This can be considered a prequel/sequel to my Callaghan-themed one-shot "Visitors".

Never Let Her Go

A hefty sigh was all Alistair Krei could manage upon surveying the massive amount of rubble. It had been several days since Robert Callaghan had threatened his life before proceeding to destroy the brand new Krei Tech building, but the event still shook him. Things could have been a lot worse, he knew that; he could be dead right now instead of touring the debris, lost in his thoughts and pondering his life's choices.

"Should've never let her go inside," Krei muttered tiredly as he passed by the now truly defunct portal gate, an object from his past that he thought he'd never lay eyes on again. Seeing that thing plus the previously thought-to-be-dead Callaghan had been like seeing a couple ghosts rising from the grave to haunt him.

"No, you shouldn't have."

Krei whirled around, his heart having skipped a beat at being sneaked up on, but he immediately relaxed once he saw who his visitor was. "Abigail," he greeted the young woman who stood a few yards ahead of him, a relieved smile on his face. Another ghost of the past, but she was a welcome one.

She smiled tensely, her hands tucked in the pockets of her white peacoat. She was being reserved on purpose, her body language suggesting tension. Krei understood because he felt the same way. Even after all this time of being apart (and thinking that she was dead), he still felt that same pull he'd always experienced when in her presence.

Now was not the time for sweet talks and whispered words, however. Life-changing events had occured since they'd last spoken, neither of them truly the same person that they were before.

"I...I came by the hospital after I spoke to the police and the bankers," he began unsurely, not having prepared beforehand what to converse about upon meeting her again. The last few days had been a whirlwind, barely giving him time to think properly on how to handle things. "They wouldn't allow visitors from non-family at the time, otherwise I would've-"

"Cut the formalities, Al," Abigail sighed impatiently, her breath misting in the cool air. "It's almost an insult that you're not comfortable around me, despite everything," she added, pointedly scanning her eyes over the portal. "And you could've come by any other time, so don't feed me the bullcrap about hospital rules."

"Sorry," Krei winced, his hand patting his windswept hair down. "I guess I just...I didn't know what to say." Much like now.

"You mean about explaining what was on this video file that was mysteriously left on my hospital bed?" she snipped back, her voice wavering a bit. She was glaring at the ground, not wanting to look up and see his face. "The one that shows you ignoring an error message and sending me into that portal, which wound up blowing up with me inside it?"

Video file? What was she talking about, how had...of course, everything that had happened at the Silent Sparrow project headquarters had been recorded. How someone managed to retrieve a recording from there and get to Abigail would remain a mystery, but he supposed it was a moot point now.

"Abigail, please, I know that must've looked bad, but I-I checked the monitors and readings myself before giving you the greenlight!" He took a few steps towards her without realizing it, everything around him disappearing from his thoughts except for her. "I never would've sent you in there if I had the slightest notion that you'd be in danger!"

Abigail had been visibly trying to shield her emotions, wanting to remain the picture of stoicism, but she was failing at it. "So an error message doesn't count as a 'notion' that I was in danger? Did you ever care about my safety at all or was I just a means to the end for your pet project?"

Krei's jaw dropped at the accusation, momentarily stunned speechless. "How...how can you even suggest that!"

"Just answer me!"

"Damn it, of course I cared!" He had gotten a lot closer now, less than an arm's length in front of her. "If I didn't, I would've broken up with you the normal way instead of risking killing you with a room full of witnesses including your psycho father!"

The slap she delivered was hard enough to turn his head to the side, his eyes shut as he braced against the stinging sensation that permeated the entire left side of his face. Abigail gasped immediately after she'd committed the act, her hands going to her mouth in shock at herself.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, her blue eyes huge and wet with fresh tears. "I didn't mean to, you, I-"

"I suppose I deserved that," Krei muttered as he rested his cool palm against his throbbing cheek, grimacing at the touch. He had known better to insult Robert in front of her. "I'm sorry, I know he was just...upset about what happened to you."

"Upset?" She said the word as if it were a foreign one. "Just upset? My dad's in prison!" she shouted firmly, some of her old spitfire personality shining through again. "He tried to kill you! Because of me!" Her hand pressed against her chest to emphasize. "How am I supposed to sort that out in my head, huh? Whose side am I supposed to be on?!"

Krei sighed, not sure how to respond that would offer any comfort. He wasn't entirely certain if she would even allow him to try.

"It's so hard to wrap my mind around that, that Daddy almost killed you," Abigail added in a quieter tone, her chin down. "I almost want to hate him, you know? Hate my dad, isn't that crazy?" she laughed sardonically. "I want to hate you too, Al, I really do, but I just can't..."

