Author's Note: I've had this idea in my head since Season 4 of Primeval and it wouldn't leave me alone, so Episode 3 of Season 5 made it possible to create. I hope you all enjoy this little short, it's a doozy. :D
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in Primeval they all belong to Impossible Pictures.
When It All Falls Apart
Abby looked out into the menagerie, her eyes began to well as she watched the creatures pace inside their pens. She felt a sudden connection with them and how trapped they must feel; having no control of where their lives were going, just as she felt now. Her body pulsated at the thought and a heady mix of anger and sadness coursed through her veins.
There was a polite cough from behind her and a reasonable yet smug voice said, "I think, Ms. Maitland, we can both agree that Connor would be better off without having you around."
Abby rubbed her eyes before facing Philip Burton. "Where do you expect me to go?" She asked, her voice cracking as she spoke.
"Well, I hear there is plenty of work in Brighton." Philip said with a friendly smile. "I could put in a good word for you."
"I haven't been home in years," Abby said emotion behind every word. "I won't have a place to stay, not since my family's gone."
"I'm sure we can work something out." Philip said in a pleasant tone as he laced his fingers together.
"How?" A sob escaped her throat as she clenched her fists behind her back to keep from crying.
Burton's reply was lethally cheerful. "I have a place in Brighton at your disposal until you are back on your feet."
"No!" Abby said shaking her head as anger suddenly crept into her voice. "I am willing to hand over my resignation to Lester, but I'm not taking handouts from you or Prospero."
"Suit yourself, Ms. Maitland." Burton said, his words were amiable but his face was serious, "I want your things packed and removed from the ARC by tomorrow."
"Fine!" Abby tried to keep her face blank and her voice steady, but the word still seethed with hatred. She took a breath in, calming the building rage she felt through her body.
She turned away from Philip, hoping he received the message. Looking out into the menagerie, she watched his reflection in the window until he left her line of sight, the door closing behind him.
Abby took her time packing her things. She said her goodbyes to Rex knowing it would be the last time she'd ever get to see him. Holding back tears, she left the menagerie, her belongings in hand.
She made her way to the ARC's car park unnoticed as she proceeded to her car. Placing her things in the backseat she took a deep breath then wiped away the dampness from her cheeks.
Approaching Lester wasn't going to be easy for Abby. She didn't want to leave the team, the ARC, or the man she had come to love; even if they had begun to grow apart.
She understood that she had broken Connor's trust by sneaking into his lab; and she hated herself for that day, knowing she'd ruined what future they may have had together.
Time felt slow as Abby approached Lester's office. She knocked before entering. Her papers in hand, she walked towards his desk and placed them in front of him.
"What is this?" Lester's tone said he didn't have time for games.
"My resignation." Abby replied trying to keep her face blank.
She watched Lester's expression change from mild surprise to puzzlement as he shuffled through the papers. "Yes, I see." He lay the papers carefully aside and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "I wonder why you, of all people, would want to quit at a time like this."
Abby kept her focus on Lester's left shoulder to avoid meeting his gaze.
"It's…complicated."
"No, being chased by prehistoric creatures without alerting the public is complicated." Lester replied. "Leaving a job you love for no apparent reason is absurd."
"As I said," Abby bit back the waver in her voice, "it's complicated."
Lester considered this for a moment before he shuffled the papers into a neat stack and stood.
"I'm sorry but that answer is not good enough." Lester's voice was not unkind, his outstretched hand held her resignation. "Come back when you have a better excuse, Abby."
"James please," Abby said. Her voice was sullen as she pushed his hand away, "let me have my reasons."
Lester looked her over with a critical eye and seemed to be weighing his options. Finally he placed her registration back on his desk. "Let's be honest here, I'm not thrilled with the idea of you leaving the team. You're one of my best workers in the field and I cannot afford to lose you simply because your boyfriend is off playing scientist on my time."
Abby hung her head as the office filled with silence.
Lester pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I'm sorry Abby, but I need you to sort out whatever issues you have with Connor in order to get back to your job."
"My leaving the ARC has nothing to do with Connor or Philip," she mumbled. "I-"
Lester's head snapped up, "Wait. Philip? What's Burton got to do with any of this?"
Abby quickly backpedaled, "No, I didn't…What I meant was-"
"Abby," Lester said, his voice stern. "What is Burton up to? The ARC is my responsibility and I have every right to know what's going on here."
