Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
8.7 To Have or Have Not
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Friday night in. Ahh, thought Jess, relaxing with friends, what a wonderful thing. She and Abby were in the kitchen, the heart of any home, as far as Jess was concerned. Looking out the window over the sink into the tiny garden, Jess chuckled. Abby moved to stand next to her and peered out as well. A small smirk appeared on her face. The two women looked at each other in amusement.
Connor was frantically fanning the smoke and judiciously squirting the flames with the small bottle of water he held. Becker was standing a little farther away from the grill, watching the proceedings with his eyes narrowed, lips pursed. It was almost as if he was wondering if military intervention would be called for. It was Connor's turn to cook, and he had planned grilled fish and vegetables, very well done apparently. The salad should be okay, thought Jess. At least he was trying something other than pizza again.
Picking up the plates, Jess followed Abby into the main room. Together they started setting the table.
"Did you ask him yet," Abby inquired.
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"Do you need a hand with that mate?" asked Becker, watching Connor's efforts.
"No, got it completely under control," Connor replied, squirting the flames once more for good measure.
Becker nodded, not quite sure he believed it, but decided to change the subject. "I spoke to Lester today," he told Connor "put in a request for the next two weeks off."
"Oh," replied Connor absently, he fanned the smoke. Did it need another dose of water he wondered, and what was up with action man… he never took time off… had to force him to take medical leave that time... Becker was always worried that someone would get hurt if he wasn't there. "Whatcha got planned?"
Becker shifted a little uncomfortably. "Jess asked me to go with her to her cousin's wedding…" he began.
Connor's head snapped around as he looked directly at his friend. A grin started across his face. He knew the pair had been dating exclusively for the past couple of years, but meeting the family… it sounded like Jess was moving things forward. He started to open his mouth and say so, but then thought better of it. Becker looked nervous enough already he thought, so instead asked "Did Lester approve it?"
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Jess started placing the plates on the table, setting it for four. Abby looked up in confusion, five sets of flatware in her hands.
"She's not coming?" asked Abby.
"No," replied Jess with a smile. Her roomie, Connor's sister had a date with the coordinator from Epsilon group, but she didn't think she would mention that. Connor didn't seem to think the young man was good enough for his sister. "She said she might stop by later, but I really wouldn't expect it."
Abby nodded, and finished putting out the flatware. Jess noticed she now was rubbing the slight bump showing on her abdomen.
"Did the doctor tell you a due date yet?"
Abby smiled, a little worry showing in her blue eyes. "We've been trying for a while now, so not quite sure when…," her voice trailed off. "The doctor scheduled an ultrasound for the week after next to be sure."
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"Of course Lester approved my time off," Becker replied "no reason not to. Hendricks and Stephenson will be back by then." The two soldiers had finally decided to make their relationship official. A civil union and a honeymoon resulted in a temporary staff shortage in the ARCs Alpha security team, but their friends in Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Epsilon teams had stepped up readily to provide coverage whilst they were away.
"Hendricks will be in charge of Alpha security team while I'm out." Becker looked sternly at Connor, "Don't go getting any ideas," he continued, "we're not going to be shorthanded. Remember, you're supposed to be research only now."
Connor just rolled his eyes at his friend's words. "You sound just like the Lester's," he accused. The debate about his role in the ARCs work had been going on for years now. Officially, he was senior scientist in charge of technical development and temporal research. Unofficially, Connor knew he would help however he could, and if it meant going in the field, so be it.
"Hold the platter out for me," he directed Becker as he started removing the food from the grill. "So where's the wedding?"
"France," his friend answered, "it's her cousin from Provence that is getting married, but Jess said there will be family coming in from all over… Canada, Australia, and…" Becker looked up at Connor, his eyes wide and staring. "She wants me to meet them all… including her Grandmother," he whispered.
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