Abby slept peacefully in her bed, curled up with her blanket. Connor was supposed to be sleeping too, except he woke up in the middle of the night frantic, holding back screams. It was that nightmare again. The most recurring one from his childhood. The one he never told anyone about because he knew they'd think something was wrong with him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to close his eyes again. Honestly, he was a twenty four year old man, not some little kid. He could sleep. It was a little fright, that's it. As his eyes closed and his mind wandered a bit, the face came again. The one that haunted him. Melting gray-green flesh, eyes rolled back, arms held out, a zombie of his father. The "man" threw curses and names at him, insulting the eight year old boy as the fire engulfed the house behind him. The fire that destroyed everything he used to love, the fire that destroyed his family…his dinosaurs…his life.

The face still scared him, it was engraved in his mind and he didn't want to face closing his eyes again. It was too much. Connor's eyes snapped back open and he gulped. Sleep didn't seem likely anymore…he remembered he was never able to get back to sleep after that one when he was a child. Not unless he was with his mum or is gran. They'd let him crawl in their beds and they'd rub is back gently and soon enough, he'd fall into a deep sleep.

He looked towards Abby's bedroom, the door was shut. It always was at night, as if she expected he'd do something to her. He had an urge to open the door, cuddle up next to her and pass out, but he might have been a bit more scared of that than his zombified father he hated.

Connor sank lower in the couch, he'd stay until he couldn't anymore. Was he really that scared, anyway? He knew it never happened nor would it ever. In fact, he hadn't seen his father since his ninth birthday…and he had been drunk that day.

"Come on, Con…just get back to sleep…" He mumbled to himself, trying once more to close his eyes.

It was coming closer and closer and closer, screaming inaudible words, opening his mouth to suck his brain…

Connor was up off that couch and opening Abby's door as fast as he could be quiet. Looking around anxiously, he realized she had a clear spot on her floor. That'd be fine, the zombie couldn't get him there. It was barricaded with her gym bags and boxing gloves and girly stuffed animals she probably hadn't realized she threw off the bed in sleep. He was safe there. Completely safe…

It was five in the morning when Abby awoke to get to the bathroom, then she'd slip back into bed for another three hours before work. Connor would wake her up…he was the time-keeper in the house, she was the late sleeper.

In her groggy state, she stepped on something that felt like a body and heard a groan. A man's groan. Connor's groan. She knew it quite well, he was a moaner and a groaner when he complained, whined, and begged. Looking on the floor, she saw the still half asleep man, lying on her yoga mat, cuddling a stuffed Teddy Bear, and curled under one of her sweatshirts. Raising her eyebrow, she stalked off to do what she was originally going to do.

Certainly she was curious what Connor was doing on her floor, but figured it was for something reasonable, such as Rex or the other lizards annoying him, or he didn't like the sounds of crickets chirping from the container of lizard food, or maybe even the living room got too cold for him. She wouldn't ask unless it became a repetitive thing, maybe she didn't even mind having Connor in such close quarters with her, she was starting to really like having him around. More than she should.

Connor woke up at seven in the morning, relieved that Abby was still sleeping. She wouldn't even have to know that he had been in her room, nor that he had stolen one of her stuffed animals or sweatshirt for comfort. The sweatshirt had smelled of her perfume, he loved that smell the best and it made him have lovely dreams rather than nightmares.

He made a quick breakfast and ate in front of the telly, watching cartoons and relaxing. He was still tired, he didn't get enough sleep, but he was sure he'd be fine at work…as long as that face didn't haunt him. God, he couldn't believe that it still scared him. He never liked zombies…that's part of the reason why. The other reason would be from overexposure to them at a young age, reading all about them, watching movies, it terrified the seven year old to death and now he was a grown man with such a childish fear.

Abby woke up by herself this time, looking over the side to see that Connor had left her floor. Probably hadn't wanted to get caught, she decided, getting up and greeting him, trying to avoid asking him what was wrong last night, which would be quite hard.

"Connor, you are not going to her room again…you don't need to!" He whispered angrily to himself at three o'clock in the morning. The day at work had gone well enough, he was tired, but then again, nothing happened anyway. Only some training which he had been required to take, nothing more. No Anomalies, no creatures. But none of that mattered right now, as his thoughts filled with nasty words shouted at him and his mind created the vision of a zombie out to get an eight year old him.

