Power cut:
Thought of this lying in bed, I've been trying what I'm calling method writing: Basically for this one I downloaded the sounds of a thunderstorm and sat in a dark room writing it :P It works rather well actually! So in this, we've got a power cut, rain and some awkward feeling around blindly in the dark. Hope you enjoy!
Becker squinted out the windscreen of his Jeep, the wipers moving franticly form one side to the other in a desperate attempt to clear the rain away. He grumbled as he tried to manoeuvre his way through rush hour traffic.
He turned on the radio in an attempt to amuse himself, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and cursing the person in front of him for not getting out of his way.
Just as he turned a corner, he blinked and was suddenly surrounded by pitch blackness. He frowned.
'I'm dead' he thought absently, almost casually assessing the situation 'Or blind..'
All around him he could hear cars screeching to a halt and he quickly slammed on his own breaks. He reached into what he thought was the back and felt around for his Sat-Nav.
Thankful that there was still some charge left so he switched it on. He blinked rapidly as the bright light assaulted his eyes. He saw that, to his relief, he was just outside Jess' apartment. He pulled his jacket from between the seats and pulled it awkwardly over his head. He then pulled out his phone and texted Jess 'You in? Looks like there's been a power cut, I'm right outside. Can I come in? B, x'. He waited about twenty seconds before she replied 'Sure, come on in! J, x' he smiled at the 'x' and then shook his head; she probably only put it there because he did in the first place. He slipped out of the car and blindly made his way to where he thought the door to the lobby of Jess' apartment was. He reached out like a zombie and grasped a handle, he pulled it open and staggered inside, rain dripping from his usually perfect hair.
He blinked in an effort to get accustomed to the dark. He still couldn't see anything. He pulled out his phone and used it to light his way as he made his way up the stairs and towards Jess's bright red door. He cursed as his phone screen flickered and died before he got to the top of the stairs. He reached out for the banister and felt his stomach lurch as he reached the end of the stairs, and thinking there was still more steps, he went crashing to the ground with a grunt.
He heard a click to his left and then the clatter of high heels.
"Jess?" he questioned in a low voice.
"Becker? Is that you? Where are you?" Jess replied in a whisper, squinting around in the darkness.
"Down here" he mumbled back, then frowned and said normally "Why are we whispering?"
"Never mind that!" said Jess "What are you doing on the floor?"
"Fell over"
"Well come inside!" said Jess, judging by the sound of her shoes, she was coming towards him.
"Mind the stairs!" Becker warned and started to push himself up.
"Need help?" Jess asked.
"Um, just tell me where to go" Becker said, feeling like an idiot.
"Here" she reached out in the darkness and felt around "Give me your hand"
Becker reached out and tried to locate Jess, his hand came into contact with something rather soft. He frowned.
Jess gasped and grabbed his wrist, removing his hand from her chest.
"Oh!" Becker blushed scarlet: he'd found her all right... just not the bit of her he was anticipating "Sorry Jess" he said nervously.
"Never mind that" muttered Jess, feeling warm "Let's just go inside"
Becker agreed and allowed her to tow him inside.
Once in, she dropped his hand and said "Kitchens this way... I think, yeah! None of the electric stuff's working... I'm sure I have some matches or a torch..." she rambled on to herself as she tottered towards the kitchen.
Becker reached out in front of him and followed the noise of her ridiculous shoes.
"Should you really be wearing those shoes in the dark?" he asked, feeling along the wall.
"Probably not" she said, he could almost hear her pouting as she took them off, they landed with a clunk on the wooden floor.
"Now I can't hear you" said Becker, narrowing his eyes and peering around in the darkness.
"Right here" said Jess, right in front of him. He jumped out of his skin and clutched his chest, breathing heavily.
"Jess!" he scolded, deciding to himself he wasn't going to reach out and risk groping the poor girl again.
Jess giggled "Sorry, did I scare you?"
"No" snapped Becker, only causing Jess to laugh harder.
"That wasn't funny" he said.
"No, it wasn't" Jess admitted "it was hilarious"
"Oh, ha ha ha" grumbled Becker sarcastically "Can we just find those matches or whatever and stop hanging around in the dark?"
Jess sobered up "Okay, where are you now?"
"Right in front of you I think"
Jess frowned and cautiously reached her hand out, thinking to herself 'He's quite tall... and I'm not in heels so..." she blindly put her other hand out and leaned forward until she came into contact with something hard and warm. She patted around for a bit.
Becker bit his lip to stop himself laughing, imaging the face of concentration she must be making was priceless.
"I'm guessing that's not a radiator" she mumbled, more to herself then Becker "What bit of you is that?" she questioned bluntly, still moving her hands around a bit.
She frowned as she felt whatever was under her hands start to shake irregularly.
"Are you laughing at me?" she pouted, lightly thumping what was under her hand.
"No" said Becker, chuckling.
She huffed and said "Give me your hand Becker, this isn't funny"
"Oh, but it is" he said teasingly.
