Author's Note- Thanks to all reviewers and readers.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What's wrong?" Nick asked as soon as Connor opened his door.
"It's Abby." Connor said, standing aside to let him and Jenny in.
"Has she come back?" Jenny gasped.
"No." Connor sighed, "I wish. No, she's left a note. I think you should read it- it's important."
Nick sent him a questioning look, but took the slip of paper he was offering them. He unfolded it as he walked through the flat, coming to rest at the blue sofa, Jenny beside him, also reading. Connor watched them nervously to see their reactions. Jenny gasped and bit her lip when reading some of it, but Nick kept his expression unreadable.
"Oh my God." Jenny said as she finished reading it. Cutter had finished long ago, but didn't say anything or look up, instead choosing to re-read Abby's untidy scrawl.
"Well..." he muttered when he had read it twice, still not lifting his eyes from the note.
"Well, what?" Connor squeaked, scared of what he was going to say next.
"Well, as soon as that anomaly re-opens, we are going to get her." Nick finally looked up.
"But she says not to go after her." Connor pointed out.
"Well, we're going to."
"You think it's a trap then?" Jenny questioned nervously.
"When is anything with Helen not a trap?" Nick growled vehemently, "Of course it's a trap- you can't bring people back from the dead!"
"But…" Connor stuttered, unsure what was going to come after that.
"I'm sorry Connor, but it is a trap. Helen knew Abby's weak spot and caught her on a line, reeling her in all the while. Helen set a trap and Abby's fallen for it hook, line and sinker."
"But what does she want with Abby?" Connor asked.
"I don't know." Cutter admitted, "That's what we need to find out."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was getting darker and Abby was tiring. Helen knew that the girl was near exhaustion. She also knew that she wouldn't want to be stopped, but if they didn't rest for the night, Abby wouldn't be able to walk the bit Helen didn't want to carry her for. Dragging also wasn't very appealing.
"We should stop now." Helen spoke, making Abby jump- they were the first words either of them had said for hours after a long silence.
"How far is it?" Abby asked, her face tired but eager, "How far is he?"
"Too far to travel before you collapse." Helen replied vaguely.
"Great." Abby muttered sarcastically.
"You can see him tomorrow. Have a rest. Get some sleep." Helen ordered, looking around for a good place to set up camp. Abby followed her sight of vision with her own line of sight, "Ah!" Helen exclaimed seeing a cave.
"The cave." Abby saw where she was looking, "We're gonna sleep in that cave."
"Yep." Helen responded, although Abby's sentence had been more of a statement than a question, "Come on."
They reached the cave in minutes, Helen venturing in first, seeming to check that there were no predators, before giving Abby the all clear. It reminded Abby of the time she had given Connor her pistol so she wouldn't have to go first. A tear stung her eye as she thought of Connor and how he would be feeling right now. She wondered if he would've found her letter, if he wanted to come and find her, or if he was happy for her. If he thought she was doing the right thing or the wrong thing. If he'd remember to feed Rex and her other reptiles. If he thought she was coming back and if he was missing her. If she was honest, Abby knew the answers to most of these questions: Of course he'd have found the letter and of course he'd want to come and find her. He would think she was doing the wrong thing and walking into a trap because he hadn't had the time to mull it over as she had had. Of course he'd feed Rex and all of her numerous reptiles- he knew how much she cared for them. And she knew, deep down, that Connor would live in fear of her not returning and would never stop missing her for one second. Now, she couldn't stop a tear trickle down her cheek. Helen saw, but didn't say anything. The silence was unnerving.
"You better fall asleep soon," Helen told her, "We've still got quite a way to go yet and you won't make it unless you've had a good night's sleep."
Abby nodded warily as her response- both she and Helen knew that she wouldn't get much sleep. Her mind was racing and her heart hammered against her chest more than it ever had before.
Both women lay their roll-mats and sleeping bags on the floor of the dusty cave, though Abby was so hot, she wasn't sure that she'd need it. She climbed into it fully clothed anyway, and was surprised to find her eyes drooping as soon as she had pulled the soft blanket over her. She reached into her bag and pulled out the photo that Nick had given her just three days ago, but that seemed like a lifetime now. She gazed at it- at him. Not that she needed to though, his image was imprinted on the insides of her eyelids. She felt her heart leap with joy at the prospect of seeing him again, just once would be enough.
