Avery sat on a bench in the university court yard looking at the students bustling around her. She was nursing a hangover from the night before with Michael, her boyfriend. With Stephen in hospital she had missed her initial date with Michael. They managed to go out the night after before they headed back to his place.

"How's the new job going?" Michael asked from where he sat next to Avery, she couldn't tell him about the anomalies so she had to find another way to explain why she had disappeared the last few days.

"Shh, talk quieter." She whispered and he chuckled. "It's alright. It could be a bit more interesting." She laughed quietly on the inside knowing the anomalies were as exiting as it got.

"Why won't you tell me anything about it if it's that boring?" Michael said.

"You'll find it boring, and I don't want to bore you."

"How boring could it be if Stephen managed to get hurt?" He accused. It was a continued argument from last night. The same argument the reason she had a headache now. A hangover for making Michael drunk to forget about the issue so they could enjoy there night.

"I told you he just got bitten by a spider." She shrugged wincing as the movement caused her head to pulse.

"Okay." Michael said skeptically. He grabbed her hand and held it in his. "Come on. I'll walk you to your car." He walked her across the yard to the car park. "I'll meet you after my class. Say my place?"

"Sure, if nothing comes up." Giving her a quick peck Michael left one last goodbye and walked back to his class. Avery got into her car and drove towards the hospital.

"Not a thing after I went into the tunnels. Probably for the best though, right? Still, they say it's only short term, so, you know…" Avery heard Stephen say as she walked into his hospital room. He was packing his bag ready to leave as he chatted to Connor about his memory.

"Hey." Avery said as she leaned on a medical cabinet next to Connor listening to their conversation.

"Hey" Both of them replied.

"What's with the sunglasses?" Connor asked somewhat loudly.

"Shh. Hangover." Avery replied. Her headache had calmed down but it was still a light throb.

Stephen threw her a pack of aspirin and she took two.

Connor continued the chat with Stephen saying quietly then before "it's all been pretty scary, hasn't it? You know, it's not until you got bitten that I though that one of us might actually die from doing this. Really upset me."

"You must have gone through hell." Stephen said sarcastically faking concern.

"Yep." Connor said before a grin spread across his face.

Avery and Stephen grinned with him sharing in some silent joke.

"It did make me think about what's important though, you know. Sorts out your priorities a bit." Avery agreed with Connor. What would happen if she was the one to get bitten and had died. She knew her father, Michael and Stephen would miss her, but who else. Avery used to have a great deal of friends when she was younger but when Helen disappeared she grew distant from them, preferring to spend more time with her father and Stephen. It was a wonder she met Michael at all.

She broke away from her thoughts as Connor stands up. "If you get killed, can I have your iPod?" Avery snorted at his request. What a weird thing to say, but it wasn't surprising he said it.

Abby walks in before Stephen can reply. She was wearing a skirt with long black boots and black tights. She wore a red shirt and a cream sweater with a deep v-neck. The guys do a double take. Avery can see Connor looking up and down checking her out and rolled her eyes.

"Is that perfume?" Connor asked catching a faint whiff of it.

Abby replied to his question in a disbelieving tone. "I can do the girl thing, you know." Avery knew Connor had a reason to be surprised, Abby didn't appear to act as most women do and her mannerisms suggested she was more of a person who was used to having more male friends. (And I actually mean just friends)

"Ooh." Connor mimicked as he threw a pillow onto Stephen's hospital bed.

"You look really good." Stephen complimented.

"Thanks." Abby said.

"It's good of you both to come. Shouldn't have bothered." Stephen gestured towards Abby and Connor.

"Don't flatter yourself. Some of us just like hanging out with nurses." Connor joked leaning around Avery to look at the nurse standing behind her desk. Avery moved and blocked his view, smirking at him.

"Come on, I'll give you a lift home." Abby offers turning to face him as he was about to leave.

Stephen: Oh, there's no need. My girlfriend's picking me up.

"Girlfriend?" Avery and Connor said staring at him. The last time she knew Stephen wasn't seeing anyone, at least no one he ever told her about.

"Allison. She's been in the rainforest for two years researching infectious diseases." Avery kept quiet at Stephen's words, she had a feeling he was lying. There was something he wasn't telling them.

"Let's hope she's not one of those girls who brings her work home with her." Connor said.

"Hmm, you must have missed her." Abby turned away and retreated behind the bed, a look of disappointment crossing her face.

"Yeah. I'd better go." Stephen said walking out of the room. He refused to look at Avery as he left knowing she could tell he was lying.

"Bye." Connor holds a hand up to say goodbye as he walks off.

"Two years. How much sex are they going to have over the next few days?" Connor said sensing Abby's mood. Sometimes he was a complete idiot but at other times he was quite empathetic.

Abby throws a pillow at Connor.

"Sorry." Abby apologizes.

"It's alright."

"Well, so much for the girl thing."

"I think you look great." Connor compliments.

"Me too. Any guy would be lucky to meet you." Avery said sitting next to Abby on the bed.

"Hey how did your video to Lester go?" Avery asked Connor.

"I thought it was pretty good. Though I did lose a good water bottle." Connor said.

"What is it with you throwing metal things into the anomaly?" Abby asked glancing at Connor.

"It's cool, that's all." Connor said sheepishly.

Abby shook her head silently and turned to face Avery. "How was last night with Michael?"

"It was good. Could have gone a little better." Avery replied. There was a buzzing in her pocket and she pulled out her phone. "It's Dad. There's been another creature incursion at the Crystal Palace Diving Institute." Avery told them. "Do any of you know where that is?"

"I do it's just past Christmas street." Abby said getting up. "I'll meet you there."