Future Revised, a primeval fanfic

Soooo this is my first non-Naruto story to be posted on here. I LOVE Primeval and am incredibly bummed that it is likely to never come back. At least we all have fanfics to read and enjoy! So this is a story I wrote awhile ago but didn't think I would ever share. It probably could have been split into chapters but I decided to post it as a long oneshot.

I am accutely aware that I am not British, not even slightly, so if a true British fan reads this and is angered by my clear lack of knowledge of British lexicon and London's geography I apologize. Honestly I barely know how to speak American English and have no clue about my own local geography...so I made it up... I did my best to be true to the characters and the show.

Please read and enjoy!

Abby had never been the type of girl that dreamed of her wedding day. She hadn't spent her childhood planning what she'd wear, or where it would happen, she never even considered who she might marry, but now that it was the day before the wedding she was getting excited.

She stood, admiring her dress, in front of the full length mirror in the master bedroom of the flat she shared with her fiancé. The dress was, of course, white with straps that fell around the sides of her shoulders. It hugged her curves then fell straight to the floor. The train was made of sheer gossamer fabric, attached at her shoulders and falling like wings to the ground. She turned this way and that, admiring the how beautiful the dress made her look.

"Oh my God, Abby, you look… so beautiful" Connor said in pure amazement. She turned to face her fiancé. The look on his face nearly caused her to laugh.

"Close your mouth, Connor, you're starting to drool" Abby instructed. He complied and checked the corners of his mouth for moisture. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it bad luck or something for you to see me in my dress before the wedding?" He grinned in response and walked over to her.

"Probably, but we've always been the types to push our luck, haven't we?" he replied with a smile. He took her hand and twirled her around then pulled her close. "Remember that time that we were hiding in that pathetic little cabin outside of town and we found those old clothes and had ourselves a right little party?" He placed one hand on her waist and held the other in his own. "And we danced." She smiled at him joyfully as they spun around the room.

"I remember the terrorbirds crashing that party" she replied with a grin. Connor's smile faltered.

"Well, yeah, but that won't happen tomorrow. I promise. It'll be a nice, normal wedding." They continued twirling around the room until a voice interrupted them.

"Connor! You shouldn't be in here!" Jess exclaimed. The couple broke apart as the young woman marched into the room. "You not allowed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony! It's incredibly unlucky!"

"Jess, not that I'm not happy to see you, but uh, what are you doing here?" Abby asked. Jess glanced from Abby to Connor and back.

"Did Connor not tell you?" she asked.

"Oh, crap, I forgot the reason I came in here. It's just I saw her and…" Connor drifted off thinking about Abby in her dress.

"We've been called back into the ARC. I ran into Connor on my way and offered to give you two a lift in" Jess explained. Abby frowned.

"We're supposed to have the day off" Abby stated. Jess nodded sympathetically. "Our wedding is tomorrow and we're supposed to have today off."

"I know, I'm sorry" Jess apologized. There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Well, I guess I'll just change then" Abby sighed, breaking the silence.

"Brilliant" Connor said after another pause. Jess grabbed Connor's arm and dragged him out of the room, closing the door behind them. Abby shook her head and unzipped her dress.

xoxoxoxo

"Where the hell is everyone!" James Lester shouted from the door to his office. He stormed over to the railing near the step on the ops area. Becker, who was standing at the bottom of the steps shrugged. "Do they think just because they saved the world six months ago they can just slack off now?"

Moments later Matt and Emily walked in together followed shortly by Jess, Abby and Connor.

"Finally" Lester exclaimed. Jess hurried over to the Anomaly detector, her heels click clicking all the way.

"We've got an anomaly in the East End. I've sent the coordinates to all of your devices" She explained as she typed away at the keyboard.

"All right, Emily and Connor, come with me. Abby you ride with Becker. The trucks are all loaded up, let's go" Matt ordered. Everyone nodded and began rushing off. Connor planted a quick kiss on Abby's lips then hurried off after their leader.

Abby took a moment to glare at Lester.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't make the anomalies!" he said defensively. Abby crossed her arms over her chest.

"If this mucks up my wedding, you're gonna regret it" she threatened. Then she and Becker walked off towards the car park. Jess watched them go from her seat at the controls.

"They'll be fine" Lester reassured. "So long as you do your job." Jess nodded then turned back to the computer.

xoxoxoxo

"Matt, can you hear me?" Jess's voice sounded in Matt's ear as he was driving.

"Loud and clear, Jess. How's that anomaly?" he asked.

"You're nearly there. Take the next left then the second right. It'll be down and alley" she replied.

"Any evidence of a creature?"

