Coming Full Circle {8/8}

[shadowcat]

Title: Coming Full Circle {8/8}
Author: enochiansigils and not_from_stars
Artist: azarsuerte
Fandom: Primeval
Pairing/Characters (if no pairing): Kahlil Pierce/Niki Becker
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Completely AU and makes mention of things that happened in the past for Niki's family. Some events made up or embellished for explanations of attitudes.
Word Count: 26,403
Summary: Being in love with the daughter of Captain Becker, Abby Maitland and Connor Temple isn't easy. It's even harder when you're the exact image of your uncle -- a man who hurt them more than anyone else ever has. However, Kahlil Pierce hasn't let that deter him -- especially when he knows that Niki Becker loves him just as much. When Niki doesn't return with the rest of her team after an excursion through an anomaly, Kahlil doesn't stop to think before he goes in to look for her. Finding his injured girlfriend was the easy part. Trapped on the wrong side of anomaly with no way to get home, Kahlil has to use all of his skills to keep Niki safe while at the same time having faith that her family will find a way to bring them home.
Notes: Written for oc_bigbang 2011. We do not own Primeval or the concepts, but Kahlil and Niki are all ours.






Abby watched him for a moment and then went to where they were strapping Niki to a platform for the ride to the medical facility that the ARC used.

"She's going to be fine," Becker said softly, reaching out to take Abby's hand in his. "We'll get her taken care of and she'll be fine." A pause. "How's Kahlil?"

"Worried about Niki," Abby said, trying not to collapse. "Terror Bird got him, but he'll be all right with some work."

"Good. She'll be happy to know that."

"He wants to marry her."

"Oh, hell no," was Becker's gut reaction.

Abby turned and looked up into his face. "He loves her, Hilary," she murmured softly so that no one else could hear her. "And he's not saying right away, just someday."

"If he's smart, it won't be any time soon."

"Hilary... he did for Niki what you would have done for me and Connor had you been able to."

"That doesn't mean I have to like him wanting to marry my daughter," Becker said, but his voice was weary.

"How can we be against it when he has already proven that he would die for her if he had to?"

"I'm not against it, exactly, I just... don't like it yet." Becker knew it wasn't very good logic, but it was what he had.

"He's not planning to do it, yet," she assured him.

"He'd better not be or else he's really not as smart as we thought he was."

Abby managed to smile, even if her nerves were stretched beyond the breaking point by having been through an anomaly. She tried to hide her hands from view so that Becker wouldn't see how close to breaking she was now that their daughter was safe.

"Come on, love," Becker said gently. "We need to let them take Niki and get back."

Abby nodded because if she tried talking she might embarrass herself.

Becker looked at Abby a moment before taking her hand in his and leading her back towards the anomaly. "Come on, love. Let's get you home."

She nodded, walking with him quietly as she kept a firm grip on his hand. Niki was safe and now she could go somewhere private and have her own little breakdown.



Connor was a bundle of nervous energy by the time the team got back to the ARC. He would've grabbed Becker to ask why Niki wasn't with them, but he saw Abby bolting past him first; he knew he needed to go after her, and so he did.

"Abby?" he called after her. "Abby ,wait up."

Abby didn't want to stop, but when she heard Connor, she forced herself to stand still until he could get to her side.

"What's wrong?" He looked at her anxiously. "You... they found them, didn't they?"

She nodded. "They'll be ok. They took them both to the medical facility."

"Oh, thank God." He was hit with an overwhelming wave of relief. "How about you? Are you going to be okay?"

"I went through," she whispered.

"Oh, love..." He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've gone through. I shouldn't have made you do it."

Abby clung tight to Connor. "D-didn't make me. You were needed here in case it shown signs of destabilizing."

"You shouldn't have had to go through, though," he said. "I know how scared you were."

"I went through and all I kept thinking was about before."

"But you did it, love. You went through and you came back this time. And now you can fall apart. But the important thing is that you didn't fall apart while you were on the other side."

