Disclaimer: Primeval and all its characters belong to someone else.

Summary: - Connor needs help- and so does Vancouver!

New Dawn is over, but Connor still feels the after effects badly. Matt and Lester have a plan to help him get his confidence back by sending him to Vancouver to help the newly formed Vancouver ARC- and to retrieve something that belongs to him!

Vancouver Calling

Chapter Three- The Journey

Connor stood in the airport with Abby, having already checked his luggage in. He was amazed at how nervous he felt. It was as if he and Abby were being torn apart. He was so grateful he'd been brought to his senses over New Dawn before his relationship with Abby had been destroyed. It would really be a lonely place here without her. They held hands tightly and nuzzled each other now and again- they were going to miss each other so much. Becker and Matt had also made the journey to the airport with them- Connor felt it was to make sure he actually got on the flight and didn't chicken out, but they had discretely left the young couple alone for a short while so they could say their goodbyes in private.

"It's only for a month" Abby told him "You'll be back before you know it."

"I know…"sighed Connor "It is really exciting, I suppose- I'm just… I'm just gonna miss you!"

"Me too!" Abby's face suddenly brightened up playfully "Oh well, give me a day or two and I'll be off dating one of the others- mmm Jamie Cardle's not too bad…"

Connor's face dropped. "Oh, er yeah, with your looks I guess I don't blame you" he said sadly.

"Connor!" exclaimed Abby "I was joking! Jamie Cardle's a married man! No, seriously, I don't want anyone else- just you." With that she kissed him passionately on the lips, not caring they were in full view of other people in the airport.

"Oh" Connor sighed as they broke apart "I knew that…"

"And" Abby continued, emphasising each word with a kiss,

"Don't" kiss…

"You" kiss…

"Find" kiss…

"Another" kiss…

"Woman!" kiss…

"Who, me?" Connor replied innocently, flushing slightly, but smiling broadly and raising his eyebrows suggestively a few times. "There's only one girl for me- that's my fiancée!"

They laughed together playfully and then as they looked at each other, they suddenly sobered and just locked eyes, not seeming to be able to look away. They leaned towards each other, so near their lips were almost touching…

"Sorry, you two." a voice interrupted "But your flight has just been announced."

"Oh yeah- right." Connor and Abby broke apart at the sound of Matt's voice.

"Lucky we were here!" laughed Matt "C'mon, they really need your help, you know!"

"I know." sighed Connor, trying to smile.

Abby looked at him and although she was feeling tearful herself- they hadn't been apart much these last few weeks, she knew this was the best thing for Connor. She had, in fact, been asked if she wanted to go with him, but she knew that Connor had to get back his self esteem, and this was the way to do it- on his own, instructing people on the two subjects he knew the most about- dinosaurs and technology. She had fought back the first response to say she'd do it, and suggested to Matt that Connor go alone.

"Don't forget to bring back whatever they've got of yours!" she whispered to Connor "I'll look forward to seeing what you bring! I'm dying to know what it is!"

Connor and Abby just about had time for one last kiss, and a quick handshake and clap on the back from Matt and Becker before he was whisked away to board his flight. As he sadly looked out of the window as the aeroplane took off, the UK getting smaller and smaller every moment, he smiled a little at the thought of Abby. He couldn't wait until they got married. He'd use this time to 'get over' the trauma of New Dawn, and when he got home, he'd suggest to her that they get married this summer! She'd be a beautiful bride. He was so lucky- he'd never thought in a million years that his dream would come true and Abby would love him too. He thought about how they had come together as a couple when they were lost and alone in the Cretacious. He smiled a little at the memory. How long ago it seemed, now. They had been nothing but children when they first went through the anomaly- scared to tell each other how they felt, but both trying to reach out to the other just to have something or someone interrupt, losing the moment which they were both too afraid to recapture.

Abby and he had often laughed together about Becker and Jess- how they also danced around each other. Connor secretly thought they were worse than he and Abby had ever been. He'd try and do something about those two when he got back, he mused- short of throwing them through an anomaly to spend a year alone together, that is!

