Captain Becker halted as he entered the Hub of the ARC, taking in the unusual sight before him. Jess Parker's desk was ringed 'round with fairy lights and there was a stocking hanging from the back of chair. The woman herself stood atop a ladder, swagging an ivy garland from the ceiling and humming "Winter Wonderland" softly. Snowflake screensavers bounced merrily around the room's many unused computer screens. Most of the techs were off for the holidays.
He leaned a hip against a lab table and folded his arms across his chest, regarding Jess is amusement. She was dressed just as festively as her desk in a short red skirt, and stockings with a snowflake print. Her heels were even trimmed in white fur. Becker couldn't help but shake his head at such frivolousness.
"How exactly did you talk Lester into letting you do this?" He spoke up but before the last words had left his lips, he realized his mistake.
Jess jumped, startled by the voice behind her, and spun around. Or tried to anyway. Her heel caught in the ladder and she began to totter precariously. The ladder swayed and began to topple beneath her. Becker was across the floor in a flash and before Jess even had time to scream he had caught her, saving her a very nasty spill on the floor.
Her heart was pounding in reaction. She tried to slow her breathing but was finding it very difficult while cradled by Becker's strong arms.
"Lord… thank you," she managed to choke out, her face was growing redder by the second.
Realizing how close she was pressed to his chest, Becker cleared his throat and lowered her to her feet. "No, it was my fault, I-" As he set Jess down, her sharp intake of breath cut him off and he had to save her from crumpling to the floor towards the floor.
"My ankle," she winced, "my shoe caught on the top rung, I must have twisted it when I fell."
Becker scooped her off her feet, cursing himself as five kinds of fool for sneaking up on the poor girl, while she on a ladder! After sweeping a pile of papers from the surface of a lab table, he gently sat her upon it.
"Stay there" he muttered and stalked off. Jess held her leg out stiffly and examined her shoe for damage. Well, at least the heel was still intact, if a bit scuffed.
Becker quickly returned, bearing a med-kit with him. Wheeling a chair over to the table, he sat before her and popped it open. She gasped softly as his warm fingers grasped her calf; his other hand gently worked the shoe off her foot. Becker chalked up the reaction to pain.
"Shh," he murmured, slipping her toes free, "Bear with me, Jess." As carefully as he could, he flexed her foot to and fro, fingers probing for any breaks in the bone. Becker's respect for the woman grew as he treated her; under such treatment Connor would have been complaining and Abby would have swore like a sailor. Jess squirmed a bit but remained silent until he was done, taking it like a trooper.
"Nothing's broken, probably just a sprain. Does it hurt very badly?" When he glanced up, he found her biting her lip but she quickly shook her head and assured him it wasn't too bad. By the look of her flushed face he doubted that was truly the case.
Lowering his eyes again, he tried not to notice that Jess's pained movements had caused her skirt to ride up on her thighs. The garters holding up her snowy stockings were showing just below the hem. Becker, feeling a bit red in the face himself, turned away to prepare an icepack.
"I'll, uh," he cleared his throat and stood. "You'll need to take off your stocking. If we get some ice on it, it shouldn't swell too much."
Writhing in embarrassment, Jess did as she was told, detaching her garter and rolling her stocking down. She couldn't bite back a tiny whimper when her fingers brushed her injured ankle.
"I've got it from here." Becker's hand settled over hers. She sat back as he bowed his dark head over her leg once more. Taking the toe of the stocking between his fingers, he warned her, "Brace yourself, and don't look, okay? Ready?"
Jess took a deep breath and nodded. Becker caught her eyes and held them, not allowing her to look away as he gently tugged the stocking the rest of the way off. He watched her grit her teeth as he placed the icepack on her ankle, but the tension began to seep out of her tiny frame as he wrapped a bandage tight to keep the cold compress in place.
"What inspired the decision to decorate the ARC?"
"Oh, you know, Christmas. I've always loved it." Jess smiled awkwardly at him, certain she must sound like a silly child. "James always takes his family to Nice for the holidays, so I thought I could get away with it. Guess i forgot to account for you."
"You have my word I wont tattle on you to Lester." Becker gave her a conspiratorial smile.
"You're nice." Looking around, her handiwork made Jess smile. But how must it seem to the very upright Captain Becker? "I suppose it isn't very professional, is it?"
With a shrug, Becker leaned against the table next to her, once more taking in the lights strung about the room, noticing for the first time a silly dancing Santa toy on Jess's desk.