This time, he almost couldn't hold back a scream when he woke up…it was only getting worse, he realized. But he wasn't about to tell anyone, he wasn't about to see idiotic. Especially in front of Abby…she'd never go out with him, he'd be carrying around too much emotional baggage.

"If you keep doing this, she's going to find out sooner or later…just stay on the couch, you'll be fine!" But his anxiety told him otherwise and begged ruthlessly for her room, so he complied if only to ease his nerves. She had moved things around tonight and was wearing the sweatshirt he used as a blanket, so he made do with just the yoga mat. He moved it just a bit closer than it was yesterday, it felt good to hear her breathing so steadily, it relaxed him.

Still, he tossed and turned, he still felt scared because in the nightmare, his 'dad' had grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him, repeating idiot, and was about to kill him, turn him into a zombie like him. The eight year old Connor tried to scream, tried to get away, sobbed his eyes out, but that only made the zombie laugh. Made him quicken his pace.

It was the worst one he'd had since he was thirteen and Tom and Duncan convinced him to watch one of those stupid movies. After his violent reaction, they didn't even talk about it. They didn't question why, they didn't question how long he'd been afraid, they just shut off the movie and popped in Star Wars, hoping Connor would stop sobbing and screaming, hoping his panic attack would cease.

No one here would do that for him, though. Abby would make him tell her and then he feared, she would laugh at him, she would never want to love him, she'd think of him as a wimp.

Abby woke up at five once again and saw Connor sleeping closer than last night, he was breathing quite harshly, and he'd mumble words every now and then, turning over, like he was afraid. Maybe he was. She didn't know, but she wondered why he was here yet again. She still passed it off as reasonable explanation, she couldn't think of anything else.

Besides, as weird as it sounded, Abby liked watching him sleep, liked seeing all his quirks. It was cute…she was really starting to fall for him. She hated it.

Connor woke up and left the room as always, letting Abby sleep for a bit longer before waking her up. He hadn't been caught yet and he was thankful for it, he couldn't imagine what she would say if she ever found out. Probably that he was stupid, maybe she'd even kick him out, calling him a creep, the possibilities were endless, there'd probably be some colorful words thrown in there, as well.

Whatever it was though, he didn't want to find out. He'd have to stop sleeping in her room, it'd been two days, which didn't seem like a lot, but he knew he'd create a habit of doing it and then he'd never stop. He didn't want that, he just wanted to feel safe in the living room.

Abby decided that she'd play a little game, she already had started by removing the sweatshirt, however, he had seemed unaffected by that. So she removed the yoga mat too, to see how he would cope, if he did choose to come back, at least.

As soon as he knew she was asleep, he made his way to her room. God, he was going to absolutely hate himself for returning, he looked around on her floor, her yoga mat was nowhere to be found. He sighed and looked around, grabbing one of her gym bags and using that as a pillow.

Abby purposely woke herself up at five in the morning, he had moved closer to her, if she stepped off her bed, she'd step on him. Something was really wrong, she decided. He would've told her if the crickets were noisy or the lizards kept chirping or Rex kept flying on him, nothing had stopped him before. But she couldn't imagine what was so wrong that he had to sleep in her room, she really wanted to find out, though.

"Hey, Connor?" Abby questioned as he stuffed cereal in his mouth.
"Huh?"
"The crickets aren't being too noisy lately, are they? They are in their mating period…"
"Uh-no. No, they're fine." He shook his head.
"Really? I woke up last night to get a drink and…they were noisy beyond belief. Had to shake them a bit…you must sleep right through it all!"
"Oh, yeah." Connor nodded, a small nervous smile creeping on his face. "Heavy sleeper, Abs. You know that…would sleep through a creature incursion if you let me."
Abby faked a chuckle and nodded. "Right, I was just wondering if they were disturbing you, we could always work out other sleeping arrangements or something." She suggested, a small smile on her face.

Connor's eyes widened, but he tried to hide back his shock as he shook his head. Was she on to him? Did she find out? Or was she being serious? He had to admit, he didn't know how loud the lizards or the crickets were being at night…he was hardly in the living room anymore, Abby's room had become his place of comfort for the past three days and it scared him to think that she had woken up last night, possibly seeing him.