"None so far, but keep on the lookout." After that she went quiet. The tires squealed as Matt turned the vehicle round a corner. After another minute they arrived at the anomaly site. Matt put the truck in park and they all got out.

Connor hurried towards the glowing anomaly getting out his dating calculator as he went.

"Connor, can you tell what time that leads to?" Matt asked.

"Calculating." Connor kept his eyes on the changing numbers as the device tried to find the exact date. "All right, looks like sometime in the Jurassic."

"We need to lock that before anything gets out" Matt said anxiously.

"I know, mate. We gotta wait until Becker and Abby get here." At that moment the other 4x4 pulled to a halt behind the first and Abby jumped out.

"What we got?" she asked. There is a loud roar from the anomaly and an enormous dinosaur walked out. It moved towards the team and everyone charged and aimed their EMD's at the monstrous animal.

"It's an Apatosaurus!" Connor exclaimed in awe. "That is awesome!"

"Connor!" Abby scolded.

"Connor, set up the locking mechanism. The rest of us need to chase it back through the anomaly" Matt ordered. Connor nodded and hurried over to the second truck. Abby, Matt, Emily and Becker surrounded the creature and began trying to herd it back towards the pulsating light of the anomaly.

Half way through unpacking the locking device Connor noticed the light flickering. "Guys, it's fading!" he shouted to the team. Abby stood behind the creature, trying to get its attention. In desperation Becker fired his EMD at the creature causing it to freak out and spin around quickly. In the process of turning the dinosaur's tail smacked into Abby throwing her through the anomaly.

"Abby!" Connor screamed. He began running towards the anomaly.

"Connor, no!" Matt yelled. The creature rushed through the anomaly just as it began to fluctuate and then it closed, nearly taking off half the dinosaur's tail. Connor's momentum carried him into the wall that was behind the anomaly. His shoulder hit the bricks with a sickening thud and he bounced back onto his ass.

"Abby!" he cried out as he climbed to his feet. His arm hung limply at his side as he rushed back to the wall. The rest of the team came over to his side.

"Matt? Connor? What's happened?" Jess's concerned voice filled everyone's earpieces. Matt looked at Emily and she walked away and began explaining what had happened.

"Connor, we need to get you medical attention" Matt said softly.

"No, we need to get Abby back." Tears filled the young scientist's eyes as he used his good arm to examine the wall.

"Your shoulder is dislocated. We need to pop it back into place" Becker explained.

"I don't care. I need to find Abby." Matt and Becker shared a look. Matt drew Connor's attention and turned him so that his bad arm was away from the wall.

"Look, don't worry. We'll find a way to get her back. I promise" Matt started. Becker examined Connor's shoulder silently.

"B-but the wedding, it's tomorrow. There's no way we'll…" Connor said. Becker gripped Connor's arm tightly with one hand while Matt put his hand on Connor's other shoulder.

"Now focus Connor, this is gonna hurt a bit" Matt said calmly. Connor barely lifted his head to look at Matt before Becker forced Connor's arm back into the joint, causing a pain filled scream from the other man.

"What the hell are you doing?" Connor shouted at the soldier.

"I fixed it. You're welcome" Becker replied. Connor glared at him while he rubbed his injured shoulder.

"Lester wants us all back at the ARC immediately" Emily announced.

"I'm not leaving" Connor said stubbornly.

"We'll have a team wait here in case it reopens. In the meantime we have to get back to the ARC and figure out our next steps" Matt explained in his most authoritative voice. Connor stared him down but gave in due to the exhaustion he was feeling from the pain. "We're not gonna give up on her, I promise."

xoxoxoxo

One week later…

Abby observed the world around her from her perch up the tree. A week in the Jurassic wasn't that different from her year in the Cretaceous, so she was able to adjust fairly easily. She was waiting for an anomaly, thinking anything was better than where she was. So far there'd been nothing and she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever get home again.

There was a faint beep from her pocket which she pointedly ignored. The handheld detector she had with her was on its last bit of battery and had been beeping for the better part of two days. At first each little beep gave her a surge of hope but by the end of the first day she'd simply sunk into a depression. The only thing that could lift her spirits was the thought of Connor working tirelessly to find her and bring her home.

There was another beep from her pocket, but it was different so she took the detector out and checked the screen. Her eyes brightened at the reading she was getting.

"An anomaly" she whispered to herself. She tucked the device in her pocket and climbed out of the tree. She ran silently through the grass until she came upon the bright lights of the anomaly. She took a moment before running straight into the lights.

