Fic, Forever People, Abby/Connor, 12
May. 3rd, 2014 02:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredbassettTitle : Forever People
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Abby/Connor
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : After a year in the Cretaceous, even simple things can be daunting.
A/N : Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
luvconnor’s birthday. I hope you have a lovely day!
Abby drew in a deep breath, almost gagging on the tainted air of the 21st century, as she slowly stepped outside the security gates at the front of the ARC.
This was the first time she’d gone outside by herself since her return from the Cretaceous. She been on a couple of anomaly shouts, but those had been different. She’d been surrounded by Becker’s security teams who’d done their job and kept the general public at bay, so she hadn’t had to contend with people en masse. But she’d put off a trip outside by herself for too long, and she was determined not to let anyone know quite how much she was dreading being among people again.
Inside the ARC was different somehow, even though she didn’t know everyone who worked there since the move to new premises, but there she only had to deal with people a few at a time. Here, on a busy street, was quite different.
She was aware of potential threats all around her. In the Cretaceous she’d conditioned herself to be wary of anything that moved, be it on two legs, four legs, multiple legs or even no legs at all. Even if something looked harmless, it usually wasn’t. Connor had once ended up with a hugely swollen arm, just from brushing against something that had looked no more threatening than a large, orange slug. But something in its mucus must have irritated his skin, and she’d stayed up all night, watching anxiously over him until the swelling had started to go down. She hadn’t dared risk falling asleep, not without knowing whether he would be all right.
She’d got used to relying on all her senses, not just sight and sound, but smell as well as taste. At the moment, though, all she could smell was the cloying reek of traffic fumes, and her hearing was confused by noise from cars, buses and motorbikes, coupled by a mother trying yell louder than her screaming four-year-old.
Abby flinched, taking a step backwards while steeling herself against the urge to flee straight back into the safety of the ARC.
“All you all right, Ms Maitland?” The security guard sounded concerned.
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Fine, thanks.”
It was a lie and he probably knew it, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had to force down her fear, put one foot in front of the other and walk away from the gates. She’d sooner face a charging Spinosaurus than the throng of late afternoon shoppers, but that wasn’t an option any more. Or at least not until an anomaly decided to spit another one out in front of her.
Turning her head slightly from side to side to increase her field of vision as she walked along the pavement, Abby started to negotiate the crowd. Her anticipation skills had been finely honed during her year in the past, and that stood her in good stead now. Knowing in which direction a raptor would choose to run had saved her life on more than one occasion, and being able to work out in advance what path someone was choosing to walk on saved her from a great deal of uncomfortable jostling.
Crossing the road was easier. Even without the benefit of a pedestrian crossing, Abby found she could fall back on her old skills: ability to judge speed and distance were the same when dealing with cars or triceratops, and there were fewer people to contend with on the road.
A barking dog, tied to a lamppost outside a Tesco Express, presented a very definite threat, and without even thinking, Abby steered a course that took her out of its reach. It was only an overweight Labrador, but it still had teeth capable of tearing flesh.
By the time she’d reached her destination, Abby had started to get a grip on her emotions. After the time she’d spent in the past, she knew it would take time to adjust and, all things considered, she was cautiously pleased with her progress. She hadn’t actually struck out at anyone who’d invaded her personal space, so that very definitely counted as a win, although she had on a couple on occasions reached for the sharp bone dagger, fashioned out of a long, almost straight piece of rib, that she’d been accustomed to carrying with her at all times. Becker had gently pointed out that being caught with that outside the ARC probably wouldn’t go down to well.
Abby stood on the pavement outside a small, back-street shop called Forever People, wondering how she was going to cope in a confined space, but even she had to acknowledge that the customers didn’t look threatening. A long-haired lad of about 16 was rifling through a display of comics, while a kid of no more than eight was trying hard to decide between a model of Darth Vadar and a mobile phone case with a picture of the Tardis on, while his father looked on, long-sufferingly.
The guy behind the counter smiled at her and said hello, and she found herself being able to return his smile, even though her heart rate had increased since stepping inside. Having only one exit was never a good survival strategy, but unless an anomaly opened between her and the door, Abby had to accept that she was unlikely to run into any trouble in here.
She fished a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and put it on the counter. “Have you got any of these in stock?”
The man looked at the list, smiled and nodded. It took him five minutes to find everything she wanted, but by the time he’d finished, there was a large stack of comics beside the till. When he’d totted them all up, even he looked surprised at the size of the total, but Abby didn’t care. She had a year’s back pay in her bank account and very little to spend it on. Lester had made sure all their personal possessions had been crated up and kept in storage, so it wasn’t as if she’d needed a new wardrobe of clothes.
She paid in cash – Lester had given them both a generous advance on salary while Jess arranged new credit and debit cards for them. Once everything was safely bagged, up, she retraced her steps to the ARC, making one small detour into a newsagent.