"No, no, Abs. It's fine really, I sleep right through it…and hey, the crickets don't know any better! They just want a good shag, yeah? I don't blame the fellas, I feel the same."
Abby hit his arm lightly, a small smirk rested on her face though, as she walked off to go get something for herself to eat and he sighed in relief.

If she had seen him in her bedroom at night, she would've mentioned it…at least, that's what he figured. No way Abby would just let him continuously sleep in her room.

It'd been a week, a full week and the nightmares hadn't ceased. It had affected his work performance and his mental health, he was starting to worry that they never would go away. He wondered what even brought them on and if he should ask for help. He didn't know how to, nor did he know who to ask, so he just dealt with them.

This time he woke up screaming, he had died in the dream, he had seen his eight year old body lying there, the zombie laughing and laughing and he couldn't hold it back when he woke up. Sweating and shaking, his heart beating out of his chest. These nightmares had gone on for too long and he walked to Abby's room, she hadn't been waken up, which was a surprise because she was a very light sleeper.

Connor looked at the floor and shook his head, it just wouldn't make him feel better anymore. He felt too vulnerable on the floor, like the zombie would attack him, so he looked towards her bed. It was big, he knew it could fit two people, they'd done that before. Fallen asleep on the same bed, but that was when Abby was sick, or when they painted her room together, that wasn't something silly like this…besides, when he slept on her bed all the other times, he'd had her consent. Now he didn't have that.

Still, his mind was clouded and he couldn't help but crawl on her bed softly, as to not wake her. He didn't lay on the pillows with her, he didn't even lay next to her, he laid on the bottom of the bed, curled up in a ball, wrapping himself in the blanket she had kicked off.

"She's going to kill me," He muttered before closing his eyes and trying to go to sleep.

Abby woke up and looked on the floor, he'd been sleeping there for a week. When she didn't see him, she shrugged and closed her eyes, stretching. But her foot hit something, she could tell it was a body because it was breathing, but it was certainly too big to be Rex. She opened her eyes again and looked over at the spot.

Connor.

Connor was curled up in a ball at the end of her bed like a puppy.

Now she knew for sure something was wrong and she crawled over to him, shaking him awake.

"Hmmmm?" He said absentmindedly, cuddling the blanket.
"Wake up!" She yelled.
Now he remembered where he was. He was on her bed. He was an idiot. Connor's eyes snapped open and looked at her nervously. "Wha-what?"
"Exactly what are you doing in my bed?" Abby shot him a quick glare.
"We-well, the-the crickets were being very noisy tonight. They really, really want a mate before they die!"
"You're lying through your teeth," She pointed out.

Connor didn't know what to say though. Was he supposed to tell her that the zombies were going to kill him if he slept anywhere else? No, she'd probably laugh at that and think it's some childish excuse to get on her bed at night, she'd never believe it's his actual nightmare. No one has nightmares about an eight year old them being yelled at by a zombie of a father, watching their house burn down in the background.

"Nothing." He mumbled, sitting up. "I'll just go…" But she could see the fear in his eyes, she could practically tell that his heart was beating out of his chest. Why was he scared?
"Don't go." She said quickly, watching his expression change from frightened to surprised. "I-I want to know what's wrong with you,"
"You wouldn't believe me…it's stupid." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, placing it behind his ears.
"Tell me anyway."
"Stop it, Abby! I'll leave, okay?" Connor snapped, instantly feeling bad by the way she looked. Almost hurt…she was his best friend, maybe she should know.
"Fine, but you're the one that's been sleeping on my floor for the past week! I think I deserve to know what the hell's been going on!"
"You-you know?" He furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at the bed as she nodded. "I'm sorry, Abs…"
She put her hand softly on his shoulder. "Just tell me what's wrong…we'll fix this together, yeah?"
He took a deep breath. "I've-I've been having nightmares and they won't stop and they're just getting worse, they've never been this bad, Abby…and I can't sleep out there alone. I only feel safe in your room. I used to feel safe on just your floor…but it's gotten so bad I don't feel safe unless I'm on your bed."

