Fic: Reality, Part Four of Eight (Abby/Connor, angst, hurt/comfort, romance, M)
Title: Reality Part Four of Eight
Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen
Fandom: Primeval
Characters: Connor Temple/Abby Maitland
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Rating: M - violence, perceived death, sexual situations.
Word Count: In total approx. 22k. This part approx 1600.
Spoilers: Set Post Series 5 - everything is fair game.
Summary: Sometimes life isn’t what it seems, but the damage done while they believed it? Well, that is never easily left behind.
Disclaimer: Primeval quite obviously doesn’t belong to me - if it did, I’d need a whole new rating for the things I’d do to Niall Matter. :D Please don’t sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they’re all I have.
A/N: This fiction is what it is because of the direct influence of evenstar_estel, tay_21, wilemina_29 and prehistoriccat. Ha, this part is just a bit of setup for Abby, so nothing particularly exciting. But we do get to meet Evan Cross! :D Honestly… I’m not partial to him in the least. :D Thanks for all the encouragement and reviews, they really make a girl’s day. :D
~~~E~~~
Life overseas was surprisingly not nearly as different as she’d expected. When her flight had landed in Vancouver, she was immediately met by a young man in a dark sedan. In a way he reminded her of Connor, dark hair, crooked grin, a dimple that appeared every time he smiled. His grey eyes, however, set them apart completely. Connor’s dark eyes were warm and loving, to meet him was to almost immediately be pulled in by their warmth, his innocence open to anyone who cared to see. The man who drove her from the airport, his eyes were guarded, the grey misting smoky blue as they drove before slipping back to grey, what he was thinking hidden behind his guarded gaze, and yet, even still, Abby could see a great sadness lurking within him, hidden just as deeply as his thoughts.
They’d chatted easily about her flight, if she was tired, if she was hungry and she smiled as he watched her, quietly judging her responses before turning the conversation from idle chitchat to business at hand.
“So, they say you’re the expert when it comes to these animals,” he smiled in her direction, purposely keeping his expression guarded.
She shrugged, “Yeah, I s’pose so.”
“How many years you been doing this?”
Why she felt guarded, she couldn’t say, but she found herself shrugging again as she peered out her window, watching as they began the short trek into the city. “Five or so, off and on.” She thought briefly of her time in the Cretaceous, lost and alone with Connor, depending on each other to survive, and felt the tears prick at the back of her eyes as she took an unsteady breath, clearing her throat. “Right, anyhow, Lester says the ARC here is nearly set up? That was quick, yeah?” She tried to sound impressed, she settled for sounding somewhat interested.
“Well, when the money and motivation are working cohesively,” he winked, grinning the grin that brought out the dimple that betrayed his youth, “Speed is the smallest factor in the way.”
“Ah, Evan Cross,” she nodded slowly, turning the name over in her mind as she returned her gaze to the city line. “I’ve heard he’s quite invested in getting the Canadian ARC off the ground.” In fact, she’d heard that Evan Cross was quite the mix between Cutter and Connor; he’d been the deciding factor in expanding the operation across the ocean. He had the money, the intelligence and the connections to bring together a team that in time would rival her own. She rather looked forward to working with him, although she’d like to know the driving factor behind his passion for anomaly research. Every one of them had a reason: Cutter had Helen, Stephen and Connor followed Cutter, she, herself, had the animals, while Matt had the future to protect and Emily her past to bury. Their connections were strong, the trust between them unbreakable, their need to do what they did infallible.
Evan Cross… he’d come out of nowhere, adapted Connor’s equipment for his own personal use, and along the way had put together a team much the same as theirs had been five years prior. Rough around the edges, but with the skills to make it work. In fact, Abby really looked forward to meeting Dylan Weir, the large predator specialist that Cross had on staff.
He glanced over at her in consideration for a moment, shaking his head quickly. “I was under the impression you’d been fully briefed on the team,” he mentioned, quietly.
“I read through the personnel files that Jess provided, but admittedly I spent more time studying the sightings you’ve already faced.”
“Ah,” he grinned.
“What?”