On the other side of the anomaly she found herself in a field full of different anomalies. Each glowing with its own hue and vibrancy. "Jackpot." She smiled to herself. "OK, eeny meeny miney mo" she said point to different anomalies. "That one it is." She walked towards one to her right and cautiously walked through. Moments later she rushed back into the field. "Bad choice." She looked around again then chose a different anomaly. For the second time she passed through the light and again she reappeared in the field moments later.

She sighed crossed her arms and glared at the anomalies. "Work with me, please" she said to them. She felt a surge of energy and noticed a new anomaly opened ten feet from her. She eyed it suspiciously then decided to try it. "Third time's the charm, I suppose." She took a deep breath then plunged through the anomaly.

It was dark on the other side of the anomaly. Abby stepped cautiously on what appeared to be a road. She glanced every way to try and ascertain when and where she was. She felt secure in her guess that she was in London sometime in the twenty-first century. This hypothesis was confirmed when three black trucks came speeding into view. She put her hands up as numerous soldiers came pouring out of the trucks with EMD's charged and pointed at her.

"Stand down!" Matt called from behind the men. "Stand down!" The men lowered their weapons and stepped out of the way. Abby smiled as he walked toward her. She hugged him when he made it to her and he tentatively returned it. "Abby, where have you been?" he asked when they pulled apart.

"Well, for the most part, just the Jurassic" she replied. "But that doesn't matter now." She glanced around him and became confused. "Where is everyone? Becker and Emily?" She paused for a moment and smiled sadly. "And Connor? Where's Connor?" Behind them a couple of the men were sealing the anomaly in efficient and practiced rhythm. Matt frowned.

"C'mon, let's get back to the ARC and I'll explain everything." He put an arm around her shoulders and led her to one of the trucks.

xoxoxoxo

"Matt, what is going on? Why is everyone looking at me like I'm some kind of spectacle?" Abby demanded. After returning to the Arc she was given a meal and some water and left in one of the interview rooms. Matt sat across from her, in very much the same fashion as the first time she and Connor had returned from the Cretaceous. In the harsh overhead light Abby noticed how weary Matt looked. "This week must've been hard on him" she thought.

"Tell me what happened when you were thrown through the anomaly" he inquired.

"Well I kind of hit the ground really hard and when I got my senses back I noticed that the anomaly had closed. After a bit of cursing I decided that all I could do was find a safe spot and hope that another anomaly would open" she explained.

"And when that didn't happen?" he asked. She looked at him fully confused.

"What you talking about? It did open, eventually. And I didn't even have to wait a whole year" she replied. Now it was Matt's turn to be confused.

"Abby, how long were you on the other side of that anomaly?" he asked.

"Just a week, obviously" she answered. Before he said anything else she could see the gears turning in his head. "What's wrong? Matt?"

"Abby, it may have been a week for you but here it's been a bit longer" he started. Her eyes watched him inquisitively.

"How much longer?"

"Five years." Abby gaped at him and he sat silently.

"Five years? That's not possible! That can't be possible!" she exclaimed. "It was only a week!" She began muttering to herself about days and anomalies and time. "Well, what am I supposed to do? I mean, I must've missed so much." She looked down at the table sadly. "At the very least I've missed my own wedding. Connor's probably moved on and met someone else by now."

Matt watched her quietly before speaking. "Abby, there's something you need to know." She sat up and looked him in the eye.

"Where is Connor?" she asked seriously.

"He never gave up hope that you'd be back someday" Matt began. Abby shifted nervously when he paused.

"Matt, what happened?" she demanded.

"There was an incident, with a creature. About six months ago we went to check out an anomaly. I think Connor had been drinking."

"Connor doesn't drink" Abby interjected.

"He wasn't intoxicated, but he wasn't all there" Matt continued. "Connor and I argued about locking the anomaly and then he ran through."

"He was looking for me, wasn't he?" she asked stiffly.

"Yeah, he was convinced you were waiting on the other side" Matt answered.

"What happened to him?" Abby stared down at the table as she spoke to hide the tears that were forming.

"He had to be put into a medically induced coma. He is in the hospital wing here at the ARC."Abby was silent and a few tears slid down her cheek. Matt reached over and put his hand over hers.

"Can I see him?" she asked quietly. He nodded and stood up.

xoxoxoxo

Walking through the halls of the ARC was both familiar and uncomfortable at the same time. Everyone stared at Abby in awe making her feel awkward, but she kept her head high and her eyes forward.

Matt led her down a hallway the she did not recognize, lined with white doors. Every room in the hall had a window which allowed passersby to see inside. Most of the rooms were empty, but a couple had people lying in clinical white beds recuperating.

"What is this place?" Abby asked as she peeked into one of the occupied rooms.

