TITLE: Heat Wave, re-written and re-rated

AUTHOR: Pinkcat4569

RATING: T, adult language, situations, and innuendos

SPOILERS: None

Description: There's a heat wave in the ARC and we're not talking about the room temperature.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Primeval, characters. I write for fun.

Updated Author's Note: This had problems when I first wrote it. I got confused about the mammoth from the Series, which is a Columbian Mammoth. My inspiration for this story came from imagining how hard it would be to keep a Wooly Mammoth cold. So, I've rewritten this story, adding a Wooly Mammoth to the menagerie. It is not the Columbian one.

Also, there was a super hot, M-rated chapter that has been edited so I can include the scene but in a sanitized version. The extra hot chapter has been removed from this site.

Chapter 1

It was the hottest day of the summer. Becker figured it was the hottest day in several summers. He was in a bad mood, grunting at the guards at the security point as a greeting. They grunted back.

Yeah, hot days made for hot moods. He hadn't even bothered to stop and pick up Jess' daily chocolate. It would melt in five seconds flat. Plus, he just didn't feel like it. For the first time since he met her, not even Jess could get through one of his moods.

He made his way to the control room, grunting hellos and receiving grunts in return. He slowly approached the ADD and braced for Jess' happy chatter. He stood behind her for a few seconds. Nothing, not a peep. Finally he grunted.

"What?" she replied, not turning around.

Becker's eyebrow went up. "Good...morning?"

"What's good about it?" she snapped coolly.

After a moment, she turned slowly in her chair. Her hair was a bit disheveled. It was pulled back in a ponytail, but it must have been hastily done, because hairs were sticking up and out. Her face was red and sweat dripped into her eyes.

"Well, I'm waiting. Tell me Captain, what on earth is good about this morning?"

Even with the messy hair, a heat-induced flush, an ugly frown, and narrowed, menacing eyes, to Becker, she looked beautiful.

"Well, how about your attitude: frosty is just the thing I need today."

She glared at him. The way her lip twitched upward, he could tell she was trying not to smile.

"Darn it!" she finally exclaimed. "Why do you always have to cheer me up? I was enjoying being a witch."

"You're too pretty to be a witch," he said. When he saw the surprise on her face, he realized he said it out loud.

"I'm too pretty?" she repeated, smiling widely. There was no hint of the witch now.

"I didn't say anything. You're hallucinating. It must be the heat. It's hot in here. Is it hot in here?"

Jess smirked and answered, "Yes, Captain it is, and not because you just tripped over your tongue. I'm afraid the air conditioning is not working. The repair people are so overworked that they don't know when they'll get to it. Possibly, not for days."

Becker's eyes bulged in alarm. "Hence, your frosty attitude. We all need to adopt frosty attitudes, because Lord, we're going to die."

"Yes, we are," agreed Jess.

As the day and the heat wore on, Jess did her best to keep her mind on the ADD. It wasn't easy. She was so hot. Her fingers kept sliding, literally, across the keyboard. Sweat rolled into her eyes. She was very uncomfortable.

Then there was Becker.

He, like the other men, had shed his t-shirt. Many had no shirts on at all. Becker at least had a tank top on. Frankly, Jess found it more sexy. She couldn't stop staring! The fabric clung to his abs, muscles, and every ridge and ripple. Then, there were his biceps. She wanted to run her fingers over them.

Jess' mind was overheating, thinking about him. 'Could his muscles get any bigger?' 'God, he's sexy!' 'I could just nuzzle my face into those arms, rubbing like a kitten against the warm skin.'

"Get a grip, Jess!" she yelled out loud. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, she did it while staring at Becker.

"You OK?" he asked with that cheeky grin he used after she'd embarrassed herself.

"Fine, just suffering from heat stroke. I'm going to splash some water in my face," she said, getting up from the ADD.

"Aren't you going to leave someone in charge of the ADD while you're gone?" asked Becker.

"Oh, right!" She shook her head. "Like I said, heat stroke."

Becker watched her leave. Her long sexy legs moving so gracefully. He was thinking how he'd love to rub his hands up and down those legs, when he heard a growl. He looked over to see a tech drooling at Jess' retreating figure.

"Johnson! Get a grip!"

