Fic: Hold My Silence (Chapter 17)
Title: Hold My Silence
Author: casy_dee
Rating: T
Characters/Pairing: Connor/Abby
Spoiler: Series 3
Warning: Angst
Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Abby has secrets in her past, but is it right to keep them there? Can Connor accept it? Set in the Cretaceous...
Part: 17/20
Previous chapters, if you missed one
Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5 , Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8 , Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11 , Ch 11.5 (M), Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 14.5 (M), Ch 15,
Ch 16
Chapter 17
Abby and Connor excitedly hurried towards the cave; Abby couldn't wait to see it close up. Upon closer inspection, calling the depression into the cliff face a cave was a bit of a stretch, but it was shielded from the elements and the sun. Mineral deposits painted the walls and ceiling in vibrant shades, and the mineral spring gurgling in the center sparkled, its water clear and steaming.
"Looks warm, Abby," Connor grinned.
She crouched down by the surface and dipped her hand into the water; it wasn't warm, it was hot… bathwater hot. Oh, she missed baths. Of all the things they had left behind, with the possible exceptions of food and a soft bed, she'd missed hot baths the most. It was hard work to do the daily tasks necessary for them to stay alive and fed; her muscles ached every day. And even padded with ferns and grasses, sleeping on their pallet often left her stiff and aching in the morning. She'd had dreams about soaking in a bubble bath, and this was fairly close… she could already imagine it.
"Conn, let's camp here tonight. We brought supplies, and the sky is clear. Nothing can get into here easily," she persuaded.
He nodded, "Yep. I was just thinking that, m'self."
Abby looked Connor up and down speculatively, and then began stripping off her clothing.
"You getting in?" she asked, smiling wickedly.
He nodded dumbly, still wearing the same awestruck expression he always did when she began removing articles of clothing.
The hot spring had become their new place for relaxation. They visited it at least every couple of days. Finding a place where they could truly relax and forget about their troubles did them both a world of good, especially considering how close the deinonychus were hanging out near their home cave lately. They had begun to not even feel safe there. Connor was sleeping so lightly now that it hardly counted as sleep. It didn't help matters that they had seen two more anomalies that had winked out before they were able to reach them. They had camped out by the spring on more than one occasion to get a brief reprieve of sorts, but it wasn't ideal.
So far, they had been unable to catch the deinonychus near enough the horseshoe-shaped portion of the crevasse to shepherd them the rest of the way in, but they kept their packs loaded with what they would need at all times just in case they moved into position. They followed the dinos each time they moved in the direction of the crevasse, but so far, they had always stopped short. Each time, Connor and Abby had to accept that they just had to deal with them for another day, but they were getting impatient. Abby was afraid that Connor would try something stupid if they couldn't be rid of them soon.
Today it looked as if they might finally get lucky. Abby tried to act as if she wasn't terrified to put their plan into action, but she was. She could think of so many things that could go wrong, but she was determined not to let her fear rule her. She'd always been a practical girl, and it was practical to eliminate the daily threat to their safety.
She and Connor were just returning from baiting the trap they had set up for the deinonychus when they saw the herd. Abby and Connor cautiously skirted around them, just intent on getting back to their cave until Connor spotted them heading north. He traded an uneasy glance with Abby, trepidation and fierce determination in his dark gaze. He was frightened, as well, but like Abby, he would do what was necessary to keep them safe.
Spears held aloft, they tracked behind the herd, barely keeping them in the line of sight. They had to stay far enough away from them so that they'd not be viewed as a threat, or a meal. The deinonychus stopped on a couple of occasions, but they continued heading steadily north. It was as good a chance as they would ever have. Their plan was as sound as they could make it; they had put far too much time planning and setting it up over the past couple of weeks, and forgone too many meals so that they had meat to use as bait for it not to work. She still couldn't help but worry… if the wind opposed them too much, or if one of them wasn't fast enough, or if- Abby cut herself off. It was the best plan they had.