The same security guard on the gate greeted her with a smile. “Did you get what you wanted?”
She nodded. It had definitely been a successful trip, but she was glad it was over.
It was going to take time to readjust, but she’d taken the first steps on the road back from the Cretaceous.
* * * * *
Abby put the mug down on the bedside table and said softly, “Wakey wakey, sleepyhead.”
Connor blinked and came awake in a heartbeat although, to his credit, he didn’t immediately reach for a nonexistent weapon. “Mmm, what have I done to deserve coffee in bed?”
Abby pushed his mop of dark hair out of his eyes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “It’s your birthday.”
Connor blinked in surprise. “Is it?”
She nodded and gestured to the large parcel she’d left by his bed. “Definitely is. Do you want your card first or your present?”
“Card first,” he said, squirming up in the bed until he was sitting upright.
The card had a picture of an cartoon enormous cake with candles, the words Happy Birthday emblazoned across the top. It wasn’t very original but she’d liked the bright colours and the simplicity of it. Connor smiled as brightly as the colours on the card and drew her into a soft kiss. Then, with all the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old, he set about burrowing his way through the wrapping paper like Sid and Nancy in search of a treat, to reveal the prize underneath.
His eyes widened as he stared down at the large pile of comic books, all still in their plastic wrappers. He dived from one to another, looking like a kid at Christmas. She’d checked where his comic collection had got to before they’d been trapped in the past, then she’d gone on line to work out exactly what he’d missed. Finding them all in a small shop not far from the ARC had been an unexpected bonus, and meant that Connor got to have all his treasures at the same time.
Seeing his pleasure in the gift brought a lump to Abby’s throat. They hadn’t had much time for birthdays in the Cretaceous, so this was another step on the road back to a more normal existence for both of them.
That is if a day job that involved rips in time and dinosaurs could ever be described as normal.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : Abby/Connor
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : After a year in the Cretaceous, even simple things can be daunting.
A/N : Written for
luvconnor’s birthday. I hope you have a lovely day!Abby drew in a deep breath, almost gagging on the tainted air of the 21st century, as she slowly stepped outside the security gates at the front of the ARC.
This was the first time she’d gone outside by herself since her return from the Cretaceous. She been on a couple of anomaly shouts, but those had been different. She’d been surrounded by Becker’s security teams who’d done their job and kept the general public at bay, so she hadn’t had to contend with people en masse. But she’d put off a trip outside by herself for too long, and she was determined not to let anyone know quite how much she was dreading being among people again.
Inside the ARC was different somehow, even though she didn’t know everyone who worked there since the move to new premises, but there she only had to deal with people a few at a time. Here, on a busy street, was quite different.
She was aware of potential threats all around her. In the Cretaceous she’d conditioned herself to be wary of anything that moved, be it on two legs, four legs, multiple legs or even no legs at all. Even if something looked harmless, it usually wasn’t. Connor had once ended up with a hugely swollen arm, just from brushing against something that had looked no more threatening than a large, orange slug. But something in its mucus must have irritated his skin, and she’d stayed up all night, watching anxiously over him until the swelling had started to go down. She hadn’t dared risk falling asleep, not without knowing whether he would be all right.
She’d got used to relying on all her senses, not just sight and sound, but smell as well as taste. At the moment, though, all she could smell was the cloying reek of traffic fumes, and her hearing was confused by noise from cars, buses and motorbikes, coupled by a mother trying yell louder than her screaming four-year-old.
Abby flinched, taking a step backwards while steeling herself against the urge to flee straight back into the safety of the ARC.
“All you all right, Ms Maitland?” The security guard sounded concerned.
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Fine, thanks.”
It was a lie and he probably knew it, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had to force down her fear, put one foot in front of the other and walk away from the gates. She’d sooner face a charging Spinosaurus than the throng of late afternoon shoppers, but that wasn’t an option any more. Or at least not until an anomaly decided to spit another one out in front of her.
Turning her head slightly from side to side to increase her field of vision as she walked along the pavement, Abby started to negotiate the crowd. Her anticipation skills had been finely honed during her year in the past, and that stood her in good stead now. Knowing in which direction a raptor would choose to run had saved her life on more than one occasion, and being able to work out in advance what path someone was choosing to walk on saved her from a great deal of uncomfortable jostling.
Crossing the road was easier. Even without the benefit of a pedestrian crossing, Abby found she could fall back on her old skills: ability to judge speed and distance were the same when dealing with cars or triceratops, and there were fewer people to contend with on the road.
A barking dog, tied to a lamppost outside a Tesco Express, presented a very definite threat, and without even thinking, Abby steered a course that took her out of its reach. It was only an overweight Labrador, but it still had teeth capable of tearing flesh.