"The hospital wing. We had it added on around two years ago. It allows ARC operatives to get emergency treatment from specialized physicians" Matt explained.

"And so you can keep an eye on 'em, yeah?" she added.

"Yeah." He stopped at the window of an occupied room and Abby stopped next to him and looked in. Lying in the bed was a man, though much thinner and more sickly than normal it was unmistakably Connor. Abby's heart leapt at the sight of her fiancé lying motionless in the bed.

"Connor" Abby whispered.

"You can go in, if you want." Matt put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She took a deep breath then opened the door.

As she approached the bed she was shocked by just how bad he looked. He had lost a lot of weight, his face was covered in worry lines and his skin was a sickly pale colour. There were a number of wires and tubes attached to him, and a machine beside the bed was beeping rhythmically.

There was a chair beside the bed that looked like it'd seen a lot of use. Abby sat down and just studied his face. The serenity in his features brought her some comfort as she watched him silently. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and she reached out to touch his hand. She didn't know what she was expecting to happen when she touched him, maybe he'd open his eyes and they'd embrace, but whatever it was nothing happened and her heart fell.

"Connor" she said softly.

"It's true. You really are back." Abby's thoughts were interrupted by a voice she instantly recognized. She turned in her seat to see Jess standing in the doorway. The first thing she noticed about the young brunette was her wardrobe had change. In place of her usual colorful attire she wore a dark gray pantsuit with dangerously high black heels. Her gaudy jewelry was replaced by a simple silver pendant with small diamonds that winked and glittered in the light.

"Jess, you look… different" Abby greeted.

"You don't" she replied. They watched each other silently for a moment then both smiled. "It's really good to see you again." Abby stood up and hugged her friend.

Jess pulled up another chair facing Abby so they could catch up.

"So Matt says it was only a week on your side" Jess stated. Abby nodded, glancing away from Connor.

"You can probably imagine my surprise to find out that five years had gone by." She glanced back at the comatose man. "What else have I missed?"

"Well first there's Matt and Emily," Jess began.

"Where is Emily? I didn't see her at the anomaly sight" Abby inquired.

"She's on maternity leave." Abby brightened at this.

"What?"

"She and Matt have been married about three years now, and Charlotte was born around two months ago" Jess explained.

"And what about Becker? He wasn't out there either." Jess blushed a little and grinned.

"Well he promised to take fewer shifts after, well…" Jess held out her left hand and revealed a gorgeous diamond ring. "… since he proposed five months ago." Abby suppressed a gasp as she stared at the stone. She fought back complicated emotions and settled on happy.

"Jess, that's wonderful" she said.

"Yeah, I don't know what took Hil so long, but I think after Connor," she paused and looked at him sadly, "he realized that there was no point in waiting anymore."

"Have you set a date yet?" Abby inquired.

"It's next month, actually." Jess smiled happily and admired her ring. "And of course we'll make room for you on the guest list. If you want to come, that is." Abby smiled and nodded. Jess watched her for a moment then spoke. "I'm sorry. This must be difficult for you. You never got your wedding day."

"What exactly happened to him?" Abby asked nodding her head towards her unconscious fiancé.

"As you can probably guess, he didn't handle losing you very well" Jess began.

xoxoxoxo

Six months ago…

Connor sat on the floor of his lab with his legs crossed. He took a swig of the whiskey he'd snuck in a few weeks ago. He'd never been much of a drinker, but lately things had seemed so dim that he'd taken it up to distract himself.

Despite the fog brought on by the alcohol his mind still managed to run at a hundred kilometers per hour. The same thoughts that often populated his mind for the past four and a half years crept in. He wondered where or when Abby was and if she was ok or even still alive. Tears clouded his vision and he bumped his head against the wall gently. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

"Um, hello, I don't… really know what I'm doing but I got nowhere else to turn." He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know if you even exist, but, if you do I could really use your help. I've never asked for anything before but if you could find time I would be eternally grateful for your help." He sighed heavily and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Look, all I need is for Abby to come back safely. I'll do anything to get her back, please. Just, please…"

The alarm blared loudly, announcing the presence of an anomaly. Connor sighed again, took one last sip of whiskey then sealed the bottle and hid it away again. Then he got up and left the room.

xoxoxoxo

"What've we got, Jess?" Matt asked. The petite brunette sat in front of the detector typing away and glancing from screen to screen.

"It's in the park. According to these readings it should lead to the early Jurassic" Jess explained without looking away from the screen.

"That could be trouble." Matt grabbed his black box and comms just as Becker arrived. "You seen Connor?" he asked.

"I'm here!" Connor called out. He stumbled down the steps and steadied himself on a table. "Sorry, missed a step."