Just northward up the valley from the crevasse, a sheer cliff wall ran east-west for leagues, thus preventing the dinosaurs escape in that direction. They planned to light their torches and then flank the creatures once they got near the trap, if they didn't walk directly into it. Connor would set the fire on his end to stop their travel further east, and they'd have no choice but to head south or westward into the deep horseshoe shaped area of the crevasse. Abby would be south, and if they headed in her direction, she'd light her fire there. Connor would circle around to the south to join her, and provided the wind cooperated, either the dinosaurs would be forced towards the ravine, or into the fire. Once they were past the opening of the horseshoe, Connor and Abby would seal off the exit, thus springing the trap.
In a perfect situation, the deinonychus would simply head into the horseshoe shaped area on their own, and Abby and Connor would wait until they were far enough in so that they could cut off the exit without alerting them of their presence. The area was deep enough… if they were very careful.
They had begun leaving chunks of meat, fish, all that they had to spare, at the far end of the horseshoe… that had been Abby's contribution to the plan. Although it had not attracted the deinonychus, it had attracted velociraptors, which was just as good bait as the meat itself. Abby knew animal behavior, and a quick meal that didn't protest being eaten was the best meal. The velociraptors and a few other smaller creatures now frequented the area to get the easy meal, and thus served as bait themselves. It was a distinct possibility that the deinonychus would see easy prey at the end of the horseshoe and move in to attack.
It was hard work to hunt the meat only to leave it on the ground in the hopes that this plan would succeed, but it was the safest way. Connor had experienced a couple of very close calls when leaving the meat each morning, and if they hadn't have seen the dinosaurs begin to move into position this morning then Abby would have had to agree with Connor's initial assessment, they would need to cede this area to them and find a new home. If this didn't work, it would be the only choice left to them.
Hope swelled in her chest as they neared the horseshoe. There was a feed going on at the end of the horseshoe, and the deinonychus pack was quickly moving in on it. Connor looked back to her, his face set in determined lines. She nodded her confirmation, acknowledging she was ready to do her part. He'd go to the northern end of the horseshoe, she'd stay at the south end, and hopefully the deinonychus would be involved enough in the feeding frenzy to not realize what was happening until it was too late.
Abby dug out the prepared bundle of magnesium shavings and tinder, her torch and the magnesium match. Once again, she thanked Becker's foresight at including the magnesium match in their packs. It was a standard military issue item, and it had helped them tremendously. They tried to rely on them as little as possible; it used quite a bit of the block each time it was used. If they ever got back, she'd suggest adding a survival knife. She figured he hadn't included one because he wore one on his person, as did the rest of the ARC soldiers, but he should have realized that military types wouldn't be the only ones using the gear inside. She supposed she should just be grateful of the items that had been inside the bag.
Abby struck the magnesium block with the metal piece attached to it, her hands shaking as she worked to get the fire going enough to light the torch. It was soaked in pine resin coated tinder; it should burn hot and catch fast once she put the little flame to it. She hoped Connor was having a quicker time of it. It would be just their luck that the dinosaurs would finish their feeding frenzy before they were ever able to get the torches going. Finally, the little flame caught. Abby touched the torch to it and looked to Connor. He'd gotten his lit also.
They both jogged towards the opening and made ready to set the grass alight. The wind was blowing strongly to the west at the moment, but it could change at any time. Once they set the fire, they needed to be ready to run in case things went pear shaped. Together, they touched their torches to the ground and started moving towards each other, dragging the torches along the ground. The deinonychus smelled the smoke sooner than they'd anticipated, but so far they had just lifted their heads to sniff the air. They were almost done; just a few minutes more and then they could step back and see if the plan would actually work.
The herd of deinonychus had begun to actively panic, charging the parameters of the horseshoe to try to find a way out. Their shrill cries stood up the hair on Abby's neck, and she just hoped that the creatures didn't figure out that the source of their suffering was the two little humans with the flaming sticks. She lit the field as fast as she was able to, and the dry grass in the field caught so quickly that she was able to move at a slow run.
As soon as the fire line was complete, they tossed their torches as far as they could into the horseshoe. Connor gabbed her arm and they ran together to put some distance between the fire and themselves. The dinosaurs were well and truly trapped. They had done it. They had trapped the dinosaurs. The wall of fire was so thick now that there was no way for the deinonychus to escape, and it was growing rapidly in both directions. So much so that Abby and Connor were getting choked by the billowing smoke; they needed to get out of the area before the fire got them… and they needed to run.