She smiled and propped the photo up by her head before closing her eyes and slipping into a merciful sleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jenny sat in Nick's car as he said goodnight to Connor outside Abby's flat. They had gone along to the ARC to see if there was any hint there of why Helen had wanted to take Abby through the anomaly and whether she'd be back, but there was barely anything helpful. Just a few of Abby's notes that could have meant something, but easily couldn't have as well.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. It was a photo that had obviously fallen from Nick's wallet. Curious, Jenny picked it up and inspected it. She turned it over in her hands so that she could see what or who it was of. When she saw it, she nearly dropped it in surprise. It was her. She was standing with Nick, one hand in his, their bodies slightly inclined towards the other person and it looked as though they were… more than just good friends. Jenny glanced over at Cutter's real form, still talking to Connor, before turning the photo over and reading the caption on the back. "Claudia." Was all it said, but it was enough. Jenny turned it back over and studied the woman. This time she noticed that her hair colour was different to her own and her clothes were soft and in pastel colours- things Jenny would never wear. The woman in the photo was most definitely not her, but now she knew that Jenny felt a kind of regret that it wasn't her. She remembered Nick persistently calling her Claudia at first, but that had gradually gone away. Was this Claudia Brown? It was an easy mistake to make, but what startled Jenny was that no one else knew who Claudia was, yet, here she was in a colour photograph in front of Jenny. It might not have been her, but Jenny didn't know who else it could be. She heard Connor shut the front door and she quickly pushed it inside Nick's open wallet, carefully leaving everything as it had been before.
"You okay?" he asked her as he climbed back into the car.
"Yeah," Jenny smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Helen watched as Abby slept and smiled to herself- she had got her. The plan was halfway there- the hardest bit had been achieved. As soon as Abby saw Stephen, she would be willing to do pretty much anything for him and that would make Helen's job so much easier. The fact that Stephen felt the same way would make it harder, but Helen was sure that they could do something about that. Helen knew that Abby would die for him as much as he would die for her, but he doubted that either would let the other sacrifice themselves on their own behalf. It was so confusing. The easiest way to look at it, from Helen's point of view, was to simply think that soon, they would both be dead.
Then, the photo by Abby's head caught her eye. As she saw their happy expressions, something stirred inside of her, but Helen pushed it away. She didn't feel guilty- she couldn't. Guilt was one of the worst emotions, Helen thought. Guilt chewed you up and spat you back out again. She had pushed guilt away once before and she could do it again. Love was another bad emotion in Helen's opinion. It made you crazy- it was what made Abby follow her through the anomaly and what made Stephen so desperate to get back. It was what made Helen so agitated that Nick might be killed if she goes back on her agreement and it was what triggered guilt. Love and guilt went hand in hand, and neither brought good news.
Helen scowled at the photo and turned over to face the cave's dark depths. She didn't feel tired like Abby did- as she had told the petite blonde the walk they had taken that day had been like a stroll down the road for her. Helen knew that she would lie awake for ages, her mind slowly ticking over and guilt trying to be found inside her, but feeling itself pushed away once again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Stephen!" Abby saw his back, knew it was him before he turned to face her. She was smiling, happy beyond belief, but her smile evaporated when he spun round, a stony expression on his face.
"Abby." He greeted, his voice as icy as his face.
"I..." Abby was suddenly shy, unsure of what to say, "I… I missed you. We all did."
"What are you doing here?" Stephen asked, but began to yell at her without waiting for an answer, "Go away! I didn't ask to be rescued, I didn't want to be saved! I hate you Abby Maitland! Get lost! Go run back to the geek."
"Stephen I…" Abby started, her voice cracking.
"Stephen I what?" Stephen glared at her.
"I thought… I thought you'd want to see me." Abby began to cry.
"Well, you thought wrong." He shouted, "I don't want to say it again Abby. Just leave." Then he turned his back on her again and walked off, leaving Abby sobbing on the ground.
Suddenly she woke, shaking and scared. A new bout of doubts had been raised in her mind. What if Stephen didn't want to see her? What if he thought she was happy without him? Loads of "what ifs" popped up in her mind and she looked over at the photo again. There he was gazing at her as if he'd never turn her away. In the dream, he had been so hostile, so angry. Abby realised that she was still shaking. She glanced round her for a minute, wondering why Connor hadn't come running, but when she caught sight of Helen's sleeping body, she remembered. Fresh tears stained her cheeks as she, again, thought of Connor and how he'd be fending without her. Shaking her head, she lay back down and tried to get back to sleep.
Helen lay with her back on Abby, but she knew that the girl had woken. If Helen had thought that she was going to get any sleep that night at all, she hadn't thought about the younger women's disturbed and noisy slumber. She had tossed and turned in her sleep, muttering his name at first, but it gradually got louder until she was shouting and screaming it. Helen found it unnerving, the way her dreams seemed to pretty much mirror his- they both pined for each other. Helen pretended to be asleep and give Abby some privacy as she wept. Helen had always thought of Abby as a brave girl, but even she could tell that she had fallen apart, crying for the first time since Helen had known her. And she had taken some blows. Helen almost felt sorry for her, but that was yet another almost.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Connor lay awake, again. He was used to lying awake, listening to Abby cry out in her sleep. Now, the silence depressed him. He wondered where she was and whether she was thinking of him, whether she was with Helen or maybe even Stephen. Connor seriously doubted the second option and found himself wondering if Abby was even still alive.