“Questioning someone about their history mere moments after you’ve met them, Miss Maitland, has never been the social norm.” There was laughter on his lips, grey eyes gone blue as he chuckled quietly, his shoulders immediately relaxing to let her know he only teased. “If there’s something you want to know about me, Abby, just ask.”
“Oh.” Well, damn. “You’re much younger than I’d expected,” she muttered in her own defence, ignoring the flush of red that stained her cheeks.
“If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’d be… oh, wait.” He grinned that cheeky grin, his tone gentle and teasing.
“Bugger,” she murmured quietly, denying his charm as she fell quiet until they’d pulled into a grand community of condominiums on the waterfront a few minutes later.
“The entire team is put up in the Shoreline building, including myself. While you’re here you’ll have a private condo with it’s own terrace that you’re welcome to make your own. All your expenses are covered, of course, except for consumables. Satellite, internet and phone are already hooked up. You’ll find your number stuck on the fridge if you need to give it to anyone. You’ll be on the fifth floor, second apartment from the end. Dylan’s in the one next to you; I assume you’ll want to speak with her when you’ve settled in.”
That caught her attention. She definitely wanted to speak with Dylan Weir with regards to humanely capturing the creatures where possible, the techniques they’re using for storage and where necessary putting the animals down with the least amount of pain and stress possible.
“Ha, you claim you’re interested in me, but one mention of Dylan’s name and your ears perk up like a golden retriever. I‘m sure I should be offended,” He grinned as he opened the door for her, escorting her from the parking garage and into the grand foyer of the apartment complex. “But I’ll give you a second chance.”
Abby couldn’t help herself and she snorted softly, earning her another dimple inducing grin from Evan Cross. “Are you always this friendly, then?” She shook her head, chuckling quietly.
“Only to lovely British women who’ve been dropped on my doorstep.”
Abby chewed slowly on her lower lip as she looked into his lovely grey eyes, so stormy with the secrets they wouldn’t betray, and she smiled.
Evan made it so easy for her to believe that perhaps rebuilding her life so far away from everything she knew and loved wouldn’t be too difficult at all. His flashing dimple, his easy grin, they promised something she couldn’t define. Oddly, she could see a future she’d never considered warring with the storm in his gaze, and it comforted her in ways she’d never imagined.
Her grin widened as he walked her to her flat, chatting easily about things she may like to see whilst staying in Vancouver. He opened the door for her, made sure she was settled, pointing out the obvious necessities in the unit. Everything about him was helpful and friendly, even if tomorrow, on some level, he’d be her boss.
When he excused himself so that she could unpack, he flashed his dimple one final time, letting her know that if she needed anything she could find him on the top floor and that his cell was #1 on her landline speed dial.
“If there’s anything you want now, however, I could be persuaded to stay…”
His teasing grin made her laugh, her blue eyes shining for the first time since waking up on that uncomfortable cot and watching her entire life begin to crumble away.
She pushed him out into the hallway with a chuckle, agreeing to meeting Evan and Dylan for dinner in the penthouse in a few hours. It wasn’t until the door was closed and locked, leaving her alone in the new apartment, silence descending like a curtain in the void left by Evan’s presence, that her eyes dulled once more and a fresh flow of tears stained her cheeks.
Moving on would only be easy if she’d let it be… and Abby didn’t quite know how.
~~~E~~~
In The Next Part!
Abby found herself invited to the penthouse to have dinner with Evan, not an irregular occurrence, she and Dylan spent many evenings in Evan’s company. That night, however, she and Evan were alone, curled up on the sofa in his lounge, eating a grilled chicken Caesar salad that Evan had picked up on the way home. She eyed the beer he was nursing with a jealous eye, meeting his lifted eyebrow with a shrug.
That was the night that Evan managed to work his way into Abby’s heart.
Coming Soon!
If You Missed Them:
Part One: Fic: Reality Part One of Eight (Connor/Abby, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Romance, M)
Part Two: Fic: Reality Part Two of Eight (Connor/Abby, angst, hurt/comfort, Romance, M)
Part Three: Fic: Reality Part Three of Eight (Connor/Abby, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, M)