A/N: Okay. This is a fiction about Jecker. Yay! It's set sometime after S5Ep3 and it's a completely fictional storyline, so there aren't really any spoilers.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. I sighed in contentment, resting my back against the blue wood, and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. It had been a long day. But it had been the best day.
Today was a fairytale.
Okay, so it hadn't started off so well. I had gone into work, feeling shattered after staying up late doing some paperwork, unable to sleep because of Abby and Connor giggling in their room. I didn't even want to know what they were doing. Don't get me wrong, I love Abby and Connor. They make an adorable couple, but I do not want to know the intimate details of their sex life.
I'd sat down at the ADD feeling a headache coming on. But in one instant I forgot all about that. Becker, hot, amazing, unbelievable sexy Becker, sat down next to me, leaning on the glass table.
My breath sped up, my heart raced, beating in my chest.
Stop it, Jess. You're being ridiculous, I had told myself. I did not want to appear stupid in front of the man I fancied. Shut up! I angrily told my inner self. In response, the small voice inside my head whispered, First sign of madness, you know, talking to yourself. Becker's never going to fancy you if you insist on acting insane.
"Anything interesting happening?" He asked, sounding bored. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, taking in his fist propping his chin up and his perfectly coiffed hair. Becker was always bored when he didn't have anything to shoot.
My eyes returned to staring at the screens in front of me. I scanned the map and ran a diagnostic, checking for an anomaly, even though I knew there wouldn't be one because the alarm hadn't rung. I did it just for him. And he'll never know, Jessica. The check finished, and unsurprisingly there was nothing. "Nope, sorry." I rubbed my eyes, blinking a few times against the bright glare of the monitors, my headache returning.
"Something wrong?" He asked innocently. I had to force myself to take three deep breaths and ignore the thoughts conjured in my mind by his two simple words. He's just asking as a friend. Just friends, I counselled.
"Just got a migraine," I answered quietly.
"I've got just the thing. We need to stop you staring at these monitors." He stood up and offered me his hand like a true gentleman. I took it and stood, staring at my outfit. I was wearing a red pencil skirt and yellow heels, hardly suitable for whatever Becker had planned. Noticing my gaze, he muttered, "Yeah, you might want to think about changing."
"And what will I be doing that requires me to change my clothes?"
"That would be giving clues, Jessica. Just put on a pair of trousers and some trainers," he replied sounding a little exasperated.
"Fine," I mumbled, defeated. "Susan, can you keep take over the ADD?"
"Of course, Jess," she replied, staring disconcertingly at Becker and me. I turned to find Becker watching me too, seemingly annoyed with me over something.
I turned away from him, worrying about what I had done, and went to change into a pair of jeans and flat plimsoll type shoes. I pulled a green cardigan from my locker, under the suspicion that whatever Becker and I were going to do would involve going outside.
When I returned to him, he smiled but the gesture seemed tightly controlled. I frowned a little but followed him through the maze of corridors making up the A.R.C. I wasn't too surprised when we ended up in the armoury. Becker's idea of fun always involved weapons, whether it was an EMD, an actual gun or something more serious like a tank.
"Wait here," he commanded. When he returned he was carrying a black scarf. I eyed it nervously before he tied it around my head so I couldn't see anything.
"Hilary Becker!" I complained. "Is this really necessary?"
"It is if you call me Hillary," he called from somewhere across the room. Now I have no idea what he's doing. I could hear clanging and banging, suggesting he was taking things down from the shelves, but I had no idea what.
I jumped out of my skin when his hand clamped down on my shoulder, completely out of the blue.
He sniffed like he was laughing. My hand spun out and caught him somewhere, although I had no idea where, because of the stupid blindfold.
"Ow!"
"Serves you right! Now can I take this scarf off yet?"
"Nope," he answered, popping his lips on the p. "Not yet. I'll tell you when. Now give me your hand."
My hand stayed at my side. Jess, you need to give him your hand. You look stupid now. But I couldn't make my arm stretch out towards him; my hand was sweating at the thought of just being enfolded in his big, warm one.
His hand took mine, taking me by surprise. He towed me out of the armoury and through the corridors again. I heard Connor whizz past laughing on his skateboard, the wheels rolling smoothly on the polished floor. It was surprising he wasn't in his lab right now. Maybe Abby dragged him out.
