Finally got around to completing this - apologies for taking longer than I anticipated, the muses are fickle beings and mine wanted to play elsewhere for a while ;)

Anyway, hope you enjoy this epilogue to the main fic, and please take a moment to let me know you do. Thanks to those that have commented previously - It means a lot :)

Abby listened to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom as she cleared away their dinner plates. It was a comforting sound; knowing that Connor was home and doing something as normal as taking a shower, but she still felt uneasy. He'd been unusually quiet after their meeting with Lester, and had only really spoken in response to her questions about what he'd like for dinner.

She desperately wanted to go and join him in the shower as she'd done on numerous occasions, but she sensed he needed some time alone to gather his thoughts. Part of her was scared that he was angry with her for even entertaining the possibility that he could have slept with April, and he would be perfectly within his rights to push her aside. The only thing he'd done wrong was to put his trust in the wrong people; people that had manipulated him and took advantage of the one weakness Connor had – the need to be liked by a father figure.

Abby's hand ached from the punch she'd landed on April and she flexed it to ease the stiffness. Connor had insisted that she got it checked over by Sam the medic, and he'd said he didn't think she'd broken anything – apart from April's nose. The ice pack had reduced most of the swelling and her knuckles were bruising nicely. The ache was a small sacrifice; the satisfaction of finally wiping that smug smile off April's face was so worth it.

Lester had been amazing. He'd sat wide mouthed as Connor showed him the evidence of April's misdeeds; as had Abby, and then he'd simply picked up his office phone and asked April to come in. She couldn't deny what she'd done, but tried to deflect the blame onto Abby and said she wanted to lodge a formal complaint against her for breaking her nose. Lester just laughed and said the only thing he'd be doing would be congratulating Abby on the accuracy of her punch and suggesting she spoke to Captain Becker about coaching some of the soldiers. He then told April that she was to never set foot in the ARC again, and if she even attempted to expose their work he'd show the footage to the police and have her arrested.

"You can't dismiss me!" she hissed. "I'm Philip's employee, not yours. We'll see what he has to say about this."

"Oh, didn't I say? Philip Burton no longer has jurisdiction here. As of half an hour ago, the Minister terminated the contract with Prospero Industries and served a legal writ to have Burton out of here within 24 hours."

Abby had glanced over at Connor and knew he was struggling to put a brave face on things. She reached for his hand, and his fingers curled around hers for a moment before pulling away. "My research... will I lose everything?" He bit down on his bottom lip. All those hours he'd spent in the lab couldn't be worthless and he knew he was very close to a breakthrough.

"Go to the lab now, Connor," Lester ordered. "Copy what is yours to ARC owned computers, and then remove all trace from Prospero's." And that was the last Abby saw of him until it came to going home.

The sound of the running water stopped, and Abby knew Connor would be out of the bathroom in a few moments. She had to prepare herself; be ready to show him that she was sorry – not only for doubting him, but for the fact that the very thing that had given him a real sense of purpose since they'd come back from the Cretaceous had fallen apart around him.

The bathroom door clicked open and Abby turned to face it. She had no idea what she could say to even begin to make this better and figured it would be easier to show how she felt through her actions just as she'd done that very first time they'd slept together. He stood in the doorway, hesitating for a moment. He just had a towel wrapped around his waist, and there were still a few drops of water on his bare shoulders from his wet hair. Abby felt her heart skip a beat and then begin to race.

"Forgot a change of clothes, didn't I," he said quietly, finding it hard to meet Abby's gaze. She could tell he'd been crying, but if she mentioned that fact he'd only deny it and say the redness in his eyes was because he'd got shampoo in them. It was an excuse she'd used herself and it seemed she'd been right to let him have a few minutes alone. However, they'd both had too many 'alone' moments and now it was time to be together and put this latest chapter behind them once and for all.

She followed him into the bedroom and stood by the door, watching him rummage in the drawer for a t-shirt. "You don't need to worry about that," she said, moving toward him. He turned and looked questioningly at her as she reached for his hand. Without a word, Abby pulled him towards the bed and sat beside him before pulling him into a tender kiss. Instantly, the heat between them rose as they connected; a familiarity that was both comforting and arousing.

