A strand of soaked brown hair loosely fell across his face as he looked up into the night sky. It was the first snowfall of winter. The white flakes floated effortlessly down from the darkness, highlighted by the silver moon, and formed a thin layer of snow on the ground. Now it really did look like Christmas Eve. All around the country, parents would be tucking their children into warm beds, stockings hanging from the fireplaces, a plate of milk and cookies left on the tables, and their dreams would be filled with the innocent hope of what Santa would bring.

He didn't feel particularly Christmassy this year.

Maybe that was why he offered to watch the anomaly. He could still hear Matt's voice in his head, telling him to go home, that the night shift were more than happy to do their part. But he insisted on letting them go home instead, he insisted on doing this himself, and all because he didn't think he could put on a big enough act to fool his family into thinking he was happy, and the thought of going home alone seemed too depressing. This felt like the easy way out. It wasn't as though the icy chill of the winter night had any effect on him anymore; he'd numbed it out about an hour ago. Now he was simply a man stood by train tracks that were no longer in use with the glow of the locked anomaly illuminating the scene.

Though he could easily deny it to his team members, he couldn't lie to himself. The main reason he took this job wasn't just to do with the mood he'd been in for the past few months, it was because of this anomaly. See, it was an anomaly they'd faced before, an anomaly that led to the Jurassic period, and it was the anomaly that he last saw a certain blue eyed, brown haired girl.

Jayme Cutter.

It was crazy that even after so many months she was the one on his mind. He hadn't really known her that long, a few months in fact. They'd grown close nonetheless. It was the time in the future that had procured those feelings. When it had been only him and her, there was no acts, no lies, just two people depending on each other to survive. She'd shown him her vulnerable side, and he'd shown her his. It seemed wrong that she was now gone. Too many times, had his mind brought up the idea to enter that anomaly in front of him. Even though he knew she'd be long gone by now, he couldn't help but wonder.

If he could ask for anything this Christmas, it would be her.

She could guess that the timing in this place was lined up almost perfectly with the world she left. The harsh icy wind had only just ceased, leaving an eerie chill in the air. Though surrounded by the tall trees that filled the Jurassic period, they hadn't done a secure job at shielding her from winter. The fire that rested on the pine ground acted as her main source of light as it neared the peak of the night. It wasn't wise keeping it lit for so long, but she sacrificed her safety for the warmth only the flames could give. It was Christmas Eve after all, if her dates were correct. Didn't she deserve a little present?

The brunette shook her head mindlessly, taking the stick beside her to poke at the flames. The fire sizzled, a fierce sound that by no doubt echoed through the seemingly empty forest. One could only hope there were no predators nearby, at least none that were hungry anyway. The stick dropped to her side once more, as she averted her gaze to the flames ahead. Her blue eyes were overtaken by the amber reflected back, the heat burning her skin as she leaned closer. There was something about watching the way the flames flickered and danced, it triggered a memory inside of her that she thought she'd long forgotten.

Another cloud beat against the walls of the cave, the toxic fumes desperately trying to claw their way in. They'd been occurring more frequently in the past couple of days, enough so to make the couple worry that they'd never have the time to find a new source of shelter. There was only sufficient food to sustain them for another week or so, perhaps two if they cut down dangerously low. Either way they didn't have long, especially with the travel they would have to undergo soon. The situation was far from ideal.

"How's your leg feeling?" It was like clockwork, at least once a day he'd ask her that very question, and she always felt that little bit guilty knowing it couldn't be easy to look after someone who was injured when their food source was becoming so scarce. Never once did he complain though, not even when emotions were running high.

"It's almost as good as new," She told him, letting out a breathy laugh before daring to look over at him. A small pile of rocks lay in the middle of the cave, a desperate attempt of his to create a fire, without any sticks to fuel it, there was only ever sparks. Funny thing is he knew all of that, he wasn't an idiot, and yet he still tried. She didn't really know where he stored all of this hope.

"Sorry I couldn't get a fire going," He stated after a few moments of silence, his empty gaze still placed on the rocks ahead.

"You didn't have to try; you knew it was pointless, why bother?" Jayme asked, soon being met with a pair of warm brown eyes looking over at her. For such as strong person, at times she found he had the softest of gazes.

There was a slight hesitation before he finally spoke. "I heard you shivering the other night, just thought I'd give it a go," He told her, the voice seeming almost uncharacteristic compared to the man he usually was. Underneath this soldier, she knew there was a more vulnerable side, and for some reason, whenever he showed it, she never felt more at ease. She just couldn't figure out why.