"It's not like that," Abby said, her eyes back on the floor.
"But it does have something to do with him, doesn't it?"
"I…" Abby started to reply but seemed to think better of it.
Lester's patience was starting to wear thin. "Damn it Abby, what's he done? Did he threaten you?"
"I-I can't tell you." Abby stammered as a sob escaped her throat and tears ran down her cheeks.
"And just why the hell not?" Lester yelled, his fist slamming into the desk.
"Because I just can't!" Abby bit back breathlessly. "Get it through your head, Lester, or is that too hard for you to do?" Tears streaming from her eyes, Abby ran out of Lester's office.
Abby kept going until she eventually made her way back to the car. Eyes blurred with fresh tears as she fumbled with the keys. Opening the door, she heard a familiar voice call out from behind.
"I'm not going back in there, Jess." Abby said as the clicking of Jess's heels slowed to a stop.
"I know Abby," Jess said. "But…James wanted me to give you this."
Abby turned, Jess held a slip of paper in her outstretched hand. "He said it's the number to his sister-in-law's. Something about a rental and a job. I…I guess she owns a few places in Birmingham and there might be an opening at a zoo she runs. If you're interested."
Abby took the scrap of paper. "Thank you, Jess," she said softly, turning to the open door.
"Abby," Jess grabbed her arm. "What's going on? This isn't you."
"I can't Jess. It…it's hard to explain right now." Abby replied with a weary sigh, as she climbed into the car. "Let James know I'll keep in touch," she said over her shoulder.
"What about Connor?"
"What about him?"
"Aren't you going to let him know?" Jess asked, sounding worried.
"We aren't speaking to each other right now," Abby's voice trailed off. When next she spoke her voice was flat and dead, "I wrote him a letter."
Jess's face fell, "A letter? Oh Abby…"
Abby stared off into the distance, "Three years of working together. Two of those years spent as flat mates, and one year in hell. Now?" Her shoulders drooped, "I don't know where our futures lie." She looked up at Jess as if the reality of her situation had finally sunk in.
Jess reached through the open window and put a hand on Abby's shoulder. "As I said, this isn't like you Abby. I've seen you out in the field. You're not the kind of person to run so easily."
Abby lowered her gaze. "I know, Jess," she replied meekly.
Silence hung in the air longer than either of them would have liked. Finally Jess sighed and gave Abby's shoulder a quick squeeze before she let go.
"Take care then Abby. If you ever find your way back here, well, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Jess. I'll do that." With a sad smile, Abby started the car.
Backing out of her parking space, Abby caught a glimpse of Jess in her rear-view mirror as the young woman turned and walked back towards the ARC.
Abby took a deep breath to steady herself before she put the mini in gear and drove out of the car park and away from the life she had been forced to leave.
It was late when Connor got back to the flat and he wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. He had just reached the bedroom door, his hand on the doorknob, when he remembered that Abby was probably already in there. Recalling that they weren't on speaking terms, Connor found that he wasn't in the mood to deal with that conversation again; especially at this hour of the night. With a groan of exhaustion he shuffled to the living room and flopped, fully clothed, onto the couch. After shifting around Connor found a comfortable position and fell asleep.
Sunlight speared through the gaps in the shades, creeping its way slowly across the living room until it eventually illuminated Connor's face. Connor twitched and opened an eye for a brief moment before squeezing it back shut with a groan. Forcing himself into a sitting position he yawned widely and ran a hand through his tangled hair. Bleary-eyed, Connor checked his watch and gave a yelp of surprise.
Leaping up off the couch, Connor dashed down the hall calling out.
"Abby!" He banged on the bedroom door, "it's 9:35! We overslept!"
When there was no immediate response he continued, "right, I've got dibs on the shower."
Connor quickly ducked into the bathroom and proceeded to take the fastest shower of his life. Wrapping a towel around himself he stepped out into the hallway.
"Abby?" He called out.
Glancing around he saw that the bedroom door was still shut. A quick look at the clock showed that he'd spent about five minutes in the shower. Heaving a sigh he padded down towards the door and gave it a light knock.
"Abby? You in there?"
Silence greeted his questions. Rubbing his hands across his face he leaned his ear against the doorjamb.