"Abigail, please," the man was begging her, restraining himself best he could to keep from sweeping her into his arms like he used to. "You have any idea how many nights I dreamed of seeing you again, that I'd wake up and everything that happened be a nightmare that never actually happened? Hell, I'm ashamed to say I even tried to pretend you never existed because it hurt so damn much to remember us, but the truth is I can't-"

"Just stop, Alistair," Abigail pleaded with him as soft tears rolled down her cheeks. Her gloved hands wiped under her eyes to clear them. "I shouldn't have said anything. We can't very well pick things up where we left off after all this."

"'Where we left off'?" He choked back a surprised laugh at the absurd statement, his head rolling back for a moment with an annoyed smile to hide any offense. "You say that as if all we did was go out for a few coffee dates here and there!"

"Will you try to see this from my point of view, please?" she fired back, her eyes reflecting all the hurt and confusion she was failing to hide. "I still feel like it was only yesterday that I hugged a goodbye to my dad before going into that damn portal, like it was only last week that you and I went to that fancy restaurant to pre-celebrate the showing, and all of sudden I wake up to my dad in prison for being a supercriminal and then seeing that video where you purposely greenlit me going into that-"

"Look, I know everything's screwed up, that I screwed it all up, and I'm sorry. I wish I could turn back the clock, but I can't!"

She blew out a hard breath, concentrating on calming down. She always was passionate in everything she did, including arguing. "I guess there was always a risk with using a human as a test subject, wasn't there?" she rheotorically asked with hint of cynicism. "You and Daddy even tried to talk me out of it, to let someone else do it. I agreed to it anyway though...for science. For you."

The last bit had come across as a carefully added afterthought, as if she wasn't sure she should say it. Amazing how it both broke and warmed Krei's heart.

"Abs..." That was his personal nickname for her, since "Abby" was reserved for her father's use. He reached a hand out to touch her shoulder but she turned slightly to avoid it. Ouch.

"Don't," she said as she hugged her arms around herself self-consciously; it wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was that she didn't trust herself around him. "I can't do this right now, I'm sorry. I have to much to deal with, like reversing my death certificate and getting my life back, and fixing this mess Daddy got into. I'll try to pay you back for what the damages cost."

"No." The response came out like a direct order. "I'm not going to subject you to any financial obligations, especially towards me."

"But...this had to cost a fortune," she insisted as she glanced around briefly at the debris they were surrounded by.

Krei shook his head adamantly. "I don't care. You have enough concerns, and my bank account isn't going to be one of them."

Abigail's expression suggested that she wanted to argue, but she nodded in agreement anyway. It was probable that she was relieved to have one less matter to deal with.

"I should get going," she said as she tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear that the wind had blown out of her ponytail. "I only stopped by because I saw your car parked here while on my way to Daddy's place." Her own apartment had long been leased out to another renter, and all her belongings in storage under her dad's name.

"I'm glad you did," Krei answered gently with a small smile. "You know, your dad inadvertently managing your return was the one good thing that came out of all this...makes all the damage he caused worth it." He paused before adding, "You should really visit him, Abs. He loves you more than life."

"Yeah.." Abigail allowed a similar smile back. She sighed a goodbye at him, awkwardly turning around to leave the premises almost as though she didn't really want to leave.

Krei's heart ached as he watched her walk away. He hadn't wanted their first encounter to go like this, but he supposed that given the circumstances, it was impossible to avoid. He couldn't just let her leave without him telling her one more thing though. His throat hitched and her name was on the tip of his tongue to call out, having to clear his throat in order to finally speak.

"Abs?"

The young lady stopped in mid-step, and took a moment in turning her head, probably having argued with herself before she did it. "Yes?"

Everything fell silent except for the sound of the blood rushing in his ears. "I still love you."

He could see her blink a couple times even at the distance she was at now. Any facial expression was impossible to read however, which only added to his growing nerves. What was he thinking, did he really think she was in a state where she'd want to say it back to him? Was he really that selfish, expecting her to-

"I do too."

She said it so quickly, that he almost didn't catch it; Krei stood there in silence until she disappeared from view, Abigail having sped up her pace to avoid having to continue the conversation.

She may not have been ready to say the actual words, but it was a hopeful start that one day they could begin anew.

Several months had past since the incident involving Robert Callaghan's destruction of the Krei Tech building. After much talk and planning, today was the day that the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology was going to be showcasing their own new building: a showcase hall dedicated to the memory of Tadashi Hamada.

It had been Abigail's idea, having talked to Tadashi's younger brother Hiro at the cemetery one evening when she had been visiting her mother's grave. She knew it wouldn't bring the young man back to life, but she had hoped the gesture would be an appreciated one. Krei had agreed to take on financing the building, owing his life to Hiro and his friends for their heroic deeds.