Coughing and gasping for air, they ran south as hard and fast as their legs would carry them. Abby stumbled and fell hard once, but Connor was there in an instant, his arm around her waist pulling her back up and forward.
"Alright?" he choked out.
"Fine," Abby managed to gasp out, "Keep going."
By the time they had put enough distance between the fire and themselves, Abby thought she might fall over from exhaustion. She pulled Connor to a stop; they both needed to catch their breath.
"Abby… We're closer to the spring than to our cave. You fancy staying there tonight, yeah?"
Abby smiled slowly as she looked at Connor, smudged with smoke and dirt, pride at their success lighting up his eyes as he gave her a crooked dimpled grin.
"Well, you are in desperate need of washing," she teased.
He laughed, "If you could see yourself in the mirror…"
She loved Connor's laugh… she heard it so rarely these days. It always made her have to smile in return.
"I think a bath in the hot spring is a brilliant idea," she agreed.
Abby settled in the hot spring, leaning her neck back against the edge with a contented sigh. She heard her sigh echoed in Connor as he sank into the pool directly across from her. Their mission to chase out the deinonychus from 'their' territory had been frightening and dangerous, but their cave would be much safer because of it.
Abby cracked her eyes open to watch Connor from under her lashes. His head was tilted back, eyes closed, a soft smile playing across his lips. Connor was relaxed and happy, the dimple in his left cheek slightly visible, his normally animated face smooth and unlined. He sighed, then dipped himself under the water and came back up to resume his position without even opening his eyes.
She was watching him openly now, lured in by all that wet gleaming flesh. Heat pooled in her belly, desire wakening in her. Connor opened his eyes, meeting her gaze; his smile broadened as he recognized the desire written on her face.
"If someone were to tell me three years ago that I'd ever be sat in a pool next to you, I would have never believed it," Connor remarked.
She smiled, "Things change."
Connor made a noise of acknowledgement, "Course, if they also were to tell me I'd be trapped in the Cretaceous era…"
Abby laughed softly, "Yeah."
"Least I'm trapped with you," he smiled.
"I don't imagine you'd be enjoying this hot spring quite the same with Danny," she smirked.
Connor chuckled, "No. As fond of Danny as I am, it's not the same, is it?"
His smile faded, an all to familiar wrinkle deepening between his eyebrows as his expression turned serious. Calm happiness gave way to pensive speculation; Connor sometimes thought too much.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Huh?" Connor blinked, "Oh, nothin' really," he replied as he smiled his false smile.
"Connor, you are a rotten liar," Abby chastised.
He nodded sheepishly, "I was just thinking that if you'd not been trapped here with me, you'd not… just that you wouldn't have had to settle with me."
Abby rolled her eyes, "Are you serious?"
Connor nodded gravely, "Yes."
"Look… when will you get it through your thick hardheaded skull that I'm with you because I want to be?" she asked him impatiently.
He gave a short laugh, "Honestly? Probably never."
Abby shook her head, "Yeah, well you'd better get used to it." She crossed the pool to him, sitting herself on his lap.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Could get used to that."
"Connor Temple," she closed the distance between them, bringing her lips close to his, "I find you very attractive… and what did I say?"
"You…" he cleared his throat, but his next words still came out hoarse and low, "You are always right."
"Mmmhmmm," she agreed, and brushed her lips over his.
Connor's arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. Abby traced her hands over his shoulders, encouraging him to move closer. She couldn't imagine how lost she would have been without Connor by her side all this time… or in her life these past years. She just knew she didn't want to ever be without him.
TBC
A/N: Hmmm. So, what did you think? I hope you'll tell me. The whole 'chasing off the dinos' thing was a serious pain in my ass, so I hope you liked the way it turned out. They do still have one rather large dino to worry about, though….
Just thought I'd add that the Connor/Danny idea in a hot spring immediately made me think of the Denial folks. Thought that would be a lovely mental image *grins*
Anyway... Please comment?