Wind suddenly and unexpectedly blew across my face. I was glad I had put my cardigan on.
I blinked against the sunlight when Becker untied the scarf. We were outside the A.R.C. in the car park.
"What are we doing, Becker?"
He held a finger aloft and pulled a bag from his shoulder. It was big and black, made from canvas, like one of those ones Athletes and sporty people took to the gym, a holdall. I didn't even want to imagine what he'd packed in there. It certainly wasn't a picnic. He slowly unzipped the bag, like he was unwrapping a Christmas present, dragging it out to get more enjoyment from the present.
I restrained a groan.
When he'd finally unzipped the bag, he pulled out a rifle and handed it to me. I gripped it, staring at it. I'd fired EMDs before but this was an actual rifle. I wasn't trained to fire it, and to be honest it scared me a bit – hence why I gingerly held it in front of me in the tips of my fingers as though it were a dead rat.
"Jess, it's a gun. It won't hurt you unless you fire it," he said patronisingly, his eyebrow arched.
"Ha ha. You know I'm only trained with EMDs."
He pulled a second rifle out of the bag. "EMDs are exactly the same as real guns, Jessica."
"Really?" I asked in shock.
"Well, nearly the same anyway."
"Becker," I groaned.
"What?" He stood next to me and began to instruct me on how to hold the gun and how to shoot. "Okay?" He asked.
"Just one small thing."
"Shoot," he said, grinning at his pun.
"How is this supposed to get rid of my headache?"
"Just shoot, Jessica."
I sighed and sighted down the weapon, looking at the can Becker had set up on the wall around the car park. Luckily most of the staff parked in the indoor car park now. We'd had too many problems with transporting creatures to the A.R.C. and unfortunate accidents involving squashed cars. My finger contracted around the trigger.
"Remember. Don't pull the trigger; just squeeze it."
I nodded.
"And breathe, remember to breathe and then fire."
"Yes, alright, Becker! We've been through it enough times," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
I exhaled, and my finger acted of its own accord, squeezing the trigger back. The rifle jolted and sprang back into my shoulder in recoil as the bullet flew out, but I'd been expecting that. A second later, the can toppled off the wall.
All air was whooshed out of my lungs as Becker lifted me into the air in a hug, squeezing the life out of me. The gun dropped from my fingers from shock. But I forgot all about that, revelling in the feeling of being in his arms. My hands rested on his shoulders.
"Jess, you did it! I can't believe it – on your first shot!" He shouted, overjoyed.
My headache was completely forgotten as he lowered me to the ground again and pulled me into a closer hug. I laid my head on his shoulder, smiling into his neck.
"I know," I whispered, my breath tickling his skin.
Suddenly he froze. His hands removed themselves from my back and he stepped away, scratching behind his ear, as he looked any wear but at me. His posture was awkward and he opened his mouth to say something. But whatever he was going to say was lost as his phone and my phone rang in our trouser pockets.
I slid the Nokia N95 from my pocket and flipped it open. Abby was calling me. I accepted the call and said, "Hello? Abby what's going on?" At the other end of the phone I could hear the anomaly alert blaring.
"Jess, we've got an anomaly. I'm stuck in the Menagerie. We've got an archaeoceratops that needs an operation and Connor's busy in his Lab. I need you to go with Becker, Matt and Emily."
"Right, okay. You can count on me, Abby. I'll see you later," I said, hanging up. I looked over at Becker who had just put his phone back into his trouser pocket. "Abby can't make it. I'm coming with you."
"What? Jessica Parker, you aren't a field operative. Your job is to coordinate us."
"Hey! I've been trained to use EMDs and you just showed me how to use a rifle. I'll be fine. Come on, there's no use arguing. We need to go or there'll be creatures all over the place."
He reluctantly agreed and led the way to his car. Everywhere I looked there were signs of an alert. Becker's men ran helter-skelter through the corridors, jumping into cars and driving off with a screech of tyres. Becker and I got into a car and drove off after them.
Becker angrily told me to open the glove compartment whilst swerving in and out of traffic, most likely speeding, to get to the anomaly site.
I pulled out an EMD handgun.