"She needed her mother to be sane." Abby said, still clinging to him.

"And she got that. So now you can go somewhere and cry and fall apart and do everything you need to," Connor said, rubbing her back gently. "I'd like to be there when you do, but... if you want to be alone, I understand."

"Don't leave me."

"I won't," he said. "Just wanted to give you that option."

Abby stepped out of his arms and tugged on his hand to get him to follow her. They got to one of the empty storage rooms and Abby pulled him in there before locking the door and sliding down to the floor.

Connor sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He said nothing, just held her.

That was when Abby broke down crying in his arms.

He simply held her, rocking her gently and letting her cry. He wanted to say something, anything at all, but he just didn't know what there was to say.

"I know she's safe now, but it all just came back."

"At least Hilary was there with you," Connor said softly. "At least you weren't alone."

"I c-couldn't have gone if I was alone." And that was what made her feel so ashamed. Her daughter was in trouble and she -- her mother!-- would not have been able to help her alone.

"Niki would understand," he soothed. "I know she would."

"I'm her mother and I should be able to do what she needs."

"What she needs is for you to be here for her now that she's home," Connor said gently. "And you can do that."

She nodded, but she still felt miserable. "It was like it was hard for me to breathe on the other side, Conn."

"You were scared," he said. "I don't blame you. But you did it. You guys found them, got them home."

"She was hurt, but the medic said they would both be all right after a few days."

"Oh, thank God," Connor said, relieved. "Means I'll be able to apologize to her." Because he was still beating himself up over the way he'd just walked away from Niki.

"And to Kahlil," Abby said softly.

"Why am I apologizing to him?"

"Because we've been wrong and by hurting him, we've hurt Niki." Abby looked at him. "She loves him, Connor."

Connor sighed heavily. "I know she does," he said. "I know."

"He risked his life for her."

"I owe him. Big time." Connor sighed again.

"We all do," Abby said, her head against his chest.

"I still don't like him," Connor said. "But... I can be grateful for what he's done."

"We have to give him a chance," Abby whispered and the whisper was pleading. "For Niki. We can't keep punishing him for what his uncle did to us ... to me."

"I just want her to be happy," Connor said quietly. "But if she loves him and he loves her... I can give him a chance."

"He loves her. I saw that when we found them."

"I'll try giving him a chance. It's the best I can do."

She nodded. "That's all any of us can do."

"I just want her to be happy, Abby."

"Me, too."

"So... we'll try to trust him."

Abby nodded. "I think... I think he really would kill for her, Connor."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Connor sighed. "Just like Hilary and I would kill for you."

"Exactly what I thought."

"And that's the kind of person we want for her. I just don't want that person to be Burton's nephew."

"It's not our choice."

"Doesn't mean I can't have an opinion, though."

"Oh I'm sure you and Hilary have plenty," she teased gently.

"And about him, none of them are terribly flattering." Connor sighed heavily. "Does he make her happy, Abby? You've seen them together more than I have, even though you don't like him either, but... still, you'd know."

"Dani and Henry would know better than me, but she seems to be happy -- when she's not having to fight us about him."

He looked at her for a long moment. "And they love each other?"

She nodded slowly.

"God." Connor looked away. "This'd be so much easier if they didn't love each other."

"When has anything in our lives ever been easy?"

That brought a laugh from Connor. "Okay, point."

She nodded and then sighed. "We can think about them as a couple later," she said softly. "But I think for now we should go to the medical lab and sit with our daughter until she wakes up."

"You're right," Connor agreed. "We need to be with her."

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here," she murmured. "For loving me."

"You never need to thank me for that, Abby."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"In that case... you're welcome, love."

She smiled faintly, climbing slowly to her feet.

Connor stood and took his hand in hers. "Let's go, then."

She nodded and squeezed his hand.

He squeezed her hand in return and reached to open the door.

Abby was still dealing with her fear after going through the anomaly -- and the fear of losing her daughter -- but right now, she was just glad that Niki was home and was going to be all right.



Seven