her grip. "You scared the hell out of me, Connor Temple." He was blissfully unaware and, unsure of the extent of his injuries, she was thankful for that. She planted a soft kiss on top of his head and waited.

"Abby, it's coming back around!" Becker fired the EMD, striking the young Ornithomimosaurs in the side. It was enough to cause the dinosaur to falter but not take it down.

"I see it!" The blonde spitfire doubled back, trying to gain a clear shot. "It's too fast!" The feathered dinosaur reached the anomaly and weaved around at the last second. "And I don't think he wants to go home!" The sudden light from the flare nearly blinded them and Abby had to shield her eyes. "What the…?" She lowered her arm and watched her fiancé wave the road flare back and forth over his head. The creature turned, attracted to the sudden light.

"C'mon. This way, yea?" Connor took a couple of steps back and the dinosaur matched them. Abby and Becker kept their weapons trained on the creature, upping them to full intensity. It need not be discussed whether or not a creature should be killed when one of their own was in its direct path. The Ornithomimosaurs did not seem interested in Connor, hissing and snapping at the light in his hand.

Abby felt a surge of pride in the man she was to marry. He was different from the clueless grad student that she had met those few years ago. It had only been six months since the New Dawn incident but the team trusted Connor again. Things had settled and so had they, sharing their own flat once again and planning a wedding. She saw him turn to assess the distance to the anomaly, and the dinosaur saw its opportunity. With an uncalculated snap, it nearly took off Connor's finger but missed the flare. The charge of Becker's weapon was loud in the calm forest, but Connor held up a bloody hand after quickly switching his grip on the flare.

"I'm good." He could see the anomaly reflecting in the creature's eyes and took his moment, quickly stepping to the side and throwing the flare through the portal. The dinosaur sprinted after it and disappeared in the golden crystals, back to its own time.

"Nice, Temple." Becker breathed, lowering his EMD.

Connor regarded him with a nod and shot Abby his famous dimpled grin. The one that made her heart stop and then race. She smiled back and started to approach him as he knelt by the locking mechanism. No one saw it coming. A second creature charged, either furious or just attempting to get home. They would never know. Either way, Connor Temple was in its path.

Abby nodded and took the bottle of capsules from the physician. She was only half listening as she watched Connor in the exam room. He was awake and sitting on the edge of the exam table, leaned over to cradle his head in his hands. With his shirts and jacket removed, she could see the several bruises that colored his back black and purple. His arms and hands were plagued with scrapes. A particularly nasty cut ran diagonally above his right eyebrow, not quite reaching the hairline. That had required stitches, not unlike the bite wound on his left hand. She wondered if there was a part of his body that wasn't in pain. He was definitely a hot mess.

"I will have the nurse write everything down for you." Abby smiled gratefully at the doctor. "The best thing he can do is rest. He's going to be very sore for a few days. Make sure he takes those." He tapped the top of the bottle in her hand. "And no field work for at least two weeks."

"Right." Abby nodded. "Thank you." She smiled again and quietly opened the door to Connor's room. "Hey."

"Hey." His voice was cracked. Tired.

"Let's get you home, yea?" She placed a hand on his knee and willed him to look at her. He obliged, granting her a shadow of a smile as he carefully slid off the table. He turned to the door without even collecting his shirt. Quickly grabbing the forgotten clothing, Abby gently draped his coat across his shoulders as they walked. If it hurt him, he didn't show it. When the approached Jess's hub, Abby steered him to the elevator, promising the team she would call and fill them all in once she had him home and sorted.

The drive home was quiet. She knew Connor wasn't asleep, his head resting against the window, but she couldn't bring herself to disrupt the silence. She opted to take one hand from the wheel and place it on his knee. After merely a heartbeat, she felt his fingers brush the top of her hand before interlocking with hers. They remained that way until they arrived at the flat.

It still felt desolate without their pets. Rex, Sid, and Nancy lived at the ARC now and were content for the time being. They would still linger just inside the airlock as mummy and daddy walked away. Abby knew it wouldn't be long before Lester was begging her to take them home. She sighed and waited in the doorway, watching Connor limp up the last two steps and through the threshold. She had offered to steady him, to help but he had shrugged her off with a quiet 'I'm fine.'

Shrugging off her coat, she watched him gingerly lower himself onto the couch. He visibly relaxed and laid his head back, closing his eyes. His coat was still the only garment on his upper body. Abby wondered how he wasn't cold. She strode over and sat beside him, careful not to jostle him too much. He rolled his head to face her and opened his eyes, exhaustion and pain clearly evident in his features. She reached out to brush a wild strand of black hair from his forehead, smoothing it back away from the stitched cut. "Want some tea?" He shook his head. "Hungry?" Again, the answer was 'no.' She regarded him silently. He was covered in dirt and smelled of hospital, sweat, and blood. "How about a nice hot soak in the bath, yea?" There was a familiar twinkle in his eye…

"With you?" Connor had really mastered the puppy dog eyes. In fact, she wasn't sure it was something he was consciously doing.

"You're ridiculous." She smiled and patted his cheek. "I'll call you in a moment." Shuffling up the stairs, she grabbed two towels from the hallway closet, placing them both on the sink in the bathroom before starting the water. She allowed her hand to linger under the faucet's flow to find the perfect temperature. Ah, perfect. "Connor!" Abby called from the bathroom door before disappearing into their bedroom. Their bedroom. Sometimes she still couldn't believe it. She smiled absently and grabbed a change of clothes from his drawer. Hearing the slow movement on the stairs, she quickly deposited the clothes next to the towels, deciding to add a few drops of her lavender bubble bath to the water. She went to run back out the door and offer to help, but was met with a pair of pained chocolate eyes. The young scientist quickly scrunched his nose.

