A/N Happy Birthday Andrew-Lee Potts!

Connor sat in his lab staring up the big metal clock on the wall. The second hand traversed its endless course, first tick, then tock, on and on until it reached its apex. And then it began again, tick after tock after tick, seeming to get louder as Connor stared at it.

In 2 short hours, just 120 minutes or 7200 ticks (or was that tocks?) he would turn 30. No longer a youthful 20-something but a fully fledged grown up with responsibilities and a mortgage and life insurance.

Abby was planning a party, much to Lester's loudly voiced derision, but Jess and Emily had got excited and were currently helping to decorate the Ops Room. Matt had, most helpfully, slapped Connor hard on the back, telling him encouragingly, "Its all downhill from here, mate!" Becker had stared at him pityingly before shooting himself in the head with his finger.

So, Connor was hiding out in his lab, wishing that Abby wouldn't make so much fuss, wishing he could reverse time and prevent the day from coming. Hang on! Wait! He could do that! All he had to do was open one teeny tiny anomaly and - no! Definitely no, he couldn't do that. Groaning, he dropped his head onto his desk with a bang and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be a grown up. He wanted to be the young, naïve, geeky kid, interested only in Star Wars and conspiracy theories, that he had been not so very long ago. Had it really only been 7 years?

His mind wandered back to his university days: bunking off lectures, fantasizing about girls way out of his league, and film and pizza night with Duncan and Tom. Days when the most pressing issue had been whether or not he could beat Tom's score on the X-box. Duncan and Tom - flatmates, brothers, fellow geeks. Two happy-go-lucky blokes, their whole lives ahead of them, until their association with Connor had ultimately wrecked everything. Tom had died in Connor's arms, killed by a pre-historic parasite, and Duncan had ended up homeless and ridiculed because of his tales of strange flickering balls of light and pre-historic creatures. Connor rubbed his eyes, not wanting to remember anymore.

Instead, he focused on Professor Cutter; lecturer, mentor, father even. He remembered their first meeting, when Cutter had mistaken his name for a place and re-directed him to Archaeology. He remembered acutely the disappointment he had felt as he had confessed to Cutter that he had never attended any of his lectures - a feeling he had vowed he would never experience again. But he did, time and again, when he let the Professor down, when his stupidity and naivety got the better of him. He remembered being fired and sent away and how desperately miserable and alone he had felt, shut out of the most exciting scientific discovery of all time. Ultimately, his geekiness had won out and, thanks to Stephen, he had been given a second chance. He had spent every minute of every day since then trying to make Cutter proud of him. Cutter had been the catalyst in his journey to adulthood - from Cutter he had learnt respect, for himself and for others. He'd learnt fortitude and the conviction of his ideas. He'd learnt how to put his intelligence and geekiness together to create some pretty amazing scientific apparatus of his own. He'd also learnt about death and loss and heartbreak.

He remembered sitting with Cutter as his life slowly ebbed away through the one tiny bullet hole in his chest. Connor had sat there in the blackened ARC, breathing in the acrid smoke, with Cutter's head on his shoulder and the future artefact on his knee. He listened, with tears streaming down his face, as Cutter's breaths had got slower and slower, shallower and shallower, until finally they stopped. Somehow he had found the strength to carry the man from the ARC to those waiting outside. That was when he had promised again to never let the Professor down.

He remembered holding Abby that day as she cried. She had clung to him, and he to her, their arms wrapped around each other, seeking the comfort they could only find together. He'd always thought the turning point in their relationship had been when he had dumped Caroline. Now he knew that this was it, this experience, this shared sorrow, was what had eventually brought them together.

He smiled. Abby. His Abby. In his mind she had always been his, right from the day he met her. Of course it had taken her 3 years and being stranded in a pre-historic era to realise it. During their time alone in that raw wilderness, they had learned things about each other that many couples can take a lifetime and still not discover. In the Cretaceous, they had become lovers, Abby taking the lead at first, then, as he had grown in confidence, he had become Connor, the man, the Alpha Male. True, he had been the only man in existence, but he was Alpha nonetheless.

She was his lifeline, his soul mate, his other half in the truest sense. Without her, he was nothing. The geek, the scientist, the man - they only existed to serve her.

He had been amazed when she had remained with him on their return to the present. Stuck in the Cretaceous it wasn't as if she'd had much of an option, what with him being the only guy in several million years or so. But, back home, with so much choice on offer, he was sure she would realise her mistake and abandon him. But he had underestimated their bond. He had underestimated Abby. And, despite their disagreements, despite him almost being the catalyst to destroy the world, she had stuck with him. She had brought him back from the brink of self-annihilation - quite literally - with the strength of her love. She had followed him through Philip's New Dawn anomaly, to that dreadful future place, and refused to allow him to give up, to wallow in his guilt, to remain there and die. She had dragged him back to save the world - again.

