Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
The air shimmered, fractured, an anomaly opened and a familiar figure stepped through.
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At the first sound of the tinkling anomaly detectors, the crowd of people in the living room had moved to the windows, craning their necks in an attempt to see what or who was coming through the open anomaly. Abby had always refused to have weapons in the house, so any EMDs her guests might have brought were surely tucked away in the boot of their vehicles. She noted that Becker had grabbed a poker from the fireplace, while Matt and Emily had each taken an andiron in hand. Connor was still struggling to get to his feet. Abby had quickly moved to the front door anxiously scanning the front lawn.
Abby's hand hovered over the security button that would bring heavy steel shutters down over the windows and doors. The thick stone walls of their home would make an impenetrable fortress when the security shutters locked into place. Before she initiated her home's private lockdown, she needed to know everyone was inside. Turning her head to survey the group of younger adults in the dining room, she realized gratefully that Jatin and Seema had already entered the relative safety of the home. The friends and family visible in the dining room and kitchen seemed to have not even heard the initial warning noise and were just now turning to look to the windows. A quick glance at the infra red security monitor showed no humans in the rear garden, but the little red biomarkers showing in the front garden told Abby a different story.
Outside, near the rose bed, Abby saw that Taylor had released the smilodon cub and now grasped the small EMD she always carried, pointing it directly at the shining, shimmering anomaly. A man that Abby didn't recognize, but had to be Taylor's new bloke, had pulled a much larger EMD and was standing in a ready stance that indicated he knew how to use the weapon.
"Taylor," Abby called urgently "hurry up you two, get inside."
Taylor shook her head, an emphatic no. The man standing with her pointed. To Abby's horror, the count of red biomarkers in the front increased by two. Beth's husband was escorting her mother-in-law slowly up the walkway, they had just stepped past the heavy wrought iron fence railing into the monitored portion of the front yard. The elderly woman approaching gingerly with her walker was now the closest person to the anomaly, and the anomaly was between her and the safety of the house.
A familiar figure stepped through the shining light and stood on the sidewalk directly in front of Connor's mother. The flickering lights of the anomaly blinked and closed.
"Danny Quinn!" exclaimed the octogenarian querulously "You're late!"
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The tall, red haired man ran a hand through his long bedraggled hair and gave a sigh. Then he straightened up his long, lanky frame, grinned cheekily and replied, "No Ma'am, I'm right on time to escort you to the door," he winked at her conspiratorially "now remind me… where are we going?"
The woman looked up at him, and said "To Connor and Abby's… I think?" The last words were said in a tone of some confusion as she looked around. Whedon caught up with her at that moment, and patted her on the arm reassuringly.
"Yes Mother Temple," he said "we're going to Connor and Abby's anniversary party."
Danny grinned. The last time he had seen the pair, he thought they were together, but this seemed to confirm it. He followed the pair in front of him to the porch steps, his stick thumping in time to his footsteps. He helped Whedon get Connor's mother up the stairs and into the house. Abby was standing there holding the door, almost as if she was guarding the entryway.
Danny stared in amazement. Abby's once white blond hair now held a few gray streaks, laugh lines crinkled at her eyes and curled around her lips. A lifetime of yoga had kept her body fit, but the signs of a life well lived showed in the creases of her face.
"Abby," he whispered "when am I?"
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Abby looked at the man standing before her in torn and dirty blue jeans, a red checked shirt with once white undershirt sleeves cascading in tatters down his arms. He appeared to be in his early forties, a good bit younger than the friend she had last seen helping them move furniture to this home.
"Danny," she asked starting to step towards the man "is it really you?"
"Abby," shouted Connor "stay back! He might be one of Helen's clones!"
Connor was limping as quickly as he could toward the doorway and his wife. He was still a slender man. There was no sign of the paunch that many middle aged men carry. The touches of gray and white at his temples actually did make him look distinguished, sometimes giving him a very professorial air.
The thump of his plastered foot crossing the floor echoed through the room. In his anxious hurry, Connor stepped too close to his mother's walker as she slowly made her way forward. A momentary bump jostled the elderly woman, but Whedon was close at hand to steady her. She was in no danger of falling. On the other hand, Connor went flying forward. For a moment, it seemed as if he must surely crash to the hard stone floor of the entryway. Danny stepped forward, catching his friend in his headlong rush.
"Now mate," chided Danny "whatever makes you think I would have anything to do with Helen?"
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"Prove you're Danny," gasped Connor.
Abby heard the wheezing sound in his ragged breath. She called in concern to her daughter in the dining room.
"Sarah, would you go fetch the inhaler? Quickly now."
Danny turned his head up to look, twisting this way and that, looking past the young woman walking towards the pair on the entryway floor.
"Sarah?" Danny called.
The young woman held an object in hand that must be the inhaler. She looked at Danny curiously for a brief moment, then knelt down. Her brown hair and eyes looked familiar to Danny, but he couldn't quite place it. The young woman put a hand on Connor's shoulder; she held the inhaler to his mouth. With the press of a release button the chamber filled with a smoky substance which Connor inhaled to the quiet count of one, two, three.
"You're Sarah?" asked Danny. The young woman nodded and grinned, dimples confirming what Danny already half suspected. This was Connor's daughter.
Danny looked at the friend he held in his arms and to the petite woman standing anxiously nearby. He chuckled.
"You know," he said "the last time I saw you two I asked if you…" he made an odd whistling noise.
The expression on Abby and Connor's face was priceless. Abby looked like she had bit into lemon, while Connor's eyes had gone wide and staring, he seemed to be holding his breath.
Danny thumped his friend on the back. "Breathe Connor," he reminded him, "and tell me… what did I miss?"
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