Matt watched him for a moment then nodded. "Grab your gear and let's move" he commanded. The two men nodded and grabbed their own black boxes and comms.

xoxoxoxo

Three black trucks sped down the motorway towards the verdant area just southeast of the centre of London.

"Matt, a team has secured the anomaly site" Jess said over the comms.

"Good, tell them to hold the perimeter until we arrive."

Matt drove the trucks down an old dirt road through the park to the anomaly site. He parked the car and the three men exited. Matt watched the glowing lights of the anomaly as another team unloaded the locking mechanism.

"Matt, wait" Connor pleaded.

"I'm sorry but we can't risk letting a creature out" Matt replied.

"What if she's in there? She's got a detector, for all we know she could be making her way here now." Matt studied the desperation in his colleague's face before responding.

"Connor it's been nearly five years. We have no idea where she might be or if she's even…" Matt's words echoed Connor's earlier thoughts but it was validation e didn't care for. "I'm sorry, Connor." Matt walked away to oversee the setup of the locking mechanism. Connor watched him then looked over at the anomaly. In a split second he made a decision and began sprinting towards the light.

"Connor!" Becker shouted, raising his EMD. The other man ignored him and continued until he disappeared through the anomaly. Matt hurried over along with Becker and a few other men. "What should we do?"

"We have to go after him. Becker you, Hodges, Tannen, and Goode follow me. The rest of you make sure nothing comes through the anomaly, beside us" Matt instructed. With EMD's at the ready the five men filed through the anomaly. Matt and Becker in the lead and the other soldiers followed.

"Abby!" Connor shouted as loud as he could manage. "Are you here?" He stumbled forwards and fell to his knees. "Abby, please, you have to be here." He sat on his knees for a few minutes waiting for some kind of reply. What he got sent chills down his spine. There was a low growl from the behind him. He turned very slowly to see an Albertosaurus standing a few metres away.

The creature watched him curiously and let out a loud snort. Connor's heart raced as he was studied by the large reptile. "Don't move" he thought to himself.

"Connor!" He could hear Becker call. The dinosaur turned its head towards the voice then let out a roar. Connor jumped to his feet and landed shakily, stumbling a bit. The creature turned back towards him and roared then began to charge.

"Connor, get out of there!" Matt yelled out. The soldier opened fire with their EMD's. The creature shook off the pulses and kept moving towards Connor who wasn't moving fast enough. The creature went to snap its teeth around the man when it was hit again by an EMD. Its mouth closed and it charged forward with its head down knocking into the back of Connor and sending him crashing to the ground in front of it. With on last hit from and EMD the creature fell forward on top of Connor.

"Connor!" Becker and the team rushed forward. "Connor, can you hear me?" Becker knelt beside the creature and searched for the scientist.

"We need to flip it over. Officer Tannen go back through and contact the ARC, we need medical support. Bring back reinforcements" Matt ordered. "You two secure the area, keep on the lookout for more creatures."

As the soldiers followed their instructions Becker and Matt checked out the unconscious dinosaur. They discussed the best way to free their trapped colleague until more soldiers came pouring through the anomaly. Matt directed everyone to get beside the creature and push. In a few minutes they managed to get the Albertosaurus over onto its side. Matt and Becker rushed forward to Connor's side. The man was on his stomach and not moving. Matt checked for a pulse.

"He's still here, but his pulse is weak. Where is that medical team?" He shouted. Becker moved to roll him over but Matt stopped him. "He could have a broken neck. We don't want to risk aggravating it."

Becker and Matt stayed by Connor's side until the medical team arrived. He was put on a stretcher and taken into an ambulance which headed back to the ARC. Once everyone had cleared out of the anomaly it was locked and a team stationed to supervise it until it closed.

Connor was rushed to the hospital wing of the ARC and into a private room where doctors crowded round trying to fix whatever they could find. Matt paced up and down the hallway outside of the room, waiting for news. Jess rushed up to him with worry painted on her face.

"How is he?" she asked.

"I don't know. The doctors are checking him out." Jess's eyes filled with tears of worry as Matt continued. "I imagine it'll be a while before we know anything."

"Matt! Jess!" Becker strode purposefully up to them. Jess threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck and let out a small sob. Becker held the petite woman close as she cried softly. "Shh, it's all right. I'm sure he'll be fine. After all he's been through worse" he said soothingly.

After two hours of nurses moving in and out of the room Matt sent Jess and Becker out to get coffee and continued waiting alone. Finally a doctor came out and greeted him.

"Mr. Anderson, I'm Dr. Anwar" the woman said.

"How's Connor?" he asked getting straight to business.