And now they were getting married. Well, sort of. They had been engaged for quite some time but, as usual, the ARC kept getting in the way of actually planning a wedding. So, here he was, 2 years later, turning 30 and still unmarried. Maybe he should have just whisked her away for a few hours to Gretna Green, Britain's answer to Las Vegas. Hell, maybe he should have taken her to actual Las Vegas! Either way, he wished they were married. Then he wouldn't be facing an uncertain grown-up-dom alone.

He jolted awake, unaware he'd even fallen asleep, to the swooshing of the lab door.

"Connor!" admonished Becker as he entered. "Smarten up, mate, we're going to a party!" There was a definite smugness to the soldier's smirk and Connor groaned.

"Oh God, do I have to?" he moaned, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Yes," stated Matt with conviction from the doorway. "That's an order."

The team leader grinned - well, what passed for a grin with Matt anyway - as Becker hauled Connor to his feet.

The two men fussed for a few moments - straightening Connor's apparel - before giving up and deciding there really was no hope. Grabbing his arms they frogmarched the scientist down the corridor towards the Ops Room as he complained loudly.

"Hey! Slow down! I'm still 29 for ten more minutes!"

As they entered the Ops Room, Becker and Matt let go of Connor and he all but stumbled down the steps. The room looked amazing - Abby had really gone to town with her party. There were balloons hanging from the ceiling struts. And there were flowers, lots and lots of flowers. Why did his birthday party need so many flowers? There was a long red carpet leading from the steps to the ADD. It was lined with friends: Becker, Matt, Jess, Emily as well as other techs and ARC employees.

His eyes followed the carpet and then he noticed a small, blonde woman stood at the end of it. She turned to face him and Connor's heart jumped right out of his chest and fluttered above his head for a moment before diving back down his throat, making him choke. Abby looked beautiful. His eyes caressed her form from her face to her feet. She was wearing a very simple, elegant ivory dress, cut to match her curves in every way before spilling out over her hips and touching the floor. Her hair was adorned with a brilliant diamond tiara, holding a soft, flowing veil to her head. She was a vision, an angel. She was his Abby.

Connor half jogged, half stumbled down the red carpet towards her, barely able to speak.

"Abby - what - um - why - um - what's going on?" he managed.

She smiled at him and took his hand in hers as he stared at her in confusion.

Lester appeared from behind the ADD, an open book in his hands upon which were placed two identical gold bands - one for her, one for him.

Connor stared at his boss, eyes wide, brown eyebrows raised.

Lester shrugged. "The Minister granted me Special Dispensation for Jenny, if you remember. It was never revoked. Shame to waste it."

Connor's face broke out into a grin, his face lighting up like an enormous ray of sunshine. He gazed down at Abby.

"Really?" he whispered. "We're really getting married?"

She laughed and nodded. "If you like," she told him, echoing her soft, soothing words first used when he was injured in the Cretaceous.

"Love you, Abs," Connor murmured, his eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Love you, too," smiled Abby, squeezing his hand.

"Look, can we get on with this?" demanded Lester impatiently. "Its not like I don't have better things to do - like cutting my own toenails, for example!"

Connor and Abby pulled faces at each other whilst the assembled friend sniggered quietly.

Lester began the ceremony but Connor wasn't really listening. He was gazing at Abby Maitland, soon to be Abby Temple.

"You're in a dress!" he mouthed at her, teasingly. "An actual dress!"

Abby chuckled and lifted her skirt a little, giving Connor a flash of the electric blue Doc Martens she wore underneath. The two snickered, lost in each other, the others all but forgotten.

Lester tutted. "Good heavens, its like working with pre-schoolers!" he complained and Connor looked at him, startled.

"Oh well, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Lester continued as Connor stared at him. "Well, don't look at me, Temple!" Lester shooed him away with his hands. "Go on, kiss her. Ugh!" The boss turned away with a grimace as Connor took Abby in his arms for their first soft kiss as husband and wife.

Matt, Becker, Emily and Jess all moved forwards to congratulate their friends and Lester took their momentary distraction to allow himself a satisfied smile before covering it up quickly with a deep scowl.

"Party time now?" asked Connor, gazing lovingly into Abby's shining face. She nodded, tears pricking her eyes, and Connor whooped loudly.

Lester sauntered back to his office muttering something about unruly teenagers as Connor swept Abby into a low dip over one arm, kissing her deeply.

"Happy birthday, Connor!" Abby whispered against his mouth.

Connor smiled. Maybe adulthood wasn't so scary after all…

A/N So, please review - as you know I'm not so good at Conby so would love to hear if I got them right (or not)! :D :D :D :D :D