Connor responded; returning her kiss and urging her lips apart with his tongue. His hands moved to her waist and with trembling fingers he tried to unfasten her jeans. Abby sighed, she wanted this so much; to feel his hands on her bare flesh and have him taste just how much she needed him, but she pulled away. This was not about her pleasure; it was to be all about Connor's, and there were certain things that Abby needed to erase from her mind to make everything right between them again.

He squeaked his disappointment and opened his mouth to protest, but Abby placed her finger on his lips and pressed her other hand on his chest to make him lie back against the pillows. He took the hint and smiled up at her as she straddled his hips and stroked his shoulders before leaning into him and softly kissing his lips.

April had told Abby that she'd kissed each of Connor's scars, and whilst she knew that wasn't true the thought was still there tainting Abby's own memories. She intended to take as long as necessary to make sure she remembered it the way it should be. Starting with the jagged scar just above his right nipple, she traced her tongue over the line and then back again with her lips. Connor's breath hitched, and she felt his hand tangle into her hair. Right now, he was content to let her continue.

Next was the nipple itself. Abby pulled it between her teeth and bit into it, making Connor gasp and squirm beneath her. She soothed it with her tongue and then suckled on it whilst allowing her hand to drift lazily down to his stomach. He felt different; some of the muscle definition he'd gained in the Cretaceous had gone due to him spending most of the last few weeks sat at a desk. She'd soon sort that out though once he was back in his rightful place on the field team and sticking to Becker's fitness regime.

Abby shifted her attention back to the scars on Connor's torso. The next was just above his ribcage and the most significant of all. He'd been attacked by a Raptor and Abby had thought he was going to die. The bleeding had taken some hours to stop, and despite her best efforts to keep the wound clean it became infected and Connor fell desperately ill. It seemed particularly poignant now; a visible scar reminding her of a time she'd almost lost him - just like today. She planted soft, butterfly like kisses along the five inches of the still quite prominent mark, noting that Connor's breathing was getting increasingly hard.

"Abby, I need..." he breathed, tugging at her t-shirt. She knew what he wanted, and since this was about his pleasure then she'd oblige him. Sitting up, she pulled her t-shirt over her head and Connor's hands moved straight to her waist, gliding upwards to her back and unfastening her bra. It fell away easily and Abby smiled down as Connor grasped her breasts in both hands. She whimpered and leaned forward as he sat up and they pulled each other into a hungry kiss; a tangle of tongues and swallowed sighs that grew more intense and needy with each second. Tingles of pleasure radiated through Abby's entire body as her erect nipples brushed against the bare flesh of Connor's chest. It felt right, this was how it should be.

Connor wanted to move things on and slid his hands to the waistband of her jeans again. She allowed him to unfasten them this time and his hand moved inside her underwear. Even through the thick denim and the towel between them, Abby could feel Connor's arousal pressing into her and demanding attention. Pulling his hand away, she pushed him back and slid down to kiss the curve of his stomach whilst pulling the towel away. His erection sprang upright, thick and hard. Abby allowed her fingertips to ghost over the last of Connor's scars; the one almost hidden by the fine hair along his pubic bone. This one made her smile, she'd pestered him for hours asking how he'd got it and expected some tale of an over excited boy getting into some kind of scrape. Instead, she got a pink cheeked "It's from when I had my appendix out," and she'd laughed. It had broken the seriousness of that moment then, and now it brought her back to the reality of this moment. She knew every inch of Connor intimately and no other woman would take that from her. April's words no longer mattered.

Connor's hand was stroking her hair and guiding her to where he wanted her. He had a look of pure desire on his face; eyes half closed but still full of lust and longing. She needed very little encouragement; her desire was as great as his. Grasping the base of his shaft firmly with one hand, she flicked her tongue over the very tip, lapping up the bead of pre-cum formed there and then pressing into the slit. He gasped, grabbing a handful of her hair and urging her on with his sighs. This was once a well practised routine, but it seemed almost like an eternity since they'd been this intimate. Kissing and touching were one thing, but this made her nervous. It needed to be right.