"Yeah, so, uh, listen about the other day. I know you're probably still angry with me for yelling at you and I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry. But you have to understand that the things Burton has me doing are important and there are safeguards to make sure that bad…stuff… doesn't happen…"
He trailed off.
"Abby?"
Connor cautiously opened the door and stuck his head in. He was greeted by an empty bedroom.
About to search the rest of the flat, he paused as something on the bed caught his eye. Puzzled, Connor walked over and picked up the envelope that had been placed on his side of the bed. His name was written across the front in what was clearly Abby's handwriting. Connor grimaced at the time displayed by the clock on the nightstand. He fiddled with the envelope for another moment or two, indecision playing across his face.
Hooking a finger under the flap Connor started to tear the paper as his mobile suddenly went off.
"Oh for crying out loud," he groaned. As Connor reached for his mobile, his finger caught the edge of the envelope.
"Ah! OW!" Cursing slightly, Connor stuck his finger in his mouth as he answered the call. "Herroh?"
"Connor?" April's voice came over the line. "Where are you? We've been worried."
"Uhrm, ye-" Connor spat out his finger. "Yeah, no worries. I was just on my way in. I, uh, overslept."
"Well you better hurry up then. We've got a lot of ground to cover and Philip expects you to be here on time."
"Yeah, no problem," Connor said, "I'm on my way over."
Franticly he grabbed some clothes from his dresser, throwing on the first pair of jeans he could find; Connor jammed the letter in his back pocket and headed for the door, pulling on a shirt as he left.
"Everything okay Connor?"
"Hmm, what?" Connor looked up from the prototype.
April had a big grin on her face, "I was asking if everything was alright."
"Yeah, no," Connor said. "I'm fine, doing great."
"I was just wondering, you seem a little distracted."
Connor shook his head, "just trying to figure out what made this component act up during the test."
April leaned in slightly, "so nothing…strange, happened recently?"
"Well now that you mention it," Connor said, pausing as he tried to adjust a few pieces. "Jess was acting a little weird this morning when I came in."
"Weird, how?"
Connor didn't seem to notice the serious look that crossed her face.
"She was asking me if I was alright or something," he started clicking wires into place. "Something about emotional support or some such." A thought occurred to him and he looked at April, "George Lucas didn't die did he?"
April gave him a perplexed look, "Uhm no, not that I know of."
"Oh thank god," Connor said, turning back to the prototype. "It's just that I've been so busy, thought I might have missed something important." He shook his head and chuckled to himself before giving a big yawn.
"That's my cue to grab us some coffee," April said, "you like it black, right?"
"Mm," Connor replied. "Actually, could you grab me a cappuccino? That'd be great."
April nodded, "one cappuccino coming right up."
Connor barely heard April as she tapped her pass-code into the security panel and left. Wrestling with a particularly stubborn part, his hand slipped and smacked the side of the prototype.
"Ah! OW!" Shaking his hand, Connor spotted the paper cut he'd gotten earlier.
Remembering the letter from before, Connor retrieved it from his back pocket, unfolded it, and began to read.
Lester was setting the receiver back in its cradle when Connor burst through the door and slammed a piece of paper onto his desk.
"Philip's resignation, I hope?" Lester said, mildly perturbed by Connor's lack of decorum.
"No, it's a letter from Abby, she's gone." Connor was shaking visibly.
Lester raised his eyebrows in surprise, "you mean she didn't tell you?"
"No, I- wait, you knew?"
"She came to me yesterday afternoon with her resignation." Lester's tone was not unsympathetic, "I assumed you would be the first person to know."
"Oh god," Connor mumbled, "she must've left the letter last night. I didn't even get a chance to read it until just now."
"Did she give a reason to why she left? Something that explained her sudden decision?"
Connor's brow furrowed as he tried to recall any details he'd read. He shook his head, "I-I don't know. She said some stuff about us and an argument we'd just had. But…" His voice trailed off.
"Think Connor," Lester urged. "Why would Abby leave without saying anything? Especially to you?"
Connor started to shake his head and stopped as a look of understanding came over him. "She thought I might talk her into staying."
"Exactly."
"But, why would she want to make sure I didn't try to stop her?"
"Because maybe the consequences of staying would be too great."
"What are you saying?" Connor asked.
"I'm saying there's the very real possibility that someone coerced her into leaving." Lester drummed his fingers on his desk as he thought.
