Connor expected that Abby would pull her hand from his, he really did, but she did nothing of the sort though she did glance at him a bit unsurely and he wondered why. He supposed he should ask her what she was thinking, after all they were supposed to be having all these special talks today, but he didn't want to embarrass her, or himself. So instead he just squeezed her hand a bit tighter and walked as close to her as possible without tripping on her and knocking them both to the ground.

Abby hoped that Connor couldn't feel how quickly her pulse had sped up through their joined palms. She felt a tiny bit uncomfortable as she wondered if he had even realised that he was holding on to her. Would he get all embarrassed when he realised and then she'd have to be embarrassed for not pulling away? The gifts were one thing, but holding hands was most decidedly something that "just friends" did not do and Connor had certainly never taken hers before. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he'd held her hand for a couple of seconds here or there when they were running from any kind of something-osaurus or whatever, but she'd never thought that counted. This was different.

But then he squeezed her hand even tighter and when she looked at him she saw him smiling at her. She relaxed and smiled back; he did know what he was doing after all. She was really beginning to think that the girl in the bar had been nothing more than her own imagination. Surely Connor would have mentioned her by now. She'd been worried for days, but she was realising that her worry had been needless. She decided not to bring it up yet, but she'd ask him later.

Just as they reached the ARC, Connor dropped her hand and reached for his swipe card to let them in. He held the door open for her and then entered behind her. Then he glanced at her, "Which way are you heading?" Even though he knew the answer.

"Gotta go check on the mammoth," Abby answered. The mammoth was the reason Abby always got to work earlier on Mondays. She missed her giant friend over the weekend and couldn't wait to check up on him again.

"Alright!" Connor grinned, "Come on then, I'll walk you there and then I've gotta head to the lab."

Abby turned to him, "Connor, I really am quite capable of finding the menagerie on my own."

"Didn't say that, did I? Maybe I want to see the mammoth too."

"Or…."

"Or maybe I want to hold the pretty girl's hand a few minutes longer," Connor grinned, taking her hand once more as he lead her through the ARC.

Abby just gaped at him and noticed a few other people were doing the same as they watched them walk hand-in-hand towards the menagerie. Only, those people were probably gaping at her too for not pulling away, she decided.

Connor dropped her off at the menagerie and left her with another quick kiss on the cheek before heading back to the lab where Sarah was tapping her foot impatiently and waiting for him.

Connor winced when he saw her.

"What's up, Connor?" she asked in a tone that was annoyed. "You're usually here before this."

"Abs usually makes us come early on Mondays. Today though, we walked."

He could see that Sarah was taking that information in with stride. She hesitated a bit longer and then asked him cautiously, "Are you sticking to the list?"

"Kinda. She let me hold her hand the entire way here!" Connor's face burst into the grin that he couldn't contain any longer and all trace of annoyance disappeared from Sarah's face. She flung her arms around Connor's neck into a quick hug to show her delight and then demanded that he tell her everything.

Connor told her and then broached his fears with her about how to bring up the things that Sarah wanted him to bring up. Sarah smiled at him, "I was starting to double think that part myself: was a bit worried about what'd you'd say. Might put your foot in your mouth, though I'm not sure how, I am sure that you'd manage. So, I've got something for you to make it really easy."

Connor was definitely listening. Sarah rummaged around in her purse and then pulled out two identical pieces of paper that seemed to have some questions written on them.

"My young cousin," she explained, "is always finding these things online that she likes to call "Fun Personality Surveys." Basically, they are kind of like a game to get to know each other, it's a list of questions and both person puts in their own answers. The questions range from easy stuff like "What is your birthday?" to silly stuff like, "Have you ever joined the circus?" to more serious ones like, "What are your goals in life?" I printed out a copy for each of you. Just tell Abby you want to play the game with her. Then you each fill out your own answers and compare them with each other later and talk about any that surprise you or you didn't know. The point is to be totally, 100% honest in them. There are 25 questions on this one, which my cousin sent me last night, and I've read over them. They are all safe to use without revealing your feelings for Abby before the list is done and will get you the information that you need for Day Six, which you'll need by tomorrow to prepare for. The only one I'm slightly concerned about is that there is a freebie option… The last question reads in a way that will give Abby a chance to ask you anything she wants, so you'll just have to be careful how you answer to keep your little secret for a few more days."

Connor scanned over the questions and grinned: this was perfect! He excused himself and headed straight back to menagerie, determined to explain the game to Abby so that they could fill them in while they were apart for a bit at work and then discuss the answers as soon as they got home that afternoon.