"It's not good. He's got a broken leg, some cracked ribs and some serious internal injuries, as well as a nasty crack in his skull. We're prepping him for surgery now" she explained seriously.

"What're his chances?"

"Honestly? There's a forty percent mortality rate on this procedure, but without action he will die." She remained completely serious as she spoke and Matt never flinched.

"Do it. I want to be informed the minute he gets out" he instructed. She nodded then ducked back into the room.

Becker and Jess returned in time to see Connor being wheeled off the operating theatre. Jess hurried over to Matt and handed him a coffee.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously.

"He's going into surgery. For now there's nothing more we can do. Why don't the two of you go home and relax. Take the rest of the day off" Matt suggested. Becker took his girlfriend's hand in his.

"I expect you to call the moment you hear anything" she said in a tone that meant business.

"Of course" he said with a small grin. She nodded then let Becker lead her off towards the car park. Suddenly his phone rang and he checked the caller ID. "Emily, what's wrong?" His voice was suddenly anxious. His wife, who was from the long past Victorian era, was not a fan of mobile phones. She rarely touched them except to contact her husband in emergencies. This fact concerned Matt more because currently she was five months pregnant.

"Nothing's wrong, Matt. I just wanted to know where my husband was. I haven't heard from you in hours" Emily said calmly over the phone. Matt visibly relaxed.

"Sorry I've been busy" he replied.

"With what? An anomaly?" she asked.

"Yeah, and a bit more. I'll tell you everything when I get home" he said.

"When will that be?"

"It'll be late, so don't stay up." Even without seeing her face he could tell she was disappointed. "I'm sorry, I don't want to upset you. How're you feeling today?"

"I felt her move" she said. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Her? I thought it was a boy" he said.

"I don't know why but I feel like it's a girl" she explained. "Are you all right with that?"

"Of course, a girl would be wonderful." He smiled.

They talked for a while then Matt checked the time. "Have you had dinner yet?" he inquired.

"No, I didn't realize it was this late" she said.

"I'll send Becker and Jess over with some food."

"No need. I can make something" she said dismissively.

"You sure?" he asked. He could almost feel her disapproving of his over protectiveness over the phone.

"Yes. Take care of yourself" she said. He smiled again.

"You too." They disconnected and Matt put his mobile in his pocket. It was another few hours before Dr. Anwar approached him. "How is he?"

"He's alive. We were able to fix the major injuries and set the broken bones. He's unconscious now and will likely stay out for a few hours" she explained.

"He'll make a full recovery though, right?" He asked.

"It's too early to tell. There is some cranial swelling that could hinder process. Only time will tell at this point" she finished. Matt nodded solemnly and the doctor walked away. Matt watched her go then walked to Connor's room. He stood outside and just looked in through the window for a moment.

Matt pulled out his cell phone and began walking away.

xoxoxoxo

The next morning Matt woke to the sound of his alarm beeping rhythmically. He hit snooze then rolled over to face Emily but she was not there.

"Em? Emily?" He called out. He set his feet on the ground and stood up. The bedroom door was open and as he crossed the threshold he saw his wife standing by the counter filling a mug with steaming coffee.

"I made you coffee. I figured you'd wanna get in to the ARC as soon as you got up" she explained with a smile. He reached out and took the mug from her, sipping it carefully.

"How'd you sleep?" He inquired.

"A lot better once you got home. I don't like the bed being empty." She lowered herself into one of the kitchen chairs.

"I'm sorry, but I think there's gonna be some late nights for the foreseeable future" he said apologetically. She just smiled at him in response.

"You're good at your job. I understand that." He glanced at the clock and went back into the bedroom to get dressed.

xoxoxoxo

Jess sat beside Connor's bed watching him sadly. Matt knocked gently on the door to alert her to his presence.

"How's he doing?" Matt asked. She shrugged sadly.

"No change so far. The doctor says he should have woken up by now. Then she said we shouldn't worry. How daft is that? That he is still unconscious when he should be awake, but we can't worry about him!" She became more hysterical with each second.

"Shouldn't you be watching the detector?" He asked.

"I've got a tech watching it" she replied.

"Is that safe? I mean, aren't you the only one who knows how to do that?"

"Please, a trained monkey could do that. Alls it is is sitting in a chair and watching a blinking screen!" Matt put his hands up defensively and her gaze softened. "Sorry." They stared at each other silently in complete understanding.

In the bed, Connor let out a moan and both people turned towards him. Jess's eyes lit up and she took the man's hand.

"Connor?!" She exclaimed. She gave his hand a little squeeze and he moaned again. "I think he's waking up!"

Connor's eyes opened slowly and he blinked a few times.

