So, I was rewatching 4x04 again this afternoon, and once I had gotten over shirtless Becker (squee!), I realised that Jess' storyline of witnessing Beth's death wasn't really touched upon after Jess refused to help Abby. I'm not quite sure where this idea came from exactly, I just wanted to try something different to Jesker (gasp!) and maybe I'm just foreshadowing Jenny's return? I don't know, but I could always see Jess and Jenny being friends, so somehow this story was born. It's a two-shot, and will be updated probably over the weekend so: Enjoy and tell me what you think :)
She couldn't talk to Abby about it. She didn't really want to say anything to Connor. And she definitely did not want to bother Becker, who was probably halfway home for some well-deserved medical leave. Matt was nowhere to be found and she had a feeling Lester wouldn't really be interested.
Jessica stared at one of the computer monitors, which held the flickering image of the school gym where, only hours before, a girl, only a few years younger than herself, had been killed. The thought made something in Jess' gut twist and her hand flew up to her mouth as the memory replayed itself in her mind.
She couldn't ring her mother, or her father. She needed physical support and they were over in Ireland… Besides, how could she explain it to them? They knew she worked for the government, but that was all, and she had no intention of telling them the details of her job. She had to talk, and it had to be to someone who would understand.
Just as she was about to give up hope, making plans to go curl up in bed with the largest mug of tea she could find, she had a brainwave. She closed the CCTV image down with a last, regretful look and began to scan through the archives.
The building was tall and imposing, huge glass windows glinting at her in the weak sunlight. Jess noticed her reflection in the door as she pushed it open – she looked decent, but not as neat and bubbly as usual; to be fair this was mostly due to the fact she'd spent most of the night awake, half excited for this meeting but half scared of the nightmares she was bound to have after what she had witnessed earlier in the day. She took a deep breath, straightening her red cardigan as she stepped into the building.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way over to the main desk. A young man, probably in his thirties or so, looked up at her from behind it. His was slicked back smoothly, his suit impeccable. If he hadn't smiled at her, she could've seen him as a younger Lester.
"How can I help?" He asked, his fingers already straying to the keyboard of the computer in front of him.
Jess put on her best 'serious business' face. "Hello. I'm here to see Jenny Lewis."
Jenny laughed politely as her the businessman on the other side of the phone conversation cracked a joke that secured any attempts he made into a career of comedy would fail. He chortled heartily in her ear, as she tried to get him back on topic; eventually she made an excuse, promising him she would call back as soon as possible and promptly sighed in relief as she hung up. She slumped back into her chair with little grace, running a hand down her face before using it to push her fringe out of her eyes.
She pulled her diary across the desk towards her, flipping through to find today's schedule. To her delight, Jenny found that she had the next hour and a half clear of any work. Smiling genuinely at the thought of freedom from her tedious office, she gathered her things into her bag, shrugging her coat on as she gazed out of the window. As always, her gaze was drawn across the city, to where she knew the ARC was lurking secretively, almost like it was waiting for her to return. She pulled herself away from the window sharply, fastening the last button on her coat as she reminded herself that that part of her life was over and she should be glad. She'd had enough heartbreak from that place to last a lifetime.
Jenny shook her head to clear it, hooking her bag in the crook of her arm as walked towards the door. She opened it to see a young girl stood behind it, her fist raised as though she was about to knock. Both jumped at the unexpected sight of each other, but as Jenny relaxed she couldn't help but notice the way the tension never left the girl as she slowly lowered her hand.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" The girl gasped. "I can come back another time, if you want, it's just…"
Jenny's slightly stunned emotions must have shown on her face, as the girl trailed off awkwardly, her hand moving to twist her watched round her wrist.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" She asked, watching the nervous expressions the girl was making.
"Oh, sorry," the girl shook her head, brown curls slipping over her shoulder. "I'm all over the place today, I'm not normally like this, sorry… uh, sorry…"
Jenny felt a wave of motherly compassion wash over her and wondered where the hell it came from. "Just your name, please?" She smiled to take the edge off her words.
"Oh, right, sorry," The girl rubbed her hands over her face, before sighing, and holding one out for Jenny to shake. "Jessica Parker." She introduced herself.
Jenny took the Jess' hand, shaking it politely. "Hello, Jessica. What can I do for you?"
Jess' glanced around her, at the dull office behind Jenny's door, the boring corridor of a regular, everyday job. She dropped her hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't bother you like this..."
There was something in the younger girl's expression that made Jenny want to reach out and hug her protectively, hide her away from all the nasty things in the world – and trust her, she knew of plenty. "Jessica, please. I'm happy to help."
Jess bit her lip, trying to decide whether or not this was the best thing to do. "Okay… but please tell me to shut up or leave anytime you want." Jenny raised an eyebrow, so she continued. "Like I said, I'm Jessica Parker and… and I'm the field coordinator for the ARC." She looked up with an almost sheepish expression.
Jenny froze completely; her head was yelling at her to ask the girl to leave, to turn away, to do anything to get the ARC out of her life. But her heart disagreed. Her heart noticed the broken look that was dancing in the young girl's big blue eyes. It saw the timid fears shying away from the organized upfront. It saw the scared, nineteen year old who just wanted a bit of comfort from someone who understood. She smiled.
"Would you like to go get some coffee?"