Connor's thoughts went back to that day! The best day of his life! OK, so he had just escaped being torn to shreds by a raptor that thought he'd make a delicious dinner- but it was what happened afterwards that made the day so memorable. At first Abby had been furious with him for getting himself into the situation at all- but he was just hunting-'hunt gathering' Abby called it! (He loved that phrase- made him feel butch and tough!) He'd caught a huge fish, like nothing he'd ever seen before, but it was the first time he'd actually caught anything with his makeshift spear. He'd been so proud of himself that he stood up and yelled to her to look what he'd caught. Unfortunately, the raptor also heard him, and came flying full pelt towards him roaring angrily. It had slashed wildly at Connor, causing a deep gash down the front of his chest, and Connor had instantly gone down in a heap. The raptor would have had him for sure if Abby hadn't intervened and executed a brilliant kick to the raptor's head. It fell back instantly, and as it flailed about trying to regain its footing, Abby had run it through with the spear!

Connor had pushed himself up into a sitting position, and Abby grabbed his hand and they ran back to their shelter as fast as they could manage before any other creatures came, attracted by the smell of blood. By the time they got back, Abby had been absolutely furious and had smacked his shoulder hard, screaming at him that he was an idiot, a liability! Connor just stood there and took all that she threw at him, wincing at the pain from his wound and the not so gentle blows Abby reined upon him. Suddenly he grabbed her wrists mid slap. He remembered how Abby's anger had quickly abated, and tears came to her eyes- Abby never cried! He realised it was the shock, and as they looked deep into each other's eyes they both finally gave in to the passion that had been smouldering for such a long time.

Pain forgotten, Connor had pulled Abby into a passionate kiss, first on her lips, then travelling downward to her neck and her heaving chest. They threw their clothes off into a heap at their feet as passion finally overtook them, and they finally gave in to the undeniable love they had for each other….

Connor almost groaned aloud as he remembered that first time with Abby. He pulled himself together- he was on a plane full of people! He settled down to look at some of the data he'd brought with him- that quickly brought him back down to earth! As he looked at the names of the various dinosaurs- many of which he'd actually seen in person, a small thrill of excitement suddenly coursed through him. This may not be too bad after all. He sat immersed in reviewing some data on a giganotosaurus, when he suddenly felt some eyes on him. Feeling a little wary, he looked up to see four small brown eyes looking at him and the pictures of the dinosaurs with interest.

"Er…hello!" he said to the two small children kneeling on the seats in front of him, arms folded across the backrest of their chairs, looking at Connor from over the top of the seats. The little girl giggled and dropped down in her seat, but the boy, who was slightly older- perhaps about eight or nine, asked...

"What you doing mister? Is that…is that a dinosaur?" he queried pointing to the papers in Connor's hands.

"Yes! Well done." said Connor "Do you know what sort it is?

"Is it …erm...is it a t-rex?" asked the boy. The girl popped up suddenly and said t-rex- copying her older brother. She couldn't quite pronounce the 'r' in rex and it sounded like she'd said tee- wex. Connor was instantly smitten! What great kids!

"Almost," he beamed at them "look…" and he turned the pages around so that they could see the picture better. "It's a giganotosaurus. You say it like this- giga- noto- saurus. It's like a t-rex but bigger, and nastier!" With that he waved his hand as if it was a claw and growled "rraaagghhh."

"Wow!" said the boy, fascinated. "What others have you got?"

Connor pulled out more pages from his folder. He made sure they were only details of dinosaurs that most people had heard of- he couldn't let them see the future predators, for example. The little girl didn't really understand the conversation, but liked to copy her brother, and liked the pictures Connor was holding. He didn't know that his enthusiasm for the creatures or his way of talking to the children as if they were adults endeared them towards him. They were fascinated by his accent (they were from Vancouver and were returning home after a holiday to the UK), and loved his excitement at explaining all the little features about the dinosaurs. As they became braver, the children left their seats and came to sit next to Connor, the little girl nearly sitting on his lap. Connor nervously looked over at the parents- he didn't want to offend, but they smiled and seemed to think their children were safe with him.

They had a lovely time, the boy in Connor emerging as they talked about the dinosaurs, acting them out and making roaring sounds, copied by the children with much silliness and laughter, until the meals were about to be handed out. The children were recovered by their mother and went back to their seats, but the little exchange had given Connor a bit more confidence.

"Maybe I'll be able to teach the Vancouver team about the dinosaurs, after all." he thought. But then his grin faded…these were just children. He was going to have to deal with adults- he'd never been good with new people- his nervousness always made his childish side come out, and he tended to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, without meaning to! Well, he'd just have to try harder. He had to warn them that anomalies were serious stuff- people died! And New Dawn could have destroyed the world! He finished his meal and settled down to sleep so that he'd be ready when he arrived. He could do this. He would do this…

To Be Continued…

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