He looked at the digital clock by his bed. It was 2am. He had been lying awake now for the best part of two hours. The very little sleep he had fallen into had been light and plagued by dreams of Abby. It scared him. Deciding that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, Connor got up. He turned on the kettle and sat in the cold kitchen. His eyes were drawn to the note that lay still on the work top. He re-read it, his thoughts taking him back to the discussion he and Cutter had had earlier that afternoon and the unsuccessful search of the ARC. Connor sighed as the kettle clicked, telling him it was ready and poured himself a coffee- this was going to be a long night.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The sun entered the cave in the very early hours of the morning, its light streaming onto Abby's face, waking her up. She squinted into the brightness, before looking around the cave, surprised to see that Helen wasn't there. She sat bolt upright, her heart hammering away in her chest. Had Helen left her for dead? Was it a trap?
"Good morning." Her voice suddenly filled the cave and Abby looked towards the mouth to see Helen stood there, "You've had your lie in. Now we better get moving."
"What time is it?" Abby asked, surprised at how groggy she sounded.
"About 5.30." Helen approximated.
"Some lie in." Abby huffed, but she wasn't annoyed. The earlier they got going, the earlier she could see Stephen.
"Get up, then." Helen prompted, "I'll be waiting outside."
It took Abby ten minutes to haul herself out of the sleeping bag and put it away. She picked up the framed photo, now her most precious possession, and glanced round the cave to check that she hadn't forgotten anything, before following Helen out of the cave.
She found Helen studying an electric compass.
"Doesn't the magnetic field get screwed up?" Abby questioned carefully, causing Helen to look up at her.
"That was quick." She stated, "And no, well, yeah, but I got this one modified."
"The future." Abby guessed.
"Yep." Helen stood, heaving her rucksack onto her back, "Come on then, Watson, we've got a long way to go."
"I'm coming," Abby sighed, though a smile lit up her face as she looked over the horizon- wherever Stephen was, he was quite close. She could sense it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jenny arrived at the ARC early that morning, going straight to the anomaly detector to check that no overnight anomaly had been missed. When satisfied that all was well, she poured herself a coffee. When the door banged open, Jenny sighed and took another mug from the cupboard.
"Coffee?" she asked as soon as Nick came into her sight. He jumped and looked up at her as she smiled at him, "Or tea?"
"Coffee, thanks." He went over to the detector, obviously having the same thought as Jenny.
"I've already checked, Nick." Jenny said tipping boiling water into Nick's mug as well.
"Oh." Cutter responded, more for need of saying something than saying anything useful, "Thanks." He said again as he took his coffee from her, "You're here early."
"Couldn't sleep." Jenny blew on the surface of her coffee and watched as the ripples dissolved. Abby's abrupt disappearance had been part of the reason for Jenny's lack of sleep, but her mind was mostly occupied by the photo in Nick's wallet. She jumped as he spoke again.
"Me either." He admitted, taking a gulp of his own coffee, "And if we couldn't sleep, think of the hell that poor Connor's bound to be going through."
"Mmm…" she responded vaguely, before turning to Nick, "Can I ask you something?"
"Er… sure." Cutter nodded his blue eyes meeting her own dark ones.
"It's about Claudia." Jenny looked at the ground, but Nick's body language told her that he felt uncomfortable, "Sorry. You don't want to talk about it."
"No, I don't mind. Go on."
"What was she like?"
"Erm… well, she was loyal. And brave, and… well, she was everything." The professor said and Jenny saw the affection in his eyes, immediately aware that he had had feelings for this Claudia. Suddenly she found herself wondering if he felt the same way about her, surprised to find hope bubbling up inside her.
"Everything I'm not." Jenny asked, although it was more of a statement.
Nick looked up and met her eyes, "Believe me, Jenny, she was more like you were then you could ever imagine." He spoke, not breaking eye contact. Jenny smiled slightly and opened her mouth to say something, but it was interrupted by Connor's arrival.
Cutter immediately went over to talk to him and ask how he was. Jenny watched them and sighed. Whatever she had to say to Nick would have to wait: they had more pressing matters on their hands.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ok, I promise Abby will meet Stephen in the next chapter. Sorry to drag it out for so long, but I had to fit in some other stuff to build up the erm... suspense? Well, I hope that all of the chapters up until now have been good and thank you so much for sticking with it- I know how long and irritating it is when people don't update with the stuff you want them to, but it is coming I promise! Please review.