The two found themselves alone by accident during the pre-ceremony mingling, in a small hallway behind some columns. They still mostly kept conversations impersonal, since Krei didn't want to force Abigail into anything uncomfortable while she was still dealing with so much, but things were definitely much smoother between them.

"It's nice seeing you smile again," Krei braved to compliment her, subconsciously fixing the front of his dark blonde hair.

"It's nice to be able to," she replied in turn; she was never one to let pretty phrases woo her, though she always appreciated them of course. "I feel like I haven't thanked you enough for helping with this."

"Trust me, you have," he assured her with a chuckle. He wanted so badly to rest his hand on her back or touch her hair, habits that apparently never fully died. "Even if you never thanked me for anything, I'd still do it for you."

Abigail cast an annoyed look in his direction, though her twinkling eyes betrayed her. "I saw Daddy a few weeks ago," she said quietly, keeping an eye on his face to check how he reacted to that.

Krei's jaw set, the tone serious now. He wished that she had told him this sooner so he could've been there for her, but then again that might have been a bad idea considering how Robert felt about him. When he had gone to visit the man for himself a couple months ago, Robert had made it no secret that he did not want him around.

"And...how are you?"

"It was hard, but I'm glad I finally did it," she sighed, rubbing at her arms despite the air being significantly warm. "I love him, of course, it was just...surreal, I guess, seeing him like that."

"Understandable." This was the first time Robert had been mentioned between them since that night they had spoken at the Krei Tech ruins, and it was just as difficult a subject now as it had been then.

"He didn't say anything when I mentioned that we pooled money together to build this hall. I guess he doesn't hate you anymore," she attempted to joke with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Guess I can sleep easier tonight," he attempted also, though the subject was still a sensitive one.

Someone, a business associate, called out Krei's name to get his attention, warranting Krei to turn his head briefly to direct a courtesy wave towards the man as he passed. He tensed when he felt a warm body softly hug him then, looking down to realize it was Abigail, having used the advantage of him being distracted in order to make a move. Her face was pressed against the top of his sternum, her hands clenching at the back of his suit under his arms. She wasn't a short woman, but he was certainly tall, so the result was that she was still dwarfed by him.

Krei's heart stopped, his head spinning as he slowly hugged her back. He closed his eyes and sighed, resting his lips against her scalp. She still used the same shampoo, he noticed, his mind flashing back to those late nights when she would go home with him after they had worked on the teleportation device...nights her father didn't ever have to find out about.

He felt her sigh as she relaxed, possibly the first time she'd truly done so since she returned from the world inside the portal. Abigail raised her head and slid her hands up to lock behind his head, getting on her tip-toes so she could pull herself up into a kiss. It came as a shock after having gone so long without, but it soon felt as natural as breathing, just like it used to be. Krei pulled her closer to him as he gladly returned the kiss, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest that she was finally able to allow herself to be with him again.

It ended much too soon in his opinion, Abigail pulling back enough to where she was flat-footed again though she kept her hands against the sides of his face. "I still love you too," she breathed, mimicking what he had told her months earlier. "I never quit, I was just-"

"I never quit either," Krei sighed before hugging her to him again while pressing another kiss on her, her, her arms wrapped fully around his neck. Their long overdue passion exploded to life, the two getting lost in the moment just like old times. The insanity that had been inserted into their lives all but vanished for a few moments; reality rudely interrupted them when Krei's cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Damn it!" he whined much to Abigail's amusement as she stepped back to fix her hair while he answered his phone. "This is Krei and it better be good."

His savvy assistant didn't miss a beat. "Sir, the ceremony is starting in five minutes, and I assume that you and Miss Callaghan wouldn't want to miss cutting your own ribbon."

"Ah the ceremony, how can I forget that!" the man cried as he palmed his forehead. He then blinked in confusion when he mentally replayed what she'd just said. "Wait, how do you know I'm with-"

"I know everything, sir, that's my job. Besides, you two aren't doing that great a job at hiding."

When she hung up, Krei took a paranoid look around to see where in the world she could possibly be at in order to be spying on them in this hidden nook of a hallway. He forgot all about it when he felt Abigail's hand squeeze his, a playful smirk on her face.

"Come on, Al, let's get this show on the road," she winked as she tugged on his hand to get him moving.

"Just don't disappear on me afterwards like last time," he risked joking as he walked with her.

"That depends on you not letting me go."

He knew what she meant, an edge of awkwardness slicing into him. "How about we just go everywhere together, that'll solve it, right?"

"Everywhere, eh? You sure about that?"

"Okay, everywhere except to see your dad..." he added while tugging at his tie. "Might be a good idea to save that episode for a later season."

Abigail poorly suppressed a laugh. "We'll write that script when we get to it."