"Where's Abby?" he asked quietly. Jess's heart sank and she frowned up at Matt. Before they could reply he began convulsing violently. The machines around the bed began beeping frantically. Before long nurses and doctors rushed into the room and pushed Jess and Matt out.

With the door slammed in their faces Jess and Matt were left standing in the hall in a state of shock. Jess's hands were shaking and she balled them into fists and buried her face into Matt's chest and sobbed. He rubbed her back soothingly in an attempt to calm her.

They stood in the hall for nearly forty five minutes before Dr. Anwar came out of the room.

"What the hell happened?" Matt demanded. The doctor sighed and brushed a loose strand of hair back.

"It was a seizure brought on by the swelling in his brain. We've stabilized him but in order to do that we had to induce a coma. He should wake up naturally once his brain and body have healed" she explained.

"But, what if he doesn't?" Matt asked.

"Let's just focus on the healing process for now. Leave that for later." Dr. Anwar turned to go and Jess called out.

"C-can we go and see him?" She inquired quietly.

"It would be very helpful to his recovery if you sat and talked with him every day. Sometimes hearing loved ones stimulates the brain" she replied with a small smile. Then she turned and walked back down the hallway.

xoxoxoxo

Present Day…

"So we all took turns sitting here and talking to him. Telling him about work and life and just anything we could think of. I read to him sometimes. I remembered that he loved those science fiction stories so I bought some for him" Jess said.

Abby smiled weakly at her friend and held Connor's hand tightly. "Thanks for looking after him for me" she said genuinely.

"I'm sure now that you're back he'll wake up in no time" Jess said cheerily. Abby watched Connor's face for any hint of movement. "I'll let you two alone for a bit, but then you have to come see everybody. I hear Emily and Charlotte may be popping in for a bit just to see you."

"Thanks Jess" Abby replied. The petite woman left the room, closing the door softly as she went. Abby gave Connor's hand a squeeze then brought it to her lips. She placed a gentle kiss on it and watched him. "C'mon Connor. It's time to get up" she whispered to him. "You've had your little holiday but I'm back now and… and I need you." Tears filled her vision as she waited for some response.

The monitor beeped and she glanced at it. His heart beat and blood pressure were steady, but not quite as strong as they should have been. She sighed heavily and wiped away the tears that escaped her eyes and were rolling down her cheek. Then she leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Don't you go anywhere now, you hear?" She instructed as she set his hand down on the bed. Then she walked out of the room.

xoxoxoxo

It took a few moments for Abby to orientate herself but once she knew where she was she walked purposefully towards the ops room. She was greeted immediately by familiar faces, all smiling joyfully.

Emily sat in Jess's chair, turned to the side. In her lap was the beautiful, two month old Charlotte who looked just like her mother, beside them stood Matt, both relaxed and alert at the same time. On the other side of the chair Becker stood with his arm around Jess.

Abby walked over to the group and, not for the first time, she was struck by just how much the last five years had aged them.

"You know you really are making a habit of this disappearing through anomalies" Lester called from the doorway of his office. The time showed on no one more than on James Lester. His once dark brown hair was nearly full grey and behind his snarky grin was the worn and weary face of a leader.

Lester walked out of his office and stopped in front of Abby. She stared at him for a minute silently. "Well, what have you got to say for yourself?" In a quick fluid motion she reached out and slapped the older man hard across the face. Jess gasped and Becker let out a small surprised laugh while everyone else was silent and shocked.

"I told you if you mucked up my wedding you'd regret it" she said angrily. There was silence, everyone seemed to be holding their breath waiting for the boss to respond. Even Lester himself seemed at a loss for words until he found one.

"Sorry" he said sincerely. She stared him down for a moment then just smiled and threw her arms around him.

Later they all sat in a posh sitting room with plush couches and a coffee maker that made rubbish coffee. Abby told the story of her week in the Jurassic, assuring them that is was not as bad as a year in the Cretaceous, but leaving out the part where at least she had Connor in the Cretaceous.

Next everyone told Abby all about the last five years. Holidays, anomalies and every happy story they had about Connor. After a few hours Emily left with Charlotte and Lester returned to his office. Becker was telling a story about releasing the Dracorex back into its own time, and how it had followed Matt around for ten minutes before they scared it through the anomaly, when Matt's beeper went off. He checked the device and his face turned serious.

"What's wrong?" Abby asked. She tried to push down the bubbling feeling of fear in her gut, but it spilled over when Matt replied.

"It's Connor." Those two words sent Abby's world into a swarm of emotions.

The group hurried over to the hospital wing. The door to Connor's room opened as they reached it. Dr. Anwar stepped up to Matt, recognizing him as the authority. Her face was solemn.