Connor stood there in shock, "who would do something like that?"
Lester gave him a sidelong glance, choosing his words carefully before he spoke. "I'm not sure. Nothing certain at the moment, not without proof," he added under his breath. "In the meantime," Lester stood and guided Connor towards the door, "it would be best for us to keep these suspicions between the two of us."
In a daze, Connor nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said before lapsing into silence.
Connor walked back to his lab as though he were in a dream-state. People greeted him and he would mechanically answer them before pressing onwards. It wasn't until he was back in front of his worktable that Connor realized he'd grabbed the letter, Abby's letter, he reminded himself.
He stared at the piece of paper, at the words that she had written, and he thought about what Lester had said. The more he thought about it, the more Lester's theory seemed to make sense. Why else would Abby leave so suddenly unless someone had forced her too?
Connor started to pace as he thought.
So why hadn't she come to him? Why had she simply run without even asking for his help?
'Because you're a child,' part of him whispered to himself. 'You don't have what it takes to protect her. You never did.'
That's not true, Connor thought.
'Oh grow up Connor,' said the doubt inside him. 'Look at you. You're scrawny, weak and lazy. You've done nothing since you came back from the Cretaceous. Things were better when you were the only man on Earth. And how are you now? You're pathetic.'
Shut up, Connor thought hard. I'm not like that.
'Really? And how much time have you been spending with Abby? NONE! You put yourself into this project and didn't even think about her.'
This is important. Connor thought, clamping his hands down on his temples to shut out his thoughts.
'More important than being with the woman who has selflessly devoted herself to you? Who saved your life so many times you've lost count? She helped you become a better man than you could have ever been on your own, and you KNOW that. She's the best thing that ever happened in your miserable life and you threw her away without a second thought. You don't deserve her, you never did. Abby would have been better off without you. Always having to fight your fights and stand up for you. That's probably why she ran Connor; she knew you were never man enough to face down a real threat for her, so she ran. She ran and hid because YOU could do NOTHING!'
"SHUT UP!" Connor roared and punched a storage cupboard.
A stack of ring binders tumbled from the top and struck him in the head.
Cursing aloud, Connor grabbed the stack and pitched them across the room, their pages tearing loose and billowing out like a cloud of terrified birds.
Except they didn't. The binders slipped from his grip, struck a nearby table, and fell to the floor.
For some reason this seemed to set Connor off. Charging up to the binders, he aimed a kick and caught his shin on a rubbish-bin. Swears poured from his mouth as he kicked the bin squarely this time. The bin crashed into a filing cabinet and rolled back towards him where he proceeded to stomp on it until it was dented and flat.
Breathing heavily, Connor looked down at the wasted rubbish-bin. Still not satisfied he grabbed it and heaved the crumpled metal across the room. The bin collided with a set of glass shelves, bursting through them in a spray of snow-like shards.
Connor froze as his equipment spilled from the ruined shelves and crashed into the prototype. Everything smashed to the floor and scattered across the lab.
A microscope came clattering to a halt by his foot.
Connor stared at the remains of the prototype.
"Shit," he muttered. He swore again, and again. Louder and louder, his voice reached a crescendo as he picked up the microscope and hurled it across the room.
April stalked around the corner with a tray of coffee and a mug of cappuccino. As she approached the door to the private lab a look of cheerfulness forced its way onto her grim features. Her game face on, she was about to punch in her clearance code when a microscope smashed into the window on the door. April jumped and sloshed coffee down the front of her blouse.
"Damn it," she growled.
She peered in through the cracked glass and watched as Connor sent pieces of equipment hurtling around the room. Though the lab was soundproof, April was pretty sure he was swearing his head off. She slowly backed away as several objects hit the wall near the door. Once in the main hallway April dashed towards the nearest exit.
Pulling out her mobile, she punched in Burton's number.
He answered on the third ring.
"Philip. We have a problem."
In the privacy of his lab, Connor slumped to the floor amidst the wreckage. He felt no better after all he had done. In fact, he felt worse. His body ached from his aggression and his hands were bleeding from many small nicks and cuts. As the hollow feeling inside him grew, Connor realized two things:
The prototype was now in pieces and Abby was still gone.
So, what do you think? I would love some feedback on this here story. Also, Chapter four of Fate Has Many Faces is still in the works and thank you to all who have been very patient with me.