Wow, cliffhanger, right? What was Stephen's plan that he needed Connor for? Well, now you can know. (I don't own Primeval, but I do own a Nidorino keychain. It's sort of similar, right?)

I am sorry to report that this the 9th chapter of the saga 'A Lot can Happen on Vacation' is the penultimate chapter. Wow, penultimate. That's a fun word.

TTIPF

1. And the one you've all been waiting for: You would name your children Rex, Sid, and Nancy if you get 1000 fans on a Facebook fan page for Primeval. Heck, you'd name one Anomaly if you get 10000 fans.

(Note: Don't name a kid Anomaly. Just don't.)

Chapter 9

Connor sat at the desk of the ADD, biting his lip as he typed in coordinates and times. Helen's notes indicating a backup plan in case hers failed were terribly specific. Stephen took an anomaly opening device and hooked it up to the ADD, ordering Connor to punch the information from the notes into the opener and then send it back into the detector. He had to modify the detector's relay device so that instead of detecting anomalies…

…He had to create them.

It was difficult work, helped not at all by the fact that he wished he could do anything to stop it. He stood and crossed behind the detector, checking the wires linking it to the opener and double checking them. He didn't want something to explode or start to melt or countless other things. He'd seen the tragedy that had occurred once when he'd spilled a cup of water on his old netbook. Files had popped open and things had started. He didn't want to think of what would happen if something went wrong here. If the wrong file opened, it could spell a whirlwind of anomalies he wasn't prepared for, in terrible places across time.

Stephen stood against a desk, watching him work with a hand on his chin, deep in thought or just faking to scare Connor. Connor was unwilling to stop his work to take a closer look. A moment's hesitation could spell the end of Abby.

She was in a room adjacent to the hub; her saucer eyes, watching Connor work so diligently, were full of shock and terror. He wished now he could tell her that he was doing it for her, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop his work.

He wished for some distraction, something to stop Stephen's staring. He had guessed by now that Stephen didn't understand the way the ADD or the opener worked, but he didn't know how he could cause a distraction in his position.

He walked back around the detector, sitting himself back down into the chair. It was so fascinating, what he was doing, and if it weren't such malevolent work he would be having fun at it. The idea of using the detector's relays to cause anomalies throughout time would've seemed impossible without Helen Cutter's notes--if he'd ever wanted to--and that thought alone, that he was helping Helen Cutter in some manner, horrified him.

Then he had an idea--it struck him like a blow to the head. He actually jerked his head in shock at the simplicity of the plan, wondering how it hadn't come to him earlier. He turned to look at Stephen, who narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you almost finished?" he asked impatiently.

"Just have to create another file for storage," he said, making it up. Stephen nodded, buying it.

Connor turned to the ADD, taking a deep breath before opening a new file and inputting another date and coordinates. He paused a moment, calculating the exact year he would need. First, he turned off the detector, eliminating the risk the anomaly he had to set would be discovered before it was open long enough to cause a problem. Then he set the past date for 260 MYA and saved the file, pausing a moment to breathe carefully before sending out the signal for the anomaly to open. He closed the file quickly and opened another one, copying and pasting the contents of the original file onto this new one to make it seem as though he was doing something. He began moving around dates and coordinates, waiting for something to happen.

Connor suddenly heard a chirp from Lester's office. He and Stephen looked up slowly, and saw a Coelurosauravus standing at the top of the handrail, peering down at them curiously.

"Rex?" Stephen asked before turning to face Connor with hateful eyes. "You did this," he snarled.

Suddenly, they heard a far-off roar. Connor's eyes were easy and proud. "My guess is Gorgonopsid."

Stephen's eyes grew wide with shock. He turned to the window where Abby and Pullman were watching them, unaware of what was occurring outside. "Off her!" he screamed furiously at the Leader.

"NO!" Connor cried.

Pullman was about to grab for his gun when he heard another roar, louder and nearer than the first. He froze, staring at the door and seeming to consider whether or not it was safe to ignore the threat. He decided instantly that it was serious as the massive creature appeared outside the door, its shoulders smashing the glass walls as it stormed past.