"Just tell me where I am! Is this your chest?"
"No, it's my back"
"Why do you have your back to me!" she protested "Do you want to get those matches or not?"
Becker grinned, this was turning out to be a lot more interesting than he had first anticipated.
"This can't be your back!" she muttered "This isn't funny Becker! Stop being such a child and give me your hand!"
Becker snorted, Jess huffed "Fine I'll leave you here then" she took her hands off his 'back'.
"No wait!" Becker said "come back" he started forward blindly and bumped right into Jess, who hadn't moved at all.
Due to the impact, Jess found herself sprawled on the floor.
"Becker!" she shrieked.
"Oh, Sorry" he apologised.
Jess struggled back to a standing position and huffed; she could tell Becker was laughing again.
"Shut up" she mumbled, trying not to laugh herself.
"You okay?" Becker asked, ignoring her previous demand and continuing chuckling.
"Fine" she said, biting her lip "Now, quit it and give me your hand" she reached out again and said "I knew that wasn't your back"
"Smart Jess" said Becker, smiling.
"Ha ha bloody ha" she grumbled "What's this now?" she felt around some more.
"Jess!" Becker squeaked "Hands in serious danger of travelling too low!"
Jess blushed furiously "Sorry" she said "I'm not in heels so you're way taller than me"
"That's okay" said Becker, grinning and finally taking her hands "Lead the way"
Jess rolled her eyes and pulled him through the kitchen/living room and on to her bedroom.
"Stay here" she said, leading his hands to the bed "It's my bed, I'm going to look for some candles or a torch or something"
"Okay" said Becker, clinging to the leather "Can I do something to help?"
"Actually, yeah" came Jess's voice to his right "It you put your back to the bed and walk forward about ten steps you should find a dresser with some matches on it"
"Okay" said Becker, running over the situation in his head: Jess had told him ten steps... but was that Becker steps or Jess steps? He frowned and decided on Jess steps. He tried to work out how many Jess steps were in a Becker step and failed spectacularly, so he settled for walking like Jess.
He furrowed his brow in concentration as he rose up on the balls of his feet and daintily put one foot on front of the other, he trotted over to the dresser without mishap and felt around for the matches... Keys, a book, a picture frame... 'Ah!' he thought, victory swelling in his chest at the thought of successfully completing the mission at hand. He picked up the small box and pulled out a match, lighting it and peering around with his new found vision.
"Jess?" he said hoarsely.
"Oh! You got them" said Jess, from right in front of him again, he scowled at her but nonetheless helped her to light the candle she had in her hand. She brought it over to the bedside table and set it down, seating herself on the bed. Becker followed and sunk down beside her.
"Any idea what time it is?" he asked her. She leaned forward and looked at her watch in the candlelight.
"7:30" she said, tucking her feet under her.
"Are you cold?" Becker asked.
Jess shrugged "Are you not? You're soaked!"
Becker made a face and pulled off his jacket, throwing it on the floor.
"only a little" he muttered, pulling off his red checked zip hoodie and frowning at it, seeing that it too was wet. He rolled it in a ball and threw it on top of his jacket.
He sneezed violently, making Jess jump.
"Sorry" he apologised with a grin.
She giggled back and nervously said: "You're t-shirts wet too... I think I might still have something of Connor's that he left here if you want...?" observing the dark patches on his grey top.
Becker seriously considered this, wearing Temple's t-shirt or being extremely uncomfortable for the rest of the evening.
"That'd be great" he said, standing up. Jess smiled and grabbed the candle and led him into the spare room that Abby and Connor used to inhabit.
"Here we go" she mumbled, rooting about in a drawer. She pulled out a pink top with a green alien on it. Becker made a very pained face, causing Jess to laugh.
Becker reached in and picked up a red one with a cartoon tank on it.
"Is this Connor's?" he asked disbelievingly.
Jess shrugged "I never saw him wear it"
Becker held it up. "How skinny can you get?" he observed.
Jess chuckled and said "It looks to big for him"
Becker grinned "Question is, will it fit me?" and with that, he pulled his wet top off and stuck the end into his trouser pocket. He pulled Connor's top over his head and struggled with it for a bit. Jess just stared, having a full view of his hairy chest in the candlelight. Her mouth open, she was practically drooling.
"No" grunted Becker from inside it, he pulled it off his head saying "Connor has no shoulders" he stopped as he noticed the look on Jess's face, she didn't seem to realise he had said something. He smirked; he could have some fun with this...
"Ah well" he said, throwing the top back "Thanks anyway Jess" he stepped forward and embraced her. The contact jolted Jess out of her daze and suddenly she had her face pressed into the hollow between Becker's ribs.
"A-a" she stuttered out, she breathed in sharply inhaling the heavenly smell of Becker... Heavenly smell? She blushed. Oh dear...
Becker closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the soft, warm, woman against him. All to soon he pulled away and grinned at her. She nervously twitched out a smile back, blushing to the roots of her reddish brown hair.