Author: casy_dee
Rating: T
Characters/Pairing: Connor/Abby
Spoiler: Series 3
Warning: Angst
Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Abby has secrets in her past, but is it right to keep them there? Can Connor accept it? Set in the Cretaceous...
Part: 17/20
Previous chapters, if you missed one
Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5 , Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8 , Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11 , Ch 11.5 (M), Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 14.5 (M), Ch 15,
Ch 16
Chapter 17
Abby and Connor excitedly hurried towards the cave; Abby couldn't wait to see it close up. Upon closer inspection, calling the depression into the cliff face a cave was a bit of a stretch, but it was shielded from the elements and the sun. Mineral deposits painted the walls and ceiling in vibrant shades, and the mineral spring gurgling in the center sparkled, its water clear and steaming.
"Looks warm, Abby," Connor grinned.
She crouched down by the surface and dipped her hand into the water; it wasn't warm, it was hot… bathwater hot. Oh, she missed baths. Of all the things they had left behind, with the possible exceptions of food and a soft bed, she'd missed hot baths the most. It was hard work to do the daily tasks necessary for them to stay alive and fed; her muscles ached every day. And even padded with ferns and grasses, sleeping on their pallet often left her stiff and aching in the morning. She'd had dreams about soaking in a bubble bath, and this was fairly close… she could already imagine it.
"Conn, let's camp here tonight. We brought supplies, and the sky is clear. Nothing can get into here easily," she persuaded.
He nodded, "Yep. I was just thinking that, m'self."
Abby looked Connor up and down speculatively, and then began stripping off her clothing.
"You getting in?" she asked, smiling wickedly.
He nodded dumbly, still wearing the same awestruck expression he always did when she began removing articles of clothing.
The hot spring had become their new place for relaxation. They visited it at least every couple of days. Finding a place where they could truly relax and forget about their troubles did them both a world of good, especially considering how close the deinonychus were hanging out near their home cave lately. They had begun to not even feel safe there. Connor was sleeping so lightly now that it hardly counted as sleep. It didn't help matters that they had seen two more anomalies that had winked out before they were able to reach them. They had camped out by the spring on more than one occasion to get a brief reprieve of sorts, but it wasn't ideal.
So far, they had been unable to catch the deinonychus near enough the horseshoe-shaped portion of the crevasse to shepherd them the rest of the way in, but they kept their packs loaded with what they would need at all times just in case they moved into position. They followed the dinos each time they moved in the direction of the crevasse, but so far, they had always stopped short. Each time, Connor and Abby had to accept that they just had to deal with them for another day, but they were getting impatient. Abby was afraid that Connor would try something stupid if they couldn't be rid of them soon.
Today it looked as if they might finally get lucky. Abby tried to act as if she wasn't terrified to put their plan into action, but she was. She could think of so many things that could go wrong, but she was determined not to let her fear rule her. She'd always been a practical girl, and it was practical to eliminate the daily threat to their safety.
She and Connor were just returning from baiting the trap they had set up for the deinonychus when they saw the herd. Abby and Connor cautiously skirted around them, just intent on getting back to their cave until Connor spotted them heading north. He traded an uneasy glance with Abby, trepidation and fierce determination in his dark gaze. He was frightened, as well, but like Abby, he would do what was necessary to keep them safe.
Spears held aloft, they tracked behind the herd, barely keeping them in the line of sight. They had to stay far enough away from them so that they'd not be viewed as a threat, or a meal. The deinonychus stopped on a couple of occasions, but they continued heading steadily north. It was as good a chance as they would ever have. Their plan was as sound as they could make it; they had put far too much time planning and setting it up over the past couple of weeks, and forgone too many meals so that they had meat to use as bait for it not to work. She still couldn't help but worry… if the wind opposed them too much, or if one of them wasn't fast enough, or if- Abby cut herself off. It was the best plan they had.