"Thank you," She whispered, the words thought to be inaudible, but when the corner of his lips twitched that tiny bit, she knew he heard, and she knew he was grateful, no matter what he would say if she questioned the matter further.

"You know, I always find fire rather relaxing, not in a pyromaniac sense," He stated, finding a bottle of water from the bottom of the bag before walking over to her. He never could figure out if he'd simply done that as an excuse to move or not. "We used to travel a lot as a family, since my father was in the military, and every time we moved to a new place, my older brother would always take me, my sister, and my younger brother out to a nearby forest or field. He'd bring the tents and camping gear, and we'd spend a night out in the wilderness. We'd look at the stars, and he would always tell us how it didn't matter where we were, as long as we were together. I guess it was the only way he could comfort us, we were only young after all. Anyway, he'd light a fire every time, and tell us all that if we looked into the flames real hard, we'd see our dreams dancing in front of us." He explained, looking ahead as if imagining the scene play out in front of his very eyes. There was something about his voice as he spoke, as he remembered, something that Jayme found both infatuating and comforting at the same time. She'd never seen him so open before. "It was just an old legend or something, you know, the flames showing you your dreams, but I guess it just kind of became a source of comfort. Whenever I'd see a fire, or go camping, I always thought back to when we were all little, when we were all together as a family. So much has changed since..." He murmured, finally glancing over at her, her blue eyes looking up at him as he spoke. She averted her gaze quickly after.

"How many times have you told that story?" She questioned, maybe it was the vulnerability in his words, or the way he spoke about his family with such peace to his voice, but she'd never felt so calm as she did right now, sitting next to him.

"Never," He responded, catching her gaze once more. "I guess you're the first person I've told,"

"You shouldn't have stayed, you know that right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You should've left when I told you to. I don't know if we're going to make it out of this one. I've never been to this future, especially not without supplies, I don't know how we'll survive," The brunette told him, resting her head against the cold wall of the cave.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you to die, and I stand by my word. We'll get through this together. Trust me."

The anomaly flickered slightly, catching Becker's attention in an instant. How could that ball of light send his heart racing so quickly? Why did it feel like he was saying goodbye to her all over again? He shook his head, turning on the torch of his EMD as the light disappeared into the darkness. Just like that, the anomaly was gone. He folded the anomaly locking mechanism into the case, slamming shut the latches before picking it up with one hand, EMD in the other. It looks like he would be going home alone for Christmas Eve after all. His roommate had left the previous day to go spend Christmas with his family up the North-East. Back in the apartment, the tree would be sitting in the corner, lights off, but decorated with an array of golden and red baubles and tinsel, presents neatly wrapped under it. It would be the perfect little Christmas scene, if only he had someone to share it with. Someone who made him smile effortlessly and without fail, someone who knew his secrets, someone who didn't judge him, someone he knew he could count on at all times.

"Merry Christmas, Jayme," He whispered, glancing back to where the anomaly had been, and ignoring the stupidity he felt for saying it out loud. He just desperately hoped she was safe.

She could still hear his voice as if it were only yesterday, telling her his stories, telling her all about his life. She couldn't understand how one person could have this much of an impact on her this quickly. It was insane. It wasn't normal. There was something about him that wouldn't let him leave her mind. One of these days it would drive her crazy. She saw no reason why it should be this hard to forget him. She hadn't known him for long at all, only a few months. Yet it felt like so much longer.

As she let her gaze pour back into the crackling fire, she thought about what he'd told her. She pictured a young boy, surrounded by three other siblings, staring endlessly into the dancing amber flames that showed him his dreams. She could see a smile on his face, so innocent, as his warm brown eyes had not yet witnessed the cruelty of the world. She remembered everything he'd told her, and she felt the comfort he felt whenever he looked into the flames. But why, as she gazed into the fire that grew in the middle of the Jurassic forest, did she only see a brown eyed soldier, with a warm smile on his face. Why could she only see Becker?

A spot of snow melted against her skin, and she instantly looked up into the night sky, watching as a collection of snowflakes fell from above. Grabbing the bottle of water from beside her, she poured the liquid onto the flames, the fire fading away into the darkness. With careful steps to keep her presence unknown, she silently moved into a growth of branches and bush surrounding some trees, hiding away into the small camp she'd found for herself as she settled down for the night. She could feel the icy chill of the snow as it landed around her, and she wrapped the blanket she had tightly around her.

Her blue eyes looked up, a sliver of moonlight falling through the cracks of the branches above her. She felt a small smile grow on her face before whispering the first words that popped into her head to the first person she wished she could see just one more time. "Merry Christmas, Becker."

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas, and a happy new year! :)