Title: Gone but not forgotten - Chapter 3

Characters/pairing: Connor/Abby, Danny, Becker/Sarah

Genres: Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

Disclaimer: Primeval and it's characters belong to Impossible Pictures, no copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This is it, the third and final chapter where all mysteries are solved and of course, there is the obligatory fluff. *rolls eyes* Hope you have all enjoyed this fic as much as I have writing it, I always appreciate your comments so much!

Becker and Danny had searched all through the busy London hospital but had been unable to find any sign of Connor. Abby had been ringing and ringing his mobile and had sent him numerous texts whilst Sarah brought her cups of tea and tried to keep her as calm as possible.

"Abby he'll be ok, I know he will, he probably just needed to be alone for a bit."

"But he's been alone long enough!" She sighed, barely holding back tears.

"Not to him, it hasn't been as long for him."

Abby nodded solemnly, she kept forgetting that Connor hadn't even been missing for a day as far as he was concerned.

"I just . . . I hadn't finished . . . I needed to talk to him, tell him I'm sorry - for everything."

Sarah touched Abby's arm comfortingly and then reached tentatively for her rounded belly, running her hand over it softly.

"You need to rest, for the baby's sake, we don't want your blood pressure getting as high as it was before do we?"

Abby finally turned to look at Sarah, shaking her head as silent tears began to fall unchecked.

"It's ok for you, you have everything." Abby whispered, looking over at Becker.

Sarah looked startled and Abby was sure that she probably thought no one new about their relationship. In reality, it was plain for anyone who was close to them to see that Sarah and Becker were an item.

Danny approached and ruffled Abby's hair affectionately. They had all been doing their utmost to protect her over the last six months. He had watched in concern as she had grown slowly thinner and thinner, her skin paler and paler. She wouldn't turn in to work some days and he would go to her flat and find her huddled in a ball on the bathroom floor.

He had begged her time and time again, as had Sarah, to go to the doctors, to get some counselling, anything that might help her to get over the tragedy of losing Connor. There was only so much their love and support alone could do for her.

It wasn't until she collapsed in her lab that he had finally dragged her to the hospital - by now, too weak to put up much of a fight. That was when she had found out that she was five months pregnant. The doctors had said it was a miracle that the baby had survived and seemed to be growing healthily and Danny thought it would somehow spur her on to look after herself again - for her child's sake.

The news that she was expecting seemed to drive her even deeper into the depths of despair however. She would just sit in front of the anomaly detector for hours on end, not speaking, not eating. Sarah brought her food which she would nibble at for a second but they would find it in the bin hardly touched.

When the baby had finally had enough of her starving herself, she was rushed to hospital in premature labour, her blood pressure had been sky high and the doctors said this time that the baby was very small to say she was almost seven months pregnant.

That was what gave Abby the wake-up call she needed. They managed to stop her labour and she began to eat again - small amounts at first, but she was soon eating almost normally. Danny suspected that she still wasn't sleeping though, the dark circles under her eyes were a major give away.

"C'mon, let me take you home." He offered.

She nodded miserably and let him help her to her feet and they walked together arm in arm.

As they got to the exit, something caught Danny's eye as he looked across the road to a small seating area. A familiar figure sat there dejectedly, elbow on knees and head in his hands.

"Look who's here." Danny said, nudging Abby softly.

She looked up from staring at the floor and spotted him, she knew it was Connor, would know his shaggy mop of dark hair and the shape of his body anywhere. Abby gave a watery smile and pulled away from Danny, hurrying over to where her friend was sitting.

"Hey." She greeted.

He looked up but he didn't smile.

"Hi."

"We didn't know where you were, we were really worried about you."

She sat down carefully on the bench next to him and he eyed her suspiciously, his gaze settling on her bump.

"Sorry, needed to clear my head."

"Ok, that's understandable."

She had so much to say to him, but with his mind in such a fragile state, she worried she would overwhelm him. Maybe she should start with something simple.

"I'm so sorry Connor!"

"For what?"

What was she sorry for? For falling out with him and being a bitch? For moving on while he was gone? For getting . . . pregnant? Connor's mind was reeling from today's revelations.

"For everything, I'm just . . . I was so . . . I'm sorry."

He nodded his acceptance of her apology and she seemed to visibly relax.

"Who is he?" He asked.

He had to know, even though the knowledge would surely break him even more than he was already.

"Who?"

She looked confused.

"The baby's father."

Connor choked on the words.

He heard the startled little hitch in her throat and felt suddenly ashamed. She was fragile and upset and the last thing she needed was to have to answer to him.