Just northward up the valley from the crevasse, a sheer cliff wall ran east-west for leagues, thus preventing the dinosaurs escape in that direction. They planned to light their torches and then flank the creatures once they got near the trap, if they didn't walk directly into it. Connor would set the fire on his end to stop their travel further east, and they'd have no choice but to head south or westward into the deep horseshoe shaped area of the crevasse. Abby would be south, and if they headed in her direction, she'd light her fire there. Connor would circle around to the south to join her, and provided the wind cooperated, either the dinosaurs would be forced towards the ravine, or into the fire. Once they were past the opening of the horseshoe, Connor and Abby would seal off the exit, thus springing the trap.
In a perfect situation, the deinonychus would simply head into the horseshoe shaped area on their own, and Abby and Connor would wait until they were far enough in so that they could cut off the exit without alerting them of their presence. The area was deep enough… if they were very careful.
They had begun leaving chunks of meat, fish, all that they had to spare, at the far end of the horseshoe… that had been Abby's contribution to the plan. Although it had not attracted the deinonychus, it had attracted velociraptors, which was just as good bait as the meat itself. Abby knew animal behavior, and a quick meal that didn't protest being eaten was the best meal. The velociraptors and a few other smaller creatures now frequented the area to get the easy meal, and thus served as bait themselves. It was a distinct possibility that the deinonychus would see easy prey at the end of the horseshoe and move in to attack.
It was hard work to hunt the meat only to leave it on the ground in the hopes that this plan would succeed, but it was the safest way. Connor had experienced a couple of very close calls when leaving the meat each morning, and if they hadn't have seen the dinosaurs begin to move into position this morning then Abby would have had to agree with Connor's initial assessment, they would need to cede this area to them and find a new home. If this didn't work, it would be the only choice left to them.
Hope swelled in her chest as they neared the horseshoe. There was a feed going on at the end of the horseshoe, and the deinonychus pack was quickly moving in on it. Connor looked back to her, his face set in determined lines. She nodded her confirmation, acknowledging she was ready to do her part. He'd go to the northern end of the horseshoe, she'd stay at the south end, and hopefully the deinonychus would be involved enough in the feeding frenzy to not realize what was happening until it was too late.
Abby dug out the prepared bundle of magnesium shavings and tinder, her torch and the magnesium match. Once again, she thanked Becker's foresight at including the magnesium match in their packs. It was a standard military issue item, and it had helped them tremendously. They tried to rely on them as little as possible; it used quite a bit of the block each time it was used. If they ever got back, she'd suggest adding a survival knife. She figured he hadn't included one because he wore one on his person, as did the rest of the ARC soldiers, but he should have realized that military types wouldn't be the only ones using the gear inside. She supposed she should just be grateful of the items that had been inside the bag.
Abby struck the magnesium block with the metal piece attached to it, her hands shaking as she worked to get the fire going enough to light the torch. It was soaked in pine resin coated tinder; it should burn hot and catch fast once she put the little flame to it. She hoped Connor was having a quicker time of it. It would be just their luck that the dinosaurs would finish their feeding frenzy before they were ever able to get the torches going. Finally, the little flame caught. Abby touched the torch to it and looked to Connor. He'd gotten his lit also.
They both jogged towards the opening and made ready to set the grass alight. The wind was blowing strongly to the west at the moment, but it could change at any time. Once they set the fire, they needed to be ready to run in case things went pear shaped. Together, they touched their torches to the ground and started moving towards each other, dragging the torches along the ground. The deinonychus smelled the smoke sooner than they'd anticipated, but so far they had just lifted their heads to sniff the air. They were almost done; just a few minutes more and then they could step back and see if the plan would actually work.
The herd of deinonychus had begun to actively panic, charging the parameters of the horseshoe to try to find a way out. Their shrill cries stood up the hair on Abby's neck, and she just hoped that the creatures didn't figure out that the source of their suffering was the two little humans with the flaming sticks. She lit the field as fast as she was able to, and the dry grass in the field caught so quickly that she was able to move at a slow run.
As soon as the fire line was complete, they tossed their torches as far as they could into the horseshoe. Connor gabbed her arm and they ran together to put some distance between the fire and themselves. The dinosaurs were well and truly trapped. They had done it. They had trapped the dinosaurs. The wall of fire was so thick now that there was no way for the deinonychus to escape, and it was growing rapidly in both directions. So much so that Abby and Connor were getting choked by the billowing smoke; they needed to get out of the area before the fire got them… and they needed to run.
