A start of a beautiful friendship

Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Impossible Pictures™.

Note: contains spoilers for the official series.

"So, glad to have you back, lady Emily," captain Becker said nonchalantly, as he helped the noblewoman from the past settle into her temporary quarters in the ARC. "How's the Victorian London?"

"The streets are stinking, the raptors are deadly, and the society is just as segregated as it was before," Emily replied. "Really, it's like I never left it."

"Right," Becker nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sorry to hear that your return was so lousy. Anyways, here it is same old, same old as well. Abby and Connor took Matt for a ride on a submarine-"

"Wait, what's a submarine?" Emily asked, curiously.

"It's a ship that swims underwater. It is shaped like a metal cigar, basically, and has been in use for most of the twentieth century, or at least its better part. Nowadays, they're powered by nuclear energy, and-"

"Becker, wait!" Emily said with an embarrassed smile. "I just wanted to cliff note version – is that correct?"

"Yes, I guess it is," Becker admitted. "So, glad to have you back in any case."

"And it's good to be back," Emily nodded. "I never realized it, but back in the nineteenth century? The hygiene's atrocious!" She paused and added. "And why are you being so nice to me, too? Not that I'm complaining, but-"

"But Matt, whom you expect to be nice, isn't here," Becker nodded. "Sorry about that: he's busy with Abby conspiring against Connor or vice versa."

Emily blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked, sounding more curious than concerned.

"Well..."

Several weeks ago...

"You went on a submarine ride and didn't even tell me?" Becker glared at Matt. "You told Jess, but you didn't tell me?"

"Sorry about that, mate," Matt looked away, looking genuinely apologetic for once. "It just sort of happened."

"That's because I still don't admit that your souped-up tasers are real guns?" Becker pressed on. "No offence, but what you did – it's just petty."

"Becker, that's unfair!" Abby spoke-up suddenly, appeared from behind Matt. "Matt just chaperoned Connor and I while we sealed the underwater anomaly into the late Jurassic-?"

Becker did not reply, he just gave her a look.

Now...

"And while Matt was briefing Lester about your return, Jess told me that Abby was nosing around Connor's new lab. Maybe she is just jealous about Connor's new assistant that Philip Burton gave to Connor alongside a new lab, but I do not know. Abby has been conspiring with Matt ever since the giant burrowing insects from the future incident, you know?"

"No, I didn't," Emily muttered, as she fingered the handles of her kukris. "Connor's with Philip and Abby's with Matt, and I admit I would rather not end up as a chess piece in a conflict between two powerful men, you know?"

"Neither would Jess, neither would I, for that matter," Becker nodded solemnly. "Does this mean that we have an agreement?"

"An agreement?" Emily looked cannily at the ARC's head of security for what?"

"For not being unwitting pawns," Becker said firmly. "Is that clear enough?"

"Yes," Emily nodded thoughtfully. "It's a deal."

"Yay!" Jess said as she bounced from around the corner in her usual manner. "We've made progress! This calls for a celebration!"

Becker just looked at her. "What?" Jess asked, restraining her enthusiasm – just a little. "It does!"

"Does that celebration include chocolate tarts?" Emily asked, eagerly: there had not been any back in the Victorian London.

"Yes!" Jess nodded enthusiastically, "it does! Becker?"

Outnumbered and outvoted, Becker just nodded in agreement. "Yay!" Jess all but bounced up and down. "Emily Merchant, this is a beginning of a really beautiful friendship!"

As all-but-bouncing Jess Parker dragged a bemused Emily Merchant along the ARC corridor, Becker walked behind them, wondering what he got himself into...

TBC