Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
"…in this world…"
3.11 Temporally Displaced (ABCDU)
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July saw the formal arraignment of Professor Helen Cutter on charges of murder for Philip's death and attempted murder for pushing Connor down the stairs. Abby and Connor as chief witnesses for the prosecution in the latter charge had been called into the solicitor's office several times to repeat their statements and answer a multitude of questions. The one thing Connor had difficulty answering was why he'd been at the library.
"Stephen was my friend," replied Connor "I just got back to London, and when I found out what happened…"
His voice trailed off. Abby reached her hand across the open space between her chair and Connor's to squeeze his hand. Their cover story was pretty much their basic life story… with a few small changes. A computer science technician named Connor Maitland met a pretty blonde herpetologist while they were both working in Honduras. A whirlwind romance and overseas marriage left a computer trail identifying them as Mr. and Mrs. Maitland.
"Did you say or do anything," asked the solicitor, "that could be considered a threat to Professor Cutter or provoking her in anyway?"
"She pushed Connor!" exclaimed Abby. "He didn't do anything to her."
"I just have to ask these questions," answered the solicitor "English common law is very tricky sometimes… especially if the alleged murderer is claiming self-defense or provocation."
At the end of July, Abby and Connor received an official government notice that Helen's trial would start in November. Further information would be mailed to them.
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It took until August for Danny to convince Sarah to go out with him.
The tall red head had met her at Heathrow, flowers in one hand and a box of frozen pasties in the other. Sarah had been tired from her long trip and brushed him off without listening to him. She walked past him, hailed a cab and went home. It wasn't until she'd showered, thrown clothes in the laundry and went to find an empty freezer that she even spared a second thought for the strange man and his pasties. The next day Mrs. Finchley told Sarah about the unexpected friends at her flat while she'd been away.
"Are you stalking me?" asked Sarah when she'd seen Danny for the third time in as many days.
Sarah loved to travel and found archeological digs exciting, but always returned to London… it was home. The archeologist worked at the British Museum between field expeditions. Danny's night shift at the restaurant allowed him time to come to the museum during the day. And if he found one of Sarah's group tours, he joined in.
"Not stalking," replied Danny with a grin. He pointed at the nearby sarcophagus. "I just have a fascination with history, especially Egyptian history."
"So you've got mummy issues," replied Sarah with a twinkle in her eye.
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The Temple family came to CMU in early September. Tom and Duncan made sure they met the new tutor in the computer science center.
"This is Connor Maitland," said Duncan. "The man we've been telling you about… he looks almost exactly like our Connor."
Connor looked up from where he was correcting a students SQL script. Just past Duncan and Tom, he saw a man that could have been his brother. Connor recognized the woman standing next to him. She looked like a girl he'd once dated in secondary school. The little boy standing in front of them was obviously their son. Connor recognized his Mum, she was smiling and laughing. The bright and bubbly young woman beside Mrs. Temple was someone Connor had never met before. And the man standing behind her was someone Connor hadn't seen in over fifteen years.
"Erm… hello," stammered Connor.
He stared at the family before him while they in turn stared at him. Mrs. Temple in particular kept glancing from Connor Maitland to her son and back again.
"It's almost like seeing… what should have been," she said finally.
Connor nodded. He wasn't quite sure what the woman met, but he felt the same way.
"When I was pregnant with Connor, we were expecting twins," she continued "but we lost one."
The younger woman left her mother's side to follow Duncan and Tom. They gave her a brief tour of the computer science lab, culminating in a stop at a computer carrel on the far side of the room. Mrs. Temple reached into a voluminous red vinyl purse and pulled a camera out.
"Would you two stand together?" she asked her son and Connor. "I'd like a picture."
"Go on now," urged her son's wife. The woman nudged her husband forward.
The two Connor's exchanged an uncertain glance as they moved to stand together in front of a large, heavy laden bookcase.
"Mum, I don't think we look that much alike," grumbled the younger Connor Temple.
"You're not identical, he's a little older," conceded his mother, "but it's just so funny you're both named Connor."
As she snapped the picture, she added "If you were both my son's, one of you would be named Cormac."
Connor Maitland and Connor Temple both looked at each other and replied at the same time, "Not me."
Mrs. Temple chuckled.
"You even sound alike," continued Mrs. Temple. "Our families must be related some how. Who are your parents?"
Connor's mouth opened and shut without a word. He didn't know what to say. Connor opened his mouth again, but the woman's husband spoke before Connor could answer.
"We should be going, now that Beth is settled," reminded her husband, "we've got a long drive back home."
The younger Connor Temple, along with his wife and child, followed his father out of the computer science lab. Tom and Duncan were still at the computer station. Beth joined her mother standing with Connor. Mrs. Temple gave her daughter a hug goodbye. The hug was marked by both tears and smiles. Then Connor's Mum turned to face him.
"Keep an eye on our Beth now," Mrs. Temple said as she left the lab, "you'll be seeing lots of her... she's a science major… and a right genius when it comes to computers."
Connor regarded the pretty, dark haired young woman standing before him.
"What kind of science are you studying?" asked Connor.
"Paleontology," replied Beth with a dimpled grin, "I really like dinosaurs."
"Me too," replied Connor with the same dimpled grin.
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October was full of surprises.
Abby planned a surprise party for the last Saturday of the month. Connor was clueless. He left that morning as usual to go to work at the computer science lab. Claudia and Jess arrived shortly afterwards. They helped Abby and Becker blow up black balloons and drape crepe paper around the cozy flat.
"Becker," reminded Abby some time later as the tall muscular man reached for another balloon, "you best leave now if you're going to keep Connor from coming back too soon."
"Yeah," agreed Becker. "When do you want me to bring him back?"