"Look after yourself with that, Jessica," Becker murmured, not meeting my eyes. He stopped the car outside a theatre. Somehow we'd arrived before the rest of Becker's men, as the only other car in the area was the one Matt had driven. I picked up the radio ear piece off the counter in the car, and put it in my ear.
"Jess, are you here yet?" Matt asked in his Irish accent.
"Just got here," I replied as I jumped from the SUV. Becker was already out of the car and at the back, pulling on his body vest and putting together his long-range EMD. "What have we got?" I asked as Becker and I walked in through the door.
"Anomaly's on stage. Nothing's come out of it yet."
"That we know of any way," Emily interrupted.
Becker and I walked past the cashier's desk and confectionary on the shelves on full alert. Through the door I could already see the shining oval-like hole in time and space, glittering under the stage lights. Matt and Emily were standing to the side of it, EMDs trained on the spot in case anything came through. Becker jogged down the aisle and up the steps, stopping beside them and lifting his gun onto the anomaly.
"Are you sure nothing's come through?" He asked urgently.
"Positive," Matt answered. "Emily searched when we got here." He gave Emily a loving look. That's what I want, I thought dreamily. A man to stare at me lovingly every time I enter a room.
"Jessica, can you go back out to the car and get the locking device?" Becker asked, still not looking at me.
I turned and walked out, grumbling to myself about his insistence of using my full name. Secretly, I liked that. It made him different from everyone else, who called me Jess as I'd asked on my first day working at the A.R.C. But I froze in fear when I saw a massive dinosaur behind the till. Its head snapped up as I raised the EMD to shoot it. It took a step towards me. My finger closed on the trigger, but nothing happened. No light shot out of the EMD, nothing. The ground shook under its bulk as it came towards me again. I backed away, slowly walking up the stairs to the balcony. Its eyes followed my every move, although it hadn't yet come any closer.
"Help," I called, but my voice came out as a strangled whisper. No-one heard me. The dinosaur leapt towards me. I turned and fled, running out into the mass of seats on the balcony. It followed me. I really wish I had looked through Connor's Dinosaur Dictionary then I might know what this thing is. I had no idea what king of dinosaur it was or what period it came from. The only thing I knew about it was that it was huge. Though I knew from the look in its eyes that it was a carnivore. I ran to the fence around the balcony. Below I could see the anomaly, and Becker talking quietly with Emily and Matt.
He sighed and looked at his watch. I imagined that he was thinking something along the lines of 'where's Jess? It's been five minutes.'
I turned around, gripping the banister behind me. The monster was slowly advancing towards me. I threw my EMD to the right, hoping it would follow it like a dog, but no such luck. Its eyes didn't stray away from me for a second. It knew I had no escape and was taking its leisurely time stalking me. My mouth hung open in a soundless scream.
Suddenly it flung itself towards me, defying gravity as its entire body left the ground. Time slowed down as it came towards me. I leapt to the left, diving towards the ground in the hopes that it would soar over the top of me and off the balcony. But one of its front legs caught my side, its claws ripping through my cardigan and gouging my side. Somehow I caught the banister with my hands as the dinosaur carried me over the edge.
Finally a scream escaped my mouth. I could feel my hands slipping already and I'd been hanging for mere seconds. The dinosaur roared as it fell to the floor and after a particularly loud bang remained silent.
"Jess!" Becker shouted desperately. I didn't dare look below me to see where he was. My eyes were shut tight. "Hang on!" I could hear footsteps running up the stairs, but my hands were still slipping. I couldn't hold on and just as Matt reached the balcony, I fell from it. I screamed again, so afraid of dying. Well, Jess, this is the end for you. Maybe you should have just told Becker you liked him, instead of keeping silent and trying to show him by shooting guns with him.
I grunted as arms caught me. "Jess? Jess, are you alright?" He asked, sounding like an angel. I opened my eyes and stared at Becker. "Jess?" He lowered me to the ground and bent over me, looking worried. His hand found mine and held it tight. "You're going to be okay. Talk to me, Jessica. Where are you hurt?"
My voice refused to work.
"Give us a minute with her?" Emily asked. Her hand swung across my face, causing my cheek to smart. "Snap out of it, Jess!"
"What was that for?" I demanded.
"You were sending Becker crazy," she explained.
Becker ran back over and hovered over me. "Jess?" His brow was puckered with anxiety.