Her lips curled over him and slid down, taking in about half of his length. The rest she caressed with her fingers whilst her tongue laved him hungrily. Connor's gasps of pleasure were like music to her ears; it had been too long since she'd heard him like this. Clearly it had been too long for Connor as well, and within moments his hips were jerking erratically. Abby knew what was coming and readied herself. His whole body shuddered and his cries as he released into her throat sounded almost pained.

When Abby was certain he'd stopped coming, she pulled away and sat up, breathing hard and wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. At that instant, she realised that Connor's cheeks were wet with tears. "Connor?" she whispered, full of concern. She moved closer and wiped his cheek with her thumb. "What's wrong?"

"Missed you so much!" He placed his hand over hers and held her gaze for a few seconds, then allowed her to wipe his other cheek with her free hand.

"Missed you too."

"I need you. Please Abby, let me..." He could barely get the words out, so like Abby had already decided to do, he showed her what he wanted. Taking both her wrists, he firmly moved her arms to her sides and sat up. He took a hard nipple between his teeth and then began to suckle as he released her arms and moved his hands to the waistband of her jeans. Abby threw back her head and sighed, wriggling into Connor's touches and encouraging him to go further.

Her jeans and underwear were slid over her slender hips easily, and then Connor guided her down onto her back so that he could remove them completely and toss them with a flourish to the floor. He kissed her flat stomach and then trailed his tongue down, holding her hips as she writhed into him. She parted her legs for him willingly, inviting him between her thighs. He shifted, hooking his arms under and around to lift her pelvis and then he began to lick, probe and swirl his tongue in and out of her. He was skilled at this, and knew exactly how to bring her right to the edge and have her quivering and begging him for release. When it hit, her orgasm was intense, washing over her entire body and leaving her gasping for air as every nerve ending fired.

Abby had barely recovered when Connor moved himself up, pressing his body against hers and cradling himself into the curve of her pelvis. They fitted together perfectly like two halves of a whole; they always had, and as he entered her it was Abby's turn to let the tears fall. "Connor!" She pulled him closer, wrapping her legs around his waist to draw him in deeper and seeking the warmth of his lips.

He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth as he pulled out, and then crushed her mouth in a wet, hungry kiss as he sank into her again. Tenderly wiping her cheeks, he moved slowly with her , finally reconnecting their bodies, minds and souls. Abby felt her back arch and her internal muscles beginning to convulse around Connor. She was close to coming completely undone, but she didn't want the release yet – it was too soon for this union to be over. Clamping her legs firmly around Connor, she rolled and flipped them over so that Connor was beneath her. In this new position, Abby could control her own orgasm more easily. She knew Connor liked this position too because he could watch her breasts as she ground down onto him.

Alternating between grinding down onto him and gyrating her hips, Abby slowly increased the intensity. As they moved together, the air filled with the soft sighs of pleasure and the slight creaking of the bed beneath them. Abby felt the fire in her groin grow stronger and begin to swamp her body; she could not hold off any longer. She gripped Connor with her strong thighs and he knew she was ready. His hips jerked and they both let out a cry as their orgasms took hold and rendered them both almost boneless. Abby collapsed onto Connor's chest whilst still moving with him, her very core pulsing as it willingly accepted every drop Connor was giving her.

Even after they were both spent, Abby refused to let go. She rested her head on Connor's chest and held him tightly. Connor gently withdrew from her and cradled her in his arms, softly kissing the top of her head and breathing in the scent that was his Abby; the girl he loved with all of his heart and realised that nothing else mattered. "I'm sorry, Abby. I've been a complete idiot these last few weeks. It was your instincts that got us through so many bad situations in the Cretaceous, so I don't know why I ignored them when we came back."

Abby lifted her head and kissed his lips gently. "Don't say anything more. It's behind us now. Burton's gone, April's gone and it's back to the way it was. Let's make sure we keep it that way."

Connor nodded and blinked back the tears stinging his eyes. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

The heavy scent of their love clung in the air as Abby nestled closer against Connor's chest. Her body tingled and felt like it was glowing. When she glanced up at Connor's sleepy face, he was pink cheeked and small beads of sweat clung to his forehead. He was content, and so was she. She'd doze in his arms for a while and let him rest. Then she'd wake him and have him make love to her again – just because she could.