Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, no copyright intended

A/N. This is a short update, had to get it out of the way (you'll see why). I'm also changing the rating to a T, its getting a bit darker than I originally intended. *warning - character death*

Abby and Connor were sat in the lounge of their home. After he'd explained everything to Abby, Connor had felt a huge weight lift from his mind – he should have shared his plan with her a long time ago, but he knew they would have tried to get it out of her. Now he feared for his life, not now, but back in 2010. It would only be a matter of time before they realised that the person they saw on the CCTV was the Connor he used to be. If only he could find a way of warning him, but both he and Abby were too closely guarded now

They'd spent hours cleaning up the mess left by the soldiers. Abby had taken everything in, listened, got angry, cried, and then got on with the task in hand – making their home theirs again. It was looking almost like it used to, but it wasn't the same. It had been violated by an act of aggression against them, in the one place that they should have felt peace. She couldn't believe Connor had put them and their child at risk like this with a crazy plan. The things they had been exposed to over the last couple of years had changed him, he'd become hard, desperate. She didn't know the answers, but she was sure that destroying the ARC was not one of them. Her only hope was that the Connor she used to know, the one she had fallen in love with, would realise that too. He, at least, would still be thinking rationally.

--

"If all – this – hadn't just happened, I'd be calling you crazy right now" Abby said. She couldn't quite believe what Connor had just told her. No wonder he'd been so withdrawn these last few days, this was heavy stuff.

"Believe me Abby" he said "I wish this was all a story too. Everything Helen said about the future is true. It's the ARC that destroys humanity, and we're part of it. It's my inventions that help it all to happen. Maybe Helen should have killed me instead of Cutter" his head was in his hands as he began to sob, his whole body shaking. Abby placed her arms around him, pulling him towards her. Usually, he would have given anything to be this close to her, but he barely noticed she was there.

They sat there for a while, maybe an hour or so, neither speaking. Eventually, Connor sat up, the cramp in his back from the awkward position too much. "We should tidy up" he said, wiping his eyes and sniffing.

"Yeah" Abby said softly. "And then we talk"

"Talk? There's nothing to talk about, Abby. They took the disc. I don't have the means to do this now."

"I can't believe you're giving up this easily, Connor. This isn't the end, we've only just begun the fight. This isn't just your battle now – its all of us, mine, Lester's, Danny's, Becker's, Sarah's …" Abby looked Connor straight in the eyes. "We're in this together now"

Connor looked back at her. He could see the defiance and fight in her eyes. Maybe there was some hope for the future after all.

--

The banging on the door told Abby this was not a social call. She opened it and was greeted by three soldiers, one of them being the soldier that had lead the raid on their home previously. He flashed some paperwork at her and pushed his way past her "Where's your husband?" he demanded

"Right here" Connor said, coming out of the bathroom "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this time?"

The soldier pulled the CD out of his pocket, Connor's heart sank. "Recognise this, Temple?"

"It's a CD" Connor said

"Don't be smart with me" he snapped. "We took a little trip back to 2010 and paid you and Abby a visit. Nice little flat you had back then, cosy."

"Well I hope you left it in a better state than you left this place" Abby spat.

"Feisty isn't she?" the soldier said to Connor. "I suppose someone has to wear the trousers in your relationship, and since she ended up with a geeky wimp for a husband…."

Connor ran forward with his fist raised to punch him, but he grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. The soldier was laughing. "Hit a raw nerve have I, Temple?" Connor didn't try struggling, there was little point.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" he said "You got the disc, you stopped the plan"

"I have a warrant for your arrest" the soldier said, an evil smile spreading across his face. "You committed a serious crime, hacking into government files, copying and distributing them with intent to cause harm to others, terrorism…. You know the penalties for terrorism alone!" he laughed.

Connor was shaking, he knew exactly what the penalty for acts of terrorism was these days. Through his tears he looked over at Abby. She knew it too. "Abby…. I love you" he said.

"I love you too, Connor" she wept. She ran over to him and kissed him. He returned it, desperate, passionate. They both knew this would be their last. As Connor was dragged away, he kept eye contact with her the whole time. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she yelled

"Be brave, remember, the future is not written for some yet" he said.

She watched him being pushed into the back of the armoured vehicle, then grabbed Claudia and got in the car. She knew where he was being taken. The prison was next to the ARC, a building they had passed many times. It had high walls, covered in an electrified fence and surrounding an inner chamber, with tiny air vents. The vents were a deliberate feature, so that the sound from within could be heard outside – it was meant as a warning to anyone considering committing a crime. In the beginning, when they first realised what was happening, she and Connor had stood outside, listening to the final screams of the prisoners as they met their fate. For some, it was a long, painful death, drawn out for many hours, for others, it was over in an instant. Abby prayed that Connor would fall into the latter category.

There was no overcrowding problem here. Sentences were issued and dealt with immediately. She stood by the wall, waiting. After just a few minutes, she heard the door to the cell creak open then slam shut. She closed her eyes, listening to the growls and snarls of whatever creatures they'd got in there today. Then, an unmistakable scream of terror, her beloved Connor. That sound would haunt her for the rest of her days. She slumped to the ground as the sounds faded, cradling Claudia in her arms. As the tears flowed, her only comfort was that his death had been relatively quick.