Chapter 1

Authors Notes:

It's been many years since I wrote a fan fiction. Recently I re-watched Primeval and remembered how much I enjoyed it (the first 3 seasons especially) so thought after reading all the amazing fan fictions from others authors here I'd throw my hat in and give it a go, give something back to the Primeval community. This is my First Primeval fiction, so please go easy on me in the reviews lol. Constructive feedback always welcome.

This is an AU set at the end of season 3, they never follow Helen, so no Danny going missing and no Connor and Abby being stuck in the past either. So the last episode never happened. This happens in it's place.


8:30am

To say Abby was pissed was an understatement. "I'm going to kill him" Abby fumed to herself as she stormed her way into the Arc building.

It was one thing to be late, but to not show up nor answer his phone was quite another.

"CONNOR!" Abby yelled as she got to the lab Connor had been working in of late, turning into the room only to see Sarah turn from whatever it was she was doing in surprise. "Have you seen Connor?" Abby asked

"I haven't seen him since yesterday, what's he done now?" Sarah replied somewhat amused. Connor was always getting himself into a pickle with Abby, their tiffs never lasted long.

Abby signed. "Stood me up for breakfast and hasn't answered his damn phone all morning"

Sarah sympathised. Everyone knew how the two felt about each other, Cutter had told her as such before he was killed. "Connor wouldn't intentionally stand you up Abby."

"He better not had!" Abby replied

Sarah while fairly new to the team had been on the team long enough and had built a friendship especially with Connor so decided to give her friend a helping hand.

"Abby, out of everyone here you're the last person Connor would intentionally cancel on. You know the way he feels about you right?"

Abby sighed. They were just pals, despite the recent kiss she felt he didn't return her feelings. He didn't return the kiss, nor chased after her. He didn't even try to ring or see her the following days. It took using Rex to come over to Lester's apartment where Connor had been staying for them to actually chat. She didn't want any weirdness between them. The simple fact was she missed Connor, he was her best friend and really the only person she could rely on. She knew she loved him, ever since Caroline she knew it was more than friendship took her a while to realise she had actually been jealous of Caroline.

"We're just pals, it's what he wants." Abby replied somewhat defeated in her voice.

Sarah wasn't stupid. While she preferred working on ancient artefacts as it was her speciality she also had been her fair share of social gatherings and got fairly good at reading people and she knew Abby returned Connor's feelings.

"Abby, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Connor fancies you, like a lot." Sorry Connor, but you'll thank me later.

Abby just looked in surprise. She wasn't amused she once knew Connor had loved her. On that cliff that day with the Mer creatures where he refused to let her go as she was falling. He told her he loved her. But afterwards he'd denied saying anything.

"Maybe once he did, but he doesn't anymore"

Connor didn't even flirt with her anymore, that look of longing she consciously noticed he used to give her was no longer there. She missed that look, it used to make her heart flutter. That look in his eyes, a look of hope. She was just glad he still gave her that smile, that smile always made her melt inside.

"Abby he admitted it to me about a week ago. He told me in this very room when I was teasing him about you two. I told him when I first met you I swore you were a couple."

Sarah remembered it well. It was another day working on the artefact and Connor as usual had his head down working on something to help improve the locking mechanism he only recently had gotten working. With no anomalies recently it had been a rather long and slow day. Sarah needed a break, so she decided to have a little fun. Her and Connor had build what she'd like to think was a good friendship since Cutter had died and before he had Cutter had confided in her about the young pair on the team.


"Hey Con." Sarah called out smiling. Once Connor looked up it was game on. "So you and Abby, how long you've been dating?"

Connor dropped the soldering iron in surprise. "Wha!" He stuttered

Sarah's grin grew wider. "You and Abby, dating, how long?" She repeated amused.

"Who said we were dating?" Connor answered having gathered his composure.

"Just seems like the word is getting around, the soldiers have been talking and such." Sarah answered a bit of a fib but hey she was enjoying this already. "Plus it was obvious the first time I met you both that you guys had a thing."

Connor gave a slight smirk at that. "We're just pals." Connor replied somewhat defeated inside but had trained himself not to show it.