"What Lester doesn't know wont hurt him. Its the holidays and only a skeleton support team is here anyway. I don't see the harm in it." Taking in her bandaged ankle, he quirked a sardonic brow. "Well, not much harm. With that ankle I think your decorating might be at an end this year, though."
"Suppose I can live with that. Thought it might cheer me up a bit is all. Usually my mum and dad come into town and help me decorate my flat. Then we all go out to Trafalgar Square to watch them light the tree.. Its so beautiful under the snow."
Jess gazed off dreamily, memories of happy holidays past tugging at the corners of her lips. Becker wondered if she knew how beautiful she was when she smiled. Tearing his eyes away, he grasped onto the excuse of repacking the medkit.
"Not this year?"
"No." She shook her head, her smile turning a bit sad. "Mum's knees aren't doing so good. It wouldn't be fair to ask her climb the stairs at my flat, or stand about for hours in the cold. I'll see them when I go home Christmas Eve though. I suppose its childish to be disappointed over this."
"There's nothing wrong with missing people who aren't around." Becker's eyes clouded briefly as he remembered the year he'd spent missing his friends, unsure if they were alive or dead. Having Connor and Abby back made this year's holiday loads brighter than last year's.
Shaking off the unpleasant memories, he scooped up her shoe and stocking from the chair and handed it to her. He kept his palm extended to help her up.
"Come on. You need to stay off that ankle so you're going straight home."
Taking his hand, she gingerly slid to the floor, trying not to put any weight on the injured foot But once again Becker took her up in his arms and strode for the door, ignoring her protests.
"Don't be stupid. You can't limp all the way out. Besides, the floors will be freezing with no shoe or stocking on."
Jess subsided, and tried not to smile too obviously as she let herself melt against his muscular form.
...
The next day, Jess walked carefully into the ARC. If she took tiny steps, she barely even felt a twinge. She'd been forced to wear flats today and hardly felt like herself. Being inches shorter than she was accustomed to made her feel like a child! Tomorrow she was switching back to her heels, whether the swelling had subsided or not. She spent most of the day sat in front of the ADD, it couldn't be intolerable.
When she padded through the double doors of the Hub, a gasp escaped her. The entire room was decorated! Lights and ivy ringed every surface, not just her own desk. One wall was almost completely covered in stockings. Upon investigating closer she found that each bore the name of a different member of the ARC team, from Lester down to the lab techs. There were even paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling! She gaped as she made for the desk. It was simply incredible.
She noticed the lump in the stocking hanging on her chair before she sat down to elevate her ankle. It turned out to be a hollow chocolate Santa.
"Nothing with orange, right?"
Jess whirled, a bit more successfully this time around. "Becker! What…how…" She was dumbfounded, a bit speechless. She gave up trying to form words and simply grinned at him foolishly.
"Hope you don't mind I finished the job for you. Never could stand to leave a task half-done."
"It's amazing! It must have took you all night!"
"Just about." Becker gave a depreciating shrug. "Its not quite finished though, there's one last piece to add, but I haven't been able to decide where to put it."
Looking around, Jess saw that nearly every surface was adorned. She searched for an open spot. "What's left?"
"Just this."
Becker caught her eyes, then glanced above her. Tipping her head back, following his gaze, she saw the sprig of mistletoe he held over her. Taking advantage of her position, Becker leaned down and caught her in a tender kiss. She froze in shock, but for only a moment. Soon she let her eyes drift closed, savoring the feel of his lips. It was a long moment before he pulled back. A lifetime to Jess, yet also much too soon.
"On second thought, I'm not sure we should put that up at all." Becker's voice was a bit gruff, but his eyes sparkled. "Wouldn't want anyone else to get any ideas if they saw it hanging over your head." Taking her hand, he placed the mistletoe on her palm. "Keep that safe for me. I'll pick you up later."
With another smile, Becker released her and began to leave. Trying to swim out of the pool of mushy feelings she'd melted into, his last words penetrated her brain.
"Umm.. later?" She asked. Her voice was husky and when he turned back Becker saw that her eyes were half lidded. If anyone was in danger from mistletoe hanging about Jess, it was him.
"Trafalgar Square. It's tree-lighting night, remember? I insist we leave early so we don't have to fight the crowds. Wouldn't want anyone stepping on your toes."
He winked, actually winked at her, before the doors closed behind him. Jess collapsed back into her chair, chocolate in one hand, mistletoe in the other. This may be just be the best Christmas she ever had.