"Yes sir, sorry sir," said the tech. He went back to his desk, but then got sidetracked watching Jess' replacement, also female and pretty. His eyes followed her to the ADD. When she bent down to pick up something, he actually drooled.

"That's it Johnson," snapped Becker. "Hit the showers!"

Johnson looked confused. Was the captain literally ordering him to take a shower, at work, and in the middle of the day? "I, uh, sir?"

"Take a cold shower, now!"

Johnson got up awkwardly and left the control room to take a cold shower. Becker went about his duty, or tried to, but the usually crack ARC members were not performing at their normal efficiency.

"Kim, I need the reports on the damage in loading bay." Becker waited for the woman to hand him the reports. She didn't.

"Kim!" He looked up to see Leli Kim, a pretty Asian woman blatantly flirting with Wilson, a slightly older, balding tech.

"Hey!" screamed Becker, waking both techs from the spell. Kim looked terribly embarrassed, while Wilson looked annoyed.

"Minds on your jobs. Now!" ordered Becker.

Leli Kim went right back to work. It wasn't long, though, that Becker caught her shooting smiles at Wilson. He also caught Wilson's lecherous leers in Leli's direction.

Becker sighed. "Miss Kim," he said, firmly, "you and Mr. Wilson are out of line. Showers! Now! Cold ones! Separate ones!"

Leli blushed, and quickly complied, walking out of Ops. Wilson, however, didn't react. Becker walked behind him and swatted the back of his head.

"Now Mister!" he bellowed, shaking Wilson awake. Wilson leapt out of the chair and ran out of Ops.

A few minutes later, Lester entered Ops, obviously frustrated and hot. "Where is Parker?"

"Right here," said Jess, entering behind him.

"Good. I need your help. We have to get the air conditioning up and running. I need you to contact the repairmen again."

Jess sighed. "I'll try," she said. "Last time I had a hard time even getting through."

"Well, use that billion dollar equipment and your superior hacking skills," he said.

Jess smiled weakly. "We aren't the only ones in the city who are hot, you know."

Lester rolled his eyes. "Not only are we the first line of defense against rips in time and creatures charging through that time, Miss Parker, but we also house said creatures. Miss Maitland just brought a new gargantuan one here, and it is very sensitive to the heat."

"Oh, that's right!" cried Jess. "The Wooly Mammoth that came through a few days ago! I forgot. I haven't seen it yet. Is it magnificent?"

"Not when its shedding all over," said Becker with a laugh.

"Poor thing," said Lester, getting a look from both Jess and Becker. "I have a soft spot for mammoths, so sue me. I don't want that thing dying from the heat. Get on it, Miss Parker!"

Jess sighed. "Yes, sir." She turned to her keyboard. "How is the thing staying alive?"

"Connor rigged a bunch of portable air conditioners to spew out super cold air. I'm talking Siberia cold," said Becker.

"Really? Why don't we have one in here?" asked Jess.

Becker chuckled. "Lester doesn't have a soft spot for us," he said.

Jess laughed.

"Abby's also got ice around the mammoth," said Becker. "She's hit every ice factory, store, and freezer she can find. I think she's almost cleaned London out of the stuff."

"You're funny," said Jess.

"Abby's persistent."

"She is," said Jess.

A few minutes later, Jess briefed Lester on her lack of progress with the repairmen.

Lester began raving, "Damn stupid repairmen! What kind of bloke doesn't respond to bribes or threats or even pretty girls?"

Jess giggled. "He couldn't see me over the phone, Lester."

Lester looked around at the people in the control room. "Why are so many of you wet?"

All of the techs gave Becker a sheepish stare.

Becker chuckled. "I'm just trying to help them survive the heat wave, both kinds."

"Both kinds?" asked Jess.

Becker looked at her, not answering immediately. She was so beautiful. Her skin looked so soft and touchable.

He simply stared.

"Becker?" asked Jess. "Becker!"

He woke up, quickly shaking his head, and blushing. "Sorry. What were we talking about?"

Jess chuckled. "You said there was another kind of heat wave?"

"Oh, right," said Becker, forcing himself not to look at her legs. "Well," he said, "There seems to also be a more.. passionate kind of heat going around."

Jess blushed. Lester looked appalled. "Parker, turn the sprinkler system on."

Becker hit his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Lester shrugged, saying, "I'm the boss. I do the big thinking."

End of Chapter 1