I groaned. "Help me up?" I asked hopefully, holding my hand out to him.
He took it and pulled me off the stage floor. My knees buckled the instant I was on my feet but Becker caught me and held me. "Jess? What's wrong? Tell me what's the matter, Jessica Parker!"
I pointed at my side, where there was a bloody gash and gasped as Emily gingerly poked it.
"Careful!" Becker said to her, eyes flashing dangerously with some emotion I couldn't identify. He picked me up, one hand under my knees, the other around my back. I tucked my head against his chest.
"Am I going to be okay, Hilary?" I whispered.
He turned his head and, for the first time in hours, met my eyes. "You are going to be fine, Jessica," he said determinedly, over-enunciating each word. He carried me out to the car, strapped me in and drove like a maniac back to the hospital. He checked me in, surprising me when he knew all of my personal information needed for the forms. The doctor took me away from him in a wheelchair and I felt like crying. I needed the strong military man beside me.
He snuck into my room after one of the nurses changed me into a gown and left. He stayed and held my hand as the doctor stitched me up.
An hour later, I was still waiting to go home. It had been awkward thinking of an excuse to tell the medical staff how I got injured, but once again Becker saved the day, telling them I worked at a zoo and was attacked by one of the lions. A little far-fetched if you ask me, but the doctors and nurses believed him. It was impossible not to with that face. In fact I didn't think I'd ever heard Becker tell a lie before then. Finally the doctors discharged me.
"Do you want a lift home?" He asked. He truly was my knight in shining armour. Yeah, that's right, Jess, you are a damsel in distress.
"Yes, please. I haven't been able to get hold of Abby or Connor."
He nodded and led me out to the car, stopping to pick me up and run to car, when he saw it was raining.
He turned the ignition and let the car sit idle for a few minutes before turning to look at me.
"Jess," he began awkwardly. "There's something I wanted to say to you."
I nodded, curious as to what he wanted to talk about.
"I don't quite know how to say this."
Do not get your hopes up, I chanted like a mantra. It might not be what you think it is.
"I've sort of been having…feelings…for you recently and I wondered if you would maybe go out to dinner with me sometime." He muttered quietly.
My eyes teamed with tears. He was looking at me, scared, probably about why I was crying. "Yes," I whispered. He sighed in relief and turned back to the steering wheel. "I like you too, Becker." His head whipped back towards me, and I laughed a little.
His hand took mine. He held it before his face and placed his lips against it. My fingers folded around his and he drove us home, with only one hand on the steering wheel, his other residing in mine.
He walked me to my door. Still holding my hand.
"You look so beautiful," he whispered gently.
I raised my eyebrows in response and looked at my ripped cardigan and blood-stained t-shirt. "I look like a mess."
He shook his head, silently disagreeing with me.
"So when do you want to go to dinner?" He asked, leaning against my door.
"How about tomorrow?" I asked, already eager to be with him again.
He nodded. "Tomorrow sounds good. I'll see you at work, although don't expect to come out into the field again, Jessica," he said, smiling shyly.
I nodded and waved, as I opened the door. I heard Abby and Connor giggling again and closed the door.
"On second thoughts, how about tonight?" I called. He stopped just as he was getting into the car. He leaned his arms on the roof.
"Pick you up at six?"
"Yep. Sure. I'll see you at six." I said calmly whilst jumping up and down inside.
I opened the door and went in to the hallway. As soon as the door was closed behind me, I danced, although I regretted it due to the slight spasm of pain that ran through my side. I glanced at my watch and wandered into the living room. Hold on! What time did that say? I looked back at my watch and swore. It was already quarter past five. I only had forty five minutes to shower, decide on my outfit, change and put my make up one! I sprinted into the bathroom, and tore my clothes off whilst being as careful with my side as possible.
After a five minute shower, I ran through to my bedroom, swearing loudly again as I stubbed my toe on the corner of my bed.
A knock sounded on my closed door.
"Jess?" Abby called. "You alright?"
"Yeah! Just stubbed my toe. In a bit of a hurry." I shouted back to her.
"You going out?" She asked, sounding interested.
"Erm, just for a little bit."
"Where you going?"
I opened the door, holding my towel around me securely.
"Abby. I only have half an hour to get ready. I'll tell you about it when I get back," I said in a desperate effort to get rid of her.
