Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
"And do you remember what you said…" Connor asked quietly "Unbelievable."
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There was a sudden stillness in the room following Connor's words.
Danny was wishing he had never asked his stupid question about the proposal. He looked around the room. Abby, standing near the door where she had said her goodbyes to Taylor just moments ago, looked like she was fighting to hold back tears. Connor had risen to stand beside the sofa during the argument. Now he was trembling and looked pale. Their other friends were looking at each other uncomfortably.
The short pudgy man with over large glasses stuck his chin out defiantly and spoke again.
"For a genius Connor," he said "you can be incredibly thick sometimes."
"What?" squawked Connor.
"I didn't mean unbelievable that Abby should love you," Duncan continued "I meant unbelievable that there should be hope for the rest of us… even me."
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Connor blinked at Duncan's words. Then, he turned his head to look at Abby, but she was gone and all he could see was the open door swinging wide against the background of the night sky.
"Abby," he cried, limping forward slowly.
"Connor," said Becker putting a hand out to stop his friend "you really can't go chasing after her with your leg like that."
"But… I have to," stammered Connor.
"You've got to sit down," ordered Jenny sternly, "Becker and Jess will go catch up with Abby and bring her back. You have to get that foot of yours elevated."
Connor watched Becker and Jess go out the front door. Then he sat down and dutifully raised his foot while Jenny settled pillows underneath.
"I really messed up," he said miserably.
"Yeah Connor, you did," agreed Jenny with a frown. Jenny had always thought of Connor as the little brother she had always wanted, but never had. And Abby was one of her best friends. It was hard to see them squabbling on what should be a happy day.
"I just don't understand how you could say something like that to Abby after what she said that night at the mansion where I got married…" Jenny continued.
"She didn't say anything when I said we should get married there," replied Connor glumly "but the expression on her face…"
Jenny was looking at Connor with a strange expression of her own. "Not then," she interrupted, "later when she called you on the cell phone."
"What call?"
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Jess followed Becker out the door and down the porch stairs. She couldn't see Abby anywhere in the yard.
"There," said Becker pointing down the roadway. In the distance, Abby could be seen striding determinedly, arms swinging fast, "let's catch up with her." He looked down at Jess' shoes, then into her eyes questioningly.
"Go," Jess urged her husband.
Becker took off at a lope to follow their friend, while Jess started to clatter after him as quickly as she could. For perhaps the first time in her life, Jess wished she hadn't worn high heels.
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Inside the living room, Duncan and Edie watched Jenny settle Connor. The tall, big boned woman, who still dyed her hair purple, turned to look down at Duncan tenderly.
"Oh love," said Edie "did you ever have a doubt?"
Duncan smiled up at his wife, his eyes glowing. "Nope," he said happily "not since I met you."
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In the distance, Jess could see that her husband had quickly caught up to Abby. They were standing together, talking or maybe arguing from the looks of the body language.
Jess kept walking towards them, occasionally glancing nervously at the perimeter fence next to the road. It had been years since the ARCs creature preserve had a break out, but Jess still felt uncomfortable this near to the open space where dinosaurs roamed freely.
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Jenny raised her eyebrows at Connor's question.
"The night before my wedding," she began "Abby, Emily and I were upstairs trying on dresses, drinking more champagne and having a girl's night…"
"Yeah," said Connor "I remember."
"Abby called you," prompted Jenny "on the cell phone… don't you remember?"
"Maybe it's you who doesn't remember," replied Connor "I spent that night on the floor in a cold, stone basement trying to keep some hyenadon pups drunk… and I had no cell phone service."
"Then, what she said must have gone to voice mail," said Jenny exasperatedly "surely you heard it the next day?"
"Didn't hear anything the next day," said Connor "in all the chasing after creatures I dropped me phone… by the time I found it again, something had stomped on it… it couldn't be fixed… the phone was replaced, but I lost all my data… it took me weeks to get all the programs set up again…"
As Connor continued babbling about the difficulties of restoring his precious smart phone contents, Jenny looked at him in disbelief. She waved at Emily, still standing next to Matt, to come over to the sofa.
"Emily," asked Jenny "do you remember Abby calling Connor when we were having a girl's night before my wedding?"
"Of course," responded Emily with a warm smile.
"Connor never got the message."
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As Emily crossed the room to talk with Jenny and Connor, Danny decided it might be a good time for he and Matt to talk privately. A couple of quick, long strides brought him next to the man.
"So Matt," began Danny "why did Connor think I might be one of Helen's clones?"
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Jess finally caught up to where Abby and Becker were arguing.
"Abby," hissed Becker angrily "it's not like that… he's always just blurted things out… you know that…"
"Yes, Becker," replied Abby with a glare, "after twenty-five years, I do think I know how my husband communicates!"
"But you don't really" said Jess somewhat breathlessly, "or this argument would never have happened… it would have been settled long ago."
As Abby and Becker turned to look at her, Jess took a deep breath before she spoke again.
"Abby, when was the last time you told Connor you loved him?"
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