Title: Milestones V
Author: DrawnToDarkness
Rating: T overall
Pairings: Jess/Becker primarily, Connor/Abby & Matt/Emily background
Spoilers: General knowledge of S1 – 5.
Summary: Another milestone in the lives of Captain & Mrs Becker. Set about a month or so after Milestones IV.
Disclaimer: They're still not mine! Sadly. :( I promise I'd make them happy if they were!

Chapter prompt: Beach
Chapter rating: K+

Blazing hot sun, just the right side of too hot, combined with a refreshing breeze coming in off the sea made for the perfect weather conditions for a picnic.

If only it was a picnic they were there to have.

What brought them to the beach was nothing quite so nice; an anomaly alert coupled with the frantic distress call of a woman whose husband had gone missing was not the ideal start to what had promised to be a lovely day off.

A rare day off.

One of the last they'd planned to spend together before letting the rest of the team in on their secret.

A secret everyone would soon know.

Jess Becker bit back a sigh and instead gave her husband a sunny smile.

Her worried husband merely scowled back.

"I'll stay in the car if you'd like," she offered, quite generously in her opinion.

Becker's scowl only deepened. "We don't know what this thing is, Jessica. And until we do, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

The over-protectiveness was not entirely new, really, but the way his gaze dropped meaningfully to her still perfectly flat stomach was.

And it gave the game away, too.

Abby Maitland-Temple, who'd been standing as witness to the couple's silent and not so silent argument, arched both of her eyebrows as she first followed Becker's gaze before looking up at Jess's face. A beaming smile broke out across the blond woman's face for a few seconds before a look of solemn concern took its place.

That was new, too, Jess thought with a sigh she couldn't hold back. Abby had become just as protective of her since the events of the ARC's near takeover - and that was something that would only get worse over the coming months, the Field Co-ordinator was certain.

"You're pregnant?" Abby asked in a hushed whisper. "You shouldn't be here, Jess. It's too dangerous."

When Becker only continued to scowl, Jess rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Believe it or not, I wasn't planning on being at an anomaly site, today or any other day."

That was true; they hadn't. Their plans had included a nice drive along the coast, with a stop for lunch in a nearby pub followed by an equally nice - and not at all strenuous if her husband had any say in it, since he had apparently decided his wife was too delicate for any sort of physical activity outside of breathing - walk along the beach.

They hadn't counted on an anomaly alert so close by, though in hindsight maybe they should've done. There'd been anomalies both the night Becker had planned to propose and the night before their wedding; it stood to reason there would be one the day before they planned to share the news with their teammates that they were expecting.

"I'll stay out of the way," Jess said, not for the first time.

And not for the first time, she was ignored.

"You should go. Take her home." Abby looked at Becker instead of the woman who'd spoken. "We can manage here."

"You can't say that when you don't know what we're dealing with." Obviously torn between his sense of obligation to his job and his responsibility as Jess's husband and father-to-be of her child, Becker glared and ran his hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Who's available to take her back to the ARC?"

"I am still here, you know," Jess began.

"That's the problem," her husband muttered.

Other than pausing to give him a cool glare, Jess ignored the interruption. "If you want me to leave so badly, just give me the car keys and I'll drive myself home."

"Alone?" The two people standing next to her spoke in unison.

"I'm a big girl; I'm sure I can find the way."

Her sarcastic tone was lost on them. As they went back to discussing her as though she wasn't there, Jess noticed the rest of the team approach. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stood back and let the conversation continue.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" Connor gave them both a grin – one that Jess acknowledged with a small wave while Becker mostly ignored it. "Don't you know the meaning of a day off?"

"We were in the area," Becker answered shortly.

"And they're just leaving now," Abby added, throwing a meaningful look in Jess's direction when Becker opened his mouth to protest. "Aren't you?"

As the two launched into a staring contest, a battle of wills neither of them was willing to back down from, Jess made a small sound of frustration and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Just give me the damn keys, Becker, and I'll drive myself home. Then you can get on with whatever it is you need to do without worrying I'm going to get in the way."

"It's not that you're going to get in the way," Becker was quick to reassure her, sensing he'd pushed her a little too far. She rarely called him anything but 'Hil' anymore so the fact that she'd reverted to his surname was a big clue. "But you really shouldn't be here, Jess. It's not safe."

"So give me the keys and I'll leave you to it." She held out one hand, an eyebrow lifting when he didn't immediately comply. "I'm more than capable of driving myself home. I haven't magically forgotten how."

"What—oof!" Connor was cut off mid-sentence by a well-placed elbow from his own wife. As he rubbed his ribs and gave Abby a questioning look, the team leader stepped forward.

Matt cleared his throat to get the attention of the arguing couple. "Look, you're both on a day off. If you're having some kind of domestic, go home and have it. Or put it to the side and focus on the job."

"We're not having a domestic," Becker retorted, breaking eye contact with Jess to glare at Matt. "And I'll focus on the job when she's somewhere safe."

It was the wrong thing to do. "She still has a name and isn't a bloody invalid," Jess interrupted before Matt could respond. "And I hate to break it to you but I think we are having a domestic. Seriously, Becker, if this is what the next seven months is going to be like, I think I might end up filing for divorce."

"Seven months?" Connor repeated speculatively.

"Divorce?" Becker repeated in shock.

"Why don't I drive you home, Jess? I'm not really needed here." Emily cut in smoothly before anyone else could join in the conversation. The dark haired woman moved to stand beside Jess and slid one arm around the Field Co-ordinator's waist, holding her other hand out to the team leader. "Matt, give me the keys to your car."

His eyes wide as the meaning behind Jess's declaration sunk in, Matt did as the Victorian asked.

"Thank you." Emily gave him a warm smile of approval and started to usher the younger woman away as the others looked after them.

Becker took a step after them. "Jess…"

"Later," was his wife's clipped reply as she walked away.

Hmm.. Maybe not quite the fluffy beginning I'd promised but I will make it up to you... I promise! Also, please be warned that I'm probably not going to be as fast at updating as I have been in the past so apologies in advance for that.