By the time she’d reached her destination, Abby had started to get a grip on her emotions. After the time she’d spent in the past, she knew it would take time to adjust and, all things considered, she was cautiously pleased with her progress. She hadn’t actually struck out at anyone who’d invaded her personal space, so that very definitely counted as a win, although she had on a couple on occasions reached for the sharp bone dagger, fashioned out of a long, almost straight piece of rib, that she’d been accustomed to carrying with her at all times. Becker had gently pointed out that being caught with that outside the ARC probably wouldn’t go down to well.
Abby stood on the pavement outside a small, back-street shop called Forever People, wondering how she was going to cope in a confined space, but even she had to acknowledge that the customers didn’t look threatening. A long-haired lad of about 16 was rifling through a display of comics, while a kid of no more than eight was trying hard to decide between a model of Darth Vadar and a mobile phone case with a picture of the Tardis on, while his father looked on, long-sufferingly.
The guy behind the counter smiled at her and said hello, and she found herself being able to return his smile, even though her heart rate had increased since stepping inside. Having only one exit was never a good survival strategy, but unless an anomaly opened between her and the door, Abby had to accept that she was unlikely to run into any trouble in here.
She fished a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and put it on the counter. “Have you got any of these in stock?”
The man looked at the list, smiled and nodded. It took him five minutes to find everything she wanted, but by the time he’d finished, there was a large stack of comics beside the till. When he’d totted them all up, even he looked surprised at the size of the total, but Abby didn’t care. She had a year’s back pay in her bank account and very little to spend it on. Lester had made sure all their personal possessions had been crated up and kept in storage, so it wasn’t as if she’d needed a new wardrobe of clothes.
She paid in cash – Lester had given them both a generous advance on salary while Jess arranged new credit and debit cards for them. Once everything was safely bagged, up, she retraced her steps to the ARC, making one small detour into a newsagent.
The same security guard on the gate greeted her with a smile. “Did you get what you wanted?”
She nodded. It had definitely been a successful trip, but she was glad it was over.
It was going to take time to readjust, but she’d taken the first steps on the road back from the Cretaceous.
* * * * *
Abby put the mug down on the bedside table and said softly, “Wakey wakey, sleepyhead.”
Connor blinked and came awake in a heartbeat although, to his credit, he didn’t immediately reach for a nonexistent weapon. “Mmm, what have I done to deserve coffee in bed?”
Abby pushed his mop of dark hair out of his eyes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “It’s your birthday.”
Connor blinked in surprise. “Is it?”
She nodded and gestured to the large parcel she’d left by his bed. “Definitely is. Do you want your card first or your present?”
“Card first,” he said, squirming up in the bed until he was sitting upright.
The card had a picture of an cartoon enormous cake with candles, the words Happy Birthday emblazoned across the top. It wasn’t very original but she’d liked the bright colours and the simplicity of it. Connor smiled as brightly as the colours on the card and drew her into a soft kiss. Then, with all the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old, he set about burrowing his way through the wrapping paper like Sid and Nancy in search of a treat, to reveal the prize underneath.
His eyes widened as he stared down at the large pile of comic books, all still in their plastic wrappers. He dived from one to another, looking like a kid at Christmas. She’d checked where his comic collection had got to before they’d been trapped in the past, then she’d gone on line to work out exactly what he’d missed. Finding them all in a small shop not far from the ARC had been an unexpected bonus, and meant that Connor got to have all his treasures at the same time.
Seeing his pleasure in the gift brought a lump to Abby’s throat. They hadn’t had much time for birthdays in the Cretaceous, so this was another step on the road back to a more normal existence for both of them.
That is if a day job that involved rips in time and dinosaurs could ever be described as normal.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 03:23 pm (UTC)Abby's gift is so sweet and genuine, an action may that seem so minor to others but means the entire world to them.
I love when the after effects of the Cretaceous for them are explored as it wasn't touched on much in the show. There had to be so many habits and survival instincts deeply ingrained in them that would be very difficult to let go. Not to mention a heavy dose of PTSD and difficulty in readjusting to modern life.
Beautifully done my dear! Thank you so much!
no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:01 am (UTC)I'm so glad you liked it. I think they would have had a lot of adjusting to do.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 03:24 pm (UTC)That was such a sweet, lovely thing to do for him, and the descriptions of poor Abby trying to cope back in the modern world felt very real.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 04:43 pm (UTC)I can easily imagine Connor's enthusiasm, as well. I still have dreams about finding a trove of the comic books I've missed out on or lost over the years.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 04:50 pm (UTC)Having spent so much time in the past where interpreting sounds correctly could mean the difference between having lunch and being lunch, the cacophony of modern life would be hard to bear. Not to mention the crowds!
Lovely character picture of Abby, especially her caring nature toward those she cares about.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-03 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-04 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-05 02:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-06 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-07 05:50 pm (UTC)It is going to be difficult for them to adjust. That was a lovely gesture of Abby's - not just the comics but the specific editions - and shows just how well she knows and cares for Connor.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-19 09:06 pm (UTC)