"What's happened?" Abby demanded. Becker put a hand on her arm to hold her back. Dr. Anwar looked at Abby, noticing her for the first time.

"You must be the fiancée" she said. Her tone was gentle and sad.

"What's going on, Dr. Anwar?" Matt asked calmly. The doctor turned back to him but threw one more glance at Abby before beginning.

"Mr. Temple went into sudden cardiac arrest. A code blue was ordered and we brought in the crash cart" she explained. Matt knew what had happened the moment he got the page but the realization was just now dawning on Abby and she became frantic.

"Where is he? I need to see him!" She yelled. She tried to rush into the room but Becker held her back.

"I am very sorry. We did all we could." Dr. Anwar lowered her head respectfully but this made Abby more distressed.

"No! No! You're lying to me! Matt!" She screamed. "Matt tell her to stop lying!" Matt met her eyes calmly and gravely. "No!" She broke down and just continued to scream the word until it was just unintelligible sobs. She dropped out of Becker's grip and slid to the floor. Jess sobbed silently and wrapped herself around her boyfriend, who was letting loose a few tears himself. Matt stood stoically watching his friend's breakdown, knowing that he had to be strong for them.

He knelt down in front of Abby and tried to comfort her. She pushed him away and got to her feet in a huff. She walked to the window and looked in. Nurses were pulling the tubes and wires off of Connor's body and packing away medical equipment onto the crash cart. Abby stood there for a minute, numbly watching the room move in slow motion until she could no longer take it.

Abby took off running away from the room, away from the lifeless body of the man she loved, and away from the pain. Subconsciously she knew where she was going and when she ended up next to the door to Connor's lab she stopped for a minute and just stared at it. After the whole New Dawn, end of the world thing, Connor's research became more open and less restricted so the lock on his door was downgraded. This allowed Abby to walk in now.

She stood silently in the room. It was, as usual, a mess that only Connor could possibly sort through. Being near his research and work made her feel like he was still around, like at any minute he would come waltzing through the door with a cup of coffee and a grin a mile wide. But reality came back too quickly and Abby was filled with despair.

As she looked around the sorrow started to turn to rage. So much time Connor wasted in this room. Time they should have had together was spent working for that vile man Philip Burton. She walked to the counter and shoved everything off into a heap on the floor. A glass shattered and papers flew all over. Abby grabbed handfuls of notes and just tore them and threw them all around. She kicked over the bin and screamed in frustration then slid to the floor and sobbed.

"Dammit Connor, why did you have to be so bloody stupid?" she screamed into the air. She cried more and shouted at the top of her lungs. After a few hours of wallowing, sobbing and screaming until she was hoarse, she calmed down a bit and just sat on the floor of Connor's lab staring at the ceiling. Jess stopped by once to see if she wanted anything and Abby just kind of… growled at her. Now she felt bad about that.

"I should apologize" she said to herself. She sniffled a bit then scanned the room to survey the damage. As her eyes moved over the room she noticed something in the overturned bin. She crawled over and pulled out a little handheld device. Something about it was eerily familiar and she studied it closely. Her eyes lit with recognition and she frantically dug through the papers in the trash until she found the handwritten page of notes.
It was labeled, in Connor's handwriting:

Anomaly Opening Device – prototype.

Abby became visibly excited as she glanced between the device and the note. Her heart sank when she saw the words scribbled at the bottom.

Non-functional

"Dunno what I expected. It was in the bin after all. She was about to crumpled up the paper and toss it again when something on the page caught her attention.

Magnets are key! To open an anomaly the magnetic center of the site must be polarized.

Reverse, reverse, reverse!

She looked at the device in her hand and noticed something that, somehow, Connor had not. She smiled brightly and jumped to her feet.

Abby hurried through the car park to one of the SUV's and jumped in. She started it up and sped off. She knew where she had to go and how to get the device to work. She was going to go back and fix everything.

xoxoxoxo

Abby slammed on the breaks and shut off the car. She turned the device on and punched in some digits then exited the car. She remembered the alley well, after all it had only been a week since she'd been here. She looked at the device, its screen shining bright and reading steady numbers. She clicked a few buttons then reached into the back and pulled the magnet out.

"Reverse, reverse," she replaced the magnet in the opposite direction, "reverse." The device whirred and clicked and suddenly a bright light spit out of it projecting on the wall. Abby looked away from the blinding light until it disappeared. When she looked back there was an anomaly floating in front of her. "Con, you're a genius!" She exclaimed and gave the device a kiss. "All right, I'm coming home." She took a deep breath then charged through the anomaly.