********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

Chapter 5 : Plans

Once Connor had ironed out his thoughts into something that Mac and Jackalyn would be able to comprehend, he spent the next twenty minutes or so explaining it as clearly as possible. Halfway through, Jack got up to get him another sandwich when his stomach growled at him again, and Connor and Mac sat there quietly until she returned. Mac looked at Connor.

Apparently he was meant to believe that Connor was from an alternate universe, and while in the past had met another Mac, who said he'd met another Mac. It was enough to make his head spin, to be honest.

"So, the other me said he met me?" The young soldier attempted to sort it all out. Connor nodded. Jacks frowned for a moment before she met Connor's eyes.

"What did the other Mac say, exactly?"

"Mac! Wait!"

"Connor -"

Mac ignored both of them as he ran down the corridor of the ARC, away from Connor and Jack. Apparently he was supposed to go along with this, even knowing that there was a good chance that in order for Connor to see his wife again, Mac would have to lose his life. He didn't even know this Connor! how could the other man seriously ask that of him?!

Connor's knees wobbled, but he stood despite that, chasing Mac as the other man ran.

"Mac! Wait!" He hadn't explained it all! Bloody hell, he'd really messed this one up! There was so, so much more to it than Mac thought, but because of Connor's theatrics in telling him, Mac'd run before he'd finished. Hs heart was hammering in his chest as he nearly overbalanced skidding around a corner. Mac ignored him completely... sort of like how Connor was ignoring Jackalyn's attempts to stop him from running.

She grabbed his arm as he slowed down at a fork in the corridors, unsure which way Rendall had gone, and Connor found his legs giving out beneath his malnourished body now that adrenaline wasn't pumping through his system. Jackalyn caught him, helping him slide down to sit on the floor against the wall. He took a few moments to catch his breath, and turned to look at Jack. She was glaring at him.

"Look, I know this looks bad, but -"

"So you're saying you weren't implying that Mac has to die? And you're also saying you weren't just running after barely eating for a week?" Her glare was Abby-worthy, and Connor winced.

"No! I mean yes! I - I wasn't sayin' that Mac has ta die, okay? It's no' as simple as all tha', anyway. Or at least... if he does, it's not just important to me personally, Ab - Jackalyn." He winced at his slip up. "If we don't follow th' basic idea of the main timeline, we could unravel time completely, yeah? As in, we don't know how important this whole.. thing, is, an' we can't just say tha' the risk in't worth it, yeah? It's not jus' about me 'n Abby, Jackalyn."

Jack let him finish, before her mouth firmed. "It's Jack, Connor." She paused. "You really think that's true, though?"

"It's wha' it all adds up ta, Jack. A lot of thinkin's gone inta this."

"Huh." Jack exhaled gustily, pressing her lips together in the way that Abby did when she was concentrating on something. "I guess we have to find Mac and explain. I don't know if he'll be any happier with your full theory, though." Jack smirked at him. "And you're still in trouble for runnin' like tha'. You didn't think about how weak your body is right now."

"Are you gonna take me ta the Medic's? 'Cause I don' fancy our chances of y' carryin' me all the way there, 'n Jess'll think someone hurt me if I stay 'ere."

"Someone did hurt you - yourself. Honestly, I thought maybe you were different from my Connor, but apparently not in that respect."

Connor grew quiet.

"I... " He began, but then switched gears. "How're you no' a quivering ball of heartbreak, eh?"

Jack froze.

"How do you know I'm not? I just don't want to show it - or let it rule my life."

Connor was quiet for a few moments again, before he glanced at her.

"You're like Abby, you know? Sometimes I'm surprised by the fact that there's somethin' she's afraid of. Me, everythin' scares me and excites me in equal measure. But Abby - oh, she's scared of love, of commitin' to a real relationship built on love. She pushed me away because she thought if she let me inta her heart. eventually I'd leave 'er. We worked out a lo' of our fears together in the past, but it wasn' till a month or so b'fore our weddin' that we finally banished out respective demons." He paused, biting his lower lip for a moment. "Wha' I'm tryin' ta say is, don't let the fear that everyone'll leave ya, rule your life, either. Let 'im in, once we get this all fixed up, tha' is." Connor said softly. Jack finally moved, breathing as she realized she'd stopped while he spoke, and touched his arm lightly.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"No problem." They leaned against the wall, sitting side by side on the ground, neither saying anything.

A moment later Jack scrambled to her feet and chuckled.

"We got all emotional and I almost forgot to go find Mac!" She exclaimed, running off. Connor watched her go and smiled. Hopefully Mac would listen to Jack. He didn't fancy trying to do it himself. The other man probably didn't want anything to do with him, anyway.

Connor hadn't seen Mac or Jack since the misunderstanding, but he trusted Jack to convince Mac that this was important. For now, he had to concentrate on getting them to the point of actually needing Mac's coöperation.

He had to convince Matt, first.

He found the team leader in his office, surrounded by plants. Connor gazed around and breathed deep - the number of plants in the space made the air seem fresher than any other place in the ARC. He saw Matt, and headed over to his desk, putting the stack of papers in his hands down.

"Look, Matt, I know I... we discussed...decided tha' we shouldn't interfere with the anomalies, but..." Matt turned to Connor. "...you did to save the world, an' if I'm righ', if I don't do this, everythin' could unravel." Connor said, tryign to keep his voice steady. Matt looked at him.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get back to Abby?" The Team Leader asked quietly. Connor flinched.

"No." He knew that his emotions were separate, as best as he could get them, from this matter. "There's so much more than just me 'n Abby at stake 'ere. It's just a possible benefit, on th' side, yeah?" He bit his lip, then thumbed through the stack of papers on which he had written up all his calculations and theories.

"I think, I can't be sure yet, tha' if we do nothin', it'll cause the paradox of all paradoxes. Basically not good news, Matt."

The other man nodded.

"What do you think we should do?" Matt asked. Connor had to resist the urge to cheer.

"We still have the data on file from Cutter's anomaly prediction model, yeah? We gave up after 'e died, but you mentioned it once, I think..."

"It's incomplete, and still was in my timeline. The fact that I stopped New Dawn means that that future will never exist. So improving upon the unfinished data can only be a good thing." Matt said, smiling. Connor grinned. Matt was glad to see his friend looking so lively. Those first days, watching the once cheerful man starving himself, a far-away, broken look in his eyes, had been painful. Matt was sure Jack had something to do with this sudden turnaround, and he was overjoyed. Even if he wasn't completely sure of Connor's motives, the younger man was a genius, and knew what he was doing and risking.

"Alright, let's go to the Hub. Jess has the access codes to the memory banks for those files."

"Cheers, mate." Connor said, falling in step as they left Matt's lab.