"I couldn't have a glass of water? Could I?" Becker asked, taking her free hand.
"Sure" she mumbled, still slightly unsure what had just happened. She led him into the kitchen, somewhere in the back of her head registering that he still hadn't got a shirt on.
She quickly filled a glass of cool water from the filter for him and handed it to him. He smiled in thanks and watched as she set the candle down before beginning to drink.
Jess looked at her feet, desperate not to notice the way his Adams apple bobbed up and down and his chest and neck muscles contracted as he swallowed.
'Stop it!' she mentally scolded herself 'Stop being so ridiculous!'
She swallowed and turned away, suddenly becoming very interested in the sink.
"Ah!" Becker sighed happily "thanks" he set the glass down and peered at his watch: nearly 8:00.
"I wonder if we'll be in work tomorrow" said Jess.
"I'd say so, Connor'll be able to get the system up and running again" Becker said, rubbing his chin and hopping up to sit on the counter. Jess looked up and him and leaned on her bit of counter.
"yeah, I guess" she mumbled.
Just then there was a click and the front door sung open with a bust of light.
"Ow! Abby!" Connor's voice drifted down the hallway "That was my foot!"
"Shut up Conn!" Abby snapped "And it wasn't your foot, it was mine!"
Jess giggled.
"She's in!" announced Connor triumphantly "Jess! Where are you?"
"In here, in the kitchen" replied Jess.
The light from Connor's torch flitted about the hall then into the kitchen. He shone it at Jess and she covered her eyes and scolded him.
"Sorry Jess" he said, making his way over to her, not noticing Becker at all.
"you okay?" he asked "Power cuts are scary"
"Yeah, I'm fine" Jess said, watching as Connor began to lean towards Becker's general area, presumingly to lean on the counter. Jess opened her mouth, then shut it. Not knowing how exactly to go about telling him he was about to lean on the ARC's head of security.
Connor leaned fully back then froze when he came into contact with something that defiantly wasn't the counter. He spun around and stretched his hands out, landing them on Becker's stomach.
"Get. Your. Hands. Off me Temple!" growled Becker menacingly.
Connor let out a high-pitched scream and dove towards where he thought the sofa was.
Abby shone the torch on Becker and gaped at his lack of clothing.
"Becker?" she squeaked. She shone the light first on Jess, then on Becker. Jess blushed scarlet and could practically hear the gears whizzing in Abby's head.
Becker arched an eyebrow at her and then said "Will you stop swinging that around?"
Abby closed her gob and held the torch steady.
"Oh god!" said Connor, scrambling up from his place on the floor, having completely missed the couch, "Jess! And Becker!" his mouth fell open and he grinned evilly.
"It's not what it looks like" Jess and Becker said simultaneously.
Connor whooped in delight "ooohhhh!" he put his fingers on his mouth in a scandalised gesture "Wait 'till I tell Matt!"
Becker got off the counter and pushed out his shoulders; making him look incredibly big. He stood over Connor, aiming to intimidate him. It worked.
"Abby..." poor Connor whined, shuffling back towards her.
Abby smirked "Leave him alone Becker" she said, rolling her eyes at Jess.
Jess shot her a nervous smile back and looked at Becker, who had slunk off back to his perch on the counter.
"Come on Connor" Abby instructed "It's clear Jess has company enough to keep her safe - and warm - on this scary night... Lets go!" and with that, she pulled him out of the apartment.
Becker and Jess stayed silent for a while before Becker started chuckling.
Jess scowled at him "how can you laugh? They're going to tell everyone that we -I mean, Uh..."
Becker hopped down "Let them, do you really care what everyone thinks that much?"
Jess rubbed her arm, "no... but, it's not true..." she stuttered.
Becker frowned "It could be" he said in a small voice, and even in the candlelight Jess could see his ears turning red.
She looked up at him quizzically and he gently ran his hand over her cheek. Unwillingly her eyes fluttered closed and she sighed happily.
Becker smiled and leaned down to exchange his hand for his lips. Jess' eyes flew open but she quickly relaxed again.
"It could be...?" she muttered, Becker still hadn't moved.
"uh-huh" he said, his eyes closed "If you wanted" he whispered against her.
"I-I-" Jess leaned into him "I do want"
Becker beamed into her cheek and pulled away to look at her. He nodded slightly, questioning her again.
She immediately responded, nodding back, a nervous smile slighting up her features.
"Good" said Becker in a low voice, then he leaned down again but this time pressed a soft kiss to her lips. When she didn't pull back, he repeated the kiss and groaned softly as her hands slid up his bare back and tangled in his hair.
When they broke away after a while, they both were blushing and smiling.
Becker pulled Jess to him once again and she didn't feel half as embarrassed as she buried her head in his chest his time.
Woo! This one was fun to write :-D I hope you liked it, drop a review and let me know what you think, please?
Glosoli