"S'that smell?"

"It'll help you relax." She patted his bare chest gently and maneuvered past him and out the door.

"Smells like girl." Smells like Abby, he mentally added. He liked it, but she didn't have to know that. He fumbled with the button on his jeans finding it increasingly painful to move his left hand. Somehow, he managed. He tossed the laundry into the hamper and reached down to shut off the water, hissing when the movement hurt his…well… everywhere. The water felt a little too hot at first, but he quickly adjusted to the temperature, holding the side of the tub to lower himself into the bubbles. And just like that…he was in heaven. He laid back and closed his eyes, careful to keep water away from any stitches. He could just sleep here tonight, right?

"Sit up."

Connor opened one eye and was staring straight at Abby's pink knickers. She had discarded her jeans but remained in her vest. Her eyebrows were raised as she motioned with the washcloth in her hand for him to follow through with the command. "What are you doing?" He did as he was told, slowly, grunting with discomfort as she pushed him forward a bit to sit on the edge of the tub behind him.

"Alright, lie back a bit." The back of his head eventually rested against her stomach, allowing him to easily look up at her. She smiled. "You can't exactly bathe yourself, gimp." She pointed to the bandage covering the stitches on the hand he allowed to dangle over the tub's edge. He hadn't really thought of that. "So, just relax," she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose, "and let me take care of you, yea?" He nodded with a small but grateful smile.

Abby dipped the cloth in the water and wrung the excess water and suds before gently wiping off his face and neck. She allowed a little more water to stay in the cloth as she wiped it over his hair. He could have a proper shower when he was no longer moving like an un-oiled robot. She would have to cover the stitches, but that would be easy enough. This would do for now, though. She moved slowly, deliberately, wringing warm water out over his chest and arms. His eyes were closed and, for now, the lines of pain had disappeared. He was so still that she wondered if this had put him to sleep. She continued her ministrations without pause for several more minutes, just enjoying the feel of him lying against her, safe and content. But the water wouldn't stay warm forever…

"Connor," she whispered. His eyelids fluttered but did not open. "Connor." A little louder this time, accompanied by a gentle tap to his cheek. Bloodshot eyes opened to regard her. He had indeed been asleep. "Sit up for a moment." He stared up at her, expression blank. Just when she was about to repeat herself, it seemed understanding finally clicked and he slowly moved forward. His head dropped forward as she started on his back. Up close, it looked so much worse than it had back at the ARC. Connor tensed and stifled a moan as she ran the cloth over an especially painful area. Abby bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she should continue, his muscles beginning to twitch under her touch. Standing, she reached to the cabinet just outside the tub and grabbed her bottle of helichrysum oil. She applied very little to her palm and slowly began to knead her palms and fingertips across his shoulders. He tensed for only a moment before she heard a loud sigh and his head dropped forward again. She was terrified of touching the bruised areas but was sure the oil's anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties would benefit him in the long run. When he did not object, she continued.

Half an hour later, the bubbles were nearly gone and the water was barely lukewarm. And Connor had laid his head over on the side of the tub, breathing slowly and evenly. Abby had stopped massaging and was now practically in the water behind him, just rubbing soothing circles across his back. "Connor, we should get you to bed." He mumbled something but made no attempt to move. She sighed and forced herself to climb out. Grabbing one of the towels, she dried herself and changed, returning to find that her fiancé had not moved an inch. She almost considered draining the water and tossing a blanket over him, but his injuries would definitely protest in the morning. She grabbed his medication from downstairs and filled a glass of water. "Connor." He stirred, but didn't wake. "Connor, wake up."

When he finally won the battle to open his eyes, he tried to focus on the blurred figure in front of him. "Abby?" He frowned.

"Take these." She offered the pills and tipped the glass to his lips after he obliged. He coughed from swallowing at the odd angle. "Let's get you to bed." His frown deepened. "Just make it to bed and you never have to move again." She smiled, knowing her Connor.

"That means you'll have to be at me beck and call." He smiled at her. That adorable smile that melted her walls and left her emotionally vulnerable.

"Whatever you need." She titled her head to match his angle. "That sound good to you?" He nodded and slowly sat up, gripping the side of the tub to push himself to stand. His arms shook and his knuckles turned white, but he finally succeeded.

"Well, that was a piece a'cake." He commented, accepting the towel she offered. Abby turned her head, still finding it hard to control the blush the would creep across her skin at seeing him naked. She had no idea how much it amused him. But now was not the time for joshing. He was hurting and he was tired. With the towel secure around his waist, he steadied himself with a hand on the wall and stepped over the edge and onto the bathroom floor.

Abby followed behind him with his clothes draped across her arm, ready to catch him every time he swayed or stumbled. It seemed like forever, but he finally made it to the bed. It looked like a fluffy heaven just waiting to swallow him in its warmth. He stood with a hand braced on the dresser while she turned down the duvet. He regarded the t-shirt and boxers she laid aside with a somewhat exasperated look. He was so tired. So tired that he could not even enjoy the way she stumbled toward her side of the bed when he simply let the towel drop to the floor and crawled into bed, lying on his stomach. And Connor Temple was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Abby glanced at the clothes she had laid out for him and shook her head as she tossed the duvet over him. She moved her pillow closer to his, lying down to face him, just taking in how the moonlight washed over his face. She reached out to stroke his jaw. She always loved the way the stubble he kept felt against her skin. "I love you." She whispered, leaning in to kiss his parted lips. She made a mental note to tell him more often. She adored how it made her feel when he would say it, and Connor said it often. And she knew he meant it. He had loved her when she couldn't love herself. Even when their future was so uncertain, he was unyielding.

She smiled and closed her eyes.

She would call in tomorrow. She needed to be home with her Connor. They had a wedding to plan.