A/N: Just a fun little smut piece written during 4x07 - sometime after they get back from the prison, sometime before Connor makes his discovery. Ah, yes, the gift.

Spoilers: A little bit of 4x07, certainly not the meat or plot of the episode.

Warning: Explicit sexual content. Not child or work friendly.

Summary: Until Philip Burton, Abby had been the focus of Connor Temple's existence. Burton had no right to come between them. Connor was hers, and it was time she staked her claim.

Off His Leash

By: Danae Bowen

"Not…" his voice cracked, so he paused, closing his eyes and breathing deeply for a moment before trying again. "Not that I'm complaining, but, please, tell me what I did to deserve that?"

She chuckled softly, moving to where she'd left her purse, pulling out her panties and slipping them up her legs. "Connor…." She shook her head as she had to rescue her bra from where it had hooked on one of the machines hanging from the ceiling. Her shirt was an easier find, having caught on the edge of the table behind Connor, and dangled just off the floor. When she was finally dressed, she turned to look at him, still sitting half naked in the center of the lab floor. She flashed him a small smile and her eyes flicked uncertainly to the box that sat next to her purse.

He frowned then, immediately sensing the seriousness underneath her teasing. "Abby? Best tell me now, or I'll spend the next forever worrying over it, yeah?"

She cleared her throat and picked up the box, twisting it in her fingers. "Connor, since we've been back, we've not really been the same people we once were, have we?"

He shrugged, his eyes growing shielded. "S'pose not, but it's expected." He forced a grin onto his face, and he lifted an eyebrow. "Top of the food chain again, 'n all."

"Yeah, about that," she swallowed heavily. "Connor, I know you like him, and I know I've not been the greatest support since we've gotten back, but you've really got to start standing up to Burton, 'cause I'm getting the feeling that you're putting him first, and that doesn't really do me well, y'know?"

He blinked at her, his expression flash changing between confusion and guilt, and he forced his attention to the floor as he occupied himself with pulling his boxer shorts over his legs without actually getting to his feet. He finally settled on meeting her gaze with dead honesty. "Philip's asking a lot of me, yeah? But he's never really gonna come before you, Abby, I swear."

She shook her head, turning the box over in her hands, frowning. "Yeah, I know, Connor, but I can't shake the feeling that he's at least trying to do. With this lab off limits and ordering you off when we're on mission, there's something not right about it."

Connor sighed, leaning back against the door, watching her with a thoughtful expression. "Is that really what you wanted to say?"

She shook her head, moving to sit astride him, settling across his thighs as she looked into his eyes. "You're not his pet, Connor. You have to stop acting like he owns you."

His eyes flashed sharply, "Abby, I don't act like a…"

She nodded, "You do, sort of."

He flicked his gaze down to the box and then back up to Abby. "What's in the box?"

She shrugged. "A reminder of sorts."

"Yeah, a reminder of what?"

She shrugged again, pink tingeing her cheeks as she struggled against her own cowardice. Instead she opened the box and took out the thin strip of leather that lay within. Without asking she reached forward and clasped it around his neck before leaning back and grinning at him, proudly.

He blinked. "Tell me that's not a dog collar."

She laughed outright. "Not exactly, no. It's a leather choker, and personally I think it suits you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "All right."

She gestured casually at the ring hanging around his neck. "Thought you could hang your ring on it."

He knew, just knew, that the other shoe hadn't dropped yet. He watched her fidget on his lap, watched as her eyes kept flicking to his throat, watched as her fingers twitched and twisted what should've been an empty box between them. He sighed and took the box from her grasp, reached inside and pulled free the little charm waiting at the bottom.

The charm was simple, a small silver medallion in the shape of what was meant to be the sun, he supposed. Eerily enough, it looked almost identical to the colourless anomalies they'd discovered earlier in the day. He looked up at Abby, a half smile on his face, ready to thank her for the thought, when he realized she'd gone three shades of pink and was up and off his lap before he could speak. Swallowing thickly, he turned the charm over in his fingers, only then catching the light engraving in the back. Reading the words, he sighed deeply, his heart thundering in his chest with pleasure. Shaking his head, he attached the charm to his choker without hesitation. She looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged, grinning at her.

"What'd you expect, Abby?" The words were turned into his throat, no one but him would ever see the small engraving that read very simply, "Love First.". His grin spread and took over his entire face, his dark eyes dancing with hope and happiness.

She breathed a sigh of relief and moved back towards him, leaning down to offer him a gentle kiss. His lips move softly against hers before a sudden thought crossed his mind and he chuckled.

"Hey, Abby… just don't go bringing home a leash, yeah?"

She froze, her tongue darting out to travel over her lips as she turned the thought over in her mind.

"Abby?" His eyes widened and he tilted his head to the side, feeling the sudden twitch in his pants as he drank in the dark look in her eyes.

"Abby?"

She put a smile on her face and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, deciding then that this would be a conversation for another time. "Wouldn't dream of it."

~~~Fin