A/N: I don't own the characters and I don't own the idea for the sleepless-plot. I got inspired to write this story when I read "Sleepiness and Togetherness" from I-Want-Chocolate-Now. She does know about this story, she read it first and didn't mind me posting it.
Thanks so much for letting me borrow your idea C.!
Jess looked desperately into her compact mirror; she had dark rings under her eyes and looked really pale. She wondered how long she could keep up her cheerful act, knowing it was only a matter of time until someone noticed the signs of her lack of rest.
She sleepily wobbled into the bathroom where she slowly started to cover up the dark bags under her eyes, add makeup to her face, and rouge her cheeks a little. The makeup worked wonders and she looked a lot more alive than before.
It'd been five nights now since she'd had a proper night's sleep, five nights since the future predators had invaded the ARC, and five nights spent laying awake: tossing and turning around for most of the time. She did fall asleep every night, only to be haunted by nightmares. Eventually she woke up again screaming.
At the ARC she played it cool, pretended to be her usual bubbly self, acted like nothing happened.
She didn't want the others to know about her nightmares. Jess knew what they had been through. All of them had had to face convergence in one way or another. She was aware that they all had to come to terms with the events.
The way to the ARC passed by in a blur. Jess couldn't say how she had gotten there, but she made a mental note to ask someone to drop her off after work. She wouldn't risk driving on her own anymore.
The moment Jess sat down in front of the ADD, fatigue overcame her. She couldn't concentrate on a thing and was relieved that there was no anomaly alert. She dozed off a few times, just to wake up with a start seconds later.
After an hour at work, Jess went to the break room to get herself another coffee, the third of the day.
Becker was on his way to the ADD. He needed to talk to Jess, he wanted to make sure that everything was okay with her. While she was usually the most talkative person he knew, she'd been rather quiet these past few days.
He saw her walking his direction and her expression appalled him. Her eyes were weary and she appeared floppy. Without noticing him, the field-coordinator ran right into him.
Becker quickly grabbed her arms to steady her. Her eyes went wide in shock. "I didn't see you, Becker, I'm sorry." Jess took a step back. "I was on my way to get a coffee."
"I think you should get a tea instead," The soldier said as he led her to the break room. He held on to her arm the whole way.
"Let me guess, you haven't gotten any sleep lately, right?" Becker stated matter-of-factly.
"No, I have slept..." Jess trailed off, knowing there was no way he'd buy the lie.
"Yeah, right. You can barely keep your eyes open." Becker guided her to the sofa and indicated for her to sit down. "You stay here. I'll talk to Lester and then I drive you home."
Five minutes later, Becker stepped into the break room again and found Jess dozing off, but she must have sensed his presence since she jerked awake the moment he got closer.
"Come here, I'll get you home. Lester said he doesn't want to see you back at the ADD, and the ARC, for the next two days."
Too exhausted to argue, Jess let Becker guide her to his car, where he helped her in. The drive to her flat was silent, as the girl fell asleep only minutes after Becker set the car into motion, but once the car came to a stop she was awake again.
At her flat, Jess insisted on walking herself, hoping to convince him that she wasn't as tired as he thought, but Becker had to steady her again, more than once.
"Jess, why don't you lie down already? I'll make you a cup of tea." Becker broke the lasting silence.
Jess stared at her feet. "I can't sleep. Whenever I fall asleep, I have nightmares," she admitted in a whisper and sat down on her couch.
Becker knelt down in front of her, trying to make eye-contact, but her gaze wandered past him. "I know that feeling. I had nightmares after my first dreadful creature incursion too. But you have to sleep. I have an idea. I'll make you the tea, you go to bed and when you've had your cuppa, you try to sleep. I'll stay and watch over you. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Becker touched her chin and caused her to look at him at his last words. "Trust me."
Jess did as she was told and when Becker entered her bedroom she was tucked into bed with her duvet pulled up to her nose.
"Jessica, why didn't you tell anyone about the nightmares?" He sat down on the edge of her bed.
"We all had our cross to bear after convergence. I hoped that they would go away after two or three days," she admitted quietly.
Silence filled the room. Slowly Jess sat up in her bed and took the cup with the hot beverage Becker was handing her. The soldier sat and watched her drink, wondering why she hadn't at least told him anything.
"I wish you had said something." He suddenly said, surprising not only her with his words.
"It just didn't feel right." Jess looked at the cup in her hands, avoiding Becker's gaze.
For a second Becker, weighed his actions and throw his caution into the wind. 'She could have died. We all could have died,' he thought to himself.
Becker took her mug from her and placed it on the nightstand. He grabbed her hands and gently stroked the back of them with his thumbs.
"Promise me that whenever something is bugging you, future predators, nightmares or Connor Temples," his little joke was rewarded with a small giggle, "you'll tell me." He leaned closer to her and placed a soft kiss in her hair. "And now, I want you to sleep. I'll stay and be there when you need me, I promise." Seeing the question in her eyes, he cut her off before she could speak. "We'll talk later."
Jess settled down in her bed. Now it was on her to debate with herself. She wanted him to hold her until she would fall asleep, but she couldn't find the nerves to ask.
"Could you stay here, until I'm asleep?" She asked finally, "And maybe hold my hand?" she added in a cracking voice.
"Of course." Becker took one of her hands.
Before Jess finally fell asleep, she felt him stroking her hair and mumbling something she couldn't understand. With a smile on her face, she finally found the well needed rest.