"How about you tell me whilst I help you get ready?"
"I don't think that's really going to help me be any quicker…"
"Nonsense," she replied, barging into my room. "How are you going to dress yourself quickly with that side of yours?"
"You know about that?" I asked, my eyes flashing.
"Yuhuh." She pretended to examine her nails. Honestly! She's as bad as Connor. He's forever curious.
"How?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"Oh Becker rang us all, sounded very worried. Say, you're not going anywhere with him are you?" She knows!
I ignored her and turned to my wardrobe, searching for something to wear that would show off my tiny waist.
"How about this?" Abby asked innocently, holding up my green dress.
I took it from her and held it up against myself in front of the mirror. It was perfect. I shooed her from the room and hurriedly changed into it. I only had ten minutes left and I still had to do my make-up. I pulled my matching green heels from the cupboard and slipped my feet into them. I rushed over to my dressing table and sat down. I hurriedly curled my hair and swept some dark green eye shadow over my eyes and grabbed my pale pink lipstick. Rushing to the door, I picked up my bag on the way, threw my purse in it and applied the lipstick, throwing it into the green clutch too. Remembering my perfume, I ran back to the dressing table, spritzed myself and left my bedroom with minutes to spare.
Connor and Abby looked up from the TV as I closed my door.
"Wow," Abby murmured. "You look good, Jess."
Connor whistled, earning him a look from Abby.
"Really?"
"Yes," Abby answered sincerely.
A car horn honked from outside and I almost ran to the door. "Have a good time," they shouted after me.
I waved my bag at them and left the house, almost running into Becker on the doorstep.
He'd changed too and was now wearing a tight grey t-shirt and black jeans. A large smile lit up his face when he saw me. And that was it, right there; I fell in love with him. Fell in love when I saw you standing there.
"You look amazing."
"You don't look so bad yourself, Mister."
Becker offered me his arm and I linked mine through his, my hand resting just above his bare elbow.
"So where are we going?" I asked eagerly.
"Jessica Parker, have you learnt nothing about me today?" He joked. "It's a surprise."
I am beginning to really hate surprises.
He drove us to the pier and stopped. I looked out at the dark sky, confused. There was nothing out there. But Becker opened his door and stepped out before opening my car door and offering me his hand. I took it and stepped down from the car, as gracefully as I could in five inch heels.
He led me down the pier. About halfway there he stopped and told wait one second before disappearing off to the right.
Suddenly the whole pier was illuminated by fairy lights hanging over head. In front of me was a small round table, accompanied by three musicians who struck up at Becker's nod, playing a slow, romantic tune on the guitar, violin and flute. Becker came back, took my hand and seated me. He sat opposite me and brought out a box from under the table. He lifted out of it more boxes.
"I hope you don't mind," he said with a smile that took my breath away, "I got us Chinese."
I laughed, remembering the time I had taken him Chinese on a stake out and tried to tell him that I had been on my way home.
"Of course I don't mind."
The evening continued enjoyable, seeming to last for ages. Or maybe time just slowed down because Becker is around.
The entire evening Becker couldn't look away from me. I swear his smile took me to another planet.
He drove me home again, talking quietly to me the entire time, but keeping his eyes on the road.
Once more he walked me to the door. But this time, he leaned down and wrapped his hands around my waist. His lips found mine in the light from the streetlight. Electricity sped through the air between us as my hands wound around his neck. I felt like I was in wonderland or some kind of magic was at work. Or maybe there really was just a spark between us. My heart was thumping in my chest. I was sure he must have been able to feel it, considering out bodies were touching. All too soon, he broke away and rested his chin on my head.
"Goodnight, Jessica. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." He kissed my forehead and jumped down the steps, got into the car and drove away.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. I sighed in contentment, resting my back against the blue wood, and slid down until I was sitting on the floor.
I was wrong. He's not a knight; he's a prince.
It had been a long day. But it had been the best day.
Today was a fairytale.
A/N: I know it was kinda long. But it works best as a oneshot, so it all had to go into the same chapter. I was thinking I might write the same chapter but from Becker's POV so let me know whether you think it's a good idea. Please review to tell me what you think. :D If you see any mistakes, tell me and I'll correct them. Hopefully there won't be any because I just found some, but if there please tell me.