"Not until after six," said Abby "we've still got to bake a cake… start dinner… and…"
"Keep calm," advised Claudia. "We've got plenty of time for all that."
Becker handed Jess the black balloon he was holding and gave the beautiful brunette a quick kiss goodbye before he turned to the door. A sharp whistle brought Stella running to meet him. Dog and man left to delay Connor's return.
"What's all the racket?" asked Danny as he came down the stairs. He had slept in, as his job had him returning home after two in the morning.
"Oh good," said Claudia "you're up now. Did you remember to invite Sarah? We would really like to meet her."
Danny nodded sleepily.
"Yeah," he replied "I'll just go get her."
He had bought a second hand motorcycle a few weeks previously. It made getting around London a little easier. As Danny left the flat near the park to go pick up Sarah, Abby, Jess and Claudia went into the kitchen.
"This is the recipe I want to make," said Abby "but I need some help…"
Danny returned with Sarah later. He parked the heavy black motor cycle and held it steady as Sarah got off. She took of the helmet and shook her head. Her long dark hair flew over her shoulders. Then Sarah glanced around the quiet neighborhood and looked at the pretty park across the street.
"You live here?" asked Sarah sounding surprised.
"Yeah," replied Danny as they walked towards the dark green front door. "My friends and I share the place."
"It doesn't look like the kind of place I pictured you in," said Sarah.
Danny grinned as he held the door open to let Sarah inside. The aroma of chocolate cake baking was wafting through the flat.
"It's not really me," he agreed "my last place was more like your home."
Duncan and Tom showed up later with boxes of equipment, cables and wires. They started setting up the video game, hooking it up to the small telly. Abby poked her head out from the kitchen. Behind her the other women's voices could be heard laughing and chatting.
"What about Beth?" asked Abby "Is she coming?"
"No, it's her brother's birthday tomorrow," Duncan replied while Tom shook his head silently, "she went home for the weekend."
"Aww," sighed Abby.
She returned to the kitchen. Connor had been an only child, and really had taken a liking to the young woman who might have been his baby sister... in some time and place. Duncan and Tom continued a whispered conversation as they attached wires and cables.
"They look almost exactly alike," said Tom "and they even have the same birthday, just Connor Maitland is a few years older."
"How weird is that?" asked Duncan. He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "Do you think we've all got doubles?"
Abby came back out into the living area when Lester arrived thirty minutes later. The feisty government representative carried several large containers of ice cream. He handed the dessert to Abby.
"You didn't say what kind," explained Lester "so I picked up a couple of different choices."
"Thanks Lester," said Abby.
Then impulsively she reached up on her tiptoes and gave the hard nosed bureaucrat a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to march back into the kitchen and rejoin Jess, Claudia and Sarah. Danny chuckled. He'd seen the exchange, and Lester looked stunned.
"Don't get any ideas now Lester," teased Danny.
"Of course not," replied Lester shrugging his shoulders and straightening his tie. "She's much too young for me… and besides… anyone can see she's only interested in Connor."
The tall red head regarded the director of the nameless department quizzically. In Danny's time, Lester had been happily married, with three children… and a pet mammoth. Here, in this time, Lester lived alone.
"Have you ever thought of getting married?" asked Danny.
The red head lifted his glass to take a swallow of his drink and almost choked at Lester's response.
"Never found the right woman," replied Lester. "But don't you get any ideas now either."
Sometime later, Becker and Stella finally allowed Connor to open the dark green door and enter the flat they called home.
"Surprise!" a chorus of voices greeted him. "Happy birthday!"
Connor looked from one smiling face to another. He settled his gaze on Abby. She was holding a large plate with a slightly lopsided chocolate frosted cake. Green number candles were alight and flaming… a glowing 3 and 0.
"You did all this… for me?" asked Connor.
His lips curled up in a soft smile. His eyes glowed, reflecting the light of the candles as he leaned in, took a deep breath and blew out the flames.
"My birthday is really not until tomorrow," he added.
"Party starts now," said Abby smiling back at him "and doesn't quit until you're thirty."
Friends, laughter and talking, dinner, video games, music, black balloons bursting, more laughter, more talking, and sometime after midnight, they cut the birthday cake and dished up bowls of ice cream.
Lester left soon after the cake and ice cream was eaten to return to his flat. Claudia offered to drop Duncan and Tom off on her way home. Danny, who had requested the night off from the restaurant, drove Sarah to her home. And Sarah surprised Danny by asking him to stay.
Becker walked Jess back to her nearby flat. They were talking about the look on Connor's face when he'd realized the birthday party was for him, and birthday's in general, when Jess mentioned her last birthday. Becker stopped walking and stared at Jess. Becker regarded the poised, confident young woman before him.
"I thought you were older," said Becker in surprise.
"A lot of people think that," Jess chuckled "I went to uni early… I'm brilliant you know."
She skipped up the steps and quickly inserted the key in the outer door of her building.
"Would you like to come in for a bit," Jess invited.
Becker had slept on the sofa at her flat the first weekend they'd met and they'd been dating since late June. Becker was taking things slowly, too slowly in Jess's opinion. He always walked her home and Jess often invited Becker in for a cup of tea. Quiet whispered conversations, kisses and cuddles on the sofa were a favorite end to a lovely evening. This time, Jess was surprised when Becker refused.
"I should get going," Becker replied as he backed away. "It's late."
It wasn't until the next morning that anyone checked the mail. The usual coupons and flyers for takeaway restaurants were present. There was a new one for some place called Geppetto's Pizzaria. There was also a rather official looking government envelope. Connor and Abby were surprised to be notified Helen's trial had been postponed until January. Further information would be forthcoming.
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