"I . . . Connor, I'm eight months pregnant!" She exclaimed as though he should know something that he clearly didn't.

He looked at her like she'd suddenly sprouted another head.

"And?"

"I was pregnant before you left."

He frowned, he still wasn't following.

"There's been no one else. Connor the baby's yours!"

"Mine?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, you're the father Connor, you're my baby's daddy."

She sniffed, running her hands across her swollen abdomen as the baby kicked gently.

"But I . . . but we . . . I mean I used . . . "

"A condom? I know, but it kind of . . .slipped off a little."

Connor's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I thought it would be ok, I mean, it wasn't exactly . . . "

She broke off, unable to think of the right words.

"Good?" He offered.

They had both been drunk, sitting on the sofa together watching a movie. It had been clumsy and awkward and had lasted about five seconds, there's no wonder Abby had decided afterwards that it was a mistake.

"What? No Connor! That's not what I meant! We'd been drinking, it all happened so fast I just. . . I panicked that's all, you didn't deserve how I treated you and I'm sorry."

"So you knew you were having my baby before I got trapped in the past but you didn't think to say anything?"

His anger and frustration had suddenly renewed.

"I didn't Connor, I swear, I was too busy worrying about other things to even notice that I was late."

He looked at her face now, really looked at her and his anger immediately deflated, she looked so vulnerable. He reached out and stroked her cheek, pushing a strand of her now longer hair from her face. She closed her eyes at his touch and he so desperately wanted to hold her in his arms. She didn't want him though, not in that way, she'd made that clear in their argument before he'd left.

His eyes drifted again to where his child was growing inside her, that thought filled him with both fear and pride and he moved his hand, letting it hover just above her warmth.

"You can . . . If you want." She whispered.

In an instant, something inside his mind closed off again and he snatched his hand away, standing quickly.

"I need to think, I'm going to go for a walk." He stated.

"Oh . . . ok." She replied quietly, trying to hide the hurt from her voice.

"You should go home, you look tired." He advised.

Abby watched as he walked away and wiped desperately at her tear streaked face. He didn't want her, didn't want their child, it was too much for him and she should have known better.

As Connor walked away from a clearly upset Abby, Danny appeared and grabbed his arm roughly.

"Don't you go upsetting her Connor!" He growled angrily. "She's been through a lot!"

"Yeah? Well so have I!"

"Oh don't give me that." Danny replied, letting go of his arm. "You've been up a tree for six hours, Abby's suffered for six months! Thinking you were dead, blaming herself, almost losing her baby. We've only just managed to get her health back on track, don't you come and undo it all."

Danny had watched as they'd talked on the wooden bench. Abby had never spoken about the father of her baby and no one had ever asked but her friends knew it was Connor without having to hear the words to confirm it. They could tell from the way she acted, and from the way Connor and Abby had been acting before all this mess started.

"I didn't mean to upset her." Connor replied dejectedly. "This is just a lot to take in, it's like 'oh hi Connor, we're pleased to see you, you've been missing for six months and have been declared dead - oh and by the way, you're going to be a dad.' How am I supposed to react to that?"

Danny sighed. So she'd told him had she? He'd thought as much when he saw Connor reaching for her bump.

"Connor, I know this must all be a bit much but Abby really needs you, the baby's due in four weeks and she needs the man she loves to be there for her."

"She doesn't love me. " He said sadly.

"Of course she does, she wouldn't have reacted to your death the way she did if she wasn't in love with you."

"I don't know if I can . . . "

"You can and you will! I'm going to take her home, I suggest you have a good think and then go home yourself."

Connor nodded in agreement and disappeared into the night, Danny going in the opposite direction to collect Abby.

Connor crept into the flat as quietly as possible. It was 5am and just beginning to get light outside. Sid and Nancy were snuggled together in their basket, snoring away happily and he suspected that Rex was up in the rafters somewhere.

He went into the bathroom and gave himself a strip-wash. Unable to get into the shower because of his bandage covered arm and ankle. He felt better once he had removed the last traces of the cretaceous from his skin and tip-toed up to his room to change into some fresh clothes.

As he pulled on some boxers and grabbed a t-shirt out of his drawer, he heard a sound; the familiar creaking of Abby's bedroom door opening and her groan as she padded into the living room. She groaned again and he panicked; he hoped he hadn't caused her to go into early labour by upsetting her earlier.

Connor rushed down the stairs, almost tripping over his feet, to see her perched on the sofa, rubbing her back.

"Are you ok?" He asked in concern.

