Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to ITV and Impossible pictures, no copyright intended

A/N: Thought we needed more Abby/Connor angst ... but from a different angle.

Abby stood, looking around her at the empty flat. Connor's things were all packed into boxes by the door, her things packed in boxes at the other end of the flat. This was finally it. The end.

She wondered if she should be helping Connor load up the car he'd borrowed from Duncan. He had already taken one car load to his new bedsit, and was now just starting to load up for a second trip. It didn't seem right to help him, almost like she couldn't wait for him to leave. She decided to disappear for a while and leave him to it. This was already hard enough for both of them.

She wasn't sure when things started to go wrong in their relationship, it just slowly happened. Abby sighed, the last five years had been the best she'd ever had, and Connor was a huge part of that. For three of those years, he'd been her friend and her rock, although she hadn't really realised just how much she needed him until they'd been stuck in the past. They settled into a routine very quickly there, the daytime being about survival – finding food and water, searching for signs of Danny or Helen, watching and waiting for an anomaly to open – the night-time was about being together, being thankful they had each other, and comforting each other when it felt like they would never see home again. They had sex most nights, it was soft, warm, comforting and something they both needed. They would fall asleep in each others arms, sometimes she would be in Connor's arms, sometimes he would be in hers.

When they eventually got home, Connor had been afraid that they'd go back to how it had been before. The first night in the flat, they had gone to their own separate beds. Abby had woken in the night and felt lonely. She crept upstairs and slid into Connor's bed. He was awake, and had been crying. Making love in the comfort of a bed seemed so much more intense than on the hard stony ground of their cave, and Abby had actually told Connor she loved him. It was the first time she'd said it to anyone that mattered.

After that, they decided to start dating properly. They had fun, taking it in turns to take the other out somewhere. They moved into a new flat, this time with both their names on the lease and just one bedroom. Connor had said he would love her forever – "Forever's a long time Connor" she had said. He just grinned at her, and took off the ring he wore around his neck.

"It's probably too big for you to wear on your finger, but I want you to have it" he tied the piece of leather around her neck, allowing the ring to settle just above her cleavage. It meant the world to Connor that she was wearing his father's wedding ring, and Abby saw it as sealing their relationship.

But after about 18 months, things seemed to change. The little things Connor did that she used to find endearing became annoying, and when she mentioned them, instead of the puppy dog eyes and obedience he used to respond with, he would snap back at her. He used to ignore her mood swings, but now he found them frustrating. They had some blazing rows, and both became too stubborn to back down and apologise. They still shared the same bed, but the gap between them seemed as wide as the Grand Canyon. Finally, Connor cracked after one particularly bad argument and lost his temper. He threw a paperweight across the room, only just missing Abby by inches. He hadn't aimed it at her, but it scared him, scared them both. She disappeared into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. He slept on the sofa every night after that.

Admitting it was over was almost as hard as admitting they were in love, and it was Connor who first voiced it. "It's not working is it Abby" he said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. His heart felt heavy and he had a lump in his throat.

"No it's not" she said, she was shaking inside.

"I'll move out" he said, she didn't argue with him or try to persuade him to stay. She'd just nodded.

Connor found a bedsit just a couple of streets away, and Abby also found a new place across town – she didn't think she could face being alone in the place that had been hers and Connor's, she needed to start afresh.

Abby stuck her head around the door, Connor had taken the last of his boxes and she could see him walking slowly back towards the flat. She went to the open front door and tried to smile, but it wouldn't come. He handed her his key silently and held her gaze for a brief moment. She put the key in her pocket, and took out Connor's ring. She pressed it into his palm and he wrapped his fingers around it, closing his eyes. It was the final nail in the coffin. "Take care Connor" she said.

"You too" he whispered. He swallowed. "I'll ….erm … I'll see you at work on Monday then"

"Yeah" she said back. Her throat felt like she was being strangled. She watched him get into the car and drive away. This was it. No more 'Connor and Abby'. It was over.

--

Fortunately, Monday was a quiet day at the ARC. She shut herself in the lab, busying herself with the plants. From the window, she could look down into the main hub where the ADD was. She often sat there, watching Connor work. Occasionally he would look up at her and wave, that gorgeous smile on his face, but not today. He had his back to her, and she could just see from his body language that he was sad, dejected. Danny had gone over to him and they were chatting, she presumed about work until she saw Danny place a friendly hand on Connor's shoulder. Connor's head was down. He was hurting. She bit her bottom lip and turned away, fighting back tears.

--

Danny was sat in the kitchen with Sarah and Becker, he'd asked them to come and have a chat. "I thought I'd just let you guys know, Connor and Abby have split up. They both moved into separate flats at the weekend"

"Oh no!" Sarah said.

"It's hardly a surprise is it" Becker said. "We've all noticed the tension between them recently"

"I know, but those two are just perfect for each other, I thought they were just going through a bit of a blip and they'd work it out" Sarah was in shock.

"Connor seems pretty cut up about it, I told him if he needed to take some time off I'd cover for him with Lester, but he wants to be here. I haven't even seen Abby yet, but I suppose she's just as upset" Danny said

"As long as it doesn't interfere with our work" Becker said

"Have some compassion, Becker!" Sarah chided. "This isn't just two nameless office workers we're talking about here, this is Connor and Abby, our friends. They're going to need our support"

"People who bring their personal problems into work are a danger" Becker said.

"I'll be keeping an eye on things, Becker" Danny said "And if I think it's causing a problem then I'll deal with it, but as Sarah said, they are still our friends and need our support right now"

Sarah made her way to Abby's lab. She waved through the window and questioned if it was OK to come in. Abby nodded and Sarah went in. "Hey" she said

"Hey yourself" Abby said

"Are you OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Abby avoided eye contact

"Abby …. I heard about you and Connor. I'm sorry"

Abby took a deep breath. "Don't be. It's for the best. We've been hurting each other for too long"

"Still …. You've been through a lot together, it can't be easy just ending all that"

Abby felt tears welling up inside. She was desperately trying not to cry, she'd done enough of that over the weekend. But hearing someone else talking about the break up made it even more real, and Abby suddenly realised she needed a hug. She broke down, sobbing hard. Sarah pulled Abby to her, wrapping her comforting arms around the tiny girl's body. She just let Abby sob, not saying a word. She glanced out of the window and saw Connor. He'd been watching, and was now scurrying away, hoping he hadn't been seen. Sarah thought he obviously still cared about Abby, and couldn't help thinking that maybe there could still be hope for the pair of them…