It slammed through the doors, and Stephen bolted in the opposite direction. Connor ran to the side, and he watched in horror as the creature crashed through the ADD as though it was nothing. He didn't have time to waste, however; he shot back towards the door to get Abby. Pullman had run off in fear.

"Abby!" He didn't press her this time, but ate her up in his eyes. He wanted to savor every moment with her. She was looking into his eyes as desperately as he was looking into hers, but finally she broke away.

"Erm… we have to help the others."

"Yeah."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before running off, Abby leading Connor in the direction of the cell she had been in.

***

Another Gorgonopsid had come through, along with a Scutosaurus and more Coelurosauravuses, though the giant predators caused the most damage easily. In a sense, it made Connor and Abby's task easy. Most of the soldiers had evacuated.

They came upon the door. It was locked and had a bar across it. It was designed to be a perfect cell; the door was impossible to break down, tested by Danny. Abby and Connor grabbed the bar and pushed up on it, and after a few sharp thrusts they lifted it up. Connor turned the knob with fumbling fingers, and it opened to reveal Danny, Sarah, Lester, and Codi.

"Connor! Abby!" Sarah jumped to her feet and threw an arm around each of their necks. "What happened, is Stephen gone?"

"He's done," Connor said quickly. "Gorgonopsid destroyed the detector--don't ask." Suddenly, Lester stepped forward.

"Have you seen my family?" he demanded. Connor nodded.

"Come on, they're in the cell with Becker, and Jenny and Jack and Caroline got thrown in, too." He gave an apologetic glance to Abby, whose eyes widened. He shot off in the direction of the cell, pausing once to remember his bearings before running again, Lester on his heels followed closely by Abby.

He found the cell and pulled the bar up, then pushing the door open. Lester was practically through the door before it was opened and his face broke out in an excited smile upon seeing his family. Jade stood and embraced him, and his daughters got to their feet happily. Abby shoved through and hugged her brother tightly.

Jenny stepped forward to Danny, offering him a shaky smile.

"So whatever has gone on since I left, Danny?" she asked, unable to keep a smile off her face. Danny shared the smile, and then leaned forward boldly to plant a kiss on her lips. She didn't resist.

Abby let go of her brother and turned to face Connor. "So…I suppose now's as good a time as any to tell you why I wore that dress."

Connor furrowed his brow. "What?"

Abby smiled gently. "It was the girl thing, Connor."

Connor's face was full of confusion before she leaned up onto her tiptoes and lifted a hand up behind Connor's head, moving her lips up onto his.

"Oh," he said when they separated. Abby cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I knew you'd figure it out," she said before kissing him again.

Sarah watched them all pleasantly, a smile alive on her lips and in her eyes. She was acutely aware of Becker approaching her but she pretended to be surprised when he spoke.

"Guess it's a happy ending?" he said. She turned to face him. She loved his eyes--they were so mysterious, pretty in their own right apart from the rest of him. He was always smiling, even if he didn't really mean to smile. She remembered the time he had been pretending to be Johnson's soldier boy, and how he had stared them down with his gun. She wondered if even then, he was smiling. Maybe it was just her imagination mixing with her memories. No, it's impossible for someone to always be smiling.

She realized she had been silent, just staring at him for several moments, so she looked away quickly and tried to come up with a response.

"Not really," she laughed, cursing herself when it was a little too dry. "You heard Connor, a Gorgonopsid destroyed the ADD. I'm gonna have to help him fix it, and I bet the Gorgonopsid's still running around, and who knows how many others if there's an anomaly open here, and we have to find Stephen, and--"

She broke off as the soldier grabbed her chin and pulled her lips to his. She closed her eyes after a moment and fell into his arms, happiness surging through her.

"Heard you punched Danny," she murmured between kisses.

"Should I have punched a little harder?" he asked, his lips tracing up along her jaw tenderly. Sarah sighed. She turned her head to the side in time with his mouth.

Connor broke away from Abby to sigh. "You know," he said, "I think we'd better get to work."