Coughing and gasping for air, they ran south as hard and fast as their legs would carry them. Abby stumbled and fell hard once, but Connor was there in an instant, his arm around her waist pulling her back up and forward.
"Alright?" he choked out.
"Fine," Abby managed to gasp out, "Keep going."
By the time they had put enough distance between the fire and themselves, Abby thought she might fall over from exhaustion. She pulled Connor to a stop; they both needed to catch their breath.
"Abby… We're closer to the spring than to our cave. You fancy staying there tonight, yeah?"
Abby smiled slowly as she looked at Connor, smudged with smoke and dirt, pride at their success lighting up his eyes as he gave her a crooked dimpled grin.
"Well, you are in desperate need of washing," she teased.
He laughed, "If you could see yourself in the mirror…"
She loved Connor's laugh… she heard it so rarely these days. It always made her have to smile in return.
"I think a bath in the hot spring is a brilliant idea," she agreed.
Abby settled in the hot spring, leaning her neck back against the edge with a contented sigh. She heard her sigh echoed in Connor as he sank into the pool directly across from her. Their mission to chase out the deinonychus from 'their' territory had been frightening and dangerous, but their cave would be much safer because of it.
Abby cracked her eyes open to watch Connor from under her lashes. His head was tilted back, eyes closed, a soft smile playing across his lips. Connor was relaxed and happy, the dimple in his left cheek slightly visible, his normally animated face smooth and unlined. He sighed, then dipped himself under the water and came back up to resume his position without even opening his eyes.
She was watching him openly now, lured in by all that wet gleaming flesh. Heat pooled in her belly, desire wakening in her. Connor opened his eyes, meeting her gaze; his smile broadened as he recognized the desire written on her face.
"If someone were to tell me three years ago that I'd ever be sat in a pool next to you, I would have never believed it," Connor remarked.
She smiled, "Things change."
Connor made a noise of acknowledgement, "Course, if they also were to tell me I'd be trapped in the Cretaceous era…"
Abby laughed softly, "Yeah."
"Least I'm trapped with you," he smiled.
"I don't imagine you'd be enjoying this hot spring quite the same with Danny," she smirked.
Connor chuckled, "No. As fond of Danny as I am, it's not the same, is it?"
His smile faded, an all to familiar wrinkle deepening between his eyebrows as his expression turned serious. Calm happiness gave way to pensive speculation; Connor sometimes thought too much.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Huh?" Connor blinked, "Oh, nothin' really," he replied as he smiled his false smile.
"Connor, you are a rotten liar," Abby chastised.
He nodded sheepishly, "I was just thinking that if you'd not been trapped here with me, you'd not… just that you wouldn't have had to settle with me."
Abby rolled her eyes, "Are you serious?"
Connor nodded gravely, "Yes."
"Look… when will you get it through your thick hardheaded skull that I'm with you because I want to be?" she asked him impatiently.
He gave a short laugh, "Honestly? Probably never."
Abby shook her head, "Yeah, well you'd better get used to it." She crossed the pool to him, sitting herself on his lap.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Could get used to that."
"Connor Temple," she closed the distance between them, bringing her lips close to his, "I find you very attractive… and what did I say?"
"You…" he cleared his throat, but his next words still came out hoarse and low, "You are always right."
"Mmmhmmm," she agreed, and brushed her lips over his.
Connor's arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. Abby traced her hands over his shoulders, encouraging him to move closer. She couldn't imagine how lost she would have been without Connor by her side all this time… or in her life these past years. She just knew she didn't want to ever be without him.
TBC
A/N: Hmmm. So, what did you think? I hope you'll tell me. The whole 'chasing off the dinos' thing was a serious pain in my ass, so I hope you liked the way it turned out. They do still have one rather large dino to worry about, though….
Just thought I'd add that the Connor/Danny idea in a hot spring immediately made me think of the Denial folks. Thought that would be a lovely mental image *grins*
Anyway... Please comment?