Sarah wasn't having any of it. "Sure, are they your words or hers."

Connor sighed. Connor felt like a broken record every time he repeated Abby's hurtful words. Every time someone mistaken him as her boyfriend the look of almost disgust on her face when she said 'We're just pals' or 'We're friends' broke his heart a little more. He never let on. Never told her how much it hurt him. There were times when the hope was there, little things like cuddling on the lounge on a cold night watching a movie, a few times after one of her nightmares about her childhood she' sneak into his bed for comfort. So many times it felt like their friendship was going beyond that, made him feel loved only for her to say or do something that broke his heart.

Sarah didn't need him to answer. "So they're hers, and how do you feel?" The look on his face, Sarah knew this was no longer right to tease him. It was now her being a friend trying to comfort and council him.

Connor sighed. He loved her, no doubt about it. He only said it once and after everything that had happened he couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud. He did once but the look on her face afterwards, and the act as if she hadn't heard him made him take it back to avoid offending her.

"I fancy her, I always have and probably always will, but she only see's me as a friend." Connor finally admitted defeated.


Abby was surprised. Surly Sarah was only saying this to try and calm her down. If Connor fancied her why didn't he return her kiss at the racetrack the other day, or chased after her, or tried to call her? She had to go over to Lester's apartment and try and make things right. No Sarah was just trying to calm her down, if Connor really fancied her he would've showed up for Breakfast or at least called or answered his damn phone.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do Sarah, but if he fancied me he wouldn't had stood me up."

At that and without another word, Abby left the lab, determined to find him.

Danny was the next one Abby bumped into. Danny was good at reading people, a skill he picked up during his time in the police force. Seeing the young blonde almost charging down the hallway he knew she was upset, no angry. "Hey what's up!"

Abby stopped just after passing him. She wasn't in the mood for morning pleasantries especially after her conversation with Sarah, if anything it made her madder at Connor but taking it out on her coworkers wasn't fair. It was Connor who deserved her rage, "Have you seen Connor?" She asked, more calm than she had initially been with Sarah.

Danny shrugged. "Not since yesterday, let me guess, another love tiff with him?" Danny was smirking, ear to ear.

Abby wasn't impressed. She knew Danny saw her kiss Connor at the racetrack. She ignored his grin not being in the mood. "He stood me up for breakfast and isn't answering his phone." She replied "When I find him.."

'Poor Connor had stuffed up this time'. Danny liked the young man, in a way despite how new he was to the team Danny and grown to think of Connor almost like a little brother. No one would ever replace his own brother Patrick who disappeared years ago through an anomaly. But it didn't mean he didn't care about the young man who was so totally clueless and amused him some days.

"Have you checked security to see if lover boy logged in today?" Danny suggested with a smirk.

"Great idea. Thanks." Abby replied ignoring Danny's nickname for Connor and resuming her march heading for Becker's office. Danny shook his head as she left. Will those two ever sort themselves out?

It took Abby only moments to get to Becker's office. The ARC wasn't as big as it appeared due to being a small operation. Walking in she could see Becker at his desk with a mountain of paperwork.

"Hey Becker, has Connor logged in this morning?" Abby asked as soon as she entered.

Becker looked up, haven't hearing a knock or her enter. He could see the young woman from alpha team wasn't in the mood for morning pleasantries. The look on her face said it all. Her and Connor were having another of their classic fights. Connor obviously done something to upset the young firecracker. Deciding it was better to just answer the question as it was too early in the morning for any sort of issues, having been on that side of her temper before out in the field.

Checking the log in he nodded. "His last access was the Menagerie about an hour ago."

'What the hell is he doing in there!' Abby mused. She thanked Becker and headed for her work stage. After entering she looked around, everything seemed normal and surprise no Connor.

Great another dead end. 'Where the hell is he?'

Abby's first cause for concern was when she head Sid and Nancy, hers and Connor's Diictodon pets.

"Hey guys what are you doing her and where is your daddy?" Abby asked the Diictodon's knowing full well they wouldn't be able to answer her. She always called Connor their Daddy, same for Rex when he wasn't in ear shot because she knew Connor knew she called herself their mummy and didn't want to make things awkward or weird.