Abby nodded. "Nightmares…they're terrible." She had her fair share of them, she still suffered from them. She still saw her father looming over her at night, ready to strike. She still saw the men who took her innocence when she closed her eyes. She still saw the twelve year old girl running away, running far, far away…crying, screaming, in just a nightie. She remembered the only reason she went home was for Jack. It was safe to say, she knew nightmares very well, they were old friends that never quite went away.

"You're telling me?" Connor sighed. "I wish they'd just go away…I'm tired of dealing with them…I'm tired of being scared and not getting enough sleep."
"I suffer from them too…" She admitted, opening her arms for him. "Come here, lay with me for awhile."

He shot her a strange look before seeing she was completely serious and she beckoned him. He couldn't deny it, he needed to be held. So he crawled into her arms and rested his head on her arms and they stayed like that for a minute or two.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She wondered, tracing an outline on his chest gently, trying to soothe him because his breathing was still so heavy. He, personally, didn't think that was helping any. Such close contact, such-an intimate moment…and with Abby, too. But nevertheless, she continued, almost entranced by it.

"I-I don't know…I-I hate it so much, even talking about it seems so hard…"
"It'll help you know." She said softly. "It doesn't seem like it, but it will…it'll get it out of your mind."
"Did you ever talk about your nightmares?" He whispered, he felt her body tense and her finger stop tracing it's outline that was making it's way to his stomach. Connor could only take that as a no.
"Nobody ever wanted to listen…who wants to listen to a twenty two year old woman spill her life story? Who cares what happened to me, when everyone wants to go on with their own life? No one cares about me, Connor…"
"I care about you." Connor said quickly, turning to look into her eyes instead of the ceiling. Her eyes didn't meet his and instead the bed. "Abs…lots of people care about you," He told her, stroking hair out of her eyes.
"It never seems like it, never really did."
"How about you tell me your nightmare…and I'll tell you mine?" Connor suggested, her eyes finally meeting his. Her blue eyes went dull and she bit her bottom lip.
"It's stupid though...just, really stupid." She shook her head, trying to avoid talking about it at all costs.
"If it's bothering you, it's not stupid. I won't laugh or leave you, I'm going to stay right here and listen…and then I'll tell you my nightmare."

Abby only nodded at first, clearing her throat and looking down at her bed. Unsure of how to start, he didn't know anything about her past. He didn't even know she had a brother.

"My dad…they're nightmares about my dad," She started, licking her lips that seemed so dry. Connor was surprised that hers was about her father too, vaguely remembering a sci-fi book where two characters suffered from the same nightmare, without knowing each other, and got sucked into it and had to fight to get out and survive. "He-he used to hit me…a lot. He liked insulting me too…saying I would never accomplish anything, that he never wanted me, that I was ugly…I believed him. In my nightmares, I'm forced to relieve those terrible memories, forced to see him hit me and treat me like nothing. I used to try to fight back, I learned kick boxing for self defense…but it was never any use. He was always stronger than me. I got used to it, I learned to hate myself just like he hated me…and sometimes, the only thing that kept me in that house with that man, was my baby brother. He needed me and I failed him, Connor…"
He was going to question why she never mentioned her brother, why she never told him about the abuse, or why she never told anyone, but decided against it. She'd tell him in her own time. "How did you fail him? I'm sure you didn't…"

"I was supposed to protect him and raise him right, I was supposed to teach him everything and be the mother he never got to have, but-he's started gambling and he's even drank…he's seventeen years old, Connor! And in a system until he's eighteen! He won't even talk to me because he felt like I left him, but I still go to visit him every month, making sure he's okay. As soon as he gets out though…I'm going to be buying him a flat."
"Just because he started to drink and gamble doesn't mean you raised him terribly, it's not your fault. People will do what they want…and you can try to prevent it, but it won't always work. He got a bit lost…and I'm sure one day, he'll sort himself out and turn out to be as amazing as you." Connor told her.
"I'm not quite sure…he's gotten into a lot of trouble with the law already…I've always been the person to save him, but I just feel like…I'm not good enough anymore. He's not a child anymore…and I'm not his hero."
"He's really lucky to have you as his sister…and I really do mean that, Abby.' He smiled lightly at her, watching as her eyes met his.
"Thanks," She mumbled and her fingers began tracing again, seemingly centered around his stomach. "Now tell me about your nightmare…it'll help."