She looked up in surprise and her face lit up as she saw him.

"Connor! I didn't know you were home, I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't, what's wrong?"

He walked up to her.

"Can't sleep, backache. Its impossible to get comfy when you're the size of a house you know."

"You're not the size of a house." He replied, sitting beside her.

He found it ironic that the last time they were sat here on the sofa together (which had been only two months ago to him), it had resulted in her pregnancy and now here they were again.

"I feel it."

"I think you look beautiful."

She looked up at him through her lashes and smiled bashfully.

"Thanks."

"Here."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massage her aching muscles.

Abby moaned softly.

"Is this ok?" He asked.

"Hmmmm, it's good."

He let his hands drift up and down her back, letting her moans of satisfaction guide him to where they were needed most.

"You kept my things." He stated, his fingers still moving.

"What do you mean?"

"My clothes and stuff, I've been gone for six months but my bedroom's still just how I left it."

"I couldn't." She whispered softly, her voice wavering. "I couldn't throw it away, it was all I had left."

Connor let his head fall forward briefly to connect with the back of hers.

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault!" She exclaimed. "If anything, it was mine, I should have let Ronson shoot the bloody Raptor."

She tried to turn and look at him, but he turned her back and massaged her shoulders firmly.

"Don't you dare blame yourself! It wasn't your fault, it just happened and there is nothing we can do to change that ok?"

He felt her nod and after a few moments, she began to relax again as he continued to work his magic on her sore spots.

"OH!" She exclaimed suddenly.

Connor took his hands off her quickly.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing . . . .OW! Stop that!"

Connor was completely confused and more than a little concerned.

"Abby?"

"It's ok, it's just the baby having a good old kick. It's because I'm so relaxed, likes to keep me on my toes."

She chuckled and Connor found himself staring down at where his baby was again.

"Can I . . . ?"

He put his hand near her bump and Abby pushed herself back, laying her back against his chest.

"Course you can."

She gabbed his hand and placed it on her abdomen.

Connor wasn't sure how to react, what he should say. Her stomach felt odd; hard and stretched and warm, really warm even under her nightshirt. He rubbed his hand over it, feeling the contours, the little bit in the middle that stuck out which he was guessing was her bellybutton.

"Weird!"

He cursed himself, he certainly hadn't wanted that to be the first word that came from his lips. He waited for the obligatory slap or verbal abuse from Abby but none came.

"I know, isn't it?"

She pressed her hand down on top of his softly.

"C'mon baby!" She scolded. "This is your Daddy and he wants to feel you kicking."

Connor's heart raced at the word which rolled so easily from Abby's lips - Daddy - and she was using it to describe him, he was going to be a Father!

"Maybe I should try some more massage, seemed to like that." Connor joked.

Abby laughed, her fingers drawing little circles on his hand and Connor's hope returned. Maybe Danny was right, she did love him, she did need him. He brought his other arm around her and she clasped that hand tightly.

There was a humungous pressure from under his other hand suddenly.

"WOAH!" He exclaimed.

"There ya go."

"That's amazing!" He cried out in awe.

"It is isn't it?" Replied a grinning Abby.

This was the first time Abby had truly appreciated her baby's kicks and movements. She'd never had Connor to share them with before and it all felt so unreal, she'd distanced herself from the entire situation. Kidding herself that it was all just a bad dream, that one day she would wake up and things would be ok again.

"I can't believe that's my baby in there."

"Our baby." She corrected, sounding sleepy.

"Yeah, our baby."

He liked the sound of that.

"Connor?"

She yawned.

"Yeah?"

"You're not leaving again are you?" She whispered.

"No Abbs, I'm not going anywhere." He replied, moving the hand that wasn't resting on her tummy and stroking her head affectionately.

She settled more comfortably against him and he felt her stomach ripple as the baby moved again, more of a roll than a kick this time. Abby didn't seem to notice though and she sighed softly. It was then that Connor realised that her breathing had evened out; she was sleeping.

He couldn't help but smile to himself, maybe he could be there for her after all if this was all she needed from him. His fear had been irrational; she didn't want his blood or to string his guts out to dry on the washing line. She wanted him to hold her close and tell her everything was alright, that he would be there for her no matter what.

He pulled the throw from the back of the sofa and covered them both up, not really caring that he was uncomfortable in this position. Abby needed the rest, he could sleep later, she came first now. Connor finally felt at ease with the knowledge that when the Raptor had taken him he hadn't been forgotten, life hadn't moved on without him. Abby had missed him and Abby had loved him - she still did.

The End