But they should be at Lester's apartment where Connor is staying.

Connor had moved out when Abby's brother Jack had come to stay. Jack had caused all sorts of trouble for Abby and Connor. Including gambling Rex off in a poker game. Connor has gotten him back without any mention of the entire incident. It was Jack who came clean after she treated Connor poorly sating he hated Jack, Connor stood there and took her accusations without even mentioning it. After Jack told her she had felt terrible and it was then she realise that Connor was worthy of risking it all for a relationship. No one had treated her as well as Connor despite how she had sometimes treated him. It was a simple fact that she now loved him. Typical once upon a time she would've only had to say it and Connor would've jumped at it but she had never felt like that about him until Caroline and had trained him in a matter of words to just be pals.

As her stomach started to get tighter with worry she picked up her phone and decided to try ringing Connor again. As soon as she did she heard is phone go off. Looking over she saw his phone next to the carrier he must've used to bring Sid and Nancy in. He had left his phone.

That was when concern turned to panic. "Connor what's going on, where are you?"

Heading out, with Connor's phone in her hand, running this time she moved with a purpose stopping for no one heading for the only person who might know where he is.


To say Lester was annoyed was an understatement. This morning was already starting out to be an utter pain and there hadn't been any anomalies yet. The Minster had already been on his back about new procedures and then there was a mountain of paperwork. He hated paperwork and wondered if he could employ someone to do it for him.

So he wasn't amused when he saw Abby charging in with no knock.

"Oh my all means come in, it's not like I have a door or anything."

Abby ignored him. "Have you seen Connor this morning?"

"Now why would you think I would keep tabs on Temple?" Lester answered annoyingly.

"He lives with you." Abby responded harshly. It wasn't common knowledge that Connor lived with the boss. He didn't like anyone knowing, Connor had a big mouth, something he was going to have words with him about shortly.

"Not so loud." Lester hissed. Upper management had an imagine to uphold. "He was gone this morning when I awoke, I assumed he had his own things to do before coming in."

"He never turned up for Breakfast this morning, he came to the Arc left Sid and Nancy at the Menagerie and also left his phone." Abby started sounding almost like Connor barely a breath between words as she was really starting to panic seeing Lester hadn't had seen him either. Her voice being raised hadn't gone unnoticed either.

At that point Danny poked his head in again not knocking. "Oh why doesn't everyone just walk in." Lester annoying stated.

Danny ignored him. "What's going on I can hear this all the way down at the ADD." Danny was doing his morning rounds. He really didn't have much to do when he wasn't in the field he didn't even use the office he was assigned. He normally just assisted where he could, normally with Becker or just flirting with Sarah.

"Connor's missing." Abby blurted out. Almost in tears.

Danny looked between the hysterical young woman and the boss. He could see the young woman was fighting back tears.

"Don't be so hasty Ms Maitland." Lester tried to calm her down. "This is Temple we're talking about, he probably just left his phone on the bench by accident. Probably last night looking for you before he logged out."

Abby didn't agree. "He was supposed to meet me for breakfast and he brought Sid and Nancy to the Menagerie." It didn't make any sense something was seriously wrong she could feel it in her gut. This day had started out to be one of the worst she'd had in a long time, Jack missing though an anomaly on par with today.

"He probably forgot about your date." Danny replied feeling sorry for the young woman.

Lester muttered under his breath. "Finally he came to his senses those rodents have been destroying my apartment." The Diictodon's were a menace in Lester's eyes.

Before Abby could bark at either man, Lester's computer dinged with an email. "Ah Temple just sent an email." He added before opening it. The change on Lester's face didn't fill Abby with confidence.

"What does it say?" Abby asked concerned. Her eyes were stinging with tears she was always so strong but for some reason when it came to Connor she had so much difficulty keeping up the strong walls she'd spent years building. All she wanted to know was where Connor was.

Lester's day just gotten worse. "He's resigned." Lester let out shocked. "He's leaving the ARC."

Danny and Abby both looked shocked. "He loves this job doesn't he?" Danny asked somewhat shocked.

Abby only nodded at him her full attention on Lester as tears started to fall from her eyes.