He nodded. He had to tell her now, he promised…and he couldn't break his promise to Abby. That would be the worst thing he could ever do.

"My father wasn't a very nice man, either." Connor started, watching her look up at him with worried eyes. Obviously she didn't want anyone else to have to go through the pain she did, but he only shook his head. "He wasn't quite as bad as yours, but he wasn't ready to have a child…and he especially wasn't ready to have a Connor Temple." He sighed, trying to find the words to tell his story. "I was a very awkward child, I was shy and didn't have many friends. I spent a lot of my days, locked up, playing by myself with a few dinosaur toys because-I don't know. I felt safe that way…it wasn't overwhelming. But dad didn't understand this…and no matter how smart I was, how I excelled in school and even took that stupid test to prove I was a genius, well-he still called me an idiot and he refused to play with me because I didn't want to play sports…I wanted to pretend to be dinosaurs and the Doctor…and…well, it got hard." He shrugged, he knew what he would have to tell next. The fire that engulfed his house when he was eight. "Me mum left me alone in the kitchen when I was eight years old…she was going to be back soon, she said, she just had to get something. I wasn't planning on doing anything, just sitting on the floor, acting out a scene from Jurassic Park…but the science part of my brain told me to explore, to test things, to play around with the stove. I had heard the warnings all before, that the stove was hot…but I ignored them, I didn't think anything would happen to me. However, I peered over and there became a problem with being clumsy…I had still been holding my dinosaur toy…and I accidentally dropped it in the flames…I was a bit possessive over my toys and of course I grabbed for it, ending up burning my hand. The fire quickly spread as there was something flammable near the stove, I don't remember what…and mum pulled me out of the house as quickly as possible. I don't know why, but my father was slow to getting out. He-he was trying to save something important…and I don't remember what, but when he did finally come out…oh god…" He clenched his teeth, his eyes closing, envisioning the man. When Abby cuddled up close to him, breathing lightly onto him, trying to reassure him, he let the tears roll down his face. "His face-it-it was burned badly…he was a zombie. I've been terrified ever since…and he yelled at me, he told me it was all my fault…and it was…we had to move to grandma's house because of it…and he left. Me mum couldn't cope very well after that." Connor shook his head. "In the nightmares…he's always trying to kill me, he's always a zombie…and I always hear him yelling at me…and I always see the fire burning in the background. I don't-I don't know what to do, Abby."

"Connor…I had no idea," She tried to give him a comforting smile and wipe away his tears. "I won't let your father hurt you ever again, I swear." Abby went quiet for a moment and sighed. "I don't know exactly how to make a nightmare go away, but…I know my nightmares affect me when I'm in a bad mood. Have you been-upset recently? Or…is this around the time your house burned down?"

He tried to think about it and shrugged. "I dunno. I mean…I guess I've been more upset than usual, more scared ever since that bomb in the ARC…"
"That's probably what triggered it." Abby told him, remembering the bomb incident. "But it's okay, everything will be fine, we're fine…we're still alive. It's all okay," She whispered.
"Yeah-" He nodded slowly.
"Connor…when you said you burned your hand…is that why you wear fingerless gloves?"
He nodded. "That's how it started, yes. Even after the burn wound healed, there was a scar and I was self conscious of it…it's terribly faded now, not even sure you can see it anymore, but-my hands don't feel right without the gloves."
"I'm sorry,"
"It's-it's okay, Abs…we all have our pasts. None of them are particularly good...I'm just happy you didn't laugh at my nightmare."
"I would never...it's terrifying you!" She paused and looked at him dead in the eye "You can sleep here you know, right by me if that helps."

Connor looked at her, almost as if she was crazy. "Why?" He furrowed his eyebrows, confused.
"Because you're scared," She propped herself up on her arm, staring at him. "and because I like you here…and because…I think I might love you."
"What?" He almost choked on nothing, hearing those words.
"You heard me, Temple. I think I love you." She repeated, a small smirk on her face as she noticed the control she had on Connor. She slowly leaned down, kissing his lips gently, leaving his breathless.
"Abs-I…I love you too."
"I've noticed," She giggled, curling up in his side, yawning and closing her eyes.

And from then on,

Connor slept in Abby's bed, nightmare free.